xx
Time seemed to flow ceaselessly, the clinic dead silent as Elora, Isaac and Lydia drew away from their sacrifices.
But as Allison, Scott and Stiles stayed below the water, nothing happened.
"You said seconds," Lydia whispered fearfully.
"That was the ideal time frame," Elora softly responded. "Magic doesn't come with a timetable." She looked to Deaton, her heart beating faster than before.
"We can try to bring them back," Isaac hurriedly said. "CPR or something."
"No," Elora said as she put out a hand. "Pulling them out will kill them for sure. We can't touch them."
"They're already dead." Lydia's emotion swung out, truly realizing she had killed Stiles.
"It could've still taken," said Deaton. "She's right, we can't touch them."
"Look," Elora spoke up as she rounded the tubs and examined each. "They aren't at the surface."
Isaac furrowed his eyebrows, "What's that supposed to mean?"
A thankful smile crossed Elora, "It worked. I took them." Relieved, she ran a hand through her curled hair and let out a breath. "They'll find the Nematon."
"What do we do now?" Lydia asked as she tried to warm her hands.
"Now," Deaton said, "we wait."
xx
"You did what?" Elora held her phone to her ear, perched on the counter in the lobby. "Derek-"
"I had to do it," her cousin interrupted the lecture he was about to receive. "Cora would've died, El. She's healed now, she's okay."
"But what about you? The lunar eclipse is in only a few hours and you're a beta. You can't take on what's coming alone." Her lips parted in realization, "This is what Jennifer wants. She wants you to resort to joining her for power."
"Stop thinking what you're thinking," Derek told her after a moment. "It's a bad idea."
"They could be here in time, Der."
"Your parents don't need to be here, not with what happened last time they were around Deucalion," Derek protested. "You nearly died."
"I remember, but this is different."
"Elora."
Closing her eyes, she lightly sighed. "Okay, look, when I'm done here, I'm gonna come to the loft. Kali is still coming for you." After getting a reply, she ended the call and set her phone on the counter. Leaning over, she put her head in her hands.
It had been hours, but still Scott, Stiles and Allison remained dormant below the water.
Isaac came into the main sector, concerned about Elora. "Hey."
El looked, lightly smiling. "Hey."
"So," he leaned on the counter that she sat atop, "Derek's a beta."
She nodded, "To save Cora. It's an old, dangerous ritual."
"Those seem to be a popular choice lately."
Elora slightly laughed, "That's true."
"What happened with Deucalion?" Isaac asked after a moment. "You never really told me."
"Well, it was seven summers ago, it was a typical vacation; we'd always come, my parents and I. It was a few months after Paige died and Deucalion had begun building his dream team." She looked down to the table, recalling the memory. "He wanted me."
Isaac's eyebrows furrowed, "That doesn't make sense."
"Because of my blood, I essentially have a dormant wolf inside me."
"So, if you were bitten..."
"I could turn, and still be able to practice magic. Deucalion wanted rare, and I'm about as rare as it gets."
"So he wanted to turn you?" Isaac watched her, curious.
"He tried," she said with a light nod. "He asked first, and he didn't like me saying no. Ennis was with him, Kali was still on the fence. I met Julia - uh, Jennifer around then, too. Duke, he wasn't going to let me turn down the pack despite me not being an alpha even if I turned or the fact I was barely 13."
"What happened?"
"He bit me."
Isaac's eyebrows shot up, "He did?"
"It nearly took, too," she said. "Then it started killing me."
"Were you by yourself with him?"
"Ennis was holding down my mother. He was making her watch." Elora hesitated, having to breathe. "My mom broke free when my blood started to turn black. She howled for my father and nearly killed Ennis. I was just laying there, dying. I knew it, too. My dad can, he can apparate, which is teleporting. He showed up and with Ennis unconscious, it was two to one. Duke knew my parents wouldn't kill him and he alone couldn't win against them, but by being barbaric and a raging psychopath, he vowed to go after them when he'd grown his pack. And they've been running ever since."
"That's intense," Isaac said once she'd finished. "What about the bite? It obviously didn't kill you."
"My father healed me. I don't have the scar anymore but it was on my shoulder. It actually broke this collarbone when his teeth bared down." Elora traced the place of impact on Isaac's upper chest. "I haven't actually seen his face since it happened."
Gasps shocked the entire clinic, Elora and Isaac running to the back to find Scott, Allison and Stiles emerge from the waters.
Deaton and Lydia glanced to Elora with concern, the four of them standing in front of the tubs as water splashed onto the floor.
"I saw it," Scott said through pants as he climbed out. "I know where it is."
"Yeah, we passed it." Stiles pulled himself out, "There was this stump. This huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big though. Very big."
"It was the night we were looking for the body," Scott quickly said.
"Yeah," Stiles agreed, "the same night you were bit by Peter."
"I was there, too, in the car with my mother." Allison had her arms around herself, trying to warm. "We almost hit someone."
Scott's eyes widened in realization. "It was me. You almost hit me." He turned to Elora, who had Deaton, Isaac and Lydia with her in front of him. "We can find it."
Deaton and Elora exchanged a look, all four of them concerned.
"What?" Allison asked.
"You guys were out a long time," Isaac said after a moment.
Stiles sat on the edge of his tub, soaked head to toe. "How long is a long time?"
"Sixteen hours," Deaton told them.
"We were in the water for sixteen hours?" Scott questioned, practically not believing it.
Elora nodded, knowing it hadn't worked the way she wanted it to. "And the full moon rises in less than four."
"Get warm," Deaton advised.
