Chapter 47: When It Rains
The clinic was open on Saturdays and so when Deaton returned, with blood bags courtesy of Dr. Fell for the vampires and a pile of breakfast burgers from the fast food joint down the road for the wolves and humans, he didn't wait long before checking Boyd and Cora over and then ushering them out. The doctor was a big advocate for not letting the supernatural, or any problems one might face, get in the way of living life.
The humans were sent home to sleep, Stiles eager to see his dad and check in, Jeremy not so eager to be sidelined but sleepy enough not to put up too much of a fight. Scott agreed to touch base with his mom and then return for work. Jackson went straight to Lydia. Erica, Boyd and Cora were given strict orders by the vet to rest; orders that were carried out by Derek when he dragged them all back to his loft, despite some literal kicking and screaming. Cora was ready to get back out there and hunt down the Alphas single handedly, and Erica hadn't taken the news of Tyler's disappearance very well. But, eventually, they complied, Isaac and Derek keeping watch over them until Derek finally made Isaac curl up on the couch to catch a few winks too. Boyd and Erica were sharing the Alpha's bed while Cora claimed one of the new beds that had been brought in months ago when the betas had begun crashing there. Thankfully, Peter wasn't waiting for them when they returned and didn't show his face the rest of the day. At least, as far as they knew. None of the wolves - even Derek who eventually crashed on one of the spare cots - noticed when the uncle came slinking in, staring over his newly found niece's slumbering form.
The vampires, on the other hand, were already starting their search. Using speed and stealth, they revisited the bank, keeping their distance. But unless the Alphas had found a way to mask Tyler's heartbeat, he wasn't there. Jackson had given them a rough estimate of where he and the hybrid had been when they separated. More accurately, Caroline had dragged him into the woods without Derek's approval or knowledge before she would let him go see his girlfriend - or ex-girlfriend. Caroline couldn't keep up with their rollercoaster romance anymore. Between his memory, and tracking Tyler's scent, they figured it wouldn't take long.
They were wrong.
Everyone had agreed to meet at the Hale house that evening to debrief and strategize. The Alphas knew that they all had been staying mostly at the loft. So, while the house was more open to threats, it might at least throw them off a little. Not to mention Jeremy showed up there midday with maps of the Preserve and town, thanks to one Stiles Stilinski. Caroline and the others would check in with him, and he kept track, grid by grid, of where they'd searched for the hybrid. Others had filtered in throughout the afternoon. Stiles jumped in to help with the maps and researching any areas that might make a good hiding place or shelter in case Tyler had to hole up somewhere. It got his mind off of all the pages and books that were currently strewn across his bed about sacrificial magic. The others wandered room to room, looking for something to occupy themselves, making small talk and trading stories. Some gave detailed, and exaggerated reports of their fights the previous day. Others filled Erica and Boyd in on what they had missed. Isaac made the mistake of asking what it had been like for them. No one asked again. Allison showed up and there were a few minutes of Erica threatening to kill her and Isaac explaining that the huntress had helped save them.
It was just turning dark when here was a noise on the front porch and Jeremy lifted his crossbow at the figure in the doorway.
"Easy trigger finger," the stranger stepped over the threshold. "I don't think you want to go a second round with me."
"I was holding back," he lowered his weapon.
"Sure you were," Cora huffed as she strode past him.
"You gonna point that at every little thing that rustles in the wind, boy scout?" Damon patted the kid on the back.
"Yes," Jeremy leaned back against the staircase banister, "because meeting here, out in the open, in the middle of the woods, is a dangerous and bad idea. We should be back at the loft, or at the vet's. Anywhere but here."
"Once everyone is here, Stiles or Allison will seal the mountain ash barrier," Derek spoke up from his position at the window, unmoving as he stared at the tree line, and the approaching guests from the road.
"We've searched the whole city," Jackson huffed as he climbed the porch stairs, Scott and Stefan behind him. " Twice . Maybe they took off."
Because of course Scott couldn't just sit still after his short shift at the clinic. He had shown up not long after Jeremy and they had split into two groups. Caroline, Elena and Damon tracking Tyler and Stefan, Scott and Jackson looking for the Alphas. Jeremy tracked Team A and Lydia tracked Team B.
"And maybe they've just cloaked themselves again like they did at the bank," Derek countered.
"Well, you're welcome," Damon offered a small bow.
"For what?" Stiles stepped forward, one eyebrow drawn up.
"Look, no offense to you wolves, but vampires, us , we're a hell of a lot stronger than any of you, including Alphas. I bet this problem pack of Alpha werewolves saw us vampires in a real fight yesterday and tucked their little furry tails between their legs and ran back to their little wolfy den."
"First off," Erica lifted a finger, "even if we did owe you vampires a thank you, which, to some of you," she eyed Caroline, "we do - why would you be the one we're thanking? You weren't there. Not at first. Sounds like you wanted to leave the minute you got your girl back." She stepped toward him them. "And second, they didn't run when you showed up. They fought. They tried to kill us - all of us! And now Tyler might - he's missing - and - and you don't get to say anything."
"I will say," Damon moved toward her, "that if you don't back up, right now, I'll make you wish you were back in that bank."
