We Might Fall

by melissawtf

[Season 3A with an added OC] The Beacon Hills gang is surprised to find out that Stiles has a twin who shows up to meet her biological father and brother for the first time. With the Alpha Pack wreaking havoc and a mysterious person committing ritual sacrifices, Stiles just wishes his sister would stay out of it. But there's more to his sister, Avery, than meets the eye.

17. Chapter 17

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I was going to write a filler chapter of the time that the trio was under water but I couldn't come up with at least 3k words for it so I skimmed over the hours and added it to this chapter. I hope you don't mind.

P.S- Sorry for the upcoming lame excuse of a panic attack.

---

Lunar Ellipse

"Two hours. It's been two freakin' hours, Alan! You said they'd be under for only a few seconds." Avery angrily rants as she paces back and forth in front of the tubs.

"I'm sorry." He tells her, his face showing very little emotion from his standing point in the doorway. "But they knew the consequences. You all knew the consequences."

"Yeah and besides," Lydia moves forward to comfort her clearly distraught friend. "They're still alive." She says as she points out the ripples of water in each tub from where some part of their body twitches in their unconscious state. "It's just taking longer than we expected."

A snort from the side of the room catches them off guard and when they look for the source, they see Isaac hiding a grin. "Are you seriously laughing at a time like this?" Lydia narrows her eyes dangerously at him.

"I'm sorry." Isaac apologizes with a smothered grin. "But it's just the way she talks." He says as he looks at Avery. "I mean, it's not like we haven't heard you curse before so it's kind of childish and cute when you say freakin' instead of fu-"

"I swear to God." Avery glares at him. "Laugh one more time and I'm going to shove my foot so far up your a-"

"Okay, okay." Lydia quickly jumps in before Avery can finish that sentence.

Isaac's lips twitch in amusement but Avery doesn't act out on her threat. Instead, she sighs and completely relaxes when Isaac moves to stand next to her and wraps her up in a hug.

..

..

Around the ninth hour, Lydia is already planning in her mind a trip to the nail salon when everything is done and over with. With all the worry that she and Avery have been doing, their nails seriously paid the price.

It's also around this time that Lydia notices how Avery keeps checking her phone only to sigh and put it away. Isaac sees it too but he only shrugs when Lydia practically questions him with her eyes about what's going on.

Around the third time Aver checks her phone, Isaac senses the change in his girlfriend's mood and finally asks what the problem is. Deaton has just walked back into the room when he caught Isaac's questioning and when he turns to her because he can sense the tension and nerves practically rolling off of her as well, Avery finally cracks and tells them Derek went through with his plan to save Cora.

Isaac softly curses and Lydia goes tense when she can sense the near panic in the wolf. "What did this plan entail?"

Avery bites the bottom corner of her lip to keep from saying anything but Isaac goes on to tell them anyway. He goes on to explain about Derek finding out he can save Cora by siphoning the pain from her since he's an alpha but that by tapping into his power like that- he would be turned back into a beta.

And that's only if he survived the process.

Deaton looks wary and Lydia looks frightened because Derek becoming a beta at a time like this was really not the brightest idea but Avery then quickly fills them in about how the lunar eclipse was Derek's moment to shine. With all the werewolves going powerless, Derek actually had a fighting chance.

Lydia still looks worried but at Deaton's thoughtful gaze, Avery relaxes just the slightest with hope that Derek might actually have had a great idea.

"Okay," Lydia finally mumbles. "-but if you knew all this time Derek was going through with this plan, why are you only freaking out now?"

"Because!" Avery flails. "I told him to text me when he was done so I know he didn't die and it's been hours, Lydia. Hours! The process shouldn't have taken this long."

"I'm sure he's fine." Lydia tries to assure her friend but Avery shakes her head in denial.

In the midst of denying that Derek isn't fine, her phone blares from her back pocket and Avery is immediately clawing it out. When she sees the name on her phone, she breaks out a brilliant smile as she accepts it. "Derek?! Thank fuck." She breathes in relief. "What did I tell you-"

"Avery?"

Avery freezes mid-sentence, her eyes going wide as Isaac's head whips in her direction, the voice on the phone catching the both of them off guard. "Cora? You're alive?!"

"Yeah." She chuckles. "I'm feeling great, actually, but Derek is sort of drained at the moment and still unconscious."

Avery's throat nearly closes up but she manages to squeak out, "Is he going to be okay?"

Though Isaac left on not so great terms with him, he can see how greatly affected Avery is so he manages to walk up to her and lay an arm around her shoulders, and Deaton perks up at the mention of Derek's stability. "He should be. I'm just letting him rest right now before we try to wake him." She answers. "I, uh, decided to go through his phone and found your text messages so I figured you'd want an update."

"Yeah." Avery nods though Cora can't see her. "Thank you. I was starting to freak out over here so yeah, that helps."

Cora chuckles once more before moving on. "How are things on your end?"

Avery's breath hitches and Isaac squeezes her tighter to his side- he only being able to relax when Avery switches the phone to her other hand and wraps her arm around his waist. "It could be going better." She sighs before quickly explaining the sacrifice that Allison, Stiles, and Scott made as well as the consequence. "What was supposed to be a few seconds ended up being hours. They're still.. under." She finishes.

Cora is speechless for a few seconds. "Fuck."

"Yep. Exactly my thoughts."

"Well, there's nothing we can do now so keep me updated?"

"Of course." Avery immediately accepts. "Punch your brother for me when he wakes?"

Cora laughs. "Goodbye, Avery."

After Avery hangs up with the she-wolf, she pockets her phone before fully embracing Isaac's comfort and wraps her arms completely around him before shoving her face in his chest.

"See." Isaac mumbles near her temple. "Lydia was right. He's going to be fine."

Upon hearing Isaac's words, Lydia flashes him a grin and Deaton goes back to picking up around his Clinic.

..

..

At the twelfth hour, Deaton brings in a cot for the girls to take turns laying down and getting some rest. Isaac quickly sets it up for them and when he's finished, both Avery and Lydia eye the cot critically. There's too much going on at the moment that sleep won't come to anyone and before anyone can settle down on the cot, Deaton comes back into the room bringing snack foods with him.

He tells them to eat a little something if none of them are going to leave their friend's side and passes out granola bars, bottles of water, and cups of pudding. The three teens give their mumbled thanks as Deaton leaves the room once more before all three decide to sit on the cot side-by-side with Isaac in the middle. They easily devour the snacks that were given to them, the only seconds available being water that Deaton had kept plenty stocked of.

..

..

As the minutes drag into more hours, Avery starts losing her composure.

Lydia had finally nodded off after eating her snack and used Isaac's shoulder as a pillow while Avery did the same only she hadn't fallen asleep. Her eyes stayed focused on the three tubs in front of them and wondered just when it was they were going to wake up- if they were going to wake up.

As scenario after scenario popped into her mind- scenarios varying from one of three not waking up to none of them waking up to eventually everyone dying and Jennifer getting away before she had a chance to call in reinforcements- her heartbeat started to rise. When her mind drifted back to that of both Stiles and her Dad dying, she couldn't help her eyes tearing up or the fact that a lump formed in her throat at the idea of being alone without any blood-related family.

As the tears finally fall and she chokes back a sob, Isaac immediately jolts awake. "What's going on? What happened?"

Avery's breathing goes ragged as she turns her watery gaze towards Isaac and Lydia, who's now awake, and both teens are immediately alert when they see Avery's expression. "W-what if they don't wake up?" She questions. "What if Deaton was wrong about their tethers- what if.."

"Avery." Isaac cuts her off as he angles himself toward her, bringing his hands to gently grip her upper arms. "It's fine. Deaton is never wrong-"

"It's been hours, Isaac!" Avery suddenly wails as she pushes herself away from him. "Tell me again how he's never wrong. Tell me again that it's going to be fine. Tell me-" She cuts off and pants harshly before moving to stand. "Tell me-" She repeats but cuts off again as her chest tightens and the edges of her vision go blurry. "Te- Isaac?" She gasps. "I- I can't bre-"

"She's having a panic attack." Lydia blurts as she and Isaac immediately stand.

"I don't- I don't get those." Avery rasps as she clutches to Isaac's arm as a lifeline, her eyes wide and teary as she tries to catch her breath. "I don't get-"

"Well you're getting one right now." Lydia says as she tries to think of a way to help her. "You need to slow your breathing down or it's going to get worse. Slow down your breathing, Av-"

"I can't. I can't." She pants, fingers digging into Isaac's arm as she holds on to him. "Make it- make it stop."

"Deaton!" Isaac suddenly hollers and waits until the Doctor is rushing into the room. "What do we do. I don't know what to-"

"Kiss her!" Lydia blurts, eyes going wide that she hadn't thought of it before. Avery, Isaac, and Dr. Deaton look at Lydia as if she's lost her mind. "No, trust me." She tells him. "Kiss her! Stiles had a panic attack at school and when we couldn't stop it, I kissed him. It- it has something to do with holding your breath."

