canon au } { post-405: i.e.d.

[impetere]

[Cora leaves the stands when Brett gets taken off the field and Lydia texts her to inform her that he was one of the people on the list. She heads to the locker room to try and head off whoever was going to go after him, but when she gets there, the girl Orphan jumps her, managing to get her garrote around her neck. Cora manages to get a hand up in time, but she doesn’t have enough mass to throw the girl off her.]

Stiles: [comes rushing in, seeing the struggle, smelling the burning flesh] Oh fuck no. [and that's a lacrosse stick right to her head with all his strength.]

Cora: [feels the garrote give as the girl passes out and pulls it off her as soon as possible. The scent of burning hair and skin is taking her back to a place she doesn't want to go and she all but throws it across the room, willing herself to heal faster and immediately checking the mirror to make sure it didn't get her hair. Sorry, Stiles, there will be thank yous in a second]

Stiles: [take your time. He's going to check on Brett first, then grab the duct tape from the stick repair area and start tying the girl up with it because like hell he's leaving her just unconscious.] Cora, you okay?

Cora: [the sound of his voice brings her back a bit, and she glances to him, before nodding. She glances down at her hand and the burn is fading away, and she's nodding more vehemently] Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. [no, she's not, but she's okay enough.]

Stiles: Good. Good because I'm not okay. [because he just watched someone almost kill you Cora and he's hugging you tightly]

Cora: [she sinks into him and he's sweaty and smells like grass and mud and ... stink from playing lacrosse all night, but it's still Stiles and it takes her another step closer to better] Sorry I scared you.

Stiles: Don't go after an assassin without us again, Cora. You are a Hale, you have to be on the list too and I'm not going to lose you.

Cora: I know. I didn't expect her to get the drop on me. [Derek is going to kill her]

Stiles: [looks at Brett] We need to get him to Deaton. He's still poisoned.

Cora: [nods as she pulls back] Did Scott grab the other one?

Stiles: I don't know. I saw you take off and Scott told me to go and he and Kira would handle Garrett.

Cora: [she nods] You should call your dad.

Stiles: [nods] On it. [he pulls out his phone, calling his dad and explaining what was going on.... then hangs up. His free hand stayed in Cora's the whole time.]

Cora: [she's good with that, she's just going to turn to face the mirror again, double checking that her hair isn't burned and that she didn't miss anything.]

Stiles: [Looks back at her, and he can see some of the hair on the ground. he winces] Looks like you're going to have to get a haircut...

Cora: [she makes a face. It's not a lot of hair that came off - it still falls to about her shoulders - but at the moment her hair just looks lopsided and weird] I didn't actually want one.

Stiles: I don't think you get a choice...

Cora: [sighs softly, before nodding] Your dad on his way?

Stiles: Yeah.

Cora: Good. [a beat] Can we not tell Derek about the whole me almost getting my head seared off thing?

Stiles: [nods] Yeah, we can do that. Um, let me call Deaton now.

Cora: [she nods, reaching for her own phone] I'll find out where Scott is.

Stiles: Good. I'll stay here. He's... [looks at Brett] Kinda looking bad.

Cora: [she nods] I'm not going far. [and with that she'll step closer to the door where she can see the sheriff coming and still hear Stiles. She checks in with Scott then picks up the phone to call her brother]

Derek: [has just left the vault and gone his separate way with Chris. He can feel the phone vibrating against his hips and goes to answer it] Cora?

Cora: Two of the assassins attacked at the game. We got one and are waiting for the sheriff but the other got a beta from the other team with some kind of wolfsbane.

Derek: Can you identify the type from scent?

Cora: No. But it's yellow.

Derek: Yellow? [he thinks] That's not good. Get him to Deaton immediately. I'll meet you there.

Cora: Okay. [she exhales slowly] Be careful. This one had a garrote that could burn through skin.

Derek: Fun times. [he should tell her. He need to tell her] When you get to Deaton’s, we need to talk.

Cora: [eyebrows go up at that] About Kate?

Derek: Yes. No. About me.

Cora: [.... yeah, this doesn't sound good] What's going on?

Derek: When you get to Deaton's, I'll tell you.

Cora: [she sighs slightly, trying to filter the "I'm gonna kill you" tone out of her voice before she responds] Fine. I'll see you in a bit.

Derek: [and he hangs up, waiting outside Deaton's for when they arrive with Brett, letting Stiles and Scott get him inside while he pulled Cora aside]

Cora: [she is a-okay with that and is just going to step to the side, arms crossed in front of her chest] So what is it?

Derek: [he sighs] Chris is working to find Kate, but I'm running out of time to tell you something. I need you and Peter to know.

Cora: [there's a hand that gestures for him to continue. She knows this already. Get to the important part. Sorry, Derek, your sister is being a brat today, but at least she snagged a hair tie from Kira to pull her hair up so that he couldn't see the damaged ends.]

Derek: [fine, he'll get to the point then] My powers are fading.

Cora: [... nope that was not what she was expecting] What?

Derek: [sighs] The other day with the Sheriff, I noticed it. My senses were fading. I can't small anything more, not like I could. I had my strength this morning but it wasn't what it used to be. Whatever Kate did to me is still doing something, and if we don't find her soon and stop it... I don't know what's going to happen to me.

Cora: Did you tell Dawn?

Derek: I'm going to tell her when I get home. I didn't think it would go downhill this fast. I think the full moon triggered it.

Cora: [exhales slowly, before rubbing her forehead. This is just ... peachy, especially with the killers still out for their heads] Are you still staying at the hotel?

Derek: Yeah.

Cora: [she nods. At least it's still not the loft] If we're losing you, we're going to need more muscle. I'd suggest more Slayers, but Peter might kill them all. [she wishes that was more of a joke.] Have you found him yet?

Derek: No, but I put a text into him while we were waiting to tell him I need him. [he looks at her] Cora, we're not human like bitten wolves. If my power does, I don't know what's going to happen to me. We need to find her. [he's rattled. he hasn't been this scared in long time. not since she almost died]

Cora: Hey. It'll be okay. We'll get the brain trust on it and we'll figure it out. [she takes a step forward and places her hands on his shoulders gently] Nothing's going to happen to you.

Derek: [ nods, but his fear his radiating off him] I know, but if sometime does... I need you to take care of Dawn for me, okay?

Cora: [she takes that extra step to him when she feels that, arms sliding around him and pulling him close] Yeah. I will. [but she won't have to because he'll be fine.]

Derek: [he just holds her. He can't tell her that it feels like he's been losing more and more of himself since he gave up his alpha. He doesn't want to make her feel this is her fault. But it's how he feels and it's a choice he made. He's just scared that there's a chance he would be human or worse... dead... by the next full moon]

Cora: [he's not going to die. She's not going to let that happen. She just clings to him tightly and hopes that somehow, that will make things better] Human might not be that bad, you know. [because she refuses to consider dead an option]

Derek: I'm already starting to go crazy without my sense of smell. I don't think I can do human.

Cora: You could get used to it. Dawn could help.

Derek: [there's a snort] Yeah, we'll see I guess.

Cora: [she nods a bit, before pulling back and glancing inside where she can hear them struggling] Better get in there.

Derek: Go help Scott. I'll find you later. [and damnit Peter answer your fucken phone] And if you see Peter, punch him for me.

Cora: [she nods before pulling back and turning to head inside the clinic]