A/N: This idea wouldn't come out of my head since we got confirmation that Deaton and Morrell were siblings.

Spoilers for 3.07

Risky Alliances

"Are we going to talk about this? Or are you planning to ignore me like you have the last thirty minutes?"

"I don't think we have anything to say to each other, Marin. You've made your choice and now you're dealing with the repercussions." Deaton said as he eased down onto the couch in his living room. His sister had been waiting for him, as soon as he was released from the hospital, she'd driven him home. And after a silent trip in the car he wanted nothing more than for her to leave him alone.

"Do you even know what they did today?" Marin followed him into the living room keys dangling from her hand. "While I've been trying to find the Darach, they killed one of Derek's betas, Alan."

"Yes, I heard." He took off his jacket tossing it on the back of the couch. He glanced up at her, "I warned you months ago when you found the pack to leave the Alphas alone before you got into deep but you chose not to listen to me, Marin. You never listen when it matters." Deaton said as he stripped off the bandages from his wrists. "Kali ... Deucalion, do you think that they trust you? They don't and they don't care about you. Yet, you persist in thinking you know better than me, when you don't. You have no idea of the kind of danger you are in—,"

"Don't you dare lecture me on getting involved in situation that you don't understand when it was you who did it first by getting involved with Talia Hale!" Marin snapped.

"Don't," Deaton warned quietly as he stood up. "I made her a promise that I would always watch out for her children, Marin. It is our way. You know that."

Marin snorted, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, if Derek Hale is any indication of how you are watching over her children then I'd say you've done a bang up job. Like leading a lamb to the slaughter, you've left him blind more times than I can count. Have you even talked to him and explained anything?" Deaton's silence was her answer. "Riiiight, like I said great job. Meanwhile, I've spent the last few months running interference trying to saving his ass so you can keep that promise to your precious Talia. So don't act like I'm the enemy here."

Once again, Deaton allowed his sister recriminations to wash over him because she was right. After they had found Gerard months early and made sure he would no longer be any harm to anyone, they agreed that she would infiltrate the Alpha pack and attempt to keep them from killing Derek for as long as possible. In the interim, he was charged with helping the young Alpha prepare for dealings with Deucalion and the others. Not surprisingly, he'd found Derek to be stubborn in nature and distrusting of any aid he could provide so intentionally or unintentionally he'd focused his energies on helping Scott, whom he believed was a True Alpha. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apologies, Alan. I want to know what we're supposed to do because I am out of ideas. I'm no closer to figuring out who the Durach is, the Alphas are out for blood and now I think Derek will be too." She paused imploring her brother to listen to her as she shifted closer. "He's impulsive, untrained, and has too many liabilities. I hope for your sake that Boyd's death will rein him in so he'll stop setting up these suicide missions. At the rate he's going he'll never to be able to take on the Alpha Pack."

"I don't think that will be a problem any longer because I do not believe Deucalion is here for Derek at all. He's here for Scott."

"Scott's not an Alpha. Why would Deucalion even bother wasting his time?"

Deaton debated with himself on whether he should tell his sister of his discovery. In the end, he decided to trust her because if for nothing else, she was his sister. "When Scott tried to break the barrier today, his eyes flashed red."

"His eyes flashed red," she repeated slowly immediately processing what he thought. "You think Scott's him don't you – the True Alpha?" Deaton nodded. "Then, the purpose for killing Derek is what, a means to an end?"

"The Hale pack has always been strong, I think Deucalion believes if he can absorb the power of the Hale pack he can take on the True Alpha and come out stronger."

"Can he do it?"

"It depends. If Scott can become the Alpha he's meant to be by the time Deucalion attacks there's no limit to what he could do. I've seen it in him; I know he has what it takes."

"Well, let's hope that Scott's ready when Deucalion makes his move." Marin nodded turning with her keys in hand. "You should get some rest. I'll be by tomorrow morning to check in and drop you at work."

Deaton sighed as he made his way to the stairs. Marin followed intending on leaving her brother's house when it occurred to Deaton that he didn't know how Boyd was killed. "Marin," he called stopping his sister with her hand on the doorknob.

"How was Boyd killed?"

"I was told that Kali and the twins had Derek impale Boyd. Why?"

"How did they get in? Scott told me that Derek has some kind of an alarm system in his loft."

"I don't know Alan. I guess it was turned off." Marin replied as she turned to glance back at her brother. He was standing in the middle of his staircase with a confused expression on his face that at suddenly cleared. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just curious. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course." Marin watched then as he walked back up the stairs out of her sight before she slipped out the door, locking it behind her.


