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Peter knew the pack was attempting to save someone's life, but someone else's life had been in jeopardy who he cared about a lot more than some random teacher. He'd been hanging out in the corner of Cora's room, watching her and Derek, waiting for her to wake up. When he noted Derek's eyes drooping, he said he was going to get them coffee and would be right back.

Moving through the halls, he avoided the nurses's station, not wanting a run in with Melissa McCall. He did the same on the way back and was almost back to the room when he heard a scream that ricocheted through him, plucking hard at his eardrums, though not close enough to drop him to the ground.

He did drop the coffee, though, because he knew that scream. He'd heard it in his dreams, elicited it from her more than once last year.

Lydia.

Ignoring the splash of the hot coffee on the floor and not bothering to return to Derek and Cora, Peter took off at a run. He heard his name distantly shouted, but he didn't stop for it. He didn't stop for anything.

When he hit the school, he closed his eyes and felt for her, feeling the edges of her mind, seeing what she saw. He'd gone to school here; he knew it well, and the images he got from her helped him pinpoint her location. Students, parents and teachers were spilling out of the auditorium doors, though, screaming in a way that made him grateful he even could feel her--that she was still alive.

The crowd made going in problematic, so he went around, twisting toward the hall of classrooms where she was. Scanning rooms as he went by, he caught sight of something that about made his heart stop: Lydia, tied to a chair, a garrotte around her neck, and some woman moving toward the fallen sheriff. He couldn't see Lydia moving, didn't know if she was all right, but there was blood in the air--hers, Scott's, Sheriff Stilinski's.

Peter's eyes glowed blue and his claws and fangs extended as he growled. With a running leap he threw himself through the windows, knocking into the woman and sending her farther away from Lydia. He snarled, almost fully wolfed out, noting the others at the door. He wanted the woman, wanted her blood, but how much and how hard depending on how hurt Lydia was, so he spun to her, moving to kneel in front of her chair, senses trained on the woman for any sudden moves.

By the time he reached Lydia, his features were normal again, though his eyes were still glowing bright blue and the claws of his right hand were still extended. He slashed through the bindings holding her, careful not to nick her skin, then reached to pluck the garrotte away, eyeing the marks on her throat with a fury that had him growling again.

Another crash from behind him startled him enough to look and see the girl and the sheriff disappear. Whatever. He had her scent. He could hunt her down. His attention focused back on Lydia.

"Are you badly hurt?" She obviously wasn't all right, but he needed the physical damage report first.

Comments

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Peter followed Allison, though his gaze kept flicking back to Lydia, and he winced a little bit at her question. It wasn't something he'd really ever wanted her to know, especially when he should have connected it and told her when she was freaking out about if she had killed anyone, but, honestly...he hadn't thought the truth would be that much of a relief.

From the note in her voice, he was pretty sure he'd been right.

Brushing a kiss over her forehead, he nodded a little. "Yes."

To all of it. The teacher was right. He had known.

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Her breath shook at the confirmation and she shifted to lay her head against his shoulder again, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to will it not to be but it made sense in a way. A Banshee, the Wailing Woman, was an omen of death. At lest that was the legend but who knew what the actual truth was.

At least she knew why she kept finding dead bodies now. Why she couldn't leave till she did.

Allison heard them whispering to each other but she couldn't make it out as she led them out to where her car was parked. opening one of the back doors for Peter, she waited for him to put Lydia in before moving around to the driver side. There was no doubt in her mind he would sit in the back.

Waiting till they were situated, she started the engine and then pulled out of the parking lot to drive to the hospital.

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Peter just held her tighter as she curled back into him, wishing it wasn't so for her now, too, though it had been pretty damn important to him when he'd bitten her. Still was, if only because it was why he was alive.

He had to let her go to slide her into the car, just to be sure he didn't hit her head again. Allison was completely correct in that he slipped into the back next to her, arms wrapping around her again snugly.

"Hurry," he told Allison. His fingers ghosted over Lydia's hair, eyeing the forming bruises on her throat and felt his wolf very near the surface at how she looked.

