Oh man! You guys are totally blowing me away with all of the favorites, follows, and review. Thank you all so much!
Okay, guys, this is critical information: Whenever I upload the next chapter, I will be closing the poll on my profile. So, if you haven't voted whether or not you want Marlee to remain human or gain a supernatural essence, NOW IS THE TIME.
You can find me on Polyvore ('earthdiva') or Tumblr ('missunderstoodxoxo'). You can also check out the Marlee Decker tag on Tumblr.
Inspiration for this chapter: "Heroes" by Peter Gabriel, "We Must Be Killers" by Mikky Ekko, "And the World Was Gone" by Snow Ghosts (the song used at the episode of "The Overlooked"), and "Muddy Waters" by LP
Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.
While Scott and Stiles had freed Lydia from her restraints, Marlee had called Allison to inform her of the situation. The Argents and Isaac met them in the classroom and promised to get the redhead to a paramedic; the trio also revealed that one of the piano wires had snapped and whipped back, slitting the pianist's throat in front of the entire auditorium. Scott, Marlee, and Stiles had taken off in Roscoe after everyone was caught up. They knew it was only a matter of time before Jennifer went to Derek, in an attempt to convince her lover that she was completely innocent.
Storm clouds rolled in above them, lightning crackling and the wind howling.
Marlee was curled up in the backseat of the Jeep, watching the chaos occurring on the other side of the window. She was still trying to process the fact that Jennifer had taken the sheriff- specifically when the three teenagers had been right there. This already treacherous game of cat and mouse had just hit a whole new low. All of them had gone in tonight, thinking that they might finally be able to stop whoever was killing people- only to walk out with one pianist dead, a parent of one of their own missing, and their English teacher being the magical maniac behind it all.
"What if he doesn't believe us?" Stiles questioned Scott from the front seat.
"He will." Marlee spoke up, still staring out at the rain.
"How can you be so sure?"
"From what I've seen and the way the two of you talk about him, I know that you really care about him." She finally switched her focus from the cloudburst to the boys. "And chances are, Derek cares about you just as much. There's no way he'd believe his lady friend over you guys."
The label she spat off of her tongue was laced with venom, a deep seed of hatred for Jennifer Blake planted in her chest.
None of them said a word after that, their minds too busy racing with possibilities.
When they reached the loft, Stiles had barely put the Jeep into 'park' when they all jumped out. The three of them sprinted to the door and up the stairs, their hearts pounding in their chests at the thought of what they might find.
"Derek!" Scott shouted as he threw the door open.
"Scott?" Derek asked in alarm as he came down the spiral staircase. "What are you doing here?"
"Ms. Blake's the one who's been killing people."
"What?"
It was easy to see that the alpha was thrown off by such a claim.
"Your little girlfriend's been the one sacrificing everyone, okay?" Stiles was frustrated, as every minute that passed by meant that his father might be closer to death. "She killed a teacher at the recital, she tried to kill Lydia, and she took my dad!"
"That's not possible." Derek shook his head in disbelief as he crossed his arms.
"Derek, what do you even really know about her? It's like she showed up in Beacon Hills out of nowhere and suddenly people start getting murdered left and right!"
"Wait, does that mean I was a suspect?" Marlee was slightly offended.
"Briefly, yes- but that's not the point!"
"Derek," Scott brought everyone's attention back to the subject at hand. "I really wish that we didn't have to tell you this but it's true."
The older man tilted his head down towards the ground and stood there for a few moments, lost in thought. When he looked back up, his green eyes were full of grim determination.
"All right, so, what do we do now?"
"Derek?"
They heard the door to the loft slide open as Jennifer called out, her 'Ms. Blake' persona displayed.
"Derek, where are you?"
"Right here."
Derek's voice betrayed nothing. There was no indication in his tone that suggested he knew about what had happened in the past hour.
There was a faint sound of 'Thank God' before it was silent for a moment. Marlee assumed that meant Jennifer had thrown herself at the alpha.
"Something happened at the recital. At the school. Okay, I need to tell you before you hear it, before you hear any of it from them."
"From who?"
"Scott, Stiles, Marlee. They're gonna tell you things. Things you can't believe. You have to trust me, okay? You trust me."
