darkest timeline } { of lost loves and time travel

[braveandstupid]

Elena: [Castle has her perched on the couch in one of the waiting rooms, cup of coffee in hand that's quickly getting cold. She's still trying to process what happened earlier that evening - how she's going to have to tell Freya and Laura and Derek later. She hates screaming for people she knows, and she can still feel the bile tickling at the back of her throat. Swiping her hands under her eyes, she quickly pulls out her phone to start texting - first her boss to let her know that she won't be back to work tonight, there was an accident. Second to Caroline, saying that she would probably be going to the Hales tonight and wouldn't be home after work. Third to Freya, telling her to call her. When she finally lands on Derek, she decides that she can't initiate this by text and tries to call him instead.]

Esposito: [and he'll enter during that call that'll never be answered. He's seething angry and also on the edge of breaking down. The only reason he even came back was because Ryan knew he was too close to the victims and drove him back. He doesn't know about Peter, only he wasn't at the scene. He's tried to text and call him multiple times, but no answers. When he looks up and sees Elena, he remembers her call and that weight in his gut dropped further.] Elena.

Elena: [something's wrong. She's seen enough grief to know that varying stages, and she doesn't know what to make of Espo's. Maybe she should have figured it out sooner, that Peter wasn't the only Hale that was hit tonight, but she can't make the connection, not yet. And even if she could, she would have never imagined all of what transpired. Getting to her feet, she takes a tentative step closer] Is everything okay? Detective Beckett said you had another call.

Esposito: [he swallows, then shakes his head] I just came back from... there was a triple homicide. Brutal. There was nothing I could do... we were too late.

Elena: [her face softens because that's terrible] I'm sorry. That must have been awful. [she's seen enough death to be slightly desensitized to it, but she still knows how terrible it can feel, to see all those bodies and not to be able to have done anything about it]

Esposito: [he rubs at his face, trying to keep it together] Have any of you heard from Peter Hale? I can't reach him.

Elena: [that's the moment where it starts to click. Being a defense attorney, Espo wouldn't need him unless a suspect called him in or he was a witness, but Elena knows he didn't witness anything tonight. He couldn't have. The color drains from her face as she shakes her head, unsure how to put all of it into words. Peter's dead, and now there's a triple homicide?] Peter ... Peter was the ... [she feels like she's going to be sick] ... All of them?

Esposito: Peter was who you screamed for. [nods, anger rising back up. He wants to shoot someone.] Yeah. I identified all three. Put up a hell of a fight, but it wasn't enough.

Elena: [she doesn't know how to react. Part of her thinks she shouldn't be surprised. Everything she loves dies eventually, she shouldn't be surprised that the same came of the Hales. She reaches back for the chair behind her to sit, but while she does find the arm, she misses the seat and ends up just dropping to the floor when her legs are no longer able to hold her] Oh, god.

Esposito: [and he'll crouch down, because he failed to protect the Hales, he will not fail Elena, damnit] I'm sorry, Elena.

Elena: [she's wracking her brain, trying to remember if she sensed anything, but it had come on so hard and so fast that she doesn't think she has anything. Useless. It's been so long since she felt this useless. Tears start flowing down her cheeks, but she's jolted out of her reprieve when her phone begins to vibrate in her hand, and Freya's face appears with the caller ID. She turns and looks, hands shaking as she tries to answer] That's Freya. I was ... I was going to tell her about Peter.

Esposito: Do you want me to?

Elena: [she nods and hands over the phone. The tears are starting to leak through and she's not sure she has the resolve to say it]

Esposito: [and he'll answer] Hello Freya. It's Javier.

Freya: [... Well that isn't good] What happened?

Esposito: There's been... [not an accident] Elena had an incident tonight. She wanted to tell you first.

Freya: [there's a moment, when she doesn't respond. Her eyes glance around the main room of the bar and she's counting heads. Finn, Elijah, Klaus, Hayley, Kol, Rebekah all present and accounted for. The only person left who Elena would try to break it to her gently is ...] Peter.

Esposito: Yes. And unfortunately, that's not it. You may want to get a drink.

Freya: [good thing she works in a bar. She doesn't reach for the bottle yet though, wanting to get all of the information first] How many?

Esposito: [he's slipping into the detached voice, separating himself from the case] All four. I'm sorry.

Freya: [All four. All four. It had to be hunters. It's the only logical explanation. Hayley's turned to face her at this point, her wolf ears picking up on the gravity of the conversation, but Freya can't fall apart now. She can't afford to. She needs to make sure that people are aware.] Where is Elena?

Esposito: Here at the station with me, safe. Not sound. Neither of us are.

Freya: [that's good for now, but Freya would feel better if she was closer] Can you get her to the Abattoir? I'll call Stiles and break the news. This might be bigger than just the Hales.

Esposito: Yeah. I've been kicked off the case, for obvious reasons. I doubt I'll have to even ask to get off duty for the night. [looks at Beckett and Castle] We'll be there soon.

Freya: Good. You'll be safe here, and there's plenty of alcohol. [best for grieving honestly. But with that she'll hang up and start issuing orders. Any human patrons are kicked out, any supernatural ones are sent to ground to start spreading the word. Elijah is tasked with calling the other wolf packs to inform them about hunters in their territory. And once the initial groundwork is done, she'll pull up Stiles' number and wait for him to answer]

Stiles: [it is very loud and these heels are killing him and he's certain the fishnets will castrate him by the end of the night. Really, Very, how did you even work here? Anyway, over the music, the crowd, and the fight at the bar, the ONLY reason Stiles knew he phone was ringing was because it was on vibrate and pressed against vital assets. He excuses himself into the dressing room so he can dig the device out, then remove it from the bag protecting it from sweat, then answers] I can't really talk, Freya. It's a madhouse here tonight. Everyone's antsy and on a hair trigger.

Freya: I'm sorry, I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important. [she weighs her options before going for the information first, bad news second] Have you heard anything about a potential Covenant purge? [The Argents might have had ties. This had to be revenge, and the Covenant is the only organization she could think of that could hit them all so quickly and cleanly]

Stiles: There's always talk about them, especially after what Verity did with Dominic. But Dom would call if he heard anything solid, so I don't think anything was fully planned. Why?

Freya: [deep breath. She's much more of a rip off the band-aid type when it comes to bad news, and the fact that she hasn't fully processed this yet is probably helping] There was a hit tonight. The Hales.

Stiles: Oh. Crap. Are they okay? [dread is starting to pool in his stomach. Freya had said purge. purges are bad. Very bad. But he'd have been warned. No, everything's okay, it has to be. Maybe some injuries, but Peter and Laura would tear any covenant members apart without breaking a sweat.]

Freya: No, they're not. They're dead.

Stiles: What? [blinks] I, I think you broke up there a minute. Did... did you say they... that they... [and cue panicking]

Freya: [yeah, she senses that so her voice comes clear and sharp] Stiles. You can't panic right now. The hunters could still be here. I need you to focus, can you do that?

Stiles: No, no I... I can't... Cora... [and he's going to stumble back, trip back on the heels, and then press himself against the wall] No, she can't... she CAN'T... [his magic is starting to flare, wrapping around him like a protective cocoon]

Freya: STILES. You're a Price. Compartmentalize. You can't save her, but there's a room full of people out there that you can. I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I say. [if she could cast a calming spell through the phone she would, but this is the best she has right now]

Stiles: [he shakes his head, not that she can see, letting the phone drop beside him. She'll still be able to hear him] Gotta get it together, Stiles, get it together get it together [deep breathing, taking a minute to get itself back down to something not hyperventilating] Okay... okay, yeah. I can help. What do you... what do I need to do?

Freya: You're at Freakshow, right? Tell your boss what happened. Have her spread the word to whoever she can. Contact any cryptid leaders you think need to know and tell them to lay low, just in case. Then come to the Abattoir. Elena and Javier are already on their way here, and there's plenty of booze. [when the work is done, then they can let it sink in]

Stiles: [pulling off his heels and nods] I'll get the word going. Don't know how long it'll take.

Freya: Keep me posted if you run into trouble. We'll be here. [and with that she'll hang up and have nothing else to keep her moving forward. The pit in her stomach that she's been pushing down since she heard the news is starting to rise and catch in her throat. The lights of the bar flicker around her as she tries to swallow it back down and her sister looks over at her with a small smile]

Rebekah: I'll keep an eye out for Elena. You go.

Freya: [swallows hard, then nods and heads out of the bar, up the stairs and to the roof. For a moment she just paces as the emotions begin to break through, a tightness in her chest that come with the powerful magic she's forced to harness day in and day out. Lights flicker and connections spark as she tries to keep it down, but in the end she can't and instead she screams into the darkness, rage and sadness all at once and releases what she can't contain. Street lights flicker for a good block, which Espo and Elena might see as they're driving up to the bar]

Esposito: [yeah, and since Beckett and Castle went to the scene to get more information, Espo is driving them. He sees it, but doesn't think twice. His focus is to regroup, damage assessment, protective detail, exam details and come up with a new strategy. His combat reflexes kicking in as he avoids his emotions.]

Elena: [also notices, and knows what it means, but she doesn't blame her. Part of Elena really wants to scream too. As they're pulling up to the bar, her eyes widen and she turns to place a hand on Espo's shoulder] What about Barry? Did you find him?

Esposito: No, but I wasn't looking. Text Castle for him to look.

