Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

Chapter 3: Episode 6x13

When Nixie first opens the door of the shack, she jerks back in surprise when a clawed hand immediately reaches out as though to rip at her face. Luckily, she was still one of the shortest people in the group, which meant the hand was a smidge too high, and it gave her time to duck.

Raising an eyebrow at the male werewolf from Eichen, she says, "If you're gonna do that every time I come back, then we're going to have a serious problem."

Upon seeing her, he steps back and immediately says, "Sorry. We… we just…" Nixie glances past him at the three women, all huddled near the vacant fireplace in the room. And though they were beginning to relax now, they had been terrified when they'd heard the footsteps approaching the door.

Sighing, Nixie says, "Before we leave, we need to work out some sort of signal so you know that it's friends who are approaching. Something unique that no one else is going to be able to guess or figure out on a whim." The man nods, and then backs out of the way so she, Lydia, and Jordan can all come in.

Nixie glances at Lydia, silently telling her to go ahead and take a walk around the room, so she can try and get a feel for the people inside. Then to the man, Nixie asks, "So… what's your name?"

The tall black man was built like Derek, if Nixie had to pick a body type to compare him too. Solid muscle. But where Derek had a constant grumpy and pissed off look on his face… well, except when he was looking at her… this guy had much gentler and kinder features as his natural expression. Of course, when he'd first opened the door, Nixie had taken note that he'd looked ready to fight and rip her to shreds if she had been anyone else. But now that he knew it was just them…

The man was like a giant teddy bear. Or maybe just a bear, since when Nixie thought of teddy bears, she thought of something small, and this guy was anything but that. In any case, he nods his head to her, in an expression she supposes is him offering his respects, and then says, "I'm Winston Jones." Nodding herself, Nixie then asks, "And what are you?" "Werewolf."

Then Nixie turns to the three women in the room. The two older females, probably in their late thirties or so, both had short black hair, and were thin. Really thin. Like… Nixie honestly wonders if they were fed enough… or at all… while they were in Eichen. But while one of them had skin that could've rivaled the white of winter snow, the other had an incredibly deep tan-color to her skin. The third young woman, who was maybe in her late twenties, had bright blonde hair, and was Caucasian, but with a vibrant pinkness that seemed to permanently rest in her cheeks. If Nixie didn't know any better, she'd think the girl had put on just a tad too much blush. And unlike the other two, she looked as though she had been well-fed. At least well enough to not look like a tooth pick.

The first woman, the pale one, says timidly, "Lucinda. I'm… a wendigo." And the other black-haired woman puts in, "So am I. I'm Penelope."

Nixie supposes they had been expecting her to react in some sort of frightened way. And yeah, it was a bit daunting. Wendigos were the cannibals. They ate human flesh, supposedly… and that was definitely something that Nixie couldn't have them resorting to.

But, rather than eye them warily or step back in fear, she simply turned her gaze to the third woman. The fact that Nixie wasn't already freaking out or running away from all of them must've pleased her beyond belief, because a smile lit up her face as she says, "I'm Tabitha. I'm an Astomi."

Nixie nods at first, but then blinks in confusion and asks, "A what?" Tabitha's smile shrinks a bit, but she answers, "I… I don't eat. Or drink. Ever. I… just don't have to. I can smell food and beverages, and that's all I need to survive."

Pondering that for a moment, Nixie then looks back at Jordan and says, "Well, that solves part of one problem. We don't have to buy her a whole meal every day." Back to Tabitha, who is smiling in relief, Nixie asks, "Do you have anything in particular you like to smell?" "Apples!"

Nixie raises an eyebrow at the excited way she shouts that, but Winston says, "She… hasn't had access to anything she's liked for years. They stopped bringing her what she would've preferred, and only brought her things that she wouldn't like." Nixie tilts her head, "Why?"

Winston darts his eyes over to Tabitha, whose already pink cheeks turn an even darker shade of red. Nodding, Nixie says, "Right. You two are together. And Eichen didn't like it. Noted."

Back to the wendigos, Nixie asks, "So… how have you two been surviving?" They two women look at each other, and then they both nod. Penelope, the less shy of the two, says, "The doctors would… inject us with these shots. We have no idea what was in them. It made us weak, and then they would force feed us 'normal' food."

Nixie doesn't miss the venom in her voice when Penelope says 'normal food'. She ponders that for a bit, and then says, "Well, we're obviously not shooting you up with drugs. Not only do we not have access to that, but that would also just be supremely not cool."

Both women look relieved at her words, and then Nixie adds, "But I obviously can't have you going around and eating people. We will have a problem if we can't find a way around that." Lucinda nods, "We… it's not strictly human flesh we crave. Some of our kind… yes, they develop a taste for that and never try to curb it. But… we just want raw meat. And… maybe something with plenty of fat on it."

Nixie takes that in, and then turns to Jordan. He shrugs and says, "We can work with that." "Yeah, but what are we going to get them. Steaks?"

As both women's eyes widen to the size of saucers, Jordan grins while shaking his head at Nixie. Stepping up to her, raising an eyebrow, he asks, "Are you trying to tell me something?" "Yes. That we need to figure out what to feed our guests."

For a moment neither of them move, but then Nixie finally blushes a bit at being caught. Not that it mattered. Jordan would buy them whatever they needed to survive. It wasn't like he planned to starve them. But… well, clearly Nixie thought their first meal outside of the prison that was Eichen House, should be something of a celebration. And steaks were certainly a celebratory kind of food.

Expensive too… which is why she had asked the question aloud, rather than waiting until later. Now it would seem rude if he took that idea away from them.

Nixie's bottom lip slips between her teeth, and Jordan can't help smirking down at her. She would pay for it later. He would see to that. But he doesn't think she'll particularly mind.

For now, he kisses her forehead and says, "Yes, we'll get all of them steaks. We'll also figure out, eventually, some sort of way they can keep and cook their own food down here." Tilting her head, Nixie says, "I thought electricity was an issue." "I thought so too. But I talked to Chris about it, and he seems to have an idea about how it could be done. He and I will work on that later though."

Turning to Winston, Jordan asks, "How do you like yours cooked?" Winston still looks so shocked that for a moment, he doesn't respond. Finally though, he says, "Medium." Jordan nods, "We'll work on those as soon as the first store opens back up. And we'll bring by a few cases of water. After that…"

Jordan looks down at Nixie, and then shrugs. Sighing, Nixie says, "I know." Winston looks between them, and then asks, "What?" Turning to him, Nixie says, "Nothing you need to worry about right now. I'm just… I'm trying to think long-term. This place… it's a good temporary solution. It's the best I've got right now, in any case. But depending on how long this crisis lasts, and on how long you'll have to stay here…"

Shrugging, she says, "I mean… I know it's better than Eichen. But still… this place is hardly big enough for one person. There's four of you. And I'm just… trying to figure out what we're going to do, if this takes a long time, or if someone bad actually manages to find this place."

Silence takes over for a while after that. Jordan kisses Nixie's temple and whispers, "We'll figure it out. Between all of us, we'll figure out something." She nods, and then turns to look at Tabitha, who has walked up beside her. Fiddling with her hands a bit, the astomi then asks, "If… If I may… what are all of you?"

Lydia, who rejoins Nixie and Jordan now, says, "Banshee." Then she cuts her eyes to Nixie, and winks before whispering, "All clear." Nixie nods with a grin, and then points to Jordan. "He's a hellhound." And then she points a hand to herself, "And I'm a dragon."

Tabitha tilts her head at the last one, but then laughs when Nixie says, "I know. Somehow, even with the fact that we have foxes, wolves, coyotes, and even supernatural cannibals… you never really thought you'd hear about a supernatural dragon. Doesn't seem like something that big should be able to fit in such a tiny package."

Jordan lets out a bark of laughter, catching Nixie's hand when she makes to punch him in the gut. Yanking her closer, wrapping his arms around her, he says, "If you continue to call yourself a tiny anything, everyone will actually start calling you a compact-ninja." "Oh, shut up! I was meaning dragons are usually considered to be huge, compared to humans." "Sure you were."

