The Forgotten One

by Beneath.The.Full.Moon

Elise Blanchett has always tried to keep her identity as a witch from the people she cared about, namely her cousin Stiles. That becomes a lot more complicated when the past comes back to haunt Beacon Hills. Coupled with Scott's new werewolf status, she will have to find a way to protect her loved ones and fulfill her destiny.

6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

"So, let me get this straight," Selena frowned and paced the length of my room, "Peter is the alpha and now Derek is with Peter, and Jackson knows about werewolves and is trying to blackmail Scott into getting him the bite so he can become a werewolf?"

"And the Argents think that Jackson is the second beta." I added in a falsely cheerful tone.

"Holy shit," Selena sat down on the edge of my bed thoughtfully, "What are you going to do?"

I sighed tiredly, "Well, I put Scott and Stiles on Jackson duty. Making sure he doesn't get killed. I think they can probably handle that."

"What about Derek?"

"I don't know." I admitted, "I was almost able to convince him not to join Peter and he hasn't killed anyone yet so..."

Selena nodded, "I doubt the Coven is going to see it that way."

"Yeah, I know." I bit my lip, "I'm working on it. Right now I need to focus on figuring out who Peter is really after. All of these people must link back to the Hale fire somehow, but I need to figure out who planned it. There has to be someone who is behind it all, the person Peter blames."

"You need to figure out who that is so you know where he'll end up." Selena finished my thought for me, "Any luck with that?"

"Not even a little bit." I rubbed my eyes, "I think I might have to take a peek at the Sheriff's notes on the case."

Selena nodded, "Well, you'll get your chance soon enough. It looked like he had it all in the dining room when I came in."

I nodded, "Yeah, I'll see you at school okay?"

She stood and started for the door, "Yeah, good luck. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

When she had left I went to look through my mom's spell book for the hundredth time. As if there was a 'solve everything' spell that I had missed before. Or at the very least a 'vacation in Bermuda' spell. After I had flipped through all the pages I closed it and bit the inside of my cheek anxiously until I tasted blood. The truth of the matter was I had no idea what I was going to do about any of it. This was only made worse by Derek flipping sides. It was more then the just the betrayal, and more then the fact that it left us at a decided disadvantage. Before Derek had been a source of information, and a sort of go-to for the werewolf stuff. Now the boys were looking to me for all the answers. Answers of what to do about Jackson, and what we were going to do about the alpha. Answers I simply didn't have.

Jackson was a very special kind of asshole, and I figured we would have to scare him enough to get him to give up. More then that though. We'd have to scare him enough to transfer schools and flee the country. Otherwise it seemed doubtful that he would ever drop it. He had decided he wanted to be werewolf and that it was some sort of blessing. Jackson didn't bother to think of all the pitfalls and all the danger that would come with it. All the people that would be chasing him through the woods with crossbows and swords for example. I wasn't sure how to even go about scaring Jackson. That was something I would have definitely gone to Derek for. I couldn't very well do it without revealing my secret to him as well. I certainly didn't want that.

I strummed my fingers irritably on my desk before reaching to grab the picture of my mom. It had been a pretty recent one of the two of us on some trip somewhere. We looked happy. She would've known what to do. Maddy Blanchett would have taken one look at my laundry list of problems and solved them easily. Or at least that was the way I remembered her being, she hadn't brought me in on much of her supernatural life. I had been a little too young for that, but she had never seemed overwhelmed. Mom had never seemed to meet a problem she hadn't been able to solve or a person she wasn't able to save. Until the Hale fire. That was the key wasn't it? Someone killed the Hales, and they killed her too.

"Who killed you?" I whispered to the frame, but of course she didn't answer and even if she could she may not even know the answer to that particular question.

Mom might not have been able to identify her killer, but I thought I could. If I could only remember. That necklace had been a clue, and I was sure that I had seen it before. I simply couldn't manage to drag the memory to the surface. I had tried trances, meditation, everything I could think of to access it. It remained locked to me. What the hell was I going to do? I let my head drop down and with a thump against the desk. We were so very screwed.

Stiles nearly tripped over himself as he entered my room, "911 from Scott. Peter is taking his mom on a date. He's going to bite her."

"Son of a bitch..." I sighed and stood, "I assume you two have some sort of half baked scheme?"

"Yup!"

We both raced down the stairs and started for our separate cars, "You try to catch up with Peter, I'll pick up Scott!" I ordered as I got into my car and turned over the engine quickly.

I was speeding away before Stiles was able to get the Jeep up and running and was racing through the streets. I was violating an awful lot of traffic laws recently, and I hadn't been pulled over once. I was starting to get really concerned about the police force in this town, I mean, shouldn't one of them have caught me by now? All of the speed limits I'd broken and stop signs I had blatantly ignored. It really wasn't safe. Scott had already left the house and was running down the sidewalk when I caught up to him and pulled to a brief stop just long enough for him to get inside.

"You have Stiles on the phone?" I asked quickly when I saw the phone in his hand.

"Yeah, he's behind them. Turn left."

Stiles' voice came out over the speaker phone suddenly, "I see them! I got it! Employing the plan!" Then there was a loud thump and he hung up the phone.

"Did Stiles just crash the Jeep into their car?" I asked after a moment.

"Yep." Scott answered a little awkwardly, "Whatever works right?"

I laughed and shook my head, "I see them," I pulled over off the road and parked. Scott and I sat and watched the cars that were lined up behind the wreck. It had been effective, that was for damn sure. I was definitely glad that Stiles' crappy Jeep had been the vehicle of choice for that and not my car.

"He's talking to me," Scott tensed, seeming to be listening intently and I didn't need to ask who he meant, "Jackson..." he gasped, "Oh no."

"What?" I asked suddenly and then I realized apparently Peter had decided to handle the Jackson problem for us, "Oh, don't tell me. Did he happen to mention where?"

Scott shook his head, "No, but we have to do something. If Derek kills him..."

"I won't let that happen," I insisted and pulled out onto the road before starting off quickly and I pushed the pedal to the floor in the direction of the Hale house, "I know where Derek will take him."

I absolutely couldn't let this happen. Jackson was a bully and a jerk, but technically an innocent. That meant he fell under my protection. If Derek killed him it would mean two very horrible things. The first was that I had failed to protect yet another person, and it would also mean that there would be no going back for Derek. His path would be set, he would be guilty. All hope for him would be lost. I wasn't okay with either of those outcomes. Again I thought of my mom and I couldn't help but think that I was doing a really shitty job in her place. Maybe if she had survived the crash instead of me... I shook my head as if physically banishing the thought. That was a bad road to go down. I had been down that road before. No, we could do this. Somehow.

I parked on the side of the road and got out of my car again quickly, "The house is not far in that direction!" I instructed Scott as I moved around the hood of my car, "Go! I'll catch up."

Scott nodded and took off running into the dark trees. I started to run after him, but before very long he was completely out of my sight. I focused on pushing my magic into my muscles, using it to push myself faster. I wouldn't be able to go as fast as Scott, but I could definitely have won a few gold medals at this pace. I surged my power and leapt over a fallen tree without breaking my sprint toward the house. Just like when I had helped Derek get away from Kate Argent I came up to the house from behind. I didn't slow until I reached the back door and ripped it open.

I heard snarling from inside, they were already here, "Move!" Someone ordered in a voice that didn't sound quite human, but it sounded the most like Derek.

"No." Scott growled back. Yeah, that was definitely Scott.

"Fine, then I'll kill you too."

I heard all this as a stormed around the stairs, "Enough!" I lashed my magic out and it slammed Derek back against the front door, "Jackson is an asshole but he's innocent. He's under my protection."

Jackson was huddled on the stairs, cheeks wet with forgotten tears as he stared at me, "W-what... what the hell?!" He was looking at me as if trying to find where my claws and fangs were hidden, "What the hell are you?"

"Shut up Jackson..." I hissed and then an odd whistling sound in the air caught my attention.

Derek cocked his head to the side, "Cover your eyes!" He ordered and ducked half a second before there was a small explosion, not even an explosion really just a burst of light like a firecracker. There was a flash of light, but it didn't have much of an effect on me. That must mean his order had been meant for Scott. I didn't have time to think about what that meant because the shooting started immediately after the flash.