Elena: [she nods and pulls out her phone] Keep an eye out for Barry? Derek's cat. I'll take him.

Castle: [sends back a thumbs up emoji]

Elena: [sighs before swiping at her face and looking up at the bar. She can see Rebekah and Kol on the bottom floor, and Klaus watching from the second floor. She'll be safe in the Abattoir. She knows that. She takes another deep breath, before looking over at Espo] I don't know about you, but I would like to get very, very drunk.

Esposito: Once everyone's here an accounted for, maybe.

Elena: [nods, because that's fair] Three down, one to go. [and with that, she'll climb out of the car and head into the bar, rapping lightly on the door so Kol will undo the latch and let her in]

Kol: [which he'll do, keeping his normally sarcastic commentary to the side since tonight is a dangerous night for creatures in NYC] Come inside, luv. Detective.

Esposito: [nods and follows] Thanks Kol.

Rebekah: [is already lining up shot glasses on the bar] Freya went up to get some air. She spoke with Stiles and he's spreading the word at Freakshow before heading over here.

Elena: How's he handling it? [she reaches forward and takes one of the shots, knocking it back]

Rebekah: It sounded like not well, but he's a Price. They're good at bottling things until they have a moment to breathe.

Esposito: They're also known to get into more trouble then they can handle.

Freya: [descends the stairs, seeming a bit more calm and reaching for a shot as well] Not tonight. I gave him very exact instructions and I told him to contact me if he ran into trouble.

Esposito: [goes to the bar and sits, but doesn't take a shot. He's texting Ryan for information]

Stiles: [it's going to take him a hot minute, guys. First, out of fishnets. Then warn Kitty. Making phone calls while the bar closes and people exit through the secret exits. Then back to his apartment to enact Price/Stilinski bug out plan, which is... mainly just packing up his magic things and half the Aeslin mice and seeking refuge. Which he is heading to. So are the other mice. That way if Stiles is caught, half the colony is able to seek help. But he isn't going to get caught. Right? He'd really like to not get caught on the rooftops because his cousins would never let him live it down]
I
Ryan: [there's not much at this point. They're combing the security footage and canvasing witnesses, but so far there's nothing that's turned up fruit, which is typical for this kind of investigation. But they did find Barry and he's being packaged up, ready for Elena to pick up when she's ready]

Elena: [is just going to keep drinking, because if she doesn't she might have a meltdown and that's the last thing she wants] I still can't believe this happened.

Freya: [refills the shots as they go] Stiles said he hadn't heard anything about a Covenant purge, but that's the only thing I can think of that makes sense. It's said that the Argents had ties.

Elena: You think this is about Gerard?

Freya: [makes a face] I wouldn't be surprised.

Esposito: [looks up from his phone] They found Barry, Elena. He's fine, but they're taking him to the vet to check him out. You'll be able to pick him up there.

Kol: Well, there's one nugget of good news in a day full of shite.

Elena: [her shoulders slump, relieved] Tell them thank you for me?

Esposito: I will. [he puts his phone down, then looks at the time] What's taking him so long?

Freya: Freakshow's on the other side of town. But I can cast a locator spell if it will help you feel better?

Stiles: [that, or you could hear the THUMP on the roof as Stiles lands. His balance has gotten much better since he started wearing those heels for work]

Freya: [glances up and shrugs] Never mind. He's here.

Esposito: [and he lets out the extra air in his lungs that he has been holding onto, slumping forward in relief] Good. [and now he's going to reach for a shot and down it]

Stiles: [and he's going to make his way down, looking like a mess. His work makeup is smeared, his eyes red from holding back tears, twitchy from his anxiety and the magic burning under his skin because of it, and out of breath from parkour.] Got a place I can put Hogwarts?

Rebekah: I'll take them to the rooms upstairs. They'll be safe there. [and violate less health codes. She takes the castle from him with a smile and will retreat to let them lean on each other]

Freya: [will pass him a shot as well as refill Espo's when he places it back on the bar]

Elena: [will get up and make her way around to Stiles and just pull him into the hug. He seems like he needs it and honestly she could use it too]

Stiles: [he could, and he will hold her tightly, but he's not going to break yet. His adrenaline is still running and anger is hot on its heels]

Elena: [fair enough. She'll eventually let him go so that he can have his shot] We'll need food.

Freya: Kitchen's still open. I'm sure there are likely a few orders that didn't get delivered before we kicked everyone out. [and she'll head into the kitchen to see what's there]

Stiles: Half the mice are still on their way. They're taking a different path on their own, so they'll be hungry when they get here. They love curly fries. [and he'll reach for the alcohol and sniff it before shooting it back... and then coughing because damn that's strong]

Freya: Well, we have plenty. [and she'll come out with some of the plates, mostly appetizers. fries, nachos, sliders, etc. She then reaches for her own shot, and takes it] They're more than welcome to them.

Epso: [he's not hungry after what he saw. He'll just stick with his shots and watching his phone. The soldier in his refuses to break right now]

Stiles: [he's not really hungry either, which is weird for him. But he doesn't know what to say]

Elena: [knows that if she wants to keep drinking, she has to eat. so she grabs the nachos and slowly picks at it] So what do we do now?

Freya: I guess that depends on what you want to do.

Esposito: [looking at his next shot as he thinks] I want to find the bastards that did this and take them out. [he's deadly serious]

Stiles: [jerks his thumb at Espo] I'm with him.

Freya: Can't say I disagree.

Elena: [nods slowly, before taking another shot] It won't bring them back. [which is always the hardest part. death is so final and she doesn't want to keep living her life without Derek in it. she hasn't hit the acceptance phase yet]

Stiles: Maybe not, but it'll at least let them rest better.

Freya: [Elena nods, but Freya is watching her with the kind of intensity that is reminiscent of her mother and aunt. a determination to bend the world to her will if it doesn't give her what she wants.] Do you want to bring them back?

Elena: [pauses, then looks up at Freya, trying to figure out what she's getting at] ... I don't not want that. But ... you can't do that. I mean, the only reason I could have potentially brought Damon back was because he was in my head and -

Freya: [holds up a hand to stop her] No. That's not what I'm thinking.

Elena: [straightens, eyes narrowing] ... Do I want to know what you're thinking?

Esposito: [he's the one least experienced with magic, so he's going to take his shot and then look at them both] I'd like to know what you're thinking.

Stiles: [and his brain is screaming DARK MAGIC and that's supposed to be a big no no for him] Magic like that has got to have a big cost...

Freya: All magic has a price. But this one ... hold on. [and she heads upstairs to find what she has in mind]

Elena: [watches her go, waiting until she's out of earshot before looking to Stiles] How bad do you think this could go? [just like ... on a scale of one to ten.]

Stiles: [shrugs] Depending on the spell.... I mean, ten is zombie apocalypse, so...

Elena: [makes a face, before pushing up and going behind the bar] Yeah, I'm going for the tequila.

Freya: [and not long after Freya returns with what looks like a very old, very well-used grimoire] My aunt Dahlia liked to play games with anchored forces. She wanted to see how far she could push her magic and bend it to her whim. The pursuit killed her, but she did leave a few useful things behind.

Stiles: [he doesn't even have to reach out to feel that book] That's... very old.

Freya: My family has a very long lineage of witches. [she flips a few pages before she finds it and turns it around to face him] My aunt concocted a time travel spell.

Stiles: [and he will inch closer to look at it.] You know, I always say time travel wasn't discovered in my lifetime because I didn't come back and warn my mom before she got sick.

Freya: The spell doesn't work that way. You choose a date, and then you travel back into your body where you were at that date. You get three days to change what you need to change and then you return to however the new timeline was altered. This is operating more with a scalpel than a knife.

Stiles: So we can only go back as far as we were alive? That kinda sucks

Freya: Maybe. But it might be useful for our current situation.

Elena: So what? We go back to yesterday and warn them?

Esposito: [is just listening, letting his brain turn ideas into strategy]

Stiles: It'd make it the least ripple-y in the time stream. But it wouldn't stop something like the Covenant coming here. They'd be planning for weeks... months. Just warning them move the battleground day and place.

Freya: It was likely retaliation for Laura and Peter's decisions to take out Gerard, Daniel and Kate. If we really wanted to ensure that this didn't happen, we might have to go back further than that. And before you say it, I'm not arguing we save Gerard Argent's life, but we might need to find the lynch pin moment. The moment where all the dominoes started falling.

Elena: [and the answer comes to her without having to think about it very long] ... Paige.

Stiles: [he looks at Elena, then starts nodding slowly] Yeah... that'd work.

Esposito: Who's Paige?

Elena: [runs a hand through her hair] When Derek was fifteen, his girlfriend was bitten by an alpha, but the bite didn't take. She was dying, and Derek did the only merciful thing to do. He ... sped up the process. But that changed the color of his eyes, marking him a killer, which is led to Talia Hale making a deal with Gerard for Cora to save his life, and then Derek getting taken ... [all the dominoes. Almost, anyway.] The only thing it doesn't account for is the fire. I know Kate was involved, but I don't know how or when.

Freya: I do. It was around the same time Paige died.

Stiles: [connecting dots] Peter?

Freya: [nods, before looking to Stiles, because he's the local expert here] Do you remember the day Paige died? The exact date.

Stiles: [bites his lip and thinks] I know the year. It was the same year my mom died. It was fall or winter. [shakes his head] It was a bad year. I was focusing more on mom. [blinks] Wait, I know. [and he's going to take off running upstairs to find his mice]

Freya: [nods as she starts mapping out the plan] We'll need to determine where we each were on that date. If I can get there, I can interfere with Kate, but you might have to figure out how to save Paige. Did he tell you which alpha bit her?