"I'm not kissing her." Isaac shakes his head. "She can't- we can't-.. there's an issue with-"

"Oh, screw it! I'll kiss her." Lydia snaps at him, pushing Isaac aside before grasping Avery's face in her hands and catching her lips in a kiss.

Avery goes wide-eyed as her and Lydia's lips lock perfectly- her eyes darting back and forth between Lydia who has her eyes closed and Isaac who's gaping at the scene. There's nothing romantic about the kiss, just two pairs of lips locked together and after a good ten seconds, Lydia pulls back.

"What.. the hell." Avery finally manages to say without breathing raggedly, though she was now a bit breathless.

"You needed to calm down." Lydia shrugs as if it were no big deal. "Making you hold your breath was the only way I knew how to stop the panic attack."

"Yeah but," Avery frowns when she notices Isaac still gaping and Deaton staring at her as if she were about to have another panic attack. "-I don't get panic attacks. I've never had one before."

"Well, whatever you were thinking triggered it. What were you thinking?"

Avery's gaze darts back and forth between all three occupants in the room. Her gaze lingers on Deaton before he nods and takes his leave out of the room. Once gone, she sighs and starts to move back towards the cot.

Isaac is still speechless at Avery's sudden attack and the kiss between his girlfriend and friend that when he feels a tug on his hand, he realizes Avery has slipped her hand into his without him even noticing. When he sees the worry flash in her eyes, he gives her a brief grin as he slides his fingers between her own and squeezes to assure her he's not mad or anything.

He then drags her down onto the cot, sitting once more in the middle as Lydia slowly sits on the other side of him.

"They're going to wake up, Avery, you just have to believe it." Lydia suddenly voices. "We're the ones keeping them tethered to this plane so don't freak out now." She quickly reprimands her friend. "And I know this sounds cheesy but you just have to believe."

Avery blinks rapidly as big fat tears roll down her cheek, her gaze set on the red-head on the other side of Isaac. Lydia keeps her gaze stern, not wavering in the slightest at her friend's sudden breakdown and mentally cheers when Avery suddenly snaps back to herself and starts to nod.

"Y-you're right. I need to believe they'll wake up." She mutters as she keeps nodding. "We all need to believe they'll wake up."

Isaac breathes a sigh of relief at hearing her say that, his mind reeling at the whiplash of emotions she just displayed. He hears her heartbeat slow, letting his grip on her hand go and pulls her to his chest- hugging her while setting his cheek atop her head. Slowly but surely, Avery wraps her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck and breathing shakily as she tries to keep herself together. "There, there. You're fine." He mumbles into her hair. "It's all going to turn out fine."

She nods into his neck, hugging him tightly and using the solidity of Isaac and Lydia's presence to keep herself calm and hopeful. Isaac moves to lean back against the wall, pulling Avery into his lap as he works on keeping her calm and letting Lydia lean back on his shoulder as they sit and wait.

Avery works on controlling her breathing as she lets her eyelids shut and listens in to Isaac's breathing to keep hers matched to his. A small thud sounds from one of the tubs and Avery's eyes immediately snap open. She doesn't move or cause any noise in case it was just a trick of her imagination but the second she feels Isaac tense beneath her, she pulls back from the cuddled embrace and sees his eyes are wide and staring at the tubs. Another thud sounds and this one is loud enough to catch Lydia's attention as well. All three teens turn to stare at the tubs but all they see is the peaceful expressions of Allison, Stiles, and Scott's faces as they are barely kept afloat.

When the sounds cease- Avery, Lydia, and Isaac start to slump back against the wall. Before they even have the chance to get comfortable, Allison gasps awake and shoots upward with her eyes wide open. Two seconds later, Stiles follows suit and finally Scott.

As they all continue to gasp for breath and splash around- Avery, Lydia, and Isaac shoot to their feet as their friends attempt to stand while Deaton runs into the room with a shocked expression.

"I saw it. I know where it is." Scott shouts as he pulls himself out of the tub.

"We passed it. There was this stump-" Stiles says as he too climbs out from his tub. "-this huge tree, well it's not huge anymore, it was cut down but it's still big though. Very big."

"It was the night we were looking for the body." Scott cuts back in as he tells what they saw before looking back to Stiles to see if he remembers what night he's talking about.

"The same night you were bit by Peter." And yeah, he clearly remembers.

"I was there, too, in the car with my Mother. We almost hit someone." Allison pants and Scott gapes.

"It was me. You almost hit me."

Now it's Allison's turn to gape as they realize they're all connected to the same night. Deaton looks intrigued as he listens to what they're saying while Avery, Isaac, and Lydia just look confused. Stiles, Scott, and Allison are all soaking wet, panting for breath, and trying to get out their story as quickly as possible.

"We can find it." Scott then says as he looks to Deaton.

Deaton's face, who usually knows how to school his features to be neutral, turns to look at the three dry teens. Each and every one of them look wary and not as hopeful as the three soaking wet teens.

Allison wraps her arms around her shaking form when she realizes their expressions. "What?"

"You guys were out a long time." Isaac finally says when no-one volunteers to answer them.

Allison, Stiles, and Scott all share a look. "How long is a long time?" Stiles sighs.

Avery catches her brother's gaze with a frown. "Sixteen hours."

"We've been in the water for sixteen hours?!" Scott looks to Deaton for confirmation.

Deaton nods. "And the full moon rises in less than four."

Scott hangs his head with a groan before finally moving away from the tub. Deaton is quick to retrieve towels for all of them and hands them out. As Scott and Stiles attempt to warm themselves up, Avery and Lydia move to sit on either side of Allison on one of the side metal tables. They sit as close as they can, offering up any body heat so Allison can leech it from them through the towel and their clothes.

Isaac chooses to lean against the table they're sitting on, his hip setting against Avery's knee. "So what's the plan now?"

"I'm not sure." Scott shrugs. "But I do know I have to go back to the alphas."

"No, dude, you are not going back with them." Stiles cuts in.

"I made a deal with Deucalion." Scott states, his gaze set on the floor.

Stiles groans and looks out to the remaining room's occupants. "Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?"

Isaac shrugs. "What does it matter anyway?"

"Because," Scott says. "-I still don't think we can beat Jennifer without their help."

Allison scoffs and looks to Deaton. "He trusts you more than anyone else. Tell him he's wrong."

"I'm not so sure he is." Deaton says, hands on his hips as his gaze darts back and forth between Allison and Scott. "Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you normally consider enemies."

"So we're going to trust him?" Avery finally sighs. She knows this isn't going to end well. Someone was going to die but she'd be damned if it was anyone in her close circle of friends.

"The guy who calls himself Death-" Isaac picks up for Avery. "-Destroyer of Worlds. We're gonna trust that guy?"

"I wouldn't trust him." Deaton elaborates. "No.. but you could use him to your advantage." And now, he's piqued everyone's interest. "Deucalion may be the enemy but he could also be the bait."

The room goes quiet after that revelation, each and every one of them contemplating different scenarios in which Deucalion would be bait. In the midst of the brainstorming, Avery's phone buzzes from within her pocket. Remembering that Cora was to keep her updated, she quickly tears her phone from her pocket and opens the text message that was sitting there.

'Derek said you're all idiots and he hopes you all live so he can kill you himself.'

Avery barks a laugh, quickly typing back a reply to tell them that she hopes he recovers fast and that they're all awake on her end now. When she looks up from her phone, she finds everyone staring at her and waiting for an explanation. When she can't find a way out, she tells them that Derek's finally awake. And when she's met with three curious and worried faces of Allison, Stiles, and Scott- she goes on to explain on how Derek isn't an alpha anymore. That he sacrificed his alpha power to save Cora.

"But now he's a sitting duck!" Stiles nearly flails. "What the hell was he thinking?!"

"What any big brother would be thinking." Avery narrows her eyes on Stiles, her voice going low. "Cora was dying so of course he'd do anything to save her even if it included getting himself killed. We're all just lucky he still has a plan."

"What plan?" Scott asks. "With Derek having the power of a beta, Kali's going to tear him apart."

"Not necessarily." Deaton pipes up with one of his secretive grins. When Scott's head snaps in his direction, Deaton looks back to Avery. "Care to fill them in?"

"Avery?" Stiles turns back to his sister. "What aren't you telling us?"

"Well," Avery bites the bottom corner of her lip to keep them in suspense just a little bit longer. "I was informed that on the night of a lunar eclipse, werewolves don't become super wolf, they become human." Stiles and Scott both gape and Avery nods with a grin. "So yeah, he's planning to stall her long enough to take her on when they're on an even playing field."