"What is it?"
"Promise you'll listen to me."
"I promise."
Once again, there was silence and Marlee fought the urge to gag as she imagined what must have been happening between the two. Something must have tipped Jennifer off because suddenly, she spoke again.
"They're already here, aren't they?"
Derek didn't respond, simply looking over the woman's shoulder as the three teenagers emerged from around the corner.
"So, they told you it was me?" The brunette's question sounded flat as she glanced at the trio before switching her attention back to Derek. Her tone changed pitch, turning into one of disbelief. "That I'm the one taking people?"
"We told him you're the one killing people." Scott stated.
"Oh, that's right." Jennifer laughed, sarcastically. "Committing human sacrifices? What, cutting their throats? Yeah, I- I probably do it on my lunch hour. That way, I can get back to teaching high school English the rest of the day. That makes perfect sense."
"Where's my dad?" Stiles asked, a tear slipping down his face.
"How should I know?"
Turning the opposite direction, the supposed English teacher pleaded with her lover.
"Derek, tell me you don't believe this."
The Hale didn't give an answer at first, staring the woman down before looking past her at the teens. While all three of them wore serious expressions, there were different emotions shown on each of their faces. Scott's glare had shifted from the Darach to Derek, willing the other werewolf to believe him. Stiles's eyes were still watering, everything about his appearance showing that he was shaken and desperate for the alpha to believe him. Marlee's lips were set in a thin line and the look in her eyes was one of unadulterated hatred for the other female standing in the room. Derek's gaze landed back on Jennifer.
"Do you know what happened to Stiles's father?"
"No." The woman shook her head.
"Ask her why she almost killed Lydia." Scott prompted.
"Lydia Martin?" Ms. Blake's voice was incredulous. "I don't know anything about that."
"What do you know?" Derek inquired, done with playing games.
"I know that these kids, for whatever misguided reason, are filling your head with an absurd story." She faced said-kids as lightning lit up the room for a brief second. "And one they can't prove, by the way."
"What if we can?"
Scott held up a bottle full of powder.
"What is that?" Jennifer was a bit uneasy at the sight.
At that question, Marlee's lips twitched up into an impish smirk.
"My boss told me it's a poison and a cure," the beta explained as he walked forward, "which means you can use it… and it can be used against you."
"Mistletoe?" The older woman gave up any chance at keeping her identity a secret at that point.
Scott moved his arm in a sweeping motion, sending the powder flying towards her. She uselessly held her arms up, attempting to block her face. The body inside of the miniature dust storm blurred as it shifted between appearances. Eventually, there was a solid enough image for everyone in the room to see. A dark hood fell back to reveal a completely bald head and ashen skin, twisted and marred by unbelievable scars. Eyes completely devoid of color stared at her students as she opened her mouth and roared. The dust eventually cleared, revealing the façade she had created over the past few weeks. She struggled to catch her breath, winded by the sudden transformation.
"Damn, you are one fugly bitch." Marlee fired at Jennifer, feeling no sympathy for the murderous figure in front of her.
Jennifer shot the blonde a scowl before glancing at Derek. She attempted to flee, only to be pushed back by the man standing next to her. His hand wrapped around her throat while he flicked his other wrist, causing his claws to protract.
"Derek, wait, wait! You need me."
"What are you?" He growled.
"The only person who can save your sister." She rasped. "Call Peter. Call him!"
Derek kept the one hand to her throat as he fished his cellphone out of his pocket, doing as she said.
"How's Cora?"
Everything was quiet, except for the sky exploding outside, while Peter spoke on the other end. Derek's voice was grave as he confirmed what he now knew.
"Mistletoe."
Hanging up the phone, he started to tighten his grip as the woman who had tricked him began to gasp for air.
"Derek. Derek, what are you doing?" Scott was alarmed by what he was witnessing.
"Her life, it's in my hands." Jennifer managed to get out.
With gritted teeth, the older werewolf began to lift her in the air by the neck.
"Stop. Derek, stop!" Stiles moved forward, holding a hand out.
Jennifer used that to her advantage as she began to speak quickly.
"Stilinski, you'll never find him."
