⋆ The Nemeton⋆  
  word count: 4651

It had only been just over a day, and Juno cut off ties with almost everyone. Her feeling of anger and betrayal because of Stiles lead her emotional connection with him to wane; where she couldn't feel anything he felt anymore. At one point, she almost destroyed her phone from how many messages Stiles, Lydia, and even Scott were bombarding her with. The only thing that kept her from not crushing it in her bare hands was Allison. Juno was able to confide in Allison, sobbing over the phone and making unintelligible sentences as Allison gave back all of her empathy to support her. Allison knew how much Juno was beginning to fall for Stiles, and part of her was irritated by Lydia's act even after she had heard the full story.

Allison didn't want Juno to be so heartbroken over Stiles; she saw how two had become close in such a short time and hated to see Juno willing to throw it all away in a heartbeat over a kiss. She knew why Lydia kissed Stiles, and although Allison had fought with Lydia saying there could have been other ways to help Stiles with his panic attack, she empathised with the fact that Lydia would have been stressed and overwhelmed.

The two girls didn't want to bring Lydia down. Juno knew the explanation through Allison; despite her understanding Lydia's side of the story she still couldn't describe the pain she felt, knowing that Stiles had been infatuated with Lydia for years made it worse.

Stiles, Lydia, and Scott would all message her saying that they needed her help with everything to do with Jennifer Blake, while also begging for her forgiveness in between these texts. Juno isolated herself from the problems with the Supernatural; she felt that they were able to handle it themselves, and only wanted her because she was a significant advantage on their side. In a sense, on top of being pained over the boy she was falling for kissing her friend, she began to feel used.

Cyrus would often try and console Juno, telling her that he knew 'freckle boy's' thoughts and would tell Juno everything, but she would brush him away, claiming she clearly already knew them. Cyrus didn't need mind reading abilities to know how Stiles felt about his sister, and he had never even spoken to the boy, he just knew from the way that Stiles looked at her and listened to her words so intently that he was madly in love with her. A part of him wanted to roll his eyes and give her the 'boys are stupid' lecture, but Juno had never grown close to anyone else in years, and never in such a short time either. He just wanted her to be happy, and Cyrus knew that Stiles could give that to her even if it wasn't forever.

Juno's hands were twitching each time her phone vibrated on her desk across the room. She was sat on the edge of her bed, staring mindlessly at the ground as each notification made her body jolt. Her phone hadn't stopped being blown up all day; and at that point she really was ready to break it. Slamming her fist against the mattress, she got up and marched over to her desk and glared down at the one hundred and sixteen messages and thirty missed calls; half of which were all from Stiles just in the span of five hours.

Reluctantly, she sighed and opened up her phone to read the hundreds of messages she had ignored for the past two days.

Batman 💖

S: Juno I don't know how many times
I have to apologise but I'll do it a
million more if it means you'll forgive
me

S: Come on PLEASE

S: I know it's been like a day but jesus
there's so much shit going on right now

S: And the group is just so empty
without you???

S: Seriously, on top of me needing you to
forgive me I also need your help

S: Please Juno

She sighed as she kept scrolling through his messages, creating a sunken feeling inside of her with each essay sent to her of Stiles expressing his guilt and regret. Juno tossed her phone onto her bed and cursed under her breath; she felt like an idiot for being so worked up, but at the same time she felt every right to. Everyone's feelings were valid, and she didn't want to feel guilty for being upset over seeing her friend kiss the boy she was falling for.

She scrolled through the messages sent by Allison that she hadn't read. They were all begging her to help find her dad, as well as Scott's mother and Stiles' father. Juno then decided to put everything behind her and help with the group, but only for Allison.

Batman 💖

J: I'll be wherever you are in 10

S: JUNE

S: HI

S: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE
I AM???

S: DUMB QUESTION SORRY BUT YES
PLEASE COME THANK YOU 💖💖

She rolled her eyes and placed her phone in the pocket of her denim jacket. Juno walked out of the house and stood on the sidewalk, closing her eyes and inhaling slowly through her nose, she tried to scope out Stiles' blood scent. Opening her eyes, she instantly knew where he was, and sprinted with all of her power to wherever he was, occasionally stopping to redirect her path.

Meanwhile, Stiles impatiently tapped his foot on the ground as he waited for Juno, glancing up at the clock and mentally cursing as he noticed barely one minute had passed. 