Elora brought out towels from across the room, warming them with her hands.
"I have to get to Deucalion," Scott said.
"No, dude," Stiles protested as he caught a towel from El. "You are not going back with them."
"I made a deal with Deucalion," he replied.
Elora wrapped a towel around Allison before tossing the last one to Scott. She sat on the edge of the tub next to Allison, Isaac close by.
"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles asked around.
"Why does it matter anyway?" Isaac questioned as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Because," Scott said, "I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help."
Allison looked to Deaton, "He trusts you more than anyone. Tell him he's wrong."
"I'm not so sure he is," replied Deaton.
Elora had a lifted eyebrow, not expecting his answer. "I hope you're kidding, Alan."
"Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies."
Allison and Elora exchanged a brief look, not adding anything to the argument.
"So," Isaac asked in light annoyance, "we're going to trust him, the guy that calls himself 'Death, Destroyer of Worlds'? We're gonna trust that guy?"
"I wouldn't trust him, no," Deaton replied. "But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."
The all looked around in thought, thinking of exactly how it could work.
The bell over the entry door dinged, causing the group's focus to turn into paranoia.
Deaton went out first, finding Ethan in the foyer.
"I'm looking for Lydia," he said, away from his pack without permission.
The strawberry blonde surface, a defined mark around her throat where Jennifer had strangled her. "What do you want?"
"I need your help." Ethan had sincerity to his voice.
Stiles moved out in front of her protectively, "With what?"
"Stopping my brother and Kali," he said, "from killing Derek.
"Great, more problems," Elora said as she heard Ethan. "Al, clothes? Which ones do you want?"
Isaac lifted an eyebrow, leaning against the wall as El told Allison to think of which ones. "Wh-" his eyes widened, Allison suddenly both dry and in new clothes.
"Thanks," Allison said with a soft smile, leaving her damp towel on the side of the tub.
When Lydia went with Ethan despite Stiles' protests, Deaton, him and Scott came back into the room. The boys gave confused looks towards Allison, only to find Elora pressing a hand on each of their shoulders.
Scott and Stiles flinched, becoming dry with different clothes on.
"Holy-" Stiles nearly yelled, wishing Elora had given some sort of warning. He ran a hand through his hair, "Thanks."
"No problem." Elora started pulling her jacket back on, looking to the teens. "How do you want to do this?"
"We'll need something of your guys' dads," Scott said to Stiles and Allison. "I have my mom's scent down, but we'll need it to help us."
"I'll drive to the apartments," Elora offered with her keys in hand.
"I'll go get something of my dad's," Stiles said, running out to his Jeep.
"Anything I can do?" Deaton asked as Isaac got on his jacket while heading for the door.
"Yeah," Scott said with a sudden thought. "Your sister, she's hurt. She's at the bank, but I made the alphas promise not to kill her."
Deaton nodded, "I'll go when the moon is full. Good luck, you'll need it."
"Come on," Scott ushered the three out after thanking Deaton, "we can still do this."
The four got into Elora's car, it speeding out of the lot and towards the Argents' apartment.
"How were we under for sixteen hours?" In the passenger's seat, Allison looked over to Elora with concern.
"I don't know, you just were." El drove through an intersection, passing two cars to take the lead. "It was supposed to be only a few seconds but when a witch or warlock isn't familiar with the kind of magic they're using, it can either not work right away or even not work at all."
"What do you mean?" Scott asked, in the back with Isaac. "You've done plenty of magic."
"However true that is, Scott, I'm more resigned to white magic - the pure kind." Elora glanced to the rear view mirror, meeting eyes with the true alpha for a moment. "It was black magic."
The car grew silent as it pulled up to the Argents' building.
Scott's phone rang as they got out, Stiles concerned about what he needed to grab from his dad's room.
Allison waved to the doorman, she and the others getting to the elevator with ease. "El, you've never used that kind of magic before."
"I'm aware," she replied with a soft sigh.
"Just grab anything," Scott said into the phone as the doors of the elevator opened. "Stiles I'm not smelling your dad's boxers. Socks? Okay, I'll smell the socks."
Allison was ahead of them, unlocking the door to the apartment.
"What about me?" Isaac asked.
"See what you can find in Argent's closet," Elora told him as she followed in behind Allison. "Anything you can find with a strong scent."
Allison pushed opened the office door, suddenly stopping as she wasn't the only one there.
At the desk with a herd of artillery, Rafael McCall sat leisurely. "Quite an arsenal your father's got here, young lady." He stood, his son coming into the doorway next to Allison. "Scott."
Scott looked both angry and confused, "Dad, what are you doing here?"
"Following one of the only leads I have," Rafael said. "Now, since I don't know where you've been, why don't you have a seat? We can talk. You too, Isaac."
Still in the hall, Elora gave Isaac a little push. "How do you know my name?"
"Your name is one of the few things I know," Agent McCall replied before tapping a finger on the desk absently. "Miss Danielson."
Elora surfaced, no change in her heartbeat. "Agent."
The teens all looked from McCall to Elora, able to tell there was familiarity.
"How old are you now?" Rafael asked, his hands in his suit pant pockets.
"Twenty."
Agent McCall nodded to the side, "Go. The rest of you, sit."
Elora gave the three a look, non verbally letting them know she'd do what she could to stop Jennifer before she could sacrifice the guardians.
- Dun dun dunnn we're nearing the end of season 3a!! I've already started writing 3b, and I think you'll all like it! You'll get to meet Elora's parents and learn the back story behind Elora and how she knows the Argents, plus of course Void!Stiles who I love to hate and hate to love - Mel xxx