Okay, this is probably my...second attempt at Sterek? Though, it is the first I've decided to upload. Maybe I'll upload the other one at another time. :
Anyway, this is rated T because...there are about two or three curse words? And of course Stiles and Derek kissing a bit. ;o

It starts off...kind of in Scott's POV, then goes to Derek's near the end...I promise, it's a tolerable read. XD

Anything written /in the slashes/ is supposed to be italicized, but I may have missed it when I looked it over on Microsoft Word (this was originally written on my iPod).

Okay, enjoy? c:

It's only the tenth of December, but still-the snow should have been falling. Kim Harts is the weather woman for Beacon Hills, but she hasn't been doing a very good job predicting the weather patterns at all. She's predicted snow for almost every day in December, and Scott has yet to see a single snowflake.

Somehow, he's not exactly sure and doesn't exactly know how, but he thinks Stiles is tied to the snow. In the past years, starting when he was seven, when he wished for the snow to come, it would just...magically start snowing. Like Jack Frost was ready to make the winter in Beacon Hills a nice one, but only if Stiles asked for it. Like the snow is waiting to hear Stiles call for it.

This year, Stiles is stuck at school. Scott, Allison, Isaac, and Erica all attended BHCC, which was only about an hour and a half long drive out of Beacon Hills, so coming home for the holidays was easy.

Boyd and Danny went to college in Nevada, an entire state over, for technology and computer things, Scott guessed. It would be a longer drive, but they'd make it home too. Even Lydia and Jackson, who are smart and rich enough to go to college in New York, are scheduled to fly home for Christmas.

But Stiles, who was studying in Washington, was stuck at school. Scott had received about ten apology texts and one call about it-sorry, the snow's bad, can't make it home-and he had to constantly remind Stiles that it was okay, it wasn't his fault, things like that.

You aren't mad, right?

Please tell me you aren't mad, dude, because that would totally be not okay.

I officially hate snow. You think if I just stuck a flamethrower on the front of my Jeep, I could drive right through it?

Scott's only reply was "please don't do that", and an explanation as to why the festivities would just have to be ten times better next year, or during spring break.

That's why Scott had the feeling, that one of mixed emotions where he doesn't know what to do with his face besides sit there and stare, and that feeling was telling him not to expect snow this Christmas.

Erica and Isaac were at his house not even a week later, Isaac grinning like mad and Erica waving a small, seasonally decorated, envelope in his face, and his nose was scrunched from it. "Peppermint scented?" he had asked them when he accepted the envelope. "Really?" He waved the scent away with his free hand.

"Allison and Lydia thought it'd be 'a nice touch'," she said, using her fingers to quote her words. "Trust me, the run here was definitely not fun. The smell is way too strong, it'll be in my jacket for weeks." She held open her jacket and Scott saw the tips of the envelopes stashed away in the inside pocket.

Isaac laughed at her, which got him an elbow in the ribs. "Oh," he said, rubbing at the spot Erica hit. "Don't forget to bring your mom. She makes great brownies." Scott just rolled his eyes, along with Erica, before he stuffed the invitation into his back pocket.

"Great? I guess? What's this even for?" he asked, patting his rear.

"Party at Derek's on Christmas Eve," Erica said. "Read inside for more details, courtesy of Lydia."

Scott just nodded to himself. "Derek is actually letting you throw a party at his house?" he asked, looking between the beta pups on his doorstep. They shared a look of "not exactly", and Scott just sighed. The Hale house was only recently restored, and they were planning a party there already? Derek is gonna kill them. "Okay, well," Scott started another conversation, scratching at the back of his neck. "Who's gonna tell Derek that Stiles can't make it home?"

The blondes looked from each other to Scott almost a dozen times, shifting where they stood and biting their lips, eyes flitting from one thing to another, until Isaac said, "We were hoping you would tell him?" There was a hint of questioning to his voice that Scott didn't like. They both stared, waiting for an answer, until Scott's shoulders sagged and he agreed he'd be the one to tell Derek the bad news.