His hands fumbled as he fidgeted with his phone in his hand."She'll be here in less than ten minutes for sure, she's super fast-"

"We know, Stiles," Allison interrupted. "I'm surprised she agreed to helping..."

"We're lucky she said yes," Scott brought up, giving Stiles the side eye. "Without her we might not even be able to find our parents; she's valuable."

Allison narrowed her eyes at Scott. "Didn't you maybe think that another reason as to why she's so upset because she feels like we're using her for her powers?" Allison spat. Scott opened his mouth to retort, but instead he looked down at his shoes as he realised that Allison was right. Stiles swore under his breath, feeling worse for pushing her further away. He wondered why Juno never told him that she was feeling used; he never assumed she felt that way as she was so willing to help. Stiles came to the realisation that the main reason she was helping was because of him, and he began to feel even worse.

"Regardless, Scott is right when he says that your friend is valuable; the powers of a long lived Vampire are rare to find as their population is so low. Perhaps you all better consider her feelings a little better if you really want her to continue helping you all," Dr Deaton spoke up. The group all looked at each other with guilty faces. Their heads perked up when they could hear fast paced footsteps immediately come to a halt. Stiles ran up to the small window that peaked out of the operating room and looked outside.

His lips thinned as he held back his emotions. Her blonde curls blowing lightly as the breeze hit her porcelain face. Her brows were furrowed ever so slightly, and her nose was slightly scrunched up as Stiles' blood scent waned due to the growing scent of Werewolves. Stiles ran from the window and towards the clinic entrance, despite Allison calling out to him telling him not to. Juno narrowed her eyes at the 'closed' sign on the door, increasing her desire to leave. Before she could knock on the door, it swung open at lightning speed, and Juno was suddenly engulfed by Stiles' arms.

Juno stepped back slightly as his sudden force caught her off guard; her back slightly strained as she also had to lean backwards as Stiles' much taller figure leaned over as he squeezed her tightly. He was muttering nonsense into her shoulder, all Juno knew was that he was talking incredibly fast. She sighed and gave in to his sweet sent. She let her arms gently wrap around him and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. When she allowed the sweetness of his blood to fill her nose she could suddenly feel his emotions again. Her chest was bursting with a feeling she couldn't describe, but it made her feel like she were floating.

Stiles had never felt so much guilt in his life. When Lydia had kissed him, he was taken off guard, but all he could think about was Juno Clarke in that moment. A part of him felt bad for thinking of another girl when being kissed, but he was relieved when in that moment he truly knew that he wasn't in love with Lydia anymore. When he saw Juno out of the corner of his eye, he could feel a panic attack starting yet again. The sight was nightmarish: he would see Juno standing with her stunning golden eyes more vibrant than every, but bloodshot as she had a stream of tears escaping them.

He held onto her tighter when he felt Juno beginning to pull away, trying to show her how deeply sorry he really was.

"Stiles, I'm here to find missing people," Juno mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear. Juno felt his grip loosen, and let go of him as she stepped away. She kept her eyes on the ground as she walked into the animal clinic, ignoring Stiles reaching his hand out to her to try and have one more moment alone.

Before Juno could greet the stranger standing with her friends, another person shocked her with yet another hug, but this time it was Lydia. It was quick, but had meaning. Lydia quickly pulled away and held onto Juno's shoulders tightly as she looked into her brown eyes; her pink lips quivering as she tried to form an apology.

"Don't worry about it," Juno whispered, the corners of her mouth curving upwards slightly. She did forgive Lydia partly, but that of course didn't stop her from being hurt. It doesn't take one day for Juno Clarke to get over things that have emotionally affected her. She looked up towards the man standing by Scott in a lab coat. "What was I needed for?" She asked.

The veterinarian stepped forward and held a hand out for a handshake. "I don't believe we've met, I'm Dr. Alan Deaton," he introduced. Juno accepted the handshake, introducing herself which earned an eyebrow raise from Deaton, who had heard of her through Cyrus, although he had never actually met her. 

Juno sighed, keeping her glances away from Stiles and Lydia. "So you needed my help?" She brought up. Scott explained to her that she was vital to finding their parents because she was so strong and fast. Scott placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a quick, reassuring side hug, not wanting her to think that he only cared about her because she was strong.

