Counterpart|Stiles Stilinski

Cold Case

For some reason, Stiles was compelled to reach out and touch the Nemeton despite him never making this gesture before. Despite this setting of being in the ruined classroom, he had crossed before, now he could not fight the urge of the stump drawing him closer despite the terror running through his veins causing his shirt to stick to his skin for his hand to trembling as it shook from the cold adrenaline pumping his blood.

His hand was slowly reaching out to feel the grooves of the wood when the vines shot out of the bark wrapping around his hand.

Stiles shot up from his bed gasping for breath. His hands were scrunching the sheets beneath him and they were free of vines threatening to attack him. He slightly jumped when a hand enclosed over his clammy shoulder, "You okay, Stiles?" A feminine voice asked as it floated in his ears causing his heart to slow a bit trying to regulate itself back to normal.

Stiles looked over his shoulder to see Gabriella in his bed wearing one of his shirts her eyes glossed with sleep her hair in a messy bun with various tendrils falling out of its confines.

Stiles exhaled a nodded his head as he placed his own hand on top of the one she had on his shoulder, "Yeah, I was just dreaming. It was weird. It was like a dream within a dream." He explained and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he removed it.

"A nightmare?" Gabriella asked as she rubbed his back soothingly. The sensation felt peculiar, but comforting to him.

"Yeah," Stiles replied his voice mixed with defeat and exhaustion, but than a thought occurred to him at the oddity of a girl in his bed - of Gabriella in his bed. He turned around to look at Gabriella who was watching him intently and gave him a smile. "Wait a second, Gabriella. What are you doing here?" As he asked that question the door to his bedroom creaked open gaining his attention. He squinted as he observed his door and his confusion over Gabriella simply forgotten as he made a move to get out of bed, "Hang on."

"Stiles, where are you going?" Gabriella asked her voice no longer sleepy, but laced with worry and fear as her hand went back to his shoulder, but her grip was firm.

Stiles removed her hand and completely removed himself from the bed, "I'm just gonna close the door."

"Just go back to sleep." She insisted from her perch on his bed.

"No, no, I should close it." He said as he walked closer to his door. In the deep part of his mind, he knew that this must be a dream and that it was the first dream that took place in his bedroom.

"Don't worry about it." Gabriella protested.

"What if someone comes in?"

"Like who?" Gabriella asked and watched him walk closer to his door. "Just go back to sleep, Stiles." She insisted.

Stiles felt the perspiration forming on his forehead as he walked closer to the door fear made his voice tremble, "But what if they get in?"

"What if who gets in?" Gabriella whispered as her own voice held fear. "Stiles just leave it. Please. Stiles... Stiles come back to bed. Stiles. Please. Don't, Stiles. Don't! Don't go in there, please, don't. Please, Stiles, don't!"

Stiles ignored Gabriella's protests as she increasingly became distressed as he got closer to the door his body going to enter the darkness that had been plaguing him for a few weeks now. He enclosed a hand over the cold doorknob and widened the open space to walk in.

...

Gabriella sprung herself awake and felt arms on her as they lightly shoved her back to lay flat on her bed.

"Take it easy there, sweetheart." Nurse Cross said as a stethoscope was placed on her chest.

"What's going on?" Gabriella asked confused and the glare from a bright light caused her to blink her eyes rapidly to adjust to being awake.