Nixie gives him a look, but then grins and says, "It is true what they say though. All the best things in the world come in the smallest packages." And she can't help laughing when Jordan groans, "God, I've created a monster."

They hadn't even been home a complete hour, when all hell decided to break loose again. And Nixie officially decides that, even if Deaton doesn't come back with anything from the tests he's doing, something is definitely going on with her. And why is that?

Because her phone is ringing. It's been called three times now. And rather than answer it, or call attention to it, she whines before saying, "Jordan, please."

The man in question quickly snaps his hips into hers, smiling into the curve of her neck when Nixie cries out. Her hands cling to him desperately, and her knees are now locked against his sides, as though daring him to try and pull farther away than necessary. Kissing her neck gently, he says breathlessly, "I would've bought them whatever you wanted anyway. You know that."

He leans back to look at her, and then can't help chuckling when Nixie lets out a breathless laugh while saying, "Yeah… I know. But doing it my way has much more interesting results." Jordan rolls his hips for emphasis on that point, and Nixie groans before again pleading, "Please."

He kisses her silent after that, and is on his way to finally giving her the pleasure she's been seeking since they first walked in the door. That's when her phone ringing finally registers with him. Glancing over at it, he says, "Your phone. Nix…"

It says a lot; it really does. The fact that Nixie, literally, always drops everything else to answer her phone whenever it rings. It says a lot to the fact that… something was definitely up. Because Jordan was most definitely not in a position where he wanted to let her go. But he would have, because he knew how important that concept was to her.

And it says a lot to him, when Nixie grips the back of his head, drawing him back down to her. Foreheads pressed together, there's a bit of supernatural rasp in her voice when she begs, "Please don't stop. Please!"

For a moment, he does in fact freeze. And Nixie opens her clenched eyes to look at him, and the confusion resting there was enough to remind her that… well, this was not normal. Her damn phone was ringing. Someone might be dying. And she was ignoring that to continue… well, this.

She almost had a grip back on her senses, when Jordan started moving again. And she had half a mind to finally ask him to stop and grab her phone for her. But at a particular thrust of his hips, she screamed and went back to losing herself in everything that was him.

When they're finished, Jordan takes a few seconds to get a breath. Then he reaches over for her phone. Pulling it to his ear, he clears his throat and asks, "What's up?"

A pause, and then Lydia asks, "What's wrong with Nixie?" Jordan sighs, "Nothing. She's right here. I just happen to have her phone. What's up, Lydia?"

Nixie opens her eyes when Jordan drops his head onto her shoulder. His sigh of disappointment wasn't directed at her, she knew that. It was just directed at their situation as a whole. Because whatever Lydia was telling him… it meant that Nixie would be leaving rather soon.

Nodding, he says, "I'll tell her. Give her fifteen minutes." After he hangs up, he holds himself up over her, braced on his elbows. Eyes roaming over her beautiful face, he brushes some of the stray strands of hair back from her forehead. Then he asks gently, "Are you alright?"

The fact that she doesn't answer right away is what tells him that she knows exactly what he's talking about… and she's honestly not sure. Tilting his head, he asks, "Deaton? Have you been to see him?" Nodding, Nixie says, "Inconclusive for the moment. He hasn't gotten back to me yet."

Cupping her face in one hand, Jordan asks, "Is it just this that's strange? Is there anything else?" Nixie leans into his warm hand while she thinks, and then sighs, "No. I think this is it. If anything else is off, it's not something I'm noticing." Jordan nods, and then kisses her gently on the lips before saying, "Brett's missing."

She tenses beneath him immediately, and her eyebrows come together as she asks, "How long?" "They're not sure. Lydia says that Lori found his lacrosse stick covered in blood, and she heard gunshots." Nixie ponders that, and then says, "So he's been gone at least since the lacrosse practice let out. That's well over six hours now."

Jordan nods, and then rolls over onto his back. Glancing back at her, he asks, "When's the last time you ate?" She shrugs indifferently, to which Jordan says, "Don't make me threaten to tickle you." Grinning over at him, Nixie says, "Probably lunch yesterday." "Nixie…" "It wasn't on purpose. You were nearly frozen to death. And because of that, I missed my dinner." "Ah, of course. All my fault then." "Exactly."

He pokes her in the side, chuckling when she giggles and then whines, "Don't." He kisses her shoulder, and then sighs before saying, "Take a shower before you go. I'll make some eggs at least for you to eat. And I'll do what I can to help find Brett on my end. Keep me updated." "Of course."

It's as he's heading out the bedroom door when he pauses as Nixie says, "Jordan?" Turning back to her, he asks, "Yeah?"

For a moment she just looks at him, an endearing and loving look on her face. Tilting his head, Jordan asks, "Nixie, what?" She shrugs, but then says, "I just love you. And your patience with, literally, every single ounce of the crap we have to deal with." Smiling, Jordan comes back to kiss her firmly on the lips. Brushing his nose against hers, he says, "Always." Nixie smiles in return, and then says, "Alright. I'm gonna shower now. Oh! Do we have bacon?!"

Jordan laughs as he walks away, and then harder when he hears Nixie mumble, "Can't eat eggs without bacon. What kind of meal is that?" "I heard that." "Well, then you understand what a dilemma it will be if we don't have bacon."

When Nixie reaches the woods, she first finds Liam, who is at a tree with an arrow sticking out of it.

An arrow covered in blood. Not a good sign.

Dropping down out of the sky, Nixie glances over at the others as they run up. Poor Lori looks beside herself with worry.

She does perk up a bit when she sees Nixie has finally arrived on the scene. Because she already knew it didn't matter how many scars she already had. She would add Brett's to her collection, just as soon as they finally found him. And she would find him. Lori figures this probably definitely falls into the category of, 'hell will freeze over', before Nixie allows any other outcome to take place.

Liam points to where Brett's phone is placed on the ground, and then says, "I think he set a trap." Nixie looks to the arrow covered in his blood, and adds, "Using the arrow that they used to try and kill him. Talk about hardcore." Scott nods, "He's fighting back."

Malia turns to face them, having been scanning the woods around them, and then says, "And now we know he's alive." Lori moves to pull the arrow from the tree. And upon seeing all the blood already on it, some red and now some black, she adds, "But he's still hurt. We need to find him. He needs to know we're here."

She turns, preparing to roar, to let her brother know that he wasn't alone in these woods. And Nixie wouldn't be against somehow letting Brett know they were looking for him. But…

Before Malia has to do anything to stop Lori, Nixie swiftly smacks her hand up to cover Lori's mouth, clamping down on any sound she might've tried to make. Turning to Nixie anxiously, Lori pulls back and says, "But…" Malia grips her arm and asks, "You want the hunter to know we're here, too?"

Nixie points to Malia in agreement, but Liam is with Lori as he says, "He's a new hunter. We can take him." Scott nods at Liam, seeing that as a definite possibility. But Nixie is already shaking her head, and points to Malia again when the were-coyote says, "And what if Brett howls back? He'll lead the hunter right to him."

Scott acknowledges that, and then turns to Nixie. She was obviously on Malia's side of this argument… but he knew she was also weighing all the options before them, not just choosing the one she thought was safest or easiest for their side of things. She wasn't looking at this situation desperately. She was looking at it logically, trying to pick the path that had the best chances of them getting to Brett, finding him alive, and bringing him home.

Nodding towards her, he says, "We could find him first. There's no human that can track sounds faster than we can." "Scott; that assumes Brett howls back." "We can track his scent too then." But Malia points out, "I can't catch his scent." Lori nods, "He's masking it." "Well, someone should tell him not to."

Liam takes the arrow from Lori, and then his eyes see where a pool of Brett's blood must've landed. Pointing, he exclaims, "He went this way!"

He and Lori take off instantly, but the other three stay behind. Scott tilts his head at Nixie and says, "We have the advantage here, we've done this before. We can do this." Nixie doesn't argue that point, but she does say, "Scott, it's not about whether or not we can do it at all. It's about whether or not we can track and find him, before the hunter does."