"Derek." When Scott went ignored, he called again. "Derek!"
With a look of reluctance, the man dropped the druid, causing her to fall to the floor.
Thunder cracked outside as Jennifer slowly lifted her head, dark locks framing her smug face. She turned her head to look at Derek.
"That's right. You need me."
Swinging her head in the other direction, she looked at the teenagers. "All of you."
"They might but I don't."
At that moment, Marlee was blinded by her rage. She wasn't thinking about the repercussions of her actions. She was seeing the obituaries, a little less than a dozen printed in black and white. She was thinking about Lydia, who had almost been strangled to death a mere hour ago. She was thinking about the night at the Glen Capri, worried out of her mind about her friends and reliving the past. But most of all, she was remembering Scott, drenched in gasoline with a flare in his hand, ready to take his own life right in front of her eyes.
Marlee lunged at the psychotic woman, only to be held back by Scott and Stiles. The former brought her closer and wrapped his arms around her, using his supernatural strength to keep her in place.
"Oh, Marlee, you always knew that something wasn't quite right, didn't you?" Jennifer taunted. "Not even Stiles picked up on it, but you- you knew that there was more than what meets the eye."
"You played up the 'sweet and innocent damsel in distress' role just a little too much." The girl had stopped struggling to escape Scott's arms, settling for glaring daggers at the woman. "We may be surrounded by the unimaginable but this isn't some fucking fairytale and you sure as hell aren't Snow White."
The storm raged on around them as Stiles sped towards the hospital, rain pelting the Jeep's windshield.
"I don't know, something feels wrong about this." He admitted. "You know, we proved it to Derek, but she still had this look like it didn't matter. You know, like it was all still going according to plan."
Stiles turned to Scott and asked, "You saw it, didn't you?"
When he didn't receive an answer from his best friend, he glanced over his shoulder at Marlee.
The girl replied in a bitter tone, "That bitch always seems to have a trick up her sleeve."
Soon enough, they were parking outside of the hospital. As everyone bailed out of their vehicles, Marlee pulled her hood up to shield herself from the downpour.
"What's that?" Scott asked Stiles, looking at the object in his friend's hands.
"Well, you've got claws. I got a bat."
"And I've got nothing!" Marlee laughed. "Next time, I'm putting my knife in my pocket."
"What knife?" Stiles questioned, incredulously.
"The knife I keep in my car."
Their conversation was put on hold when the three of them caught up to Derek and Jennifer. The group hurried up the front steps as others fled for their cars in the other direction. When they were inside, Derek grabbed onto Jennifer's arm, making sure she didn't try to hightail it out of there. They marched down the corridor, the Darach looking less than pleased about her current position, searching for the elevators.
As they began to round a corner, the sound of Melissa's voice followed them.
"Scott! Scott!"
The older woman ran up to her son, taking in the sight before her.
"What are you doing here? The hospital's evacuating."
"We're here for Cora."
"What, all of you? Why does Stiles have my bat?"
"Mom, just trust me on this." Scott urged her. "You need to get out of here."
Thunder rolled across the sky right above the hospital, punctuating the beta's words.
"Right now." He told his mother.
Melissa's eyes quickly scanned the group before giving a slight nod of her head.
"The building is supposed to be clear in thirty minutes. We've got two ambulances that are coming back. One's 10 minutes out, the other's twenty. Cora needs to be on one of those." She informed them. "They'll be picking up in the basement garage."
"Got it."
"Okay."
And with that, Melissa watched anxiously as her only child and the others walked down the hall, continuing on their mission.
Derek tightened his hold as he dragged Jennifer into the elevator, the kids filing in after him.
With an indignant glare, the woman defended herself.
"You don't have to keep me on a leash, Derek. I'm going to help."
She noticed that no one seemed to believe her when she glanced around the small space. Everyone was giving her a look of distrust and anger. Jennifer simply shook her head with an annoyed look.
They must have been quite the sight, all of them looking so damn serious while Stiles was holding the bat up, ready to swing if needed.
The elevator chimed before opening and the five spilled out, glancing around at the flickering lights.
