new york wolves } { of witches and keeping the balance

[hereditare]

Stiles: [the nurse will show them back to a private room in the ICU. There are monitors all over, dwarfing the boy in the bed. It's a sight they haven't seen in over a year - his hands curled up tight to his chest, fingers flexing on their own. He's unconscious at the moment, but his head is twitching every now and then. He has a face mask on, feeding him oxygen, and a saline drip to keep him hydrated. She explains that one of the doctors had found him set up against the wall of the hospital entrance with no identifying information, but his cell phone had been in a pocket and they could access the one saved emergency contact to try and call.]

Laura: [doesn't respond, preferring to let Peter handle it as she makes her way over to her beta, brushing a hand over the top of his head gently]

Stiles: [there is a small reaction as he pushes against her hand, looking for the contact. His heartbeat speeds up a bit, struggling to wake up to see who was touching him. But when his eyes open, they look at her... but there's no recognition there. Almost as if he doesn't even see her, and they drift off to look around a bit]

Laura: [she frowns softly, but she doesn't pull her hand away] Stiles?

Peter: [turns his head to look over at his niece and the beta.]

Nurse: [sighs and walks over to check] That's about all we get, Miss. I'm sorry. [she checks the readings and goes to leave them alone]

Stiles: [his eyes track back and they settle on Laura this time, just looking at her. He leans more into her hand, but the lack of recognition is still there. His lips try to move, but he's not speaking]

Laura: [she can see that so she just stays there, brushing her fingers through his hair gently. As much as the lack of recognition hurts, it's not his fault] It's Laura, remember? Cora's big sister? [she can't say "your alpha" while the nurse is still in the room]

Peter: [goes to stand on the other side of the bed after the nurse is gone, his lips pursed] It looks as if his disease has come back. That shouldn't be possible.

Stiles: [there's a tiny hint of recognition, his eyes widening a bit at the mention of Cora. His lips wordlessly form her name under the mask]

Laura: [doesn't acknowledge Peter right now, just smiles that they got some kind of recognition out of him] That's right, Cora.

Stiles: [there's still a tiny part of him trapped inside of his brain, a few memories he's desperate to hold onto. The bond with Cora being one of them. It's a moment of lucidness, knowing he was going to lose her like this, and his eyes teared up. And slowly one little black teardrop fell along his cheek to his pillow.]

Laura: Hey, hey, hey. [she keeps her voice gentle as she reaches over, using her thumb to gently brush away the tear] Everything's going to be fine. We'll fix this, okay?

Marcus: [and he's going to come in, closing the door behind him and walking over to stand next to Peter, across from Laura. He looks at Stiles apologetically, but the boy doesn't stop looking at Laura.] I think you can already guess what's happening to him. [he pulls out the MRI that was done by the doctors] This was his scan late last night. [the scan shows that the atrophy is back, and worse than before]

Laura: [doesn't look at it, keeping her focus on Stiles. Her opposite hand reaches up and crosses her body, showing him the black stains on her fingers] This looks like wolfsbane to me.

Marcus: [leans over to look at it] He shouldn't be able to reject the bite this far after getting it.

Peter: Poison?

Marcus: Or something worse. Laura, keep him calm a moment. I need to examine him for any markings.

Laura: [nods, keeping her hand stroking the top of his head] Just relax, Stiles. Go back to sleep, okay?

Stiles: [he will try, but the feeling of Marcus' hands on him make him whimper, his hands clasping in frustration]

Marcus: [he starts cussing] Damnit, this isn't good. [he pulls the blanket back, and there is a burn on Stiles' hip, the shape of two circles crossing over one another]

Laura: [shushes him softly, keeping her voice low and calm] It's alright. I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you. [glances back to Marcus] What is it?

Marcus: It's a spell. I've never seen it, but I've heard of it. There are a few hunters who are also witches, and they developed a spell that pretty much can attach to a wolf.... and put him in a state of his body being under the influence of a lunar eclipse.

Laura: So how do we break it?

Marcus: I don't know.

Peter: That's not good enough, Marcus.

Marcus: I don't know, Peter. I'm an emissary, not a witch. I don't know the first thing about witchcraft.