Elena: I think he said the name was Ennis?

Freya: [makes a face. not a good face]

Esposito: Laura's mentioned that name before. He's a brute.

Freya: That's putting it lightly.

Elena: But it's not his turf, right? Maybe we just need to get Beacon Hills' actual alpha to interfere.

Esposito: That would be their mother.

Elena: [she nods] I can do it. I'm a banshee, she'll listen to me if I tell her someone's going to die.

Freya: We'll just have to make sure you'll be able to get there within three days.

Elena: ... That might be trickier.

Stiles: [and he will come running down the stairs a minute later] April 3rd. There was a big search in the woods on the 4th and Dad found her body then, so it had to be the third.

Elena: [does the math for the year, and her eyes widen] ... I was in LA. Spring break, my parents took me and Jeremy to Disney.

Freya: I was in Pasadena. This ... could work.

Esposito: Afghanistan.

Freya: Mmmm. So you have two options there. You can participate so you remember her or stay out of it and you won't.

Esposito: We change that far back, we don't know if we'll even be able to. Just because we prevent that moment doesn't mean another won't appear in their timeline. Or that they'll be available. Hell, change that and we'd come back and Derek could be married to that girl.

Elena: [swallows hard because that's true, but at time same time] At least he'd be alive.

Stiles: I think Espo was also saying he might not be... either... [sees Espo glaring at him] I'm shutting up.

Elena: [her hands curl into fists because she understands that it's a long shot but she has the opportunity to do something.] I think it's worth a shot. Maybe the only person we'll save is Paige, but you know what, it's one less person dead than was before. [she takes another shot, before burying her face in her hands] I'm so tired of dead people.

Freya: [her face softens] There's a price, Elena.

Elena: I'll pay it.

Stiles: You mentioned that before. How big is it?

Freya: Aside from living with the past you erased and no guarantee that we'll be able to sculpt the future to our benefit?

Stiles: Yeah, beside that

Freya: [she shrugs] Dahlia only tried this spell once and she was already psychotic, so it's hard to say if it made things better or worse. But she never tried it again after.

Stiles: So high chance, you, me, or both go crazy. Fun

Freya: [she shrugs] I'm already a little insane. And you probably won't get that much worse than your grandmother.

Elena: I literally stumble over dead people all the time, so my sanity was questionable to begin with.

Esposito: [nods] If you do this, I'm staying here to make sure no one interrupts the spell. Not even your siblings.

Freya: [she nods] Hopefully we'll see you on the other side. [they all seemed to have wound up in New York eventually, outside of the Hales. She looks to Stiles] Are we doing this?

Stiles: [licks his lips] My grandmother is going to kill me, but yes.

Freya: [nods as she goes to make her way to the roof] I'll go set up.

Stiles: I'm going to record this insanity with my mice, just in case. [looks at Elena] Wanna come?

Elena: Yeah. I'll be there in a second. [she waits until Stiles heads up the stairs, before turning to Espo] Hey, Javier?

Esposito: [he'll turn to face her] Yeah?

Elena: If, somehow, we don't wind up knowing each other on the other side of this? Thank you. For picking up the phone when I called.

Esposito: Will do it again in a heartbeat

Elena: [she nods with a smile, before making her way upstairs to find Stiles and the mice]

Stiles: [she'll find him sitting in front of a group of mice, talking quietly to them. The one dressed with pretty beads turns to the other mice and they begin to sing and dance, VERY SERIOUS]

Elena: [and Elena can't help but smile, because it's a very precious scene, and she's never quite seen anything like it]

Stiles: [looks over and nods, then motions for her to join him]

Elena: [comes closer and sits next to him, waving to the mice as they do their thing] Hi, everyone.

Mice: Hail the Priestess of Screams!

Elena: ... Do they give everyone names like that?

Stiles: Yup, and you don't get to choose yours.

Elena: Then I'll trust their judgment.

Stiles: They keep a record of my family, so I needed to make sure they knew what I was planning on doing. Just in case something goes wrong.

Elena: [she nods] Do you think this is a bad idea?

Stiles: I don't know. Messing with time doesn't always give you what you want. I learned that from reading FLASH comics. And Back to the Future. You change one thing, all moments ripple out from there. The further back, the larger the ripples. That's why no one will ever go back to kill Baby Hitler.

Elena: [she nods] I'm okay with not getting him back. If he's alive and he's happy then, that's all I care about. [she glances over to him] You stand the biggest chance of not losing the time travel roulette. Cora might stay in Beacon Hills longer.

Stiles: I don't. When my powers start coming in, I move up to Oregon to live with my aunt and uncle. I was too dangerous to be around back then. I couldn't control it, so I'd cause accidents all over the place. Couldn't even go to school after awhile. We tried to pass it off as being hyperactive and clumsy, but some things can't just be explained away.

Elena: [nods] Are you okay with that? With leaving it up to chance?

Stiles: My mom always told me, if something is meant to be, you just need to let it happen. Doing this, I'm going against that. But it'll give Cora a better life--Derek too. So it's worth it. And if she and I are meant to be, we'll find each other again.

Elena: [she nods] Yeah. That's how I'm thinking about it too. [she offers him a small smile] Hopefully I'll still be the Screaming Priestess in the new timeline though.

Stiles: [laughs] We're not changing our DNA. You'll still be one, just like I'll be a walking timebomb of magic.

Elena: Yeah. But hopefully we'll still find each other on the other side.

Stiles: I actually have a plan for that. [nods to his mice]

Elena: Oh yeah?

Stiles: When we get back, I'm going to tell my mice what's happening and to make sure that they remind me to find you. I'm... if we're changing stuff already, I'm also going to warn my mom about being sick and what treatment they use now to help. So maybe she won't... die.

Elena: [she nods, because she knows that dead parent feeling. She's not sure she will be able to make that happen on her end, given that her parents death was an accident, but she hopes that it helps Stiles] I hope it works.

Stiles: Me too.

Elena: We'll figure this out. And hopefully we'll all make it out of this okay.

Stiles: I hope so.

Elena: [she nods, before starting to get up] Should we go see if Freya's ready to get started?

Stiles: Yeah, just give me a second to let the dance end. [he takes his mice relations very seriously]

Elena: [nods as she sits and watches with him, giving the mice the time they deserve]

Stiles: [and when they are done, the mice gather around him and give him tiny little hugs, making him smile. They were the best friends any child would have been happy to have.]

Elena: [this is so sweet, she can't help but smile. But she'll slowly start to get up so she can give them a moment alone to finish]

Stiles: [and he will join her after a moment, rubbing at his face. He's not crying, you're crying] Shall we?

Elena: [she nods] Let's do this. [and up the stairs they go to the roof, where Freya is just finishing up the set up for the spell. she looks over at the two of them and holds out her hands]

Freya: Are you ready?

Stiles: As we'll ever be.

Freya: [nods] Take my hands, stay in the middle of the circle.

Elena: [does as she's told, taking Freya's far hand, then holding the free one out to Stiles]

Stiles: [he takes a deep breath, making sure his magic stays wrapped inside him to not mess up Freya's spell]

Freya: [and with that she begins to chant, the words rough and low and the magic begins to rise around them. There have always been rumors about firstborn Mikaelson witches and it's clear that they're true. The power Stiles can feel coming off the edges of the runes and wrapping around them is immense to say the least - a blunt force being wielded with great precision. As the spell comes to it's peak, the colors begin to swirl around them, and soon everything goes dark.

The darkness is a heavy one, like it's fighting the force and knowing they're going somewhere they're not supposed to be, but soon they break through to the other side. A soft voice calls to Stiles, and at first it's unclear who's speaking but soon it forms a name.]

Claudia: Stiles. Stiles, it's time to get up. You have to go to school.

Stiles: [blinks awake, feeling drained] School?

Claudia: Yes, school. [amused mom voice as she runs her hand over the top of his head] It's not spring break yet. You still have a few more days.

Stiles: [he blinks again, remembering the magical spell and the mission. It hits him hard and he sits up quickly, eyes darting around in a panic. Did they really do it?]

Claudia: [frowns as she places a hand on his shoulder gently] Everything okay, kiddo? Did you have a bad dream?

Stiles: [he laughs, because that's a loaded question] Yeah. [wow his voice is high pitched oh god he hasn't hit puberty. Then it clicks into his brain who's talking and he turns to look at his mother, wide eyed] Mom?

Claudia: Yeah? [her head tips to the side] You wanna talk about it?

Stiles: [nope, no talking. Hugging. ALL THE HUGGING]

Claudia: [is caught off guard, but she returns it because who knows how many more of these she's going to get] Hey. [her voice is soft as she rubs his back] It's okay.

Stiles: [yup, tearing up. He hasn't felt her hugs in a long time. He's just going to grip tighter]

Claudia: [yep, he can hug her as long as he needs. Or at least until Noah calls up because Stiles does have to go to school]

Stiles: [shakes his head] I don't want to go. I want to stay here. With you.

Claudia: As much as I would love that, you have to go to school. But you will have me all to yourself all next week. I promise.

