eter had originally intended to take Derek's place with Cora, but Cole had gone off the rails when Peter revealed Derek had been spending his nights with the one to put Cora in the hospital.

The other teens were't much better, especially Stiles, but he didn't have superstrength.

Cole was just off lately. After the way Lei had described her snapping on Cora. Mara really didn't know if Cole could keep her head, with Derek or The Darach.

Whatever happened at the motel, Cole seemed to be the only one with clear recollection. Leila and Isaac at least, only recalled bits and pieces, and they weren't pretty. Cole refused to speak about it all together. She'd brush questions off, avoiding them with snide comments. Mara blamed Peter for that, and Derek. Mara wished they could sit and talk like they used to, but they had to live long enough to have the chance.

So Cole left to sit by her cousin's side to avoid mauling her other one. The rest of them went to Derek's loft in a rush, hoping they'd have the time to set a trap.

Lucky them, she hadn't shown yet.

Lucky Mara, nobody questioned when she asked Lydia to recite the incantation, though she received a very pointed look from each Hale present. Leila looked especially irritated with her.

Mara knew the girl had just gone through a traumatic event, and the nasty mark on her neck definitely hurt, but they needed her.

Without Lydia the incantation would be useless. They needed a Banshee. Their propensity for darkness sometimes dalianced in control, if powerful enough. Banshee's from the olden days had long practised manipulation of dark energies, and conveniently written it all down for future generations. They would eventually come to be better known as "Banshee Decree's". It was their best bet without a caster of their own. Deaton had always been a pacifist as well as a healer. Mara doubted Morell would be itching to fight for them.

Mara didn't know where half the books they'd accumulated came from, but they were blessed to have such a collection.

She just finished laying the fine dust of herbs she'd brought from the vault, as Derek returned, alerting them The Darach arrived.

Mara couldn't say she was happy with Derek either, but in the face of everything happening she had to put it aside. She didn't blame Cole for feeling so angry, but they couldn't afford to waste another chance.

Mara made her way up the stairs to the rest of the group perching on the balcony beside Peter, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since the call from Stiles summoning them to the hospital. The darach, who she now knew went as Jennifer Blake, entered frantically, just as Mara had settled.

"Derek? Derek, where are you?"

Mara scowled at her feigned tone of distress. She remained in a crouched position, waiting for their que.

"Right here." Derek's voice echoed, as he moved into the moonlight cast from the window.

"Thank God." She cried with relief, running towards him. "Something happened at the recital. At the school. Okay, I need to tell you before you hear it, before you hear any of it from them."

"From who?" Derek feigned confusion surprisingly well. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. He was used to lying as of late. Jennifer kept up her desperate tone.

"My students. They're gonna tell you things. Things you can't believe. You have to trust me, okay? You trust me?"

Derek nodded reassuringly, raising his arm to comfort her. She seemed to genuinely relax a bit, to Mara's disgust. She didn't seem to be faking her interest.

"What is it?"

"Promise you'll listen to me." She continued.

"I promise." He replied with a reassuring smile.

That was what gave him away.

Jennifer's expression dropped as she looked at Derek suspiciously. The smile had been overboard. She stepped back slowly.

"They're already here, aren't they?"

"Now!" Mara hissed, before launching herself over the bannister, landing hard a foot in front of the witch, who stumbled back in surprise. The wolves followed suit. Lydia muttered under her breath with her left arm extended, palm facing the ceiling.

Banshee decreto

She closed her fist, as if to crush something, just as Mara showed her.

Hunc suis tenebris cingite

The circle which Jennifer had helpfully backed into, ignited. In a flash, the whole thing burnt to ash.

Lydia's back hit the wall when it was over, Stiles leaning over quickly to catch her, as she shook off a dizzy spell.

"Give it up, bitch. " Mara spat viciously, to the shock of the teens just behind her.

The witch raised her hands carefully, tips of her fingers pressing lightly on the invisible wall around her with a frown.

"You knew about the banshee." She stated blankly, still staring at the barrier. They'd finally caught her off guard. Derek stepped further away from her, fully convinced now if he wasn't before.

"It's over." Mara growled. To her surprise the witch grinned deviously back.

"You need me." She taunted with a sneer, dropping her hands. "Unless you want your poor niece to die."

Mara huffed in amusement back. Jennifer watched her carefully then, as Mara reached for her back pocket. She withdrew a coil of rough rope, with a dark glint in her eye.

"You need ME." She really laughed this time, unsettling the teens as well as Jennifer.

"Why is that?" The witch snapped. Mara narrowed her eyes, as well as her smile.

"There's a lot of different ways to heal poison. Sure, you could make it easy for us, but Peter would be happy to kill you and find the cure himself. Derek most certainly agrees. Nobody to kill Stiles dad then. I'm the only one giving you a chance here, but I'm not going to fight them that hard."

As if to punctuate her point, a low snarl emitted from behind her, belonging to her other half.

Jennifer looked at Derek, seeming to search his expression. Her face dropped quickly after that. There was no way out. Finally, the sweet look of defeat.

