"Mara, I'm so sorry." Talia's voice echoed in her head.

Mara hadn't spoken since she walked up to her house, surrounded by police tape. Cole was clutching her hand in fear then, and Mara stood unmoving. Talia appeared out of the woods coming towards them. Her godmother led her back to the Hale mansion before the police could get their hands on them. Now she sat in the front room of the Hale house, her four year old sister clutched in a tight grip. The poor kid sat in Mara's lap, looking terrified.

Mara didn't know what to do. The house was mostly trashed according to the police. They suggested they not return until crime scene cleanup had a chance to stop by. Suddenly everything that had mattered days ago meant nothing. To think she was actually worried about getting into school. It all seemed silly in retrospect. She was on her own now, with a toddler, and way more power than she knew what to do with.

"Mara."

The voice broke her train of racing thoughts. Talia was standing above her, looking stoic as ever. The older wolf crouched down to look her in the eyes. She took Mara's hands in hers.

"I can't imagine what you're feeling right now, but I know you're going to be ok. You're strong Mara. Your parents were some of the strongest people I knew, and I know they'll never leave you in that way. They did so much for all of us, our whole pack. They were family, and you girls are too. You can stay here as long as you want, and you'll be safe here. You have my word."

Mara's eyes began to well, and Talia released her hands in favour of pulling her into a gentle embrace. Mara finally let herself cry. She sobbed until she felt sick.

Talia offered to take Cole, as she led Mara upstairs. She left her to the guest room, promising to return with the child bathed and freshly clothed.

She shut the door, leaving Mara in the dark. She sat on the end of the plush bed, staring out at the moonrise, contemplating where this turn of events left her.

End of flashback

"I don't see anything." Derek deadpanned.

Scott gave an exasperated look. Cole scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Look again." Cole insisted, holding one of each girl's arms out towards him. Derek shoved Allison and Lydia's hands away.

"How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?" Derek snapped back, looking very unimpressed, and irritated.

"It's the same on both sides. Exactly the same." Leila points out, tilting her head curiously. Derek rolls his eyes.

"It's nothing." He replies.

"Pareidolia." Lydia suddenly cuts in. "Seeing patterns that aren't there. It's a subset of apophenia." That got her a sideways look from all the Hales, and she shrugged.

"They're trying to help." Scott tries, attempting to calm Derek.

"These two?" Derek asks sarcasm lacing his tone, as he points at Allison and Lydia "This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic Uncle. Thank you. And this one, who shot about 30 arrows into me and my pack.". Cole and Leila shared a look, before returning to Derek, who was aggressively staring Allison down.

"Okay, all right, now, come on. No one died, all right?" Stiles steps forward, attempting to break the tension. "Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay, a little mangling, but no death. That's what I call an important distinction."

"My mother died." Allison replied darkly, eyes never leaving Derek.

"Your family's little honor code killed your mother." He growled lowly. "Not me." Allison breaks her stare first.

"That girl in the hall was looking for Scott." Her eyes flit to the omega briefly. "I'm here to help him, not you."

"You wanna help?" His unamused tone returns, as he crosses his arms. "Find something real."

"Derek... Give her a chance. Okay, they're on our side now." Scott tries again to reason with the hard headed alpha.

"Well then maybe you should tell her what her mother was actually trying to do that night." He snaps.

The room seemed to drop a few degrees at that statement, and Cole decided to step in.

"I think that's enough of you for today." She states, everyone turning in her direction. The teens still eyed her with wary gazes, while Derek simply scowled at her interruption. "You're probably right, those bruises most likely mean something, but Derek's right too. Unless you can figure out what it is, it's nothing."

In that moment the bell rang, drawing everyone's attention to the door, Cole turned back and watched as Derek hopped out the first floor window, walking off in the direction of the forest.

Leila shrugged at Cole and grabbed her bag. One after the other, everyone in the room followed, before shuffling out and off to their classes.

Scott walked alongside Stiles and Allison to economics, trying to figure out what else they could do. Down the other direction, Cole walked alongside Isaac, Lydia, and Leila towards Horticulture, chatting quietly.

Only two hours after the girls returned from school, Derek was at their door. Mara was waiting.

"Erica is dead." He states, standing tall in the doorway. Mara holds his gaze, heartbeat steady. He tilts his head. "You knew?" She inhales slowly, looking away.

"Not for sure." She replies, after her brief pause. "But yes, that's what it looked like."

"Why didn't you tell me?" His tone came off demanding, harsh. She knew he was simply hurt. She looked back at him.

"We weren't certain, and if you had this on your mind, you wouldn't be focused." She replied, keeping her tone strong, though trying to express her sympathy through the look she gave.

He remained silent, watching her carefully with the uncertain gaze she had become so familiar with from him. She held his gaze in silence for a few moments longer, before he spoke again.

"We know where they are."

"The old bank." Mara said, nodding. His straight face slipped into confusion before she spoke again.

"Lydia."

"Tomorrow at five." He stated expectantly. He stared awaiting his response. She nods again.

"We'll be there." She replies. He turns away, leaving for his car. She thinks about the loss he must be feeling. About his tendencies to hold things in. She considers calling out to him, but thinks better of it. Instead, she moves further inside, and shuts the door. He would come around in his own time.