The boys don't even get a chance to ask for more information when the bell from above the front door jingles. Avery, Scott, Stiles, Isaac, and Deaton straighten up at the sound but only Deaton goes to investigate which catches Allison and Lydia's attention when they realize how tense everyone turned.

"I'm looking for Lydia." They hear a familiar voice state.

Avery's eyes go wide as they catch her friend's, Lydia gulping and slowly moving towards the doorway with Avery at her heels along with Scott.

"What do you want?" She asks when she comes face to face with Ethan.

He remains quiet for a few seconds. "I need your help." He finally says, his gaze locked on with hers.

"With what?" Stiles demands as he pushes himself to stand in front of both girls.

"Stopping my brother and Kali-" He tells them to which everyone is pretty much speechless. This was something they did not see coming. Hoping for, yes, but they weren't counting on it. "-from killing Derek."

Again, the room is struck speechless. Well, at least until Avery awkwardly breaks it. "Plot twist." She sing-songs which earns her a glare from her brother. "What? You were thinking it." She huffs. When she looks back to Ethan, she catches the twitch of his lips as he hides his grin. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"Whoa, wait, what?!" Stiles yelps. "You're just going to jump right on the bandwagon with him? How do you know this isn't part of their plan?"

"Because it isn't." Avery says as she takes in Ethan's facial expression. "He wants this to stop as much as we do."

"If it helps any, his heart didn't skip when he was talking about stopping Aiden and Kali." Scott supplied. "He's telling the truth."

Stiles groans but gives in. "Fine. What's the plan?"

"We need to get Derek and whoever else out of town." Ethan tells them. Avery is ready to protest but Ethan cuts her off. "We all know about the lunar eclipse and what it does. Kali isn't going to sit around and wait until it's an even playing field. She's out for blood so the sooner we can convince Derek to leave, the sooner we can setup and get ready to stall to earn him some more time to get away."

"You're right." Avery breathes. "We need a plan.. a plan.." She mumbles as she wracks her brain for anything. No-one is saying anything or even throwing out ideas so she says the first thing that pops into her mind. "Okay, Lydia, you and I are going to go with Ethan. We need to convince Derek and possibly Cora that they need to leave." Lydia nods and starts moving towards the alpha as Avery turns to Stiles. "You and Deaton work the maps. Try and pinpoint exactly where the Nemeton is and then call Scott or Isaac."

"Us?" Scott's brow furrow in confusion.

"Yeah. You." Avery grins. "You, Isaac, and Allison are heading to her place. You have a lock down on your Mom's scent, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good. Then Isaac can sniff something out of Mr. Argent's and when Stiles calls about the location of the Nemeton, you guys head there so you can sniff out their scents in case they're close by."

"Okay but why are you going with them and not with us?" Isaac asks.

"Because," Avery grins at him. "-as much as I sort of trust Ethan, I'm not letting Lydia go alone."

The group goes quiet for a moment before Scott 'okays' the entire plan. Lydia is already standing by Ethan who are just waiting on Avery when Deaton turns to move back into the back room with Scott on his tail. When Avery lingers a bit and glances at her brother and then at Isaac- Isaac takes the hint to leave the siblings alone.

When Stiles notices that they're all heading back into the back room, he turns to go as well but Avery catches his wrist. "Wait." She murmurs.

Stiles nearly does a double-take because his sister has tears in her eyes. She actually has tears in her eyes and she has no injury that would warrant the tears. "Hey, what's wr- oomph!" He grunts when Avery launches herself at him.

She gets her arms wrapped around his shoulder area, squeezing tightly as she hooks her chin over his shoulder. "I thought I had lost you." She mutters, her voice cracking just the slightest. "You weren't waking up and I kind of lost it earlier. I just- I just need to hug you. I need the assurance that you're actually here."

"Hey, hey.. I'm right here." Stiles tells her, eyes wide as he catches Lydia's shocked gaze and brings his arms around his sister's small frame to squeeze her back. "You didn't think you'd be able to get rid of me that easy, did you?"

"I had a panic attack, you doofus. That's how bad I got when none of you were waking up."

"What?! You get those, too? How did you-"

"Let's just say we now have something in common." Avery chuckles against his shoulder. "We can now both say that we've kissed Lydia Martin." Stiles reels back from her, his hands gripping her upper arms gently as she grins sheepishly at him. "Isaac wouldn't do it because of reasons so Lydia took charge."

Stiles just gapes as his eyes dart back and forth between both females and now that it seems the brother-sister moment is over, Isaac makes his way over to them and claps Stiles on the shoulder. "I was speechless, too." He grins. "If I had any functioning ability, I'd have snapped a picture to show you."

And that- that snaps Stiles out of his shocked state. "That's my sister." He grimaces.

"And that's my girlfriend but you don't see me complaining."

"Isaac!" Avery scowls at him but cracks and ends up grinning. "Shutup."

"Avery, come on." Lydia finally calls out.

Avery catches her gaze with a nod, moving to hug her brother before she leaves him. "Remember, call Isaac or Scott when you figure out the location." Stiles nods before moving out of the hug and then she moves to hug Isaac. "Be careful, please, and keep me updated."

"I will." He tells her. "You be careful. They're alphas, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." She huffs. "Just don't die." And before he could protest or tell her the same, Avery stands up on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to his lips.

All their kisses have been rushed and/or chaste so in case this is the last time she sees him, she makes it count. She slowly forces herself to part her lips as to not freak herself out and slowly lets her tongue peek out to taste his bottom lip. Forgetting that there's an audience, Isaac's arms snake around her waist to bring her closer as he gladly accepts the deepened kiss and when Avery feels him beginning to taste her.. she doesn't freeze or tense up.

She doesn't take a moment to figure out why she's not freaking out at the not-so-simple kiss and just melts against him. The duo actually get a bit carried away with gentle nips and explorations of each other's mouths that it isn't until a throat clears that they jump apart.

Isaac and Avery are both wide-eyed, cheeks flushed red and lips kissed swollen. Stiles grimaces at the display he just witnessed before rolling his eyes and heading to the back room when a giggle sounds.

Whirling around to face the sound, Avery is met with a smiling Lydia and Ethan who's looking anywhere but at her. "Not one word, Martin." Avery blurts as she narrows her eyes at said girl.

Lydia holds her hands up in mock surrender but it's Ethan who speaks. "Now can we go?"

Isaac snorts but blushes when Avery rounds on him. Instead of saying anything, she quickly leans up and pecks his lips before turning and jogging towards Lydia and Ethan who are now halfway out the door. After making a quick stop by Allison's car to retrieve her bow and arrow, Avery slings both across her back and hops on her bike while Lydia gets in the car with Ethan.

..

..

By the time they get to Derek's building, Ethan and Lydia are wary and just following Avery's lead. As they take the elevator up, Avery is the only one who seems to be at ease as she clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. When the elevator comes to a stop, Ethan and Lydia once again just follow Avery's lead.

Acting like she pretty much belongs there, Avery slides open the loft door with ease and steps in with a smirk. "Alright, Hales. You got company." She yells into the seemingly empty place.

Cora is the first to show, eyes hardening when she sees Ethan standing in the group. Peter comes in next, rolling his eyes when he sees who's there but doesn't leave his niece's side and Derek's appearance is known when he growls.

"What's he doing here?"

"He's come to help. To give you a head start on getting the hell out of here." Avery tells them. "Ethan is trying to stop the others from killing you."

Being as she's the only one comfortable enough to walk around the wolves, Avery walks down the steps and further into the loft. Cora watches her with a smothered grin- the human who seems to be so at ease with these supernatural beings around her that are just waiting to tear each other's throats out.

"We know about the lunar eclipse." Ethan finally says, catching everyone's attention as Derek positions himself in front of his family and crosses his arms over his chest. "So don't think Kali's going to sit around waiting for it to level the playing field. She's coming. My brother's coming with her."

"Good enough for me." Peter nods. "Derek?"

"You want me to run?" He asks, his gaze not meeting anyone else.

"No." Peter sasses. "I want you to stay and get slaughtered by an alpha with a psychotic foot fetish." Avery snorts at Peter's words before biting her lip when Peter's voice gets louder. "Of course I want you to run. Sprint! Gallop! Leap your way the hell out of this town."

"If you want to fight and die for something," Cora then says. "-that's fine with me but do it for something meaningful."

"How do you know I'm going to lose?" Derek asks.

"We don't." Peter drawls. "But I bet she has an idea." He says as he looks towards Lydia. When Lydia realizes he's talking about her, Avery can see the way her friend tenses and even gulps when Peter starts to walk towards her. "Don't you, Lydia?"

"I don't know anything." She answers him.

When Peter takes a few more steps, Avery intervenes. "That's enough, Peter. Back off." Lydia gulps yet again and Ethan looks ready to intervene as well if the occasion calls for it.

Peter stops and turns to look at Avery with a grin. "Relax." When he turns back to Lydia, said female tenses once more. "You feel something, don't you?"