Laura: Then I'll find someone who does. [she glances to Peter] Call Deaton and Verity Price, see if they have anything in their bag of tricks that might be able to help. [there's an uncomfortable pause because she knows this is going to be hard, but they didn't really have a choice] And call Cora. We need her here.

Peter: [nods, reaching for his phone. He stops a moment, looking at Stiles. The anger he's had at the boy has seeped away.] What about his father? If we're not fast enough...

Laura: I'll handle calling the Sheriff. [Stiles is supposed to be her responsibility, it's the least she can do] Provided the hospital hasn't already.

Marcus: They didn't know who he was until we got here. They haven't. [he thinks] I have a few people I can call too. But I think I need to find this cleaner. If they did this to him, they should be able to undo it.

Laura: Do you think they will or will I have to be persuasive?

Marcus: You may have to be, but you'd have to prove how his existence isn't disruptive to the balance of nature. And it's not just who he is, but what he's capable of. [sighs, angry at the situation and himself]

Laura: Well, find them and I'll do my best. Until then, I'll be here working to break it ourselves.

Marcus: The doctors here know his condition now and will call me if his status changes. I'll call you if I find something. [and he's going to head out]

Peter: [making his phone call, first to Cora because he could talk to Deaton and Verity while they wait for her arrival]

Cora: [is just coming out of class when she feels her phone buzzing and answers it] Hey, Uncle Peter.

Peter: Hey sweetheart. I need you to do me a favor and leave school right away and come up to the hospital.

Cora: Is everything okay?

Peter: [sighs and looks at Stiles, then Laura] No, honey, it's not. It's Stiles.

Cora: [everything stops for a second, and she doesn't know what to say at first] What about him?

Peter: His disease has come back with a vengeance.

Cora: How?

Peter: From what Marcus was able to babble out, it's a witch trying to balance order from what he orchestrated against Gerard. He or She put a spell over him that makes him feel as if he's under the influence of a lunar eclipse. And you know what that does to our kind.

Cora: [she's stopped walking at this point, leaning back against a nearby tree with her hand over her mouth for a moment as she tries not to let her emotions rush over her too quickly] Why do you need me?

Peter: [sighs softly] He doesn't recognize either of us. But he recognized your name. He's scared and in pain and someone needs to be here with him while we try and find a way to help him.

Cora: [she takes a deep breath before nodding slowly] Okay. Which hospital is he in?

Peter: [tells her] Laura and I will be here when you get here.

Cora: I'll try and be there as soon as I can. [And with that, she will go and call a cab]

Peter: [hangs up, taking a deep breath] The boy may be an arrogant little prick, but he doesn't deserve this.

Laura: No one deserves this. [sighs] I'll wait until she gets here to call the sheriff. Just so that he won't be alone.

Peter: [nods and he paces off, going to call Verity first, and then Deaton, to see if they knew anything about this spell and how it could be broken]

Verity: Can you show me what the burn looks like?

Peter: Sure. [he goes to take a picture of it, texting it to her] Marcus said that it was done by a Cleaner. Has your family ever had dealings with them?

Verity: Yeah. They were originally part of the Covenant of St. George. One of their pet projects to see if they could use cryptids to their advantage. Backfired horribly, but they had enough going for them at that point that they could put themselves in a position of power. [there's a beat as she gets the message before she puts her phone on speaker to look at it] ... Strangely enough, I have.

Peter: Do you know how to break it? Because it's blocking his healing, and as a human, this kid has a fatal disease.

Verity: No, but I might know someone who does. Do you know the Mikaelson pack in New Orleans?

Peter: Not personally, but I may know one who does.

Verity: In the midst of a lot of sordid interpersonal drama, in order to protect Klaus when he came into his wolfiness, Esther Mikaleson, a pretty powerful witch in her own right, cast a spell on him to suppress his wolf side. Basically it was a way of keeping himself from a) hurting anyone and b) outing himself as not his father's son. Esther, unfortunately, is dead, but Klaus did eventually break it and I may have made acquaintances with his half-sister and brother who are pretty powerful witches in their own right. Maybe they might have something to help Stiles from their mother's witch cookbook

Peter: I think we are at a point where we need to try any options that may be available. If they are willing to help, I can arrange for their travel here.