Gesturing around, she says, "I only smell Brett's old blood. No one else has been hurt yet. Which means this trap he set, brilliant as it may have been, didn't work." Malia nods, "Which means this hunter figured it out at some point."

Scott ponders that, and then says, "So maybe this hunter isn't such an amateur." Nixie turns back towards the ground around them, looking for signs as to who the other person in the woods might be. Malia lifts her head and adds, "Or maybe he's learning."

And then she and Scott both nod in agreement when Nixie says, "Which poses the incredibly terrifying question of, if he or she is learning how to become a better hunter… then who the hell is teaching?"

Nixie was growing more worried and worried by the second. Brett's scent was being masked in every direction, so all they had to go on was the trail of blood he was leaving behind. That trail being long and filled with some rather large pools of life-sustaining blood.

The human body could only survive losing three to four pints of blood, and even then, if a transfusion wasn't ready and nearby almost immediately, death was imminent. Werewolves and other supernatural creatures might be able to lose a little more than that and still function, but the fact remained that there was a limit not too far away, and Brett was dangerously close to reaching it.

When Malia points out that the trail ends here, next to yet another large pool of blood, Scott suggests, "Maybe he just stopped bleeding."

Standing up straight, Nixie says, "I really hope that's it… even as unlikely as it might be." Liam runs a hand through his hair worriedly, and then says, "I think we should split up. Lori and I can go this way." He points towards the west, and then to the east when he adds, "And Malia and Scott can go that way. Nixie can fly overhead and keep us all within ear shot, and then shoot down when one of us finds something. Better yet, she can keep her eyes peeled for Brett in the sky. He could be hiding in the trees or something."

Nixie doesn't altogether like the plan of splitting up… but it wasn't the worst idea she'd heard tonight. And she'd wager that Brett had lost at least twenty percent of his blood content already. Anymore was encroaching on the territory in which he really started to die. And that wasn't really an option, so…

Lori's plan, however, is, "Or maybe we can go in four different directions?" To that, Nixie shakes her head, "No. That risks one of you running into the hunter alone. And if they are learning, we can't have that." "But if you're in the sky…" "If I'm in the sky and I'm hovering over Scott when you scream out for help, I might not make it back to you in time. I'm fast, but I'm not a teleporter."

Malia tilts her head in confusion at that comment, but then choses to ignore it for now and says, "We need to stick together." Liam huffs, "We have the advantage, its four against one." And Malia raises an eyebrow at him, "Not if we split up." "Alright, look. I've been doing this the past three months without your help. I think I can make this decision." "Well, if you're deciding to do something stupid and die, then go ahead."

Liam was about to argue that it was just one hunter, when Nixie snarls at all three of them to shut up. Then she turns her attention to Scott, who had yet to interject his opinion into this conversation. Nodding at him, she asks, "Scott?" He looks up at her, and then says, "Come here."

Joining him on the ground, she sighs when she sees the shoe print that he's uncovered. And as he continues to brush the leaves away, he uncovers another. The first looked like a normal shoe, with no distinct tread or identifying marks on the sole. But the other… the other was definitely a boot, with a tread that suggested the person wearing it had been prepared to venture this far into the woods and hunt down their prey.

Running a hand through her hair, she says, "Two." Malia blinks and asks, "Two of them? Two hunters?" Scott nods and adds, "Maybe more." Lori looks at all of them, and then asks, "Well, how many hunters have you seen out here before?"

Scott and Nixie look at each other at that. In their heads, they go back over all their time since Scott had become a werewolf. And the number of hunters, both experienced and amateur, that they'd seen in these woods…

Scott's only response is to say, "A lot." Nixie nods, and then stands up straight as Malia asks Liam, "Still wanna split up?" "We can deal with it! We just need to find Brett's trail."

Scott stands up too, and as he and Nixie look at each other, she knows he's about to ask what she thinks. But before they can get into that, Lori says, "No, we don't."

Pointing over at a neatly stacked pile of rocks… something Nixie thinks she probably should've noticed earlier, Lori explains, "Rock balancing. Satomi taught us. It's him! And I know where he's going!" Throwing up her hands, Nixie says, "Great! Where?"

But as soon as Lori explains that Brett has taken refuge in the tunnels and sewers that run beneath Beacon Hills, Nixie drops her arms and groans. "Seriously! Why does it always start coming back to these damn tunnels?!"

Scott closes the grate from above their heads and then climbs down the ladder as fast as he can. They still needed to keep an eye on Lori, who was moving faster than the rest of them. Too fast.

The fact that Nixie agrees with him is the thing that makes it more concerning. Brett wasn't pack, and he wasn't her boy. But Brett was a friend, and Nixie was always trying to get to her friends and protect them whenever she could. As fast as she could.

But, there was getting to the people who needed you fast. And then there was speeding your way into a trap and potentially killing yourself, before you actually got the chance to reach the person you were trying to help. And at her current pace, Lori was dangerously close to being in the second category.

Nixie and Scott share a look, and then dash up the tunnel after the others. They find Lori bent down to the floor, where more of Brett's blood is lying in a pool. Nixie would estimate he's close to having lost three pints now. Dangerously close to the point of not functioning properly anymore for a human. He was probably still alright for now… and he would remain that way if they found him in time.

And… well, and if they didn't die before they got to him. Nixie has been getting a significantly bad feeling about this new hunter, and the person who is training them. There was a scent in the air that she thought was familiar, but she couldn't place it.

Regardless of that, Scott knows better than to question her judgment on these things. If she has a bad feeling, it could be assumed that whoever they were going to run into was going to be rather hard to deal with. And judging from the concern that kept growing on her face, her feeling kept getting worse.

Standing up, Lori says, "He's been poisoned." Nixie sniffs at the air, and then sighs, "Wolfsbane." Scott runs a hand through his hair, "That's why he's not healing."

Frantic, Lori asks, "What if he only has a few hours to live?" Liam glances up and down the tunnels, and then says, "Well… if we howl we can find him?" Malia shakes her head, "That's too risky." Lori snaps her eyes to the were-coyote and exclaims, "Who cares about the risk?! He could be dying!" But Malia points to the trail of blood on the floor and says, "He's still moving. He's not dead yet."

Scott nods in agreement and says, "We just need time to think." But Lori shakes her head, "I need him to know that I'm here, that I'm coming for him." Liam glances over at Scott, and then says, "She's right. He has to know we're here."

And before anyone can stop him, Liam turns to face the hall, and roars loudly. The sound echoes past the pipes and into every section beyond them. There was no way Brett missed hearing the sound.

No way those hunters missed hearing it either. Which is why Liam suddenly finds himself slammed into the concrete wall on the other side of him.

Nixie had honestly thought it would be Lori that she'd have to keep a leash on. At least when it came to the howl. Which is why she'd been standing closer to her, and why Nixie had been prepared to slap a hand over her mouth again if need be.

It's also why Liam got to roar, without being stopped by Nixie. But he was certainly considering the idea that it might've been a mistake now.

Nixie snarls behind her lips, causing Liam's eyes to widen as he looks up at her from the ground he's now lying on. Bending down towards him, Nixie says, "Liam… there's overprotective. And then there's just stupid. I'm overprotective. I'll take as many hits, run as far as I have to, and scream as loud as necessary, in order to protect my people."

Shining silver eyes at him, she says, "But I would not, under any circumstances, try and do something like this. Now the hunters now we're here. Now they know that Brett has help. And now they will be chasing after him even faster, and more vigorously. Not to mention, now that they know we're here, they know to be prepared for an attack from behind. And there is no telling what traps they might set in order to try and delay us."

Standing up straight, she turns to Scott, and then says, "We need to move." "Right. Everybody, this way."

But as they round each new corner, the trail becomes harder to follow. And Brett still hasn't answered back to Liam's cry from before. Gripping her head in her hands, Lori asks, "Why isn't he answering?" Liam sighs, "Maybe he didn't hear us."

Nixie scoffs, "He heard you. Everyone down here heard you. The rats are leaving us alone, at every turn, because they very clearly heard you." Liam's head ducks slightly at that, but as he and Lori continue leading the way, Nixie feels Scott fall slightly behind.

