work_inprogress | Is it gone, tell me what went wrong / 'Cause baby I'm not that strong

Isaac heard what Stiles said, but he'd known that, known Deucalion wanted Scott...but Scott wasn't supposed to go with him. He didn't answer Stiles, caught in his own little corner of hell and working on breathing, and really not realizing the question was aimed at him. Clearly, no, he was not okay. He'd pull it together in a minute.

"Fuck," was about all Peter had to say about that before his legs started to give out and he decided it was a good idea to join Isaac on the floor.

Hayley...still was mostly focused on Derek, and she breathed out a sigh of relief to see him waking, even if he was confused. "It's okay. You're home. Where you left me." She hadn't gone off anywhere. Well, except to fetch Lydia, but that didn't count.

"Peter." Lydia caught the curse from him seconds before he was sinking to the floor and she left Stiles to rush to his side. He didn't look right even with the injuries. "What's wrong?"

Derek blinked a bit as he tried to process the fact that he was home and he was instantly struggling to sit up. "Cora? Where is she?"

"She's right here." Stiles has drifted to her side, frowning at how waxy she looked and he leaned down to make sure she was breathing.

Peter shook his head. "Adrenaline crash. I'll be fine. I just...need to sit here a minute." God, he felt old. The fact that he really wasn't back up to fighting strength was pretty apparent--he hadn't been faking it.

Hayley helped Derek sit up. "She's unconscious, still." Which worried her, too, and she felt a little more able to focus on her--and the stunned boy sitting next to her--now that Derek was at least awake and alert.

A sharp knock sounded on the door, Chris finally having made it there and feeling a little bit uncomfortable with the whole situation--going to Derek's home--but they needed to regroup and strategize. The sheriff and Melissa's lives were at stake and that was enough to keep the truce.

Klaus was glaring at the back of the hunter's head, all but sulking at the indignity of having to ride in the back seat. Elijah kept giving him amused looks, even if the situation didn't call for amusement. Really--it was easier for them. They didn't have any attachments but Hayley.

"You look weird." Lydia murmured, lifting her hand to his forehead. He felt clammy and he looked pale which made her worry. It crossed her mind that maybe he wasn't healing which made her more than a little stressed.

Derek shifted up to see his sister on the table and there was a moment of relief at seeing her even if he still felt sick. Reaching out, he clasped Peter's shoulder gently. "Thank you." For looking out for her and getting her out of the hospital.

"Hey, I helped." Stiles muttered before looking at Isaac again. "Seriously, dude, are you okay?" He stopped at the found of the knock and glanced over at the others with curious frown before moving to answer the door.

Allison stood beside Klaus, watching him out of the corner of her eye as he continued to glare at the back of her father's head. She didn't really like the situation either though she was curious about the vampire and the hybrid especially. When the door opened, she shifted to move forward. "Hey, Stiles."

Peter was mostly cursing his body as the clamminess turned to trembling and feeling sick to his stomach, but he also knew it would be okay in a bit. His body could process it, take it, get it through. It worked well enough for that, still. The injuries would heal, too--they weren't deep, though he wasn't convinced he didn't have a cracked rib or four. Catching Lydia's fingers, he wrapped his around them. "Not my best plan ever, I admit, but it bought us time, so."

All right. He hadn't told her what he'd done. Apparently he wasn't thinking straight anymore, either. But he lifted his head to give Derek a slight smile. "She's my family, too," he murmured, before shifting to try and catch a better breath which...didn't work.

Isaac shook his head a little, earning him a look from Peter with a slight frown. His gaze flashed up when Stiles opened the door to find Allison there, and he watched her a little fixedly, if only because Peter had made him choose, and he'd done what Scott would have wanted, but that meant he'd left Scott and Scott had gone off and...he was never going to forgive himself.

Klaus rolled his eyes at Elijah's amusement, then glanced past Chris who gave Stiles a nod, to see who was inside and if Hayley was there, relaxing marginally when he saw her. "I figured we were regrouping here..."

"Plan?" Lydia's brows drew together in a concerned frown as she clung to his fingers. "What plan?"