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Lydia wasn't thinking about the angry red marks around her throat that were bruising already as she was more concerned about the gash on her forehead though it wasn't bleeding anymore at least. Still, her head was throbbing enough that it made it hard for her to concentrate.

After awhile, she gave up, letting herself drift as she continued to lean against Peter.

It didn't take all that long to get from the school to the hospital and Allison was quick to pull up in front, glancing back at Peter with a still wary gaze. "Take her inside, I'll go park."

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His gaze back at her was just as wary, but he wasn't worried about what anyone thought of him and Lydia right now. His concern was totally for his girl's well-being.

He got her out of the car carefully, cradling her back against his chest, and moved swiftly into the hospital, looking around the emergency room and not seeing anything at all that should take priority over Lydia.

He all but stalked to the registration desk. "We need a doctor. Now. She's been hurt..."

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"Peter?"

When he turned around, he would find himself facing exactly the person he had been working to avoid over the last few hours. Not that Melissa McCall stayed focused on him for long though as her eyes went to Lydia in his arms. "Oh god, Lydia."

Then she was yelling for a bed, urging Peter to turn and carry Lydia into a nearby room. "What happened to her??"

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Peter was aware that Melissa knew about the pack, and he had to assume she knew something about what was going on, but he didn't know how much Scott had told her.

Still, he fought back an urge to back away, knowing things really...hadn't been left well between them, though he had no idea what Scott had ultimately told her about him.

Following her into the room, he carefully laid Lydia on the bed, gaze fixing on her with fear in it as he took in how pale she seemed.

"We found the person who's been doing all the ritual killings," he said. "She tried to kill Lydia. From what I can tell, she was hit over the head, hard, and she'd been partially garotted when I got there. She was conscious and hasn't lost consciousness since then, but she's clearly dazed and disoriented."

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Of course Scott had told her everything in the end. It had kind of hurt to know she had been asked out as a tactic to threaten her son but she had been given some time to get over it. At least it really hadn't gone anywhere, right?

Still, she looked confused to see him there and especially confused to see him with Lydia, especially with the fact tht he was being so tender with her.

Moving forward to take her pulse, she pressed the stethoscope to Lydia's chest while eyeing the marks around her throat. Then she looked up in alarm, her eyes widening before she glanced over her shoulder to make sure there was no one nearby. "Who was it?" She asked with a hiss, looking back again. "Wait, did you say...she?"

"Miss Blake." Lydia swallowed thickly, finally drifting back in, her voice still raspy as she looked up at Scott's mother. "And i'm fine, really. I just need to..." She started to sit up but she was stopped by the feel of Melissa's hand against her chest.

"No way, you need to have your head checked...."

"Peter." Derek filled the doorway, having heard Peter's voice. "What is going on?" He stepped into the room, glancing at Lydia. "Was it her? Screaming?"

"You heard me?" Lydia looked at him, surprised.

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Why he'd asked her out didn't mean he wouldn't have asked her out for the pleasure of her company, as well, or that he hadn't. She was smart and gorgeous and deserved someone so much better than him. So did Lydia, for that matter, but that ship had apparently sailed. No going back, now.

"She needs a CT scan," Peter said with a nod, reaching to smooth his hand over her hair as Melissa urged her back down. "Just rest. Everything's being taken care of..."

He looked over at Derek who likely could tell just how tightly leashed he was, and how on the verge of doing damage, no matter how calm his exterior. Exterior calm was his trademark....but his eyes were shaken. "Yes. The darach tried to kill her. The new English teacher." He frowned a little, the other information surfacing Derek might need. "She took the sheriff. The boys went after her, with Chris Argent and the twins." He practically spat out the last word, not at all pleased Scott had enlisted their aid, no matter how strong they were.

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Lydia frowned, clearly not enjoying being told what to do, but she didn't argue as she laid back.