I ducked, throwing my arms up around my head as if that would provide any sort of protection against a bullet heading toward my skull. I glanced back to see Jackson scrambling toward the back door. Derek grabbed my arm and pulled me down against the wall next to him. The gunfire continued and when I looked up I saw that Scott was bleeding on the floor, no longer wolfed-out. He was clutching the bullet wound in his stomach, blood dripping down his lips.

"Scott! Go!" Derek shouted over the sound, but Scott didn't respond.

I cursed and turned toward the wall. I pressed the palm of my hand against the wall, I needed a wind. It was more difficult to conjure without being able to see where I needed it to go but I didn't have much choice. So I overcompensated, it wasn't just going to be any old wind. The house groaned in protest as it whipped up and the boards that had been nailed over windows started to shake with the force of it. It had the desired effect and he gunfire faltered, but it wouldn't last for long. I turned and found Derek pulling Scott to his feet and nearly throwing him toward the back door.

"RUN!" He ordered and turned to me, he was still in full werewolf mode, which I found pretty off putting. I honestly hadn't really seen any werewolves when they had turned up close before.

I nodded and hurried past him. I grabbed Scott's arm and kept him on his feet as we stumbled out the back door. The gunfire had started again and my wind had died down and faded away. After we had run a ways I glanced back, there was no sign of Derek. Scott collapsed into the leaves next to me before I had a chance to think too much into what Derek's absence meant. I shook my head and pulled him back to his feet with all my strength. I looped his arm over my shoulders and wrapped a hand around his waist. He wasn't healing right away, which meant it might be poisoned. I tried to push some of my magic into him to help him heal as we went. I pushed us forward as quickly as I could manage but my magic and my strength were nearly spent.

Scott wasn't a huge kid but it seemed like he weighed a ton, and before long it was mostly dead weight. My shoulders ached from supporting him and the muscles in my legs burned and trembled with the effort. Scott was managing to put one foot in front of the other, at least for the time being. When the toe of his right foot caught something we both tumbled forward into the leaves. I gasped and looked around, the trees were silent and there showed no signs of pursuit. We had gone beyond the sound of gunfire a while ago. There was still no sign of Derek.

"Scott, come on, it's not much further." I coaxed and helped him roll over onto his back, "Scott?"

He lay there, gulping for air, "Allison..." he sighed and then drifted off.

"Scott! Come on, I can't carry you." I panted and ran my hands through my hair. What a mess. If I couldn't get him up again before the hunters came... how was I supposed to fight off a bunch of people with guns? I couldn't exactly block bullets. "Scott, please."

I jerked my head up when I heard footsteps approaching, they were already here. I didn't dare hope that it was Derek, or less helpfully Jackson wandering around in the woods. It would have to be a hunter. I stood slowly, trying to stay silent and I kept my eyes peeled for movement. I was exhausted, but I might be able to muster up a little magic. A figure materialized out of the trees and I turned to face the attacker, hands raised and ready.

Dr. Deaton raised his hands in a show of peace, "It's just me Elise."

"Dr. Deaton?" I hadn't seen him since the night Derek had kidnapped him. Technically I had been an accomplice, right? Saying that I thought he had been an alpha werewolf so I didn't untie wouldn't have been the best defense in court. Shockingly my day in court had never come. I hadn't had much time to think about the fact that Dr. Deaton hadn't reported us to the police.

"Yes, I will explain in more detail later, but for now I think we need to get Scott out of here." Dr. Deaton said patiently, "I am a friend, I was a friend of Talia Hale, and your mother."

"The bullet is poisoning him," I provided as he picked Scott up.

He nodded, "I can treat the wound, he should heal all right. Meet me at the clinic."

I nodded dumbly and started for my car, at this point I would take all the help I could get. Clearly Dr. Deaton was more then just the town veterinarian. I wasn't exactly in a position to be refusing his assistance. If he was a friend of my mom then that meant he was most likely trustworthy. He hadn't ratted me out to the police at least. In fact he hadn't gone to the police at all about what happened that night. Then again, I guess he wouldn't if he knew exactly what was going on. Good, I was glad somebody around here was more informed than I was.

I was too tired to think about anything too critically on my drive. Once I had arrived at the clinic I just sat on the counter and watched him work on mending Scott. That was the most important thing, I had nearly failed again. Scott could have been killed, but that was just part of day to day life now it seemed. Dr. Deaton didn't seem bothered by my silence, he worked calmly and expertly. He definitely seemed comfortable dealing with werewolf injuries.

I slid off the counter when Scott suddenly gasped and came back into consciousness. Dr. Deaton put a hand on his shoulder gently to keep him down, "I wouldn't get up just yet." He cautioned.

"Where am I?" Scott asked groggily, looking around.

"You're fine." The doctor assured him, "And I've given you something that should... speed up the healing process."

I moved over and gripped Scott's arm, "You're safe, Scott."

Scott looked down at his wound and then at Dr. Deaton blearily, "But you're a vet."

"That's very true," Deaton replied, focus back on cleaning the wound, "and 90% of the time, I'm mostly treating cats and dogs."

"Mostly?" Scott asked, starting to become a little more alert.

"Mostly." Deaton answered vaguely and Scott let his head fall back and he closed his eyes again.

I leaned against the counter again and sighed, feeling pretty tired myself. I watched as the veterinarian continued to work on Scott's injury. The way he treated Scott, he couldn't be an enemy. Then again I guess I hadn't been the best judge of character on that front lately. However... Derek's behavior at the house didn't quite make sense. One moment he had been prepared to kill Jackson and had even threatened to kill Scott. Then again threatening to kill the boys wasn't exactly out of character for him. If he had really been willing to kill Scott then why help save him? Not only that, but he had pulled me out of the line of fire. He had shown concern for both of our well beings. Enough concern to give himself up so that we could get away. I was chewing on my thumbnail as I thought all this over. Maybe I had been right all along, maybe there was good in him. Peter was his only family left, was it such a stretch that he would want to believe him? Of course he wouldn't want to think that his only surviving relative had murdered his sister in cold blood.

Eva had told me that Derek was lost, and he definitely was. Maybe he needed help finding the right direction. If it had really come down to a showdown between us and them I wasn't sure if Derek would have been able to help kill us. That was something. The hunters would keep him alive, they would want him to name the alpha and the other beta. Maybe there was a chance... but how would I even find him? He had planned to kill Jackson, an innocent person. The whole thing was a mess, a huge, complicated mess.

Deaton looked up from his work, "How are you?"

I was surprised by the sudden question, "I'm fine, tired. Scott is heavier then he looks."

He smiled and nodded, "You did a lot to keep the poison from spreading. I doubt he would have been able to stay on his feet as long as he did without your help."

"I guess we're just lucky you showed up," I noted, "I was wiped, I wouldn't have been able to do much."

"You aren't used to that kind of exertion," Deaton noted, "With your mother it came easier with time. Your strength and your power will grow, and you'll learn how to manage and wield it more effectively."

I yawned, "I certainly hope so," I sighed and then frowned at him, "Who are you?"

"I'm a veterinarian." Deaton answered and I just smiled, okay, I could deal with vague if it meant I had another ally, "You should go home. You have my assurance that Scott will be perfectly safe here. You need to rest and regain your strength."

I hesitated, I had been wrong with who I trusted before, but Deaton felt more certain. I had watched him tend to Scott's wounds after all. It was clear that he cared about Scott, and so I found myself trusting him. I wasn't sure I had a whole lot of choice. He was right, I was dead on my feet. I would need to get rested so that I could actually deal with whatever catastrophe we found ourselves in next. I nodded and glanced at Scott again before I started out. I was honestly a little surprised I managed to stay awake for the drive home. The house was dark when I got there and I was able to sneak up to my room without waking the Sheriff. Stiles, however, had been waiting.

He came into my room only moments after I had turned on the lamp, "What the hell happened?"

I sighed wearily, "It's a long story Stiles."

He just settled into the chair and looked at me expectantly, "I love stories."

"Fine..." I sat heavily on the edge of my bed, "We went to save Jackson. Derek had taken him to the Hale house. I got there in time to stop Derek and Scott from fighting, but the hunters were also there. They started to shoot up the house, Scott got shot by a wolfsbane bullet."

"Jackson?" Stiles interjected curiously.

"He ran for it at the first sign of gunfire," I noted, "He also probably knows I'm a witch now, or at least he knows I'm not entirely human. Anyway, Derek gave himself up so that I could get Scott out of there."