The look on his face is one of severe foreboding of something to come. He was the alpha. He sensed something. And as his eyes take in the tunnel before them… Nixie sees his eyes widen in realization. Following his gaze, Nixie then sees the thin chord of wire stretched across from one side of the tunnel to the other. So faint and thin, a human probably never would've seen it at all. But they weren't human.

"Lori, no!" She turns back at Scott's panicked voice, but Lori still takes an extra step forward, tripping the wire on the floor.

The rest happens in a blur. Scott quickly shoved Nixie in the direction of Malia and Liam, which told Nixie all she needed to know. He wanted her to get those two out of the way. He would grab Lori. So she snagged them by the backs of their shirts and hauled them back a good six-feet, making sure they were clear of any line of fire, no matter what the trip wire caused to happen.

Scott was not so fortunate. He got Lori out of the way… but he'd been impaled in the process. A long metal staff now protruded from his right side, and was partially wedged into the wall behind him, keeping Scott from moving.

As he begins to slump in pain, Nixie sprints to him and holds him up. Putting a hand on his chest to keep him in place, there's a growl in her voice when she says, "Get over here! Now!" As the others rush up, Nixie looks to Liam and says, "Help me hold him still. Malia, you and Lori pull it out of him."

With her eyes shining, no one dares to argue with anything she has to say. Not that there was anything to argue about… but it was apparent in their hurried motions that they were eager to do anything to put her more at ease.

Nixie puts her hand to Scott's neck, beginning to steal his pain and preparing the take the injury as soon as the staff is removed. But before they do anything else, Scott reaches up to grip her hand and says, "Wait!" Lori and Malia stop, and Nixie snaps her eyes up to him and asks, "For what?!"

He just gives her a stern look, and takes a steadying breath before saying, "Do not steal the wound. I'll heal." "Scott, we don't have time for this! Just let them get it out and…" "Nixie, listen to me."

He drops his head back against the wall, huffing at how hard it feels to breathe right now. Then he looks to her again and says, "Brett is wounded. He's poisoned. And we don't know how much worse he's going to be when we finally do find him." Squeezing her hand, he says, "I need you, ready and able, to take his wound when we get there. Which means you can't have this one, and Brett's to deal with. We don't know how severe his is yet."

Nixie stares at him, and then says, "Brett's not mine. He's… he's a friend. But… Scott… you're my…" He nods, "I'm your boy. I know that. But I'm your boy, that will heal. There's no wolfsbane here. I'm not poisoned. We know that I'll be fine." He shakes his head, "But we don't know if Brett will be. And he might not be our pack. He might not be your boy. But he is ours, Nixie. He's our friend, and he's a life worth saving." "I know that! But…"

Sternly, he says, "Nixie." She stares at him a moment more, and then grits her teeth before saying, "Fine. But I'm stealing your pain." He doesn't argue with that, and then nods for Malia to start trying to get it out again.

When it's finally tossed aside, Scott slumps to the ground with Nixie and Liam's aid. Panting as Malia presses a cloth against his wound, Scott says breathlessly, "They knew we were coming." Nixie cuts her eyes to Liam and says, "Yeah. Wonder how the hell that happened."

Malia keeps pressure on the wound and says, "Don't talk, Scott. Just heal. Let us figure this out." Scott looks to her, then at Nixie as he says, "They've been a step ahead of us the whole time." Nixie nods in understanding. If they were going to continue on, they had to keep that in mind.

And they were clearly going to continue, since Lori's next statement is, "I'm sorry, but I can't wait around. We have to go." Liam glances at Nixie in apology, but then says, "We still have the numbers. Four to two. We're faster and stronger than them." Scott gives both of these teens a look and says, "They're smarter."

Nixie raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn't comment as Lori butts in with, "I don't care who's smarter or faster or whatever, my brother's going to die." But Scott, with his own sixth sense again, says, "Something's not right. The arrow, the trip wire, the poison. These aren't amateurs."

Liam counters back with, "But they've never fought us before." Nixie snarls at him and says, "Unless you suddenly determined exactly who we're up against, you don't fucking know that. Also, you're freaking werewolf-pup. You have never had to take on and face down hunters before."

Gesturing between herself and Scott, she says, "We have. So shut the fuck up." Scott reaches up for her hand, trying to calm her down slightly. Although he'll admit, the chill that has managed to take over this entire tunnel feels really good in his opinion. Looking up at Liam again, he emphasizes, "We need to stick together." Lori shakes her head, "I have to go."

And Liam knows that Nixie is still pissed. This was partially his fault, he knows that. But… even if he didn't know about the rest of it, he does know this much. Letting Lori go after Brett alone was not a good idea. So he says, "She can't go alone. I'll go with her." Scott shakes his head, "Liam! You don't know who they are, or what they're capable of."

Bending down to Scott's level, Liam says, "Maybe not. But I know who we are. And we never give up. Especially when it's someone innocent, or when it's someone alone, or when it's one of our friends."

Scott ponders that for a minute, and then turns his attention back to Nixie. She stares back at him for a moment, and then lets out a long breath through her nose. It wasn't really that she didn't agree with Scott. They needed to find Brett. The sooner the better. That being said… she most definitely didn't like the idea of just leaving him here. What if the hunters doubled back? What if someone was following behind them?

Turning her attention to Malia, Nixie says, "You stay with him." Malia offers no argument on that point, and then Nixie looks up to Lori and Liam. Nodding her head down the hall, she says, "Let's go. But both of you stay behind me. And if you pass me…" She points to Lori, who is already eager to start moving again. Glaring at the she-wolf, Nixie says, "I will break your nose with my elbow, and then leave you behind so I can safely save your brother's life. Understand me?"

She nods, and with that they take off up the hall, trying to be more wary of the other traps that might lay ahead.

But the further they go, the less of a trail they can find. As they get to the end of the next tunnel, which splits off in two direction, Nixie can't find a single thing that will help them determine which way to go. There was no more blood, no sounds nearby to rely on, and nothing in the tunnels looked like it was moved out of place. Occasionally, Nixie had been able to pick up on some dirt that had shifted on the ground, or dust being removed from a particular space on the wall where a hand had landed.

Supernatural eyesight. It's an amazing thing.

As they stop to glance around, Liam says, "There has to be something." To Lori, he asks, "Did he leave anything for you to find. Like, a signal or… or more rocks?" Lori shakes her head, but then they both look to Nixie when she says, "Liam, please. Where, exactly, is he going to find more rocks at down here?"

Liam gives her a look, not appreciating her tone. She simply raises an eyebrow and says, "Use your head. He obviously came this way. His blood was in the last tunnel, and there were no other doors or paths he could've taken. We just need to take a minute, and think."

Glancing at Lori, Nixie says, "We will find him. And he'll be fine." But Lori, tears welling in her eyes, asks sadly, "How do you know?" Nixie raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn't interrupt when Liam says, "Because he's strong. Really strong. He's knocked me down on the lacrosse field more than once. And now, when I see him coming… I do everything I can to get the hell out of the way."

Nixie would've commented on that too… except her eyes soften when Lori explains, "Brett actually started playing lacrosse for me." Liam tilts his head, so she elaborates, "I didn't have any friends at my old school. Devenford Prep needed lacrosse players… and Brett practiced all summer. And he got a scholarship… and he told them that they had to take me if they wanted him."

Liam reaches out to squeeze her arm comfortingly as a tear rolls down her face. "Lori… we'll find him. And he's going to be okay." "But how do you know?"

"Because I'm here." They both turn to look at Nixie again. And she didn't want to make a big deal out of it… but Lori needed reassurance. Stepping up to them again, Nixie sighs, "Scott nearly died last year. His heart literally stopped for fifteen minutes. And part of why he's alive, is because he's a true alpha. He's Scott McCall. And the world is not ready to lose him yet."

Lori nods, and then her eyes widen when Nixie lifts some of the material of her leather top to reveal the entire scar beneath. Gesturing to it, Nixie says, "The other part of why he's alive, is because of me. Because I took over half of the injury that was meant to kill him." She reaches out for Lori's shoulder, and then says, "I'm a dragon. I also have a high-tolerance for pain. And when we find him, no matter what is wrong with him… no matter how much or how severe… I will take everything that I have to, in order to make sure he lives."