"Seriously?" Stiles rolled his eyes. "We just got done fighting the Alphas. Now we're gonna fight each other?"
"Careful, Spazzy McGee, you're at the top of my list," Damon rounded on the human.
"Get away from him," Scott stepped between the two.
"The Alphas may have given us a fair fight," Damon leaned in toward the kid, "but a vampire beats a regular old werewolf, any day."
"How many times are we going to have this argument?" Lydia pinched the bridge of her nose at the same time that Jeremy mumbled.
"Unless they know what the bite can do."
"Wait," Isaac looked around at the vampires in the room, "what can the bite do?"
Damon shot Jeremy a dark look.
"It itches," he deadpanned. "Like a bitch."
"We've been with them all summer, Damon, fighting alongside them" Stefan sighed. "They need to know. For all of our safety." He turned to face the rest of the group. "A bite from a werewolf is lethal to a vampire.
"Seriously, Stefan?" Damon whirled around.
"Months working together," Derek eyed the brothers, "and you never thought to mention this."
"We weren't the enemies," Damon rolled his eyes, "your Alphas were. And like we're going to just hand over a list of our weaknesses to some strangers."
"Unless it's just a bite from your werewolves," Lydia commented with a wave of her hand. "Science defines groups of biological organisms on the basis of shared characteristics."
"We all had biology Lydia," Jackson huffed. "What's your point?"
"She's right," Stiles nodded. "You guys always said that your werewolves were different than ours. How?"
"Are you serious?" Damon threw his head back. "This was like Beacon Hills, day one stuff."
"Well, some of us weren't around," Stiles crossed his arms and glanced at Scott, "to hear the whole story."
"Lycanthropy, well, the kind we know of," Jeremy started, "is genetic. And it only is triggered if the person with the gene kills someone, accident or not. They don't have Alphas, or Betas or Omegas, like you, either. I mean, there are pack Alphas, but they're chosen. It's different."
"So, it's possible that your bites are harmless against vampires," Lydia continued. "You're a part of the same family, but not species. There are plenty of species of snakes, but not all of them are venomous. Same logic."
"There's no way to know for sure, though," Elena cut in warily. "This is different magic, different curses, not different branches of the animal kingdom."
"We can always do a scientific experiment on your asshole boyfriend," Erica shrugged.
"Watch it, blondie," Damon lifted a single finger.
"I actually wouldn't mind seeing that."
The entire room's occupants all turned their heads at the new voice. The werewolves were immediately on the defensive as the young woman sauntered in through the open door like she owned the place, a smirking companion not far behind.
"Can we get one night, just one night, of no more surprise strangers or threats or bloodshed or human sacrifices?"
"Human sacrifices?" Elena cocked her head.
"Yeah," Stiles nodded at Scott, "we still gotta fill them in."
"As much as what you just said terrifies me," Isaac swallowed and faced the open front door, "can we get back to them?"
"Relax, pups," Damon waved a single hand. "It's just the Original Blondie Bitch. Actually, in fact, don't relax. Attack. Sick her. Fetch. Kill."
"Shut up, Damon."
"Ah, good old Mattie Donovan. So glad you grew a spine. Even if you still are a pain in my ass to no end."
"Nice to see you, too," Matt rolled his eyes and detangled his and Rebekah's fingers.
It was just in time to be practically tackled into a hug by Caroline, followed by another bruising embrace from Elena. Jeremy strode over and the two clapped each other's' shoulders.
"Miss us already?" Jeremy laughed.
"Did you get our message?" Caroline swallowed. "About - Tyler?"
"Yeah," Matt took a sudden interest in the floor, "I got it. But if anyone can go missing and be presumed dead and turn up alive, it's Tyler. I'm not giving up on him."
"We're gonna keep looking," Jeremy nodded.
"I should've been here earlier, man," Matt lifted his head. "I could've helped."
"Well," Damon waved at the blonde beside him, "she could've. You would've just been in the way, as usual."
"There's a reason I told you to stay away," Caroline patted her friend's shoulder. "To keep you safe. Trouble back home is one thing, but getting you involved with all of this didn't feel right."
"Yeah, but now Tyler isn't safe, Care," Matt shook his head. "We should've been here."
"Wait," Elena glanced at the pair, "why are you both here?"
"Look," Rebekah stepped forward, "I don't particularly like any of you."
"You don't know half of us," Stiles muttered at the same time Elena bit back, "You've tried to kill most of us."
"But I do like Matt," she continued with a put-upon shrug, "and he somehow tolerates you lot. Besides, some of you were actually nice to me, so, I thought I'd at least give you a warning and offer a head start."
"What warning?" Stefan crossed his arms.
"I got in contact with Elijah a few days ago. He told me that Nik was coming, here."
A/N: THIS is it! The scene that started it all! Beginning from Damon telling the werewolves that they should be thanking them, through the next chapter, was the FIRST SCENE I wrote for this story. This was going to be closer to the beginning and before the others being kidnapped and put into the vaults, etc, but obviously, the story changed and so pieces of this conversation/scene changed. But I thought you might like to know that this was where it all began!