"Where is Scott now?"

"He's at the clinic, Dr. Deaton found us," I shook my head, still marveling at the turn of events, "He saved Scott. He's not entirely unconnected to the supernatural realm either."

"Dr. Deaton?" Stiles blinked, "The veterinarian?"

I laughed at that, "One and the same, which I guess answers the question of why he never went to the cops about being kidnapped."

"Yeah..." Stiles leaned back as if taking all this in, "You think we can trust him?"

"I do," I shrugged.

Stiles nodded thoughtfully, "What about Derek? Are you thinking about trusting him again?"

"Not in so many words," I replied and rubbed my eyes, "But he did try to keep us safe tonight. He didn't have to do that. If he were really all bad and totally with Peter then he wouldn't have."

"I still vote that we don't trust him."

"It's a moot point anyway Stiles, the hunters have him now." I glanced at the clock and groaned, the sun would be rising soon, "I need to go look through the Sheriff's files before he gets up."

"No need," Stiles suddenly looked just as tired as I felt, "I got him incredibly drunk and he told me everything that was in them. Also, I'm a horrible person and the worst son ever."

I shook my head, "You're neither of those things. We needed to know, so sum it up for me."

"They all trace back to the Hale fire like you thought," Stiles rubbed a hand over his hair, "Hired arsonists, insurance agents... Mr. Harris wasn't really involved. Some girl wearing Allison's necklace got him drunk and got him to list all the best ways to burn a house down."

"Whoa..." I noted, "We need to know who that girl was. She's definitely Peter's end game."

Stiles nodded and stood, "Yeah, good night El."

"Night." I watched him go and closed the door behind him and then I changed and fell into bed. I was dead to the world before my head even hit the pillow. I didn't have any more energy to contemplate what all of it meant. If I had then I might finally have come to the conclusion that, since the killer was a woman and she was wearing the necklace that she was was someone in Allison's family. Most likely her aunt. As it turns out, I didn't need to be awake to come to this epiphany, the memory came to me in my sleep. The one I had been working so hard to retrieve.

I had been similarly exhausted from a night spent in the car, we had finally stopped for gas. It was the very gas station that Derek and I had first been formally introduced at, right after his window had been bashed in by hunters. Mom had looked pretty tired as well, her hair slipped out of the braid and her clothes wrinkled. Yet it wasn't exhaustion, but worry that lined her eyes. She hadn't told me much about why we had left. She had simply pulled me out of bed and said we had to go to Beacon Hills immediately. Mom said something terrible was about to happen and that she had to stop it.

She turned and smiled at me, "I'm hungry and I need coffee. Let's get some snacks for the rest of the drive. It isn't far to Talia's from here."

I let her put her arm around my shoulders as we walked into the gas station, "Talia? She's your old friend from college right?"

"I wouldn't call her old to her face," Mom teased, she had been light hearted despite everything. I don't think she considered that we might be in danger. She must have had a vision of the Hale's being attacked at night, it was morning so we must be safe. Mom hadn't realized that the killer already knew that Talia Hale had an alliance with a white witch, "Pick out something good, but not too sugary okay?"

I nodded and moved to peruse the shelves, in that moment I should have felt something. I should have sensed that something was wrong, but I was young and only a fledgeling with my powers. I picked out a granola bar and some juice, completely oblivious. I had never realized how precarious our life was. Mom moved every other year from town to town, I never asked why she didn't settle down. It was just the way that the Blanchett witches lived. They didn't stay stationary, they remained as unattached as possible. That meant that there were no men to speak of. That was another thing I had never really thought to ask about, it was just the way things were for us. I did know that my mom had loved my dad, but the way she talked about him it was as if she had to leave him. It was the same way with my grandma, and my great grandma, and so on and so forth as far back as we could trace our lineage. Which was pretty far through the matriarchal timeline.

It hadn't mattered to me, I had been happy. Mom always seemed to have friends wherever we went. She always made it seem fun and safe. I could only imagine now what sort of danger she had been in from time to time. There were probably a hundred moments before that one in the gas station where I could have lost her. Then again it had to be this one, our destinies were tied to the Hales after all. For better for for worse.

"Now Talia isn't expecting us, so don't expect a warm welcome," Mom told me as we paid and started back to the car, "We're going to be waking them up pretty early you know."

"I think I might remember her. She has a daughter right?"

"More then one, it's a big family." Mom agreed and smiled down at me, moving to take her own snack from the bag I was carrying.

So she didn't see what I saw, maybe she wouldn't have recognized Kate Argent even if she had. At the time I didn't know who it was, it was just a woman walking to go into the gas station the way we had come. She had blond hair and a large silver necklace hanging around her neck. It caught my eye as she walked past and I turned to look after her. It looked like she had a pair of pliers or something tucked into her back pocket, and a grease smudge on the back of her right wrist. I had no way to know what that meant.

I wouldn't know what that meant for more then six years.

...

I slept the majority of the next day to regain my strength, when I did wake up I kept myself isolated in my room with my new realization. I knew who Peter was going after, I knew his end game. Kate Argent. She was responsible for the Hale fire, for the deaths of eleven innocent people. Some had been children, at least most had been innocent enough to warrant my mom's protection. Kate Argent had murdered them. She had murdered my mother. I began to wonder if maybe I should just let Peter kill her. She lacked the claws and glowing red eyes of a monster, but she was one all the same.

No.

That wasn't justice, that wasn't what my mom would have wanted. If I didn't try to stop him then I might as well kill her myself, and I couldn't do that. I could kill a monster if I had no choice, but I had a choice here. I had an obligation to hold all life sacred, to save everyone if I could. Enough people had died already. Now that I knew who Peter was after I needed to find a way to make it work in my favor. I couldn't exactly follow her everywhere she went, she was a hunter and was very likely to catch on to that pretty quickly. I briefly considered going to Chris Argent, he was a man who believed in the code. No, that was too risky even for this situation.

The next day I went shopping with Selena, she was insisting that we both go to the dance and pretend to be normal. She could tell that something was off with me but I couldn't confide in her. I didn't want the information I had to get out there and become common knowledge. I wasn't even going to tell Scott and Stiles yet, the less people that knew the easier it would be to keep it a secret. I couldn't be sure if Peter knew that Kate was the murderer yet, and I couldn't risk it getting out until I had some semblance of a plan. Keeping the secret was surprisingly easy, coming up with a plan was proving to me much more difficult.

"You should try this, you look great in jewel tones," Selena told me, she already had several dresses picked out in her signature color: purple. She held one up in front of a mirror and admired it before spotting a dress on the rack behind her. She offered it to me, "Or white, you look great in white too."

I laughed and took the offered garment, "I would spill everything on this dress, besides," I examined it, "It's a little... matrimonial."

Selena laughed, "Please, as if you'd ever get married. The women in your family treat serious relationships like the plague. It's a miracle you even know who your grandpa was."

"That's true, lucky that we do know who he was," I hung the dress back up on the rack and picked up a blue one instead, "Otherwise there would be a distinct lack of Stiles in my life."

"Oh yes, so did Allison really get Lydia to agree to go with him to the dance?"

"Apparently," I looked across the store where Lydia was piling dresses into his arms, "I just hope she realizes how lucky she is."

"You are such a big sister, even if he is technically your cousin," Selena rolled her eyes, "But you do have a point, he's a cutie. Too bad he's also kind of... I don't think there's really a word for what he is."

I laughed, "I like the blue one. I'm going to go try it on, you coming?"

"I'll be there in a moment," Selena paused to consider a black slinky dress.

I draped my pick over my arm and walked to the nearest fitting rooms, Stiles was perched on a chair outside. He was still too excited about his date to be bored with the shopping yet. I paused while I waited for one of the rooms to open up and I considered him. My cousin, but really he was more than that. I had never wanted him to get mixed up in this world. Now he was digging up bodies and pissing off murderous alphas every night. I felt an overwhelming wave of sadness wash over me. How was I supposed to protect him? So far keeping both of the boys alive had proven to be more difficult then one would think. I ducked into a fitting room when it was abandoned and locked the door.

