hey old friend, whadaya say old friend

[beanchaointe]

[Stiles has told Lydia several times that she doesn't need to stay in Mystic Falls. She's refusing to listen. Things are starting to get worse here, and whatever impending storm is coming is going to be here soon. She puts herself out and about in town when she can, trying to see if she can catch something that might give her a clearer idea of what's going to happen.

What she isn't expecting, is to run into a familiar face.

She's having another text argument with Stiles about her current life choices when she catches a familiar set of cheek bones out of the corner of her eye. She turns towards them, eyes narrowing before she asks:]

Jackson?

Comments

[braveandstupid]

["Hunters in the woods." Which is the important thing as she pauses with them in the doorway. She doesn't know what to make of this new guy, but she's willing to give the injured human the benefit of the doubt. "Going to see if the name Stiles means anything to Lydia."

Which ... what kind of name is Stiles, but she manages to keep that to herself.

Meanwhile, Elena is finishing her initial examination.]

No stab or puncture wounds. Did you hit your head?

[cholesterol]

( Dean nods, letting Caroline go, and then joins Elena by -- some guy. )

He good?

( Is he alive? He's alive. He gestures to Damian with his gun, go up and left, Dean's going right, meet at the front.

Stiles tries to move, to get up, but he's disoriented from being hit and his eye is starting to swell. He can feel it. )

My head was in a Heathers reenactment. Modernized, I doubt it was a croquet mallet. -- They hit me.

[braveandstupid]

[Damian nods and stalks off in the indicated direction, knife in hand and ready to pounce if needed. Elena looks up before nodding.]

He's not dying but I do want to take him to the hospital for a CT scan.

[Especially if he was hit in the head.]

Just to be safe.

[And then, his phone rings in his pocket, and Elena raises an eyebrow.]

You want me to get that?

[phonetically]

( Dean nods at that, but the cavalry will be up behind them, he figures. Dean rounds one side of the house, listening for anything, as well as keeping abreast of any movement.

Stiles' head lolls back. )

Knock yourself out. 'Less it says' Bureau, then hold it to my ( He coughs. ) ear.

[braveandstupid]

[The woods seem quiet, at least for the moment. The hunters seem to have gotten what they came for and are retreating to do their own brutal interrogation. Joke's on them, Derek wasn't even at the party.

Not a joke on Derek though. This is probably bad for Derek.

Damian meets Dean in the front as promised and shakes his head. No sign of any trouble.

Meanwhile, Elena glances at the caller ID, sees "Jackson" and answers it, putting it on speaker so Stiles can hear as well. There are footsteps coming back, so she's assuming that they're making their way here anyway, but she'll confirm all the same.]

Hey, Jackson. I've got him. He's okay for now.

[phonetically]

Jackson Whittemore, calling me.

( Stiles vision blurs, pretty much on the concrete for the duration until someone moves him. )

Don't think too much into it, Stilinski. What happened, Elena?

[braveandstupid]

Looks like he got jumped in the woods. Dean and Damian went to check it out, but it doesn't sound like they're finding much.

[No tell-tale signs of combat anyway. As she finishes, Lydia appears in the doorway, making her way closer.

"There was someone else - a werewolf with him."

Hayley is not far behind her, eyes already looking to the woods. "I can go try and track them by scent. I'm assuming he's the only werewolf you called in for back up?"]

[phonetically]

Deanian and Dame are in the woods.

( He's -- not all here.

"Yeah, he's the only werewolf," Jackson confirms on the phone.

Halfway up, Katherine does realize someone should stay with the hunter, so she volunteers herself and pours herself more liquor.

Damon looks to Elena, to Stiles, and out to the trees.

"Does he need any vitamin-V?" )

[braveandstupid]

My medical assessment is that he'll survive without it, and I'm not sure with the way he's talking right now he's in the place to make an informed decision.

[Because speaking as someone who had vampire blood used on them and then became a vampire, she has new appreciation for that sort of thing, even if she's got Meredith Fell tendencies and would rather save the patient in the end.]

My recommendation would be having Caroline drive us to the hospital, so that if he takes a turn, it's there, but he definitely needs at least a CT scan.

[Lydia glances around the group for a moment, the cool exterior she had been using the rest of the night fading to someone who's genuinely worried about her friends.

"Jackson, can you help them look for Derek if I go with Stiles to the hospital?" Just in case, if someone needs to speak for him or make a call.]

