spamalot } { of letting go and accepting blame

[littlebitscary]

Nadia: [eventually they get to the plane, and she makes her way inside.] I'll call to have our things shipped from the hotel. Would you like to call your sister?

Peter: [gets in, and nods] I have to. It's her son. [and she's the alpha, but mom status comes first here] I can wait until the plane is in the air though.

Nadia: [nods in agreement as she settles into her seat, calling the hotel and getting things in order there. Once she's finished the pilot announces they'll be taking off and she gestures for him to have a seat]

Peter: [oh he was pacing, wasn't he. Okay. He's going to sit and be patient so the pilot could do his job]

Nadia: [and Nadia gets the ping of an email on her phone because internet still works in airplane mode] Nik says that Marcus has an antidote, he just has to go to New York for it. By the time we get on the ground and back to the house, he should be back, traffic permitting.

Peter: Good. [that's a relief, and something that will at least ease Talia's concern. But he can't avoid it, and he dials his sister]

Talia: [is listening to the sounds of his daughter sneaking in through Cora's bedroom window - which she won't be mentioning - when she looks down at her phone and smirks a bit. Speak of the devil] Enjoying your trip, Peter?

Peter: Talia, we need to talk. [and it's in that bad news tone. The one that he uses to tell her to get out of hearing distance of the kids]

Talia: [thankfully both the kids are upstairs, but she pushes away all the same, getting off the couch and heading into the kitchen so that her voice doesn't travel up the stairs] What's wrong?

Peter: [deep breath] Derek was captured by a hunter in DC.

Talia: [there's a moment of panic, but she swallows it back] Is he ... ?

Peter: They recovered him, and Victor and Nadia assure me that the ones responsible have been, or are being dealt with. I'm in the air in route to him now. [he hasn't addressed Derek's condition because he knows it's bad] The hunter poisoned him with mistletoe. Their emissary is working on getting the cure, but it'll be a few hours before he can get it and return to administer it.

Talia: [she exhales slowly, doing her best to keep herself calm. He's not dead. That's the important thing] You call me as soon as you see him. [she wanted to know exactly what was going on as soon as he did.]

Peter: You know I will. He will be fine, Talia. [he doesn't know if he believes that himself right now, but he wanted to soothe his sister at least] Fiona's with him.

Talia: [nods a bit, keeping herself calm. She's going to be talking to Jason, because even she doesn't know the full effects of mistletoe poisoning] I know. I know. [this is just pretty much her worst fear - something happening to him and her being too far away to do anything about it]

Peter: [his too] It looks like our plan of keeping him safe far from the nematon didn't pan out as well as we had hoped.

Talia: [there's a soft humorless laugh at that] Apparently not.

Peter: I think we need to look into plan b. [destroying the nematon, roots and all]

Talia: Deaton says he doesn't know what kind of effect that would have. It might make things worse.

Peter: Then we need to figure out how to sever the connection. There has to be something in the histories.

Talia: We can look into it more when you get home. Right now, one problem at a time.

Peter: [nods] I'll call when I get there. Keep your phone close.

Talia: I will. What should I tell Malia?

Peter: I'm not due back until Monday at the earliest. Wait until I know what's going on with Derek before you tell her anything. Probably better to tell her with Cora so she can focus on supporting her.

Talia: [nods in agreement] I'll talk to you soon.

Peter: Call if you need me. [and he hangs up, then gets up and starts pacing again]

Nadia: [sighs softly as she watches him, trying to figure out the best way for him to expend that energy]

Peter: [it's going to be a long flight. but he will eventually go and pour himself a drink and sit back down, trying to relax]

Nadia: [will relax a little more when he does, drumming her fingers against the armrest lightly] Is there anything I can do to help?

Peter: [drinks the whiskey] The reason we told Derek to take the offer at Georgetown was because he was used in a ritual by an ex-emissary and it nearly killed him. This was supposed to keep him safe. He was supposed to come here for training, be protected, and get a chance to have a normal life.

