Hoping for Heroes

Chapter 37

Harley walks through the door of the hospital to find Scott and his mom talking. His face falls when he sees her walking up behind her mother.

"I told you not to come here," he sighs.

"I told you, you don't get to tell me what to do," she scoffs. She then turns to Melissa and smiles. "Hi, Mrs. McCall."

"Hi sweetheart," she says back. "I'm assuming you're here to help out?"

Harley agrees right as Scott says, "No. Absolutely not." She tilts her head slightly, a motion remarkably similar to Scarlet Witch. 

"I'm not asking permission," she says, venom laced in her tone. "Nor forgiveness. Get over it." She walks around him and stops directly in front of Ms. Blake, AKA the Darach, who looks at her in surprise.

"I didn't expect you to be alive," Ms. Blake breathes, which causes Derek to shoot Harley a look.

"I seem to fall short of many expectations. I'm sure you'll get a second chance." She walks past the group in the direction of Cora, and soon hears them all fall into step behind her. She stands next to Derek in the elevator, who is holding Ms. Blake with his other hand. 

"You don't have to keep me on a leash, Derek," Ms. Blake says. "I'm gonna help."

"I just heard what you tried to do to the kid," Derek scoffs, tightening his grip. "Your leash just go exponentially shorter." Harley can't help the small smirk that graces her face. As the group exits the elevator and walks down the hall, Scott stops the group to point out a trail along the floor. The doors then fly open, and Harley looks down to see Peter Hale being slid to her feet. She looks down at him with a wrinkled nose. She nudges her foot on his head when he doesn't say anything for a moment.

"We've got a problem," Peter gasps. She looks down the hallway he came from to see the giant alpha formed by the twins. "Big problem."

"Motherfu-"

The group stands back as Derek charges the alpha, Scott following soon after. Harley looks at Stiles, who is already staring at her in fear. 

"I'm gonna go warn Scott's mom," she decides. "Stay here. Watch her." She quickly runs out and downstairs, finding Mrs. McCall by the entrance. "Mrs. McCall?" 

Melissa turns at the sound of her voice. "Harley?" she asks. "What are you doing down here?"

"Let's call it guard duty." Sensing something, her vision turns to the doors where Kali and Deucalion are walking in. She quickly hides behind the desk before Kali can see her. Once they've passed, Melissa sticks her head over the desk to see Harley. 

"Forgive me, but this seems more like hiding."

Harley stands up and brushes herself off. "We're in better shape if they don't know I'm here."

"Can't they smell people? Won't they already know if people are here?" Harley smiles awkwardly. 

"There's... a bit for you to learn about me, yet. That's for a later time. Let's get these people out of here, and fast." She redirects her attention before shooting Stiles a quick text. 

Harley: Deucalion is here.

Harley's wandering through the halls, looking for the group. Before she finds anyone, however, a voice comes over the P.A. system.

"Um," the voice says, which Harley recognizes as Scott's mom, "Can I have your attention? Mr. Deucalion--excuse me, just Deucalion--requests you bring the woman calling herself Jennifer Blake to the E.R. reception. Do this, and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes."

"Shit," Harley curses, shoving the cart next to her. "Shit!"

The P.A. system fires up again. "He wants information on the Lunar Witch's whereabouts as well. If you have that, I don't--I don't get hurt. Ten minutes." Harley drops to the ground, holding her head in her hands. 

"Shit." 

"Harley?" a voice asks, and she looks up to see Isaac, Allison, and Mr. Argent all staring at her. Her eyes flicker between Isaac and Allison, a pit growing in her stomach. The two people who want to see her the least, staring right back at her. She sets her mouth in a firm line and stands up.

"Well, come on," she says, motioning for them to follow her. "We're running out of time." She walks at a brisk pace, the two teens jogging to fall into step beside her.

"What are you doing here?" Isaac asks awkwardly.

"What? Something in your rules against that?"

"You just healed, Harley, you shouldn-"

"I'm fine, Lahey." She speeds up again to stop talking to him. Behind her, Allison turns to Isaac.

"Lahey?" Allison asks, and he shrugs sadly.

"I messed up," he sighs. 

"Damn straight," Harley calls out behind her. "Now hustle."

The group walks quietly through the hall, Mr. Argent holding his gun and Harley with a small ball of energy in her hand. The two lead the group with Allison and Isaac trailing behind. Harley can't quite shake the feeling she has from seeing Allison and Isaac all buddy-buddy, she knows it doesn't matter. She read all the signs wrong, and Isaac wasn't actually interested. (Well, she tries to tell herself that, anyway.)

Harley's brought back out of her head as Mr. Argent cocks his gun. "I'm gonna take that as a sign you're a little worried," Isaac whispers.

"Stay close to us," Argent says.

"I think I heard something."

"Where?" Allison asks. The other three stop as Isaac steps forward, listening closely. 

"Below us." He lies down to listen closer. Harley exchanges a look with Argent, he looks like he's trying to mask his fear. Harley bets she looks the same.

As the group walks around on the floor below, they hear a set of footsteps and people talking around the corner. Harley pushes the other teens slightly behind her as she forces more energy out of her hands. She knows they're shaking from this much usage, but she doesn't care. However, she's able to relax them when the two turn out to be Scott and his mom. 

"Oh, thank God," Harley sighs after a moment of silence. "I thought I was gonna have to sacrifice myself or something for your mom."

"What?" Everyone else besides Scott asks at the same time.

"Long story."

"So they're essentially trapped?" Argent asks Scott as they make their way through the building yet again.

"Yeah, right," Scott agrees.

"There's no way to get them out without turning the power back on," Isaac reminds them.

"But wait, wait, wait, if the power's back on, they're gonna hear the elevator moving, right?" Mrs. McCall asks. 

"And they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops," Harley sighs.

"We can't get in a fight with them," Scott stresses.

"You've got us now," Argent says.

"It's too much risk. They want her dead, and if she dies, there's nothing that we can do for Stiles's dad or Cora."

"I don't think I even know which teacher this is."

"She's--she's the one with the brown hair," Isaac says. "She's kind of hot." Harley raises her eyebrows, but nods slightly in agreement.

"I've got an idea," Allison says. "But Harley, I'm gonna need you to go with Isaac."

"What?" she whines. "Why?"

"I am not that bad," Isaac scoffs, but sobers up at the look both Harley and Scott provide him with.