Marlee noted Derek stopping outside of what was presumably Cora's room with Ms. Blake. When she and the boys joined the pair, she saw that the hospital bed was empty and there was a splatter of black blood on the floor.
"Derek." Scott said as everyone focused in on the little flecks of blood trailing out of the room.
All eyes followed the path of the dots, which stopped at a set of doors. The sound of muffled grunts could be heard from the other side. The double doors swung open as Peter slid towards them on his back. He let out a groan of pain before peering up at his nephew.
"We've got a problem."
At the questioning look on Derek's face, Peter lifted his head and looked in the direction he had just came from.
"Big problem." He amended.
At the end of the hallway, being silhouetted by a flash of lightning, was the twins' combined form. It- they let out a roar as they became aware of the others that had just appeared.
Letting go of Jennifer's arm, Derek tilted his head down before lifting it once again. His face had transformed into its werewolf state, fangs bared as he growled at the twins- well, 'Voltron Wolf', as Stiles had oh-so lovingly referred to them as when he and Marlee were headed to the Hale loft a few days before.
Voltron and Derek both bellowed as they charged at each other. Meeting them head-on, Derek wrapped his arms around the larger wolf and began to push them back. It was only a matter of seconds before the twins gained the upper hand.
Scott, who had transformed while everyone else had been focused on Derek, surged forward. Marlee watched, astonished, as the boy she had grown rather close to jumped to push off from a wall and swipe at the beast.
Stiles crouched down next to Peter and said something to the werewolf, unheard by Marlee over the commotion. The older man picked himself up before he and Stiles headed towards the fray. Quickly moving past Voltron and Scott, the two reached Cora.
It was only Marlee, who was still planted in her original spot, that noticed Jennifer backing up towards the elevator. The young blonde reached the other woman just as the doors opened.
"Oh hell no."
Marlee slipped by the Darach without another word, positioning herself at the back of the small area. There was no way she was letting this psycho go anywhere alone. Jennifer knew she didn't have time to deal with the girl, instead focusing on the elevator doors, anxiously waiting for them to shut. All of the alphas at the other end of the hall turned their heads in the direction of the two females standing beyond the closing metal doors. Aiden and Ethan's form ran towards the pair but were too late to stop them. As Jennifer gazed at Derek, an almost regretful expression on her face, Marlee's eyes were trained on Scott, who had fallen to the floor after being released by the twins. Soon, the only thing the elevator's occupants saw were their faint reflections on stainless steel. The younger of the two observed that her former teacher's reflection seemed to flicker between her Ms. Blake illusion and her true appearance.
"Looks like there was a good reason to keep you on a leash. What do you even plan on doing once we reach a different floor?"
Jennifer glanced back at Marlee and answered bluntly, "I'm going to knock you unconscious and escape with my life."
"You told Derek that you would help Cora." The teenager shot back, accusatory.
"Well, I can't exactly do that if I'm dead."
The elevator stopped on the first floor with a 'ding'. When the doors slid open, Jennifer immediately exited the lift while Marlee stayed inside. The latter was glad about her decision not even a few seconds later as two people began to slowly round the corner at the end of the corridor. Deucalion was accompanied by his unofficial sidekick, Kali, who was barefoot as usual. Raising his cane in the air, the head Alpha removed the metal end before throwing it at the dark-haired druid. The spear- his cane is a fucking spear- planted itself in the wall, just barely missing the woman's head. As Kali rushed forward, Jennifer retreated back into the elevator. Marlee pressed herself against a sidewall, watching as the former emissary frantically pushed the button for the second floor. They were so close to getting away until clawed fingers appeared. Kali began to pry the doors open. Just as it looked as if the werewolf would be able to enter the elevator, Jennifer's eyes began to glow a milky white color. Swiftly moving her arms forward and slamming her palms into the metal, the woman sent her adversary flying back, effectively shutting the doors.
"Holy shit." Marlee breathed out.
Despite the animosity between the two, Jennifer smirked in amusement at the younger girl.
"Pretty cool, right?"
The teenager quickly shook off the slight awe she had been feeling and scoffed.
"Yeah, because, ya know, murdering innocent people is fucking awesome."
"I'm saving lives."
The lights above them flickered several times, briefly stopping the elevator.
