chapter twelve.

HIS LEG BOUNCED anxiously leaning against a hospital chair besides Stiles, a crowd of officers lacking their sheriff stood at the doors observing the wrecked hospital. The brunet wanted to leave, his mother is out there in ( hopefully not ) pain, confused and he could do nothing about it but sit. He doesn't under how Stiles looks calm right now, especially with Scott gone with Deucalion.

For once, they might not win this battle. Arthur doesn't want to believe that, they'll find another way. They always do.

Stiles sighs heavily snatching Arthur's attention, grumbling, "Oh, just perfect."

His ice blue flickers to the doors meeting familiar dark ones, the second last person he wants to see today, Argent McCall. He rubs his face, muttering, "This day just keeps getting better and better."

Agent Mccall sighs, hands in his pockets he stands before his son's childhood friends, "A Stilinski and Robinson at the center of this whole mess. What a shocker." He quips sarcastically. "Think you can answer some questions without the usual level of sarcasm."

"If you ask the questions without the usual level of stupid." Stiles retorts.

"I doubt that's possible for him." Arthur replies, hands clasped on his lap glancing at his friend. The loathe they felt him was nothing compared to Peter Hale, he abandoned his family and left to God knows where, never taking the chance to phone Scott. His father done the same, except Arthur doesn't know whether his is alive or dead.

His lips press into a tight smile, demanding, "Where's your dad, and why's no one been able to contact him?"

Stiles shrugs, "I don't know. I haven't seen him in hours."

"Is he drinking again?" Agent Mccall assumes. Arthur's eyes narrow sharply.

Stiles sighs heavily frustrated, "What do you mean, again? He never had to stop."

"But he did have to slow down." Agent McCall corrects, his eyebrows arched. "Is he drinking like he used to?"

It's like he wants them to hate him even more, Arthur thought.

"All right, how about this? Next time I see him, I'll give him a field sobriety test, okay?" Stiles suggested his voice tight with annoyance, "We'll do the alphabet, start with 'F' end with 'U'." A smile blossoms on Arthur's lips, rooting for Stiles.

Agent Mccall chuckles unamused, "How about one of you just tell me what the hell happened here?"

Arthur shrugs, the lie slipping past his lips effortlessly, "I don't know, we were trapped in the elevators the whole time." Agent McCall eyes the two wearily before nodding and takes off, leaving them alone to process what their next move.

* * *

"ARTHUR, COME ON."

His eyes fall on his two human and a half friends running down the hall telling him to catch up on whatever they're doing. He'd arrive late for school but didn't care, Josie is protected at her school and his mother was still out there being prepped for a sacrifice in two days.

She'll be fine, they'll all be fine because they're going find them alive and bring them home.

Stiles bursts into Ms. Morrell's office, the thought of knocking didn't occur to him followed by Lydia and Arthur.

"Breaking and entering in daylight, pretty sloppy." Arthur comments, only heard by Lydia who nudges his side.

A woman with a high top cut whips her neck in their direction, face scrunched in surprise eyeing the three at the door. A smile tugs on Arthur's face recalling her from Heather's party, she rejected Scott. He didn't know she attends BHHS. "Hey, I know you, you rejected my friend at a party."

The woman's gaze lands on Arthur and flickers to Stiles, "Good thing I was sober."

Arthur shakes his head, stifling his laugh, Lydia hides her grin and stiles rolls his eyes. "No, not him ⏤"

"⏤ Are you here for Ms. Morrell?" Stiles inquires cutting the brunet off.

She flashes them a sarcastic smile, "No, I thought this was gym class."

"Sweetheart, we're not in the mood for funny." Lydia retorts, her blush pink lips pressed together revealing a single dimple, "Do you know where she is?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be waiting here for 20 minutes." She answers, her hands moving in sync, "So how about you three back out the door and wait your turn?"

"We're not here for a session." Arthur replies, giving her a tight lipped smile.

"Well, I am." She sasses. "And I've got some serious issues to work on."

"Hey, wait, wait. You're Danielle." Stiles realizes, "You're Heather's best friend."