Now Allison was in eminent danger too. So that made Scott, Stiles, Jackson, Melissa McCall, and Kate Argent who were being directly threatened by Peter. I was somewhat more reluctantly protecting the last one but still. It was becoming a very long list. I started to change into the dress, thoughts still miles away. Maybe I could go to Dr. Deaton, he was friendly and clearly familiar with the supernatural. I still didn't know the extent of his involvement though.

I zipped up the dress and shook my head, I definitely needed to stop thinking about this around Selena. She was already suspicious that something was going on, and she definitely knew I wasn't telling her something. I needed act as normal as possible for now. Besides, the more I thought about how I had no plan the less optimistic I felt. I glanced in the mirror and sighed. I liked the dress, but I knew Selena would want to grant her seal of approval.

I opened the door and went out to look around the store for her, "Selena?"

She was nowhere in sight so I moved further into the racks, looking around for the familiar head full of black hair.

"I would say that blue is definitely your color," An all too familiar voice complimented from behind me. Creepy.

I sighed and turned, "Hello Satan."

Peter chuckled, "I really hope you'll realize that I'm not so bad. I think we would all make a great team. Scott is really impressing me with his ingenuity."

"He's a good kid, too good to be a part of your pack," I said simply, "You picked the completely wrong one to bite."I noted and crossed my arms, glaring at him, "I think you should leave, Peter, you're scaring the children."

He nodded, "We'll talk again soon."

Selena was at my side suddenly as he walked away, "That was him wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he's definitely getting bolder." She noted grimly.

"I'm noticing that too." I bit my lip, "You find a dress? Good, let's get going."

...

I had decided on a plan, I needed to find Derek. I thought that if I could just talk to him then I could convince him to come back to our side. There really was no other option, however, all attempts at tracking him were coming up short. I couldn't get anything solid. Selena and I had tried several times, but nothing seemed to work. I assumed it was because he was either dead, or he was being tortured. If he was dead I'm sure Laura would have paid me another visit so I had hope that he was alive. Selena seemed a little more dubious about finding Derek. She wasn't as sure as I was that he would see reason, but she helped me anyway. I think she knew that we needed Derek to take down Peter. I had to find him before his uncle did, because Peter needed him just as badly as we did.

In the end I just got ready for the dance, I would have to come up with some way to find Derek afterwards. For now I needed to be there to try and keep everyone safe. Everyone from my pack was going to be there trying to keep Allison safe so I needed to be there too. It seemed very likely that Peter would try to make a move at the dance, it would be a good opportunity. It would be really difficult to keep track of everyone and he would want to take advantage of that. I was trying to stay positive.

I got ready for the dance in my room, pausing only to go see Stiles off before he went to pick Lydia up for the dance, "You look very handsome."

"Well thanks," Stiles replied smugly and straightened his suit jacket.

I laughed, "Have fun, but remember to be on the look out okay? Be safe."

"Yeah, I'll see you there."

I grabbed his shoulder to stop him from bouncing down the stairs, "You're a catch Stiles. If Lydia doesn't figure it out by the end of tonight then she's not as smart as you think she is."

Stiles grinned, "You're probably right," he agreed, "You look really pretty El."

"Thanks, now go." I released him and called after him as he disappeared down the stairs, "Make good choices!"

I smiled and shook my head as I went to finish getting ready. I was pulling on my shoes when I heard a knock at the front door. I had told Selena that I would meet her at the dance, but it would surprise me if she had decided to ignore that completely and show up. Maybe it would be nice to ride there with someone. It wasn't like either of us had dates for the event. Selena was currently 'between mistakes' as she called it and I was very obviously single. The doorbell rang after a moment.

I grabbed my bag and started downstairs, "I'm coming!" I called and checked to make sure I had charged my phone for the night, "I thought we agreed to meet at the dance..." I greeted as I opened the door.

Peter smiled, "Well, as strikingly beautiful as you look tonight Elise I have a budding relationship with Scott's mother. As you well know."

I glared, "Well, isn't this a nasty surprise."

"It hurts me to hear you say things like that," I feigned offense before moving to step into the house, "I did say that we would speak again soon."

"Do werewolves have something against using phones?" I blocked his entrance, "Showing up uninvited seems to be a common practice."

Peter didn't seem too put out that I wasn't letting him inside, "Yes, I assume Derek has paid you quite a few visits." he looked at me thoughtfully, "I don't suppose you have any idea where they are keeping him?"

"No," I answered simply.

"I believe you," Peter noted and then smiled, "I also believe you wouldn't tell me even if you did know."

"Yep." I agreed, "Now, if you don't mind I have a dance to get to."

He gave a long suffering sigh, "I know you don't believe me, but I really do want us to be friends. However, I can tell that you are not of a mind to see things my way. I can't have you putting ideas in Derek's head." Peter paused to brush some lint off of his coat, "I realized that other night that I had miscalculated. You have more influence over him then I originally thought. His feelings for you are stronger than I could have anticipated."

I frowned, "We're talking about Derek? Derek?"

"He was always a bit of a romantic," Peter chuckled, "To a fault really. I should have seen it. Especially considering that are you Maddy's daughter, she was the sort of woman men fell in love with too. The last thing I want to do is hurt you Elise, but I also can't let you get in the way of my plans. I hope you'll forgive me."

I reacted more quickly then he expected and I lashed out with my magic, blocking the blow he had aimed at my head. He stumbled back a few paces and I dropped my bag and threw my weight against the door to try and close it. Peter recovered quickly and easily threw the door open, which sent me stumbling back in my heels. I was not dressed for a fight right now. What an asshole! He reached for me again but I wasn't entirely unprepared. I aimed a targeted strike at his stomach that was powerful enough to knock the air from his lungs, at least for a moment. Hopefully long enough for me to find one of the Sheriff's guns. I kicked off my shoes and turned race through the dining room. I hadn't made it far when I felt a vice like grip on my arm, he jerked me to the side. I had no time to react before the side of my head hit the edge of the table, then I was unconscious.

As it turned out, being knocked out cold was extremely useful. I dreamed that I was running again, it was dusk and I was racing through the woods. Again, I couldn't tell if I was running from or toward something, either way I knew I had to move quickly. The skirt of my new dress caught on a branch and ripped but I didn't let it slow me down. My bare feet were strangely unbothered by the treacherous terrain of the forest floor. My heartbeat was a steady mantra in my head and veins. Run. Run. Run. Run.

Suddenly I stopped, it felt as if a string in my chest suddenly pulled tight and I couldn't move forward anymore. I found myself staring at some sort of secret entrance. It was a small gate-like door set in the side of the sloping ground. Everything beyond it was in darkness, but I knew I had to go in. That was where I had been going this whole time. I gripped one of the bars of the door and pulled it open, a gust of musty air blew out of the tunnel as I ducked inside. It was too dark to see so I put my hand to the wall and used it to guide me forward.

I stepped cautiously over the rough floor, my fingers trailing along the cold and uneven wall. This tunnel had been made by someone but where did it lead? I couldn't imagine the purpose of such a tunnel, it was small and roughly made but still would have taken a lot of effort. Suddenly my fingers brushed against something metallic. I felt along it, it felt like a large metal door, the type that slid to the side on a track. I found a handle and started to pull it, to my surprise it moved easily to the side. I stopped when there was a space big enough for me to go through and I went inside.

There was light in here, it came mostly from windows on the wall directly in front of me. The windows were up against the ceiling, like you would find in a basement. It smelled like a basement in here, and around me I could see shadowed objects that might have been furniture. However, I didn't take the time to find out for sure what the dark blobs were. There was a person in here. A man was strung up in front of the windowed wall, chained up off the ground and shirtless. There were wires taped to his abdomen that connected to something sitting on a nearby table. He didn't appear to be moving at all, I couldn't tell if he was breathing or not.

I found myself holding my breath as I tip-toed forward. His face was in shadow, but I felt like I knew him. I stopped when I was standing right in front of him and I looked up, finally able to make out enough of his features to know who he was. Derek. He was so still I wasn't sure if he was alive or not. Then suddenly his eyes shot open and I gasped in surprise, nearly taking a step back. We stared at one another wordlessly for a moment and for no particular reason I knew exactly where he was. He was where he always seemed to end up, he was home.

"I've got you," I assured him, the door behind me suddenly scraped open and with a jolt I was ripped away.

"Elise!"

I felt a hand on my arm, rolling me over, "Declan?" I managed blearily.

Declan helped me up, "What happened?" He was looking at my left temple with concern.

