keep paige's name out of your mouth.
[ 3.10 ]
A forceful storm blew into Beacon Hills at the worst possible time — no doubt, it was due to the Darach gaining power. Derek had no choice but to run off and help Scott and Stiles try to track down Jennifer. That left Peter, Willow, and Boyd — who arrived at the hospital just before the heavy rain began to pour — to watch over Cora as the hospital descended into chaos.
As the weather got worse, more and more sections of the county began to flood and lose power. It was so bad that the hospital was forced to evacuate and send all the patients to another facility in the next county over.
Peter dabbed at the sweat accumulated on Cora's forehead while anxiously looking at the hallway every few seconds. Doctors and nurses were all rushing past, no one stopping to check on Cora or tell them that it was time for her to be moved to an ambulance.
"Hey, anyone want to tell me when they're getting my niece out of here?" Peter shouted angrily, hoping that someone would hear.
And someone did.
"Sorry, but she wasn't—" Melissa cut herself off when she stepped into the room and saw Peter. Alive. "You're supposed to be dead."
Peter had shuffled backward, hiding somewhat in the shadows as if that'd keep Melissa from seeing him. "I get that a lot actually."
"I knew we forgot to tell her something," Willow whispered to Boyd. Then she cleared her throat. "His murderous tendencies aren't nearly as bad as before he died."
"That's not comforting, Willow," Melissa said, still not taking her eyes off of Peter.
"I don't care if you're not comforted," Peter said, rolling his eyes. "I want my niece out of here before this place loses power—"
Peter was cut off by Cora as she rolled to the side and threw up black blood all over the floor. Mixed in were small white pieces of mistletoe.
"She needs to be transferred now," Boyd stated, having moved to hold Cora's hair back.
Melissa quickly got to work so that Cora could be cleared to leave. She had to check her vitals, which were only getting worse, and then the ER doctor signed off on her departure. As Willow and Melissa were helping Cora get dressed, Peter received a call from Derek.
"It's not good," Willow heard him say. "She's in and out of consciousness. She's vomiting up black blood along with one other alarming substance."
Based on Peter's expression, Willow could only guess that Derek had correctly guessed that she was throwing up mistletoe.
"How did you know that?" he asked. But Derek didn't stay on the line to explain. Clearly, they must have found Jennifer.
"This is her fault," Willow muttered, feeling sick to her stomach. "My father and Stiles' isn't enough for her. She went after Cora too. Her magic undid my healing."
"Things are only going to get worse now that she knows we know," Boyd assumed.
"Derek and Scott will get her to heal Cora," she told him. "And find Stiles' father. They'll find a way."
"They'd better," Peter said, watching as Cora once again fell unconscious in the bed.
☽︎
Derek, Scott, Stiles, and Jennifer all piled out of the evacuated hospital's elevator. With a painfully tight grip on Jennifer's arm, Derek led them to Cora's room. But he stopped when he saw the bed empty. There was a puddle of black blood and mistletoe on the ground, with black drops leading out of the room and down the hall.
"Derek," Scott said, suddenly hearing the commotion that was past a set of doors.
A moment later, the doors flew open and Peter was slid across the floor to their feet, looking particularly roughed up.
"We got a problem," Peter said, looking up at them. "Big problem."
They looked to see the twins had morphed into their mega-alpha form. They had Boyd shoved up against the wall while Willow was crouched by Cora's side, who was unconscious on the ground.
"We killed you!" the merged wolf roared angrily.
"Did you now?" Boyd asked, raising an eyebrow. Then he groaned as it tossed him into a cart of medical supplies.
Derek let out a snarl as he shifted and ran at the merged wolf. He didn't stand much of a chance while they were like that, even when Scott joined in and Boyd got back on his feet.
Stiles glanced at Cora, knowing they needed to get her away from the fight. "Help me," he ordered, looking down at Peter. They ran behind the merged wolf, thankful that it was too busy holding Scott up against the wall.
"Ethan, Aiden, stop! You don't know what you're doing," Scot groaned out, his chest aching from how hard it was being pressed on.
"All we want is her," the merged form said.
