Nature and Nurture: Finding the Perfect Blend

Chapter 22: The Ending

Stiles had tried his best since he'd first been rescued not to think about his abduction. There was so much fear and pain and suffering attached to the memories that he couldn't breathe, couldn't live through them again. They'd never gone away fully, he'd just gotten better at ignoring them.

He'd known it was unhealthy to bottle it all up, but he couldn't get past it. Easier to ignore the past and deal with the panic attacks. He'd honestly thought when Brine's identity came to light that maybe the pressure of not remembering would get easier. But it had gotten worse. He could feel the memories pressing up against his subconscious, demanding in their intensity for him to relive them. When Brine had taken his dad, the memories had surfaced again.

Now, as Brine told him he was going to kill him, just like before, Stiles thought he would pass out. But that's not what happened. Instead everything grew very clear and still. It was as if the world stopped moving. Stiles could walk over to Brine and rip out his heart without Brine even blinking.

Of course, it wasn't true. The world kept moving. Brine blinked and then smiled in his easy way. And Stiles found himself smiling back. Because in that second of clarity, his brain finally started to work again and now he had a plan.

His smile made Brine pause.

"Why is it so important for you to kill me?" Stiles asked, warming up to his plan. "You told me it wasn't the end game."

"That was before I found out you were the Nemeton's protector," Brine said, narrowing his eyes at Stiles, trying to figure him out.

Stiles was radiating assuredness. Better than the panic and anxiety he'd been living in for too long. He didn't even flinch when Brine mentioned who he was. Sure, it was surprising he'd worked it out, but it also made several things clearer. Stiles' new understanding made him bold. "You can't get near the Nemeton while I'm alive. And you need to."

"Clever little fae, aren't you?" Brine snarled at him. He hated it when Stiles talked back. Wanted him to, but hated it all the same.

"You wanted to have a chat, so let's chat." Stiles sat down on the ground. He gave a thought to both his dad and Parrish and hoped Parrish wasn't bleeding out from his gunshot wound. Hopefully being a hellhound meant he was already healing. It was obvious now no one had any idea what Parrish was, which had probably kept him alive.

Brine studied Stiles for a while before he leant back on the camp bed. "Didn't pick you for being friends with a druid."

Stiles shrugged. "I aim to surprise."

Brine actually looked like he wanted to laugh at that. "Never thought Alan would be friends with a dirty fae, either." His eyes glittered dangerously.

"Your wife was a druid, wasn't she." Stiles tilted his head, watching carefully. Two could play at this game.

Brine stood up, clenching his fists, eyes narrowed to slits as he spat out, "You don't get to speak of her!"

"I'm wild fae, I speak of whatever I choose," Stiles shot back.

"I have your father. I will kill him if you don't do what I want!"

"What do you want, apart from my death and getting to the Nemeton? What good will it do you?"

"I will have the Nemeton's power, I will destroy all fae! I will make them pay for killing my family!"

Stiles thought he'd worked it all out now. There was just one thing Brine hadn't factored into his plan. It didn't matter if Stiles died. The Nemeton's power wouldn't transfer to Brine because of his death. If that was the case, the power would have been there for the taking when the last fae left the grove and the protector was no more. Instead, the Nemeton's power had shriveled to almost nothing compared to what it had been. Even now, the power wasn't enough to do what Brine wanted. But the fact he wanted to use the Tree for such an end made Stiles' plan easier to accomplish. He loved it when everything fell into place.