If You're Gonna Let Me Down, Let Me Down Easy
xXx A Few Days Later xXx
Isaac woke up groggily and turned to his side. "Peter." he said hoarsely. "Peter." he repeated louder.
Isaac cleared his throat loudly and flashed his yellow eyes. "Peter."
Peter jolted awake and roared loudly, flashing his alpha eyes. He turned to Isaac in a startled fashion. Scott and Lydia walked into the room with a glass of water for each of them. Aiden walked in after them, holding two bags of food.
"H-How long have we been out? Hours?" Peter asked, his voice still rough.
Aiden and Scott shared a look. "You've both been out for five days Peter." Lydia answered quietly.
"Five days?!" Peter exclaimed. He turned to the boys. "How you at least been useful in looking for Stiles in those five days?"
Scott looked down and Aiden stepped forward hesitantly. "We uh.. We eliminated two more schools. So now all we have left is four."
"Four." Isaac repeated.
"Yes, four. Out of the original twelve? That's a lot of progress." Lydia said.
"No, it's not. We have to get back to Beacon Hills." Isaac said frantically.
Peter looked at him with wide eyes. "Do you remember something, Isaac?"
"Yes, don't you?" he answered in an accusing tone.
"Guys, what happened when Peter was inside your mind?" Aiden asked slowly.
Isaac and Peter shared a haunted look and before they could say something Lydia screamed.
All the wolves covered their ears and looked at her in a panic. "What happened? Who was it?" Peter demanded, catching her as she fell to her knees.
"S-S-S.." she gasped out.
"Who. Was. It." Peter punctuated in a worried tone.
Aiden looked at his girlfriend with wide misty eyes.
Scott's mouth was hanging open as he waited for the other shoe to drop.
Isaac felt his bottom lip tremble slightly.
"For the love of God, Lydia! Who was it!" Peter demanded as she looked at him in a daze.
"Stilinski." was all she got out before she fainted in Peter's arms.
All three werewolves shared a worried look as Scott went to go dial home and Isaac went "for a walk" when in reality he was going to go back to the clearing that was calling to him.
"Where are you going babe?" Scott asked.
"For a walk.. I just.. I need to clear my head." Isaac whispered and Scott nodded understandingly.
Peter and Aiden laid Lydia down and tucked her in. Peter sighed and walked over to Scott. "Where's Isaac?"
"He went for a walk." he answered then sighed and hung the phone up. "Nobody back home is answering their phones."
xXx At The Clearing With Isaac xXx
Isaac sat in the middle of the clearing, playing with a tuft of grass. "I don't know if anything is even out here but I need someone to talk to. This clearing was just calling to me for some reason and now that I'm here, I don't know what I was so worried for. Something about this clearing feels like home. But that's impossible because Lydia screamed and said Stilinski and that means either mom or papa is dead. Or dying. We aren't sure."
Isaac took a deep breath as the tears kept falling down his face. "I just.. I'm so scared of losing somebody else. I don't know what I'll do if I lose mom. But if I lose papa then we'll all lose mom. If someone is out here, please help me." Isaac looked to the sky and begged as he cried harder, his shoulders shaking.
Somebody must have heard him because the sky opened up and started raining down on him. "Great. I ask for a little guidance and instead get pelted with rain." Isaac shook his head a scoffed. "Figures.."
A hand reached out to touch Isaac's shoulder and he grabbed it while flashing his eyes and growling. He turned to the person and his eyes grew big and wide. "M-Mom?"
Stiles smiled softly. "Hi pup, I thought I told you to get back to Beacon Hills?"
Isaac whimpered. "I tried telling them mom. But they didn't listen... I'm sorry..."
"Sh, Sh, Sh... It's okay pup. It's alright." Stiles soothed Isaac as he sat down next to Isaac. He patted his lap and Isaac placed his head in it.
Stiles started running his fingers through Isaac's curls and humming a familiar tune. Isaac closed his eyes end relaxed into Stiles' touch, slowly drifting off.
xXx Meanwhile Back At The Hotel xXx
"I don't get it... Isaac isn't answering his phone, the GPS can't locate him. Plus I just can't catch his scent..." Scott said while he paced back and forth.
"He's been gone for three hours Scott, maybe he's trying to shift fully so that he can adapt to his feelings better?" Aiden said, trying to be positive.
"I'll try to track him, okay?" Lydia asked, rubbing circles into Scott's back.
"Yeah, look it what happened the other day. He'll always come back to you, Scott. Don't worry, he'll turn up soon." Peter reassured.
xXx About Two Hours Later, Still No Sign Of Isaac xXx
Peter sat in the bay window, staring outside, watching the rain fall.
Aiden and Lydia cuddled up on the couch, watching The Notebook.
Scott was taking a nap, to try and relax.
Aiden and Lydia kept glancing at Peter, worried that the alpha might go feral without his mate.