"Wait, she has..." Melissa's eyes widened at the news of the Darach having the Sheriff, a flash of fear showing across her features even as she tried to understand. She had only seen him an hour or so before. Reaching out, she grabbed Peter's arm then. "Wait, Scott went after her?"

Derek scowled at the mention of the twins but Lydia stopped him by talking. "He only asked because he knows they'll want to stop her as much as we do." Even with a head injury, she still tried to make sense to clarify the situation. "They'll be okay. Ethan, the one who likes Danny, doesn't want to be involved in...." She trailed off, her eyes closing as she made a face. "God, my head hurts."

Recalling her job, Melissa looked back. "Come on, let's get you a scan and then I'll get you something for the pain."

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Peter looked at Melissa when she grabbed him. "She has Stiles's father. He went. So did Isaac and Stiles." All right, he figured that wasn't all that encouraging. "With Argent and two Alphas with them...they'll be fine. They're strong."

He couldn't afford to be worried about them, not with Cora hurt and Lydia hurt and Boyd dead. He had to believe the boys would be fine, so long as they stayed together.

His attention shifted back to Lydia with Melissa's, his fingers lightly brushing her hand. "We're going to fix it..."

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Melissa wanted to help but there was very little she could actually do beyond what she was doing right now. She would just have to trust her son to get the Sheriff back. "Okay."

"I'll be right back." She turned, slipping out of the room to make arrangements for the scan.

"What happened exactly?" Derek asked, walking towards the bed. "How did I hear her scream?"

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Peter didn't even really hear Melissa leave, but he sat on the edge of Lydia's bed, wrapping both of his hands around hers, all but clinging to her hand, though he'd never admit to that later.

He heard Derek's question, though. He didn't know what had happened before he got in the room, except that clearly the bitch had tried to kill Lydia, so he just answered the second question.

"She's a banshee."

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Lydia flinched a bit at being called a banshee, her eyes still closed as her mind reeled from the information still. She couldn't believe it. She wasn't a werewolf and she wasn't a psychic but she was clearly something. Something big from the way Jennifer had looked at her once she realized the truth.

A serpent underneath....

"Seriously?" Derek looked at her again. "That's...huh."

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Peter shrugged a little bit, brushing it off. Then again, he'd known for a long time now and they were just learning, but he wanted to reassure Lydia that she'd be okay, that it didn't matter what she was. She was worried, distressed, he could feel it, and it added to his own anxiety.

"Yes." What else was there really to say? "How's Cora?"

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A shadow was evident on Derek's features as he thought of his little sister and hat was hapening to her. "She's not getting better." He looked a bit lost. "She's not healing."

"It's the Darach." The soft murmur came from Lydia again, sounding far away even though she was right there. "It has to be."

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Peter looked a little disturbed by the news about Cora, as well. "We'll figure it out. She'll be fine."

It could well be a lie, and they both knew it, but Peter wasn't willing to think anything else, right now.

"You're probably right, sweetheart," he murmured, fingertips running up and down her arm. "So, when the boys find her, we'll make her undo it."

He looked toward the door, impatience flaring again.

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Lydia looked unsure but she didn't voice her worry or her doubt. She had seen how Jennifer had handled Scott and the Sheriff, just how strong and fast she had been. And the fact that she had healed from being shot in the leg at close range.

Melissa came back in then with a wheelchair. "Okay, we can take her in."

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Peter saw the uncertainty on her face, and he was far from being naive enough to think it would be that easy, but someone had to try and be reassuring, right? What was the point of telling them they were all doomed? Besides, now that they knew who it was, shouldn't Derek get Deaton to help them? And if they were working with the Alphas, his sister, as well? Surely two "good" Druids and two wolf packs should be able to take down one dark Druid, right?

If he'd known about the vampires being in town, he'd have been even more optimistic, honestly. He'd heard of the Mikaelsons before, even if not that Klaus was a hybrid.

He reached for Lydia when Melissa came in, not willing for her to have to get up on her own or for anyone else to touch her. He was still ridiculously gentle as he settled her in the chair. "Try not to worry about it. Let's just focus on getting you patched up for now. The rest will still be there."