But then the ding of the elevator drew all of their attention. Jennifer had a smirk on her lips as the doors closed, hiding her from view and taking her away.
The twins roared angrily and dropped Scott. Before they could attack once more, the pack was running.
Boyd and Willow were right behind Peter, who was holding Cora. Scott, Derek, and Stiles followed, trying to delay the twins. They ran through the hospital and past the morgue until they found an out-of-service operating room.
Peter quickly laid Cora on a gurney to check on her. Once everyone filed in, Boyd locked the doors — though a lock wouldn't really keep the twins out.
"Where's the big guy?" Stiles asked Scott and Derek.
"He's close," Derek whispered, nervously listening for them.
"What about Ms. Blake?" Stiles asked. But the upset look on Derek's face was enough of an answer. "What do you mean? What does that mean? Like, she's gone? Scott, are you kidding me?"
Derek quickly shushed him as his voice raised. "Quiet."
"Me be quiet? Me, huh? Are you telling me what to do now?" Stiles asked angrily. "When you let the psychotic, mass-murdering woman who poisoned your sister, and killed Willow's father, and has got my dad somewhere, tied up, waiting to be ritually sacrificed go?"
"Stiles," Scott said, needing him to calm down. "They're still out there."
"And - and they want her, right? Which means now we don't have her either, so my dad and Cora are both dead!"
"Not yet," Scott told him, not giving up. Then he moved to Peter's side and looked at Cora. "Is she really dying?"
"She's definitely not getting any better," he muttered.
"There has to be something that we can do. We have to help her," Scott said.
Then the doors to the back entrance to the operating room flew open. They all grew tense as Jennifer stepped into the room. "You can't. Only I can. 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."
Instead of replying, Derek surged forward angrily to attack her. Scott quickly grabbed his arm to hold him back. "Derek, wait!"
"She was trying to get out," he accused.
"I was trying to keep from getting killed. You can't blame me for that," she said, defending herself.
"If you want to show you're one of the good guys, then heal her," Boyd said, crossing his arms as he glared at her.
"Not until I'm safe," Jennifer said.
"I'd like to volunteer a different method of persuasion," Peter said, a sinister look in his eyes. "Let's torture her."
"Works for me," Derek agreed while Boyd also took a step forward.
Before anyone could do any torturing, the PA system crackled as an announcement was made. Melissa's shaky voice filled the room.
"Um, can I have your attention? 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."
Willow grabbed Scott's hand and squeezed it comfortingly, knowing he was terrified for his mother. And because of that, he was considering the deal. And Jennifer could see that.
"He's not gonna hurt her," Jennifer told Scott.
"Shut the fuck up," Derek snarled angrily.
"You don't exactly have a good track record when it comes to not murdering people's parents," Boyd muttered. Willow kept her eyes glued to the ground, not wanting to think about her father.
"He won't!" Jennifer insisted, not bothered by their words. "Scott, you know why. Tell them it's true."
Derek looked at Scott, raising an eyebrow. "What does she mean?"
When Scott remained silent, Jennifer scoffed and told them herself. "You and Willow aren't the only ones he wants in his pack. 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 breathed out, his eyes wide as he looked at Scott in awe.
"What's that?" Stiles asked. He, Willow, and Boyd had no idea what they were talking about.
"The kind that doesn't have to steal his power from another. One that can rise by the force of his own will," Peter explained. He still couldn't wipe the impressed look off his face. "Our little Scott."
"It doesn't matter," Scott quickly said, seeing the look that Derek was giving him. He was worried that Scott would hand over Jennifer without helping Cora. "We still need to get her out of here."
"Scott, your mom—"
"My mom said there's one more ambulance coming in twenty minutes," Scott said, doing his best to believe Melissa would be okay. "And 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," Derek said.
"Ooh, Willow!" Stiles said, perking up. "Do your little mind control thing and tell them to let us pass."
"Mind control thing?" Peter asked. Neither he nor Derek knew what the hell they were talking about.
"I - I don't know how it works. Stiles," Willow said, shaking her head. "I did it once and I didn't even mean to. I'm not betting Cora's life on the chance that I can do it again. We need a better plan."