Lydia lost eye contact with Peter, her eyes darting down as she thought about it. "What do you feel?" Derek asks her, taking charge of the situation now that someone was bound to know what they were talking about.

Lydia keeps her gaze down. "I feel like.." She murmurs softly. "-I'm standing in a graveyard."

Avery and Cora immediately tense, both girls turning to Derek when they see his shoulders slump. Peter turns to his nephew, the two of them having some sort of eye communication when Peter suddenly sprints to the back room and up the metal staircase.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and trust your instincts." Derek says to Lydia before turning to Avery and Cora. "But if I go, you go with me." He tells his little sister.

Cora doesn't even fight him on it, instead she chooses to run out of the room and wherever it was that Peter disappeared. Derek then looks to Avery and his features soften a little. "Hey, I'm good." Avery smiles at him. "When this is all over, I'll give you a call so you can get your ass back to town."

He looks like he wants to say something but the moment his mouth opens, Peter reappears with two duffel bags. "I threw in some necessities. Cora's packing now."

Derek nods and when he looks back to Avery, she waves him off. "Go. I need to help them stall the others here."

Derek opens his mouth yet again to tell her something but Cora leaps from the staircase with her own duffel bag of goodies. Sighing mostly to himself, Derek nods towards the door for Peter and Cora to head to. When he catches Avery's gaze once more, he mutters out a quick, "Don't die." before he too is out the door leaving Avery, Lydia, and Ethan in his place of home.

Avery keeps herself in check as she watches the Hales depart before Ethan and Lydia move further into the room so that their backs are to the windows and they can see if anyone enters through the door.

No-one says anything as they stand around and Avery chooses to pace back and forth just to pass time. Lydia just stares at her friend pace while Ethan sets his gaze on the door with his arms crossed over his chest as he waits.

The vibration of her phone makes Avery giggle before she reaches into her pocket to see what's going on now. 'FBI was waiting inside Allison's home. We're being questioned right now but I made up the excuse of coming to the bathroom. Tell your brother not to freak if he can't get ahold of us.'

"Crap." Avery mutters as she forwarded Isaac's message to Stiles.

"What? What happened now?" Lydia says as she takes a step towards her friend.

"N-nothing." Avery shakes her head and another text from Isaac comes in. "The FBI cornered Scott, Isa- Oh." She laughs. "Nevermind. Allison set off a smoke bomb and they got away. Damn, go Alli." Avery grins as she texted back Stiles to forget about what she forwarded to him.

Lydia sighs in relief as they went back to waiting but Avery caught the way Ethan was too focused on the door. The way he tilted his head to the side, as if he were straining his hearing, let her know that someone was coming. Avery immediately sobered up from her amusement, reaching for the bow at her shoulder and pulling it off. Lydia noticed Avery's movements and when Avery slid an arrow from her back, Ethan's gaze snapped in her direction and he nodded.

They were here.

The alarm in Derek's loft immediately blares and since it's not a bother to them, the three loft's occupants let it ring out. The door then slides open, Kali swaggering in with a smirk before she walked over to the system box and kicked it off it's pillar.

"Where is he?" She snarled as Aiden walked in next, standing behind her with his face void of any emotion.

Lydia snapped her fingers, scrunching up her face in thought as she looked to Avery and then to Ethan. "I think he said he was heading out to do some shopping." She nodded along trying to get Ethan to agree with her as he hid a smirk. "Run a few errands. The usual- ahem," Lydia clears her throat. "-werewolf afternoon."

Avery didn't bother hiding her grin as she slowly notched her arrow but kept it pointing towards the ground as Kali starting pacing back and forth in her anger. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Lydia crossed her arms. "Someone in desperate need of a pedicure." She sassed as Kali's upper lip curled in anger. "I'd be happy to give you a referral."

Kali made a move to step forward but Avery easily leveled her arrow at her. "Watch it, dog." Avery smirks. "Don't want to lose an eye, do you?"

Kali's claws flicked out at her sides but it's the growling that catches everyone off guard- including Kali who freezes in spot before looking over her shoulder at Aiden who was growling at her in warning. "Oh really?" She asks Aiden as he continues to growl while she walks up to him. From Avery's peripheral vision, she can see Ethan tense for his brother's sake. "Did someone take their little assignment too seriously?"

At Kali's words, Aiden's gaze shoots up to Lydia. "She's not the problem." He snarls lowly as he catches Kali's gaze.

"Maybe the problem is where your loyalties lie." The alpha she-wolf says.

"Oh god." Lydia sighs softly. "Is this about to get really violent?"

Ethan and Avery share a look as they nod in unison. "Probably."

Glass from the ceiling suddenly shatters as a figure falls through making Lydia scream out in shock as Ethan grabs her and drags her back to safety. The sudden intrusion startles everyone- including Avery who drops her arrow in the process of scrambling backward and away from the danger.

The figure lands in a crouch- clad in a black leather jacket, black jeans, and black boots- with their head hanging forward. Aiden and Kali are both shocked still and then turn angry when the figure throws it's head back to get it's hair out of the way and to make it's dramatic appearance known.

"So," a feminine voice drawls once she stands to full height. "-who wants to go first?"

And it's then that Avery, Ethan, and Lydia figure out it's Jennifer who just made her entrance.

Kali snarls, her teeth lengthening into fangs before she braced herself and kicked up at Jennifer's head. Jennifer easily dodged the kick with a grin, her grin widening into a smug smirk as she continued to dodge each and every kick and swipe of Kali's clawed toenails. Finally having enough, Jennifer shoved at Kali's shoulder with her palm and sent the alpha flying back in a spin only to land harshly on the floor.

Aiden snarled next, half circling Jennifer with his red eyes and fangs. Ethan immediately stood, half transforming as he pushed Lydia to the side and out of the way. Even though Avery wasn't on good terms with Aiden, she was still worried for him just for Ethan's sake and even more so now that they had a common enemy he was about to take on.

Aiden roared as he swiped once with his claws only to have Jennifer hit him in the chest with her power and sent him flying back. Ethan growled in anger, unzipping his jacket and slipping it off as Aiden quickly sat on bended knee- ripping his shirt in half as he roared. Jennifer watched on without one ounce of worry and as soon as Aiden and Ethan connected their arms and started to morph into each other, Jennifer strutted up to them and gripped them by their throats, yelling in rage as she threw them apart from each other so they couldn't complete their morphing.

Avery gaped at the strength Jennifer was displaying and Lydia gasped in fright for Aiden and Ethan as they both hit the walls and fell down. Avery then readied herself, reaching back for another arrow when she saw Kali starting to come to and getting up to her feet. But before she can fully unsheathe an arrow, Kali has caught Jennifer's attention.

The two walk towards each other, Kali flipping in air as she tried to hit Jennifer with her clawed toes but completely misses as Jennifer easily sidesteps her. When Kali is standing on two feet again, she faces off with Jennifer who hasn't stopped smirking the entire time. They hold each other's gaze and Kali suddenly deflates a little as she stands up straighter.

"That's right, Kali." Jennifer nods, voice eerily calm. "Look at me. Look at my face." Kali pants as she continues to stare and it's then that Avery realizes that she's in some sort of trance. "Do you know what it takes to be able to look like this? To be able to look normal."

"I don't care." Kali shakes her head as she comes to.

"It takes power." Jennifer says as she squares her shoulder in Kali's direction. "Power like this."

Jennifer's hands open up at her sides, her palms facing downward as she keeps her gaze solely on Kali. Avery goes wide-eyed and mentally groans when the glass shards beneath Jennifer's feet start to rattle on the floor before floating upward in mid-air as Jennifer raises her arms at her side. Kali gulps in fear as she eyes the pieces of glass in front of her before catching Jennifer's determined expression. Thunder rumbles outside the building and the wind picks up in the loft causing everyone's hair to fly about.

"I.." Kali gasps, finding it hard to breathe. "I should have.." The rotating pieces of glass come to a stop, the most sharpest point of each shard pointing directly at Kali. "I SHOULD HAVE RIPPED YOUR HEAD OFF!" Kali shouts at Jennifer at the same time Jennifer yells while thrusting her arms out in front of her and sends the shards of glass flying at Kali.

Lydia gasps and closes her eyes but Avery watches on in shock as the pieces embed themselves all over Kali's face, neck, and torso. With her face frozen in shocked pain, Kali falls to the floor dead.

The entire room goes quiet and slowly but surely, Jennifer then sets her sight on Lydia with a malicious grin. Without a second thought, Avery reaches back with quick reflexes and pulls out an arrow, notching in on her bow and leveling the point at Jennifer. "Don't even think about." She seethes.

Jennifer turns her amused grin on Avery but before she can make a move, growling causes her to stop and look over her shoulder.

