Stiles wanted to make sure Stiles was actually Stiles.

I stood across the living room from Noshiko as I told her, "If it's really Stiles, you won't kill him."

"Is that so?" Noshiko asked. I didn't answer. A curious look crossed her expression. "Are you feeling a little protective of your love's best friend? I can see it. I saw it the first time I saw you together."

"Scott's not my love."

"Yet."

Finally, Melissa, Scott and Stiles walked into the room. Noshiko and I both looked at them.

"Do you recognize me, hmm?" Noshiko asked Stiles.

Stiles nodded his answer, taking a step forward.

Kira strode in, standing next to her mother. "Stop."

"It's okay," Stiles told her as he continued to step closer. He looked sick. Dying. "I'm the one that asked her to come."

"You're the one that's going to get stabbed with swords," Kira told him before looking at her mother. "Mom, don't do this to him."

"It's already done," Noshiko told us.

Two of the oni materialized out of the shadows, darkness, one behind Stiles, the other in front of him. The oni standing in front of him held his head like they had done for Isaac, Ethan, Derek, Lydia, Aiden, Scott, Kira and me. The sort of ritual they did to check for the Nogitsune inside of one's body.

Once they were done, they let Stiles fall before evaporating.

"Look behind his ear," Noshiko told us.

Kira, Scott, Melissa and I knelt beside Stiles, looking behind his ear for the symbol for self the rest of us had gotten.

"It worked," Scott said.

"So I'm actually me?" Stiles asked as he started to sit up.

"More you than the Nogitsune," Noshiko answered.

"Can the oni find him?"

"Tomorrow night. It's too close to dawn now."

"Can they kill him?"

"It depends on how strong he is."

"What about Lydia?" Scott asked. "Why would he take her?"

"He would only take her for an advantage," Noshiko told us.

"You mean her power?" I asked.

She nodded. "The power of a Banshee."

*

Derek and I had been tracking Lydia in the woods when we saw Ethan and Aiden being shot at, both on the ground, bleeding, dying.

We both ran to each, Derek helping Aiden while I helped Ethan, each of us putting each of their arms over our shoulders.

"Run!" Derek yelled.

The same ones shooting at them tried to shoot us down as we ran on.

*

I looked behind me to see if I could see the shooter or shooters, but saw no one as Derek helped Aiden along in front of us.

I turned back forward, pulling Ethan along.

*

Ethan and Aiden were both unconscious when I pushed Derek into the wall of the coyote den, staying very quiet but maintaining a hushed tone of anger as I asked him, "When are you going to stop telling Scott things about me I'm not planning on telling him?"

"When you start to realize all he wants to do is be someone there for you, and that there are some certain things he deserves to know," Derek replied just as quietly.

"Where or what I sleep in isn't something he deserves or needs to know," I told him. "It just makes him worry more."

"Yeah, but you leaving town without telling him in an attempt to protect him is," Derek told me.

I exhaled, letting him go and turning away as Ethan and Aiden gasped, returning to consciousness with panicked and pained breathing.

"Where are we?" Ethan asked.

"It's a coyote den," Derek answered, walking closer to them. "Stay quiet."

"Did you guys see the shooter? You know who it is?"

I turned to face them as I told them, "No, we were a little busy. Who else did the two of you piss off?"

"We pissed off everyone," Aiden answered. "It was only a matter of time before someone caught up to us."

"Well, the bullets have wolfsbane in them," Derek said. "So, if we don't get you out of here soon, the poison is going to spread. Stay quiet. I'll be back." Derek looked toward me. "Don't say anything to piss Tara off. I already did."

"Thanks," Aiden said sarcastically.

I glared toward him with a sarcastic expression, Derek leaving the coyote den.

To get Argent's help.

Like Argent kept saying, he and Allison weren't our enemies anymore.

I could live with that.

*

Argent helped Ethan while Derek helped Aiden while I opened the door, leading the way in.

I stood a few feet away from the couch as they both put the twins there, then both coming to stand next to me.

"I found these on the ground," Derek told us, showing us the bullet shells.

"This wasn't Araya, was it?" I asked.

Araya. The old woman who led the men who tortured us and Peter in South America.

"I don't know," Derek told us. "They don't look like her shells."

Argent took the shells, carefully looking over them. Realization and disbelief flooded his features. "That's not possible."  His phone vibrated, so he answered without explaining to us who he thought the shells belonged too. "Allison?"

"They found her," Allison told him. "Scott found her, Dad. They found Lydia. I'm on my way."

"Allison, hold on. You have to wait."

"I can't, Dad."

"Allison, wait for me."

"There's no time. It's already night. There's no time, Dad."

Argent turned away. "Wait, Allison, wait!"

Allison apparently hung up.

Argent turned back to face us. "One of them is going to get hurt."

I looked from Derek to the twins to Argent. "I'll help you."

He looked at me with a small amount of surprise.

If we were no longer enemies, and he helped us, the least I could do was help him.

Whoa. Nogitsune Stiles was right. I really was changing.

I nodded toward Argent.

He nodded in response.

*

We got there too late.

I could hear Allison speaking to Scott weakly. "Did you find her? Is she okay? Is Lydia safe?"

"She's okay," Scott answered. "Yeah. I can't. I can't take your pain." 

"It's because it doesn't hurt."

I slowed to a stop in surprise.

Allison was dying?

"Oh, no," I whispered.

Her father stopped next to me. "Tara? What is it? What do you hear?"

I looked toward him with a hesitant expression. "It's Allison."

A numbness slipped over his features before I started to run in their directions as Scott said, "No,"

"It's okay," Allison told him.

"Allison."

"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's perfect. I'm in the arms of my first love. The first person I've ever loved. The person I'll always love. I love you. Scott. Scott McCall."

"Don't, please, don't. Allison, don't, please."

"You have to tell my dad. You have to tell my dad. Tell him."

"No!"

*

Argent and I slowed to a stop when we saw it was too late. He was outside the gate. I was inside.

Allison layed there, in Scott's arms. Isaac was watching with pain. Kira stood next to her mother.

Scott cried as he held Allison's dead form. Gone.

His first, epic love. Gone. Argent's only family. Gone. Isaac's crush. Gone. Lydia's best friend. Gone.

I could hear Lydia sobbing from inside the building.

Allison had used to be my enemy. Used to be.

She had start as the innocent teenage girl without knowledge of this world. As she learned, discovered everything, she traveled into the darkest part of being a hunter due to her grandfather. She had redeemed herself completely. I hadn't liked her before, but now . . .

Now it was too late.

Allison the huntress was gone.