"I think I broke up with my boyfriend."
Joe stared at the woman in front of him. He didn't understand what could have happened in the very short time frame that they had since they thought Derek was dead, for them to break up.
"What?"
"I don't know; I was upset and then I was stressed and he just..."
"He what?"
"He didn't get it. He didn't get me."
"Jules."
"I didn't mean to do it, it just slipped out, but how can we even have a relationship anyway? The more I think about it - he took off! He took off like there was no one left behind: his sister, his uncle although that ones fair enough, me."
"Jules," Joe repeated.
"What"
"Are you okay?"
She thought on it, she didn't know how to answer that. "He said I was the first to make him smile but..." she trailed off as tears dropped down her cheeks, "I haven't smiled since."
______
Pressing a tissue to her eyes to ensure there was no mascara streaks down her face, Julie walked down the hallway trying to find her next patient. She wasn't moving as fast as she probably should have been doing, she knew that. But she didn't care.
She wanted her mother, and she wanted to sit there and be comforted and have her hair braided and she couldn't have that.
"What did you see the night at the bank, when Scott was trying to save Deaton?" A familiar voice asked, and she poked her head round the corner of the corridor to see Stiles and her dad.
"Nothing."
"What's going on?" Julie asked, as she walked over to the pair.
"Oh, Jules, thank god. Tell dad."
"What? Oh I broke up with Derek," she said, looking to her father, "by accident," she added on already feeling the tears again, "and it's hard because he just looked confused instead of upset and then he told me he'd give me my space but I don't want space I want my boyfriend but I don't even have a boy-"
"That's not what I was on about," Stiles cut in, "I was telling dad about Derek and Scott and the Argents..." he said, hoping she would catch his drift.
"Why didn't you just say the supernatural?"
"You believe him?" Noah asked, as he looked to his adult daughter hoping she would have a better answer.
"I've lived it."
"Dad, you saw him healing himself after he tried crossing the mountain ash..." Stiles cut in.
"I don't know what I saw-"
"You saw something that you can't explain!" Stiles countered.
"They can heal themselves, it's really fascinating to watch," Jules agreed, through her own sniffels.
"Stiles, Jules, I have seen a lot of things I can't explain in this town. That doesn't make 'em supernatural, and it doesn't make 'em real. They just found another body. That's real-- and that's the lead I'm following."
"Yeah, and another teacher's going to die if you don't start listening to me-"
"I am listening! I have been listening!"
"You just don't believe," Stiles realised, and Noah sighed before turning to walk away, "mom would've believed me."
All of the Stilinski's shared the same pain as the words were said, "Stiles, come on," Jules urged, trying to pull him away. She didn't mention that she knew for sure that their mother would not have believed them. "What are you doing here?"
"Cora passed out."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean she just collapsed, it was like she was human or something-"
"Right, where is she?"
______
"Well?" Julie asked.
She was stood with Joe who was looking over Cora, she thought she was best consulting the only other supernatural she could think of who actually had medical knowledge.
"I've never seen this before," he admitted.
"What? Don't you have like some book of werewolf diseases?"
"No, because we don't typically get diseases."
She stared at him blankly.
"So what do we do? How do we help?"
"I don't know if we can... we'll need a druid if we're going to help at all."
She thought on it, and he continued thinking before she shook her head. "So is she just going to die?"
"I hope not... but I can't think of anything."
"Call Deaton, the veterinarian," she said, writing the numbers down on a piece of paper, "and you better call Derek as well."
"Don't you want to-"
"Nope."
Joe sighed as he watched Julie walked out the door, heading to her own patients.
______
Slowly hovering around Cora's room, Julie poked her head through the window in the door to have a look. She found Peter sat by his niece's side - she didn't think she'd ever seen Peter look so emotional before. It was almost like he cared; although she'd come to the conclusion he cared a great deal about a lot of people. He just didn't know how to express it in a correct way.
Granted he came with a lot of trauma.
Cora still looked as sick as when she'd first come in. There was no updates, no news, no ideas, nothing. Not that she knew of anyway.
Narrowing her eyes, Julie stared at the woman in front of her. She still wasn't sure what existed and what didn't, however, she knew that the supernatural came along with poisons. Like chocolate to a dog and wolfsbane to a werewolf. Except this one wasn't wolfsbane, but that didn't mean it couldn't be something else?
"I can't figure anything out," a voice said, and she glanced to the side to see Joe.
"Nothing?"
"Nope."
The pair both looked back at the woman.
"What about poison?"
"It's not the russian secret service," Joe scoffed.
"I don't mean like friggin' mercury, dumbass. I mean like I don't know... a different type of wolfsbane? Some other plant you all don't agree with. Come on, you're half a dog shouldn't you know?"
"I spoke to my alpha, Satomi," he admitted, and she continued to stare at him the words holding no value to her, "nothing. We don't know. She had a few ideas but I can't see any of them being reasonable."
"Like?"
"Mistletoe."
"Mistletoe?"
"Mistletoe."
Julie looked back at Cora before her face fell, "Joe... i think it's mistletoe."
"Why?"
"Because that's the whole darach's thing, isn't it? There's mistletoe everywhere! Told you it was a poison!" Julie urged, as she began to walk away from him, "god I'm a freaking genius! Tell Peter, keep the family updated Joe."
"I know how to do my job!" He called after her.
______
"Sweetie, do you know where Dr. Greyer is?" Melissa asked as she caught up to Julie. "We need everyone we can in trauma, we're having loads in from the upcoming storm."
"No, I've not seen him today. Oh wait no... he was dealing with a broken leg this morning," she dismissed, waving her hand to try and show the time, "do you know what Stiles and Scott are up to? I'm not getting many updates."
