everyonelives | you're gonna love tomorrow, i'm making it my personal guarantee

( Not yet. Well, if it's not yet, there's a yet he needs her to not reach. She has a pulse. It's faint, but thready. But, it's there.

Already pulling his phone out, he calls 911, sliding out of the car. He describes where they need the ambulance, that it was a car accident, stops short of saying they need a coroner and he hangs up.

Standing over the collapsed banshee, he brings his phone down. )

He's still in there.

[She glances up at him, confused. Because he can't be. He's dead, she screamed for him, that should be the end of it. It doesn't occur to her to think things through further than that, but thankfully, he doesn't have to.

The hunters, whatever stragglers are left, are fleeing. Caroline makes her way back, clothes bloodstained and bodies left behind. Normally she wouldn't relish being so violent but after being forced into an accident, shot and someone dying on her watch, her anger had to go somewhere.

But, she fills in the blank that Lydia's missing.]

He's in transition.

[She looks over at Ezra, trying to figure out this witch she doesn't know, but he seems to be helping. Lydia's going to need a minute to process that anyway.]

You know Elena?

( He was going to go with, "saw the car, here's a coincidence for you," but, she speaks so openly in front of him. She must've been conscious when he threw them aside. She also addresses this kid and why he's half there, half not.

He's not sure he can throw out 'coincidence.' )

We both work at the hospital. An ambulance is on its' way.

[She knows how to play dead when she needs to. And she eyes Ezra as he speaks, but she's willing to buy it for now. As long as it gets Elena to a hospital and she'll be okay.

She's hoping that if she keeps his secret, he'll keep hers.]

We need them to treat Stiles like he's still alive, and try to get him and Elena in the same room. Are you going to be okay with what I need to do to make that happen?

Your car has bullet holes running up the side. I was going to insist you compel them.

( The car's totaled, but he's not about to rub that particular salt into any wound. But, he disagrees emphatically with Caroline's plan. )

Do you really want to stick the transitioning vampire in with an unconscious human who can't defend herself?

I wasn't going to leave them completely alone.

[What, do you think she's new at this?]

My blood turned him, he's my responsibility. So I'm not going anywhere until he makes his choice.

[And even then she's not going anywhere, in the event that he decides to become a vampire.]

Good. You have your work cut out for you, compulsion-wise but if you get to the night nurses, you may be good until shift change.

( He isn't about to insult her to make sure they don't hook him up to any machines, or give him an IV. Waking up in transition is traumatizing enough, to do it in a hospital treated like a patient? )

When did he die?

Just now.

[And the remorse is there. She did her best to keep everyone alive, and she utterly failed in every case except Lydia. This ... is going to be a long night.]

I'll make it work. How long until the ambulances and cops get here?

( As if on cure, sirens sound in the distance. )

Any minute. It's a small town.

( She knows. They all know. He crouches down, meeting Lydia's eyes. No obvious injuries. Caroline must've gotten to her, too. )

You're clear. Does anything hurt?

[Lydia shakes her head. She's mostly still in shock, letting the conversation happen over her head. But the time for wallowing is over. Stiles needs her and she's not going anywhere either.

She swipes at her eyes, trying to put her game face back on.]

We need to tell the rest. Jackson needs to know.

[Caroline nods. "I'll keep them in the loop. You stay with Stiles, I'll go with Elena."]

( These names mean nothing to him, he pulls himself back up. )

They're going to take them both, and they need to if you want to keep them together. Or, I can drive Stiles and -- ( Her ) If we do that, I can pull something together to persuade a nurse, make her think Stiles is fine, he just needs a bed. You tell me. I'm on-call, anyway.

( He'll probably be called in when they see it's Elena. )

We should have time before he wakes up.

[As long as Caroline can get to a doctor quick enough to compel who she needs to compel.]

I'll get Jo Laughlin in the loop. She'll be able to smooth things over on the hospital end too. Let's have the paramedics take him in and we'll go from there.

Find me at the hospital if you need more reinforcement. You - you're with me. We'll meet them there.

( Does she have a name? Does it matter? He offers a hand, anyway, to pull her up. This is another in the long line of mistakes he's been paying for, but it's his first in years. It's still not a mistake that will be taken lightly. )

[Lydia's eyes dart from Ezra to Caroline. She doesn't want to leave Stiles' side, especially not with a stranger she doesn't trust, but she can acknowledge that Caroline is going to have her hands full compelling all these poor first responders.

Swallowing hard, she nods as she takes Ezra's hand.]

If you take me anywhere but the hospital? I will blow out your eardrums.

[Just to be clear.]

you're gonna love tomorrow, i'm making it my personal guarantee

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