Nadia: Well, I'm sure that normal lives probably include uncomfortable encounters with the exes of their girlfriends, but probably not to this extreme. [..... oh she probably shouldn't have said that part, and she winces]

Peter: [turns to look at her, not intending to glare but, well, he was stressed] This was done by Fiona's ex? The reason she was in California in the first place?

Nadia: [she takes a breath and nods] Unfortunately.

Peter: Who is he, and how the hell does he even have contacts like this?

Nadia: His name is Greg and ... I don't know how he got in contact with Gordon. Honestly, I'm surprised that he did - the only thing that he seemed to value more than Fiona was the pack. Blatantly attacking someone who was under Victor's protection is ... appalling.

Peter: And if he had succeeded in killing Derek, no one would have been in the know that he was involved, I bet.

Nadia: Have you heard any stories about Gordon?

Peter: Not a name that's come out our way.

Nadia: Gordon Walker is a psychopath. He didn't kill Derek because he still needed something from him and Derek hadn't given it to him yet. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to save him - Derek would already be dead. [she sets her jaw] My bet would be that he was planning on coming after the pack. I'm have a hard time being sorry that he's dead.

Peter: You shouldn't be. And the hunters think we're monsters. [finishes his drink] I'm having another. Want something?

Nadia: Please. Whatever you're having is fine. [she crosses her legs in front of her] Greg probably thought that Gordon would simply kill Derek and be done with it. He didn't bank on the fact that Gordon would see this as an opportunity.

Peter: [pours them both a double] A werewolf hunter using a protected werewolf as a source of information on the alpha. I take it Greg was more brawn than brain?

Nadia: [she shakes her head] Greg can overfocus on problems and not see all the angles. He can be incredibly smart, but when it came to Fiona he could only see the problem. And the problem was her not being his completely.

Peter: Well, at least Fiona won't have to worry about his interference anymore. [he had no capacity to feel sorry for Greg at all]

Nadia: [hmmms in agreement] I'm not sure having to kill someone to get it will help her sleep easier.

Peter: No, but Derek living through this will. Knowing you did what you had to as a way to keep your family alive is all the solace you get sometimes. [and there is a lot more in that sentence than he lets on]

Nadia: [there is, but she doesn't push him for it. Now isn't really the time, unless he wants to use it as the time to tell her.] She'll probably spend months trying to make it up to him.

Peter: He's already gone through that with her once. I'm sure he'll make her see reason again. This isn't her fault.

Nadia: Make sure you tell her that. Because we could until we're blue in the face and she wouldn't really listen, but coming from you, it might carry a little more weight.

Peter: [nods] She'll listen to me. I've been in her place before.

Nadia: [nods as she takes a long sip of her drink]

Peter: [takes a deep breath and finishes his double. He had brought the bottle back with him and refilled it. Not that he could really get drunk, but it numbed the pain inside for a bit] The one who tried to kill Derek last time? Was my girlfriend. Or I thought she was. I apparently didn't really know her at all. [and he tosses it back]

Nadia: [glances up at him, her eyes softening a bit as she does] I'm sorry, Peter.

Peter: [shakes his head] She tried to kill my entire pack. Derek in a ritual, my daughter to get me to not fight her, and wolfsbaned everyone else. [he looked at his glass] So no, I know what's it's like to have blood on your hands when trying to save the people you love. It's not easy, it will eat at you, but you can get past it with time. [mostly]

Nadia: [watches him for a moment, before making her way over to the seat next to him, and placing her hand over his] The pack always comes first. You were protecting your family - you did what you had to do.

Peter: Yeah, that's that easy part. That I can deal with. It's the fact I let her in in the first place that gets me. Having someone you care about - that you think cares about you - just being there to use you and manipulate you? That's the part you can never get past. The part that will eat away more at your soul than you'll ever admit to the people who love you. Because when someone uses love as a weapon against you - that's not something you can bounce back from. [he growled] She should have told us about him before we let them go.

Nadia: [she'll squeeze his hand gently through most of the first part, but at the second she exhales slowly] She didn't think he would be there. I'm not even sure why he came at all - Victor didn't want him anywhere near Fiona. And she didn't think that he would do anything to put the pack at risk. None of us did.