Stiles: [turning the puppy eyes up to ten] But my bad dream... [wibbles]

Claudia: [sighs] Unfortunately "bad dream" is not on the stay home from school list. [deep breath] But tell you what. If you go to school and get through all your classes, I'll get ham and pineapple pizza for dinner? And your dad's working the overnight shift so I'll let you pick the movie too.

Stiles: [that's hard. Because if he leaves, he can go into the preserve and find the Hales. But if he's good, he can have time with his mother. He wants to save Cora... but now that he's here and his Mom is right there...] Okay.

Claudia: [if it makes you feel any better, Stiles, Elena's currently going through the same with both her parents. you are not alone] Okay. [she leans forward and presses a kiss to the top of his head] Get up and get dressed. There's pancakes downstairs.

Stiles: Okay. [which he will do, slowly, taking in everything. After he's dressed, he'll stand in front of the mirror and look at his child self.] Wow, I was a weird looking kid. Huh.

Claudia: [from downstairs in the kitchen, fixing his plate] C'mon, Stiles! Scott's going to be here in ten minutes for carpool.

Stiles: Oh boy. [yeah, he can't tell Scott who he really is. How did he behave as a kid again? Either way, he runs down the stairs and into the kitchen, intending to inhale his breakfast]

Claudia: [which she will let him do, until the front door opens and Scott lets himself in] Hey, Scott. Hungry? We've got some leftover pancakes.

Stiles: [and he will look over at Scott and nearly spit the pancake from his mouth because it's also been a long time since he's seen his friend, especially that puppy looking]

Scott: No thanks, I already ate. [he makes a face at Stiles' reaction] What? Is there something on my face?

Stiles: Um, no. No. It's just your face. I mean, totally normal Scott face. Nothing weird at all. [and he's just going to finish his breakfast and grab his backpack] I'm ready.

Scott: [makes a face at his best friend but he's not sure if he wants to know]

Claudia: Okay, everybody in the car. [and off they go to school! And as they're pulling up to the front, a tiny girl with her brow hair scooped up in a ponytail is bouncing her way towards the front door, hands wrapped around the straps of her backpack]

Scott: Hey, Cora!

Cora: [turns and waves back at Scott and Stiles, before disappearing into the school]

Stiles: [and he's going to just stop, looking at her like an idiot.]

Scott: [just watches him before waving a hand in front of his face] You okay, dude?

Stiles: Oh. Yeah. Just, thinking about something. [licks his lips] Hey, if I snuck away during lunch, would you cover for me until I get back?

Scott: Sure. [of course he would. what are best friends for?] What's going on?

Stiles: I just, I had a dream. Magic dream, you know? I need to make sure it was just a dream though.

Scott: Okay. [and with that, they head into class where Cora is parked in her usual seat on the left side of the room while people talk around her]

Stiles: [and he's going to just watch her. He doesn't have any images in his head of the dead Hales, and he's grateful for that. But why hadn't he noticed her more when they were younger?]

Cora: [she strives to not be noticed. It's not your fault, Stiles. After a bit, she senses him watching her, and gives him a small wave, slightly confused]

Stiles: [and she gets a goofy smile and a wave back]

Cora: [and the smile is infectious so she'll smile in return, though she's not sure why, and eventually her head will duck and she'll away, out towards the window to hide a blush]

Stiles: [and he'll get back to work, and hey, he knows everything every single answer but he can't be too obvious. Lydia is the class nerd, not him.]

Freya: [and somewhere along the way he'll feel a soft bubble of magic before a crumpled piece of paper appears in his pocket: it's a note from Freya that says they'll be in Beacon Hills by lunch to enact their plan]

Stiles: [and he'll read it and then shove it back into his pocket. He hasn't even tested out to see if he has his magic here or not. Though when lunchtime comes, Stiles will nudge Scott] If I'm not back by class time, tell the teacher I had explosive diarrhea or something and went home.

Scott: You got it. [he just assumes Stiles will tell him later and doesn't question it, like any good best friend should]

Stiles: Thanks, buddy. [and he's going to slip off to the bathroom, which he then uses to slide out the window near the edge of the preserve and takes off running into the forest]

Freya: [and when he meets up with the main road he'll find a ... car that doesn't look like it should have survived the trip from LA, but somehow did. Freya will poke her head out of the driver's side window and wave him down. She doesn't actually look all that different from the Freya he knew before, but Elena is much younger - a fifteen year old teen compared to the New York doctor who's almost in her thirties]

Elena: [climbs out the passenger side, dressed for the trip to Disney she's clearly supposed to be on] How far is the Hale house from here?

Stiles: [breathing hard, because baby Stiles doesn't have the lung capacity that adult in shape Stiles has] It's... near the center.... three miles, maybe? [he's going to sit on the ground, trying to catch his breath]

Freya: [nods as she glances up] I can get you two a little bit closer, but I need to stay off their radar if I'm going to be intercepting Peter later.

Elena: [nods] It might be better, so we can get him back to school.

Stiles: Scott’ll cover for me if I'm late. [swallows] And Cora is at school, so Derek should be as well.

Elena: Okay. Let's go. [and back into Freya's car they'll pile, and she'll drive them another couple miles in, before pulling to a stop to let them out]

Freya: You should be good from here. I'll wait until you're done and take you back. Though Elena is going to need a place to stay out of sight until I'm finished tonight and can drive her back to LA.

Stiles: My dad's working overnight. I could sneak you in and stay with me.

Elena: Your mom won't mind?

Stiles: I don't think my mom would think I'd be sneaking girls into my room at this age.

Elena: Fair enough.

Freya: She's also the Price, isn't she? If all else fails you can distract her with a banshee.

Stiles: ... Plan B.

Elena: [nods before pushing open the door and climbing out of the car] C'mon. We should get moving.

Stiles: [he looks at Freya] I haven't tried to summon my magic yet. Will I only have the level that I had at this age. [which isn't much]

Freya: Probably? But you can wield it with the precision of what you know in the future. So ... I'd advise using it wisely.

Stiles: [nods] Gotcha.

Freya: [nods] Good luck, both of you.

Elena: [nods and waits for Stiles to lead the way to the Hale house]

Stiles: Watch your step. Some of these tree roots are above ground. [and he'll start off in the direction of the Hale House]

Elena: [nods and follows his lead. She's wandered through enough woods in Mystic Falls to know better but they're definitely different trees than she used to. she lags behind despite her longer legs, but she does her best to keep up]

Stiles: [and as he walks, he feels energy pulling at him. He turns his head and there is a huge tree just off in the distance]

Elena: [... she feels it too. She draws to a stop next to him and tips her head to the side] What is that?

Stiles: I don't know. I never really came out near this part of the woods. We're on the land that the Hales still own, not what they gave to the preserve.

Elena: Huh. [It takes her a moment, but eventually she tears her eyes away, scanning until she sees the edges of a house in the distance] Is that the house?

Stiles: Yeah, that's it.

Elena: [nods and keeps going, making her way to the porch and taking a deep breath] She's nice, right?

Stiles: Oh yeah. She and my mom are friends. [he goes to knock] At least I think they are.

Elena: [she nods] Most of the alphas I've met haven't been.

Talia: [from in the house] Coming! Just a minute.

Stiles: Talia's different. [shrugs] I still don't know how she could have done what she did to Cora though.

Elena: [nods but drops it as the door opens and the Hale alpha appears in the doorway]

Talia: [smiles and the strange girl, before glancing over to the person she does recognize] Hi, Stiles. Who's your friend?

Stiles: Hi, Misses Hale. This is my friend Elena.

Talia: Hi, Elena. Aren't you both supposed to be in school?

Elena: Yeah. But ... we need your help. Someone's going to die.

Talia: [straightens, eyes narrowing] And how do you know that?

Elena: Because I'm a banshee.

Talia: [her face sobers, glancing around over the porch, before stepping back] Why don't you both come in?

Stiles: [Which they will] I know it's not what you expected to hear on a Wednesday afternoon, but we didn't want to wait.

Talia: [gestures them both into the living room] Please sit. Do you want me to get you anything?

Elena: [shakes her head] No, I'm fine. [and she just takes in the house, the pictures and the normalcy of it all. It's a place she's never seen, but it feels like a home]

Stiles: Water? [because he ran a lot and is a tiny child]

Talia: [nods with a smile] I'll be right back.

Elena: [nods and goes to sink into one of the couches, reaching up to fix her ponytail as she does] You have a nice home.

Talia: Thank you. My family's been here a long time.

Stiles: As long as that big tree down the trail?

Talia: [raises an eyebrow as she comes back] Almost. The tree came first. Why do you ask?

Stiles: [shrugs] It just kinda caught my attention. Like, really caught it.

Talia: [she nods, and since he is a Price and he's curious. she returns and hands him the water] You know how the town is called Beacon Hills? That tree is the beacon. It's called a nematon.

Stiles: [he tries to remember if he's ever heard that word before, but doesn't.] Oh. [and he'll take the water and drink half of it almost immediately]

Talia: So. Tell me about this death.

Elena: [oh. this is the part where she needs to give details] I don't know much. Things were hazy but I know that it's happening soon and I know it involves another alpha.

Talia: Do you know which alpha?

Elena: [she shakes her head, because she's not supposed to] All I could really see were the eyes. But he was big. Really big. And .... I think there might have been lockers?

Stiles: [he just wants to blurt it all out, but he's not supposed to know anything more than Elena does, so he just leaves it up to her. He's trying to think of if he ever saw Derek with Paige around the school]

Talia: [nods because she definitely knows which alpha that is. Peter's been lurking around the high school, she'll see if he's seen Ennis around] Is there anything else?

