Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Hi All,

Long time no see....

So life has been pretty hectic over the last year or so- I got a new job and dropped out of University. But Im now in a much better place and have been writing a lot- I have re-written the prologue that I had written up in my notes from last year and will be working on the next chapter in the coming weeks.

Ideally I want to write a few chapters in advance so if I get some minor writers block I can just post a saved chapter.

Ill be adding the new prologue soon- most likely later tonight.

Thanks again for all your support !!

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Listed below is just a breakdown of the characters ages and their respective birthdays, some of these are canon as I was able to find them on the Teen Wolf Wikipedia/Fandom page but some I guessed or fully made up.
However, I may have missed a birthday (in terms of it being canon and ive made one up for the character)- so let me know if I have missed one and as long as it doesn’t interfere plot wise ill edit it.

Thomas/Stiles Stilinski- 8th April 1995
Newt- Unkown
Minho- Unkown
Scott McCall- 16th September 1994
Lydia Martin- 19th March 1995
Isaac Lahey- 22nd September 1994
Malia Tate/Hale- 28th November 1994
Kira Yukimura- 13th October 1994
Allison Argent- 14th February 1994
Teresa- 2nd February 1995
Derek Hale- 25th December 1988

Again some of the characters birthdays where somewhat disputed online- for some reason Derek seems to have had two different possible birthdays. However, where possible ive tried to stick to the birthdays stated in canon.
Ill give a breakdown of ages during each part of the story- each chapter will have a note of the characters in the chapter (obviously barring any spoilers for the chapter arc).

Timeline Breakdown-
So this is an overview of the timeline of the first part of the book- as stated in my previous update Ive shortened how long season 1 took place over (and technically season 2 as they were back to back) with Stiles going missing around the time he was kidnapped by Gerard/ just after the Winter Ball/Formal.

1st Day of School= 15th August 2009
- 127 days= Season 1
Winter Formal/Ball= 11th December 2009
This is when Lydia is bit by Peter (Season 1 Episode 11)

Missing= 20th December 2009

Found= 3rd March 2012
Sheriff Called= March 11th 2012
Sheriff and Stiles/Thomas reunite= 11th March 2012

At Compound (after being found)= 7 days
Leave Compound= 18th March 2012
Road-trip back to Beacon Hills= 18th-22nd March 2012
Takes place over 4 days ( google says = 28hours 20mins approx)
Arrive in Beacon Hills= 22nd March 2012

I will add to this timeline as I update the story ( I do have the rest already planned out) however don’t want to give any spoilers so will update as I go :)

Semester Breakdown-
Im basing this off a California Semester breakdown I found online so if its incorrect please let me know in the comments so I can correct it- though to be honest if im halfway through the story ill probably just keep it as is.

1st Day of School= 15th August
Thanksgiving= 21st-25th November
Christmas Holidays= 19th December- 6th January
Spring Holidays= 31st March- 7th April
Last Day of School= 15th June
Summer Holidays= 15th June- 15th August

Breakdown of Grades and Respective Ages-
This is for the help of non- American readers (me included lol) to help get an understanding of how old the characters are in each grade, ill state the grade they start of in and will then mention when it changes but it won’t be a massive mention in each chapter.
When I state the year it means the year for the story in terms of what year the grade is set in (for example Season 1= Freshman=2009/2010).

Freshman
Age- 14-15
Year- 2009-2010

Sophomore
Age- 15-16
Year- 2010-2011

Junior
Age- 16-17
Year- 2011-2012

Senior
Age- 17-18
Year- 2012-2013

Chapter Text

10th March 2012

Stiles had always been a good kid, energetic sometimes sure but he never did anything that earned him more than a weeklong of being grounded. In the months before he disappeared, he would stay in his room for hours at a time hunched over his laptop. If he wasn’t out in the woods causing trouble with Scott that is.

What he would do to see his son asleep, half falling out of his chair again- they say you don’t know how good you have it until its gone. For him, he always knew how good Stiles was. When he was taken after losing Claudia it felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest, after Claudia passed, I stayed sane for my son and after he was taken there didn’t seem too much of a point anymore.