Aiden and Ethan are finally morphed as one and they take a moment to stretch a bit when Jennifer suddenly advances on them. Avery sighs in relief, lowering her bow as the twins meet Jennifer halfway. They swing out with both arms, growling as Jennifer easily ducks behind them. With her back to their back, she reaches back over her shoulder and hooks her hand around their neck while bending down- breaking the twins' neck in the process.

The resounding crack is enough to make both Avery and Lydia cringe. As they watch the morphed alpha fall lifeless to the ground with blood spilling from their mouth- tears well in both the girl's eyes.

"Noo!" Avery yells as she stumbles forward. She might not have liked Aiden but Ethan was somewhat decent.

Lydia pants out, trying her best not to break down and cry as Jennifer turns to them. "What's the line Coach likes to say? The bigger they are.." She smirks cruelly at them as the hope flees Lydia.

"You fucking bitch!" Avery shrieks in rage. Jennifer spares her a quick glance before setting her sights on Lydia again. She walks toward the red-head, grinning all the while, as Lydia scrambles backward until her back meets a pillar. "Stop right there." Avery yells this time and when Jennifer glances over her shoulder, she finds an arrow pointed directly at her. "If you take one more step, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Avery's gaze hardens on her as she steadies her grip on the bow and pulled string but it doesn't bother Jennifer in the slightest. Instead, it amuses her and she lets her amusement show as she tsks twice and turns halfway. "You should know better than to play with the big kids." Jennifer grins.

Her hand raises and forms a choking gesture in Avery's direction. The moment Jennifer squeezes her fingers closer together, Avery chokes on air and drops her bow as her hands fly up to her throat. Jennifer squeezes tighter once more and Avery's eyes bulge as she starts to claw at her throat now while gasping for air.

"Stop it! You'll kill her." Lydia pleads.

Jennifer turns to Lydia with a grin to find the red-head with tears in her eyes as her gaze darts back and forth between herself and Avery. Raising her hand higher as she keeps her gaze set on Lydia- Lydia squeaks in fear as Avery raises a bit higher so she's struggling to keep her feet touching the ground.

Avery struggles even harder to keep the tips of her toes touching the floor when her mind reels about what's happening right now. There's been two occasions in Avery's life that she's felt fear for her life- actual fear that had tears filling in her eyes. Once had been in that alley years ago when she was stripped bare and abused, and another was- is what's happening at the current time as she scratches at air around her throat because she's being magically strangled. Avery gasps for any ounce or two of air that she can feed into her lungs when the tips of her toes start to drag across the floor towards Jennifer. With a sadistic grin, Jennifer wraps her fingers around the flesh of Avery's throat when she's in arms reach.

"What do you want from me?" Lydia cries as Jennifer digs her fingers into Avery's throat, her magic keeping Avery from swinging out at her.

"I want you to do what you do best, Lydia. I want you to scream."

Lydia looks on in confusion at Jennifer as she suddenly lets her 'Jennifer' facade drop and exposes her true face as the Darach. When Lydia sees her appearance for the first time, she wails out in fear.

..

..

Avery doesn't know how long it's been since she's been hanging there in mid-air by her throat but she knows someone's coming when Jennifer suddenly tightens her grip once more and cuts off what little air Avery had been able to take in.

Her hands fly up to her throat- glad that Jennifer isn't using magic to keep her arms down- and she starts clawing at Jennifer's hand when the loft door slides open. She continues to struggle and when she hears a low growl echo throughout the loft, she manages to glance to the side and sees Cora with yellow glowing eyes and Derek holding his sister back by the shoulder as he glares at Jennifer.

"Took you long enough." Jennifer states as she finally lets Avery fall in a heap on the floor. "Do you like your present?" She gestures outward towards Kali, Aiden, and Ethan.

As Jennifer saunters off to the side, Cora takes that chance to run forward towards Avery who's gasping for air. Lydia immediately crouches down as the she-wolf goes to cradle Avery while Derek looks around at the dead alphas in his home.

"I- I'm fine." Avery rasps as she starts to sit up on her own. "Guard Lydia." She says before she pushes herself the rest of the way out of Cora's hold and up to her feet.

"You did this for me?" She hears Derek say after he's taken in the outcome of the fight that happened here.

"I did it for us." Jennifer corrects him which causes Avery to snort and roll her eyes. Jennifer turns to glare at Avery who's glaring right back while trying to soothe her throat by massaging with her fingers. "For anyone who's ever been their victim."

Derek gets angry. "Stop talking to me like a politician." He says as he walks forward. "Stop trying to convince me of your cause!"

"Fine. I'll convince you of someone else's. Scott." Jennifer states confidently. Immediately, everyone in the room tenses as they pay attention to what she has to say now. "You can save his Mother, Stiles' Father.."

"How?"

Jennifer grins. "I need a Guardian. That's a role that can either be filled by the three parents I was forced to take or by you.. and Avery."

Lydia gasps but as Avery catches her gaze, she minutely shakes her head. When she turns back to Derek, she catches him staring at her thoughtfully and she gives him a nod.

She'd do it.

If it meant saving her Dad, she'd do it. She'd do whatever it was so her Dad and Stiles can be reunited.

Derek's shoulders slump when he sees the determination in her eyes. "I can't help you." He finally says as Jennifer saunters up to him. "I'm not even an alpha anymore."

"All I need is for the two of you to help me get Deucalion in the right place at the right time."

"You just killed three of them on your own." Derek grits out. "What do you need us for?"

"You haven't seen him at his strongest. I have." Jennifer shakes her head, fear creeping into her voice. "If he's got Scott with him, I don't stand a chance unless I have you and Avery. You can help me fend off Deucalion while Avery distracts Scott with her skills. He won't kill someone he considers a little sister."

"Derek, don't trust her." Cora finally seethes.

"I have the eclipse in my favor." Jennifer rolls her eyes at Cora's words before looking back up at Derek. "But the moon's only going to be in the Earth's umbra shadow for fifteen minutes. That's the extent of my window. There's no decision to struggle with. Help me kill him and the others live. Just help me!"

Derek clenches his jaw at Jennifer's attempt to get him and Avery on her side. The girl is only a teen and has her whole life in front of her. She shouldn't have to do this. As he glances up, he sees the defeated teen girl stumbling over to her dropped bow and arrow before picking them up and sheathing the lone arrow with the others. When she stands and catches his eye, she looks worn down but gives him the nod of okay.

With a defeated sigh of his own, Derek nods to Jennifer. "Okay."

With a victorious grin, Jennifer looks over her shoulder to catch Avery looking at her and void of any emotion. When she nods to the teen, she turns to Derek and gestures to start walking towards the door. Derek follows without a word and once they're up the four steps, Avery calls out. "Wait. I, uh, I need a moment."

Jennifer and Derek stop at the door, Jennifer sighing and rolling her eyes at the teen and giving her okay. Immediately, Avery drapes her bow across her back and launches herself towards Lydia and Cora- wrapping an arm around each girl's neck in a hug.

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay." She murmurs so only the girls can hear her and possibly Derek. She's really glad that at this moment of time, Jennifer doesn't have keen hearing like the wolves.

"How can you say that?" Lydia cries softly into her friend's shoulder. "She's going to kill you when it's all over."

"And my brother." Cora adds in. "She's going to kill us all once you help her."

"I have that feeling too." Avery admits. "So that's why I need you two to do something for me. If we don't make it out of this tonight, if you don't hear from me, go to my house and get my laptop. I changed the master password to Claudia Stilinski." She quickly tells both girls. "Get in, log on to my email- same password- and email both Elijah and Nik. Tell them what happened."

Cora pulls back with her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why do you say if you don't make out if you're so sure you're going to die?"

"Because when I come back to life and Jennifer figures out what's going on, she kill me permanently."

"What?!" Lydia gasps, pulling back and looking at a now grinning Avery with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?" She says as she makes sure to keep her voice low.

"Didn't I ever tell you what vampire blood does to a human when they die with it in their system?" Avery mutters and Lydia shakes her head. "If you die with a vampire's blood in your system, you become one. You'll wake up in transition and if I don't get a drop of human blood in my system during the transition and Jennifer figures it out, she'll kill me in my weakened state." Cora's jaw drops open in shock and Avery doesn't have to turn around to know that Derek is tense as hell and now second guessing his decision on letting Avery do this. "So yeah, if I don't call or answer your call in my newly reawakened state-"

"Don't say that." Cora tries her best not to whine. "Derek won't let that happen. He'll die before he lets Jennifer kill you."

Avery offers the she-wolf a sad smile before shrugging and pulling both girls into one last hug. "We'll see."

..

..

As Derek, Jennifer, and Avery make their way outside- Derek and Jennifer head for Derek's vehicle. Avery pauses halfway which makes the other two stop as well and look to her for an explanation. After telling them that she's taking her bike and will follow them, they let her go and are soon on the road to wherever it is Jennifer needs them.