Scott knew that Juno was powerful and could help him in times of need, but he didn't only think of her as a source of power. She was close with his best friend, and he and Juno weren't on bad terms either. Scott already thought of Juno as a friend to him, but due to her being attached to Stiles' hip, it's not like he could ever get to know her without the two bringing up an inside joke.

Juno smiled softly at Scott's gesture; he was the one she was most afraid of in terms of being used for power. She didn't dislike him one bit as a person, she admired his loyalty and determination to protect his friends, however he often would tell her he could 'use' her power.

"We really appreciate it," Scott said softly, holding onto Juno a little bit tighter to make his words mean more. She nodded, stepping to the side as Scott's arm fell from her shoulders. She stared down at the tubs of iced water, knowing that they were using them for the ritual that they were about to perform.

"So once Allison, Stiles, and Scott come back up Isaac and I will head out to find where their parents are?" Juno clarified. Deaton hummed, but he nodded with little confidence. He looked over to Stiles who was standing by one of the ice tubs, holding onto something tightly in his hand. 

"Do you have an item that's close to the person you're looking for?" Deaton asked, glancing between Allison, Scott, and Stiles. They all nodded, holding out their object in the palm of their hands. Stiles was holding onto his father's badge, Allison held onto a silver bullet, and Scott had a watch in his grasp. Stiles kept his eyes on Juno, who he knew was openly avoiding his gaze, and he knew that she was aware of him looking at her. 

"You'll each be pushed under the water and held there until you're dead," Deaton began, "but you need someone to act as an emotional tether to bring you back; someone you have a strong emotional connection with to this world." Juno took a step back away from the tubs, not feeling relevant for that part of the plan. "Isaac, you go with Allison," Deaton ordered. Juno noticed the slightly displeased expression on Scott's face, but he quickly got over it once he made eye contact with Juno. 

"I'll just wait here," Juno announced, moving towards the door. 

Deaton shook his head, "you go with Stiles." Both Juno and Stiles' gazes shot towards Deaton. Stiles' mouth hung open ever so slightly in shock; he felt embarrassed that Juno would have to act as his 'emotional tether' even after hurting her, but a part of him could feel his heart racing due to a feeling he just couldn't desribe.

Juno furrowed her brow at Deaton in disbelief. She couldn't believe she was considered Stiles' emotional tether according to Deaton even after knowing him for such a short time. A part of her was cross, being told that she had to act as his tether after she had been hurt by him, but the other part felt that perhaps he was right if something so small had hurt her so much.

"Shouldn't Lydia do it instead?" Juno muttered, knowing that she had known Stiles for far longer, and assumed that their kiss must have reintroduced his uncontrollable infatuation for her.

"No I think it should be you," Deaton insisted. Juno sighed, keeping her eyes on the ground as she positioned herself at the back of Stiles' ice and herb filled tub. She kept her eyes on the ground as Stiles slowly submerged himself in the water, wincing as the cold was almost too much for him to handle. A cold rush ran from Juno's toes and to her neck as the ice reached Stiles' neck. She began to shiver slightly, unsure of this new sense she got from him. She shrugged it off, thinking of it as her conscious doing it to her from watching him sit in the ice.

Juno stood behind him, beginning to shiver the longer Stiles sat in the ice. She looked over at Deaton who signaled for her to push Stiles down. At the same time, Deaton and Isaac pushed down on Scott and Allison's shoulders. Juno pushed Stiles under the water, feeling a tightness in her chest as she watched Stiles' squinted expression soften into neutrality. The emotional tethers had to keep their grasp on their person's shoulders, but the longer Stiles remained dead underwater, the more lightheaded she became.

"Just a few more seconds Juno," Deaton reassured, noticing her beginning to lose consciousness. She wasn't sure why she felt so lightheaded; maybe it was the overwhelming situation she was positioned in after having little to no time to recover from being hurt. However, her being hurt by Stiles only made her connection to him stronger; instead of only feeling his emotions, she was beginning to feel everything that he felt. However it wasn't a few seconds, but instead the three had begun to keep their hands under the water for over an hour.

Deaton stepped away from Scott slowly, as did Isaac. They waited for over ten hours, with Isaac falling asleep in a chair in the waiting room, and Deaton doing the same, while Juno kept her grip on Stiles' shoulders. She felt her breath shortening more and more the longer Stiles was under, but she persisted. If they really needed her help, and if she really was his emotional tether into their world, then she'd do what she could to make sure Stiles was okay. She may have been upset with him, but that didn't stop her caring for his safety.