I reached up and felt blood drying on the side of my face, my fingers found the tender wound and I hissed in protest, "The alpha."

"He could have killed you." Declan noted and looked around as if expecting the alpha to still be lurking in a corner.

"You have to get to the dance," I said quickly, the moon had risen and my magic was flowing. It was definitely helping me to feel clearer already, "That's where he was going."

"What about you?" He frowned at the order

I started toward the stairs, "I have something I have to do, can you drop me off somewhere?"

It took a few minutes for me to change clothes and attempt to wash the blood off of my face. I wasn't going to be in my best shape, but I knew where Derek was and I had to act quickly. I couldn't afford to give Peter any more of a head start than he already had. I could tell that Declan wanted to argue with me, he wanted to find out exactly what I was doing. However, he also seemed to know that it wouldn't do any good to ask. I was determined to go and I couldn't have him tagging along right now. Besides, I needed to know that someone else would be at the school to help keep Stile safe. I had him drop me off on the edge of the hiking trails. I stopped to watch him leave, he turned in the direction of the school and I was satisfied with that. Declan would take care of the boys.

I didn't run this time, I was still letting my magic work on my head injury and I needed to conserve the rest. I had a feeling that tonight was going to be the night it all came to a head. This was the night we had been building up to. One way or another it was going to end. It wasn't far to the secret entrance, of course, navigating it was a bit trickier than in my vision. The gate made more noise when I opened it and I had to stop and listen for any signs that someone had heard and was coming to investigate with a very large gun. I was met with nothing but silence, until I heard a howl.

I straightened and looked out at the trees, this one was distant but too loud to be a normal wolf. Besides, we didn't have wolves here or at least not the traditional four legged kind. The howl had just died down when another one answered, this one seemed to be coming from inside the tunnel, it echoed off the walls and blew past me into the night. Someone was looking for Derek and he was answering. I wasn't sure if it was Scott or Peter that had howled first but I didn't want to wait to figure it out.

I moved quickly through the tunnel, keeping my hand on the wall again until I found the door. Fortunately it was already open so I didn't have to worry about all the noise that would make. Once inside the room it was exactly as it had been in my vision, with Derek chained up and the moonlight streaming in behind him. This time he was considerably more alive.

"Elise?"

I nodded and walked forward so that I could see him more clearly, "A few of my tracking spells came up with this house, but I thought they just weren't working."

"Well, whatever. You're here now," He turned to the shackles on his wrists, "Help me with these."

That was a bad idea, I had to talk to him first, "And after that? What will you do with your freedom?"

Derek paused and looked at me, "Really? You want to have this argument now?"

"As opposed to when you're trying to rip my throat out?" I challenged.

"I wouldn't..."

"Wouldn't you Derek?" I cut him off abruptly, "You picked his side. You know Scott will never side with him, and you definitely have to know that I can't either. That means that you're going to have to try to kill us both." I paused to let that sink in, "Now, judging by what you did the other night I don't think that's what you want."

"The people that did this need to pay," He nearly growled it and cast a glance around the destroyed basement.

"You mean Kate Argent."

Derek looked surprised, "You know it was her?"

"I remembered where I had seen the necklace before," I shrugged and crossed my arms, "She was wearing it when she tampered with the brakes on our car. I saw her that day. Our families need justice Derek, but his way is not the right way."

When he didn't respond I just continued, "You know that killing Laura wasn't an accident, it was part of his plan. He chose her for the same reason that you are so eager to believe it was an accident. He's family, the only survivor of the fire. Peter knew that Laura would hesitate to hurt him, so he had the upper hand. He knew that he could convince you to follow him, because he would be the only family you have left."

Derek had his eyes focused on the floor now, and I couldn't read his expression but I couldn't stop now. I didn't have much time, "He's your family. I get it, but there are other types of family. Ones that don't murder each other."

"Really?" He asked sharply and looked up at me again, "Would you still feel that way if you knew it was my fault?" That question was apparently rhetorical because he didn't leave time to respond, "I'm the reason she found them. I thought I was in love with her. Because of me my family is dead and because of me Peter spent six years in a coma. I'm the reason your mom died Elise."

I let the silence deepen after he was done, I thought back to Peter's comments about Derek being a romantic. It was no wonder he was so guarded. He had fallen in love and it had all been a lie. It had been part of a plot to kill his family. Derek had blamed himself all these years, I doubted he had told anyone. This explained so much. He was angry because he was angry at himself, he was punishing himself.

"Is that you think?" I asked finally and shook my head, "Derek, it wasn't your fault. She used you, how could you have known?"

He looked down again, avoiding my gaze and I sighed, "You were just another one of her victims." I shook my head, "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."

Derek looked up suddenly, "Someone is coming."

I nodded and moved quickly into the shadows to the side of the door, I readied my magic to strike. After a few silent moments I hard the sound of faint footsteps approaching and a figure moved into the room.

"Scott?"

He turned sharply to look at me, "Elise?"

I sighed in relief and moved over, "You have impeccable timing."

Scott nodded and then frowned at me, "What happened to your head?"

"Peter paid me a visit earlier," I noted irritably and turned to start back toward the prisoner, "How was the dance?"

"Uh..." Scott shook his head, "Allison knows I'm a werewolf now..."

"Whenever you guys are done socializing..." Derek snapped and rattled his chains to make his point.

Scott frowned back toward the door, "I hear someone else coming down."

"Probably a hunter," Derek confirmed and shook his shackled hands again, Scott rolled his eyes and move quickly up, breaking open the cuff around his right wrist.

"Take him by surprise." He instructed the other werewolf shortly and we both moved back into the shadows. We ducked down into the corner just as a man I had never seen before entered the room. He was bald and goateed and I got the distinct feeling that I wouldn't like him even if we weren't currently on opposite sides of a feud. Then again, I might have been biased considering that I knew he had been torturing someone for several days. Scott and I both tensed as he passed us, but he didn't even glance our way. I guess he figured he was so well hidden down here he didn't need to worry about uninvited guests. You'd think a hunter would be more cautious, not that I'm complaining.

He switched on one of the lights in front of Derek, "Ready to have some more fun?" He asked, clearly a charmer, "To be honest, my knuckles are kind of hurting. So I brought some help," He brandished a baseball bat. I decided that he had definitely seen way too many mobster movies and I almost rolled my eyes as he finished, "But I need to warn you, I used to play in college."

He moved to swing the bat down and Derek's hand shot out and caught it, he gave the man a moment to take in what had just happened before speaking, "I brought a little help too."

We really should have taken a moment to coordinate our dramatic reveal because Scott was standing in full view when the hunter whipped his head around and I was still crouched in the shadows. How was I suddenly the lame one that didn't get a cool entrance? It didn't matter because Derek took the opportunity to knock the hunter back using his own bat. The man grunted and was tossed back to land unconscious at Scott's feet.

I moved over to look down at him curiously, "Shame, he would have made a mob boss somewhere really happy."

Scott grinned at me and then we both stepped over the fallen hunter. Derek was peeling the wiring off of his torso, he tossed it aside and turned to the other cuff, "Scott, help me with this."

"No." Smart kid, apparently he and I had the same idea.

Derek looked up sharply, "What?"

"Not until you tell me how to stop Peter." Scott said firmly and I nodded in agreement.

"You really wanna talk about this right now?" Derek snapped irritably.

Scott nodded, "He's going after Allison and her family. He's going to kill them."

"So what?!" The chained werewolf nearly spat it.

"Seriously?" I snapped and shook my head as he gave me a scathing look, "Do you ever listen when I speak or are you just listening to show tunes up there?" I tapped the side of my head irritably.

"So tell me how to stop him." Scott finished.

"You can't! All right? Now..." He turned and rattled the cuff angrily, "I don't know when Kate's coming back, so just me out of this right now! Get me out right now!"

Derek was shouting by the end but Scott remained composed, "Promise you'll help me."

"You want me to risk my life for your girlfriend, huh?" He demanded, "For your stupid little teenage crush that means absolutely nothing? You're not in love, Scott. You're sixteen years old. You're a child."

"That's not fair," I said defensively, although I had never been in love so I really wasn't a great judge of that.

Scott just nodded, "Maybe you're right. But I know something you don't." He stayed firm, "Peter said he didn't know what he was doing when he killed your sister, right? He lied." Scott pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from his pocket and I glimpsed the picture of the deer with the spiral as he held it up to show Derek, "Remember this? This is what brought your sister back to Beacon Hills, right?"

