Derek let out a deep sigh, probably his fifth in the last hour. Bridget, sound asleep, shifted her weight on the couch only slightly, her head still resting on his chest. The infirmary's couch was definitely far from the most comfortable one in the Institute, but it beat standing up for hours on end.
The shock of seeing Mikki in such a way hadn't kept Derek silent for long. He demanded to know every last detail of the scene that Bridget and Vanessa had stumbled upon, his need to make sense of it all clicked in once Bridget had been found to be unharmed. Bridget had explained, in a hushed voice, the siblings second attack of the day. Apparently, all that was known was that Mikki had been beaten within an inch of her life, and Oliver was missing, along with a handful of weapons from the weapon's room. Derek immediately suspected the sibling's hand in Mikki's attack; Jasper's murder was still too fresh in his mind for any other suspect to be considered. Seeing Bridget's strained expression, Derek thought it best to move their discussion to a different spot, choosing the dusty couch underneath the infirmary's wall of bay windows. The light of the rising moon lit their faces, as they tried to fill in the missing pieces.
After a few hours, both had come to what seemed to them a likely scenario. Mikki and Oliver had most likely left the Institute to avenge Jasper, separately. Mikki had probably found the siblings, tried to exact her vengeance, but had been knocked down instead. Oliver's fate was a little harder to discern. He had either succeeded and was making his way back, or had met a fate worse than Mikki's. Derek had hated the way Bridget's eyes had clouded with great concern when speaking of the last option. But, Derek knew words laced with hatred would only make Bridget more upset, so he stowed those feelings. They had both settled into a tense silence after everything to discuss had been discussed, keeping a silent vigil for Mikki with the others. Bridget had kept her own watch, getting up every now and then to look out the windows. Derek had tried his best to ignore her actions, keeping his gaze locked on Mikki's still form. At some point in the night Bridget had settled back down on the couch, soon succumbing to her exhaustion.
Derek looked down at her now. Her face looked so much more uncaring in sleep. Every worry had been smoothed out, the corners of her mouth even seeming to turn up a little bit. He knew, in that moment, that he'd do anything, kill anything that dared to cause her any kind of worry. He'd keep her safe for as long as he could.
Derek had just entertained the idea of actually voicing his new pledge to Bridget, when a familiar warning went off inside his head. The Institute had visitors.
Gently transferring Bridget's head to a pillow, Derek stretched out of his sitting position and made his way over to Vanessa. Despite Olivia's more than adequate role as Mikki's keeper, Vanessa had continued to hover nervously over the mundane throughout the night
"Vanessa." Derek placed a soft hand on the girl's shoulder, alerting her to his prescence; the girl had been quite focused. "We seem to have a few Shadowhunter guests, none that I recognize. I know Mikki will be well taken care of in your absence, and I would really appreciate your help."
Derek saw her silently fight with what she saw as two people needing her immediate help. In the end, she relinquished the whole watch to Olivia, smiling tiredly up at him.
After exiting the infirmary, Derek became aware of the exact locations of each guest. Usually, new Shadowhunters come to the Institute stayed in the entrance hall and waited to be found by one of the current residents. But, on this occasion, one guest seemed to have made their way to the library. A quick discussion between Derek and Vanessa decided that Vanessa would carry on to the entrance hall, while Derek would check out the library. The recent events had each of them feeling cautious, as they went their separate ways.
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Vanessa made her way down the hallways, the lack of sleep making her footsteps anything but silent. If the guest she was meant to greet had ulterior motives, then her position had long ago been given away. She hated the way her mind was turning, already suspecting a fellow Nephilim of evil intentions. It seemed that the siblings would not be easily forgotten.
The entrance hall was deeply shadowed, the grey light of morning only seeping in from outside. Still, Vanessa easily spotted the newcomer when she entered the hall, thanks to her angelically enhanced vision. It was a girl, of about her own age, her luggage by her feet. Vanessa forced a welcoming smile onto her face, as she approached the Shadowhunter.
"Welcome to the Institute," Vanessa said, her voice a tad be scratchy. "I'm Vanessa Stonehollow. What brings you to the New York Institute?"