Peter could feel their gazes on him but he just kept counting the raindrops on the window, reminiscing his last memory with Stiles.
"I should have just told him we were mates, right then and there." Peter thought to himself, sighing in discontentment.
xXx Flashback xXx
Peter and Stiles had been in bed all day, cuddling and shutting out the real world. With Stiles' back to Peter's chest, hearts beating in sync, Peter felt like the whole world could be ending and it still wouldn't matter as long as he had his mate with him.
"Stiles?" Peter asked.
"Yes, love?" Stiles replied.
"You ever think about our future?" Peter whispered.
"Yeah, of course. Don't you?" Stiles said, turning so they were now face-to-face.
Peter looked into Stiles' eyes and smiled. He leaned down a little and nudged Stiles' upturned nose with his own. "Mmm... I love your eskimo kisses." Stiles whispered and kissed Peter's lips softly.
Stiles leaned back and sighed happily while closing his eyes.
"Let's run away together, to Europe." Peter whispered.
Stiles' eyes shot open and he looked at Peter in such bewilderment. "Y-You can't be serious..."
Peter furrowed his brow. "Utterly."
Stiles sat up, Peter following him, and hugged his knees to his chest. "I can't just up and leave babe. I have a life here. And the pack..."
Peter stayed silent as he felt his heart breaking a little more with each passing moment. Stiles looked at him, "Don't get me wrong, I love you. I do. With literally every fiber of my being. More than curly fries, and that's saying something." he paused when Peter smirked a little. "But you can't seriously ask that of me, Peter. It's not fair to my father and the pack. They all have had enough people leaving them. Plus Derek and Cora need you."
Peter nodded and put on a brave face. "You're right love. I don't know what I was thinking..."
Later on that night, Stiles and Peter were having pasta in bed and still continuing to ignore the outside world. "Stiles... There's something that I've been meaning to ask you."
Stiles put his plate down and looked at Peter genuinely. "Of course, babe. What is it?"
"Have you ever thought of what it would be like if we were mates? You know I'm older and I don't want to be with anybody else after you."
"And I only ever want to be with you too Peter."
"So, what do you say?" Peter asked.
"Are you asking me to be your mate or asking me what it would be like if we were mates?" Stiles asked, a little unsure of what his boyfriend wanted from him.
Before Peter could answer, Derek came knocking on their bedroom door with serious pack business.
xXx End Flashback xXx Meanwhile With Stiles And Isaac xXx
"It seems like you're going through withdrawal pup. Your alphas are worse, aren't they?" Stiles asked and Isaac nodded sadly.
"Mom? How come I can't track your scent? Or the fact that I can't smell myself on you? And how come I can remember everything when we're in the clearing and when I'm with you, but once I get back to Scott, Peter, Lydia, and Aiden it all just goes away? It's like my brain is trying to tell me something but I just can't remember. Like phantom limb syndrome..." Isaac said, his voice trailing off.
"I'm doing that to you. I'm sorry Zac. I just can't take the whole pack at once, I can only handle you right now. With the headspace that I'm in, you know?" Stiles said softly.
"It's okay mom, I understand. And as long as I can remember these moments then I'll be okay. So every time I'm not with you or in this clearing I will forget all of this?" Isaac asked in a small voice.
"Yes pup, but only until I'm ready to face Peter again." Stiles said.
"So have you been here the whole time?" Isaac asked and Stiles nodded slowly.
"Basically. Plus this talisman I'm wearing, I charmed it so that it would work as a scent blocker. I've made one for you too. If you want it.." Stiles said softly and took a deep breath before continuing, "And that way when things get to be too much, you can always come find me. Only you will know where I am." Stiles said as he took out a smaller replica of his own talisman.
"That's the Hale talisman Derek used to try and control Liam's shifts..." Isaac said in a daze and Stiles nodded.
"Yeah, Peter gave this to me on our first anniversary." Stiles replied with a small sad smile.
"So if I'm wearing this around my neck then it will block my scent and my chemosignals?" Isaac asked and Stiles nodded yet again. "It'll be like my own invisibility cloak won't it?" he added excitedly and Stiles chuckled.
"Yes pup, just like that. Plus when you're wearing this you will gain your memories back." Stiles said.
"But what if I'm wearing it and Derek or Peter or Scott look into my mind, won't they know the truth too?" Isaac asked worriedly.
"No. I charmed it so it would repel against them. Just try to only wear it when you're really missing me and when you're alone. And when that happens, it will lead you to a place where you can find me. Alright, pup?" Stiles said reassuringly. Isaac nodded and nuzzled his face against Stiles' pulse point.
"And once you are in the right head space and you're ready for the pack and stuff, I'll gain everything back and no more secrets? Right?" Isaac whispered in a small voice and Stiles nodded with a reassuring smile.