Yes it has been a long time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.

Monitors beeped and lights flashed. Talia hated the antiseptic smell of the hospital. She could never quite get used to it. But at the moment her senses had something else to focus on, namely the wakening banshee lying on the bed.

After a few long moments, Crystal May's eyes fluttered opened. She blinked a few times clearly shaking off the throes of sedation and then frowned as she tried to understand where she was.

"The hospital," said Talia.

Crystal startled a little and then turned her head to face her.

"Water?" asked Talia and the banshee nodded. Talia filled a glass and inserted a straw and held it to Crystal's lips. Crystal drank and then said shakily, "You must be Talia."

Talia gave a little smile. "Yes," she said.

"Thank you for coming for me," Crystal told her.

Talia shook her head. "If it wasn't for my poor planning you wouldn't even be here. I'm sorry."

Crystal made a motion that might have been a shrug. "Everyone makes mistakes," she rasped, "I'm just glad to be alive." She swallowed. "Do me a favour though and get that bastard will you?"

"Done," said Talia.

"Good," said Crystal, "He's the tall one with yellow-blond hair and a really terrible evil laugh."

Talia felt her lips twitch at the description but said, "Thank you."

"So what did the doctors say about me?" asked Crystal.

"You'll make it," she said, "They had to sew up your insides quite a bit but you'll make it."

"I'm okay with that," said Crystal. She blinked sleepily, "I think I'm going to fall back asleep now though alpha. Nice to meet you." Her eyes closed and she fast asleep in a matter of seconds.

"Nice to meet you too Crystal May," said Talia Hale.

Luke was waiting for her when she stepped out of the room.

"You good" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm good."

"She okay?" he asked tipping his head towards the room.

"She will be," said Talia, "She asked me to get the one who attacked her though. A favour."

"Did you tell her that it would be gladly granted?" he said raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"I told her it was done," Talia said.

"Good," said Luke.

Talia smiled. "She said it was the one with yellow hair and a really terrible evil laugh."

Luke grinned. "I actually know who that is."

Talia's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"Really," he said, "You can't mistake that laugh and I'm not even kidding."

Talia huffed out a laugh. "Well let's pay back that favour fast shall we?"

Luke smiled and it was all wolf. "Sure. After all it's just a little favour."

Late in the evening Galien called Talia.

"Talia Hale," he said.

"Galien" she said her voice shaking with rage and under it failure and doubt.

"How was your week?" he asked cordially.

"Could have been better," she said, trying not to bite off the words entirely.

"Ahh, yes." He said, "Another casket in the ground so soon. And this one actually your fault."

Talia let out a sound of pain but choked it off quickly. "I'm not the one who sent someone to kill that girl."

"You did fail to protect her," he pointed out.

"That's true," said Talia after a moment, voice shaking, "But really Galien, how could you expect me to believe that you were such a coward? You really showed ne propensity for it before." She shook her head knowing he couldn't she her but knowing he would interpret the pause correctly. "Ahh, the low people sink to for power. But I have a question for you Galien, Alpha. How in the hell do you expect to hold my territory if you don't even have the courage and I'm inferring, the strength to walk up to me face to face?"

She paused to let him say something but he was apparently suffering too much from incandescent rage for him to say something.

"You may have won this battle, you aren't going to win anymore," she told him voice hard.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "You're sitting snug at home again." And then he hung up.

Talia stared at the receiver for a moment and then put it down. "How did I do?" she asked.

"Good," said Kerrin, "You could have had me fooled."

Allie slid her claws from Talia's arm where they'd been digging into her since the start of the conversation to make Talia's heart beat faster to give the illusion that she was scared. It had also helped to make that gasp of pain real.

Talia shook her arm and watched it heal. "He baited me," she said, "again. Made it sound like he was coming back into my territory to hurt someone today. He wanted me to panic."

"Great," said Viva and grinned, "So let's panic."

Talia grinned at her.

"Oh," she said in afterthought, "He thinks Crystal May is dead."

"Cool," said Elliot, "Can you imagine how much fun it's going to be when we disabuse him of that notion?"

"Oh delirious," said Terrin.

Talia grinned fiercely at them and her eyes flared red.

"Come on." She said, "We have to go panic!" Her relish was obvious.

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