Seven minutes into the drive, Avery finds themselves at the Nature Preserve and parking. When she gets off and walks up to Derek, he tells her that Jennifer needs to focus on the atmosphere to pinpoint exactly where Deucalion is. Avery then takes a moment to check her phone but when she finds no messages, she lets it go and pockets her phone once more.

As she stares up at Jennifer, she and Derek find the dark druid staring down at her phone. Her phone suddenly pings and as a look of confusion crosses her features, Derek and Avery moving to stand behind her to see what's going on.

It's a video text message and when Jennifer hits play, the first thing Avery sees is the spiral that the werewolves use as a sign to let others know that revenge is coming before Scott's voice leaks through the speaker. "You see this symbol? It's a symbol of revenge." Scott says before he steps into view with Deucalion behind his shoulder. "You talk about balance.. about saving people? We know what you really want and now you know where to find us."

Jennifer huffs angrily as she pockets her phone, thunder rumbling overhead. "Can you please not make it rain?" Avery deadpans. "I'm on a motorcycle. Wouldn't want me to lose control on a slick road before I can help you, do you?" Jennifer looks up at Avery and glares but Avery just doesn't care anymore. With a shrug and a roll of her eyes, Avery heads back to her bike and straddles it. "What are you waiting for? You do know where we're going, don't you?"

As Jennifer opens her mouth to say something, Avery ignores her by shoving her helmet down over head. She knows it's in her own best interest to not annoy Jennifer but she just can't help it and it's totally worth it when Jennifer huffs and stomps her foot before marching back to Derek's vehicle so they can drive to their next destination.

As Avery starts up her bike and pulls up behind Derek, she can't help but notice how the clouds are shifting in an eerie manner with lightning flashing behind it. This second drive is a bit longer than the first but soon enough, Derek is pulling off to the side with Avery pulling up beside them and parking.

"What are we doing?" She asks as she pulls off her helmet.

"We're here." Is all Jennifer says as she looks to the sky with a smug smirk- the wind picking up as it kicks up some dirt and a fog rolls in. "Follow and stay behind me." She tells them.

Derek and Avery obey without a word. As they near the distillery, Derek falls in line behind Jennifer and Avery falls back behind Derek. Before the dirt and fog can clear up, Avery unhooks her bow from her back and grips the handle as she bows her head in defeat.

The distillery is only feet ahead of them before Derek falls out of line to stand at Jennifer's side and Avery takes a deep breath before she does the same to stand on Jennifer's other side. When she looks up, she finds Deucalion tilting his head to the side curiously as Scott gapes at both her and Derek.

"What are you doing?"

Scott's questions is directed at Avery but feeling the guilt starting to weigh her down, she can't answer and has to look away. "This might be hard to believe but," Derek pipes up. "-we're actually trying to help you."

"No." Scott murmurs as he shakes his head. "Avery, go home."

The desperation is his voice makes Avery's heart ache but she finally manages to look at him again. "I'm sorry, Scooby, but I can't do that." She says as she reaches back, pulling out and arrow and notching it but keeping it leveled towards the ground.

"Ooh." Deucalion drawls. "Like brother against brother.. and sister." Scott turns to look at Deucalion in shock. "How very American this is." When Scott looks back out at the three in front of him, he finds Jennifer and Derek staring at Deucalion while Avery stares at him with her bottom lip trembling as she fights off tears. "Are you ready, Jennifer?" Deucalion says as he starts fold up his walking stick. "Hm? Did you gather your herbs? Pray to your ancient Gods and oak trees?" He asks as he strips out of his outer jacket. "Slit a baby's throat perhaps? Should we show them why you needed to sacrifice nine innocent people just to face me?" He walks forward now, his face transforming into that of his wolf. "Or is it twelve now?"

Avery can't help the way her eyes widen and jaw drops as Deucalion's transformed face turns gray before turning into a near black with glowing red eyes. Avery takes a step back in fear, her eyes darting back and forth between Deucalion and Scott who looks just as shocked as Avery feels. When her gaze darts to Jennifer- Avery sees the dark druid gulp in fear and fidget in place.

Deucalion growls out menacingly before running forward and reaching back with a clawed hand before swiping at them in warning. Jennifer, Avery, and Derek all step back and Derek immediately wolfs out- growling back menacingly at Deucalion. When Avery catches sight of Derek's electric blue eyes, a smart part of her mourns for the alpha he once was and could have been.

Derek and Deucalion lunge at each other, meeting each other halfway. When Derek pulls back and swings at the alpha, Deucalion easy catches him by the wrist. He tries to swing with his other hand but Deucalion catches that one as well.

Derek struggles to release himself from the alpha's grip but Deucalion doesn't let up and in his transformed state- he actually looks amused that Derek can't beat him. Jennifer sneers at them, finally having enough before steeling herself and striding forward with purpose. She pulls her arm back, pushing forward with her palm out inches from Deucalion's chest to release her power but nothing happens. He doesn't budge nor flinch at her power.

He does, however, snap his gaze towards Jennifer and gives her a mock pout before releasing Derek's arms as fast as lightning and grips the both of them by their throats. Jennifer groans loudly as the alpha raises the both of them off the ground so their feet are dangling. After a few seconds, he lets them fall to the ground where Derek immediately stands to his feet to keep on fighting.

"I thought I recruited you to help?" Jennifer snarls at Avery as she crawls towards the teen.

"You did." Avery shrugs, her gaze darting between Jennifer and Derek's fight. "But you made my involvement perfectly clear. I'm Scott's distraction. Not Deucalions."

Scott's head snapped up upon hearing his name, frowning when he heard that Avery was his distraction. If he were to be helping Deucalion, he didn't want to have to go through Avery. That was the last person he wanted to fight.

Everyone's attention is then torn back to the fight when Derek goes spiraling through the air and lands on a bunch of forgotten crates and rubber tires. Jennifer takes that as her chance to run at Deucalion, the alpha easily backhanding Jennifer when she gets too close. She stumbles back a step or two, before Deucalion grips her by the shoulder and shoves her down.

With two of her accomplices down, Avery shakily levels her bow in Deucalion's direction and steels herself for his attack. When his head snaps towards her, Scott stumbles forward- ready to intervene but the alpha merely snorts at Avery and walks towards Jennifer.

Gripping Jennifer by the back of her neck, Deucalion picks her up and walks her towards Scott, making Jennifer drop to her knees. "Kill her." When Scott merely stares at him in shock, Deucalion grits out, "Do it."

Scott doesn't move a muscle, instead he choose to look at Derek who's panting on the ground, at Avery who's still shakily holding her bow though it's leveled at himself now, and at Jennifer who's glaring for being in the position she's in. Deucalion suddenly growls- loud and long- and Scott flinches before falling on all fours. When he looks up, Avery sees that Deucalion forced Scott to change.

"Now kill her." Deucalion tells him. "Your parents are dying. That storm you hear, she's burying them alive. It's her connection to the currents. Kill her and it ends."

Scott looks down, deep in his thoughts when Avery's aim suddenly falters. Killing the parents weren't part of the plan. That's the only reason why she and Derek were here in the first place. "Is it true?" Avery's voice rings out but Jennifer ignores her in favor of Scott.

"It won't end." Jennifer tries as a last minute distraction. "Not with me. He'll have you kill everyone you love. It's what he does."

"They're dying, Scott." Deucalion tempts Scott to make his decision faster. "Your mother and the parents of your best friends. Kill her now and it's over. Become the alpha you're meant to be. Become a killer."

And now- now Avery is completely torn. She doesn't want Deucalion nor Jennifer to win. But Jennifer is possibly killing their parents and if Scott kills Jennifer, it'll ruin his chance at becoming the True Alpha and Deucalion will slaughter them all. Scott is still in thought as Avery has her mental breakdown- her own heart and mind racing at the different scenarios that could possibly happen.

Derek is still down, possibly getting his strength back but if he attempts to take out Jennifer- Deucalion will toss him back. Deucalion won't let Derek kill Jennifer because he wants Scott to and Scott killing Jennifer is just a major NO. The only option is her.

And that's when it clicks. If she kills Jennifer then this all ends. Deucalion will throw a major temper tantrum and probably kill her for it but Scott can still turn into the alpha he's supposed to.

Suddenly very determined to kill the one she was supposed to be helping, Derek catches her gaze and shakes his head at her- for her not to do it. Avery frowns, mouths I'm sorry before leveling the arrow at Jennifer's back.

Deucalion nor Jennifer see her and right before Avery can release her arrow, Scott's voice stalls her. "They're not dead yet."

"And who's going to save them?" Deucalion states. "Your friends?"

Scott glares at Deucalion as he moves to stand and lets his eyes glow and eerie yellow. "My Pack."

Deucalion growls lowly before practically roaring and in the blink of eye- he's suddenly at Scott's side gripping the beta by the back of his neck and one of his wrist. "Maybe you just need a little guidance."

