darkest timeline } { of new betas and calling in reinforcements

[deathlessness]

Peter: [he slips out of the house early the next morning to drive out of town. He purchases a pre-paid phone at the gas station along the way, not stopping until he was at least few hours away from the preserve towards Nevada. He grabs a cup of coffee before dialing Chris' number that he pulled from his own cell phone. He sipped the coffee, waiting for the other man to pick up, still not 100% sure he should be doing this, but if it Malia, he'd want someone to call him.]

Chris: [the hunter life often involves losing phones so he doesn't not answer but he does note it's a number he's not familiar with] Hello?

Peter: [he's not sure how to start, then just takes a deep breath] Hello, Chris. It's been awhile.

Chris: [well this is a surprise] Peter. To what do I owe the pleasure?

Peter: I've been working on a case and I felt it was only right to inform you that our suspect has been seen with your daughter.

Chris: Allison. You're sure?

Peter: Has she been in Missouri at all during the last week?

Chris: She has.

Peter: [swallows] Then yes. Have you noticed a companion with her? [he gives Chris all the description Derek was able to remember]

Chris: [sets his jaw] I'm not with her. She's away at school.

Peter: Well, my sources have seen them together, and I need to warn you about him.

Chris: I appreciate the heads up. I'll get in touch with her.

Peter: [he pauses a moment] Chris, he's the wolf that killed my sister.

Chris: So he's an alpha.

Peter: Yeah. And a murderer. I need to bring him in to solve the open murder investigation, but I doubt we'll be able to hold him. And if he starts building a pack... we won't have the manpower to take him in.

Chris: I'll feed you whatever information I can. But if he tries to hurt my daughter, I can't promise you'll get him alive.

Peter: Honestly, if you happen to take him out, it would make things easier.

Chris: [well that is interesting] Really.

Peter: Yeah. [he's not going to give more than that]

Chris: [very interesting. He'll file that away for later] I'll be in touch.

Peter: [and he'll just hang up and press the phone against his forehead. If the Argents took this guy out, it would keep the power from moving onto anyone, and it would keep him from possibly going into a rage and killing the wolf himself. And if Chris can frame it as protecting his daughter, no one will blame him. Their family could get closure and move on. It was a win for everyone, even if in his gut he felt that not going after him himself was wrong.]

Chris: [and about six hours later after doing some digging, the burner receives a text message] Allison has been missing for thirty six hours. Roommate mentions a friend matching the description you gave me but didn't have a name.

Peter: [and he's just gotten back to the preserve and he'll wince] Let me see if I still have eyes near him. [and he's going to head into the house, looking for Freya]

Freya: [is at the kitchen table, having a drink with Cora]

Peter: [yeah, he's not as composed as he normally is] I need your help with a locator spell.

Freya: [blinks, surprised] Of course. Who are we looking for?

Peter: [licks his lips] Allison Argent.

Freya: [her eyes widen, before trying to do the math in her head] Do you have something of hers?

Peter: [shakes his head] No, but I think I know who's with her. [turns to Cora] Find your brother.

Freya: [Cora nods and turns to go. Freya gets up and moves closer] If he's already bitten her this may not work.

Peter: She's been missing for thirty-six hours. If she was bitten, she hasn't reached out to her father. So either she's rebelling against him, or she's not taking to the bite. Let's hope she isn't bitten.

Freya: Or she doesn't have the means to.

Peter: Either way, I can't turn away from someone in danger, especially if it's with Tali's power. Even if it's an Argent.

Freya: [she nods] I'll do what I can. But if Chris could send a picture or something of her so I have something to focus on, that would be helpful. Just in case we can't use the killer.

Peter: I'll text him the request. [which he does, mentioning that it's needed for a locator spell]

Chris: [and he will send the most recent picture he has of him and Allison]

Peter: [and he'll keep it tucked into his back pocket as he helps Freya set things up and they wait for Derek]

Cora: [and she will bring Derek back and they'll head to the nematon, just in case they need an extra power boost]

Freya: [looks up and nods] Ready to do this again?