"By killing them?"
"What's fifteen individuals dying for a noble cause compared to the hundreds of people that the Alphas will inevitably slaughter if we don't stop them?"
"Oh my God, the crazy practically radiates off of you." Marlee muttered.
Both were quiet for a moment until the teen spoke again.
"Goddammit, everyone has a weapon except me."
Jennifer looked thoughtfully at the ruffled human.
"Soon enough, you may not need one."
Before Marlee could question the cryptic statement, the elevator came to a halt and the doors ominously slid open- right before the power went out. The druid held an arm out, silently telling the junior to wait, while she got a feel for the whereabouts of everyone.
"The twins are on the other side of the floor. They separated forms; there's two of them now." Jennifer spoke softly, almost inaudible. "Derek and the others are holed up in an operating room."
Keeping their footsteps light, the duo crept towards where everyone was hiding. The backup generators started as they moved. Peeking through the glass windows, they could see the group gathered in the center, Peter and Scott hovering over a quite possibly dying Cora. Jennifer pushed her way into the room, responding to something Marlee hadn't detected with her normal hearing. The blonde followed before the wooden doors could swing shut on her.
"You can't. Only I can." Jennifer moved closer to the others. "I can save her, and I can tell you where Sheriff Stilinski is. But there is a pack of Alphas in this hospital who want me dead. So I'll help you, but only when I'm out of here and safe. Only then."
Derek abruptly and violently pushed a tray of scalpels out of his path before going after Ms. Blake. Scott blocked the older male, attempting to hold him back.
"Derek, wait!"
"She was trying to get out." The alpha pointed a finger at his former lover.
"I was trying to keep from getting killed. You can't blame me for that."
"Yeah, and Deucalion, not to mention Kali, almost had you. So, great job there, Houdini." Marlee retorted as she made her way towards the people she actually liked- and Peter.
"If you want to show you're one of the good guys, then heal her." Stiles challenged the Darach.
"Not until I'm safe."
"I'd like to volunteer a different method of persuasion. Let's torture her." Peter offered.
"Finally." Marlee sighed.
"Works for me." Derek responded as he knocked Scott's arm away from him.
He had just started to move forward when the P.A. system came to life.
"Um, can I have your attention?" Melissa's voice echoed through the building, sounding just a bit fearful. "Mr. Deucalion… Excuse me, just Deucalion, requests you bring the woman calling herself 'Jennifer Blake' to the E.R. reception. Do this, and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes."
The message ended with a click.
Everyone in the room took a moment to process this while "Jennifer" shook her head.
"He's not gonna hurt her."
"Shut up." Derek warned the woman as he pointed at her.
"He won't!" She insisted.
The brunette turned her attention towards Scott.
"Scott, you know why. Tell them it's true."
"What does she mean?" Derek asked his young friend.
When the beta didn't answer, the woman scoffed before speaking again.
"You're not the only one he wants in his pack."
All eyes landed on Scott, who remained silent.
"Deucalion doesn't just want an Alpha pack. He wants perfection. That means adding the rarest of Alphas to his ranks."
"A true Alpha." Peter realized.
"What's that?" Stiles inquired.
"The kind that doesn't have to steal his power from another." The oldest Hale explained. "One that can rise by the force of his own will."
He paused before musing, looking at the boy in question, "Our little Scott."
Derek and Scott faced each other, one looking shocked and the other indifferent.
"It doesn't matter." The teenage boy stated before turning his head towards Jennifer.
"We still need to get her out of here."
"Scott, your mom-"
"My mom said there's one more ambulance coming in twenty minutes. And I- I don't think we've been here that long, so if we can get down to the garage, get to the last ambulance, we can get out of here."
"The twins aren't gonna let us just walk out." Peter pointed out.
"I'll distract them."
"You mean 'fight them.'" Derek clarified.
"Whatever I have to do."
"I'll help you."
Jennifer completely blew that plan out of the water by saying, "Um, sorry, but I'm not going anywhere without you, Derek."
Marlee groaned before dropping her head into her hands, completely done with the woman's obsession with Derek.
"I'll do it."
Both Scott and Derek turned their heads towards Peter in surprise.