Lori tilts her head, "What if you can't handle it?" "I can handle it. I can always handle it. It's why I'm the dragon." Then she looks to Liam and says, "Besides. If it really starts to hurt that much, Liam will take some of my pain." Liam nods affirmatively, and then says, "See, Lori? It'll be fine. We just have to find him."

As he says that, Nixie catches a whiff of… well, something. Her nose wrinkles at the sourness that permeates the air, and then she nods when Liam asks, "Do you smell that?" Lori glances around too, and then says, "It smells like something's rotting."

Liam turns back to them and says anxiously, "I think it's poison." Nixie takes in a deeper breath. And yes, beneath the sourness that must've been Brett's own blood in the mix, she could catch a hint of wolfsbane. Lori smiles and says, "That's how we'll find him. We follow that smell."

Nixie nods in agreement and begins leading the way again. But while Lori and Liam seemed thrilled about this new development… Nixie most certainly was not. Because the wolfsbane was not the thing that was rotting. Brett was. His body couldn't heal, and the wolfsbane was spreading through the rest of his body.

He needed Deaton. He needed treatment. And he needed at least some of his injuries taken away. Nixie doesn't think the poison part is something she can fix for him. Traumas of the mind were a thing she apparently couldn't reach yet… or maybe ever. And when Noah had been hurt last year, Nixie had only been able to fix his flesh wound, and she couldn't heal the rest of him because a piece of bone marrow was still lodged in his body.

But, she was developing more as a dragon each day. Who was to say that she couldn't somehow syphon the wolfsbane out of him now? If it came down to it, she would most certainly try.

As they continue following the scent down the tunnels, Lori can't help but ask, "Are you sure we're going the right way?" Liam knows they're following Nixie more than anything right now, but nods anyway and says, "Positive. I've gotten lost in these tunnels before, more than once. We just… have to follow the scent." Lori sighs worriedly, "I hate that scent. And how can you tell where it's coming from? Seems like it's everywhere to me."

Liam honestly doesn't know how to respond to that. He was just following Nixie at this point. But he smiles when she says, "I know where it's coming from because we're heading in the direction where it keeps getting stronger and more pungent. When we first smelled it, was one of the last places Brett was. Closer we get to him, the stronger the scent becomes. Just have to keep heading in the direction that makes you wish you didn't have a nose."

Lori looks at Liam, her eyes obviously asking why Nixie thought right now was an okay time to be sarcastic. And in spite of everything, Nixie can't help grinning when Liam says from behind, "As a general rule with Nixie, there's always time for sarcasm."

When they get to the end of another tunnel, Nixie takes a moment to determine the next direction. But before they continue, Liam asks, "Wait… do you hear that?" They all stop and go completely silent for a moment, and then Lori says, "A heartbeat. Brett's."

Liam nods, but then looks at Nixie worriedly when she adds, "A faint one. He's tiring out. We need to get to him. Now."

Lori doesn't need to be told twice, and Nixie doesn't even try to smack her in the head for sprinting past her down the hall. She just follows Lori, and the sound of that faint heartbeat, until they reach the end of the next tunnel. And at first, they see nothing. Lori grips her head in her hands again and looks about to burst into tears.

But the heartbeat… and that awful smell… they were both too strong in here for Brett to not be present. Nixie squeezes Lori's shoulder before she can say anything, and then she steps further into this little pocket in the tunnels.

And that's where she finds him. Sitting down behind several barrels of oil. And he looked like complete shit. The black ooze wasn't just coming from his wound. It was apparently leaking from his lips, and the corners of his eyes as well.

He was a dying werewolf. And if they didn't get him help soon, he wasn't going to make it.

Lori sprints to be down at his other side, and when he opens his eyes faintly to look at her, he manages a smile. "You found the rocks." Laughing slightly, Lori says, "Yeah, I found the rocks."

Brett then looks up at Liam, and he manages another smile. "Hey Liam." "Hey. We're gonna get you out of here."

And in spite of his condition, Nixie can't help grinning when Brett says, "You're a dumbass for doing this." Liam rolls his eyes, "Is that your way of thanking us?" Brett huffs at the exertion it takes for him to stand, even with Lori supporting him. Then he says, "No… that's my way of calling you a dumbass. But thanks."

Liam chuckles, and then says to Nixie, "Can you believe this guy?" Brett then turns to finally see Nixie standing there. And he can't help smiling again when she shrugs and says, "I personally agree with him. You're a dumbass. An adorable and endearing one… but a dumbass at this current moment. No offense." "How is that not offensive?"

She shrugs again, but then tenses as she hears something off in the air. A new scent that somehow gets past the one of Brett's rotting form. And a shifting of a person down halls they'd already been through.

Something wasn't right.

Liam can sense it too, but before either of them can comment, several smoke bombs go off further up the tunnel. Flashes of light go off, and even as Liam tells Lori to get Brett out of here, the sonic emitters begin going off, screwing with all of their hearing.

The emitters were definitely an Argent thing. They custom made and designed those things. And Nixie knows that, even though Chris was back into selling weapons… he definitely wouldn't have sold those. So who…

Cursing under her breath, she grabs Liam's arm and says, "Go with them." "No! We'll hold them off together!" "If this is who I think it is, then Brett and Lori need you more than me. Get to them. Keep them safe. I will find you as soon as I can. Now go!"

Liam would've asked who she thought it was… except Nixie had already snapped her scales out into the open for protection. Whatever she was expecting to come… whoever she thought it was that was waiting around the corner… she already knew they were dangerous. And still, she was more worried about what Lori and Brett might be headed into.

She looks to Liam again, and then says, "I will be fine. He can't hurt me. But he can hurt them. Go!"

After he sprints away, Nixie sprints into the smoke and flashing lights. The emitter gives her a headache, on top of everything else… but she finally finds it. Pressing the button to cut it off, she sighs in relief, and then looks around for signs of the person who set it off.

But there's no one. She even goes back to the end of the hall, and searches for anymore hidden doors and paths that someone could hide in. But there aren't any. No one is here.

A diversion. One that worked, to Nixie's frustration. Growling under her breath, she turns back to where Lori, Brett, and Liam had been. They're already gone… heading into someone unknown trap. And if they died because she'd fallen into this…

The steam in the air falls to the ground as it begins freezing. Because if her friends died because of this, then there would be no mercy.

Gerard Argent would wish for death. He'd beg for it on hands and knees. He'd pray to the devil himself for his life to end, by the time Nixie was even close to being finished with him. And even then, she would not grant him peace.

For a man like Gerard, sometimes even death was too good of a punishment.

Her race after them is hectic after that. Brett was still dying, which meant that they were moving slower than normal. But with Lori helping him, they were bound to be at least close to an exit by now.

She finds Liam first, who still hasn't caught up with them. And she doesn't have to tell him that it's still a trap. He throws another emitter into a wall, smashing it to pieces, as he says, "They're running right into it." "I know. Which is why we have to hurry. Come on!"

But when they reach the opening; the ladder leading up to the street… Lori and Brett are already climbing up to the surface. Liam shouts for them to wait, but they're already out of sight. And as he reaches the bottom of the ladder, both he and Nixie freeze when they hear the crunching of bones, and the squealing of truck tires.

No… no, no, no, no.

Nixie would've pulled Liam to stay behind. She can already see his claws extending, and she can imagine what the rest of his face looks like. But with one mighty pull, he launches himself up and out onto the street in a massive leap. Nixie sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose for a second.

Then she hears Liam's roar of pain and anger… and she knows it's not good.

Climbing up though, she finds it's even worse than she imagined. Not only are Brett and Lori lying in the street, looking dead… but a majority of the people that lived on this particular block were outside, staring at Liam in the street lights.

And there was only so much ignorance a town could have. Ignoring things that happened in the shadows, in the dark of the night that then vanished and were never seen again… that was one thing. But this… everyone could see him. Teeth lengthened, claws out, facial hair extended, and eyes glowing a bright gold.

