Not So Sweet Home

Chapter 3- The Nightmare

                                        Chapter 3- The Nightmare

Eventually almost the whole team fell asleep out of pure exhaustion. Going straight from one case to the next left little time for sleep. There were serial killers to catch after all.

"Not going to sleep?" Rossi asked Stiles.

"No," Stiles answered.

"Okay," Rossi responded and left it at that. "Well if you aren't going to I am. Mind if I take the couch?"
Stiles switched spots with Rossi and resettled into the new chair. He decided to pull out a book to try and keep his mind busy. He wanted to focus on anything but sleep, because if he focused on sleep, he'd be out.

                                                               ***

Turns out the book was a bad idea, at some point he had drifted off, and when he opened his eyes again he wasn't on the plane. He was in a warehouse, one of the abandoned ones in Beacon Hills. Surrounding him on the floor were the bodies of his friends, past and present. A katana in his right hand was coated in blood, in fact everything was coated in blood. It spilled out of his friend's bodies, his clothes were covered in it, he could feel the cold sensation of it as it dripped from his hand.

A voice began to echo around the room, it repeated the same few words "Stiles," it hissed. "Stiles, I have a new riddle for you."

"I don't want it!" Stiles yelled out

"What do you own, but others use more than you?"

"You don't belong here anymore!"

"I do. I will always belong here."

"You're not actually here, you're out there in Beacon Hills

"But I am here Ssstiles. Now answer my riddle."

"Your Name! Okay? Good for you?"

"Vvery good. Next one."

"No. there is no next one. Leave!"

"What hass many keyss, but can't open a single door?"

"Wake up!" Stiles started to tell himself. "Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!"

                                                             ***

"Let him sleep," Rossi told Derek, "at least until we land. He needs it."

Despite what Stiles had told him, Derek let him sleep. What harm could it do, he thought. He looks fine right now. He looks peaceful.

He wasn't peaceful for long, soon Stiles began to thrash in his sleep. No words were coming out, but the team could see his lips moving, repeating the same words over and over again.

"Wake up," Spencer said.

"What?" Morgan asked.

"Wake up, it's what he's saying. He's repeating 'Wake Up'."

"Wake him up," Emily cut in.

Morgan moved to shake his shoulder, but he didn't budge. Derek shook harder. "Stiles. Wake up. It's okay."

Stiles still didn't respond, but Derek didn't have to try and wake him any longer. There was a small jolt as the plane struck ground. Stiles sprang from the position he was in, opening his eyes, and releasing a gut wrenching scream. The team was taken aback for a moment, before JJ wrapped her arms around him. He sank into her chest, her motherly grip calming him down.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "You didn't need to see that."

"Don't apologize," JJ reassured him. "We all get nightmares too."

In the background Hotch had begun to shoo the rest of the team off the plane, now it was only him, JJ, and Stiles left.

"Can I?" he asked.

JJ let go of Stiles and made her way off the plane.

"First of all," Hotch began, "are you okay? Second of all, are you capable of working this case?"

"I'm not okay right now, but I will be. I just have to go see a few people, and then I'll be ready to work."

"You need to talk to someone."

"And I will. That's who I need to go see. I just can't talk to you guys."

"Okay," Hotch agreed, "I'm giving you a day. Go and see who you need to see and get some rest-that's an order- but if you don't come back well rested and ready to work, I will have you off the case. Got it?"

"I got it," Stiles repeated. "I'll take you to the Sheriff's Department though, I need to go there first anyway."

Stiles and Hotch walked off the plane, into the yellow light of the early rising sun.

"Is everything good?" Spencer asked them both, as they joined the group.

"Yeah," Stiles answered. "I'm going to take you to the Sheriff's Department, and then I'll join you on the case in a day. I just need to go see some people."

The rest of the team gave nods of approval. Then they all divided into two groups as they made their way to the sleek black SUV's.

"You know," Spencer said, as he walked next to Stiles, "Worry is one of the biggest causes of nightmares, and 1 in 20 have nightmares every week. You also can't read in dreams."

"Oh I know that one," Stiles answered. "You also have more fingers."

Spencer went to open his mouth but then quickly closed it again.

"Wait," Morgan gawked, "Stiles just out facted Reid?"

"You learn some things when you can't tell if you are ever awake. At least it came in handy for more than just one thing."