Verity: Want me to give them your number if they're interested?

Peter: Yes, please.

Verity: Okay. I'll give them a call and see what I can do.

Peter: Thank you, Verity.

Verity: My pleasure. Let me know if you get anymore leads.

Peter: I will. Thank you.

Verity: Of course. [and with that she will hang up]

Peter: [and onto Deaton]

Deaton: [who will not have much different from Verity but will warn Peter to be careful with witches because they can be vengeful if you piss them off enough]

Peter: [will take the warning, but its Peter]

Deaton: [he figures as much, which is why he's glad Laura's probably close enough to be listening.]

Peter: [he hangs up after it all, rubbing his eyes] I have a feeling I'm going to hate this.

Laura: Already two steps ahead of you.

Cora: [and Cora appears in the doorway, eyes glancing from Laura to Peter and then landing on Stiles, and her face falls even further] How's he doing?

Stiles: [he had drifted off during the phone calls, but he hears Cora's voice and his eyes open again, responding to her]

Laura: See for yourself. [and with that she'll get up from where she was sitting on the bed and give her room to take her place.]

Cora: [nods as she makes her way closer, dropping her book bag onto the floor before meeting his eyes and reaching for his hand] Hey.

Stiles: [he can't grip her hand, try as he may. But he sees her and recognizes her, his lip trembling a bit under the mask. He's scared, though, his eyes show that much]

Cora: [she sees that and her heart breaks, but she doesn't pull away.] Hey. It'll be okay. [and then with complete disregard for doctor's orders she's just going to toe off her shoes and climb into bed with him, letting him curl into her]

Peter: [isn't going to say anything, just looking at Laura a moment]

Stiles: [is going to, curling into her and shaking, tears showing because he was scared to death he was about to die.]

Laura: [glances back to her] We're going to go look into some stuff. Will you be okay here with him?

Cora: [nods as she pulls him in tighter] Yeah, I'll be fine.

Laura: [nods with a small smile, before glancing to Peter and tipping her head towards the door]

Peter: [and off he will go with Laura]

Stiles: [his lips move on their own as he's trying to form words. Finally, he finds one] Sorry.

Cora: [shakes her head as she stays with him, closing her eyes] This isn't your fault.

Stiles: [he’s trying to remember what happened, words to speak about it. about how the woman had blamed him for breaking balance. that he was not right in the head, and unsavable. but it was words he couldn't get his mouth to make, or tie together. and he just whimpered instead]

Cora: [she shushes him softly] I'm here and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. So don't worry. Just rest. [she'll even pull some of the pain he's feeling, trying to give him more of a chance to relax.]

Stiles: [he sighs softly at that, nuzzling closer] I...... I love...... you.

Cora: I know. [she pauses for a moment, brushing a hand against the back of his head] I love you too. Just ... sleep.

Stiles: [and he nods, closing his eyes and just letting himself be held. He hated this feeling, knowing what it meant. That he didn't have time to make things right]

Cora: [closes her eyes as well as she stays close, trying not to let the well of emotion that was threatening to slip through do so. After everything she went through to save him she was going to lose him anyway to the same disease. This isn't fair]

Stiles: [and he will eventually drift off, falling to sleep feeling the safety in her arms]

Cora: [when she hears his heartbeat slow into sleep and that's when she'll let the tears slip out. She's so sick of all the crying she's done lately, but there's not much she can do there. right now, all she can do is get it all out and make sure he doesn't see it when he's awake]

Nurse: [comes back in to check on Stiles and sees Cora there] You know you shouldn't be doing that with him.

Cora: [glances up and brushes at her cheeks with her hands] It keeps him calm.

Nurse: But that would mean he deserved the sympathy. [she held up a hand, and the door behind her would close, making the room soundproof] You must be the young Hale girl mentioned in his file. Cora, yes?

Cora: [that makes her straighten slightly face shifting from confusion to anger in an instant] Yeah. That's me. Who the hell are you?