"Where did you get that?" Derek asked, seeming to have calmed a little which meant he was listening.

"My boss told me three weeks ago someone came into the clinic asking for a copy of this picture. Do you wanna know who it was?" Scott was definitely feeling more confident now and was gaining momentum, "Peter's nurse. They brought your sister here so that Peter could kill her and become the alpha, and that's why you're going to help me."

Derek glared but didn't seem to be giving in so I spoke up, "I see Laura, Derek." they both turned to me sharply and I sighed, crossing my arms, "She comes to me sometimes. Mostly when she wants me to help you." I swallowed, "The night you joined Peter, outside the school. Do you remember? She was there, standing beside you. She just kept begging me to save you. Save you from him."

He looked at me, gaze piercing as if examining my expression for any sign of deceit, "I failed Laura when I didn't save her, and again that night when I let you go with him. Please, don't let me fail her again. I can't save you this time Derek, you have to help yourself."

Derek stared at me in silence, and several breaths passed before Scott shook his head and started to turn toward the door, "Look, just say you'll help us and I'll help you unlock your other..."

As he spoke Derek reached up and warped the metal, breaking free. The broken shackle clattered to the ground uselessly and Scott turned around at the sound. Both of us watched Derek as he rubbed his freed wrist, both of us waiting for his answer. I wasn't sure what Scott was thinking, maybe he was poised to fight. I probably should have been ready to attack, Derek had betrayed us before after all but my instincts didn't tell me to be ready for a fight. Maybe I was being a fool and trusting Derek Hale again when I shouldn't, maybe Laura's faith in her brother had rubbed off on me.

I wasn't disappointed when his answer came, "I'll help you."

"Thank god!" I gave an audible sigh of relief, "I really did not want to have to kill you."

Derek frowned at me, "You're a white witch, you don't kill."

"I don't kill unless I have to, as a very last resort," I clarified, "I can kill if I have no choice and it comes to saving innocent lives. I wasn't planning on killing you though, I was just going to leave you chained up down here if you continued to behave like an ass."

Scott gave a small laugh at that and Derek just shot him a glare as he went to find his shirt and jacket, "Well, the Mystery Gang is back together." I noted positively.

They both frowned at me, "Huh?" Scott asked.

I had forgotten that they hadn't been in on my little joke, now probably wasn't the time, "Never mind."

Scott shook his head dismissively, "Are you sure you're okay? We are probably going to end up fighting Peter tonight." His gaze shifted to the wound on my temple.

I moved to arrange my hair over, "I'm fine, really. My magic is keeping me going strong. Trust me, I'll pay for it later but for now I'm good to go."

Derek finished getting dressed and he nodded, "Let's get out of here."

The guys started for the door but a flicker of movement in the corner caught my attention and I hung back to investigate. They didn't seem to notice, both eager to get out of the basement. Derek clearly had no desire to spend one more minute in his torture chamber and Scott was already on task to go keep Allison safe. They were both out the door before Laura finished walking out of the shadows. She stood in a beam of moonlight, looking at me seriously. Her gaze was always piercing and expressive and she seemed to communicate solely with her eyes most of the time. Now there was something grim and urgent about her expression.

Laura glanced down at herself and that is when I noticed the blood. She had sometimes been dirty and covered in leaves, but I hadn't seen much blood on her. Now it was blossoming out of the wounds across her body, pouring like thick black syrup onto the basement floor. I watched, heart starting to race. I had to fight the instinct to rush over and try to staunch the flow, it wouldn't do any good. She was already dead. It was too much blood, flowing so heavily that it was puddling around her feet. It oozed across the floor toward me and I had to take a step back to keep it from staining the toe of my boot. I peeled my eyes away from the gore and looked at her face again. Laura seemed to be trying to speak to me again, and for the first time she made a sound. She opened her mouth and gave a blood curdling scream.

The sound was so awful, so hopeless, that I flinched back. I had never been afraid of Laura's ghost. It wasn't her that I was afraid of now, I was afraid because I knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to warn me. Danger was near, whatever we had been building up to for weeks was happening now. Laura's scream died away and as the last vibrations of it echoed through the basement she vanished. There was no trace of her, or the puddles of blood that had been here a moment ago. I stood there, trying to calm my breathing and my heart rate. There was a faint popping sound from outside, like a gunshot or small firecracker going off. Scott! Derek!

I twisted toward the door and ran back into the tunnel, racing toward the exit at a reckless speed. I burst through the gate and moved to scramble up the hill as a gunshot rang out. I could see them right in front of the house. Derek was laying closer to me, riddled with what I could only assume where bullet and arrow holes. Scott was on the ground closest to the house with Kate and Allison standing over him. Kate raised her gun at at him and Allison made a move to stop her, only to be shoved to the ground. I had only seen Kate a few times before in passing. The first time I had been a young girl, the last I had been pretending to be a babysitter. So I knew I needed to make an impression.

"Kate Argent!" I shouted and whipped up a wind that moved with me toward her, I slowed my pace as she turned to look at me. Gun still trained on Scott. I didn't feel afraid anymore, now I was angry because she was pointing a gun at an innocent person. More importantly she was pointing that gun at one of my boys. Magic thrummed through my entire body, I could almost feel myself glowing with it. It was more power than anything I had ever called forth, more than I even knew I had. Yet here it was and for now it was a strong flow. For the first time I understood why even the coven seemed to have feared my mother. The Blanchett witches were a force. Right now I was a hurricane of magic and fury.

"Scott McCall and Derek Hale have committed no crime," I declared, stopping next to Derek's body, "They are innocent, and therefore are under my protection."

"Elise?" Allison asked, looking between all of us as if trying to piece a puzzle together.

"What does that mean?" Kate asked, smirk playing across her lips.

I smiled back at her coolly, "You know exactly what that means. It means the same thing it meant six years ago. You knew the moment my mom came into town that she was here to stop you, to save them," I nodded toward the house, "So, just like then, if you want to hurt Scott you're going to have to deal with me first."

Kate considered me for a moment, "Okay." She shrugged and then turned her gun toward me.

I was much more comfortable with her gun aimed at me then at Scott, "But you don't want to do that just yet. Believe it or not, even though you are a horrible murderous bitch, I'm here to protect you."

"Is that so?" She challenged, and then as if sensing my relief that the gun was away from Scott she swiftly pointed it at him again.

"Kate!" Chris Argent decided to make an appearance, walking out of the darkness to stop a few paces away, "I know what you did. Put the gun down."

"I did what I was told to do." Kate defended herself.

"No one asked you to murder innocent people," Chris shot back, he was a man of the code after all, "There were children in that house, ones who were human. Look what you're doing now, you're holding a gun at a sixteen year old boy with no proof he spilled human blood. We go by the code: Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent."

"We hunt those who hunt us." Allison whispered to herself.

"What about Madeline Blanchett?" Chris challenged again when Kate started to grip the gun more tightly, "Killing a white witch? Maddy was bound to protect the innocent and you murdered her. She was an ally to us."

Kate just kept her gaze on Scott, finger inching toward the trigger. She was too far gone, there was no reasoning with her. Just like Peter, she might have to die to save innocent lives. To my surprise Chris pulled a gun from his holster and aimed it at his sister. A man of honor, a man of the code. My mom had been right about him after all. Kate turned and seemed just as surprised as I was to see the gun.

"Put the gun down." He ordered before firing a round that struck the tree behind her, narrowly missing her head, "Before I put you down."

After a moment of hesitation she lowered her gun and I let out a sigh of relief, one monster had been dealt with. One to go. As if on cue Peter just had to rear is big ugly, psychopathic head. The front door to the house creaked open eerily and we all turned to look at it.

"Allison, get back." Chris ordered his daughter as Kate trained her gun at the open door now. Inside was only darkness.

Scott looked at me, "Derek..."

I nodded, "I'll give him a jump start." I knelt down and placed a hand on Derek's chest, magic shot through my arm like electricity and he jerked and gave a choking gasp for air. He still had some healing to do though so I straightened and watched the door, on guard like the others.

"What is it?" Allison asked, breathing heavy.

"It's the alpha." Scott answered, he was poised for a fight.