A look passed over Danielle features avoiding their gazes, "I was Heather's best friend. We've been working on that issue three times a week."

"Hold on, did you say Ms. Morrell's 20 minutes late?"

"And I don't know why either. She's always on time."

Lydia spins back to the boys behind her, actualizing, "I was seeing her at the beginning of the semester. She was never late."

His lips part, not entirely surprised Ms. Morrell always stared with a look, like she knew more about you than you do about yourself. It made him uncomfortable, it only took a few moments for someone else to notice. Arthur concludes out loud, "Then she's not late, she's missing."

"What if we're not the only ones who think she knows something?" The cherry red wonders.

"Then I want to know what she knows." Stiles dives into her cabinet filled with Students profile ignoring everything he's known about respecting people's privacy.

"What are you doing?" Danielle demands, launching forward in her seat.

"Trying to find her." Stiles mutters absentmindedly, flicking past folders until he recognizes a name.

"Those files are private." Danielle reminds him. Arthur lends against a wall knowing there's no point in stopping him, he's in too deep already.

"Yeah, she's kind of right." Lydia pipes up

Stiles holds up a cream folder, "That one's yours, Lydia."

The cherry red rips it from his grasp, "Let me see that." She flicks through it, Arthur looks over her shoulder watching her spread the pages until a bark reveals underneath pages, he pushes it away eyes widen.

"Wait, Lydia, isn't that your drawing?" His finger taps on the pen sketched drawing she drew multiple times.

"Yeah, I know. It's a tree."

"Yeah, good too." Danielle compliments.

Lydia hesitantly smile at her accepting the compliment, "Thank you."

Stiles stands closing the drawer and explains, "No. But that's the same one, though."

"Same as what?" She shoots him a puzzled look.

"The same one we always see you drawing in class." Arthur answers, his eyebrows knitted trying to figure out what so important about a tree.

The cherry red remains puzzled, "It's a tree. I like drawing trees."

"No, but it's the exact same one. Don't you see? Give me your bag." He ruffles through her red bag and pills her copy, flickering the pages to an identical tree sketch, "There, see?" He continues, exposing other copies.

"Okay, you can have my session." Danielle offered picking up her, "You got bigger issues."

Its a clue, but too what? Arthur wonders. Lydia inhales sharply, gasping, "What is this?"

"Hold on, let me." Stiles hand's him the copy, His eyes squint, "I've seen this before." When Gerald told his story there was a picture of this tree, he slowly spins the copy upside down exposing the damaged Nemeton.

"It's the Nemeton." Stiles breathes out in conclusion. Lydia takes her copy and the three rush out of the office to someone who would know more. "That's where she's keeping them. It has to be ⏤"

"Stilinski, Robinson." Agent McCall signals over, surrounded by officers. Both boys groans, wishing he'd go back to wherever the hell he was.

"Okay, Lydia, talk to Derek even Peter, they've been there before." Arthur summarizes, holding her wrist, she nods holding his gaze. "It's the root cellar, they'll know." The cherry red nods taking off in the oppositee direction as agent McCall stands before them.

"Did you know your dad's car is in the school parking lot and has been since last night?" He questions, then flickers to Arthur. "And your mom's car was found ten minutes from the hospital, and also hasn't been seen last night."

Stiles shrugs playing the fool, his hazel brown flickering to the ground them back to him. "No. What does that mean?"

"It means they're both officially missing." He reveals. He takes the two into a class to speak privately, and sits on the teacher desk facing the two. "Stiles, Arthur, why am I getting the feeling you both know something that could help us find your parents?"

"If we did, why wouldn't I tell you?" Arthur quizzes, his nose crinkles seated on a chair.

"If it meant helping your dad and your mother, why wouldn't you?" He fires back.

Stiles eyebrows knit together, "So you're asking us to tell you what we wouldn't not tell you?"

"First, I have no idea what you just said." Agent McCall reports.

Arthur points at himself defending him, "I understood that crystal clear." They've got more important things to do than be interrogated by something they've sorta got a handle on.