Mara took the opportunity to step forward, and grab Jennifer's hands. The witch fought, but she was useless without her power. Mara grabbed her arm, pulling harshly so the other woman had no choice but to turn. Mara then callously forced her wrists together behind her back with one hand, claws biting into Jennifer's pale skin, binding them with the other.

"This rope has the same components as the circle, but much more of it. I suggest you cooperate if you ever want to get out."

"Anyone want to tell me when they're getting my cousin the FUCK out of here?"

Cole cussed at no one in particular as she peered her head up and down the hallway briefly. It looked as if everyone was already gone. She didn't want to call Mara, but this would pose a big problem. Cora was only getting worse. No more bouts of consciousness, only fevers, and shakes. Her pulse grew weaker by the hour. If they were going to move her to another hospital, it had to be now.

She moved back to Cora's side, taking the discarded cloth on the table beside. She patted her cousin's forehead gently, clearing away the beads of sweat across her brow. She felt sick seeing Cora so weak. Cole was trying not to think about the psychotic storm going on, or the dangerous mission her family was taking on without her. That left her with guilt over snapping at the girl in front of her.

She wasn't mad Mara stuck her here, she knew someone had to watch Cora, and she really didn't care to find out more about the witch. SHe wanted this over, and she could only hope they wouldn't end up with further casualties. Especially her cousin. She did resent the fact the look her and Peter shared before deciding. As if they weren't sure about something.

"Sorry, but she wasn't, uh…"

Cole whipped around to face the ajar door at the sudden interruption. She wasn't often caught off guard and it drew a scowl to her lips. When she realised it was the nurse, her expression softened, only slightly. She turned back to her cousin as the woman trailed off.

"You're family?"

Cole scoffed at the question, returning to her task as she replied.

"No, I just snuck in here to read to coma patients. It's fun."

Cole could FEEL the eyeroll she received at that.

"I suppose that attitude answers it." The older woman threw back, though she remained lighthearted in tone.

Cole turned back towards the shorter lady, curious at her calm demeanour. Cole stared at her for a moment, as she stood looking unbothered with her clipboard resting on her hip. The woman had seemed familiar initially, but Cole chalked it up to all the visits they'd made to Peter what seemed so long ago. Then it clicked.

The bouncy curls and brown doe eyes. The unfazed positivity.

Scott had mentioned before his mom worked at the hospital.

"Mrs. McCall, right?" There was a tinge of relief in Cole's tone as her guarded expression fell. It was much easier to be around humans that knew, and if she was anything like her son, she didn't mind some help. The older woman smiled warmly towards her, but replied quickly.

"No, no. Just call me Melissa." She offered instead, along with an outstretched hand. Cole took it, with a firm shake. Melissa spoke once more in a curious tone.

"Cole." She replied simply. The older woman's eyes lit up with recognition.

"Scott's mentioned you, but never…." Cole couldn't help but feel her chest inflate a bit, probably her head as well. "I thought there were two Hale's left. Three counting this new ill one…"

Cole chuckled at the nurse as she trailed off, looking at Cole with fascination.

"There's six… That we know of I suppose." She spared a glance at her cousin, who'd seemed to stop shaking for the moment, before continuing. "Cora here, her brother Derek, their Uncle Peter, his wife Mara; also my older sister, and my little sister Leila."

Cole watched Melissa's expression drop at Peter's name, then narrow at 'his wife'. COle's expression began to match hers.

"Wife, huh?" Melissa commented with her head cocked. "And I thought he was dead."

Cole's eyebrow raised as she replied with a slow nod.

"He doesn't seem to give up." She said with a low chuckle, Cora caught her eye once more. She only hoped she was as lucky.

Peter seemed to have a talent for escaping situations by the scruff of his neck. Or rather without the scruff of his neck, but he always seemed to survive. She knew it wasn't by fluke. He'd spent her lifetime fighting nonstop just to live in peace. There was a seemingly peaceful period when Talia had gained a comfortable amount of control over Beacon, but it obviously hadn't lasted.

COle was pulled from her thoughts when Cora made a gurgling noise, and black began to leak from her mouth. Cole stared with wide eyes as she felt Scott's mom rush past her.

She began trying to flip Cora onto her side, so Cole attempted to aid her.

"She's throwing up. Can you hold her like this?"

Cole nodded firmly, spurring Melissa into action. The nurse moved to the opposite side, putting down the bed rail. She pulled Cora closer to the side, so her head hung over the edge. She began to swish her finger around in her mouth, to Cole's disgust.

"What are you doing?" She cringed.

Melissa looked up at her with a fair bit of surprise.

"When someone is unconscious, you have to clear their airway. So they don't choke. Never taken CPR?"

Cole let out an amused huff at that. Melissa thought about it for a moment, as she moved through the drawer beside her with a clean hand. She laughed when she realised.

Cora retched once more and their faces fell.

Cole leaned back so she could see under the bed. The black substance splashed against the white tiles, along with something else. Small white berries.

"Shit."

Sorry it's late. Life is shitty, I'm not gonna make excuses. I already bitched about it on AO3 lmfao. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Im really interested to know what you all want to see more of?