Peter: But Victor did bring him. And that choice nearly cost Derek his life. It still may.

Nadia: Then that's something you'll have to discuss with Victor.

Peter: Oh, I plan on it.

Nadia: [she nods. she figured as much]

Peter: [gets back up again] You know what this plane needs? Some kind of exercise equipment. A treadmill or a punching bag. Just, something to do besides sitting.

Nadia: [if this were any other time, the comments she could make] I'll take that under consideration.

Peter: [and he's just going to go back to pacing like a trapped wolf.]

Nadia: [watches him for a moment before pushing to her feet, kicking off her heels and moving towards him. She's glad she opted to wear pants] I have an idea.

Peter: [turns to look at her, tilting his head] And what would that be?

Nadia: You're clearly itching for a fight. So fight me. [the space between the aisles is wide enough and they've had worse things than two werewolves going at it happen inside this jet. So long as they weren't throwing themselves into the walls, it shouldn't bother the pilot.]

Peter: [he sighs] I'm not going to fight you, Nadia.

Nadia: So you're just going to wear a rut in my floor instead?

Peter: [he just scowled and crossed his arms]

Nadia: [she raises her eyebrows] I can handle myself, if that's what you're worried about. Who do you think taught Nik how to fight?

Peter: I'm not worried about that. [he's worried about his own control when he's angry]

Nadia: [her eyebrows raise] So what's the harm?

Peter: [he just closed his eyes a moment, his jaw tight but he didn't speak]

Nadia: [she sighs] Letting the aggression out is healthy, Peter. You can't bottle it up all the time - or anything, really. There's such a thing as too much control, and it's bad for you.

Peter: Right now, my control is all I have. [his eyes open and they are glowing yellow.] And lately, it hasn't been as good as it used to be.

Nadia: [her eyes flare in response, before taking a deep breath] In my experience, that usually comes with not trusting yourself.

Peter: Well, welcome to my head, Nadia. [there is a small snarl, and she would hear that it wasn't wolf sounding at all. But more coyote]

Nadia: [her head tips to the side at that, raising her eyebrows slightly] So why don't you trust yourself, Peter? That's usually the only person you can trust.

Peter: [he scowls and just goes into the kitchen, not wanting to talk about it]

Nadia: [too bad. This thing she's going to push on.] If you're worried about losing control with me, when it's just a simple spar, how do you think that's going to go when you're talking to Victor about Derek? When you don't get the answers you want and it pisses you off?

Peter: Victor is an alpha. I can't hurt him. [and Victor can force him back if needed]

Nadia: Mmmm. Assuming that I would let you hurt me.

Peter: I'm not going to risk hurting you.

Nadia: So you're risking hurting yourself.

Peter: [he slams his hands onto the counter, growling and then focusing on his breathing. Eventually, there is a soft voice] I'm tired of hurting the people I care about. I won't hurt anyone else.

Nadia: [she takes a few steps closer, placing her hands against his sides gently] Bottling yourself up is only guaranteeing that someone will eventually get hurt. Whether it's you or someone else doesn't matter, and odds are, it's probably going to be someone else. [she leans in closer, dropping her voice slightly] I trust you not to hurt me. Even if you can't trust yourself, trust me that I'm not misplacing it.

Peter: [looks over his shoulder at her] You shouldn't trust me.

Nadia: Why not? [her head tips to the side so that she's meeting his eyes]

Peter: Because I don't even know what I am anymore. [what.... not who]

Nadia: [her eyes narrow at that word choice and she moves to the side so that she's facing him more, trying to get a better gauge on his face] What do you mean?

Peter: [he closes his eyes, then shakes his head] You already heard it. Ever since Jennifer... it's not just my control I've lost.

Nadia: [her eyebrows furrow for a moment, before her head tips and it's more curiosity than anything else] Did you shift into something else?

Peter: [licks his lips, then nods] From the description I got, it was more coyote than wolf. My niece and her fiancé are trying to figure out what it means.