Time is ticking.

He rolls his eyes, "Second, how about you both just help me help you?"

"Well, I don't know how to help you help me tell you something that would help you if I don't know it." The freckles boy rambles.

"Yeah," Arthur pipes up, his nose scrunched, "If we could help you why wouldn't we help when we could be helping you help us find them?"

Agent McCall's eyes narrow on the two, "Are you doing this on purpose?"

Stiles clutches his hands together, "We don't know anything, okay? Can we just go?"

Agent Mccall glances to Arthur, who was more interested in the window than the conversation, "Arthur, where are your other friends?"

His eyebrows arch, assuming this is him indirectly asking about his son, who's on the dark side. "Ooh, you mean Scott?"

"I mean Scott. I mean Isaac Lahey, Allison Argent, these twins Ethan and Aiden." He pulls out a yellow notepad with their names, "I've been told your whole little clique didn't show up at school today."

"I don't have a clique." Stiles retorts.

"Who does nowadays?" Arthur adds shrugs, fiddling with his fingers.

"Arthur, Stiles, come on." He urges, "There's been a pretty disturbing amount of violent activity in this county in the last few months, several murders tied to this school. I don't know what's going on here, but it's serious. And... hey." He snaps Stiles watery gaze but to him, "Your dad is missing, and your mom is too." The two answers with silence, he could ruin everything they didn't want to take the risk and expose their friends. "Fine. But I don't want you going home alone, especially not you're sister. Either of you have someone you can stay with tonight?"

The door opens and Deaton walks in with a smile, "They're with me."

* * *

"IT HAS TO be on a telluric current," Stiles states, inside the vet with Arthur, Allison, Isaac and Deaton searching for ways to find the hidden Nemeton. "Or maybe even at the axis of two or where they all intersect. I just know it's where Derek took Paige to die."

"My dad and Gerard were there once. But Gerard said it was years ago, and he couldn't remember where it was. And neither could my dad." Allison sighs heavily, coming besides Stiles.

"Yeah, mine either." Stiles mumbles. Arthur sighs, it's dark and they've only got one day left until the lunar eclipse. They're focusing all their energy on a place their parents might not be kept at, but they've got nowhere else.

"Then how do we find this place?" Isaac wonders, leaning against a metal table besides Arthur.

"There might be a way. But it's dangerous." Deaton voices lowly in thought, glancing at the beta's closet friends, "We're gonna need Scott."

* * *

ARTHUR LEANS AGAINST Stiles Jeep, Deaton in between them under the dark sky in the forest where they'd planned to meet for their plan. Stiles has to be the one to call him since Arthur had yet to find him phone, Jennifer must have taken it and thrown it away somewhere so he's left in the dark until he gets a new one.

Scott hops off his bike meeting them halfway, he wonder, "How'd you guys find out?"

Stiles shrugs, "Lydia. You?"

"Morrell." He replies, "None of the other alphas know where it is either."

Arthur frowns, tucking his hands in his hoodie pockets and questions, "So if this works you're going to tell them?"

"I can't stop Jennifer without them." Scott excuses, his doe brown eyes landing on him.

Arthur presses his lips together, his heart sting the way he dismissed them like his friends weren't valuable, but it's alright, he understands. He's a fragile human and they're all Alphas fucking werewolves, being human really does suck.

Sensing tension, Deaton cuts in, "How about we concentrate on finding your parents first?"

Scott nods, "What's the plan?"

"Essentially, you, Arthur, and Stiles need to be surrogate sacrifices for your parents." He explains.

"We die for them?" Scott wonders incredulity.

"But he can bring us back." Arthur cuts him offering him a reassuring smile, it drops slightly glancing at Deaton unsure, "You can bring us back, right?"

"You remember the part where I said it was dangerous?" The two humans nod, "If it goes right, the three of you will be dead for a few seconds, but there's something else you need to think about. This is a dangerous thing for more reasons than one. You'll be giving power back to the Nemeton, a place that hasn't had power for a long time. This kind of power is like a magnet. It attracts the supernatural, the kind of things that a family like the Argents can fill the pages of a bestiary with. It will draw them here, like a beacon."