Elena: I think it was a girl? But I can't be sure.

Talia: [nods again, before offering her a small smile] I will see what I can do. Do you need someone to take you home?

Elena: [shakes her head] No, I have a ride. I just ... I needed to make sure someone knew.

Talia: I understand. You're so young for a banshee. [it's a tragedy, really.] I'll do the best I can.

Elena: Thank you.

Stiles: [he looks at Elena. Is that enough? he asks her with his eyes]

Elena: [it's going to have to be] It's happening soon. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow.

Talia: [she nods] I'll figure it out.

Elena: [nods again, before taking a deep breath] We should go.

Stiles: Okay. Thanks for the water, misses Hale

Talia: Of course, Stiles. Anytime. [and with that she walks them to the door, where they can head back to Freya's car and get Stiles back to school. And once they're out of sight, Talia reaches for her phone to call her brother]

Stiles [is 11 and can't drive.]

Peter: [and yeah, he's being all creeper and hanging out at the high school, having just had lunch with Derek] Hey, something wrong?

Talia: [whoops, that's supposed to be Freya's car] Potentially. Stiles Stilinski just brought a banshee to my doorstep and she seems to think Ennis is going to kill someone, possibly in a school setting.

Peter: [and well, that isn't at all disturbing. Or very close to a topic he and Derek were just discussing. He takes a moment to keep his cool] And why would Ennis do something like that? He's a brute, but he isn't someone who kills without reason.

Talia: She didn't know. You know how banshees are - everything is vague. He might not do the deed himself, but he's involved somehow. [she pauses] I hadn't realized there was another banshee in Beacon Hills after Lorraine Martin died. Lydia isn't old enough yet, but this girl looked around Derek's age. Do you know if there's a girl in his class named Elena?

Peter: Not that I've heard mention of. And how would Stiles know a girl around Derek's age?

Talia: He's a Price, if not in name. They tend to find themselves where they need to be. He's also sensing the Nematon, so he might have inherited some of his grandfather's talents. [but that's not the important thing] Tell Derek I want him home until we resolve this. If Ennis is trolling around the high school looking for trouble, I don't want him anywhere near it.

Peter: I can tell him that, but right now all he cares about is his girlfriend and being with her.

Talia: He's more than welcome to spend time with her at the house.

Peter: I don't think that will go over any better.

Talia: Too bad. Right now, he doesn't have an option. [she sighs] Ennis is down a pack member, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that he's possibly looking to replace it. [and teenagers are the most viable option]

Peter: [licks his lips] We should also make sure that this teenage banshee doesn't get herself noticed by him either.

Talia: She was with Stiles Stilinski. About five-seven, olive skin, long dark hair. See if Derek knows her, and if not swing by Claudia's to check in.

Peter: Sure.

Talia: Sorry. I know I'm hijacking your evening. But if Derek has any issues, tell him he can take it up with me.

Peter: I didn't have anything planned. [beyond seeing Kate]

Talia: Still, I'll make it up to you. Let me know if you find anything.

Peter: I will. [because while he has his own plans, he's still loyal to his sister] We'll be home soon.

Talia: See you then. [and then she'll hang up to let Peter do his thing]

Peter: [and he's going to find Derek and, after a lot of grumbling, drag the pup to Claudia's place so they could speak with this banshee]

Claudia: [if there's anyone Claudia expected to be at her front door tonight, it's not Peter Hale and his nephew. As much as she is a Price and needed to make friends with all the local cryptids, Talia is usually the Hale that comes to deal with her, not her brother] Peter. What brings you by?

Peter: Stiles stopped by the house earlier today with a friend. We were hoping to speak to them.

Claudia: [her brow furrows because what friend is this] Stiles! Someone at the door for you. [ then she steps back to let Peter and Derek in] Please, come in.

Stiles: [hears her, then looks at Elena] um, I don't like the sound of that.

Peter: Thank you. [ushers Derek in, who's still pouting]

Elena: [raises an eyebrow, before frowning] Do you think we need a code word for me to ... bail out the window or something?

Claudia: Can I get you boys anything?

Peter: We're good, but thank you.

Stiles: Yeah. Um, Rutabaga?

Elena: Works for me. Good luck.

Claudia: [nods before moving over to the stairs] Today, Stiles.

Stiles: I'm coming! [and he'll run out of the room and down the stairs and skid to a stop before almost crashing heads-first into Derek Hale.] Oh, um... Mom?

Claudia: [takes him by the shoulders and pulls him back against her] Stiles, Peter says you went by the Hale House with a friend. Were you and Scott out on the Preserve today?

Elena: [totally listening, but hidden by the stairs. Also, if Peter's here, who's Freya messing with.]

Stiles: No, Scott and I were not out on the preserve.

Claudia: So you were there but not with Scott, or you were not on the Preserve at all? [she doesn't think it's the latter, because why would Peter make that up, but she knows that sometimes narrowing the options makes it easier to find the truth]

Peter: Or with a young lady visiting with my sister? [looks]

Stiles: [shit that look is scary even with Peter totally looking like an Abercrombie boy] Um... the third but she totally isn't here now.

Derek: [raises an eyebrow and looks up the stairs, sniffing the air]

Elena: [her eyes pinch closed because she knows her scent is probably everywhere. She starts easing her way back towards Stiles room because maybe she should bail before the code word is given]

Claudia: Who is this young lady and why were you there?

Derek: [and he hears that and looks at his uncle, and then nods at the stairs]

Stiles: Um, she's a friend. A good friend and we went looking for a rutabaga. Lots of rutabagas for school. Yeah. Rutabagas.

Elena: [yep, she's going for the window. She used it to sneak in, so she can probably use it to sneak down, right? Right. Going down is probably a lot easier]

Claudia: [she also hears that window slide open and she points towards the appropriate side of the house] She's gonna wind up in the bushes. You should probably make sure she doesn't break a bone. I don't think my husband would appreciate being called to his own house.

Derek: I'll get her. [and since he doesn't have to hide himself in this house, he rushes outside to find the girl]

Peter: Stiles, Talia wants me to make sure you and your friend are safe.

Elena: [by the time he gets there, she's balanced on the roof, trying to plan her cheerleader dismount. that is, until she sees him appear in the darkness with her human-level dark-vision, her foot slips on the shingles, and she loses her balance to start falling over the edge]

Claudia: And so do I. Mostly I would just prefer someone tell me what's going on.

Derek: [and he's going to rush and catch her. He'll hold her in his arms and smile] You need to work on your dismount.

Stiles: But I... I can't really tell anyone. It's against the rules.

Peter: [crosses his arms and sighs. This is going to take awhile]

Elena: [oh, she knows that smile. He gets one back, reflexively, even if it makes her chest tighten in response. Quick, Elena, think of something witty] The roof wasn't regulation.

Claudia: [deep breath] Mieczyslaw Stilinski, so help me if you don't tell me what's going on right now you will spend the entire summer in Portland with Antimony.

Derek: [setting her down] I don't think house jumping is an Olympic sport.

Elena: Oh, it is. Very exclusive, not a lot of countries participate.

Stiles: No fair. [he got full named] Okay so I'm really like twenty two and my friend Elena is twenty seven and she was dating Derek and I was dating Cora and then the Argents came and tried to kill thembutwekilledthemfirstandthentheysendthecovenantandtheykilledtheHales [deep breath] andwedon'twantthattohappensoFreyawhoisdatingPeterfoundaspellandwealltraveledbackbutweonlyhavethreedaystostopEnnisfrombitingPaigeandsendingthemdownonthispathofpainanddeath. [puppy eyes at his mother]

Peter: [and he's just going to stand there, wide eyed, and blink because WHAT?!]

Derek: Well, you're wanted inside. I'm Derek, by the way.

Elena: Elena. Nice to meet you. [no idea that Stiles has just blown her cover]

Claudia: [is also going to try and break this apart one problem at time, because she was expecting a lot of things, but she wasn't expecting that] ... I'm sorry, I'm going to need you to say that again, slower but with space for breathing, because I'm pretty sure you're implying that we're in Star Trek 4.

Stiles: No, more like Stargate but with magic. [and he will sigh and restate it all, slower]

Derek: [is ushering Elena inside when he hears the name Paige and his eyes widen] What's going on?

Elena: [... oh crap]

Claudia: [looks over at Elena and Derek, and while she can't save Peter's knowledge of things right now, Derek is still relatively safe, but she doesn't know how to do that, with everything Peter knows right now and ...]

Elena: [reads that look for what it is and:] I'm a banshee. I'm here because I saw Paige's death and I wanted to try and stop it.

Claudia: Derek, sweetheart, why don't you go in the kitchen and call your girlfriend, see where she is. Make sure she's safe. I'm gonna talk to our new friend and your uncle.

Derek: [nods and goes, his focus shifting instantly to Paige as he pulls out his phone to call her]

Stiles: [gives a shrug and goes to stand beside Elena] Sorry.

Peter: But don't leave the house without me. Talia's orders.

Elena: [watches him go and it stings but this is what she signed up for] How much did you spill?

Claudia: I think it's safe to say all of it. [shakes her head] What kind of witch has a time travel spell?

Elena: I think Freya said it was her Aunt Dahlia's?

Claudia: Dahlia ... wait Freya is Freya Mikaelson? [and her gaze fixes back on her son] You're doing magic with a Mikaelson witch?!