Once Erica and Isaac left, Scott felt his stomach churn and he realized he really didn't want to be the one to tell Derek about Stiles. He practically fell into the chair at the dining table, groaning to himself for a few minutes, before he pulled out the envelope and tore it open. The little card inside was on the verge of spewing glitter, with paper ornaments and ribbons and snowflakes, all glittered, rest assured, on the front of it, surrounding the words "you're invited".

He flipped it open, and suddenly there was nothing but neat handwriting all over every inch of the card.

Dear Scott,

You're invited to the Hale Of A Time Christmas Party! It's set to take place on Christmas Eve at the Hale manor, starting at four p.m. and going until you decide you want to leave.

Mandatory requirements:

You must bring one dish or dessert.
You must wear red, green, and white.
You must wear a Santa hat or reindeer antlers, elf ears are acceptable.

Also, I (Lydia) have decided to do a Secret Santa sort of thing, so you have to bring a gift. You are a Secret Santa to Jackson. And tell Melissa that she is the Secret Santa for John Stilinski, okay?

Following Lydia's writing is "Hope you can make it!" printed in the bottom right hand corner. Scott's mouth is hanging open a little, something he didn't realize was actually happening, and suddenly he was terrified of what he was going to wear to stay on Lydia's good side, and not on what Derek would do when he found out Stiles wasn't coming.

He sighed and cursed himself for thinking of Derek, because now he was worried about what he was going to say.

See, no one thought it would happen, or maybe everyone did, but Stiles and Derek started dating. Probably...a month after Jackson turned and joined the Pack, and they've been going strong since. It's been about a year. So how do you tell a guy that his boyfriend isn't coming home for Christmas?

And thinking back to Jackson...how do you buy a gift for someone who's rich enough to have everything?

He needed to sleep.

He walked over to the refrigerator and pinned the invitation there with a magnet. If he was lucky, his mom would be so tired from work that she wouldn't see it, and he wouldn't have to listen to her chat up the girls at the party about all of the embarrassing things he did as a kid.

He was kind of shattered when he could hear her reading over the words on the card while he was trying to sleep.

Christmas Eve rolled around a little faster than he had expected.

The texts from Stiles were few and far between, ranging from "the snow is letting up!" to "another eight inches and a lot of ice, just what I want for Christmas" to "save me some eggnog and cookies!". He didn't know what he was supposed to tell Derek anymore.

Before he could think, he was standing in the full-body mirror his mom had and looking at himself. A dark green sweater with a red t-shirt underneath it and beige dress pants, topped off with a reindeer antler headband. He looked ridiculous, and couldn't help the pout on his face, even when Melissa cooed, "you look so handsome".

She was wearing a red dress with a long green scarf, white boots, and a Santa hat, putting little bell earrings in each ear when she stood beside him in the mirror. She had that nervous look on her face, and Scott knew she was going to be awkward.

She and the Sheriff were in on the whole werewolf thing now-they knew pretty much every detail of the past few years. She was nervous, though, because now she had to hang around with the entire pack, and she's never done that before. "Mom, you'll be fine," Scott reassured her, and her only response was a nod.

She went downstairs and Scott listened as he heard the rustling of her jacket, followed by the slight crinkle of wrapping paper and the crunch of the aluminum foil covering her brownies. Scott left, too, sliding into his room and grabbing the small present he got for Jackson and smiling at it before he joined his mom and they left for the party.

Scott parked on the grass (he'd apologize to Derek later) when they got to the Hale house. Lydia's creativity had spread from inside the house to the outside, where almost every tree had lights and ornaments strung up in them, and there were even lights marking the path to the front door.

Sheriff Stilinski arrived at basically the same time as Scott and Melissa had, and he got out of the car to meet them. "Let me give you a hand," he said, extending his arms to take the tray of brownies from Melissa.

"Well, thanks, John," she smiled, handing over the tray. He put his own plate of...Scott couldn't tell what, but could smell peanut butter, on top of her tray, and the three of them headed for the door.