Nadia: [nods as she considers for a moment] Well, it's not unheard of. At least, not in humans who have received the Bite. Stands to reason it could still happen to us.

Peter: I've been a wolf my entire life. This isn't something good, Nadia.

Nadia: But it's not necessarily something bad either.

Peter: [his fingers relaxed on the counter as he took a deep breath] But it still means something.

Nadia: [she nods] It probably does. Most of these things usually do.

Peter: [ he turned to look at her, his shoulders relaxing a bit] I just wish I knew what.

Nadia: [one hand comes up to rub his shoulder gently for a moment before nodding] I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Peter: [nods, looking at her a moment] Thank you.

Nadia: [a small smile] Of course.

Peter: [he just looks at her a moment, and for a moment he fights it. It's a line he didn't want to cross with her. It was a risk he was afraid to lose on. But she had taken all that information and hadn't even flinched at him, and Talia was right. She was lovely. and for some reason she put up with him even like this, and he knew that was probably very rare. And his emotions were on high, and there was no real ability to resist as he just cupped both her cheeks and leaned down to kiss her hard]

Nadia: [she isn't expecting it. It's probably better that she isn't because if she was he probably wouldn't have taken it as well. The hand on his shoulder moves to steady her more, but she doesn't fight him, her free hand coming up to brush against the side of his face as she kisses him back. She isn't really sure what's going on, but she's going to go with it. It's not as though she hasn't wanted to, the more time she spent with him]

Peter: [he kisses her a moment longer and then pulls himself away, his eyes closed, hands still on her cheeks] I'm sorry... [and he tries to pull away to give them distance]

Nadia: [nope, she'll keep her hand in his shirt for a moment to keep him from pulling too far, before looking up at him, even if he's not looking at her] I'm not.

Peter: [his eyes open, the blue almost like a raw spark of electricity unsure where to go] You don't want to go there with me, Nadia. I'm a mess.

Nadia: [her head tips to the side as she meets his eyes, studying his face for a moment] I don't mind messes. Sometimes you just need a little help cleaning them up.

Peter: [he hung his head, but there was a small snort] Let me guess, you have a good contact for that.

Nadia: [she laughs a bit before taking a step closer and brushing her thumb against his cheek gently] No. But I've seen worse.

Peter: [she gets rewarded with him leaning into the affection] You deserve better.

Nadia: I think I can decide what I deserve. [a small smile] And there's more to you than what you're dealing with.

Peter: [he gives her a small one in return] Can we take it slow?

Nadia: [she nods] Of course.

Peter: [his hands went to her waist, just keeping her close as he leaned down to kiss her again then]

Nadia: [she leans into the kiss slowly, letting him set the pace. However slow or fast he wants to go, she'll just follow his lead]

- - - -

Peter: [getting out of the car, slipping back into his "second" stance and mindset, but a lot less angry and more under control than he was earlier. He waits for Nadia before heading for the stairs to go in]

Nik: [Nadia lets them both in the house to where Nik is passed out on the couch. He starts when he hears the door however, blinking his eyes open and squinting until both of them come into focus] First floor bedroom.

Nadia: [nods with a small thank you before turning back to Peter] This way. [and she'll lead the way to the room]

Peter: [nods to Nik, then keeps going. When they enter, he just stops at the doorway. Derek is unconscious, a sweaty mess with a respirator and a heart monitor and he can smell the pain radiating off him, even with Victor trying to take it.]

Victor: [Fiona passed out not too long ago, head resting on the crook of Derek's arm and her hand still in his. Victor looks like he should have stopped a while ago and switched with someone, but he hasn't yet. Nadia's eyes narrow in his direction, and he gives her a small smile before saying something fond in Russian.]

Nadia: Don't you start. [she moves closer and takes Derek's hand] You two talk. I'll take over.

