Chapter 49: Second Chances

"Uh, it's getting late," Scott interrupted, sensing the Alpha's intentions. "Anyone up for pizza?"

"We don't need to eat food," Damon replied dryly.

"Well," Stiles joined, always on the same wavelength as his best friend. "They do. And a lot . It's ridiculous. And mildly disturbing to watch. Trust me. And, not all of you are vampires."

"I could definitely go for food," Matt grinned, noticing the attempt to take a break, but not understanding the reason. "That was a long flight. You coming, Jeremy?"

"Actually," Derek cut in, "I was hoping to discuss some things with Jeremy."

"Me?"

"You were trained by a vampire hunter," Derek reasoned. "Argents are werewolf hunters. Looks likes we're going to need to know how to fight back. I'll be able to use the information to train my pack, too. We already trained a bit over the summer, but now that we know who and what we're going to be up against, we need more specific strategy."

"Then I'm staying too," Damon stood stonily, crossing his arms. "The kid might drive me crazy but no way in hell am I leaving him alone with just one of you after everything."

"Fair enough," Derek conceded, biting back a retort. "Everyone else should go. Get something to eat. Tell your parents whatever stories you need to tell, but, same as before, no one is staying alone tonight. But we should vary it up from the loft."

"It's not smart to all be cooped in one spot though with the full moon just last night and the Alphas still out there," Scott advised.

"Fine," Lydia reasoned. "Girls at my house. Guys at yours."

Scott fixed her with a confused glare.

"What? Your mom knows the truth and my parents won't even notice or care. I'll say it's a girls night."

"No way in hell am I going to let you go with a werewolf or a hunter without me," Damon blocked Elena's path.

"Caroline'll be there. They helped save me, Damon. And they're right. We all need to relax a little before making a game plan. After Tyler, everything, I - we could use a distraction."

The group fell silent for a long moment.

"That doesn't exactly divide evenly," Jeremy spoke up. "Is that safe?"

"That's sweet that you're worried," Lydia chided, "but I'm pretty sure we can take care of ourselves. Allison's a hunter. I'm a genius. Elena's a vampire. According to you guys, Klaus has this creepy love obsession thing with Caroline so I doubt he'd hurt her. And he won't kill his own sister. And if the Alphas come knocking, I think an Original vampire can take care of them – not to mention the mountain ash I keep stocked now. It's you men that I'm worried about, ripping each other apart before sunrise."

"The full moon isn't tonight," Jackson impatiently reminded her.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about that. Besides, Scott and the vampires can keep the rest of you in check. The testosterone levels in here are already suffocating. I suggest you boys put away the rulers and try working together and getting along so you don't kill each other before the Alphas and Klaus have a chance. I'm honestly amazed you all survived each other over the summer. The more evolved half of this team is going to go and enjoy a night off from all of this craziness. If you need saving, we'll be just a phone call away, enjoying mojitos by the pool."

Lydia spun daintily on her heel and marched off, pausing in her dramatic departure only to kiss her boyfriend goodbye.

"Well," Allison grinned, stifling a laugh. "I think that's our cue. Lydia may not be a werewolf or a vampire, but she can be just as terrifying if she doesn't get her way."

"Reminds me of someone," Elena elbowed Caroline playfully in the ribs.

"I knew I liked her," Caroline agreed with a nod.

"Are you coming?" Allison motioned to Rebekah when the vampire didn't follow them.

"You want me along?" The Original looked interested for the first time since she had stopped speaking.

"You're our badass protection detail, aren't you?" Allison teased.

"So you want me there just so no one kills you," Rebekah deadpanned.

"Basically," Caroline answered while Elena shrugged.

"Look," Allison moved toward Rebekah, "I don't know about them, but Lydia invited you. And that's saying something. I just sat here and heard the story. I don't doubt you did some pretty bad things. But you did come here to warn all of us. And you didn't just leave right after delivering the message. After my mom died, I did some things – some stuff I really regret," her eyes wandered to Scott and the pack. "You lost your youngest brother and your mother. After everything you've been through – let's just say I recently became an advocate for second chances." Allison paused. "And besides, Lydia will probably take us all shopping in the morning to take our minds off things. It's a Lydia thing. Just don't be surprised when she picks out all your clothing for you."

Rebekah eyed the hunter skeptically, keeping her gaze guarded. A soft smile spread across her lips and finally, she nodded.

"You didn't mention me."

Everyone's heads turned to watch as the borderline angry and hurt Erica sauntered forward.

"Lydia said all girls," Erica hissed, "but when she gave her little 'girl power' speech, she didn't even mention me."

"You tried to kill her," Allison argued, "back when you thought she might be the Kanima."

"You tried to kill us!" Erica made to grab at Allison but was stopped, surprisingly, by Rebekah. "Let go of me! You don't know what she did!"

"Whatever it was," The Original easily pushed the beta backwards, "I highly doubt it even comes close to the horrors I have committed in my very long lifetime. We have far more important things to deal with at the moment. So, get over it ."

"Are you serious? She shot me with an arrow! She shot Boyd! We were both down and she wouldn't stop! I begged her. And then her crazy grandfather tortured us in their basement!"

"I killed Elena's brother once," Damon piped in unhelpfully. "Of course, he had on the Gilbert ring, so it doesn't count. Rebekah tried to kill Elena, and Matt, who was just caught in the crossfire. Technically speaking , she did kill Elena."

"Not helping, Damon," Elena ground out.

"Look, sister," Damon lifted his hands toward Erica, "I'm no Rebekah-backer over here. If you two want to tear each other apart, then, by all means, go for it. I'll grab the popcorn. But, if you're seriously going to hold a grudge over a few arrows , especially when said guilty party is no longer trying to kill you, but help you, then -"

"What my brother is trying to say, Erica," Stefan cut in, "is that everyone makes mistakes -"

"Yeah, you hit me over the head with a piece of my own jeep and then tried to kill Lydia and I still helped save your life," Stiles grunted.

"But everyone," Stefan continued, "also deserves a second chance. Just like Allison said."

Erica relaxed, teeth retracting until Rebekah finally freed the werewolf. Erica didn't look pleased, but she trudged after the girls nonetheless. The rest of the pack visibly relaxed and Derek's eyes bled back from the crimson that had taken over when the vampire had touched his beta.

"Alright," Stiles clapped his hands, "Scary she-vamp versus she-wolf fight averted. Awesome. Lead the way, Scottie, my man."

"I'll save you some slices," Matt offered to Jeremy with a pitying parting glance.

"I'll save you some too, Derek," Stiles added, to which he received a familiar glare. "Or not. Kill a guy for trying to be nice. Play nice while we're gone then."

"Please," Scott turned around at the door, "nobody kill anyone."

"We'll be fine," Derek grunted, never taking his eyes off of Damon.

"Yeah," Damon sauntered over and patted Scott's shoulder. "Go run along to the kid's table. The grown-ups need privacy."

"Damon," Stefan warned.

"I promise," Damon placed a hand over his heart. "I'll play nice."

With that, the remaining men slowly departed, leaving only the trio. Derek turned his cold stare from Damon to Jeremy, causing the kid to straighten.

A/N: This is all still part of the original first written scene of this story (And so are the next 2-4 chapters)! Dang! So fun having everyone together in the same room!