He knew the majority of those in Beacon Hills thought his son was dead, not that they would ever say it to his face- poor Sheriff Stilinski with his dead wife and dead son- but he could see it on their faces.

It only took twenty-four hours after Stiles disappeared for people to start talking about a recovery instead of a rescue and after a month people seemed to stop thinking that we would find him altogether.

Ring…. Ring….

Ring…Ring….

In truth, it had been over fourteen months since his son had been taken from him and he doubted the next time he saw him would be anywhere except a body bag.

Ring…. Ring….

“John, are you going to get that?”

Melissa had decided that it was her personal mission to keep him an active part of the Beacon Hills community. As if he wanted to give another – Don’t Drink and Drive Kids- lecture to the same kids who –

Ring…. Ring….

He reached over, taking the phone from its cradle.

“This better be important”

The line was silent for a few seconds, as if the person on the other end was surprised, he had picked up.

“Mr Stilinski, is this a good time to talk?”

“As good as any- why?”

The line had gone silent and for a moment John realised that he recognised the voice on the other end.

“Actually Mr Stilinski, it’s about your sons’ case- there has been a significant update”

For a moment his world stopped. His son was dead, and he was about to learn that he had been dead for months, rotting in some ditch by the side of some dirt road.

“Just tell me”

His breathing had slowed, his tone flat.

“Your son, Mieczyslaw- “

“Stiles- “

“Sorry?”

“He prefers Stiles”

“Ok… your son Stiles Stilinski, was found on the third of March at 4:36 am, he is- “

The new was unexpected to say the least, but-

“Alive, but he’s alive?”

“Yes Sir, your son was found alive and is physically healthy by all accounts”

The Sheriff stood up; fingers clenched around the phone-

“I don’t understand, how?”

“I think it would be more appropriate to have this conversation in person Mr Stilinski”

For the first time in months, he was able to take a full breath in- the air filling in chest and he felt more alive than he had in years.

“Ok”

Half the time the people in white coats left us along- apparently, we had to get used to human interaction. What they mean by that is yet to be seen.

I don’t think forcing me to talk about the maze counts as socialising- but who knows, it’s not like I have much experience being social.

We have group sessions twice a day, in the morning and just after dinner- as if we are suddenly going to be ‘normal’ after years of being stuck in a goddam science experiment.

“Thomas” a voice called, startling me.

I turned my head, seeing another lady in a white coat- he was sure she had introduced herself at this point, but they tended to blend together in his head. She beckoned me over with a wave of her hand.

“Come with me- there’s been an update with your case”

Case…

He was case number 256912, it was how they organised them and kept track of them all. Like they were cans on a shelf.

“Coming”

Nodding his head to Minho and Newt he pushed himself of his chair and followed her out the room and down endless white hallways.

“So… what do you want”

“Thomas”

He stopped- turning to face her. “We both know it must be pretty important to pull me out of a group session”.

“It’s your dad”

“I thought you said you couldn’t find my parents”

White coat smiled. “We had a lucky break- somebody on the case knew you from before- he recognised your photo”

“Great…”

Shit…

Chapter Text

March 11^th, 2012

811 days. 26 months. 115 weeks

Since he had seen his son, heard his voice and held him in his arms. It was a daze of joy, anger and fear- he had his son back but at what cost, what would be left of his son after so long away from his home, his family.

He hadn’t been told much, not that he was focusing on much apart from the fact his son was alive. But after a 3-hour plane journey and wasn’t that a kick in the teeth- his son had been so close to him all this time. In another country yes but to the Sheriff it felt like a stone throw away from Beacon Hills.

He was greeted by a black SUV outside the collection terminal at the airport, non-descript almost military like, from the limited information he had been given it seemed that his son’s disappearance had a lot more that was yet to be revealed- more than your average kidnap and kill at the very least.

The building though compound was a probably more accurate term loomed over him as he stepped out of the vehicle, his luggage taken away by a flat faced man.

“Mr Stilinski”

A young woman in a white coat waved her hand at him, “it’s a pleasure to meet you Mr Stilinski” she hesitated “thought of course we wish it would have been under better circumstances”

No shit.