Even without snow, the air was cold enough to where they could see their breath in small puffs before them. They headed up the stairs, Scott taking the four-step staircase two at a time, and before they could even knock, Lydia swung the door open and welcomed them in. "Scott, you look...nice," she said, smiling politely. "Melissa, you look wonderful!" She gave Melissa a little hug before she welcomed the Sheriff, and pointed the three in the direction of the food table and the present table. "Put everything down over there," she pointed. "Ah, where is Stiles?"

John opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing, just as Derek approached. "Sheriff, Ms. McCall," he greeted. His fake smile was on his lips, the one he used only for other adults, and he shook hands with the two. There was an awkward pause before Derek asked "Is Stiles coming?"

John shook his head and gave a quiet "sorry Derek", before he and Melissa headed for the food and gift tables.

Scott pretended not to notice Derek's face drop, and he pretended not to see the gift in Derek's hand disappear into his pocket.

About an hour in, Derek was really getting sick of the party. No, scratch that, he was sick of it when he found out that Stiles was stuck in Washington.

He stuffed himself with brownies and cookies and candy canes while he watched everyone open their gifts. "Who wants to start us off?" Lydia asked, standing by the gift table while everyone gathered around. When no one stepped up, she turned and grabbed a big present, wrapped in light blue, somewhat glittery, wrapping paper. "Fine, I'll go. I am Boyd's Secret Santa!" She almost jumped for joy when Boyd stood from his seat on the floor and accepted her gift.

He only tore the paper once and a big white sweater was already hanging out from the spot. Boyd removed it and held it up by the shoulders, showing the room, and Lydia clapped. He smiled at her and she gestured for him to put it on-the thing was probably three sizes too big, and made him look like a well-dressed marshmallow. "You have to wear it for the rest of the night," Lydia said, pointing a finger at him. "Now present your gift."

He laughed, a nervous sound, and scanned over the table until he found his gift-a small red box tied up in a white ribbon. "Erica," was all he said, as he held out the box to a standing blonde. She pulled the end of the ribbon until it came free, opening the box slowly, and before anyone else could see what it was, her arms were around Boyd's neck and she was hugging him tight. When they pulled away, she took out a necklace; something like a heart made up of diamonds on a silver chain, which Boyd put around her neck and latched for her.

He moved back and sat on the floor and it was Erica's turn to gift. "Little miss Allison," she sang, pulling a box from the table and holding it out. Allison was at her side in a second, tearing up the snowman-patterned wrapping paper and revealing a pair of black boots, along with a pair of flower-like earrings. Allison hugged Erica, and the blonde sat back down, and Derek rolled his eyes.

Who's the idiot that thought "Secret Santa" would be a fun idea anyway?

"My present," Allison said, picking up a rectangular box, "is for Lydia." Lydia made a small "aw" sound before she stood and took the gift, tore the red paper, and opened a white box to some sort of little blue dress that must have been fashionable (though Derek thought it looked ridiculous), and Lydia squeed before giving Allison a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek. "And since I already went, I'll pick someone else to go," Lydia said, hugging the dress to her chest. "Jackson, sweetie?" she said before taking her seat again.

Jackson was up and groaning, digging through the gifts that were left until he found a big white box, which he tossed to Isaac. The blond shrugged and opened the box, and after digging through enough tissue paper to irritate everyone in the room, he pulled out a key, and his expression turned to confusion. "I don't need my old convertible anymore, so go crazy," Jackson said, waving his hands around.

"You're giving me a car?" Isaac asked, and when Jackson just nodded, the blond went right into puppy dog mode and his eyes were bright and happy. He got up and sifted through the table's remaining presents until he found the gold wrapping paper and picked it up, holding it out toward Danny. "Merry Christmas," he said, and Derek almost scoffed at his immensely puppy-like look.

Danny was up and tearing the paper until the box was visible, and everyone was in awe over the brand new camera that Isaac bought. Danny moved and hugged Isaac, thanked him, and then found his gift for Scott and gave it to said brunet. Scott unwrapped it fairly quickly, gaining his own puppy-like look, and pulled out a small box. "Cologne?" Scott asked, sniffing the box.