"I'll distract them," Scott said determinedly.
"You mean fight them," Derek said.
Scott nodded. "Whatever I have to do."
"I'll help you," he said.
"Um, sorry, but I'm not going anywhere without you, Derek," Jennifer said, not taking her eyes off him.
"I don't know why you're so obsessed with him, but he has a girlfriend, and you're a mass murderer who poisoned his sister," Boyd pointed out. Jennifer only glared at the beta.
"I'll do it," Peter volunteered. "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," Peter said sarcastically.
The group got to work searching through all the cabinets and shelves for something to help Peter. Willow didn't voice her thoughts but she was proud of Peter for volunteering. Even if he didn't show his compassionate side much, he did at least care about Cora and her life. He cared so much that he was willing to risk his own.
"Hey, wait. What about these?" Stiles asked, holding up the paddles of a defibrillator.
"Do you know how to use those?" Derek asked doubtfully.
"Well, no."
"Put them down," he ordered, rolling his eyes.
Scott held up a large syringe and read the name of the medicine on the side, not recognizing it. "Epinephrine?"
"No," Willow said, shaking her head. "It will make him stronger and improve his senses for a short time."
Peter looked from Willow to Scott, intrigued by the medicine now. "How strong?"
"You'll burn it off quickly," Willow warned. Scott handed her the syringe, and she was prepared to jab it in Peter's chest, just next to his heart.
"It'll be enough time for you all to get to the ambulance," he said.
Derek picked up Cora, and the others got ready to flee.
"Don't die again," Willow ordered.
Peter managed a small smile, glad that she cared. But the smile vanished as she stabbed the long needle in his chest and injected the epinephrine. Before the medicine could even take effect, the others were running, not staying to witness the fight.
With Cora in arm, Derek, Willow, Stiles, Boyd, and Jennifer ran all the way to the basement garage. There, they saw the last ambulance, which hadn't left yet. The lights were on, so they assumed that the driver was sitting behind the wheel, ready to leave as soon as it was time.
Stiles and Boyd climbed in the back. Derek handed Cora to Boyd, who carefully laid her on the gurney.
"Derek, over here," Jennifer called before they could all pile in.
Making sure that Willow was behind him, Derek came around the ambulance. The driver was lying on the concrete, dead and covered in blood. Bloody footprints led away from the body, telling them just who killed him.
"Julia," they heard Kali call in a taunting voice. The barefoot alpha stepped into sight, twirling the keys to the ambulance around her finger. "It is you."
"You can't beat her on your own," Jennifer whispered to Derek, backing up.
"That's why we're gonna run," Derek stated.
He grabbed Willow's hand and dragged her out of the basement while Jennifer followed. Derek turned a corner, searching for a way out.
"The elevator!" Jennifer shouted, running over to the machine.
Spotting Kali just behind them, Derek pushed Willow ahead of him and into the elevator. Willow repeatedly hit the 'door close' button as Kali kept getting closer and closer. The metal doors slid shut just in time, keeping the alpha away from them.
All three of them sighed in relief and leaned against the walls of the elevator. But that relief faded when the elevator shook roughly. Derek held Willow to keep her from falling over. Then the main lights went off, and a second later, the emergency lights came on — the building's main power line had been turned off.
Derek used his strength to pry the doors open, only to see they were stuck between floors. Solid concrete kept them from escaping. Then he looked up at the service hatch, prepared to crawl through it.
"If you're thinking service hatch, they bolt from the outside, so you'd have to break it. All you'd end up doing is creating a lot of noise, telling them exactly where we are," Jennifer said, not wanting him to try the plan.
"Kali already knows," Derek muttered.
"Not necessarily. She saw that we got in, but she might not know that we didn't get out," she said.
"Yeah, well, if I get through, then we can go to another floor," he argued.
"Or you'd end up fighting them alone in an elevator shaft," she stated. "They'll rip my head off before you even have a chance to land a punch."
"I'll text the others," Willow said, not wanting to hear them bicker anymore. "Someone will get the backup generator running again."