Suddenly, all three in the ice baths shot up at the same time and frantically crawled out. Juno took her hands off of Stiles' shoulders and jumped back, leaning against one of the many counters behind her. Stiles climbed out of the tub, rambling how he knew where their parents were. Allison and Scott both frantically recalled the location as they tried to form up a plan to save their parents. Juno blocked out their words as she stared down at her pink Converses, trying to catch her breath and ease into a steady pattern. She was shivering from the cold despite the weather being warm, but suddenly she felt warmth. Looking up, she saw Stiles wrapping a towel around him. Juno nearly tripped on her own feet, not believing the physical connection between them.

"You alright?" Stiles asked with a hint of laughter, noticing Juno almost trip over nothing. Juno nodded slowly, carefully heading towards the exit and avoiding eye contact with Stiles. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder to stop her, however instead of making her stand still, he followed her out of the clinic and stood across from her. Stiles hugged the towel tightly around him and looked down at Juno, trying to make eye contact, but failing as her eyes stayed directed towards the ground.

"What's it going to take to get you to talk to me?" He asked desperately, lips quivering as a cool breeze blew onto his face. Juno looked up, and instantly regretted it once she saw him. Stiles' hair was soaked, droplets of water fell from his loose strands and dropped onto his shoes. He had droplets of water dripping from his temples and down his cheeks, making his skin glow in the dull moonlight. His deep brown eyes were glistening as he stared down at her, pupils dilating the longer they stayed connected.

Juno didn't answer, but instead she turned around to walk away. Stiles stopped her again by grabbing her hand and pulling her closer to him. "Look," he began, holding her hands and making Juno face him. "You have no idea how sorry I am-"

"No, I know you're sorry," Juno snapped, snatching her hands away from his. "And just because I understand the full story and know that you're sorry doesn't mean that I'm not upset about it still," she explained. "I appreciate your apology, but that doesn't excuse how I feel." Stiles opened his mouth to protest, but his posture sunk slightly, realising that there was no point. "You three were out for almost sixteen hours, and the full moon is in one hour. I'm still willing to help you, but please, if you really want me to stop being upset, stop forcing the issue to mend when I just need time."

"How much time?" Stiles pleaded, stepping towards Juno to hopefully get an answer. Instead, she glared up at him. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes were bright gold, contrasting against the darkness around them. Stiles stepped away from her slightly; she hadn't shown her true eye colour out of anger before, and due to his admiration for her golden eyes, he felt his heart sink. He nodded, then motioned towards his Jeep, where the two headed out to find the Sheriff, Melissa, and Chris Argent.

-

Stiles sped down the road towards where he believed his father was, which was apparently underneath the Nemeton. He explained to Juno that it was a Supernatural beacon, and the storm was going to kill his father and the other two if they didn't make it in time. His steering was unsteady as he grew more anxious the longer they drove. Juno looked over and noticed Stiles' staring up at the stormy sky rather than ahead at the road.

"Stiles watch where you're going," she ordered, not wanting him to crash and get hurt.

"It's kind of hard when there's a huge storm on top of the anxiety of me finding my dad," he retorted.

"Stiles, just focus on driving there, I can keep an eye on the storm," she reassured. Stiles didn't listen. He found himself becoming frustrated with her when she told him that she wasn't willing to be friendly right away. He knew he was being selfish, but he just kept hating himself more for being the cause of her pain, and he just wanted her to be happy.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he turned off of the main road and onto bumpy terrain into the woods. Juno looked alarmed as she noticed Stiles' carelessness as he kept driving recklessly.

"Stiles slow down-" She cut herself off when she noticed a tree right ahead of them, and no sign of Stiles slowing down their rapid speed. Like lightning, she leaned over and held Stiles back so the impact for him wouldn't be fatal. Stiles merely jolted forward slightly from the impact, but due to Juno's strength holding him back, he was fine. Juno however had hit her head on the glove box in front of her. She merely groaned and rubbed her forehead, feeling a deep cut begin to piece itself together within seconds. Stiles' mouth hung open in shock. He looked over to Juno, lips quivering from the shock and his hands trembling.

"You-" he began. Juno turned to grab something from the backseat. She grabbed Stiles' aluminium baseball bat and forcefully handed it to him.

"No time to thank me right now," she urged. Juno quickly jumped out of Stiles' Jeep and began walking down the path Stiles was originally driving on. Stiles sat in his seat in shock for a moment, before quickly scrambling out and sprinting to catch up with her. "I think I'm picking up the scent of your father's blood," Juno stated, picking up her pace.