Derek nodded when Peter stated Cora was family too but all conversation stopped at the Argents arriving with the two men that only a couple of them recognized. Well, the one as Klaus was new but Derek knew who hd was right away.

Lydia felt them too like a chill running down her spine and she was suddenly facing the doorway, watching them with a wary gaze.

Allison stepped in, looking at Isaac and then Stiles as she noticed someone was missing. "Where is Scott?"

"He's with Deucalion." He replied hollowly. "I couldn't stop him. And before you ask, Deucalion wants him because he's apparently a true Alpha. So he told Scott he'd help him get his mom and my dad if Scott went with him...who are they?" He pointed at Elijah and Klaus.

Saved by the vampires, apparently, and Peter just stared with the rest of them.

Hayley breathed out a sigh of relief at seeing them, because Elijah just...made shit better, okay? Even if she was nervous as fuck about Klaus and Derek in the same room when shit had gone so badly.

Klaus gave the boy in the doorway a cheery smile as Chris moved inside, as well. "We're with her," he said pointing at Hayley.

"You have to invite them in," she murmured to Derek, hopefully soft enough that no one else heard.

Unfortunately for him, his girlfriend had a damn good memory which meant it would be brought up later now that she knew there was something to be brought up.

"Can I invite just one of them in?" Derek muttered for her to hear before looking at the vampires. "Come in." He said it reluctantly as he really didn't want this Klaus having access to his home.

Allison caught Klaus's eye, silently telling, or warning, him to behave before she focused on Stiles again. At that moment Cora made a horrible choking noise, like she was trying to catch her breath, seconds before she surged up and rolled into her side just as black blood spewed from her mouth.

Peter was watching the vampires--the hybrid in particular--with a sort of fascination as they stepped in, Klaus giving Allison a smirk that did not in the least bit promise to behave, but she was cute for trying.

Cora's throwing up drew all eyes back to her, though, and Peter pushed back to his feet, not feeling the pain as a surge of natural adrenaline hit. "Shit. I thought we were past this..."

"What's wrong with her?" Elijah asked, concern in his voice, as he crossed to her, as well.

Klaus...tilted his head and stared at the black blood with a little frown, but didn't move from just in the doorway.

"It happened when she went after one of the Alpha twins." Stiles replied, glancing at Elijah. "She got hurt but she wouldn't heal. She just got sicker and sicker." His voice softened. "She's stopped breathing once already."

"It's the Darach." Derek replied tensely as he moved to the table, looking worried as he reached out to take Cora's hand. "She poisoned her. She said she'd save her but..." It was the only reason he had agreed to try helping her but he had failed as Jennifer was gone and his sister was clearly dying.

"What about Scott's boss?" Lydia asked, moving forward as well. "He could help, right?"

Hayley glanced between them all, and shook her head. "I don't know that a vet is going to be able to help, druid or not...if he can even get here in time. Her heart doesn't sound good..." Which the others could hear she was sure. "By the time he came up with an antidote, it might be too late."

Her gaze slid to Klaus. "You could heal her."

Klaus arched an eyebrow. "We don't know that. They're...different." He didn't make it sound like a compliment.

"Fuck that. They're close enough."

"I might kill her."

"Well, she's definitely going to die if you don't," Hayley snapped. "For fuck's sake, make yourself useful for once."

Klaus was to her in a blur, fingers catching her chin, holding her immobile just with that. "Careful with your tone, little wolf."

"What in the entire history of our knowing each other makes you think that's going to happen?" She didn't even try to get free, just stared back at him.

Klaus held her gaze for a moment, then smirked, fingers releasing her chin and one fingertip flicking her nose. "Fine. For you." His gaze shifted to Derek. "If he asks. She is his sister, his pack, after all. Pretty sure you don't speak for him, yet, sweetheart."

A rolling growl escaped Derek when Klaus touched Hayley, his eyes flashing red as he stepped away from his sister and towards the two of them. A click could be heard as Allison pulled out a small crossbow, not quite pointing it at Klaus but the intent was clear that she would make a move if need be.

"Seriously, are we going to do this?" Stiles demanded as he looked between them.

Elijah would feel cold fingers brushing against his then and when he looked down he would find Cora looking up at him, her gaze distant and hazy with whatever was wrong with her. She managed a small smile before her hand dropped and once again she wasn't breathing.

