#staura

"You can't be serious, Derek! You know what she's done." Her voice is dangerously low but Derek wills himself to not cave.

"I'm not saying I trust her. I'm saying we can use her." The fact that he won't meet Allison's eyes is telling; the bond they've created over the past few months solid enough that she sees his hesitation in going through with the plan.

"I'd say I can't believe you, but I know you and I know what this could mean. Just... don't forget what we've been through."

She walks away at that, turning her face so he can't see the tears, but he hears the slightest note of a whimper as she holds in a sob. Too many secrets and lies between the entire pack have made everyone a little frayed, tethers tying members together in ways they hadn't expected.

Stiles pulls Allison into a hug to help muffle her feelings and he watches Derek, knowing she and Cora have already given argument for him to not go through with this. He has tears of his own, but for his father, not the decision on the table. It's been a full day since Jennifer took his father, and while she has guaranteed he is still alive, he has no reason to take her word for it.

Derek, on the other hand, doesn't give himself the space to process his emotions in this moment, knowing the eclipse is almost upon them. He turns to face Jennifer instead, determination painted across his face. If only one other person can see through that facade, she's already refused to look at him in this moment.

"What do I need to do?"

The first thing Laura notices is the smell of rubbing alcohol, pungent and sharp, followed by the overwhelming mixture of fear, anxiety, and anger in the air. It's cloying enough to cover the secondary scents of animals, dogs and cats and a few gerbils. The combination doesn't make sense to her, clashes with what fragments she remembers. It feels like a bad dream, seeing half-turned Peter lunge at her, the full moon bright above their heads. But he couldn't be there, he was comatose, wounds still trying to heal despite his abilities. She groans in confusion, shaking her head, only to hear unfamiliar voices.

"She's awake," a female voice gasped, relief washing over it. "Derek, she's awake!"

Where is Derek?! Were they attacked? Is he safe? Laura's internal voice was frantic, the name pulling her out of her stupor.

"Might want to be a little quieter," a male voice said. It was familiar, too familiar, and Laura felt herself grow a little calmer despite the confusion. "She hasn't exactly been able to hear for a while."

Was that Stiles? Sheriff's son, Stiles? The hell was he doing here?

"Take it easy, this is going to be a bit of a slow process," a different female voice chimed in. This one sounded closest, maybe a foot from Laura's ear. She had to be mistaken, there was no way she was hearing who she thought she was. "You're probably a bit confused, but you have your family here. I think they'd like to say hello."

Family? As in more than Derek? What the hell is going on?

Laura makes a few unintelligible sounds, her mouth feeling like it's full of cotton. She awkwardly moves her tongue to lick her lips and is surprised by just how dry they are before a hand gently holds the back of her head, pushing up slightly to press a water bottle to her mouth.

"C'mon now, Laura, you can do this," the same male voice from before says. She forces herself to swallow a sip, and then another and another after that. "There you go."

The entire situation is starting to feel more and more bizarre, but she can't communicate that. She feels like she's stuck underwater, all of her senses damped yet present still. More sounds try to fight their way out of her mouth, and she's struggling against her own body until she feels a breath against her chest, the feeling of someone leaning close to her mouth to hear what she's trying to say, a steadying hand pressed firmly against her shoulder to keep her from moving.

"Der-, where'she?! Whe-" It's a murmur, the words slurring together, but it has fire behind it.

"Oh god," she hears a deeper voice chime in. Heavy footsteps follow as the voice's owner comes closer at an apparent run. "Laura? Laura, I'm right here." She can feel the distant touch of someone holding her hand in theirs, pressing a kiss to the pack of it.

"Der'k?" She questions. It doesn't sound like him, but nothing else is right either. Her body aches ferociously as she wills herself to turn in the voice's direction, practically falling off the bed until he catches her form, letting her curl her head against his chest.

"I'm here, Laura. Can you hear me? I'm not going anywhere." He wraps an arm around her, cradling her head, and her heart finally settles, still anxious, but at least Derek is alive.

"Are you kidding me?! What the hell were you thinking?" Laura's voice echoes in the house, Alpha tenor intermingled with human outrage.

Stiles widens his eyes as he pivots on the spot and walks back into the kitchen, making a slashing motion across his throat to ward off Derek's approach. The latter is sipping on a coffee, classic Hale scowl a seemingly permanent fixture on his face.

"They're at it again," Stiles whispers dramatically.

It's only been a day but already Laura is livid with both Jennifer and Derek, incredulous that they would tamper with death so blatantly. At this point, they're all anxiously waiting for the full moon, unsure if Laura will react the same way as she once would.

"I was thinking it would help save your kid brother! Once upon a time you'd do anything for him." The words cut like ice coming from Jennifer's mouth, and Laura is stunned for a moment.

"And how exactly would that include letting my ex prey on him? Just because he didn't recognize this face instead of Julia's didn't give you the right to manipulate him into this." Her voice is lowered, a sign that she is struggling with control.

"You know full well that we're connected, Laura. It's how we met all those years ago."

"His unintentional blood sacrifice on the Nemeton does not equate some fucked up bond, and you know it. Yes, you became entangled in the Hale family, and yes, I once loved you. But I don't even recognize you anymore, Julia." She narrows her eyes in warning, flashing the red, before stalking outside.

"Are you kidding me?" She grumbles, and Derek and Stiles follow her out to see Deaton standing on the porch. He gives an awkward little wave and Laura rolls her eyes.

Rather than addressing the man, she turns back to Derek, who backs up a few steps. He's been avoiding too much direct contact with her, a sister now in her body from eight years ago. Her mind may have caught up, but it's still strange seeing her like this.

"Did you call him?" It's a direct question, and she doesn't try to add any softness to it like she's done so far with him.

"I just figured - he knows a lot, okay? Mom trusted him, but she never even knew Jennifer. I just want to make sure you're okay."

Stiles watches the siblings from the side, never having seen Derek quite like this. He defers to Laura, which makes sense, but he's also talking to her like he thinks she'll crack, almost like he's afraid of her. He knows it makes sense, what with Peter's manipulation to bring himself back to life. Still, though, this isn't the Derek Stiles thought he knew or remembered.

"I'm fine," Laura grumbles. "Yes, I was dead, and no, I still don't want to see our psychotic uncle who killed me. I may be in younger me's body but I'm fine."

"Yeah, you are," Stiles chimes in, lopsided smirk on his face. Laura just rolls her eyes in response and shakes her head before stepping off the porch.

"I need a little alone time, okay? I'll be back, I promise." She looks to Derek at this and Stiles can feel the way he relaxes at the reassurance. "I just need to breathe by myself for a bit."