"But I'd prefer to be out there with an advantage."
"An advantage like what? You mean like a weapon?" Stiles asked.
"Something better than a baseball bat."
"Oh, the shade…" Marlee muttered.
Everyone in the room (except Jennifer, that pain in the ass) began to search in drawers and shelves for something Peter and Scott could use. Marlee positioned herself at the shelves between the ones that the two Hales were looking through.
"Hey, wait. What about these?"
The speaker had been Stiles, who was holding up the paddles of a defibrillator.
"Do you know how to use those?" Derek inquired.
Stiles hesitated before answering, "Well, no."
"Put 'em down."
Marlee stifled a giggle at Derek's order. While turning her head away from Stiles, she noticed that Scott had pulled a syringe with a decent-sized needle out of a drawer.
"Epinephrine?" He called out to Derek.
"That's only gonna make him stronger." The alpha answered.
That quickly caught Peter's attention.
"How strong?"
Apparently it made Peter strong enough. The man had strolled out of the operating room with the needle still in his chest with Scott just behind him.
The group that had been left in the room waited for the sounds of growling and fighting to start before opening the doors. With one last worried glance at the chaos erupting down the hall, Marlee took off along with the others.
Using their hearing, Derek and Jennifer were able to lead them to the basement without meeting any resistance.
"It's still here!" Stiles informed them as he opened the doors to the garage.
While Jennifer and Stiles held the doors for Derek to carry Cora through, Marlee ran ahead and opened up the back of the ambulance. Stiles rushed over and hopped in, helping to get the unconscious girl into the vehicle.
"Derek, over here."
As the man went to stand beside the druid, the blonde teenager observed the two adults. Seeing them staring at something towards the front of the ambulance, Marlee peeked around the corner. An EMT was lying prone on the cement, a pool of blood growing around him. There was no doubt that he was dead.
Derek and Jennifer moved closer to the body, inspecting its injuries, when a voice eerily echoed through the garage.
"Julia…"
Before the sound of footsteps started, Marlee noticed what the others hadn't yet. Bloody footprints led away from the corpse to the front of the van. There was only one person she could think of who would be walking around the evacuated hospital barefoot…
Kali sauntered into view, twirling what were presumably the keys to the ambulance around her index finger.
"It is you." She said when she laid eyes on Ms. Blake.
A hand grasped Marlee's arm. Looking over, she noticed a panicked-looking Stiles watching her. He began to tug on her and when she understood what he was trying to do, Marlee jumped in. The boy hurriedly but quietly shut the doors behind them.
Through the small windows, the duo watched as their companions took off back into the hospital, Kali nowhere in sight.
"Well, this sucks."
Marlee snorted at the young man's statement before replying, "Yeah, no kidding."
Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. Marlee glanced down in surprise, as she had assumed that with the storm, no messages would have come through. She felt guilt twisting in her gut as she saw the number of times her mother had called and texted her but ignored them in favor of Allison's text.
'Isaac, Dad, and I are on our way to the hospital. Almost there. Where did you guys go?'
"Shit." She swore, softly.
Meeting Stiles's curious gaze, she informed him of the message she had received.
"I've got to go out there."
Just as the blonde began to open the doors, her pale friend shut them.
"Are you crazy? There are murderous werewolves crawling all over this place who wouldn't hesitate to rip your throat out."
"Those three have no idea what they're walking into. Someone's gotta warn them."
"Just send them a text message!"
"By the time Allison gets it, it might be too late!"
Marlee went to open the doors again, only to have Stiles place his arm out in front of her.
"I really don't want to have to tell Scott that I let you leave and that's why you got killed."
"I'm not going to get killed. I'm tougher than you think."
This time, she had a plan set in mind- a childish one, but a plan nonetheless. When Stiles reached to stop her, Marlee placed her hands on his arm and twisted them in opposite directions.
"Agh!" The boy cried out in pain as his friend managed to hop out. "Did you seriously just give me an Indian burn?!"
"Yup." Marlee responded, the 'p' making a popping sound. She gave him a salute. "Good luck, soldier."