Peter: [he knows he can't do anything for Derek like this but what Nadia's now doing, so he just stays in the door. He needs to call his sister but he can't even do that because he can't tell her this. It would break her. So he just turns and silently walks into the hallway, jaw set]

Victor: [rubs his eyes a bit as he makes his way into the hallway, closing the door behind them. Not that it will do much good against Nadia's ears, but it's a start] Would you like to take this to my office?

Peter: Yes. Nik is asleep on the couch and looks like he could use it. [so could you, Victor, but he's not going to state the obvious]

Victor: [nods and leads him down the hallway to the back of the house where there's a private office that's usually locked when he isn't there. inside is a leather couch, mahogany bookcases and a large desk with two chairs sitting in front of it. He gestures for Peter to have a seat as he closes the door, before taking the seat in the comfortable leather chair behind it. His body sags slightly as he does, but he does his best to still seem professional] He's doing as well as can be expected. We've managed to keep the poison from reaching his lungs, and we've been in contact with Marcus who should be back shortly with the cure. Barring catastrophic highway accidents, he should recover.

Peter: [he goes to sit across from him, taking off his suit jacket and folding it beside him] You've been doing everything you can to keep him comfortable, Victor, and we do appreciate it. It’s how he got into this mess I'm not happy with.

Victor: And that's completely understandable. I take full responsibility for that - I put trust in my beta that I shouldn't have.

Peter: [nods] Why did you? Bring him here when from what I've heard, he was a threat to Fiona as well before he became a threat to Derek.

Victor: [sighs heavily] He was involved in the business deal I was trying to broker, and I was hoping that he had moved past it, given the time that had passed. I also underestimated his ability to follow through with something this serious in such a short span of time. We were only going to be here for a little over a week.

Peter: [folds his hands. He could understand that. He would have preferred Derek and Fiona had been relocated but that was hindsight in the end and he can't blame Victor for trusting his beta] Do we know what has happened with him?

Victor: He was caught in an unfortunate warehouse fire not too far from here. There was a problem with the wiring and the whole thing went up like a Roman candle. [his voice is a bit cold, because despite the pack bond having been severed, he takes no pleasure in the thought that Greg is dead. The man had been part of his family, after all] It's very tragic, but ... an unfortunate accident.

Peter: [if it was reversed, he would feel the same. But he wasn't, and there is no remorse on Peter's face for the loss. But he could be sympathetic for Victor's pain] I'm sorry for your loss.

Victor: [he gives a bit of a shrug. He appreciates the sympathy, but he'd rather focus on other things] With him dead, you shouldn't have to worry about retribution coming back on Derek.

Peter: Still, the fact information about his eyes have been uncovered here, and we can't know if this hunter told people in his own circles. Hunters talk. DC is no longer safe for him.

Victor: [sobers slightly, before nodding] I've asked Patricia to keep me informed of any chatter in the area that may come back against my family, and so far there's been nothing. But I don't think your concerns are unfounded, and I don't doubt that after all of this, Derek will very much like to go home. [there's a pause] From what I understand he was intending to do so soon anyway, for the holiday break. I hope that before a permanent decision is made, you will allow me to feel out the situation and determine how far the damage has gone in local circles. Gordon Walker was not one of the regular hunters for this area, and most here don't trust him, and him them. Derek's seemed to be enjoying his time here, I would hate to take that away from him because of my mistake.

Peter: [thinks, and then nods] The information would be best, but the final decision will end up being in the hands of Derek and his mother. Even my hands will be tied in this. He has been happy here, and you and yours have given him more than I'm sure he originally expected in the ways of friends and family. I personally would hate to force him to leave, but his safety has been one of our biggest concerns since he was fifteen.

Victor: [nods] Of course. He can let us know before the spring semester starts what he intends to do.

Peter: Of course. And if they come back to California, your family will always be welcome on our coast. Between my home and my sister’s, we will always have room for all of you to visit with Fiona.

Victor: [there's a small smile at that] I'm sure they'll appreciate that. Especially considering my sister seems to have grown quite fond of you. [Yep. He just switched right into big brother mode without skipping a beat. Because he can.]

Peter: [and considering what happened on the plane, there is a small smile that does come onto Peter's face before he can school his features] Yes, I've noticed. And I've become fond of her too.