Klaus didn't even blink at the click of the crossbow, but he did arch an eyebrow in Derek's direction, turning to face the implied challenge.

Hayley growled as well, her eyes flashing and she punched Klaus in the arm. "Stop it. His sister is dying. You two can go all snarly alpha male on me later. Bigger problems right now." She shot a look at Allison and her crossbow. "You're just going to annoy him with that."

Peter had been looking back and forth between Klaus, Derek, Allison and Hayley. "Can I just say that I like her? Definitely a step up from Aunt Kate."

Elijah barely noted Klaus and Derek's interchange, or Allison's crossbow, his focus purely on Cora. He squeezed her hand and then stilled as her breathing stopped. "She's not breathing." His gaze shot to Klaus. "Get over here, now, or I'll do it. But her chances are better with you, and you know it."

Klaus glanced at the girl on the table, then back at Derek. "He asks first."

Peter's sardonic smile disappeared at Elijah's pronouncement, and he whirled back to Cora, feeling for a pulse, before looking back at Klaus. "Dammit, I'll ask. I'm the...oldest member of the family or whatever. Please...if you can save her, save her."

Edited 2013-08-06 21:46 (UTC)

"I don't mind." Allison drawled, never once taking her eyes from
Klaus. "Turnabout is fair play." Then she heard Peter's comment about her aunt and she turned her attention to him. Like, really? He was going to say that with her and her Dad right there? She knew he had a right considering what Kate had done but still...

Derek stood there glaring at Klaus till he heard his sister wasn't breathing and suddenly winning a pissing match with the hybrid wasn't important. Saving his sister was even more important than who had more of a right to Hayley. He glanced briefly at her with a shadowed gaze before swallowing his pride.

"If you can save her, do it." He clenched his jaw. "I'm asking you to do it."

"It's not going to matter if she's dead, you morons!" Stiles grumbled, tipping Cora's head back to make sure the airway was open before he leaned down to deal his mouth over hers, focusing in giving her air again.

Peter would...not apologize for the Kate comment. He didn't like the Argents being here. Really didn't like that girl having weapons in here around him and Derek, let alone the pups. Pulling out the weapon at all was a sign of hostility in his mind, whether aimed at them or not. Klaus was more one of them than they were like the Argents.

But he really did like Hayley. The whole fighting for Cora's life instead of, you know, trying to end it got her bonus points. And, yes. He really had to say it here, though that was in response to the crossbow as much as anything.

"My pleasure." Klaus inclined his head at Derek in agreement moving to the table. Hayley rolled her eyes at him, but it was followed by a sigh of utter relief.

Biting his wrist, Klaus tapped Stiles' shoulder. "Keep her mouth open and massage her throat to get this down her." Once Cora's mouth was free, he held his wrist over it, milking blood from the wounds and into her.

Isaac had snapped out of it enough to be on his feet, though he stayed out of the way, watching Cora with worry, relieved when Derek asked. The hybrid was clearly a dick, but he was a dick who could save Cora, so.

No one could be surprised that the Argents were armed but Allison did out away the crossbow as soon as things seemed to settle. That and she had been ready to do it to protect Hayley from Klaus, if only because Hayley had ties to the pack. And because Lydia had said Hayley was interesting enough which was a compliment coming from the girl.

Lydia who was standing back and watching the whole thing almost like she was in a trance. She felt chilled and almost nauseous as she stood there, waiting breathlessly as Stiles straightened and then nodded though he looked clearly uneasy with the plan.

No one could really place how many minutes has passed while they waited to see if the blood was working. Then, very softly, Cora drew in a breath and then another one before couching again but at least there was no more black blood. Turning her head as she coughed, she finally opened her eyes to look around, seeming a little steadier than she had been moments before.

Elijah retreated to lean against the window. Chris...took up a position almost opposite him--a move Elijah noted with detached amusement. His focus shifted back to the girl, though. She was spunky and sassy and he was really rooting for her to pull through.

Peter was barely breathing, himself, willing Cora to take a breath, to be okay. The adrenaline surge couldn't keep up, drained as it was, but he ignored his own chilled, trembling sick feeling, just leaning against the table, his hand brushing slowly over her hair, concern written all over his face.

