Eclipsed

Blood Moon

(Stiles' POV)

When I woke up, Hailey was kneeling next to me. Blood trickled from a cut on her forehead. "Easy there, cowboy. You got knocked out, same as me. Unluckily for you, you don't get to heal as quickly. Before you ask, that hur is gone. The power's out, and Lydia isn't picking up any of my calls. I'm going to help you up, ok?" Despite the urgency of the situation - a supernatural murderer on the loose, loss of power, which meant patients could be without medical support, and Lydia being unreachable, Hailey kept her voice light and even. She could clearly smell my panic, but instead just reached out her hand and helped me out. "You should also know that there is another FBI vehicle in the parking lot, which means that we have to act quickly in terms of the Valkyrie. Now, let's move it, Stilinski. If Lydia is in trouble, we may be the only ones who realize it." 

It didn't take long for us to reach the ICU - the hallways were clear and Hailey was confident there was nobody in our way, so we didn't bother clearing each hallway. The doors to the waiting room were barricaded, per my instructions, but Jughead saw us outside the door and called over Archie to unblock the doors and let us inside. "Well?" He demanded as we stepped over the threshold. If Hailey answered him, I didn't hear her. I was following some unspoken magnetic pull that was leading me away from the frantic Riverdale citizens and toward the room marked MRI. Without even realizing it, I pushed the door open to find Lydia lying on the table. A female doctor stood by the machine, writing things down in a thin medical file of only one sheet. 

"Lydia?" 

The doctor turned. It was clear she was about to say something, but the ringing in my ears was too loud. My hands found her in an instant, checking her for blood, for bruises, but there was none to be found. It was clear from the rise and fall of her chest that she was breathing, but if she was conscious, she wasn't responding to me. "Sir?" The doctor called gently. I turned, eyes wide, breathing heavy. 

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, slightly louder than necessary. 

"Lydia Martin collapsed in the waiting room of the ICU. She drifted in and out of consciousness before she delivered instructions that I'm assuming were your own, Agent Stilinski. Jughead Jones managed to identify her. I did a checkup of her and then did a CAT scan to confirm my suspicions. Ms. Martin has elevated brain activity in the cerebrum. This indicates either a traumatic or chemical injury to the brain. It seems Ms. Martin doesn't have a concussion, and I did examine her for any indications of drug use. I didn't find any. Do you care to share, Agent Stilinski? The sooner I know what the problem is, the sooner Ms. Martin can heal and you can both go home." Despite the fact that I had just met this doctor, I knew she was trying to do what was best for Lydia - a trait I had not yet seen in the small town of Riverdale. 

"Lydia works at a university - she works in several different categories, and spends a lot of time in the science lab. I know that they do various chemical experiments there, including beryllium, which Lydia's mother had a hypersensitivity to. If she had it too....but it wouldn't be enough to induce a vegetative state, so she should wake up with some rest." I stroked Lydia's hair, tucking a piece behind her ear. I don't think my heart had ever beat this quickly. I could sense Hailey behind the door, and I thanked her silently for not coming in. 

"Very impressive, Mr. Stilinski. I'm assuming you did very well in biology." The doctor smiled at me kindly. 

"Lydia was always better." 

It wasn't until I had been forced by Hailey to shower - apparently I was giving her the unrelenting urge to sneeze - that Lydia woke up. She blinked slowly before registering where she was. Looking over at me, she smiled softly. "Hi." She whispered. 

"Hi." I whispered back, rubbing my thumb across the back of her hand. "Do you want to talk about what happened? I told the doctor it was a hypersensitivity to beryllium, but I know that it has to do with something else starting with b." I raised my eyebrows at her. 

"It's nothing. My powers have been aggravated since we got here, and I don't think this headache will go away until we catch that valkyrie. It was like I could hear your conversation in my head. It was weird, but I think you and I blacked out at around the same time. I could hear your head hit something, which was around the same time everything went dark for me." I could tell she wasn't telling me everything, but I could also tell she was in obvious pain, so I let it go. 

"Lyds, I think it's time to call in the cavalry. There's another FBI agent, and Hailey and I can't force him to leave. It's imperative that we take care of the valkyrie as discreetly as possible, and I can't deal with that along with twelve hysterical Riverdalians. Jughead called some gang called the 'Southside Serpents', so it sounds like we'll have even more teenagers asking questions, along with some very pissed off adults. I need to call Scott. And Malia, Derek, Braeden, Liam, and as much as I hate to say it, Theo. We can't keep doing this on our own." I exhaled, looking up to meet Lydia's amused expression. "What?" I asked, cocking my head. 

"I called them as soon as you headed for the morgue. They should be here tomorrow." Lydia smiled. 

"I love you, you know that?" I whispered, leaning towards her. 

"Yeah. I do." She answered, and then she kissed me. 

(a/n) HA HA NEW CHAPTER SOONER THAN YOU THOUGHT BECAUSE I'M SICK YOU LUCKY CHILDREN