Stiles: Um, yes? But it's not for another twelve years from now.

Claudia: [takes a big deep breath before shaking her head] I can't know this information. We - [she gestures between herself and Peter] - can't know this information. Where is Freya now?

Elena: [pauses before pointing to Peter] I think she's looking for you. Or ... possibly Kate Argent. She wasn't really clear on her end of the plan.

Peter: Which is probably a good thing. [looks at Stiles, then Claudia] We can find someone to erase this from our minds. Right now, the damage is done.

Stiles: The problem right now is that we need to save Paige. Too many people die because of this moment.

Elena: I know how Paige winds up in Ennis's crosshairs. I went to Talia because I knew she was strong enough to contend with him and that Paige would be safe with her. It was just hard to do that without saying too much. She doesn't survive the bite.

Peter: It's not that simple. Alphas don't interfere in the dealings of other Alphas. Ennis lost a beta recently, and he'll want to find a new one. It's the way things work.

Stiles: Sure, fine, but does it have to be THIS one?

Claudia: I'd rather it be none of the teenagers, personally.

Elena: Alphas don't interfere in the dealings of other alphas except with those alphas' sons ask them to bite their girlfriend. [because she Knows, Peter] So yes, I think it's safe to say that Ennis doesn't need this particular beta. I think he'd rather have one that stands a chance of survival anyway.

Peter: [and yeah, his eyes are going to narrow at Elena, but then goes to move past them] Derek...

Derek: [nope, sorry, he peaced out while they were freaking out about knowing the future]

Elena: [makes a face then turns to Claudia] I'm calling Freya. Do you have a phone?

Claudia: [nods] In the kitchen.

Stiles: And I'll just... stay here and stop talking.

Elena: [and she's going to assume Peter's listening in but she's doing as she said ring ring ring and]

Freya: [answers] What happened?

Elena: We lost Derek.

Freya: ... Were we supposed to have Derek?

Elena: Stiles got full named by his mom and blew our cover.

Freya: [does not understand this concept at all, but moving on] It's fine, I got what I need from here. Where should I meet you?

Elena: [glances to Peter] Where would he go?

Peter: Two choices -- he's either getting Paige to a safe place, or he's confronting Ennis to get him to not go through with it.

Freya: I'll find Ennis. You find the girl. Worst comes to worse we wind up in the same place. Anything else?

Elena: Peter knows.

Freya: [goddamnit Stiles] One problem at a time, Elena. [and with that, she hangs up]

Peter: I can assume the Mikaelson witch can handle herself, so I'll go with you.

Elena: [she nods] Do you know where she tends to hang out?

Peter: She would still be at school. She's in band and they had practice.

Elena: Then let's go. Sooner we find them the better.

Claudia: [hand on Stiles' shoulder, pulling him back] Don't even think about it.

Stiles: But I'm supposed to be a part of this. I can't just stay here and do nothing.

Claudia: You may be mentally twenty-two but you're currently in a very fragile nine year-old body. And things are already fraught with the alphas and the Argents being in town at the same time as it is. We'll figure out something to do from here, you're not running out there to go toe to toe with Ennis.

Stiles: But Moooooooom.

Claudia: I'm just trying to make sure you live to see twenty-two again. [looks up at Peter and Elena] Go. We don't have a lot of time with Derek running around like a wild card. [especially since not long from now, she'll be getting a call from Deaton about Gerard's attack on Deucalion's pack]

Elena: [nods, flashing Stiles and apologetic look] We'll get it done. [but with that, she will head out side and let Peter lead the way]

Peter: [which he will, heading for his car and opening the passenger door.] We'll get there faster this way. [because human legs are slow]

Elena: No argument here. [she knows Peter well enough to trust getting in a car with him, and she's sure he wants to interrogate her anyway]

Stiles: [and he's going to pout but stay behind]

Peter: [of course he will, but he will wait until they are out of the driveway at least] Since my memories of this will be taken away, tell me what this future was like before your scream.

Elena: The bite doesn't take. Derek does the merciful thing and doesn't let her suffer, but when his eyes change it draws the attention of the Argents and Gerard forces your sister to make a deal. Either Derek pays the price for his eyes or Talia sacrifices another member of the pack to help with training his hunters. Since it's a choice between certain death for Derek and more of a question mark for someone else, Talia gives him Cora.

Peter: Why would she agree to something like that? [growls, his yellow eyes flashing in anger]

Elena: I can't answer that. I wasn't there. I just know what I was told by Derek. [so she's just going to keep telling the story] Not that it really matters because they didn't keep their word. Little over a year later, Kate Argent burned down your house with most of your pack trapped inside. Laura, Derek and you were the only ones who survived.

Peter: [and yeah, he's going to brake sharply] Kate? No, she wouldn't do that.

Elena: [she turns to him and raises an eyebrow] Are you sure about that? She is Gerard Argent's daughter.

Peter: But she's... [and he sets his jaw before focusing back on the road, not saying anything else]

Elena: [sighs] I'm not telling you this to hurt you, Peter. You asked me for the truth.

Peter: Let's worry about Derek and Paige right now, alright? [not about him. He'll deal with Kate later.]

Elena: Do you want me to keep going?

Peter: No, we know enough to deal with this.

Elena: Fine. [and she turns her eyes back to the road, taking in the town as she goes. she'll be quiet unless he asks her another question]

Peter: [nope. He's instead planning on how he's going to eliminate Kate Argent from the board without bringing the hunters down on his family. And they arrive at the school and Peter pulls up near the gym] The band room is just outside the boy's locker room.

Elena: I'll take the band room, then. [because she is not going inside the boy's locker room] I'll scream if I find Ennis. [not actually banshee scream because technically she's not activated yet, but she feels like Peter will hear her anyway]

Peter: I'll do a perimeter check for her and Derek and find you after. [because he has her scent now]

Elena: [she nods and heads into the high school, looking around and hoping to avoid the nagging sense of doom in the back of her throat. no. they're going to win. things will be different. She steels her resolve and makes her way towards the band room]

Freya: [meanwhile, Freya is tracking an alpha, having followed his trail to the high school. she's inching around the perimeter, trying to stay downwind so he doesn't catch her scent and come sniffing]

Derek: [well, he's not going to be at the band room. He's stopping Ennis before he does the bite. But he is a smol baby werewolf still and the large Alpha is not pulling his punches as he fights Derek to get inside]

Elena: [she hears the sounds of the scuffle and ... takes off running for it because she's Elena Gilbert and she's recklessly stupid]

Freya: [but it's okay Derek, because the witch is coming to back you up. She raises hand as she murmurs] Ventus. [a heavy gust of wind springs from her hand, intent of blowing Ennis away, literally]

Ennis: [and he's going to try and fight against it, but it comes on so quickly that he can't ground himself and off he goes]

Derek: [and he's going to fall to his knees, covered in claw marks under shredded clothing, bleeding and exhausted]

Peter: [comes around the corner as well] Derek!

Freya: You did well, but this is a job for someone a little stronger than you. [she turns back to Ennis and chants again, twisting his wrist and pinning him to the nearby wall] Let's have a chat, you and I.

Elena: [catches up to them, and when she sees the blood she panics] Is he okay?

Ennis: [and he's going to snarl, trying to fight against the magic] Let me go. [red eyes glowing]

Peter: [leans down and checks over his nephew with gentle hands] Wounds from alphas take longer to heal. [he gently slaps Derek's face] Derek, where's Paige?

Derek: [his eyes closed, sleepy] Our safe place.

Elena: Where is that?

Freya: Not until we establish who you're not biting today. Grow your pack, extend your power, I don't care what you do so long as you don't bite Paige.

Ennis: You think you can tell me what to do? I will raze the entire town looking for her.

Peter: She'll be fine there. We need to get Derek home to Talia.

Elena: Freya?

Freya: We'll be fine. Go. [and as Elena helps Peter get Derek out, she turns back to Ennis with a shark-like grin] I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Freya Mikaelson. I'm one of those pesky Mikaelson witches. So trust me when I say that I can make your life very difficult if you don't do as I say.

Ennis: Oh, I've heard about you. You got a little bastard wolf there among your cult. Momma had a thing for our kind instead of yer father

Freya: [she twists her hand doing the vampire trick where she bursts the blood vessels in his brain as they heal] Let's not drag my brother into this, shall we? Because I do care so much more for him than I do for you.

Ennis: Funny, because you kill me, and a world of pain will fall upon all of you.

Freya: Oh. I'm not looking to kill you, Ennis. That sounds comparatively easy. I promised to make your life difficult. But more importantly, I'm here to save you some wasted effort. That other girl you saw? She's a banshee. And if you continue on this fool's errand, she will scream for your new beta. Or rather, your failed attempt. Because the bite won't take. [she tips her head to the side] So what would you prefer? A new healthy beta or a dead girl and no beta?

Ennis: [and he narrows his eyes, trying to see if she's lying or not]

Freya: [listen to her heartbeat, Ennis. She is very much not lying]

Ennis: [snarls but relaxes] Fine, I'll leave the girl alone. But you make sure Derek Hale knows I do not release him from the favor he owes me.

Freya: I'll make sure he's aware. [and she releases him] Glad to see we could come to an arrangement.

Ennis: [and he just hmphs and leaves]

Freya: [and she will go back to her car and might as well head to the Hale house to make sure everything's in order, so we can swap back to Elena, Peter and Derek?]