[phonetically]

( "Yeah." He's there, now, Jackson locking eyes with, and then going off with, Hayley. )

I make uninformed decisions all the time. Not on the clock...

[beanchaointe]

I'll make the informed decision for him. No vampire blood. At least not if he doesn't need it.

[Because babysitting him for twenty-four hours to make sure he doesn't die in the process does not sound like Lydia's idea of a good time. Also, she doesn't know if Stiles wants to be a vampire - they've never discussed it - so she's going to say no.

Elena nods, before glancing over to Damon. "Help me get him to the car. Be careful with his head. Care?"

"I'll drive." The blond reaches for her keys before glancing back over her shoulder at the rest. "Text me with updates. I'll make sure they get to the right people."]

[phonetically]

( Everyone rallies, Lydia, Caroline and Elena with Damon getting Stiles into the car.

Dean is still out front when they bring him out. He keeps watch in case anyone is looking to strike a second time. )

In back, Buffy's eyes are locked on the blood pooled in Damon's back porch area. Someone should clean it up. And she volunteers herself, heading back into the kitchen, tearing off a sheet and then, searching - searching. ) Any kind of cleaning solution...

[somanyadjectives]

[For now, the place seems quiet. They load everyone into the car - Caroline driving, Lydia in the front passenger seat and Elena and Stiles in the back - and off they head to the hospital where everything will be fine.

Totally fine.

Stefan will move to help her with that, opening the closet where they have the good stuff to get the blood out of the carpet and handing it over.]

We tend to take cleaning to the next level.

[attainathons]

( Totally fine. )

I can't see why.

( She takes what he hands her, wry answer hovering there between them. She leans in and kisses him softly. )

This is your world. I'm just slaying in it.

( Meanwhile, Dean lets himself back in the front door, zeroes in on his brother, and heads in that direction.

Katherine remains downstairs.

In the car, Stiles lays across Elena's lap in the back seat, buckled in at least, but not doing great. )

[imnot_likeyou]

[He smiles into the kiss, and they will be cute and fluffy over here before everything goes wrong.

Sam hasn't gone far from the basement, just in case, because there were a lot of people heading towards that back door, so when he sees Dean, he nods.]

Anything?

[cholesterol]

In and out. They planned this. Stiles ( What kind of name ) got the brunt of it. He's human, Sam.

( His eyes say, collateral damage. Hunter collateral damage. There's no question. These hunters have to go down. )

[imnot_likeyou]

[Yeah, Sam is feeling the same way. Hard to imagine the kind of damage that could have been done if no one had any idea they were coming.]

The problem is, we have zero intel about where they're going. They had a back up plan in case someone got captured and/or compelled.

[cholesterol]

Which means they're smart enough to do that, but still dumb enough to go after Stefan at a gas station.

( He hates inconsistency, especially in MOs. )

This goes beyond their grudge against supernaturals.

[imnot_likeyou]

Yeah, this genius did that all on his own. Seems like he saw Stefan and thought he would seize an opportunity.

[Basically, this guy is dumb. Whoever's calling the shots is still someone to be concerned about.]

[cholesterol]

Why go after this house? When graduation's the target. For one guy?

( Someone should tell Dean Stiles wasn't alone. )

[imnot_likeyou]

I don't think it was for one guy. I think this was an eye for an eye. Stiles wasn't the only one in the woods.

[Which as he says that, there are footsteps towards the back. Stefan steps into the space between where the brothers are and the back door and informs them: "Jackson and Hayley are back."]

[cholesterol]

( Dean looks away from his brother, to Jack and Hayley who return from the back. Damon's pouring himself more liquor.

"The trail ends in the driveway next door. Looks like they jumped into a car." Or, truck. Van. A vehicle. )

[werewolfqueen]

So unless you all have a witch on call, he's going to be pretty hard to find.

[They could use a locator spell, to say the least.]

[illtempered]

( "A witch and something of uh - the other guy's." Names have not been passed around this party well. )

Derek's. ( It's hard to root for Lydia and Damon when Damon is just -- all that. Pretty may never fade, but nonchalance in the face of danger is not attractive.

"This was the plan," Dean says. "Take out the guys keeping watch. Eye for their eye. You think there's anything more we can get out of your guest?" )

[werewolfqueen]

["Not right now," Stefan shakes his head. "I think we only got what we did because he was scared Lydia was going to scream for him."]

We could try compelling him again, but their organization is tiered for a reason, and that reason is dumbasses like him.

[But, as they're discussing this, Jackson will receive a "where are you" text from his new flirt buddy.]