Scott was the first to reply to her message in the group text to him and Stiles. "Don't move. On our way," Willow read aloud.
The first few minutes were spent in silence. Derek didn't want to talk with Jennifer in the elevator, and Willow couldn't bring herself to look at the teacher. Really, she hadn't properly looked at Jennifer at all since her arrival.
"Anything?" Jennifer asked as Willow checked her phone.
"If there was anything, she'd tell us," Derek said, rolling his eyes.
Jennifer looked from Willow to Derek, wishing that she could find a way to get them on her side. They didn't want to protect her but they were doing it for Noah and Cora
"Julia Baccari," she said. "That was my name."
"We don't care," Derek said, staring at the wall.
"I guess I should have changed it to something with different first letters. I think I read somewhere that people always pick aliases that are subconsciously derivative of their original name. It's a way of not completely letting go of your identity since your name is so tied to your sense of self," she explained. "Do you know what else is? Your face. The one that's supposed to be staring back at you in the mirror. Not some hacked-up atrocity you can't even recognize."
Willow hadn't seen Jennifer's real face, but Derek had. It certainly wasn't a pretty sight, but he also didn't really care about her tragic backstory.
"We still don't care," Derek stated.
"But I bet you're curious. I bet you wonder exactly what happened."
"You were an emissary. They tried killing you along with the rest of the pack," he stated. "Mystery solved."
"I was Kali's emissary. And I was the one she couldn't kill," Jennifer specified.
Willow had already gathered that given that Kali knew her real name. There was no reason to keep talking. After all she'd done, there wasn't a sad enough story that'd get even Willow to sympathize with her.
"You know, for years, the Nemeton's power was virtually gone, like the dying ember of a burned-out fire," she went on. "But a few months earlier, something happened that caused that ember to glow a little brighter. Something that gave it a spark of power again. The sacrifice of a virgin. You didn't know what you were doing back then, but killing Paige in the root cellar, sacrificing her there, gave power to the Nemeton. You gave it power again. You gave me power. Just enough to hold on to life a little longer. Long enough to be found."
Derek didn't seem to react, but Willow knew how bothered he was. She knew him well enough to know how much agony the story suddenly caused him. She spun around to glare at Jennifer, finally breaking her silence.
"Keep Paige's name out of your mouth," Willow snapped defensively.
For the second time that day, two sets of eyes glowed pink. And as it faded, Jennifer found that she couldn't even utter the first syllable of the name Paige. She looked at Willow with wide eyes, now realizing what Stiles meant earlier when he said mind control.
"And now I see why Deucalion wants you," Jennifer said, taking a step closer. Willow stepped back, her confidence once again fading. "I bet you felt really inadequate when you couldn't heal Cora. But mistletoe is still such a potent poison, even when facing someone like you."
The 'someone like you' felt like bait dangling in front of Willow's face. Somehow, Jennifer knew what she was. But Willow wouldn't trust a single word to leave her mouth, so she didn't bother to ask.
"You know mistletoe is important to druids, but do you know the myth of why people kiss under mistletoe?" Jennifer asked, moving on to Derek.
He clenched his jaw, wishing that Jennifer would stop talking. "No."
"It's a Norse myth. Baldur, the son of Odin, was the most beloved by the other gods, so much that they wanted to protect him from all of the dangers in the world. His mother, Frigg, took an oath from fire and water, metal, stone, and every living thing, that they would never hurt Baldur. At a gathering, they tested him. Stones, arrows, and flame were all hurled at him. Nothing worked. But there was one God who wasn't so enamored of Baldur. The God of mischief, Loki. Loki discovered that Frigg had forgotten to ask mistletoe, a tiny, seemingly harmless plant. And completely overlooked. Loki fashioned a dart out of mistletoe, and it killed Baldur. Frigg was heartbroken. She decreed that mistletoe would never again be used as a weapon and that she would place a kiss on anyone who passed under it. So now we hang mistletoe underneath our door during the holidays so that we will never overlook it again."
"Let me guess," Willow muttered. "Mistletoe is a metaphor for you?"