The silence was long and awkward, and he was quickly ushered inside, through the glass doors and towards a long line of elevators- the young woman quickly flashing her card at the reception desk.

“I’m Dr Moira Lioncourt, I have been in charge of your sons care whilst he has stayed with us over the last few days “

“So” I start “are you going to be able to tell me what’s happened with my son? Nobody has given me a straight answer”

She hesitated I was really getting sick of it- just spit it out “it’s easier to show you first and then explain around that- it’s a hard story to stomach”

After the elevator had left its destination she led me to a small room, a cross between an office and an exam room it seemed with one wall having a window into a small gym area.

The Dr explained that Stiles or Thomas as he preferred to be called now would be on his way soon, but she needed to warn me that he would be different. Not in ways I would expect- his memory of me, our home and life together were gone- worst of all they thought it could be permanent.

“It could come back” she explained “but something like this, what was done to your son’s brain has never been observed before. To be frank we don’t have anything to compare it to”

And wasn’t that a kick in the teeth, after all this time he had his son back- but he wouldn’t even remember him.

“Who did this to him”

And so, she explained more, Stiles and hundreds of other children though only 30 or so are alive had been kidnapped by this psycho or ‘excentric scientist’ as the Dr so eloquently put to test her theory on the end of the world.

“She was convinced that with the recent terrorist attacks, 9/11 and the US invading Iraq that we were at the precipice of a World War- one that would bring back disease and wipe out the human race”

“So, she was insane”

Dr Lioncourt smirked “basically”

I wanted to know more “why my son?”, “what did they do to them” and as the Dr explained in more and more depth, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to throw up or punch the wall.

“Jesus Christ” I exhaled “and this Ava Paige, where is she now”

“Dead”

“Good riddan- “she cut me off gently “whilst it may seem like a good thing, it seems like she was murdered another member of their organisation “which was called W.I.C.K.E.D apparently what a dumb name “we think she was thinking of giving up or at least had a change in mind and one of her co-leaders eliminated her”

“So, there is more of them out there” I queried

“Yes”

He was lead upstairs this time, the complete opposite direction of their rooms- he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing at this point. Like always the walls were stark white, clinical and lacking any personality, he guessed that part was on purpose they didn’t want one of them getting obsessive over patterns on the walls.

The lady in white and he really should ask for her name at some point opened the door for him, walking past her he was greeted by a smaller version of their training rooms or gyms as the white coats called them. There was a darkened window on his left-hand side, some running machines and lone desk with chairs on either side.

“So…” he drawled, side eyeing the white coat “you were talking about my dad?”

“There has been an update, after an agent reviewed your file, we were able to match you to a missing persons case- “

“Why did it take this long” he queried, most of the other gladers had known within the week if they had family coming for them, or if W.I.C.K.E.D had taken out what family they used to have- leaving them an orphan.

“You were presumed dead, due to the fact you were missing so long and were so young when you were taken, most of your friends were teenagers when they were taken” she hesitated slightly before continuing

“They were assumed to have run away, most assumed you have been kidnapped by some child killer”

Lovely, wasn’t that just lovely.

She must have seen the look on my face, and attempted to badly I should state reassure me, that the silver lining was that “your dad was found and is here to meet y- “

My head whipped around to face her “what do you mean he’s here!” I exclaimed. “How have I only just been told today when you’ve known for days, maybe even weeks”

“Now Thomas, please calm down”

“Don’t Thomas me you bit- “

CRASH.

“Stiles?”

And there he was, Thomas knew the moment he saw him- it was his dad.

“What the hell is a Stiles?”

The man in the doorway only laughed in relief or disbelief he couldn’t tell. He stayed stock still as the older man slowly made his way toward him, coming to a stop in front of him- as they stood face to face the man slowly lifted his hand to my face.

His hand was warm, callouses on his palm and most importantly as my eyes met his- he knew this was his dad. His memories may have been gone but he knew he was home.

Now he just had to convince him to take Newt with them- back wherever he had come from.