Victor: [there's a bit of an amused look at that, because it's good to see his sister with someone she's interested in] Good. [there's a pause] I'm sure this is where most would insert the requisite "hurt her and I will do some kind of horrible violence" but ... well, Nadia will probably take care of that herself.

Peter: [chuckles and leans back, relax] Understood. And I'm sure my sister will give her a similar speech when she learns of it [specially since there is precedent on her end to warrant the threat]

Victor: [smiles softly] I do hope I get to meet her one day. I've heard ... very impressive things about Talia Hale.

Peter: You will. She is planning on coming to celebrate your wedding. Nadia may have invited the entire Hale pack.

Victor: [he laughs softly at that before nodding] Fantastic. The more the merrier.

Peter: I'm sure this is just going to be the first of many celebrations between our families.

Victor: That's what I'm hoping.

Peter: Same here.

Victor: [nods as he's about to say something else, when there's the sound of the front door closing and he pushes up from his desk] ... That must be Marcus.

Peter: [is up with him, heading to the door as he spies the blond going to the kitchen immediately]

Marcus: [is putting a box into the fridge, and then pulling a vial out and heading to grab a needle. He stop seeing the Victor] While unfortunate, Derek isn't the first Gordon has tortured this way. Thankfully my friend who works as an on-call medic at the Australian embassy knew how to make the cure for a previous job. We just have to hope Derek can make it through the side effects. [and then he notices Peter and blinks] You must be this Peter they were talking about.

Victor: [nods before gesturing between them] Marcus this is Peter Hale. Peter, this is Marcus Whittemore, my emissary. [and back to the doctor] What side effects?

Peter: [shakes hands with the doctor when offered] Yes, I would like to know that too.

Marcus: You know how the most vaccines are basically made of the disease to build immunity? This is going to be similar, but from a different part of the plant it will not attack his cells, but the living toxin cells trying to multiply. [he stops as he measures the dose into the syringe] It is going to in essence cause Derek to go through the symptoms again, but as the toxins are attacked, we will need to stimulate his body's natural healing ability to be able to work with it.

Victor: [sighs softly. nothing is ever simple] So this is going to hurt.

Peter: Can you lay this out in layman's terms?

Marcus: [sighs through his nose, but nods] The last patient was in similar stasis that Derek is in now. This injection is going to attack the bad stuff in him. It will elevate his heart rate, make it hard for him to breath, and he is going to have a seizure. When the seizure starts, or if he stops breathing, we need to do something to shock him back that will get his healing factor going. They broke the patient's arm. After that, he started to heal again, and that pushed the rest of the toxin out as well as repairing all the damage. Patient was recovered in four hours after that. [there's a but hanging at the end of that]

Victor: [yep. He hears that.] But.

Marcus: [licks his lips] The patient's senses were temporarily disabled. The seizure caused that part of his brain to malfunction. He regained most of it over a few days as his healing factor kept working on it, and now he's almost back to normal. But that was two years ago, and Derek may not even have a seizure.

Victor: [arms crossed in front of his chest] Just the enhanced senses or everything completely?

Marcus: Completely. He regained normal human sense level in those days, but getting back to the enhanced took time.

Peter: [shakes his head] I need to tell Talia this before you give this to him. [Peter is sure that Talia would rather have Derek blind and deaf then no Derek at all, but she needed to know the risks and make the choice]

Victor: [nods before glancing down at his watch] Call her now.

Marcus: There is no other cure for this. And the odds of him living to morning are not good. I know it's a hard choice, but it's all I can do.

Peter: [nods] May I use your office, Victor?

Victor: [nods, as he gestures down the hallway] By all means.

Peter: [and he goes, pulling out his phone and calling]

Talia: [has pretty much been waiting by the phone since she spoke to Peter the night before. Now it's the wee hours of the morning, and she probably should be sleeping, but how is she going to do that when her son is on the opposite coast with mistletoe poisoning. When she sees Peter's name on the caller ID, she snatches it up instantly] What's going on?

