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?

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[vampireboulevard]

[Caroline drives like a bat out of hell, but a relatively safe one, considering. Vampire reflexes make it easy to hit the gas and avoid a lot of obstacles. The faster they get Stiles to the hospital, the better, and she's prepared to compel her way out of any speed trap she happens to get caught in.

Unfortunately, it would have been better if what happened was a speed trap.

She should have seen it coming. She should have been aware of what was happening and diverted accordingly. But by the time she sees the bright headlights, and Lydia shouts, it's already too late, and the truck slams into them at full speed.

For a moment, there's nothing but spinning. The world blurs and as much as she tries to regain control, to a point she's just left at it's mercy, unable to do much until they stop naturally. The wheels hit a dip on the side of the road and they flip, rolling down an incline into the woods behind them and eventually coming to a stop in the shadow of the trees.

It doesn't take her long to assess. Three bleeding people in the car with her. Footsteps coming across the road towards them. She didn't have a lot of time. Stiles was bad when they left the Salvatore House - he's probably worse now. He gets the blood first. As quickly and quietly as she can, she bites into the side of her wrist, and forces it over Stiles' mouth.]

C'mon, Stiles, drink.

[phonetically]

( Stiles is in and out, the lights of the street passing at an angle. He relives the attack, seeing Derek taken from behind, hearing the crackle of electricity and smelling the singed skin. And his roar. But, he couldn't do anything. Because someone got him from behind, too, and then didn't stop once he went down.

He's both there in the backseat and there with Derek.

And then he hears Lydia cry out.

It starts in slow motion, but he quickly blacks out.

Coming to, he barely has time to think before he listens to Caroline. He pushes his head up enough to take the offered blood. Bleary-eyed, he can barely make her out, or anyone else, Lydia in the front seat and - the doctor, isn't she in the back with him? )

[vampireboulevard]

[When she feels her wrist start to stitch back together, she pulls back, trying to keep her head low as she looks at Elena. The other woman is out cold against the window, and she can smell blood, but she knows that she can't do anything for Elena right now.]

Stay down.

[Her voice is a low whisper, but hopefully loud enough for him to hear. She reaches over, tugging at her seat belt and releasing it so that she can move closer to Lydia. She bites down on her wrist again, before gently pulling Lydia's head back and doing the same.]

[phonetically]

( It takes a moment for the blood to enter his system and another minute for his internal injuries to heal themselves. With only cosmetic injuries sewing themselves up, Stiles rises a little too suddenly, not staying down. )

Lydia.

( He blinks, fishing out his phone to call 911 but his hands are too bloody, the surface blood still liquid, and that's when he sees Elena. )

Hey. Hey. ( He fights his seatbelt but it finally snaps back and he sliders over, trying to cradle Elena. He doesn't want to undo her seatbelt yet... )

[beanchaointe]

[Lydia comes to with a start, and her head is buzzing. Something is happening, something that's been building since she set foot in Mystic Falls is coming to a crescendo that she doesn't know how to stop. Her eyes dart around, looking from Caroline to unconscious Elena to Stiles.]

Something's wrong.

["We're not alone," Caroline replies, pulling back from Lydia and starting to see if she can get out of the car. Her door is so damaged that it won't open, so she tries to force her way out of the broken driver's side window. "Just stay here, and stay quiet."]

[phonetically]

What's your name, what's your name. Elena! Elena, you in there? Elena?

( Her name echoes in his mind as he regains more memory of being attacked and crawling away enough to roll down. Caroline had yelled her name.

Caroline has Lydia. He has to trust she does. )

No alone --?

[beanchaointe]

[Caroline's head pokes out of the window, and there's the light pop pop! of gunfire in response. Not close to her, but embedding themselves in the trunk of the car.

A warning shot, whether it's intentional or not. Caroline ducks back down into the car, before she turns, trying to assess who's out there, if she can.

"The people who hit us are looking to finish the job."

The car jerks with the gunshots, and Elena stirs, briefly, but not enough to be conscious and help herself. Her eyes flicker open then close again, succumbing back into unconsciousness.

Lydia's head is spinning. She can still taste Caroline's blood on her lips, and there's a panic, bubbling in her chest. It's been so long since she's had to scream for someone, and she doesn't want to. She doesn't want to scream for any of the people in this car.

But she can feel it coming, like her heart pounding against her rib cage.]

We can't be here. We can't be here, we have to go.

[phonetically]

Elena can barely - no, she can't move. If we can -- find cover and then get out of the car. Make a run for it...

( It's then that he checks his waistband, feeling behind himself. )

They have my weapon. Fuck. That's a weekend of paperwork. And ( To the car. ) Not our biggest issue. Maybe -- your blood, Caroline? Give her your blood and we can -- make a break for it.

[vampireboulevard]

I can't.

[She wishes she could, but it was a sacrifice Elena made when she decided to be human again.]

It won't work on her. Just ...

[She reaches into the back slowly, unbuckling Elena's seatbelt, and reaching one hand up to brace her.]

Lay her down slowly, try not to jostle her too much.

[phonetically]

( He doesn't understand, but, listens to her instructions, carefully trying to brace both her head and back. He tries not to move anything else, tries to keep her as flat as he can. Leaning over he, he manages to lay her down he himself sliding almost off the seat. He's sat up now, giving her the room. )

[vampireboulevard]

[Caroline leans between the seats again, checking Elena's pulse and it's steady. That at least is something of a relief. But that doesn't really mean anything unless they can get Elena out of here.

She straightens again, to try and examine her further, when Lydia's arm reaches out to land on Caroline's.

"It's too late."

Then, somewhere in the distance, she heard the dry click of a slide being drawn back. Her head turns towards the blaring of the lights, and shouts as she turns to cover Lydia.]

Get down!

[phonetically]

( It's too late. The angle Stiles is at, pressed up against the window makes it impossible for him to miss any of the bullets that now careen into the side of the car, riddling both he and Caroline. It's sudden, at least, Stiles slumping over and then dropping to the seat onto Elena. )

[beanchaointe]

[The bubble pops, and though Caroline's weight hits her from the side, it doesn't stop the scream. No matter how much she tries to hold it back, as though it might hold on to some kind of hope that the moment isn't final, but she can't.

It starts like she's saying Stiles, but eventually the scream fades into just a sound, that carries out of the car and into the dark of the woods.

And when it fades, she turns back towards the back seat, seeing the body of her friend and tears springing to her eyes.]

No. No, no, no ...

overnight placeholder

[phonetically]

( is dead. )