Marin dropped her keys in the small tray beside the front door and kicked off her shoes as she walked into her darken living room. The lamp flicked on the minute she crossed the threshold of the room, shielding light on the man standing by her window.

"You're late."

"And you're starting to be a pain in the ass, what are you doing here, Peter? I thought we agreed that you and I shouldn't be seen together."

"Funny, I don't see anybody here but you and me." Peter replied as he spread his arms glancing around the empty room.

"Well, I'm not in the mood to entertain you. So what do you want?"

"Marin, Marin, Marin," Peter said stalking toward to her, closing the distance between them. "I want to know what dear big brother had to tell you."

"You were right. Deucalion isn't here for your nephew."

Peter chuckled heartily. "What did I tell you Mar? Derek was just a smoke screen. And you wasted all that time watching over him."

"True, Derek's hardly a bucket of fun but he's simple and predictable. And a highlight for me, since unlike his mother, he hasn't put my brother's life on the line for his family or for some insane version of morality."

"Do tell me how you really feel about Talia?"

"You know perfectly well how I felt about your sister-in-law, but this is not about her," she sneered. "We made a deal and I'm keeping my end of the bargain. Deucalion isn't here for Derek, he plans to kill him, not recruit him. He wants Scott because he believes that he'll be a True Alpha."

"Looks like I'm shooting two for two, I told you that he was the perfect choice." He said smugly smiling down at her. "He's perfect, so moral, and so … good of course, he'll be the one." This was working out better than he'd thought it would.

"Do you even care that if Deucalion succeeds it means he'll kill your niece and nephew?" She asked out of curiosity more than anything else.

Peter shrugged with great indifference; the Peter Hale that lived six years ago had loved his brother's children as though they were his own. But, that man died six years ago in a fire. "Makes no difference to me, we all have to die sometime. I've done it now it's their turn."

"Well aren't you just charming," she inclined her head to the front door. "Get out."

"I'm leaving but don't forget we have a deal, Marin. I'd hate to see Alan caught in the crossfire again, it'd be shame if he got hurt."

"Threats, Peter? Really?" Marin asked sardonically. "I thought we were beyond that. But, since we're not let's be honest here and put all of our cards on the table. I find it suspicious that the Darach targets three healers and only one of them is a vet who happens to be my brother."

"Isn't it a coincidence how these things happen?"

"No, it's not."

"Well, it couldn't have been me, after all wasn't he surrounded by mountain ash and we both know that I can't touch it."

"I'm serious Peter I won't let you kill my brother. If Alan gets hurt ….let's just say, I'll have a nice chat with your nephew who I'm sure will want to know exactly what you've been up to."

"I'd like to see you try, Derek barely trusts anyone so you telling him anything out of the blue wouldn't endear you to him."

"True, Derek doesn't know me. But I never said it would come from me. Unlike my brother I'm not afraid to use someone to get what I want. Tell me Peter, have you met Jennifer?" Marin posed with a menacing grin.

"Who the hell is Jennifer?"

"She's insurance and I have to thank Gerard Argent for giving me the idea. After all, if it wasn't for all those cameras in the school I would never have known what buttons to push. It's kind of a love story, he saved her then she saved him and now they're love." She said with a wry glee. "It's sweet when you think about. All Jennifer needed was just a little nudge in the right direction from a dear friend and co-worker. As for Derek, like I said he's simple and predictable. What do you think would happen if I decided to come clean and unburden myself with these secrets about you, the Alphas … everything. It's only natural that I tell her and she'll tell him because they have no secrets."

"That won't work," he scoffed.

"You'd be surprised, try me." Marin shrugged with a sweet smile. "I have so many juicy secrets to share. The only question is which I should go with first—how you sent the Alphas after Laura or maybe how you always disappear when they attack? Or my favorite that you knew Cora was alive. Which one do you think would create the best impact?" Her sweet smile disappeared with a grim line, "if my brother ends up in harm's way again or gets killed, all bets are off." She turned and walked to the front door holding it open, "I'm going to make this very easy for you Peter, don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you. Now get out!"

Peter smiled slow smile shaking his finger in her direction. "I've underestimated you, Marin." He sauntered toward the door, pausing in front of her. "I'm not the only one who likes to get my hands dirty. Well played, Marin."

"If I find out that you have anything to do with the Durach, I'll kill you myself." Marin warned with her eyes full of righteous anger. "And there won't be a body for you to come back to this time."

"Duly noted, I'll see you around Marin." With that he eased his way out of her apartment, the door slamming shut in his wake.


So thoughts? I'd love to hear what you think.