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Right now Lydia didn't feel like there was a lot of hope at the moment. It could have been the fact hat she was still reeling or maybe it was her head. Or maybe it was seeing first hand what Jennifer was capable of. Still, she knew they couldn't just give up and, after awhile, she would be back to fighting like she had been ready to do just an hour before.

Derek slipped away at some point since he didn't want to be away from Cora for long and so it was only Peter with Lydia when Melissa returned. She stood back, watching once more as Peter was ridiculously gentle with Lydia and there was no mistaking the care there. Or what it meant.

Lydia was grateful he was there though, managing a small smile as he settled her into the chair and for when Melissa motioned for him to push the chair as she led them to the room down the hall. When they got Lydia into the machine, Melissa glanced over at Peter again. "You can go into there." She pointed to the little observation room.

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He'd been bracing to fight the whole way to the imaging room, waiting for an orderly to come and try to take control of the chair, for someone to say no farther or to question his right to be there. His adrenaline was already up, the wolf still near the surface for not having been able to rip Jennifer's throat out, having no outlet, but managing so long as he was allowed to stay in protective mode.

As long as no one challenged that, it would be all right. Probably.

He gave Melissa a slightly surprised look anyway, then nodded with a flash of gratitude, just lightly touching Lydia's hand before moving to the room, though even that was nearly too far, his anxiety shooting up, heart pounding, fingers clenching into fists and unclenching, over and over, which made the radiologist give him a wary look even as he started the scan.

At least it wasn't a MRI with taking as long as that could. He probably wouldn't have made it.

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Lydia could feel his anxiety pouring through her which heightened her own, making it nearly impossible to deal with by the time she crawled onto the machine and laid back. Wetting her lips, she looked up as the 'bed' slid inwards, blocking her view of him until she was surrounded by nothing by white and lights.

After making sure Lydia was in place, she made her way into the observation area, standing nearby as she waited and watched. Then, after a moment, she glanced over. "So, I guess you're into younger women, huh?"

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They weren't doing very good for each other at the moment, then, because the more anxious she got, the more he got, and even though he knew they were creating a feedback loop off of each other with it, there was nothing he could do about it. Every bit of his emotional willpower was going to leashing the wolf, keeping under some level of control.

Melissa's comment, however, made him flinch, turning to stare at her with that struggle and worry and anger and everything clear in his eyes for a moment, before it's gone blinked away, mask back in place. "It has nothing to do with age." He'd apologize for disappointing her, but he can't even find words to go back that far, right now.

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Melissa just held up her hands then, offering a little smile. "Don't worry about it. Because honestly, I don't want to know." She decided again. "It's probably better if I don't." Because then she could claim plausible deniability if she ever needed to.

Lydia didn't know the conversation that was going on as she stared at the roof of the machine above her. She didn't like the noise as it made her flinch, her breath starting to come in quick and fast till she wondered if it was possible she was having some kind of panic attack. Closing her eyes, she swallowed thickly but it only made her throat hurt to do so and she hated it. Hated she had been fooled, hated she had been trapped and nearly killed.

She could feel the scream starting to build...

In the observation room, the technician suddenly looked at the two of them. "Her heart rate is starting to spike..."

Muttering a curse, Melissa flew out of the room. "Lydia! Lydia, are you okay?"

"Get me out!" The cry was shrill from inside the machine. "Please, get me out!" Even as she made the demand, Melissa was already stopping the machine and pressing the button to slide the bed out. A quick look at Lydia could see the girl was under some strain as her features were pale, almost ghostly, with a fine sheen of sweat dotting across her forehead.

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For the moment, Peter had stopped caring about legal consequences or...human consequences, even. How many had he killed, and he was still walking around. Or walking around again. Human laws didn't apply to them. But he also didn't feel like explaining himself, so he just shifted his gaze back out to the room.

Peter was at Melissa's heels, almost as pale as Lydia was, aching to reach for her but not wanting to make her feel confined or trapped if she needed the space to breathe.