Derek: [eyeing the nematon, but nods] Yeah.

Freya: [pats in front of her] Sit. I'll try and make it quick.

Derek: [sits where he's told taking a deep breath to help him relax]

Freya: Just like before. Just close your eyes and try to reach out. [and she'll close her eyes and begin to chant]

Peter: [and he's going to just take a step back, standing next to Cora if she joined them]

Cora: [she did, because she's curious about what's going on]

Peter: [whispers to her] Derek's the most connected to your mother's power. He's been able to get glimpses of where this alpha is.

Cora: [eyebrow raise] How often have you had him doing this?

Peter: Once. That's how we know Allison Argent is wrapped up with this wolf. However, by the time Tyler and Bonnie arrived in the area, they couldn't find any sign of him.

Cora: So we're trying again?

Peter: I tried an old number for her father to see if he could give us any leads. He found out she's been missing for over a day now. So we're trying to find her so Chris can go. [sending a hunter after a new alpha... that killed their mother... and might hurt Allison...]

Cora: [nods slowly] Not a bad plan.

Peter: Everyone wins.

Cora: Except the alpha who killed mom. And it keeps us off the radar of the one who helped them.

Peter: They have a legitimate reason to go after him--which I didn't plan, but it helps.

Cora: We should still find out who helped them. The rest of the packs should know.

Peter: [nods] Something for later. [and he refocuses on Derek]

Freya: [continues chanting, trying to help the magic connect just as she did before]

Derek: [focuses on the power he can only call "mom" and tries to reach out]

Enzo: [and for a moment, he starts to get shapes and images. A lot of it is dark and hard to make out, but some of it is starting to come into focus]

Derek: [he chases after the images, trying to take in everything he can see]

Enzo: [and just as things start to get clearer and there's a flash of dark hair, the connection suddenly severs]

Derek: [the severing of the bond feels like a part of his soul is ripped away, the final piece of him still connected to his mother, and his mind snaps back to him like a rubber band breaking. He cries out in pain, falling backward onto the ground and curling up into a protective ball on instinct. He can't speak, but instead shuts his eyes tightly, biting back a sob as he shakes with the shock of the loss]

Freya: [stops the spell immediately and grabs Cora's wrist before she can reach for him] Derek?

Derek: It's... it's gone.

Peter: [kneels close to Derek, but giving him space still] What's gone?

Derek: ... Mom

Freya: He bit her, then. I was worried about that.

Peter: [hands over his cell phone] Her picture is in my texts with Chris. [Cora may notice that this isn't his normal cell phone]

Freya: [Cora does but says nothing. Freya takes the phone and resets for a different kind of spell, but it will only get her so far. Maybe its the change, maybe it's the fact the type of channel she's using, or maybe its that the girl has rejected the bite and is dying or already dead but the line trying to find her location spits and stutters. She tries to channel more power to force it but it would take too much and a trickle of blood starts to leak from her nose]

Peter: [he smells blood and his head snaps up] Freya, stop.

Freya: [she doesn't. She's stubborn that way] I'm close.

Peter: [stands up] Cora, look after Derek. [and he will walk over to Freya and stand directly in front of her and whispers] You're hurting yourself. Stop. Wait until we can ask Stiles to help give you more power.

Freya: [looks up at him, holding the spell as best she can] This may be the only window we have. If she rejects the bite and dies before Stiles gets here, our lead is gone. [her fatal flaw has always been focusing too hard on the problem at hand, and it's no different here. She will run herself into the ground to do what's asked of her, no matter the cost. She's not consciously asking Peter to choose between the two, but in the end, that's what the choice is]

Peter: [he looks back at Derek, then focuses on Freya, holding out a hand to him] Then use my energy to help hold it.