They weren't going to be able to ignore that.

Nixie does ignore all of them though. Climbing out of the hole, ignoring those that gasp at her own appearance, she crawls over to Brett and Lori. Both were lying in each other's arms. Both looked dead. Both were definitely broken and damaged and beyond any normal capacity of repair.

But she was not normal. And as she focused her hearing on them specifically… she could make out the very faintest of heartbeats in both of them. They weren't dead yet. And if she had her way, they wouldn't be.

Tears still stream down her face though, and as the air continues to grow colder around her, frost and ice forming beneath her and fanning out on the street, people begin to disperse. That's when Nixie catches a whiff of his scent. A man whom they should've killed long ago. A man who, if Nixie was correct, still didn't know what she was.

Gerard Argent. Nixie lifts her eyes in that direction, and sure enough, there he is. His small smile of victory makes her sick, and she shines her silver eyes at him.

The smile slips in his confusion. So yes, he still didn't know what she was. And then he stepped back into the shadows of the building he was at, and vanished from sight.

And to Nixie's eternal relief, that's when the rain began to pour. And she knows she's probably thought this before, but she has literally never been more grateful for the rain. Because it causes those few who were still standing around them, to scatter and return to their cars and homes.

Slipping both of her hands beneath Brett and Lori's shirt, one hand on each of them, Nixie syphons away just enough of their pain and internal injuries to ensure they don't die yet. Then she looks up at a still wolfed-out Liam. Reaching into her pocket, she tosses him her phone. "Call Deaton. Tell him I need him to come to the shack in the woods. Brett's been poisoned… and I'm gonna need him to help me too."

Liam snaps his wolf eyes down to her and asks, "What's wrong with you?" "Nothing yet." Sighing, she wraps an arm around Lori first, and then another around Brett. Glancing around one last time, she pulls out her wings. Back to Liam, she says, "Tell Deaton that I'm going to have broken bones. He'll understand what that means." And without another word, she shoots off into the sky, hopefully fast enough that no one peeking out a window would notice.

Jordan honestly couldn't believe the sight before him when he came back home. Nixie had been gone all the rest of the morning, which he had pretty much expected. And after he'd gone to talk to Noah, seeing what they could do on their front to try and find Brett… well, he hadn't had anything else to do at the office, so he came home.

And now he'd called in to Noah, explaining that he was going to have to take at least one sick day. And why is that?

Because his family is here. His mom, his dad, and his brother, are all here.

On a more positive note, so are Grams and Olivia. After they'd called Jordan to inform him of what was happening, they also decided that he might be able to use some reinforcements. Not that Nixie wasn't a huge reinforcement all on her own. But they were ones that actually knew his parents and dealt with them on a somewhat regular basis.

He's honestly not sure what conversation is taking place right now. His mother has been going on and on, pacing across his living room, but Jordan hasn't really heard any of it. Grams was the one talking to her whenever the woman finally stopped to take a breath.

Having Liv at his side was helping his sanity a little bit… but he really needed Nixie to be here for this. She would make dealing with them seem easy.

That's when his phone rang. The sun was just beginning to start peaking over the horizon, and he fully expected it to be Nixie, telling him that she was sorry she wasn't there by sun-up. She did that sometimes, even though he was constantly telling her she didn't have to apologize. In the end, she'd just say that she already knew she didn't need to, but she wanted to anyway.

But it wasn't Nixie. Alan Deaton is the name that appeared on his screen. Frowning in confusion, and ignoring his mother's shocked gaze because he was taking the call in the middle of their conversation, Jordan asks, "Deaton? What's going on?" "You need to get to the shack. Now."

Jordan doesn't think he's ever actually heard Deaton's voice take on such an urgent tone. The man, even when put under immense pressure and stress, always seemed to be calm and collected. And the air of wisdom that surrounded him only added to that effect. But right now… he sounded worried. Scared, even, which was saying a lot, given all that they'd seen in the past.

Marcus stands up in concern when his little brother immediately moves towards the kitchen, where he'd left his jacket. Not to mention the bit of fear he can see on Jordan's face as he asks, "What's going on? Where's Nixie?"

Deaton answers, "She's at the shack. She's hurt. That's all I know right now. I'm not there myself. But I need you there in a hurry. She'll need support." "Why? What is she doing?" "From what I could gather from Liam, she's going to take away some of Lori and Brett's injuries. Apparently that involves her breaking several of her own bones in the process. We need to get to her quickly, so I can reset them before they begin to heal."

Nodding, Jordan pauses in the hall, glancing back into the living room. His mom and dad looked shocked. His brother… deeply confused and concerned. And his sister and Grams…

Pointing at them, he says, "I need you two with me. You might be able to help." Without hesitation, they began following him out the door.

He's in the truck when his mother, Bianca, hurries into the garage. "Jordan! What's going on?! You can't just leave! I'm trying to tell you…"

The glare in his eyes draws her up short, and with her cut off, he says, "I have to go. My wife needs me. You three stay here."

As soon as they're on the road, Grams asks, "What's happening?" "I have no idea. But um… well, you should probably know a few things before we get there. Like… before Nixie started living with me, she lived with Kira. And before she lived with Kira, she was homeless for a while."

He waits a bit, and then nods when Liv shouts, "WHAT?!"

When she reached the house in the woods, Nixie landed near the steps of the porch hard. Nearly losing her balance, she shouted, "Churchill! Get out here and help me!"

Churchill was the word that Nixie had decided would be the code for letting the others know that friends were at the door. It was perfect because, A, it was simple. And then B, was that anyone who knew even the slightest thing about Nixie, knew she hated history. Which meant that anyone in this town who knew about her, wouldn't suspect that she'd use a historic name… or anything historic… as the key to getting into this place safely.

But… well, Winston Churchill was a name she remembered. And Winston's name reminded her of that last name. So… that's what she picked. And only the members of the pack would know and understand that. So yeah, it was perfect.

As Winston opens the door, his eyes widen before he jumps down the steps and grabs Brett from Nixie's arm. Carrying him inside, Nixie right behind him with Lori, he asks, "What happened?" "Fucking hunters happened."

They both get laid on one of the beds on the floor, and then Nixie checks her watch. If Deaton had left the clinic immediately, he would be here in time to set her bones before they healed. But even if he hadn't left immediately, Nixie couldn't wait. Brett was continuing to look worse by the minute, and Lori hadn't regained consciousness yet either.

Tabitha comes over and asks, "Is there anything we can do?" Nixie runs her hands over her hair for a moment, and then sighs, "Yeah. Make sure I don't fall over."

The others look at each other in confusion, but Nixie simply kneels down onto the bed in between Brett and Lori. Gripping one of their hands in either of hers, she takes a breath, and then whispers to herself, "Please work."

At first, Winston doesn't actually think anything is happening. And as he looks at the others, he can tell they don't understand either. Penelope is about to ask what the hell she's actually doing.

That's when her first rib cracks. Gritting her teeth, Nixie determines not to scream as her bones continue to crack and break after that. Not to mention all the other internal injuries that she couldn't even imagine she was taking.

Lori's eyes opened briefly, a gasp of relief escaping her lips, and then her head lolled to the side and she was out again. But she was better, and breathing easier, so Nixie releases her hand so she can focus on Brett.

Even though she'd healed his wounds, internal and external at this point, the poison was still running through him. Trying to think a way around that, Nixie winces and hisses when she feels pressure at her right shoulders. Glancing at Lucinda, she asks, "What are you doing?" "Trying to stop your bleeding."

Looking down at the two werewolves on the bed, Lucinda then asks, "How are you taking their injuries?" "I'm a dragon. It's what I do." Then she huffs and says, "But not his poison."

Shaking her head at herself, she squeezes Brett's hand tighter in hers, pleading with her body to do more. She's not sure how she could do more… or how to figure out if there was a supernatural way to accomplish that. But there has to be something.