After shutting the doors, she left the garage and carefully began to navigate her way through the hospital. Of course, that didn't come without its obstacles. Whenever there was any noise at all that sounded like it could possibly be a member of the Alpha pack, she would duck into a room and peek out the window for a minute.
Okay, so, maybe she was going to be killed before the end of the night.
Shortly after the twins' Voltron form had passed by, Stiles could hear footsteps approaching the ambulance. He nearly had a heart attack when Scott and Peter appeared outside.
"Stiles! Stiles, open the door!"
"Sorry."
"Help me get him in."
After they had gotten injured Peter into the van, the two best friends faced each other again.
"Where's Derek and Jennifer?" Stiles asked.
"I have to go back for them and my mom."
"Okay, two problems. Kali's got the keys to this thing, and I just saw the twins, like, thirty seconds ago.
"I- Wait, where's Marlee?"
Stiles could see the alarm in Scott's eyes as the beta scanned the vehicle for a girl he already knew that he wouldn't find there.
"She went back in there."
Something started banging around just inside, causing the two to look over. Scott turned his attention back to his friend.
"Stay here."
Eventually, Marlee ended up in an examination room. After spotting the twins' shadow, she had hunkered down in the room. It was only a few minutes later, in the middle of her thinking over a new route, that a group entered.
"So then they're essentially trapped?"
"Whoa!" Marlee shouted in surprise.
And suddenly, she was on the wrong end of a gun.
"Jesus! Would ya mind not pointing that thing right at me?"
Chris Argent lowered his weapon, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Yeah, right." Scott answered the man's question, though he let his eyes rest on the girl for a moment. "There's no way of getting them out without turning the power back on."
Everyone gathered around the table in the middle of the room as the initial shock of running into one another so unexpectedly wore off.
"But wait, wait, wait," Melissa cut in, "if the power's back on, they're gonna hear the elevator moving, right?"
"And they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops." Scott looked to Chris. "We can't get in a fight with them."
Chris nodded before gesturing with his head towards his daughter. "You've got us now."
"It's too much to risk. They want her dead, and if she dies, there's nothing that we can do for Stiles's dad or Cora."
"I don't even think I know which teacher this is."
Isaac answered Chris's question, "She's- she's the one with the brown hair. She's kind of hot."
Every person in the room turned their head towards him, sporting looks of irritation and disbelief.
"Seriously?" Marlee questioned rhetorically, her tone unamused.
"No, it's jus- just an observation." He hastily defended his comment.
After an awkward moment of silence, Allison spoke.
"I've got an idea."
And with that idea, Isaac and Marlee found themselves sitting in the front seat of the Argents' Toyota. Neither of them spoke, the task at hand making the pair too high-strung. Isaac's phone vibrated after several minutes. Placing his cell in a phone holster, the werewolf accepted the call.
"You ready?" The brunette's faced filled up the screen.
Isaac sighed before replying, "Yeah."
"You're not nervous, are you?"
"Do I look nervous?"
There was a moment of hesitation before Allison answered Isaac.
"No, not at all."
The huntress suddenly went off-camera and her phone started to tilt, so the only thing that the two sitting in the car could see was a hospital hallway.
"Did he look nervous?" Chris asked his daughter.
"Terrified."
Marlee snorted before stifling the rest of her laugh with her hand.
"Yeah, I can still hear you, very, very clearly."
Isaac clearly did not find it as funny as his companion did.
Allison's head ducked back into view.
"Just go as soon as you see them, okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I got it."
Isaac hung up with the Argents before letting out a huff of air.
"Hey." Marlee piped up, causing the boy to look at her. "We're gonna kick ass, alright?"
She held out her fist before raising her eyebrows in amusement.
"Those Alphas are al-fucked."
That seemed to release some of the tension that had been building up inside of Isaac; his shoulders relaxed as he let out a chuckle.
"That is still completely terrible." He responded with a hint of a smile.
Despite his words, Isaac fist-bumped Marlee, glad that he wasn't alone in this.
When the first shots were fired, the two in the Toyota knew it was time to get their butts moving. Rocketing towards the garage, they came to a halt next to the ambulance. Marlee unbuckled her seatbelt before slipping out the shotgun seat. She took a few steps back, letting Peter place Cora in the passenger seat, before she opened the other door and climbed into the back. Through the car window, she could see Stiles examining something on the inside of one of the ambulance doors.