Peter: [relaying everything to her then sighs] I know what I would do, Talia, but this is your son. You need to make the call.

Talia: [she closes her eyes, taking in all the information for a moment, before responding. It really isn't a question. She isn't about to let him die.] Save him. We'll figure out the rest.

Peter: I'm staying here until he's out of the woods. Tell Malia I will call her tonight sometime.

Talia: I will. Call me as soon as you know how bad it is.

Peter: I will. I love you, Talia. He's safe here right now, I'll make sure of that.

Talia: Thank you, Peter. [she probably still won't sleep unless someone makes her, but she'll worry a little less]

Peter: [and he hangs up and returns to the kitchen] Do it.

Marcus: [nods, heading to the bedroom and Peter is on his heels because he is going to stand at his nephew's side through this]

Nadia: [ turns and releases Derek's hand as the two of them come back into the room.] What do you need me to do?

Fiona: [is starting to stir a bit as well, blinking blearily up at Peter] When did you get here? [a beat] Oh, God, how long was I out?

Peter: Not even an hour ago. [he goes to stand next to Nadia, his hand slipping into Derek's and he winces at the pain that he can now feel.]

Marcus: [is on Fiona's side, going to inject the cure into the IV line] Right now, all anyone can do is pray that Derek is strong enough to handle this.

Derek: [is still for about thirty seconds after the injection, and then the monitors start to react to his heartbeat speeding up as he starts panting. thirty more seconds and his legs start to move, trying to kick at the blankets as he whines, twisting in the bed. Peter holds on, feeling the pain spike and trying to help]

Victor: [moves into the room, ready to brace him of necessary, but for the moment letting him ride out the pain]

Fiona: [grips tightly on his hand, looking to Marcus to see if there's anything she's supposed to do]

Marcus: [ shakes his head to Fiona, his eyes watching Derek intently for the right moment.]

Peter: [has his second hand on Derek's arm just below the wrist. If anyone was going to do this part, it was going to be him. He's watching Marcus, waiting for the right moment too]

Derek: [is going to be thrashing in bed for all of a minute more... and then his body starts to shake]

Marcus: Now, Peter.

Peter: [grits his teeth and the sound of bone snapping]

Derek: [and there is a howl of pain through fangs before he collapses back into the bed.]

Fiona: [starts a bit at that, and while she knows it's a valid healing technique for wolves, she can't help but feel a little blindsided] What the hell.

Marcus: It was the only cure. [he's watching Derek and he's still panting hard and fast, but as they watch, all the bruises on his face and body are now starting to heal. Marcus lets out a sign] It's working.

Peter: [isn't saying anything, but he can feel the pain dying down and just watching Derek for him to wake up]

Fiona: [sighs softly as she slumps back in her chair, and she can see it working, at least for the moment. Her hand still rests in his, her thumb brushing over the back of his knuckles as she waits for him to wake up]

Marcus: [he's just going to wait until Derek's heartbeat and breathing settles to something closer to normal, and then he's going to go and take the oxygen mask off, then check his temperature] Much better.

Derek: [with the mask off, his nose flares as he tries to smell the room. There's a whimper, and he turns his head a bit towards Peter, then Fiona, trying to get their scents.]

Fiona: Hey, hey. [she pushes up from her chair and moves closer, sitting gently on the edge of the bed so that she doesn't rustle him too much] We're right here. You're okay. [she glances back to Marcus, with the near silent demand of "what's wrong?" in her gaze]

Peter: [looks at Marcus]

Marcus: [looks at Peter] I said it was a side effect.

Peter: [looks at Fiona] He'll be fine in a few days. [thinks] Put your wrist right under his nose.

Fiona: [raises an eyebrow slightly, but does as she's told, her fingers brushing against his cheek lightly as she does]

Derek: [his head turns to the touch, his eyes not opening. But that close he can make out her scent enough that he pushes into her hand, then rolls over in the bed to curl up to her.]

Peter: [lets his hand go, shaking out his wrist as he watches Derek get comfort from his mate] That's a good sign.

