A/N: Over on my Tumblr, I've been getting a lot of prompts lately and one in particular made me want to write something a little longer than a drabble. That prompt was: "Cora has a weird illness courtesy of the Dark Druid. Forcing her in a awful state that the even her super werewolf healing powers can't heal. Isaac goes crazy to find a way to save her." Here's what I came up with. xx

Chapter One - Darkness

She sat on the floor between the bathtub and the toilet, her forehead resting against the cool porcelain as she held her eyes closed and tried to focus on breathing. In, out, in — there was a light knock at the bathroom door, and she winced, not making a move to get up.

The knock came again, slightly louder this time. "Cora? Are you okay?" It was Isaac. She took a deep breath, but when she opened her mouth, she found it was dry as cotton. How long had she been sitting there?

"Cora, come on," she heard him say, the strain in his voice indicating that he was worried. "You've been in there for hours."

Hours? That couldn't be right.

She braced herself on the edge of the bathtub and pushed herself to her feet, the feat much more difficult that it should have been, her body feeling like it was full of lead. She leaned against the sink, her dull brown eyes meeting the ones in the mirror as she took in her appearance. Her eyes took in the sheet white tone of her skin, the dark circles under her eyes, and the way her hair hung limp and lifeless around her face; this person did not look like her at all.

The knocking came again, harder still. "Cora, this isn't funny."

"I -" the brunette tried to say, but then she started to cough, so violently that she was doubled over in the sink, clutching her side with the other hand covering her mouth.

When she pulled it away, though, she found her palm covered in blood so dark it was almost black. Cora quickly turned on the water, rinsing off her hand and the sink, watching the blood swirl down the drain and out of sight. But the image was still burned to her mind.

Hands shaking, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, looking away from her reflection towards the door. Maybe Isaac wouldn't notice that anything was off — maybe no one would.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, catching the young beta mid-knock. "I'm fine," Cora told him simply. "I just -"

"You don't look fine," Isaac replied, his hand cupping her face. He frowned. "And you're burning up."

"Well, I'm a werewolf, remember?"

"Yeah, but… this is different," he said, the concern clouding his eyes more pronounced now. She tried to move past him, but he only blocked her path. His eyes flickered past her into the bathroom. "What were you doing in there?"

"Taking a shower."

Isaac shook his head. "I didn't hear any water running. Except towards the end, but that was the sink…"

"You know, listening in on other people's privacy is rude." Cora shot back, shoving past him roughly. She stalked off down the hall in the direction of her bedroom, but he only followed.

"I'm just trying to help you," he shouted after her, even though he knew she'd be able to hear him even if he hadn't. He caught up with her in a few strides, his hand catching her arm before she could disappear into her room. "Whatever is going on with you… I don't like it."

"Well no one said you had to," she snapped, before coughing again into the sleeve of her sweatshirt. It came away red.

This was not lost on Isaac. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Now let go of me, Isaac."

"Make me," he told her, his eyes steady on hers. She set her jaw, knowing that he knew she was a lot weaker than usual. On any other day, she could pull her arm out of his grasp and knock him to the floor in one swift motion. But something had changed. Something was wrong.

And he could see it.

After a long moment of glaring at each other, his grip on her arm loosened and she pulled away, moving towards her room. He watched her walk away, half wanting to demand her to tell him what was going on, and half knowing she probably shouldn't be alone. But he couldn't move.

All he could see was the blood on her sleeve.

Cora stopped in the doorway, pressing her lips together as she turned and looked at him once more. "Please don't tell Derek," was all she said, before disappearing into her room.

But Isaac couldn't bring himself to nod.