Hayley moved to Derek, fingers sliding into his, holding his hand in her own hope, and offering what reassurance she could about the rest.

When Cora coughed, but a more normal sounding cough, a shudder ran through Peter, and his hand slid to hers, curling around it tight. "Welcome back."

Cora struggled to catch her breath even as the pressure in her chest started to ease. Turning her head to look at Peter, she smiled weakly then. "Thanks." It was a loaded thank you for everything he had done to look out for her over the last few hours and then she was turning her head. "Derek?"

"I'm right here." Derek stepped forward, still holding onto Hayley's hand though he did reach for Cora's with his free hand.

"What happened to me?" She arched a brow, her voice still raspy.

Lydia looked relieved as she watched the girl coming back to them and the color spread back in her cheeks as she moved towards Peter. Allison looked relieved as well though she worried about the consequences. She nodded briefly at Klaus before glancing at her father and moving towards the door.

Cora saw the movement out of the corner of her eye, glancing at Allison before something else caught her attention and she looked to Elijah who was leaning against the window. "Hey."

Klaus gave Allison a bit of her smile, moving to sprawl on the sofa since it had been abandoned.

Peter smiled back at Cora, the relief apparent, though that had him leaning against the table again, going pale and shaky and determined not to let it show, not in front of any of them. "Well, you seem to be determined to go into the white light, which, I can say from experience is not all it's cracked up to be. Our new...friends..." He shot Klaus an ironic glance. "Made you better."

"Yeah, but you probably should be...careful the next 24 hours or so," Hayley suggested with a wry smile.

Elijah gave Cora a smile, starting to say something before Klaus said, perfectly pleasant, "You're welcome."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Don't be obnoxious about it."

Elijah snorted. "He's genetically incapable of not being obnoxious. From the day he was born."

Allison's gaze followed Klaus as he moved to sit down and then she discreetly turned away, slipping out of the apartment.

Cora looked at Peter once more when he started to speak, her long lashes fluttering as he told her that she had been closed to dying but that their new friends had helped her. Blinking, she looked towards Klaus and then back again. "How..."

"He fed you his blood." Stiles replied flatly from where he was standing nearby, having moved back from the table while everyone else rushed to Cora's side. Then he glanced sideways as Allison slipped out, frowning a bit as he started to drift after her.

Klaus watched Stiles and Allison drifting with an arched eyebrow, bored already by the family reunion at the table. But the blood comment had him looking back over. "So, when Hayley says be careful for the next 24 hours it's so you don't turn into a hybrid. Which, I don't know if is even possible with your kind..."

"And which would be...potentially bad, anyway, because we don't have the other part to cement it, and so you'd just...die," Hayley said with a wince. "So...you can stay back with me if there's any more fighting tonight or tomorrow."

"Or not..." Klaus smirked slightly, then got up to follow the huntress.

"So..." Isaac stepped forward. "Now that Cora's okay, which I'm really glad about, too, but...um...Can we talk about how we're getting the sheriff and Scott's mom and...Sc-cott back?" Just the little tremble over Scott's name, but his heart did enough flipping to get a look from Hayley and Peter both.

Cora's eyes widened a little bit at the mention that she could become a hybrid and she found her eyes flickering to Elijah to read his expression. "What other part?"

Derek was frowning but a quiet glance at Peter had them agreeing they'd do everything they could to keep her out of trouble to keep her from turning into a hybrid. But then Isaac was speaking, drawing Derek's gaze as he heard the little stumble in the boy's heart as well. Especially when he said Scott's name.

"I'm not sure we can get him back. The Alpha pack is too strong for us...."

"Ethan." The sudden reply came from Lydia and she arched a brow at them all as they turned towards her. "What? He doesn't seem like he wants to be a part of what they're doing. He and Scott actually get along."

"What? Are you serious? Allison, you can't..." Stiles hissed whisper could be heard by Klaus as soon as he walked out of the loft and near the elevator to where Allison and Stiles were standing close and arguing.

"I have to." Allison said it firmly.

"But Scott..."