Marcus: A very good one.

Fiona: [shifts a bit so that she's lying down next to him, letting him curl into her shoulder and she can get her arms around him] So he'll be okay?

Marcus: Yes. The other patient's senses came back within days. The toxin will be completely out of his system in about four hours. Recovery is going to be up to him, but if he can smell you now, he's not as bad off as the other patient was after the injection.

Peter: As long as he's alive to help recover, that's all that matters right now. Thank you, Doctor Whittemore.

Fiona: [nods a bit in agreement] Thank you.

Victor: [there's a gentle squeeze of thanks into Marcus's shoulder before nodding to the rest of the room] Since he seems to be mostly out of the woods, I believe I am going to get some sleep. [he turns and gestures to his sister] You too.

Nadia: [nods in agreement, giving Peter's arm a soft squeeze as she turns and heads towards the door]

Marcus: It's what I'm here for. I'm going to join Nik in the living room for some rest. Come get me if anything changes, but he should be good now. [and with that he'll follow the others out]

Peter: [he gives her a smile and nod, but lets her go. He walks over to Fiona's side of the bed and takes her chair, then reaches over to rub her back soothingly. His other hand is going to text his sister to let her know it's done and Derek is healing. He will call in a few hours when they can assess the side effects better]

Fiona: [she closes her eyes at the touch, burying her face into Derek's shoulder a bit as she does] I'm sorry.

Peter: For what, Fiona? None of this is your fault.

Fiona: It feels like it is. [that she should have known better. Been better prepared. Protected him more]

Peter: It's not. All of this lays on two men who have been accordingly dealt with. Fault lays on Victor and he has accepted that. None of it falls on you.

Fiona: But it was because of me. Again.

Peter: How? Tell me where you fit in the blame for this.

Fiona: I ... I don't know. That I should have known better.

Peter: We all have things we should be better at for those we love, Fiona. That doesn't make it your fault. If it did, it would be mine and Talia's fault for letting you two come here in the first place.

Fiona: I'm just sick of things I did blowing back on him.

Peter: [like the comforting father type he is, he lets his hand run along the back of her head gently] If I had a nickel for every time I've thought that in relation to my sister or daughter, I would own the entire US Treasury supply of nickels.

Fiona: [she huffs a small laugh at that, relaxing at the touch for a moment, before:] I killed someone. Not that I haven't ... done it before but ... [not right in front of him]

Peter: I heard. It's a hard thing to do, and it's hard to think about I'm sure now that you're not in the moment. But you did what you had to, Fiona. If you hadn't... Derek would not be here right now. Neither would you, I suspect.

Fiona: [yeah, she knows. But she keeps seeing Derek's face right after it happened and she knows that this will probably change things, she's just not sure how yet. she just nods and brushes a hand against the back of Derek's head gently]

Derek: [ just whimpers and nuzzles closer in his sleep]

Peter: [licks his lips] Cling to that. It's the one thing that you know is true, and the world is better with the two of you here, and not that monster of a hunter. You did what you had to, Fiona, to protect yourself, your mate and your pack. It's a heavy burden to bear. I know after Jennifer... it took me a long time to realize that myself. But every time you look at Derek, just remember you did it so that he is still here to keep loving you for the person he knows you are. The one we all have come to love since you came into our lives.

Fiona: [she takes a deep breath and nods again. It'll take a moment for it to really sink in, but for right now it's lessening the swirling pit of guilt in her stomach] Thank you.

Peter: [stands up and leans over to kiss her cheek] You're a smart and strong woman. It's why Derek wanted to get to know you. It will sink in, I promise. [he yawns] I'm going to crash in your room for a few hours while you two are here. Find me if you need me.

Fiona: [nods a bit in return, turning her thoughts back to Derek as Peter leaves.]

Peter: [and he's going to make his way past the sleeping household, climbing the steps to find the room that Derek and Fiona shared]

Fiona: [ and once he's gone, Fiona might make it ten more minutes before she's falling asleep herself, the exhaustion of the day catching up to her]