Stiles furrowed his brow, "does that mean he's bleeding?" He asked worriedly.

"No, it just means that he's very close. You two have similar blood scents, but your father's is much weaker, hence why he must be nearby," she explained. Stiles wanted to ask why his scent was so strong, but he ignored the discussion and focused on finding his father. He had to jog behind Juno as her walking pace was too quick for him to keep up with. 

After a few minutes, Juno and Stiles both spotted a large tree stump with large roots spread around it. The two stared up at the sky and noticed the storm starting to get worse. Juno noticed an opening underground, and heard multiple voices of struggle. She grabbed onto Stiles' wrist and ran over to the opening.

"You have to get them out, or they'll be crushed," Juno urged.

"W-what about you? You're the one with superhuman strength-"

"If I stay under there and hold that rubble up so they can get out, I won't be able to get out myself," she explained. "Use that to hold it up, and hurry!" She demanded, motioning towards Stiles' bat. He scrambled through the opening in the ground and climbed through. Juno crouched down and watched as Stiles planted his bat so the rubble wouldn't fall on top of everyone underground. She smiled softly, praising Stiles under her breath as she watched him reunite with his father.

Juno held her hand out to those under ground. Someone immediately latched onto her hand, and Juno swiftly pulled them up to safety. Juno then made eye contact with Melissa McCall, Scott's mother whom she only briefly met when she was brought to the hospital by Isaac from her injuries from Ethan. Melissa immediately crouched by Juno's side and offered to help her pull Chris Argent out, but Juno denied, insisting that she could do it herself.

One by one, Juno managed to get everyone out with little to no effort using one arm. Sheriff Stilinski looked at Juno in shock.

"H-how were you able to-"

"She's a Vampire," Stiles interrupted, saving Juno from having to explain herself. Stilinski simply shook his head and ignored the explanation, not even knowing what to believe anymore from everything that had happened. Allison and Isaac stuck close together by Chris Argent, beginning to make their way back home safely as the storm finally began to dwindle, meaning Scott was taking down Jennifer Blake and finally putting the sacrifices to an end. 

As the group was leaving the woods, Melissa began to begin small talk with Juno, asking her chronological age, and joking about meeting George Washington just to lighten the mood. Melissa however noticed Stiles staring at Juno longingly, and instead diverted her conversation to Isaac and Allison to make sure if the were okay.

Juno kept her eyes ahead as she trailed behind the group, trying not to look over to Stiles who was walking right next to her. 

"I know it's not much later," he began, "but thank you, for saving me earlier."

"You wouldn't have died if I weren't there," Juno brushed off, "it's no big deal-"

"Without you I wouldn't have found my dad," Stiles insisted. "You made sure I didn't get hurt, and you helped scope out his location. I know you're pissed off at me but seriously, thank you," he said with sincerity. Juno couldn't prevent her mouth curving upwards at Stiles' thank you. She simply nodded, not knowing exactly what to say in response. Stiles looked down at her with a lopsided smile; he chuckled as he noticed a twig threaded into her now messy blonde curls. 

"You've uh-" he began, pointing at the twig. Juno raised her brow in confusion. She ran her fingers through her hair as Stiles pointed at it, rolling her eyes as she felt the twig. She groaned, unable to pull it out without hurting herself. "Here," Stiles offered, gently untangling her hair and pulling out the twig, dropping it on the ground. Juno rolled her eyes again and kept her gaze on the ground.

"Thanks," she mumbled, barely loud enough for Stiles to here. Stiles then draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest as they walked. Their body temperatures completely juxtaposed against each other, with Stiles being flaming hot, and Juno being ice cold. She couldn't help but melt into him and lean her head on his shoulder.

"No problem, Junebug." She groaned at the nickname which only earned a chuckle from Stiles. The two walked close together in silence, with Stiles holding onto her for dear life, afraid that if she strayed just a few centimetres away from him, she'd be upset again.

But Juno knew that something like that couldn't happen again. It only took a simple arm around her shoulder to realise that it was impossible for her to stay mad at him.

It only took one slip up for Juno to realise that she had fallen in love with Stiles Stilinski.

~

This chapter hasn't been edited and ugh the last quarter is so bad I'm so sorry. But ahh we're onto 3B now!!