With a low snarl a dark thing shot out from the door, it was no more then a blur as it disappeared into the trees. We all turned to follow the movement, which was probably exactly was Peter wanted. He knew he was too fast, especially out here in the open. We needed to try and limit his space, contain him somewhere. We had to cancel out his speed, I had no idea how. I doubted he would accept a polite, false, invitation to sit and talk it out in the house. I felt the air off of him as he raced past me and took Chris Argent down, the hunter wasn't dead but he was definitely on the bench for now. While we were all turned toward the fallen man Allison went down. Predictable as ever we all twisted toward her, I felt something sweep my feet out from under me and I was slammed back into the leaves.

I was left dazed and all the air had been knocked out of me. I lay there staring up at the trees, I could see stars twinkling between the branches. My head rang from hitting the ground and I only barely heard the last thud of Scott being taken to the ground. I barely registered Kate's shouting as I struggled to refill my lungs with air. I felt like I was suffocating. The sound of gunfire somewhat helped, it gave me a sharp sound to focus on. I rolled onto my side and I felt my magic flaring to life again, my breathing began to steady and my head started to clear. Derek was not far away and was still healing, but starting to try and get to his feet. I looked up and saw Allison disappearing into the house. Peter and Kate were nowhere to be seen. Damn.

I pulled myself to my feet, strength returning with every step that I took toward the house. When I entered Allison was gasping in shock and horror inside the living room. I looked in and saw Peter standing there, with Kate at his feet with her throat ripped out.

"I don't know about you Allison, but that apology didn't sound very sincere," He was saying and I moved forward quickly to stand next to her.

"She's under my protection Peter," I told him firmly, "If you were going to kill innocent people you should have killed me when you had the chance."

I raised my hands together and snapped my fingers, I drew the fire apart until I held a ball of it in each palm. I wasn't afraid to play a little dirty, and he might be traumatized enough by fire to give me an advantage. I'd take whatever I could get. Peter seemed to accept my challenge and he started forward quickly. Scott appeared at Allison's other side with a snarl, fully wolfed out for the fight. Peter stopped to look at him as Derek moved out of the shadows next to me, mutton chops and all.

"Run!" Scott ordered Allison and she was only too happy to oblige by racing toward the back door.

We attacked at once, the boys lunging from either side and I sent a fire ball flying at his chest. He ducked my spell and it fizzled out behind him as he fought off their advances. It was difficult to help with them fighting so close, I ran the risk of hitting the wrong target. I turned and kicked out a pane of the door behind him and used my magic to life the shards of glass into the air. They wouldn't kill him, but they would do some damage if I could hit him just right. Peter tossed Scott to the side and then turned to Derek, slamming him down and then sending him flying as well. The second that Derek was clear I sent my weapons flying at him, they dug into his skin sharply and he roared in protest. Peter made a move to turn toward me but Scott had regained himself and leapt onto the alpha's back.

Scott didn't last long and soon he was thrown into the corner again like a bag of garbage. Derek took him on again, landing a few solid hits before Peter threw him at Scott as he was trying to recover, knocking the younger wolf back again. I reached out and gripped the couch with my magic and I sent it flying at him. It struck him and took him to the ground. For a moment everything was still. He was down long enough that I began to wonder if I had actually managed to get a lucky hit in and had knocked him out. Then a furious growl ripped forth and the couch was suddenly sent flying in my direction. I lunged out of its path, barely getting out of the way. I watched it collide against the wall where I had just been standing and then looked up to see Peter on his feet again, features distorting into something monstrous for a moment as he turned toward me.

He lunged at me and I took half a step back before Derek came bounding over the furniture and attacked him from the side. In a few very painful looking strokes Derek was down again, showing no sign of getting up this time. I lifted the pieces of a destroyed piece of furniture to launch at Peter, jagged edges in his direction. He hit the projectiles away and growled angrily. Scott rushed him again and started trying to punch him. With each hit Peter seemed to be getting closer and closer to turning. I had a feeling we weren't doing as well as I had hoped we would be. He got a good grip on Scott and then flung him in my direction, I had to throw myself out of the way and when I looked back Scott was laying in the doorway unmoving.

I got to my feet again, ready this time. Little did Peter know, he had been giving me ideas. He was starting to get angry, he was starting to turn and I really wanted to take him out before he morphed into the beast I'd seen at the school. It was time to see how he liked being thrown around. I used my magic to grip onto his jacket, just as I had my other makeshift weapons. Once I had a firm grip I raised my hand, feeling the magic flowing from each finger like strings on a marionette. I made a shoving motion and slammed him back against the fireplace harshly. Before he had time to recover I raised my hand, guiding the magic and slamming him against the beams in the ceiling. Then I lowered my hand again and with the help of gravity sent him plummeting into the floor with a very satisfying smack. I had been working on my next move and with my other hand I had used my magic to grip the large shelf against the wall. I sent it crashing down into him so forcefully the wood splintered and the shelf crumbled into pieces against him.

I watched the pile of debris, but it didn't move. I waited one breath, then two, on the third I looked past him where Derek was laying unconscious and then at Scott in the doorway. Both seemed to be pretty out of it. Scott was the closest so I took a step toward him to try and get him back on his feet. Abruptly Peter leapt to his feet, the force of the movement sent pieces of the ruined shelf flying across the room with considerable force. One large shelf came flying at me, I raised my hands to try and stop it from striking me directly. I was only narrowly able to redirect it as it struck me on my left side where my hand had been extended. It was enough to knock me off of my feet however, and when I looked up Peter was standing in the center of the room with his back to me. He was changing.

The fabric of his coat strained and ripped as his body expanded into a huge monstrous beast. Growling filling the air, growing more and more powerful as his face lengthened into an snout. He slammed his two clawed hands into the floor and gave a thunderous roar. I scrambled to my feet and raised my arms to summon my power as the monster streaked across the room directly at me. I had definitely provoked the beast. I glimpsed his clawed hand swiping down at me, at my throat. I didn't have time for a targeted blow and just let power erupt from my chest and strike him. It knocked him back enough to keep him from slashing my throat, but his claws till made contact. Pain like fire ripped through my chest and for the force of my own magic sent me flying backward. For a moment everything was black.

Then I was in the car again.

It was a beautiful day, the day of the accident. Outside the sun was streaming down and the breeze blew pleasantly through the trees. Birds sang cheerfully, easily forgetting the sound of crunching metal grating against asphalt from moments before. I didn't forget that sound, it was still ringing in my ears. The car had flipped several times and had landed right side up on the side of the road. The windows were shattered and glass splinters were everywhere. I didn't have the strength to lift my head, all I knew was that I was in pain. Everything hurt, and I could feel myself slipping away. Then my mom grabbed my arm, I raised my eyes to see her face. She had blood dripping down her cheek from a cut and she was crying.

"You're going to be okay El," She assured me, "You're so strong, so much stronger than me. Never forget that."

I suddenly felt magic pouring into me from her touch, it was almost painful how it targeted the worst of my battered body. I could feel my body healing under its influence and I could see her growing paler, weaker. I understood that she was saving my life, and that it meant she was giving up her strength. She could have healed herself, but she was healing me instead.

"Be brave." That was the last thing she said to me before I slipped into blackness again.

I was pain. I had no name, no identity, I was made up entirely of agony. His claws had slashed deep into the left side of my chest, painting four lines over my collar bone and toward my shoulder. My magic was healing it, but I was almost completely out of magic and strength. Even as the power began to knit the flesh back together I knew it wasn't enough. I wasn't strong enough. I was weakened by the fight and I didn't have enough left. I was going to die.

Then without warning my power surged forth again, finding some other source of strength. Slowly I emerged from the waves of pain. I opened my eyes and saw the dark dilapidated ceiling above me. I could feel thick, hot blood soaking into my shirt and pooling on the floor around me. I heard only the sound of my quick, shallow breathing. My chest moved painfully up and down quickly with each painful gasp for air. Blood was everywhere. There was too much on the floor and not enough in my actual body. It was even clumping in my hair, slowly I realized that the sudden strength was originating from my hand. Derek was kneeling over me, gripping my hand tightly. My head was clear enough now to know what he had done. A white witch couldn't take power or strength from someone, but it could be offered up freely. Derek Hale had just saved my life. Did that mean we were even now?