Winston's eyes widen again when silver lines appear on the backs of Nixie's hands. It looked like the same black lines that would climb up a werewolf's arms when they were taking pain. But Nixie was a dragon, and she didn't get lines from stealing pain. Apparently, she got silver lines, when she was trying to steal something that something from another person's bloodstream.

She's not sure how that exactly relates to why she hadn't been able to steal bone marrow from Noah. Perhaps the fluidity of this problem was a key factor in her ability to steal it when she shouldn't be able to. All she knows… all she even cares about, is that she's doing it. And her already broken body suddenly became more sluggish and weak as she felt the poison invading her system.

Worth noting… no, mountain ash didn't affect her. And on a supernatural level, wolfsbane didn't either. But wolfsbane was lethal to humans too. In strong enough doses, it could kill a normal human being as well.

As the silver lines stretch up her arms, heading for her shoulders, Penelope steps closer and asks, "What's she doing?" Winston bends down to their level, and as black ooze begins leaking from Nixie's nose, he says, "She's killing herself to save him. Penelope, help Lucinda pull her away."

Nixie's eyes snap open at that. Silver glares out at all of them, and a snarl rips its way through her throat before she says, "If you stop me before I've saved him, I will kill you."

All four looked around at each other, and then Winston jerks upright. "Someone's coming." He'd no sooner prepared himself to kill whoever came in though, then he heard Jordan's voice say, "Wait, wait!"

Panting as he approaches Deaton, Jordan says, "Churchill, open the door." Grams raises an eyebrow, "Churchill?" "Nixie's idea. It's the code word. Say it before you try to come in." As the door opens, Winston looks at all of them, and then asks, "Who are they?"

Jordan introduces everyone, and then quickly asks, "Where's Nixie?" Winston backs away from the door, and as Jordan steps inside, he swears his heart actually stops for a moment. Nixie was bleeding, her entire body looked bruised and broken, and black ooze was leaking down her face from her nose.

Tabitha was wiping it away with a cloth as Jordan ran over. "Nixie! Nixie, baby. You need to stop." Opening her silver eyes again, she says, "I… can't. He…" But before she can finish, Brett finally gasps in a breath of air. With that, Nixie releases his hand instantly. Crumbling and falling backwards, she can feel a few tears begin streaming down her face again.

Jordan's arms catch her, moving her off the bed so she lays on the floor with his legs beneath her as she leans against him. And then his lips are in her hair as she says softly, "Everything hurts." Deaton hurries up to her side, and as he examines her, he says, "At least seven ribs, if not more. This is going to hurt." Nixie just nods, giving Jordan's hand a squeeze when he kisses her temple worriedly. Grams moves to Nixie's other side and says, "Tell me how I can help." Deaton nods, "Begin setting the bones on her right. I'll work on the left." "Shouldn't we take turns? Do it slowly? Like you said, this'll hurt."

Liv has to cover her mouth to keep from sobbing when Deaton explains, "It'll hurt worse if we wait too long to set the bones. All her internal injuries heal faster than you could imagine. And if her bones heal improperly, we'll have to break them again to fix them." Nodding, Grams asks, "And her shoulder?" "We'll have to fix that in a minute. Bones first."

And then Brett's voice from the bed asks, "What about the poison?" Jordan gives him a confused look, "What poison? Who poisoned her?" Struggling to make his way over to them, he explains, "I think… she took the poison from me. I was poisoned… but I can feel that it's gone now. I think she took it."

Sighing, Jordan keeps his lips to Nixie's head as he asks, "What were you thinking?" Her mumbled reply is simply, "Save them." "Yeah, I know." Looking up at Deaton, he asks, "What about the rest of us? What can we do?" He puts a hand on Jordan's shoulder, "You just keep holding her. And let your warmth surround her. That will help."

Then he glances at the others in the room. He briefly has the other four inform them of what they are, and then he says, "Winston come here and take one of her hands. Steal what pain from her that you can." Then he turns to Brett, "How are you feeling, Brett?"

Brett just moves to be on Jordan's left since Winston is on his right. Putting a hand on Nixie's shoulder, he says, "Sore. But I'll be fine. Just fix her."

Deaton does do one more thing before that. Drawing Grams in, he whispers something in her ear. And Grams jerks back a little in surprise before then staring down at Nixie worriedly. Deaton's only response is, "She will be fine. We just have to help her heal properly." Jordan would've asked what the hell they were talking about… except Deaton began resetting her bones at that point, and Nixie's entire frame tensed. She didn't scream, or snarl, or growl… but she went rigid in his arms, and her eyes snapped shut.

Jordan kisses the top of her head while watching as black lines start stretching up Winston and Brett's arms. Placing one hand against the side of Nixie's head, Jordan whispers, "We're right here, baby. Okay? We're right here with you." And in his own worry, his heat expands to fill the entirety of the room. Grams glances over at him, and then says in warning, "Deaton… if he gets any hotter around her, we won't…" But Deaton responds, "He knows we won't be able to touch her. That's why the heat is filling the entire space, rather than just cocooning around her."

Brett begins panting from the pain, the lines stretching up to his neck. Nixie opens her silver eyes to look at him, and then says gently, "It's okay." He just shakes his head down at her, "You took all my broken bones from me. I can at least get through this." "I took much from you, but you are still hurt and weary. I can handle it."

But she'd no sooner finished saying that, then a voice from outside shouted, "Churchill!" Liam didn't even wait for someone to open the door after that. He came barreling in, still wolfed out and still pissed as hell.

The second he saw Brett though, his entire frame relaxed and he whispered, "Brett?" And then he sees Lori on the bed and asks, "What's wrong with her?" Brett looks up at him, "She's just unconscious. Nixie saved us. Now get over here and steal your girl's pain."

By the time his hand finds Nixie, taking Brett's place, Liam's features have gone back to normal. Looking Brett over, Liam asks, "How much did she take?" "Damn near everything." "Shit. Nixie…"

Silver eyes dare him to say she shouldn't have, and then they close as Deaton fixes another bone. Sighing in relief, he says, "That's the last on my side. Veronica?" Nodding, she says, "We're good over here. Now the poison." Nodding, Deaton turns to Liv, "In my car, I need the other medical bag. It's in the trunk." She runs out the door to get it, and when she comes back, Deaton is explaining, "Nixie's body is expelling it on its own… just rather slowly."

Brett tilts his head in confusion, "What do you mean?" "I mean, on a supernatural level, wolfsbane doesn't affect Nixie. Same way it doesn't affect Lydia. But on a human level, wolfsbane is still poison to her, the same way it is to everyone if they take in enough of it."

Looking at Jordan, who still looks incredibly worried, Deaton assures, "She will be fine. The wolfsbane won't kill her. But if we let her get it all out on her own, she will feel incredibly ill for the next day or so. Bones and internal brokenness is something Nixie's body heals incredibly fast on its own. But this is a problem of what's been injected into her bloodstream… not something that's torn or broken anymore."

Pulling out a needle and a jar of mixed liquid, Deaton continues, "Normally, I'd say it might be better to let her body heal itself. But…" He and Grams share a look, so Jordan asks, "What? Why shouldn't she now?" Deaton simply puts the needle at her shoulder and says, "Let's just say for now that we don't want her feeling too bad for any great length of time right now. Not that we ever do… but right now in particular." "Why?" "That will come later."

For now, he injects her with a medicinal concoction of his own design. A great deal of it is actually sage, which is a healing plant in itself. The other components he keeps to himself, though he will certainly share with Grams and Liv later. After all, druids are allowed to have a few secrets all their own. Right?

About a minute after he injected her, Nixie squirms and struggles until everyone finally let's her go. Rolling over, she vomits up a pool of black ooze and liquid into the floor. Gasping and panting for breath, she spits out what's left in her mouth, and then mutters, "That's disgusting."

Jordan pulls her back into his arms, taking a cloth that Liv hands him and wiping the black away from her mouth and nose. Sighing, he kisses her clammy forehead and says, "Don't do this to me again." "I couldn't help it. Brett was dying." Jordan just holds her tighter, and then says, "Just don't die on me then. How about that?" "I won't if you won't."

