[Even if the last thing he wants to do is talk about this, he can't allow the memory of his mother be tarnished. This isn't her and he needs to explain that… still, it takes him some gearing up and swallowing down of bile and emotion before he can explain. As he does, his child self is crying silently holding his cheek and his mother is screaming in terror to 'stay away'.]

She had a… rare form of dementia. Her brain was atrophying… she was losing herself. [He finds that he has to quickly wipe at his face and his chest feels tight and his breath is starting to come fast in panic, because this isn't what he remembers.] But this is all wrong, she… this isn't what happened.

[There's an edge to his voice that screams denial. His memories of this time aren't complete, filled with holes and edits his mind made to protect him. Almost as though his shield around his mind manifests it, there's a ghost image of how he made himself remember it super-imposed on reality. His mother is more peaceful, clearly frightened, but not violent and the ghost image of young Stiles is holding her hand. It flickers and glitches in and out of existence and present day Stiles' brows draw together and the building panic doesn't subside.]