The wounds were now shallow enough not to be fatal, it was the blood loss that would be an issue. Derek somehow managed to pick me up while keeping his grip on my hand tightly. I was too weak to lift my head so I let my cheek rest against his leather clad shoulder. I opened my eyes when I felt the fresh night air outside and it was enough to jog my senses again. What had happened to Peter? Everything seemed quiet. Derek set me carefully down on the porch steps and gripped my uninjured shoulder to steady me.

"Elise!" Stiles shouted and appeared at my side, he ripped his nice dress shirt off and pressed it against the claw marks. I winced in pain, but my only tangible thought was that he was going to be cold in just his t-shirt.

"Keep applying pressure," Derek instructed and then pulled away, his fingers slipped from mind and I felt his strength leaving me. I leaned against Stiles and watched as he walked away, toward a smoldering body in the forest ahead. Peter.

At that moment Laura walked into my line of sight and turned to look at me. This time she looked like the first time I had ever seen her, healthy and alive. She gave me an understanding look and nodded, it was a gesture of gratitude I think. Laura Hale smiled sadly at me as she faded into silver moonlight. She had been the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness, and I wouldn't see her again after that.

...

I hate hospitals. Which really shouldn't be surprising considering my past. Yet when I expressed this to my doctors, nurses, Stiles, and the Sheriff they didn't seem to grasp the point. I stayed that first night, because I had arrived unconscious. However, I refused to stay another night. Nobody seemed to be taking my refusal seriously. I had lost a lot of blood, but otherwise I wasn't too badly hurt. I would have some wicked scars on my chest, but my sprained wrist would be out of the brace soon. Besides, I was going to continue healing a faster rate of speed than the average non-magical life form. I was fine to go home, they just wanted me to stay another night for 'observation'. Nobody was even observing me, I made damn sure of that by sending Stiles and the Sheriff home. Although I knew that Stiles was camped out in the lobby near Lydia's room.

I had spent all day here, arguing with everyone that would listen about how I was fine and should be able to go home. Stiles had brought a bag of my things from home to try and make me feel better about staying. It was nice to be in my own clothes instead of a hospital gown, it would also make it much easer to sneak out. Granted, I wasn't thinking as clearly as I usually would so my plan was a little rough. That wasn't my fault. I was still weak, and the medicine was a whole other beast. I had come to the conclusion that it was my magic's fault. When I was wounded it was working around the clock to heal me, not the extreme healing I had done on the floor of the Hale house to survive. It was just speeding up the process. I think it also made it so that I built up a bit of an immunity to most pain killers.

They had run into this problem the first time I had been in the hospital too. The solution was to put me on a way above average dose of some powerful stuff. It made me a little bit scatter brained, and occasionally I would hallucinate which was interesting. Honestly that only made me more determined to get out of his hospital. I couldn't sleep here, the last time I had it had been in flames every night. At the end of the day, I was just afraid to close my eyes in a hospital.

I had waited for it to get late, when I figured it would be easier to sneak out. I had a vague idea to call a cab once I was out of the hospital. I finished putting my things into my bag and I zipped it up firmly. I had taken the get well cards but not the flowers or balloons people had left with me today. I was wearing the most passable clothes that Stiles had brought me. Though I think the little evil genius had suspected I would make a run for it because they were all basically pajamas. I just counted myself lucky that he had brought shoes.

I heard the door open and quickly dropped my bag on the floor, kicking it under the bed a little bit too earnestly because it slid straight out on the other side. The side that someone coming into my room would be able to see it. I silently cursed and turned, expecting to find a nurse or doctor there ready to chastise me for being up when I should be resting.

"What are you doing?" Derek raised an eyebrow at the bag and then moved into the room, letting the door close behind him.

I sighed heavily, "Honestly? Escaping."

"I didn't realize you were being held against your will," Derek noted, looking slightly amused.

"That's what you'd think, but if I tried to leave a whole slew of health nazis would appear and nurture me into submission," I replied.

He frowned at me, "What?"

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair, "I can't sleep here." I said seriously, "I'm afraid to. I'm afraid to close my eyes, because I don't know where I'll go or what I'll see or..." I swallowed, "What I'll feel. I just can't be here."

Derek surveyed me for a moment and then picked up my bag off the floor, "Okay, let's go."

"Okay..." I echoed, a little surprised at his willingness to help me leave the hospital.

He paused, "You look like you're about to go bed," he noted and shrugged out of his leather jacket, he offered it to me.

"Oh, yeah, the oversized leather jacket will help," I replied drily but I took it and pulled it on. I was basically drowning in leather. The shoulders were way too wide and I had to push the sleeves up if I wanted to use my hands.

"It covers up the bandages and your wrist brace at least," Derek shrugged and started for the door.

Sneaking out of a hospital was hardly the most dangerous mission we had been on together, but it felt pretty serious as we crept down the hallways. They were mostly empty, but every now and then footsteps would announce an approaching employee. Once or twice we narrowly avoided being spotted by someone by ducking around a corner or into an open door. Once we accidentally hid in an occupied room, fortunately that guy was sound asleep. He also really needed to consult someone about a solution to his snoring, it was awful.

However, it was a little bit exhausting for me. I was still recovering after all, by the time we made it to the parking lot I was dragging my feet. Derek pretended not to notice, for which I was actually grateful. I hated feeling weak and useless. He opened the door for me wordlessly and I got into his car, settling back into the seat as he went around the front to get in. Derek immediately turned up the heat once we were going.

"You cold?" I asked curiously.

He gave me a surprised look, "No, but you always seem to be."

I laughed, "True, my mom was the same way. It's mostly my hands. She always thought it as something to do with magic."

"Magic is warm?"

"Yeah," I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment, "So, how is it being an alpha?"

Derek shrugged, "I haven't had much time to see yet. I definitely feel stronger, more... dominant." He noted, "Do you think I should have let Scott kill him?"

I shifted, having trouble getting comfortable, the pain was coming back, "I don't know. I never liked the idea of Scott killing anyone, even Peter. He's just a kid. I mean, you and I basically are too but we're also already pretty damaged."

He snorted and then glanced at me, "Are you okay?"

"The meds are wearing off, I'm fine, I'll take some more when I'm home," I dismissed it.

Sneaking into the house was pretty easy, Derek didn't make a big deal of it when I gripped his arm to mount the stairs. Once we were in the room and took my bag from him and he closed the door. I didn't bother turning any lights on, just in case the Sheriff came to investigate. I got the bottle of pills out of my bag and went to the bathroom to take them. I sighed, as weird as they made me feel I definitely didn't prefer the pain. Derek was waiting patiently when I came back out. I remembered that I was wearing his jacket and slipped it off to hand back to him.

"Thanks for the brilliant disguise," I smiled, "And for springing me, it was actually kind of fun. Is that weird?"

Derek took his jacket and shrugged, "Well, you're kind of weird."

"True," I agreed and yawned.

He nodded and started toward the window, "You need your rest."

"Ah, yes, the window exit," I turned off the lamp and, "Allow me to see you out oh mighty alpha."

Derek paused with his hands on the window and he turned to face me again, expression serious, "Do you think I was wrong to kill Peter? To take the spark?"

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"What do you think, then?"

I laughed lightly, "Does it matter what I think?"

"Yeah, apparently it does," Derek replied, "I've been worrying about what you think of me since I met you. It's infuriating."

I frowned thoughtfully and shrugged, "I think you're good. I've always thought you were good."

"Because of what Laura told you?"

"No," I tucked my hair behind my ears absently, "Because you did, not in so many words but... you showed me you were."

Derek was staring at me as if he was trying to find something in my expression, "You were right, in the basement. I wouldn't have killed you."

If I were a gambler I would say that he kissed me first, but that part is a bit fuzzy. All I can really say for sure is that we kissed, and it was unexpected. It was unexpected in that it was surprisingly soft. Derek Hale, with all of his rough edges and attitude, he was so... gentle. Then again I had just left the hospital after nearly dying so that was probably a factor. When he pulled back he looked at me again for a moment, expression unreadable. Then he turned and climbed out the window, closing it behind him as he went.

I sank down onto my bed and reached up to touch my lips, as if some evidence of what had just happened would still be there. It seemed so surreal. I had kissed Derek Hale or he had kissed me, not that it mattered who did the initial kissing. I was too tired to make sense of it, but one thing was for sure. All of my fears of nightmares were gone and I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.