"Sorry, honey, not a clue."
"Oh," Julie muttered, as she fixed her stance, "that's wonderful then isn't it."
Julie continued to walk when she heard her phone ringing. She knew she shouldn't be answering personal calls when at work, however, this felt quite important. Especially tonight.
What if it was Derek calling to apologise and confess his undying love?
Slipping into an on-call room, she pulled out her phone.
No, just Stiles.
"Hello?" She asked.
"Jules, have you seen dad anywhere?"
"No, why?"
"Because he's been taken, Jules, he's the next sacrifice."
She could feel it.
Those little aches you get in your heart when you've done something you're not meant to. Sent a risky text, or accidentally stole a small sweet from the shop.
Either way, she was terrified.
"Dad?"
"Yes, Dad!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm positive! I think it was Jennifer. You know Derek's friend, well no, I know it was Jennifer she tried to kill Lydia!"
"I'll meet you at Dereks," she droned before ending the call. She could feel her hands shaking and the tears scratching at her eyes begging for a release.
Bringing her hand up to her hair to grab onto a few strands in hopes of finding some distraction from the pain. She took in a deep wavered breath before going to get her coat.
______
Jennifer ran into the loft, hoping to find him before Scott or Stiles or anyone could do. She looked around, not being able to see him.
"Derek? Derek, where are you?" She called out pleadingly.
"Right here."
"Thank God!" She sighed, as she went over to hug him. He did so hesitantly, "something happened at the recital, at the school, okay? I need to tell you before you hear it, before you hear it for any of them."
"From who?" Derek asked.
"Scott, Stiles... 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."
Jennifer stared at Derek before she realised, "They're already here, aren't they?"
"Well, you could have used your eyes it's not like there's hiding places in this loft," a voice scoffed, and Jennifer looked to the side to see Scott, Stiles and Julie all stood watching them. The latter still being in her light blue scrubs having rushed from the hospital.
"So, they told you it was me? That I'm the one taking people?" Jennifer scoffed as she stared at Derek.
"We told him you're the one killing people."
"Oh, that's right. Committing human sacrifices? What, cutting their throats? Yeah, I probably do it on my lunch hour-- that way, I can get back to teaching high school English the rest of the day. Makes perfect sense."
"Where's my dad?" Stiles asked, and still Julie was doing everything in her power not to punch the woman stood in front of them all.
"How should I know? Derek, tell me you don't believe this?"
"Do you know what happened to Stiles and Julie's father?"
"No!"
"Ask her why she almost killed Lydia," Scott added on.
"Lydia Martin? I don't know anything about that!"
"What do you know?"
"That she's a psychotic little liar as well as a killer," Julie offered, her eyes a heavy glare on Jennifer.
"I know that these boys and that woman, for whatever misguided reason, are filling your head with an absurd story--and one they can't prove, by the way."
Scott pulled out a jar filled with misteltoe dust as he continued to glare at Jennifer, however, the woman had no idea what it was.
"What if we can?"
"What is that?"
Scott started to uncap the mistletoe, "my boss told me it's a poison and a cure..." Jennifer backed away from Derek as she began to realise what was in it, "which means you can use it... and it can be used against you."
"Mistletoe?"
Scott threw the dust in the air aiming for Jennifer. She blocked her face as the dust was thrown into her direction. It immediately surrounded her and temporarily disrupted her spell of glamour, revealing a heavily scarred and mutilated appearance. The four looked at her in shock having not expected that.
She soon reverted back to her ordinary self, and Derek's own fury at the exposed lies was enough to allow him to lash out. He leapt forward grabbing Jennifer by the throat; the force choking her.
"Derek, wait! Wait! You need me," she shouted, noticing Derek summoning his claws.
"Derek, we need to find out the location of our parents," Julie reminded, stepping forward so that she could hopefully remind Derek of where they were and the situation.
"What are you?" He growled.
"The only person who can save your sister..." Derek began to choke her harder. "Call Peter... call him!"
Derek did as advised and the words they were getting from Peter were not ones that brought any of them comfort, "It's not good. She's in and out of consciousness, she's vomiting up black blood, along with one other alarming substance..."
"Mistletoe." Derek said. Julie slightly smiled to herself, she knew she was right.
"How did you know that?"
Derek looked to Jenifer slowly, tightening his grip on her throat, "derek," Scott interrupted. "Derek, what are you doing?"
"Her life... it's in" my hands!"
Derek began to lift Jennifer off the ground, Stiles understood that Derek wanted to kill her and knew he had to stop him. Julie, on the other hand, wanted to let him do it. Although she still wanted to punch her first.
"Stop! Derek, stop!" Stiles called out.
Jennifer looked to Stiles and Julie, knowing that they were the two that would convince him the most, "Stilinski... you'll never find him..."
Julie thought on it; Jennifer wanting confirmation that her dad was the sheriff? It had to be all on purpose, with the moth as well.
Clenching her fist, Julie stepped closer placing her hand on Derek's shoulder, "we need her for a minute; you can kill her afterwards," Julie droned.
"Derek! DEREK!" Scott called out.
Derek glanced between all three of them, before he took one last look at Julie. "I'd quite like my dad back," she admitted, and Derek reluctantly dropped her. The woman bent over trying to catch her breath before she gave a sadistic smile to the four.
"That's right. You need me-- all of you."
"Okay that's fine but first," Julie began, and just as Jennifer turned to look at the woman Julie threw her fist out punching the other woman across the face. Breathing out heavily, Julie flicked her hair behind her shoulder as she looked back to the rest of the group, "been wanting to do that for a while."