Nurse: I'm the one who's here to return balance to this city.

Cora: I didn't know any balance was broken, and if I remember correctly, no one asked you.

Nurse: He used your sister's bite to try and kill a man. Are you so blinded by your love to him you don't see the danger he brings to your entire pack? I'm returning balance to him. He never should have been turned. I'm saving him from becoming the monster he is becoming.

Cora: Gerard isn't dead - and if he is, it wasn't by Stiles’ hand. And if you want someone who was doing damage to the balance, you should look a little more closely at the guy you say he killed. You know what he did to Deucalion, don't you?

Nurse: Gerard the man was killed by the bite. I only removed the creature from him so that he could die with dignity. [she moved closer to check Stiles' vitals] Same as which this boy will. This is his fate, and you should just cherish your time with him and let him go with dignity.

Cora: You think this is dying with dignity!? [her voice is sharp and loud, so angry she could snap but she doesn't charge. She doesn't know what this woman is capable of and she doesn't know how far away Laura is] His brain is destroying itself. He'll die not being able to recognize anyone that he loves, or able to properly say goodbye. This isn't mercy, its murder.

Nurse: It is the way his fate was written, child. You should have known better to try and change it. [she adjusts the saline drip to give Stiles a healthier flow] Trust me, I have seen what wolves like him are capable of. It is better off this way.

Cora: You don't know anything about him.

Nurse: Do you? Can you truly look into his eyes and know what he really is... what lies he tells and what truths he spins?

Cora: Yes.

Nurse: And the day he rises to an alpha, will you still have that faith in him?

Cora: What are you talking about?

Nurse: [small smile] Then you don't know him as well as you think. Just have faith that this is for the best. Balance has been restored. [and she is going to head to the door]

Cora: [she grits her teeth for a moment, before shouting after her] And what about me? Am I part of your balance?

Nurse: [turns to look at her] You're already learned how to find your own balance in your life. You will find another boy to love, Cora Hale. It will hurt for a while, but your bond is not set with this one. It will just make you stronger.

Cora: [there are footsteps on the other side of the door and she stalls for another moment longer] I don't want another boy. I want this one. That isn't your decision to make, it's mine.

Nurse: Then enjoy your last days together with your choice. [she waves her hand, and Cora is going to find that she won't remember the features of the nurses face exactly, and will feel suddenly very sleepy]

Kol: [she will and she'll pass out not long after but the problem is, when the nurse opens the door, there's this jerk's smiling face, looking just as smug as he usually does:] Hello, love. Sorry, am I interrupting? [and with that he'll have no problem using magic to toss her back into the empty end of the room]

Nurse: [and she goes flying, but gets back onto her feet easily] Mikaelson.

Kol: Kol Mikaelson, actually. [which should be enough with his reputation as Esther's prodigy child. Him and Freya always had the strongest knack for it, and it shows when he uses magic, something instinctive and fluid about it that you don't see in a lot of other witches] I hear you've been a very naughty nurse and rifling through my mother's spellbook.

Nurse: Oh, dear, those spells weren't just in her spellbook. We both learned them after all.

Kol: [his head tips to the side, studying her curiously for a moment before realization dawns on him] Aunt Dahlia, I presume?

Dahlia: Very observant, child. You would do best not to step into the middle of this. You know how the energy flows, and how important balance is.

Kol: Two things you don't know about me, Auntie. One, I'm the middle child, which means I'm pretty much always going to step into the middle, and two, in my experience murder doesn't really help the balance at all. Also, not scared of you, despite your reputation. See my brother dropped a house on the Wicket Witch of the East - pretty sure I could find a bucket of water to dump on the Wicked Witch of the West.

Dahlia: Then I wish you luck, child. [and with that... she's not stupid and she will just disappear from the room in a puff of smoke]

Kol: [makes a face at that, before shaking his head] I really bloody hate that trick.

Peter: [running into the room, having head the skirmish. He sees Cora sleeping and goes over to her side] What happened?

Kol: Oh, nothing. Just a little family spat. [sighs as he glances over] She'll be fine. Memories'll just be a little hazy.

Peter: So she was in here? The one who did this to Stiles.