Peter: [of course. And while he could just run Derek back to the house, there's Elena to think about. So he will get Derek into the back seat, then taking a breath as he separates from his nephew, breaking the bond he was using to keep Derek's pain at bay.] Can you drive?

Elena: Legally or literally? [she holds out her hands] Give me the keys.

Peter: [he tosses them to her, then climbs into the passenger seat, turning to face Derek] Take the backroad into the preserve, then drive as fast as you can.

Elena: [nods and does as she's told, climbing into the front seat and trying to remember the path Freya took earlier. She actually does pretty well, but once they hit the tree line, it's dark and she has human level sight] Is it safe for me to keep the headlights on?

Peter: Yes. Safer too. [don't want to hit any deer]

Elena: Just making sure. [and then she will keep inching her way further, killing some of her speed because she too does not want to hit any deer. But eventually they will come up on the familiar facade of the Hale House.]

Peter: [and he will get out] Tali! [and he's going to pull Derek out gently]

Talia: [comes out when she hears the car, and when she sees her son her eyes widen] What the hell happened?

Peter: He went to confront Ennis. [there's annoyance and pride both in his voice]

Talia: Why on earth would he - [and then she sees Elena as she gets out of the driver's seat]

Elena: Hi, Mrs. Hale.

Talia: ... Don't tell me it was Paige.

Peter: Alright, I won't tell you.

Talia: [rolls her eyes] Get him inside. [turns to Elena] Elena, you should go home.

Elena: [nods] Do you have a phone I could use? I need to see where my ... [and her eyes are drawn to the nematon again, confused]

Talia: Elena?

Elena: [snaps back] Sorry. Yes. Phone?

Talia: [nods] Yeah. Come inside.

Peter: [and he's going to get Derek inside, taking him directly up to his room so that his sisters might not see him]

Talia: [follows after showing Elena where the phone is] Peter, what is going on?

Peter: [sighs] We had a discussion earlier this week, warning Derek that he would have to prepare for the reality of Paige learning who he really is, and that she might reject him. I mentioned how sometimes it's easier to be with another wolf, even if they are from another pack.

Talia: [.....] He didn't.

Peter: [nods] It's not all his fault. I shouldn't have brought the topic up.

Talia: Where is Paige now?

Peter: The root cellar under the nematon. I'm going to find her and take her home.

Talia: Is that safe to do with Ennis looking for her?

Peter: The Mikaelson witch is having a talk with him. I believe she will convince Ennis to do the smart thing.

Talia: What Mikaelson witch?

Peter: Freya. Who is a part of the time traveling trio.

Talia: ... Now you've really lost me.

Peter: I don't know why she's involved yet, but she was the one who wove the spell to bring herself, Elena, and Stiles back into their younger selves to warn us about all this. [he's holding back because there's something else that he wants to deal with on his own]

Talia: And why would they do that? [there's the sound of tires on the gravel outside and she frowns] That must be Elena's ride. That was fast.

Peter: [stands up, hands in pockets] Because this moment is a tipping point for the survival of our pack. If Paige dies by Derek's hand, even as a gesture of mercy, it starts a chain of effects that ends with all of us gone within a decade, meeting violent ends.

Talia: [well. That's ... a grim thought. She's silent as she considers the weight of those implications before her ears pick up the conversation happening on the front porch]

Elena: Ennis?

Freya: Handled. He's not interested in damaged goods, but Derek will still have to balance that scale.

Elena: At least we did what we came to do. But we're going to have a bit of a mess to clean up before we go.

Freya: How many memories am I altering at this point?

Elena: Peter and Claudia definitely. Possibly Derek and possibly Talia. I'm not sure what Peter is telling her.

Talia: [her eyes narrow out the window] Maybe you should find out what this Mikaelson witch is up to before you let her mess with our minds. I'll deal with Derek.

Peter: Claudia mentioned that we shouldn't know too much about our futures. She suggested the mind wipes. I'll go talk with them.

Talia: [nods and goes to tend to helping her son heal]

Freya: Good, I wanted to see Claudia anyway. How is Stiles doing with all of this?

Elena: [she shrugs] I can't blame him for falling prey to the sway of his mom. If my parents had caught me before I snuck out to meet up with you, I might not have left.

Freya: [nods] ... How did you handle your parents?

Elena: ... I left a note?

Freya: [a beat] Elena, if I wake up in prison for kidnapping ...

Elena: [holds up a finger] If you take me back before the FBI gets involved, we'll be fine.

Freya: [rolls her eyes] You're lucky I adore you.

Peter: [walking down the stairs] Alright, now before I leave to find Paige, I demand some answers here.

Freya: [her head tips up at that particular choice of words.] Elena?

Elena: This is between you two. I'm gonna go poke at the magic tree. [because honestly it's nagging at her and Freya is gonna Freya. She'll climb off the porch and leave the two of them alone.]

Freya: [crosses her arms in front of her chest as she straightens to face him] Fine. Ask away.

Peter: First, you three broke a lot of rules coming back in time to alter the past. You told me the reasons why, but not what the three of you play in the equation. So out with it.

Freya: [crosses her arms in front of her chest] And why would that matter? Once we're done here, the world that we lived is going to disappear.

Peter: Because actions have consequences, and magic comes with a price. You'll pay the magical one, but my family's future is altered. We will pay that cost however it comes.

Freya: Yet, it probably won't be the price where you all end up dead.

Peter: You don't know that. For all we know, Ennis will bring his pack down on us tomorrow, a week, or a year from now for what you've done. And you won't be here to stop that.

Freya: Maybe not. But this was the thing that I could do to fix the problems I knew. And for what it's worth, as long as Derek closes his deal with Ennis, he'd have no reason to. Ennis doesn't want to waste his bite anymore than we wanted Paige dead.

Peter: Closing of an open ended deal with Ennis could be a death sentence. Plus you [he looks at Elena] You were there and he has your scent now. Banshees are powerful and an alpha would kill for one of their own to be bonded to. You need to protect yourself for the rest of your life from him.

Elena: Oh, don't worry. I already know that lesson. [she learned that one the hard way. and she doesn't think Damon is going to give up his claim easily] He'll have to travel a long way to find me, and deal with another alpha's pack. I'm not unprotected. [even before Damon, Richard Lockwood knew what she was and kept her close]

Freya: And I didn't make that deal with Ennis, Peter. Your nephew did. So perhaps you should be giving him the lecture on how not to make open ended promises with the wrong alpha. [she tips her head to the side] Would you rather he owe Ennis, or would you prefer he sits in an Argent torture chamber for over a decade because those are your options.

Elena: [cringes, because she didn't get to that part of the story]

Peter: [and his eyes narrow because he does not like the way you're talking to him, Freya] And why do you even care?

Freya: [well you're being a dick and now she doesn't want to tell you. The expression on her face flickers from irritation to grief and back again, but she doesn't say it, she just looks is to Elena]

Elena: [rolls her eyes, and it looks twice as dramatic because of the teenage body she's in] Because she's in love with you. [fantastic. now they're all on the same page]

Freya: [oh, and now she's going to pointedly look somewhere else]

Peter: [blinks. because oh, that is something he is not telling his sister. But his glare eases up.]

Freya: [she shakes her head] It doesn't matter. I'm going to wipe your memory, and our future is going to disappear. I knew the risk when I decided to do this.

Peter: Yeah, about that. My sister doesn't like the idea of you messing with our heads.

Elena: Claudia's not going to go for that.

Freya: And frankly, neither will I. I won't take anything that isn't relevant to the time travel spell, but ... things need to play out as they would have.

Peter: But you just pointed out that things won't play out as they would have. That timeline is going to disappear, so any knowledge you've told us from your life will come to pass.

Freya: But in thirty-six hours the three of us are going to wake up having lost three days. Elena and I will have no idea who you are. Stiles will have no idea of his potential. I'm not saying they'll play out in the way we remember them, but the dominoes need to fall as they may, as though you have no idea what's coming or what's supposed to be waiting for you. [it's the only way it will be real]

Peter: The Hales know how to keep secrets. We wouldn't have survived without that. Derek won't remember most of it, and Talia doesn't know much at all. If Claudia wants to lost her memories, that's fine. But you won't touch my sister's mind at all.

Freya: [her jaw sets because she doesn't particularly care much for Talia, based on what she knows, but she's not going to actually say that, outside her house] Fine. Meet me at the Stilinski house in an hour, and we'll finish this. I would bring Paige with you. I'd understand if you wouldn't want her to stay here, but the only place she'd be safer with than with your sister is with a Price.

Peter: [he just nods, but he's not one to take directions from others--something she already knows. He won't be doing anything without his sister's approval.]

Freya: [that's why she gave him an hour. And with that, she's going to turn to Elena and gesture towards the car] Let's go.

Elena: [nods, flashing Peter a smile and going to get in the car as they drive off to the Stilinski house]

Peter: [and he will watch them leave before heading out to grab Paige and bring her back to the Hale house. Thankfully she knows him from the amount of times he's fetched Derek]

Paige: [look tonight has been A LOT and she needs to know if Derek is okay and will likely have five million questions but Talia can handle those. She's good at werewolf 101]

Peter: [and she already knew Derek was a wolf, so it'll be easy. Peter will wait until Talia comes out to speak with him before bringing up the stuff with Freya]

Talia: [crosses her arms in front of her chest] You should go, Peter.

Peter: If you tell me to do it, I will. But you need to know something before I do so you can stop me.