"Stiles, let's go!" Isaac gestured to the other boy to get in the car.
Stiles looked at whatever was on the door once again before booking it back into the hospital.
"Stiles!" Isaac called after him.
When it was clear that the sheriff's son wasn't coming back anytime soon, Isaac got into the vehicle. He put the car in 'neutral' and the backup camera appeared on the Toyota's screen.
"Come on, we gotta go. Drive, you idiot." Peter urged.
"I can't. Not without Scott." He protested.
The sounds of gunshots rang out from the front of the hospital, causing the conscious people in the car to turn their heads in that direction.
"Come on, you want the Argents dead too? Make a choice!"
"Isaac!" Marlee shouted as the twins came into view on the camera.
"Oh, for the love of God!" Peter exclaimed in exasperation. "Go, now!"
"All right!"
Isaac shifted into 'reverse' and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The vehicle's tires squealed as it quickly backed up, causing the twins to scatter. Marlee could practically feel Isaac's reluctance to leave Scott when he stomped on the brakes, the tires screeching. The SUV was put into 'drive' and they swung out of the garage.
Once they had reached the designated meeting spot, the Toyota came to an abrupt halt. Three sets of eyes began to scan their surroundings.
"You see the twins?" Isaac asked.
"No." Peter answered before turning his head to look out the windshield. "But I see the Argents."
Sure enough, Chris and Allison ran out from behind an ambulance.
Isaac, being the sassy little shit that he was, stroked his chin before saying, "Not to bring up uncomfortable memories, wasn't the last time you saw them the time you killed Kate and then they burned you alive? Hmmm?"
The young wolf didn't even notice that as soon as Peter had seen the Argents, he had quickly escaped, leaving Marlee staring after him in amusement. When Isaac did turn around and saw that there was one less passenger, the blonde girl made a face before bailing out of the car.
"Where are the others?" Allison called.
"I don't know. Scott and Stiles went back for Derek and Jennifer. I had to get Cora out."
"Peter ran off with his tail between his legs." Marlee tacked on.
A second later, what they recognized as Derek's car pulled into the parking lot. The only door that opened was the driver's, revealing the owner of the vehicle.
"Where are Scott and Stiles?" Allison inquired.
"Stiles is still at the hospital. He's gonna hold off the cops for us."
Derek pulled his sister out of the Argents' Toyota before telling everyone, "We have to go right now."
Wait, where's-
"What about Scott and Melissa?" Chris Argent didn't miss the fact that Derek hadn't mentioned that little detail.
"Jennifer took Melissa." Derek admitted as he placed Cora in his own car.
All of the blood drained from Marlee's face when she heard that. It took a moment for all of them to grasp what had just been said but it was Allison who eventually spoke again.
"What about Scott?"
The Hale ignored the brunette, walking around the front of his car.
"Derek, where's Scott?" Allison tried once more.
The man stopped in his tracks before turning with a heavy sigh. With his lips pressed together, it looked as if he might not respond.
"Damn it, Derek!" Marlee exploded. "Answer the question!"
"He left with the Alphas."
Silence. There was only silence. No one knew how to process this information.
It was as if Marlee's brain had disconnected from her body. She couldn't feel a thing, physically or emotionally. She couldn't have heard that right. There was no way that she had. As Marlee stared at Derek's face, waiting in vain for the punchline- it all came crashing down on her at once.
He had left. Scott had abandoned them. Deucalion had finally gotten what he wanted.
What did you expect? You should know by now that people never stay, especially the people around you. Did you really think that Scott would be any different? Get real. He's just like the rest of them. Everybody leaves.
Despite everything she had said the past couple of weeks, that she wasn't walking away from all of this now… she could have, right there and then. Scott had brought her into this crazy supernatural world and he had left her there alone.
… except she wasn't alone.
Looking at the devastated and defeated faces in front of her, Marlee knew that she couldn't abandon them now. She refused to kick them while they were down.
She would stay and she would fight.
So, Marlee definitely isn't happy with Scott right now.
I would really appreciate some reviews!