He walks Scott towards Jennifer who's sprawled on the floor and Avery levels her bow at Deucalion. This back and forth was starting to give her a headache.

"I forgot to tell you something." Scott pants and once more, Avery stalls. "Something that Gerard told me." And now, he has the alphas attention. "Deucalion.. isn't always blind."

Avery sees Scott reach into his pocket, pulling out a handful of silver objects before throwing them on the ground. They spark and flash simultaneously, causing Deucalion to let him go and cover his eyes as he stumbles backwards. Avery shields her eyes but just enough so she's able to see Derek scramble to his feet while covering his eyes- Scott doing the same as Jennifer rolls out of the way.

Deucalion is left swinging and slashing with his claws blindly in a circle and Avery watches on in awe as Deucalion's wolf transformation fades away. Looking to Scott who's crouched on his knees, she sees that he too is back to his human form as well as Derek who just looks confused to not be in wolf form anymore.

"The eclipse." Deucalion pants as he blindly looks around. "It's started."

Scott looks around in awe before his gaze stays set on the floor in front of him. Avery follows his gaze towards the empty floor, wondering why it seems so important when it finally clicks in her mind. The floor is empty. The floor where they had last seen Jennifer is empty.

"Oh no." Scott murmurs at the same time Avery groans, "Crap."

Deucalion just lingers around now that he can't see anymore and Scott moves forward as he gazes out the door where they dust is really hard to see through. Avery seems perplexed at what her friend is staring at so when she joins him at his side, she peers through the dust and it takes a moment to see what he's seeing.

It's Jennifer- well the Darach in all her glory and black flowy skirt with her mauled face as she struts back into the building. Scott and Avery both gape at her, the Darach screeching before she moves in with inhumane speed- touching both Avery and Scott on their chest with her palms, and sends the two flying backward. They hit a bunch of tall aluminum barrels, denting them with their bodies before they crash down to the ground with pained groans.

Avery is slow to move, her body screaming out in agony as she tries to sit up. Scott is moving next to her, casting her a worried glance but she manages a feeble smile for him. She hears Deucalion scream out before sickening thud after thud echos throughout the room.

"Jennifer!" Derek's voice suddenly rings out. "He doesn't know."

"Know what?" Jennifer's voice is not her usual voice.

"What you really look like. He knows the cost of bringing Kali into his pack but he's never seen the price you paid."

"No, no he hasn't." Jennifer finally says.

Avery groans, reaching out to take Scott's hand seeing as he's the first to his feet. "You okay?" He mutters and Avery nods.

"I'm fine. Just a some bumps and bruises."

Scott doesn't take her word for it and starts looking her over. He brushes her hair away from her face, checking for a wound that has blood trickling down her right temple. As his fingers brush over the bruising and scratches of her neck, she frowns as she sees him grimace. Looking down at his arm, Avery sees the black veins on his arm as he siphons away her pain.

"Stop that!" Avery slaps his hand away. "I'm fine. You can do that later when this is over with."

Deucalion's pained screams fill the air, startling everyone. A second later, the screams stop as Jennifer steps away and Deucalion blinks rapidly, his eyes suddenly clear and not clouded over like they usually were.

"Turn to me." Jennifer commands him. "Turn to me!" She screeches and Deucalion finally obliges.

He looks up at her in fear before the Darach's true form fades away and her Jennifer facade is back in place. She pulls back, reaching back with her arm and ready to deliver a killing blow to the fallen alpha before she falters and sways in spot- weakened.

Derek runs forward and catches her. "What is this?" She pants confusedly.

"Healing him made you weak." Derek tells her. "Just like healing Cora did to me. You won't have your strength for at least a few minutes."

"Then you do it." She pants seductively. "Kill him."

"No." Derek shakes his head and Avery hides a proud grin as Scott steadies her.

Jennifer's brows furrow in confusion and anger. "What?"

"Like my mother used to say- I'm a predator. I don't have to be a killer." Jennifer actually has the audacity to look hurt and betrayed as Derek roughly grips her by the throat. "Let them go." He growls at her as much as he can in his human form but Jennifer steels herself, her top lip curling in anger as she pushes back against Derek and throws him down- breaking a crate.

Jennifer stalks up to him, leaning down and starts throwing punch after punch. Avery whines, wincing as she hurriedly reaches back for an arrow and notches it. Once again, she's about to let the arrow fly but Scott's hand on her shoulder stops her. Jennifer's looking down at Derek and Derek is glaring up at her before he turns his attention elsewhere and ignores her.

Slowly, Jennifer stands and turns as she tries to catch her breath and Derek stands up behind her. She turns back to him as he tries to grip her by the front of her shirt but she grips his shirt first and pushes him up against a wall. The two struggle to get the upper hand on each other but it's Jennifer who easily controls their situation. With the grip on his shirt, she easily pulls Derek forward before slamming back into the wall repeatedly. Derek takes it all and on her last push, she slides Derek up the wall and continues to slam him against it. The pain is evident in his features and Avery's finally had enough.

"Jennifer!" She yells, starting the woman in her attack. As Jennifer turns, Avery narrows her eyes but aims the arrow to the right of Jennifer's head and lets it fly.

The arrow purposefully hits the wall, igniting a few sparks that startle Jennifer. As Jennifer glares at Avery, she watches the teen's gaze dart behind her and a smug grin tilt up the corner of her lips.

"What are you-"

Growling cuts Jennifer off and as she turns back towards Derek, his eyes are glowing blue. "Your fifteen minutes are up." He shoves Jennifer off of him, sending her falling back as he finally falls back to his feet.

Scott sees that Jennifer's vulnerable and rushes at her as she scrambles to her feet. Reaching into her back pocket, Jennifer pulls something out before thrusting her hand in the air- causing a circle of black power to make a perimeter around her. When Scott skids to a stop, Avery then realizes it's mountain ash.

"Like I told you, Derek and Avery, either you or the parents." She snarls at the both of them. "I guess I'll just have to take them now. In a few minutes, they'll be dead and I won't need a lunar eclipse even to kill a demon wolf." Derek and Scott glance at each other in worry and with new found determination and confidence- Avery strolls forward ready to break the line of mountain ash with her foot. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jennifer spits out at her. "You take one more step and I'll bring it down. Your Dad, Scott's mom, your best friend's dad- I'll kill them all before Scott can take two steps towards me."

Avery falters, eyes going wide. "That's right. It'll be your fault they die, Stilinski. Can you stomach that?"

Avery frowns as she steps back- Jennifer's smug expression making her want to do it anyway. But Scott- Scott looks all sorts of determined as he holds his palms out as if touching an invisible wall.

"You've tried this before, Scott." Jennifer nearly laughs. "I don't remember you having much success."

Scott's hands collide with the invisible wall, a blue glow surrounding his hands. With his face set in a glare, he pushes against it until the blue glow surrounds his entire body. Jennifer's smugness soon vanishes and she fidgets nervously as Scott's arm breaches the circle- Derek and Avery both watching on in awe. Avery then stumbles to the side, just enough so that she's able to see Scott's face and watches as the yellow glow of his eyes bleed red.

Alpha red.

Jennifer's jaw is on the verge of dropping and Scott's right foot breaches the circle next. Jennifer takes a step back in fear, Derek's shocked expression glancing between Scott and Jennifer before Scott's other foot breaches the circle and he breaks it. Jennifer falls to the ground as the power from the mountain ash lashes out from Scott breaching it and she scrambles backward in fear. "How did you do that?"

"I'm an alpha now." Scott says. "Whatever you're doing to cause this storm, make it stop or I'll kill you myself. I don't care what it does to the color of my eyes."

Jennifer pants heavily, her lips curling in anger as she glares up at Scott. Avery knows she's not going to do it without a fight and they're wasting precious time so as discreetly as she could, she reached back for an arrow.

"It won't change the color of mine." Deucalion says and as everyone sans Avery turns to him, Avery notches the arrow. "So allow me." He marches forward, his intent to maim Jennifer with his claws very clear but before he can inflict damage, an arrow flies in their line of vision and hits Jennifer in the throat.

Shocked- Derek, Scott, and Deucalion turn to Avery who's clenching her jaw in anger and glaring daggers at Jennifer as she moves to crouch down in front of her.

"I made myself perfectly clear should you betray us."

"I- I didn't." Jennifer rasps, the Jennifer facade fading away until the Darach is left gasping for breath.

"You changed the rules on us. Gave me no other option and in my mind, that's just as bad as betrayal." Avery seethes. "You wanted to sacrifice Derek and myself in the place of the parents and while I'm not Pack, Beacon Hills is my home now and I'll protect those I consider friends. Those who I consider family."

Jennifer's hand reaches up to the arrow protruding from her throat as she gasps and tries to breathe around it. She falls back slowly until she falls to her side hiccuping and gasping for air that would soon stop.