Freya: [does as she's told, taking his hand and doing her best not to channel too much that she would hurt him. But the spell stabilizes and while she does her best to make the connection, she loses allison somewhere along the appalachains.]

Derek: [he's starting to even out and manages to sit up, still shaking, and wipe at his eyes and looking up at Cora] What's going on?

Cora: [glances over at Peter and Freya] The alpha might have bitten Allison and broke the connection.

Derek: [thinks, wincing] He did. I felt something like that before the connection broke. [groans] He has a beta now.

Cora: [frowns, concerned] Are you okay?

Derek: My head hurts. It feels like something was stripped out of me and it's raw inside.

Cora: Maybe we should get you back to Elena. [since she's the doctor]

Derek: [looks at Peter and Freya] Will they be okay?

Cora: I think they'll be fine. Peter can get Freya back to the doctor if needed.

Derek: [nods, reaching out for Cora to help pull him up]

Cora: [which she will, shifting so that he can lean on her as they head back towards the house]

Peter: [and as they leave and Freya loses the connection, Peter slumps back against the nematon roots, drained.]

Freya: [does the same, bringing one hand up to brush away the blood under her nose] Did I take too much?

Peter: [shakes his head] I bounce back quickly.

Freya: [nods] Tell Chris they're heading east. But unfortunately that's all I know. [a beat] Should we tell him that we suspect he's bitten her?

Peter: Yeah. Hand me my phone. [since she had it last]

Freya: [she reaches over and passes it to him] Are you sure that it's a good idea? [she doesn't want poor Allison to get "mercifully" put down by her father if she did happen to survive]

Peter: If it was any other member of that family, I wouldn't dare. But Chris... he said he wanted better and he actually meant it. I don't think he would. But he can't go alone.

Freya: Are you volunteering to go with him?

Peter: [takes a deep breath] If she was bitten, and she survives, and we kill her alpha, she's going to need a pack to help her get control.

Freya: [nods] Then be careful, Peter. He's still an Argent.

Peter: He's an Argent, but I'm still a Hale. [and his eyes will glow as he stands up, letting his stubbornness fuel him]

Freya: I know. [still. that doesn't make them any less dangerous. and she probably shouldn't put herself so close to an Argent after what she did to Kate but] You shouldn't go alone.

Peter: You're not coming. I need you to stay here where it's safe. Laura... she's ready, but she needs to believe she is.

Freya: [she's ... trying not to read too much into that statement, but she won't argue with him, so long as he takes someone] Then perhaps that's a conversation you should have with her.

Peter: Soon as I'm done with this text.

Freya: [nods. she's just going to sit here and recover her energy a bit]

Peter: Do you need me to help you get back? [sends the text about where Allison is heading. Not about the bite yet]

Freya: I'll be fine. [she says as she starts to push to her feet, but she's definitely wobbling]

Chris: [will take that information for what it is] Anything more specific?

Peter: [text] No, but what powerful alphas would be from DC do to the Carolinas. I know a few, but your records are more accurate in locality.

]he goes to catch Freya, holding her gently] You're not fine. Come on, I've got you.

Freya: [she resists the urge to lean into him, but doesn't fight him either]

Chris: I'll look into it, let you know what I find.

Peter: [she can totally lean into him as he helps her back to the house and into his bedroom where she can lay down and rest]

Freya: [she will hesitate in the door, looking back at him with a frown] Are you sure? I can sleep on the couch.

Peter: No, you need real rest, which you won't get in the living room.

Freya: I'm sure there's a guest room. [she's trying to suss out what this means, and not read this wrong]

Peter: [rolls his eyes and leads her to the bed] All the rooms are full at the inn. [joking] Will you just lay down and rest? Please?

Freya: [she goes where she's put, swallowing back the question and just letting it be for now. She's possibly making it harder than it needs to be, trying to read between the lines, but she can't help it. Still, she sits on the edge of the bed and starts pulling off her shoes] Fine.