Kol: [nods] Seems like she's keeping an eye on him. Which sounds about right - paranoid runs in that side of the family.

Peter: Marcus mentioned that he knew this cleaner. Are you familiar with Marcus Whitmore?

Kol: [brow furrows for a moment] Blond chap?

Peter: That would be him.

Kol: Beyond him being the emissary for the local Russians, can't say I do. Then again, that was the first time I've met my lovely Aunt Dahlia.

Marcus: [look, speak of the devil] Dahlia is my aunt too, though marriage. [he's rightfully spooked]

Kol: [glances over and raises an eyebrow] The old bat got married? Heaven help that poor bloke. Look, she and my mother parted ways when Dahlia took my sister Freya and disappeared off the map. She was basically the boogeyman for most of my childhood, until we figured out that my mother was worse.

Marcus: I'm sorry for your family. Dahlia pretty much married him for his power, drained him from it, and ran. [walks over to Peter, handing him a file] At least that's what this file says. I was only four when I knew her.

Kol: Well, good news is I can break your curse. Bekah and I did it for Klaus, get her on a plane and we can do it again. Bad news, Dahlia won't be far and I can't promise she won't get in the way.

Peter: [reading the file] Do we know why she's obsessed with Stiles?

Marcus: I have a theory. Gerard, who I just got confirmation of is dead in the nursing home that Chris Argent stuck him in. Apparently the cancer exploded in the last two weeks and it was a quick, but painful death.

Peter: The same spell?

Marcus: More than likely.

Kol: She said something about restoring the balance, which is a fat load of shite. No one ever seems to get that the "balance" is always at the perspective of those tasked with the job of maintaining it.

Peter: So it's personal?

Marcus: [nods] I think it's an attack on me, using my patients against me.

Kol: How the hell did you piss her off?

Marcus: The reason I'm a good emissary is that I'm willing to play with the rules when it makes the best choice to avoid collateral damage, even if it's a hard choice to make.

Peter: No, really, you don't say. [glare]

Kol: [glances between the two of them for a moment] Boys, I love a good pissing match as much of the next bloke but you think we could save this for after we cure the kid of his debilitating mental illness?

Peter: How long will it take your sister to get here from New Orleans?

Kol: Depends how quickly she can get on a plane.

Peter: The plane I can get her.

Kol: Then I'll make the call and tell her what supplies to bring.

Peter: Thank you. [he looks at Marcus] And what about you?

Marcus: I'm going to do my best to keep Stiles alive until you can figure out how to break the spell. He's human at the moment, and I can help humans.

Kol: [will just step out and let them sort out whatever they're sorting out]

Stiles: [and while Peter and Marcus talks, he's going to stir, struggling for air against Cora's chest]

Cora: [it takes her a moment to break through the haze of Dahlia's spell before she realizes what's happening and she straightens] Stiles?

Marcus: [and he's going to hear and heads over] Stiles, relax. [to Cora] Help me roll him back onto his back.

Cora: [nods and does so, shifting the way she's sitting so that he can lie on his back next to her]

Stiles: [as he's straightened out, his breathing calms back down, but he's shaking hard]

Marcus: Shhh, Stiles. We're working on it. You just need to stay relaxed. It'll slow the atrophy. I'd rather you do it on your own than with drugs.

Cora: [shifts so that she's lying next to him, letting her hand rest over his heart gently]

Stiles: [doesn't recognize Marcus at all, his mind drifting off but his hand going to rest on top of Cora's]

Peter: You do that, Marcus. Keep him alive, and we'll deal with Dahlia. [motions for Kol to join him so they can leave and go start this thing]

Kol: [is bickering with Beks, as per usual, but he'll nod and follow Peter as he goes]

Cora: [just stays were she is, not moving her hand so that she doesn't disturb him]

Marcus: [watching Stiles' monitors, seeing his heartbeat calm back down and petting his shoulder] Good boy, good boy. I promised you I wasn't going to let this beat you, and I'm still keeping that.

Cora: [she doesn't say anything, just keeps that close contact. she doesn't really know what to say beyond being there, and she won't be moving anytime soon]