"We were the overlooked — the emissaries. It was a mistake Deucalion and the alphas should never have made because I made an oath of my own," Jennifer said. "From virgins and warriors, from healers, philosophers, and guardians, to loan me their power so that I could teach these monsters that their monstrous actions would never be overlooked."
"Funny," Willow said in an emotionless tone. "You wouldn't think an English teacher would incorrectly use the word loan."
Jennifer narrowed her eyes at Willow, who glared right back.
"The word loan implies that all the innocent people you killed for power will get it back. But I'm not getting my father back," Willow said, angry tears welling in her eyes. "You're a monster, and it's not because of your face. We're not protecting you because we want to — don't forget that."
Derek pulled Willow into his chest, wanting her away from Jennifer. The longer the two spoke to each other, the more upset Willow got.
"I'm not asking you to save just my life," Jennifer told Derek. "I'm asking you to save everyone they'll ever hurt again."
"You can't beat them," Derek said, shaking his head. The alpha pack had shown them time and again how strong they were.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know what's coming? A lunar eclipse. What happens, Derek, during the total lunar eclipse?"
Willow stared up at Derek in confusion, not understanding. Stiles had a theory about how werewolves would be inordinately stronger. But it seemed that wasn't the case as Derek answered.
"We lose all our power."
☽︎
It was four more minutes of agonizing silence before the power came back on. The lights flickered for a few moments before staying on. Derek quickly pressed the button for the bottom floor, hoping that Kali wasn't waiting for them there.
"Derek, please look at me," Jennifer said. She was standing behind them.
As Willow looked up from the floor, she saw the reflection in the metal doors. It was her face — her real face. It was pale and scarred and horrifying.
Then as Derek turned, Jennifer attacked, letting out an inhuman screech. She shoved Willow against the wall, hitting her head and knocking her out for just a moment. By the time Willow's vision cleared and she was able to sit up, Derek was unconscious on the ground and Jennifer was gone.
"Derek," Willow called, hovering over him. The elevator made it to the first floor, but she didn't get off. She had to wake him up. "Derek, she's getting away. Please, wake up."
Her attempts to rouse him were useless, and he remained out cold. Soon, the sound of sneakers against the tile floor gained her attention. Scott came around the corner and saw them there. He glanced at the open service hatch and realized that Jennifer escaped.
"Scott, where's your mom?" Willow asked him. She didn't know if Deucalion still had her or if Jennifer might go after her.
Scott's eyes went wide and he caught her scent, desperate to find her. As he turned to run, Willow followed, leaving Derek in the elevator. They were unaware of Stiles trying to catch up to them.
The two of them booked it through the hospital and up the stairs. Scott followed the fading scent all the way up to the roof.
"Mom!" Scott yelled, hoping for a reply.
"They're gone," Deucalion said, stepping out from his hiding spot. "Guardians, Scott. If you were with me, I could've told you what it meant. I could've warned you. If Willow knew what she was, she could've prevented it."
Willow flinched, Deucalion's words almost blaming her for Melissa being taken.
"Let me help you, Scott. Let's help each other. You two help me catch her, and I'll help you get your mother and Stiles's father back. Don't let them meet the same fate as Willow's father. With some control, dear Willow can put a stop to it all."
Willow looked at Scott, seeing tears in his eyes. Silently, she took his hand to let him know that she was there with him. She'd be with him no matter what he decided.
Scott took a small step toward Deucalion, pulling Willow with him.
"Scott!" Stiles shouted, running up to the roof. "Scott, Willow, don't do this. Don't go with him."
"I don't know what else to do," Scott said, sounding so scared.
"No, there's g - Scott, there's got to be something else, okay? We always - we always have a plan B."
"Not this time," he whispered.
"Scott," Stiles called helplessly as they began moving again. "Willow, what about Derek?"
"Get Cora to safety," Willow told him in a quiet tone.
"I'm gonna find your dad," Scott added. "I promise."
Stiles watched as Scott and Willow followed after Deucalion, hand in hand. Giving the alpha exactly what he wanted.
"Scott! Willow!"
But it was useless. They were gone.