Peter: I'm going to go talk to Laura. I'll check on you later.

Freya: [nods and goes to curl up on her side, where she falls asleep a bit too easily for being in a somewhat familiar place]

Laura: [and she is downstairs, making everyone dinner]

Peter: [and he will make his way downstairs to find her, and gets a bottle of water from the fridge. He's not sure how to start this, so he'll just skip the pleasantries] The alpha has started building his pack.

Laura: [she stops, turning to face him with a frown] With Allison Argent?

Peter: [nods] Derek was trying to reconnect to the energy again when it happened. The connection broke, and I think he got dealt a bit of psychic feedback on it, but he confirmed it.

Laura: Well. That's going to go over well with Gerard.

Peter: I've been texting with Chris, and I'm going to go help him. Taking out this alpha is one thing, but Allison is going to need someone to help train her. Having a newly bit omega in that family is a death sentence for her.

Laura: So are we taking her in?

Peter: That's for you to decide. I'm just going to help her understand what's happening and maybe help her through her first cycle. The full moon is in two weeks.

Laura: Does Chris know she's been bitten?

Peter: No, just that she's been taken by the alpha that killed Talia and are heading east.

Laura: Are you going to tell him?

Peter: He'll already know it's a possibility.

Laura: And preparing him will cut down on the knee jerk reaction when he sees her getting wolfy. Or prepare him if we find her and she's dead from the bite.

Peter: And that's not something I'm doing over the phone. He may be a hunter, but he's also a father.

Laura: [she nods] Fair enough. Just make sure he doesn't take it out on you.

Peter: [smirks] He'd have to catch me first.

Laura: [gives him a look at that] When are you going to meet up with him?

Peter: Haven't determined those details. Haven't even told him I'm going to help. I thought you should have your chance to give me your thoughts before I finalize mine

Laura: I don't think you're wrong about needing to have a wolf there, in case she is one. But I would tell Chris before you offer your help, not after. Give him a chance to wrap his head around what your role there is going to be. [a beat] Also be prepared for what might happen if you and this alpha are stuck together one on one.

Peter: [nods] I'm hoping that doesn't happen, but I'll figure out my strategy.

Laura: You probably shouldn't go alone.

Peter: I'm not taking any of you. [protective uncle voice a go]

Laura: I wasn't going to suggest any of us. I was thinking maybe Corrine. Or Freya. One of the appropriately terrifying women you tend to attract.

Peter: [he's not going to bite on that] Corrine. I'm not risking Freya.

Laura: [her eyebrows go up] Really.

Peter: She's reckless, doesn't pay attention to the costs of her magic on her body, and too emotional. Corrine pays attention, likes strategy, and won't let her emotions cloud her judgement. Plus Freya is human and can be bitten, making her a target.

Laura: Mmmm. [Freya would balk at the idea of being considered emotional, but that's another conversation] Fair enough. As long as someone has your back.

Peter: [he said what he said, Freya.] Corrine and I make a formidable team. We'll be fine.

Laura: [nods] You should still fly back with us to New York, just to be on the safe side. Have Chris meet you there.

Peter: [nods] If Chris brings something of Allison's, we can try another location spell too.

Laura: Should be easy enough. There are plenty of witches around.

Peter: And if not Freya, Stiles will be around

Laura: Then it sounds like we have a plan

Peter: We do. I just need to go start putting the pieces in place.

Laura: [shifts and turns off the stove] Is there anything else that we need to settle here before we leave?

Peter: Satomi has already agreed to watch over the land. I've told her she's welcome to use the house, which'll at least mean someone'll check on it. The estate has been settled. So beyond packing and shipping the stuff we wish to take back to New York, I think we're good.

Laura: [she nods] I'll talk to Cora and Derek about that tomorrow then.

Peter: Alright. Then it's time we head back. [deep breath] You're good watching Malia while I'm gone?

Laura: Of course. We'll be fine. Don't worry about us.