Grinning, he kisses her again and says, "Deal." Deaton has Jordan then move over to the spare bed, keeping Nixie with him. His back against the headboard, he says, "Sleep, Nixie." She mumbles unintelligently for a second, and then simply says, "I love you." "I love you too, baby. Now sleep. I'm not going anywhere."

When she wakes up, Nixie fists her hand into the material of Jordan's shirt a little tighter. Then she relaxes and sighs in relief. Sitting up and away from him, she runs a hand through her hair, and then winces at the terrible taste that's still resting in her mouth.

A glass of water is presented to her immediately, and she looks up to see Tabitha there. Taking it, Nixie says, "Thanks." "Of course. How are you feeling?" "All things considered, I feel great. Aside from the taste left in my mouth." Tabitha smiles gently, "Yeah, Deaton said that would be the case." "Where's he?" "In the other room. Would you like me to get him?" "No, it's fine. I'm sure he's doing something." "He said you'd say that."

Nixie shrugs, and then laughs when Tabitha moves to go and get him anyway. Then hands gently grip her arms and pull her back so she's leaning against Jordan again. Kissing her temple, he says, "Good morning." Sighing, Nixie replies, "Morning. How did you sleep?" "Pretty well, all things considered. You?" "Like a baby. You are an excellent pillow."

He chuckles quietly at that, and then they both look up at Deaton as he comes in. Sitting on the edge of the bed beside them, he asks, "How do you feel?" "Great." Smiling, Deaton asks, "Hungry?" "Famished. But I think that's actually a staple of my personality, so…" Jordan huffs, and Nixie grins before saying, "But yeah, I'm hungry."

Deaton nods, and then turns to glance towards the other room. Nixie tilts her head that way too, and then her eyes widen. Because the other room, which was supposed to be a kitchen and dining room in one… it was clean. Like, it was spotless. No dust, no cobwebs. There were even dishes and pots and pans and things in there now. Blinking in confusion, Nixie asks, "What happened?"

Melissa peeks her head into the doorway, and then hurries into the room. "We brought some of the extra kitchenware we all have laying around. Scott's been working with Lydia and Malia to tidy it up all the rest of the night. Liam and Mason are out getting all the food we might need for a while.

Bending down to Nixie, she asks, "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" "Great. I feel fine. I really wish people would stop asking that now." Jordan pinches her side, but then simply holds her tighter as he says, "You didn't see yourself, Nixie. You looked like you were dying." "You say that as though it's never happened before."

His weary sigh makes her turn to look at him. And the concern that's there on her face calms him slightly. He still shakes his head though and says, "Don't push it with the sarcasm this morning Nixie. Alright?" When she tilts her head at him, he kisses her cheek and says, "I have never seen you so broken. Pale, clammy, shivering… you looked like you were about to die in my arms. And I know you didn't… and I know there's a lot that you can take. But don't push it this morning. Alright? I'm still at the end of my rope."

Nixie's response is to kiss him gently on the lips before saying, "I'm sorry." He draws her in to kiss her again, and then sighs in relief before saying, "I know. It's alright." Then he looks up at Deaton and says, "You can bring the others in now."

And by others… he meant everyone. Nixie has no idea how they all managed to be hiding in the kitchen, which was considerably smaller than the living room they're in. But her entire pack pours into the living room at that, and the four others from Eichen, and Brett and Lori. Nixie's eyes widen when she sees her mom as well. Naomi runs forward upon making eye contact and throws her arms around both Nixie and Jordan. Crying, she says, "I was so worried." "I'm fine, mom." "I know that now. But I'd never seen… what you go through when you take these injuries. I've only seen the after." Leaning back to look at her daughter, Naomi says, "You looked like a ghost."

Nixie cups her mother's face and says gently, "I know… but I'm fine. Everything is fine. Right Doc?" Deaton nods, and then grins when Naomi says, "You still have to be more careful. I'm only just getting back into this world. I can't lose you so soon." "You won't. I have no intention of dying. Bringing myself to the brink to save my friends, sure. But actually dying? Hell no."

As her mother laughs, Nixie glances back at Jordan and mouths, "Sorry." He just shakes his head and kisses her temple before whispering, "I love you." She smiles at that, and then turns to look at Scott. "So… what'd I miss?"

They all work to fill her in on what little she did miss, including the fact that some kid named Nolan had exposed Cory by stabbing him in the back of the hand with a pen. Frowning deeply, Nixie turns to Cory and asks, "Where is he? What does he look like? And how would you like me to kill him?" Cory grins a bit, and then says, "I'd prefer if you didn't kill him. We're about to be in enough hot water as it is." "Great. Because we don't have enough problems as it is right now."

Liam and Mason then show up, bags and bags of food in their arms. Nixie has no idea how they expect to keep it all here, until Chris then explains that he'd figured out a way to get electricity flowing in this place. It wasn't strictly speaking 'legal'… but it's not like anyone here really had a problem with that.

It was after an amazing breakfast that everyone who was leaving prepared to head home. Brett and Lori, since they were still considered dead right now, would be staying at the shack with the other four, until a better solution presented itself.

Six people staying in a house that was barely considered large enough for one person. That was going to be interesting.

Nixie was loading up into Jordan's truck, when Deaton came up to their side and says, "I need a word in private with both of you." He waits for another vehicle to venture past them, and then motions for Grams to join him. Looking between them both, Nixie asks, "What? Is something wrong?" "Not yet, my dear."

He and Grams share a look, and then Deaton explains, "I got the results of the tests back that I did on you. And… we think we know what's going on?" Nixie huffs, "Great. There actually is something wrong with me." "Nothing is wrong with you, Nixie. But… something has changed."

At Nixie's confused expression, Grams begins by asking, "Are you hungrier than usual?" Nixie shrugs, but then turns to Jordan when he says, "Yeah, actually." At her raised eyebrow, Jordan explains, "I know you call it a staple of who you are. But up until the past few days, when you've been gallivanting to save your friends, I haven't had to force you to stay behind and eat actual food. And you have been eating more than usual."

Frowning, Nixie turns back to Deaton and Grams. "Okay… I guess I am then. So what?" Grams nods, "And… your sex drive? That's spiked?" Nixie blushes, but nods in confirmation. Grams nods back again, and then says, "Nixie… you and Jordan… have you been using any kind of protection during sex?"

Nixie's entire face flames red at that, but she shakes that embarrassment away before saying, "Um… no. We're married, so… we don't have to do that. And…" Jordan's hands squeeze her shoulders a bit, and he says, "I don't think that's what they're getting at."

Seeing the stunned look on his face, Nixie asks, "What? What are you getting at then? What's going on?" Deaton and Grams share another look, and then Grams says, "Nixie… you're pregnant. At least a month."

Stunned silence engulfs the area for a moment, and then Nixie says, "Shit."

Jordan blinks and looks at her in confusion. Why was her being pregnant a bad thing? They'd talked about kids before, and he knew she wanted them. But then Nixie says, "I mean… this is great! This is… oh my God!"

Her hands move down to land on her stomach gently, as though she could somehow already cradle the tiny person growing inside of her. But then she says, "But… seriously?! Right now?! In a time when this entire town is about to turn against us?! I mean… shit!"

Jordan wraps her in his arms and presses a firm kiss to the side of her head. "It'll be alright. We can keep you and the baby safe." "Jordan, let's be real, please. She has a mother who's a dragon. I can't just sit back while my friends fight. And aside from doing that, how am I supposed to better protect her?"

He doesn't have an answer for that, but he does kiss her again and say, "We'll figure it out. Besides, 'she' is already precious to you. And just like all the others, you won't let anything bad happen to her."

Then he leans back and asks, "She?" Nixie blushes, but then says, "I just… already picture a little girl. With your amazing reddish brown hair, and my striking blue eyes."

Jordan grins at that, and then laughs when Nixie adds, "And maybe preprogrammed with all the sarcasm that Stiles has passed on to me. Cause that would be kind of amazing."

And that's Chapter 3! And just so you are all updated on this... I have finally finished writing the story for 6b! Yay! Now I just have to reread it, edit what I can find, and get it posted. But it is all together now people. So close! Hope you're enjoying! :)