Talia: And what is that?

Peter: [deep breath] I've been seeing Kate Argent. Apparently, according to the time travelers, she's intending to use me to kill the family. Don't let that happen, Tali.

Talia: ... Kate Argent, Peter?

Peter: She wanted to prove her family wasn't all bad. That maybe the two of us... [he stiffens, letting his mask fall into place] It doesn't matter. It's a lie, one I was stupid to believe.

Talia: [sighs. she's not unsympathetic and she reaches out a hand to give his shoulder a squeeze] I'll do what I can. But you're also very stubborn.

Peter: True. You might have to send me away.

Talia: We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But I will do my best. [she doesn't want her brother to go, even if things might become more difficult]

Peter: Just know that no matter what, I'll always love you, sister.

Talia: [inches closer and presses a kiss to his temple] You should go, or you're going to be late.

Peter: [he nods, and without another word, he'll run back to the Stilinski house]

Freya: [and we'll flashback to Freya and Elena arriving, chatting about nothing in particular, and when they walk in the door, Claudia is listening to her husband telling her about a missing girl from LA County, and flashes both of them an apologetic look when they pass through the door and the sheriff can't quite see them yet.]

Claudia: Oh good, you're back.

Freya: [head tips] Is something wrong?

Sheriff: [and he turns and…] Elena Gilbert?

Elena: ... Yes?

Freya: [sees the sheriff's uniform and ...] You promised me no jail, Elena.

Elena: I left a note!

Sheriff: You're fifteen years old. Not or no note, you disappeared on them. They are not happy with you, young lady.

Elena: Yeah, I can imagine. [she drums her fingers against her leg] Okay, okay. Idea! You do your memory juju, and then you get in your car. And then we can say the sheriff found me on the preserve and I can have a story about a creepy magic tree and Freya doesn't go to jail. [she glances over to the rest of the room]

Claudia: ... I mean, that's one idea. Have you started having fugue states yet?

Elena: No, but I can fake it. As long as my parents come pick me up in the next thirty-six hours.

Claudia: [sighs] Well, it's a semblance of a plan. [turns to Freya] Are you okay with that?

Freya: As long as I don't wake up in jail with no idea how I got there, I'll be fine.

Stiles: [has been sent to his room and is not at all really at the top of the stairs listening]

Sheriff: [rubs at his face] Memory Juju?

Claudia: You don't want to know, sweetheart. It's a Price thing. Just ... go have dinner and by the time you're done, Elena will be ready to go home.

Elena: [nods, and glances to Freya] Do you have everything you need?

Freya: [she nods] I'll set up down here.

Elena: Then I'm gonna go talk to Stiles while we wait for Peter. [and she's going to head towards the stairs because she has a guess where he is]

Sheriff: [Sighs and goes to grab his keys and leave. Maybe one of his deputies has something he can be distracted with]

Clauda: Sweetheart ... [and she'll go to follow him]

Elena: [comes to the stairs and sees Stiles, before making her way up to sit next to him] Hey.

Stiles: Hey. [sitting with his arms around his knees] So I'm grounded for the rest of my life.

Elena: Yeah, probably me too.

Stiles: You know, I kinda thought at this point, we'd have just faded away from our young selves since we destroyed that timeline

Elena: I think we still have a little time left. The spell doesn't end for another thirty six hours.

Stiles: But this version of us doesn't exist, right? Or like, when we go back, we still have to live in a world without them?

Elena: That is a question for Freya, not me. I don't know how the magic works I just know the spell is still going. She said it lasts for three days.

Stiles: Maybe. Mom says that I try too hard to put logic to magic.

Elena: I probably would try to do the same thing, so I don't blame you. [she sighs] Hopefully we'll figure it out. [she glances to him] Are you going to be okay?

Stiles: [shakes his head] Mom doesn't want me to tell her anything more about her future. Freya's going to erase it all. But if I tell her now to go to the doctor and test her for dementia, they could start her treatment before it is too late. This is right before she had symptoms.

Elena: [she doesn't blame him for feeling down about that. she reaches over and drapes an arm over his shoulders, pulling him in close and giving him a soft squeeze as Freya appears at the foot of the stairs, clearly listening in]

Freya: Don't worry about your mom.

Stiles: I'm always going to worry about her. At least, while I still can. [snuggles closer to Elena]

Freya: I know. But do you trust me? [she can't tell him more, it's dangerous if she does, but she doesn't want him to think that nothing is being done and he just has to accept fate as it's been dealt to him. That's the whole point of this, isn't it?]

Stiles: Mostly. [being true. He doesn't fully trust anyone. Except his mice]

Freya: [she'll take it] I have a plan. Don't worry about your mom.

Stiles: [just nods] So if we changed the future, why haven't we faded away from existence here?

Freya: Because that's part of the price. We'll remember everything we changed, good or bad. We still have to live with our choices, even if technically we didn't make them in the timeline that exists.

Stiles: So our heart will go on. [small smile. He's trying]

Freya: [nods with a smile of her own] It will. [and she glances down to her watch] From what my aunt indicated in her journals, we'll remember all the things we experienced in the new timeline, we just might need to have someone to jumpstart the memories after we wake up. So find someone you trust, and hopefully they'll be able to get things going.

Stiles: I already told my mice. They'll make sure it'll happen.

Freya: Good. Now all we need is Peter, and we can get this show on the road.

Elena: He'll be here. I can feel it. [Elena, you know nothing about this version of Peter Hale]

Stiles: Actually, he got here a few minutes ago. Probably listening in on everything

Freya: I forgot how annoying that was.

Elena: I don't really think you have a leg to stand on for that one.

Freya: [sticks her tongue out at her] No one asked you. [then she glances to the door and raises her voice] The door's open.

Peter: [and guess who's knocking and letting himself in a moment later]

Freya: [turns from the stairs with a thin smile] Thanks for joining us. You'll probably want to sit on the couch.

Peter: How much of today are you going to take from me? [moves to the couch, cautious]

Freya: Nothing that doesn't involve things that are influx. I'll weave a plausible story over what's missing. [Claudia comes in as well, settling on the opposite end of the couch from Peter] You'll know that a banshee came to the house, and you and Derek went to save Paige. You managed to negotiate a new arrangement with Ennis. Derek was heavily injured, but he'll live, though he owes Ennis a favor.

Peter: And the information about the Argents?

Freya: [shakes her head] Don't worry about Kate. I have a plan for her. She won't trouble your family again.

Peter: What about my feelings? If I'm to forget all this...

Freya: Do you want me to change them?

Peter: [thinks] My sister is going to tell me to stop seeing her. Make it so I listen to her. I'd fight her normally, but if you make it that I trust my gut when she tells me this, then it'll work.

Freya: I'll try. [changing his instincts is a bit above her pay grade, but she'll do her best, and try not to be selfish about it. She takes a step forward, resting her knee on the couch between his legs so she can get close enough] Are you ready?

Peter: No, but I'm close enough.

Freya: [she nods as she reaches forward, placing her hands against either side of his face gently. She starts the incantation that allows her to slip into his mind, finding the memories in question and creating the new version of his day, taking out the details he doesn't need to know, just as she said she would. When it comes to Kate, however, she plays to the Peter she knows, the one who is looking for ulterior motives in every corner. She finds the instances where Kate is asking too many questions, specific ones, ones that would be red flags if Peter weren't so allured. She hopes it will be enough without trying to force her will on how she wants Peter to feel about things. Too abrupt an about-face and he might not trust it. When she releases the spell, he passes out as his mind takes the chance to adjust, and she brushes her fingers gently against his forehead, pushing away a stray strand of hair] Goodbye, Peter.

Stiles: [having come down the stairs a bit] Should I call for an Uber for him?

Freya: [she shakes her head] He'll be fine to drive. Just give him some time to recover. [she swipes at a tear that's managed to escape before turning to Claudia] Your turn.

Claudia: [nods, and offers her a small smile] No weird romantic requests for me. I think my husband would think it a little strange if I wasn't in love with him anymore.

Freya: [smirks] We wouldn't want that now, would we? [and with that, she gets to work. she glosses over her strange visitors, works Elena into things so that she's not confused when the Sheriff mentions her later. Takes out all mentions of her future son paying her a visit, but adds in memories of a pendant. One Stiles gave her for her birthday. It's a bit of a gaudy thing, so she wears it under her clothes most of the time, but she never takes it off. And once the spell is complete, she lets Claudia's head fall to the side and pulls out a necklace, putting it around her neck and finishing the other spell she started earlier]

Stiles: [and when his mom passes out, he takes a step closer] What do I tell them when they wake up and Peter's here?

Freya: They both remember Elena. Peter came to check on her and warn her about Ennis, Claudia offered him her couch to rest and heal.

Stiles: [nods] You guys should go while you can then. It was... uh, good knowing you.

Freya: [nods with a small smile] If you wind up in New York again, you know where to find me.

Elena: [comes down and gives Stiles one last hug for the road] Stay safe, okay?

Stiles: I managed to do it last time. I'm sure it won't be different. [hugs her back] Hope to see you again one day.

Elena: You too. [and with that, off Freya and Elena will go. Freya will drop Elena off at the sheriff's station and then head on her way, while Elena will eventually be retrieved by her parents, bringing an abrupt end to the Gilbert Family Disney Vacation]

Stiles: [and he'll keep pretending that he is a kid for the last thirty hours, playing sick to avoid school and just spending time with his Mom in this mindset]