Avery pants heavily, her adrenaline finally fading away as her hands tremble. She doesn't regret shooting the arrow but with everything catching up to her, it's just all too much.

"Avery?" Scott calls out to her, reaching a hand out but Avery quickly stands and moves out of his grasp.

"Don't." She gulps. "Just.. don't."

Scott frowns but gives her the space she so badly needs. Derek sighs out tiredly before taking a seat on a nearby crate as Deucalion looks over Jennifer's dying body. Scott then reaches into his pocket for his phone, dialing a number. "Hey, are you okay?" After a moment, Scott looks over to Derek who shrugs and then over to Avery who won't meet anyone's gaze. "Sort of."

In the midst of her zoning out, her phone's vibrations snap her out of her thoughts. Reaching into her own pocket, Avery pulls out her phone to see a message from Lydia. 'I really hope you're alive right now. Aiden and Ethan are still alive so when you're finished there, come to Deaton's. Cora and myself are helping out Deaton with them.'

Avery sighs out, tears clouding her vision as her shoulders slump with relief. As Scott finally hangs up, Avery looks up at him and lets out a hysterical chuckle before Scott's there and pulling her into a hug. Before any of them can say anything, Deucalion clears his throat and all three of them turn to him.

Standing side-by-side, with Scott in the middle, Derek crosses his arms across his chest. "My mother told me you were a man of vision once." Derek and Scott share a look of understanding before Derek turns back to Deucalion. "We're letting you go because we hope you can be that man again."

"But if you're not," Scott throws in. "-then having your eyesight won't matter because you won't see us coming."

Deucalion looks at all three of them, never saying anything as the three turn their back and walk out of the distillery. Once a good ways away, Scott tells them that Stiles and the others made it in time to the parents but they're trapped underground. Avery then comes clean that Lydia and Cora are at Deaton's because the twins were still alive- and after a brief explanation to Scott about the twins' situation- he nods.

"Here." Derek says as he tosses Scott the keys to his vehicle. "Go get the parents and take them to the hospital. Lydia and Cora are going to wanna to see Avery for themselves so we'll head to Deaton's before I send her to the hospital. Just leave my car at the loft when you're done."

"Yeah.. yeah, okay." Scott nods as he jogs towards Derek's mode of transportation. "Is there anything you want me to tell your brother?" Scott then asks Avery.

Avery shakes her head before grimacing. "Just tell him I'm fine and that I'll see him soon." She says as she and Derek head for her motorcycle.

Scott nods and hops in Derek's vehicle before starting up it's engine and peeling out in the gravel. Derek immediately holds his hand out for the key and Avery rolls her eyes.

"Do you even know how to ride?"

Derek doesn't say anything so Avery drops the key into his palm. As Avery takes her helmet, Derek climbs on and waits for Avery to climb on behind him after she slings her bow across her back. "It's been a while." He finally admits. "A long while so you might want to hold on tightly."

Avery groans but then laughs and shoves the helmet over head. Once it's in place, she tells Derek that she's ready and grins when her bike roars to life. As they lurch forward and then brake harshly, Avery cackles inside her helmet before Derek tells her to shutup with a laugh of his own. When Derek finally refreshes his mind about the clutch and brake, Avery wraps her arms around Derek's middle and prays he doesn't crash.

..

..

By the time they pull into the parking lot outside of Deaton's, Avery is scrambling off the back of her bike and ripping her helmet off along the way inside. She doesn't wait for Derek to turn off her bike but she trusts him to not damage her bike in any way.

As she comes to a stop in the back room, she finds Cora helping Ethan stand as he winces in pain. Aiden is laying on a metal stretcher with an oxygen mask on as he strokes the inside of Lydia's wrist.

"Oh my god." She breathes out, catching everyone's attention.

Lydia, Cora, and Ethan all smile at her but when they catch sight of her appearance- their smiles all falter. "What happened?" Lydia demands and Aiden finally moves to see her.

Avery shakes her head. "Nothing. We won. That's all that matters." She says as she takes off her bow and quiver of arrows before tossing it to the side.

Derek and Deaton walk in behind her, Cora's attention snapping towards him as she sighs in relief and leaves Ethan's side to go hug her brother. Lydia looks ready to argue but Deaton cuts her off as he turns Avery to look at him. "Derek tells me you're headed for the hospital after this?" She nods her affirmative. "Well then, lets clean you up a bit. I'm pretty sure with the Sheriff being found in his condition, the place will be swarming with law enforcement and your appearance will have them asking questions."

Avery opens her mouth to argue but as she thinks about, she realizes he has a point. "Fine."

Deaton flashes her a rare smile before leading her to the back of the room where she sits through the stinging of alcohol cleansing the small abrasions around her neck and the bigger cut at her hairline. When Deaton finishes with that, he allows her to use the sinks to clean off any remaining dirt around her face, neck, and arms. When she's done with that, she moves to Lydia's side where Lydia proceeds to hug her friend.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Avery hugs her tightly before letting go and finds Aiden staring at her. She's still angry with him but for Lydia's sake, she plasters on a grin and gives him a nod. He does the same and as Lydia goes back to paying him attention, Avery moves on to Ethan who's sitting up and smirking lazily at her.

Avery grins at him, ruffling his hair. "I thought you were dead." She tells him sadly.

"For a moment, I thought the same too." He tells her.

Avery smiles tiredly at him but when someone calls her name, she looks up for the source. It turns out to be Cora who's standing in the open doorway and she's gesturing for her to come out. Without second guessing her, Avery leaves Ethan's side as she follows the female Hale outside to where Derek is waiting in the parking lot.

Once there, Cora moves to stand beside her brother. "We're leaving." She blurts and grimaces when she sees Avery's eyes widen in shock. "In the morning, we'll be gone."

"Why?!" Avery nearly screeches before clearing her throat and lowering her voice. "The alphas are done for. There's no threat here anymore. Why would you-"

"We'll be back." Derek cuts in when he realizes that Avery isn't taking the news so well and her heart beat is picking up speed. "There's just something we need to do and since Scott's an alpha now, he has Beacon Hills under control. You'll be fine."

Avery gapes like a fish out of water for a bit before she slumps with defeat and tears gather in her eyes. "When will you be back?"

"I don't know." Derek shrugs. "But we won't be gone for forever."

Avery nods and before she knows it, she's being wrapped in another hug but this time, it's Cora who's hugging her. After she manages to relax her body from the sudden hug attack, Avery wraps her arms around her friend. "You'll keep in touch, won't you?" When Cora doesn't answer, she looks up to Derek. "I won't tell them. I can tell them you left if you want but I won't give them your whereabouts if you decide to keep in touch."

Cora pulls out of the hug, stepping back suddenly with a feeble grin and then Derek's pulling Avery into a hug. With him hugging her, she finally breaks down in his arms. With everything that's happened and then the news of them leaving, it really is too much for her to keep it bottled up.

"We'll keep in touch." Derek mumbles as he settles his chin atop her head. "But only with you." Avery nods against his chest- trying to calm down her choked sobs as Derek continues to talk. "This- this is what I wanted to do earlier back in my loft before Cora and I first left." He admits to her now. "But with everyone around, I couldn't show them how Stiles' little sister crawled beneath my skin and turned me into a softie."

Avery laughs a watery chuckle. "You're totally a cuddly werewolf, aren't you?" Derek snorts and Avery hugs him tighter. "I bet you're a closet cuddler."

Derek huffs a laugh and Cora chuckles at Avery's musings. "Should I be worried that you're thinking about whether or not I like to cuddle?"

"No." Avery grins as she pulls out of the hug, wiping away her tears. "You're not my type."

"That's right." Cora teases. "She's all about Isaac."

Avery blushes under their stares as both werewolves give her a knowing look. "You take care of yourself." Derek then tells her as he shoves his hands deep in his pockets. "Take of Isaac and your brother. He always seems to find trouble."

"Don't worry. I will." Avery nods at him.

They lapse into a moment of silence before Derek finally sighs. "Well, I guess we'll see you when we see you."

"You better."

As Derek starts to slowly walk backward, Cora looks between him and Avery one last time before launching herself to hug Avery once more. "I'll make sure he keeps in touch." She murmurs into her ear.

"Thank you." Avery mumbles back. As Cora pulls out of the hug and starts walking backward, Avery's brows furrow in confusion. "Hey, um, is Peter leaving with y'all too?"

Derek and Cora look at each other before looking out to Avery and shrugging. With one last grin, Derek and Cora turn around and walk off into the night.

---

I know Peter went back and really killed Jennifer but since I'm not writing 3b into this fic, let's just pretend Peter's a creepy nice guy.

And don't worry, Scott's little chat with Deaton about what he does when the darkness becomes too much will be in the next chapter although the talk isn't with Deaton ;) You'll just have to wait to find out and I have some- hopefully- interesting filler chapters coming soon that will wrap things up :)