"Aah, Beacon Hills, I get it now." Arthur mutters bitterly, his lips pressed together rubbing his freezing hands.

Stiles squints his left eye, glancing at him, "Doesn't sound any worse than anything we've already seen."

"You'd be surprised at what you have yet to see." Deaton retorts, an underlining in tone.

"Is that it?"

Deaton sighs, "No. It'll also have an effect on the three of you. You won't be able to see it, but you'll feel it every day for the rest of your lives. It'll be a kind of a darkness around your heart, and permanent, like a scar."

"Like a tattoo." Scott frowns.

* * *

DEATON AND LYDIA drops the last Ice cubes in the body size metal tubs, their casket, and glances at the three boys. "All right. What did you bring?"

Stiles' finger grazes the wrinkled gold badge in his hand, "Um, I got my dad's badge. Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand, so I tried hammering it out a bit. Still doesn't look great."

"Well, it doesn't need to look good if it has meaning." Deaton reassures.

"Ooh, that's gorgeous." Lydia compliments the silver chan in Arthur's hands.

His smile widens admiring it, the silver necklace decorated with three different chemical structures definitions. Serotonin: happiness and satisfaction, Dopamine, love and passions, and lastly Acetylcholine, learning, dreaming and memory. "Thanks, Josie and I saved up for months to get her a reward for sticking through University even though she started pretty late and made her dreams come through, she wears every time during her trails, like a good luck charm."

Deaton smiles fondly and glances at the beta, "Scott?"

His lips part snapping his head up, opening his palm to reveal a gold watch. "My dad got my mom this watch when she first got hired at the hospital. She used to say it was the only thing in their marriage that ever worked."

"Okay, the three of you will get in. Each of us will hold you down until you're essentially... well, dead." Deaton says bluntly, "But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back, someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of emotional tether." Arthur presses his lips together, glancing at his boys. "Isaac, you go with Scott," the ex couple shoot each other a look, along with Isaac who in the middle hesitantly, but Deaton continues, "Allison with Stiles and Lydia with Arthur."

"Are you sure, I could go with Scott?" Allison tries, avoiding the boys she had fallen for eyes.

Scott's heart clenched revealed through his expression, but he nods anyway, "Its okay." The lies fools both Allison and Isaac, but not Arthur or Stiles but they don't press.

* * *

THE BOYS RETURN stripped their layer of warmth leaving them in a thin shirt and jeans, no shoes or socks. Arthur's heart thunders against his ribs staring down at his coffin, he's coming back of course, his mom and sister are waiting for him and he doesn't want to be arrive late. He won't.

His fingers grip the edge of the tub stepping inside holding the necklace tightly, he ducks in a breath as the cold crawls over his skin like spiders. The frosty water overflow as his body falls in immediately his teeth clatter hitting the cement floors, and goosebumps rise trying to heat him up, a loosing battle. He huffs breathing deeply to calm himself lowering in the tub deeper until he's neck deep, his knuckles turn white due to his grip fighting the urge to jump out.

Lydia stands behinds him, and he glances back noticing the fearful expression on her features, he tries to smile but it turns into a grimace. "I'll, I'll, be back soon, you know why?" He stutters teeth clattering, she understands every single word and shakes her head, "Because I like you. I don't want to die a second time without knowing how you feel about me."

"By the way," Stiles shivers in between them looking at Scott, "If I don't make it back, you should probably know your dad is in town."

The three best friends glance at one another, one last time promising to come back to each other no matter what. Their executioners rolls their sleeves behind them, with one nod,
they're submerged underwater.

* * *

( A/N ) ayyyee, he finally told her admired his feelings
but damn, bro took his timeee and right before death.
What did you guys think of this chapter? Only one
more until Part Two, yesssss, I've got sooo much planned
for Arthur, and also his future relationship with Lydia ,,
oof I'm soo hyped.

Also ,, any relationships you guys want to see more of?

⏤ TylerPoseForMe