"If I can find where she's hiding them, then I can get them out and Scott won't have to stay with Deucalion. This is our best option right now." She frowned before realizing Klaus was there, standing a bit straighter as she turned towards him. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in there antagonizing Derek?"

Elijah's gaze followed his brother out, not trusting that smirk in the least. The boy who'd run off obviously mattered to them, but Cora had a right to know. "When humans turn, they need to have human blood within a day after turning, or they die. Anyone will do, including from a blood bank. But hybrids...aren't meant to exist. They need magic blood--which sounds ridiculous, but. Blood from a particular supernatural creature. A doppelganger, a human one. Sadly, last I checked...all the doppelgangers were vampires."

But Klaus shot him a look over his shoulder that had Elijah's mouth firming into something hard. Klaus just smirked.

Peter frowned and nodded at Derek. "Then we keep her out of the fight."

"We can't just let him go," Isaac all but shouted.

Peter moved, though the room tilted and so he leaned casually back against the table. "Yelling about it isn't going to get him back, pup." He looked at Lydia. "You think Ethan would help us? Or fight against them?" His gaze flicked out to the hall, hearing some of it and...not really caring much. If the girl could rescue the others, awesome. He wasn't going to try and talk her out of it.

Chris followed Klaus out, catching the end of the conversation as Klaus smirked at Allison. "Oh, I can do that in absentia. I've had a thousand years to perfect it. If you want to track them, we need more than guesses. She's using magic to mask her scent, so we can't do it the old fashioned way."

"Magic blood?" Cora said it slowly like she was testing it out and then she shook her head a bit. "Now I've heard of everything."

"Right." Derek nodded in agreement with Peter, giving his sister a stern look. "You're staying out of the fight from now on."

"Derek..." She started to argue but stopped under the look he shot her, fuming just a bit.

"You've already tried taking one of them on and look where it got you." He frowned at her before looking up sharply at Isaac yelling at them. "We're not going to, Isaac, but we need to figure out a plan."

When Peter looked to her, Lydia was already at his side as she had seen him wavering on his feet. "He might help keep Deucalion from doing whatever he plans on doing to Scott." She slid her arm around his waist then. "But we can talk about this while you're resting. Derek, can we use your spare room?"

"Wha...uh, sure." Derek turned to point in the direction of the room.

Allison rolled her eyes slightly at Klaus before shaking her head. "Maybe not by scent but there are other trails she could leave." She looked to her Dad. "We have to try. The lunar eclipse is coming..."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Stiles looked confused as he glanced between them.

Wetting her lips, Allison looked at him while being aware of Klaus still watching her. "Even though they can shift whenever they want, Scott and the others are still controlled by the moon. We both know that from seeing what they get like around the full moon. But with a lunar eclipse...they lose their power. Which means the Alpha pack does too..."

A look of understanding crossed Stiles's face then. "And you think Miss Blake is going to attack them on the lunar eclipse."

"Which means...."

"Which means she has to kill my dad and Scott's mom before then." Stiles felt like he was going to be sick then, the blood draining from his face. Allison nodded, reaching out to touch his arm gently.

"Welcome to our mother's fucked up world," Elijah muttered, though his gaze was drawn to the pretty, distressed wolf challenging his Alpha, head tilting a little as he studied him. Filing that away, he lightly squeezed Cora's shoulder. "There will always be later fights. And I doubt this one will be over by tomorrow night."

Peter gave Lydia a look, determined not to look weak in front of his pack and the vampires and her, for that matter. "I'm fine, sweetheart. We need to come up with a plan..."

Isaac gave them a more "wtf?" look again, mostly at the sweetheart, but he was kind of freaking out about Scott, still, and...whatever. No one else seemed concerned.

Out in the hall, Klaus leaned against the door and snorted lightly at the concept of the wolves losing their power because of something like the moon. "Trails or, I don't know. Looking at what we know about her and about this place. These many druids running around, there's bound to be magical residues, especially with the power gained from the sacrifices. That leaves a pretty strong imprint. Can last generations. It's certainly still around now."

Chris gave him a look, arching an eyebrow. "You seem to know a lot about it."

Klaus shrugged. "Have a bit of experience with sacrifices, and our mother was a fairly powerful witch."

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