"It's Armani," Danny said, and suddenly Scott's face twisted, and Derek could tell he was having some sort of flashback moment in his head.

But then it was over and Scott said "Thanks, I like it!" before he turned and picked up Jackson's gift and handed it to him. "Merry Christmas, Jackson," Scott smiled.

"If it's stupid, I'll kill you, asswipe," the other teen sneered. He should have known it was going to be terrible when Scott tried to hold in his laughter and took a step back. Jackson lifted reindeer antlers and a big red nose from the box, and Derek had to admit that even he almost laughed at Jackson's face.

"You have to wear them for the rest of the party," Lydia made sure to mention, and Jackson angrily accepted his duty as Rudolph for the night. "That just leaves...Melissa and John," Lydia smiled, and forced the parents to step up and exchange gifts.

Melissa opened her gift to a pair of diamond earrings and a matching necklace, which Lydia examined and approved, and John was given a small box filled with gift cards-twenty dollars off gas at the local gas station, fifty dollars off the next Wal-Mart purchase, and one for three free coffees from Starbucks. They hugged, and everything was done. No more gifts being exchanged.

Everyone was back up and playing music, dancing, eating, drinking, chatting. Derek was sitting in an armchair at the back of the party, watching everything, and the gift in his pocket felt cold.

Another few hours passed and it was getting dark outside.

Melissa and John had already left, each claiming they needed some sleep, along with Jackson, who was probably just sick of his having to walk around like a humanized reindeer. Isaac left and was probably speeding around town in his new car, while Erica and Boyd wanted some "alone time" and disappeared. Derek never saw Danny leave, but he was definitely gone.

The music was shut off and the loud chit chat and laughter died down to Lydia and Allison chatting and giggling about gifts and Christmas memories, and Scott had a tall glass of eggnog, which he sipped at while he tried to make conversation. "Sorry about Stiles," he said, grabbing a leftover cookie and biting into it.

His life was turning into a movie. He was the kid left all alone at a dance, feeling like he was stood up on an important date, wishing he'd never even agreed to doing the whole party thing. He wasn't going to say "could this day get any worse", because that would just mean that everything that was wrong would somehow get worse, and that was definitely not what he needed.

Instead he focused on the decorations around the living room and kitchen, and wondered why he ever agreed to let Lydia decorate. Taking the lights down wouldn't be a problem, no, but the redhead used so much glitter that he was positive he'd still be scraping some out of the cracks of the floor boards in February.

A loud sound cut through his train of thought, a sort of sputtering low growl that was a little too familiar, and Derek was out of his chair, looking out of the window that looked over the driveway, and suddenly he was out the door. The door of the blue monstrosity creaked open and Stiles hopped out, cheeks and nose a light pink as his breath puffed around him and he shoved his hands into his sweatshirt pocket.

"Did I miss the eggnog?" he asks, and Derek rolls his eyes before he walks up and pulls Stiles closer to kiss him. Derek's lips are a little dry, but warm, and Stiles smiles before he pulls away. "And where the hell is all the snow?"

Before he can say anything else, Derek is taking off his little black beanie and his eyebrows pull together. "Your hair," Derek says. It's not the buzzcut he had when he left, it's longer and styled in a little quiff, and Derek can't stop his fingers from running over it.

Stiles just smiles, the upward quirk of his lips a little crooked and a new level of attractive, before he laughs. "Yeah, my hair does grow. That happens to a lot of people, or so I've heard," he says, and he's practically beaming when Derek smiles back and tells him to shut up.

So when Derek and Stiles ask later, Scott will pretend he didn't see them kiss. He'll pretend he didn't hear Stiles say "did you think I'd really leave you alone for Christmas, Sourwolf?" and hear Derek chuckle. And he'll pretend he never noticed that when Stiles came home, it started to snow.

Wasn't so bad, right? ;P

So BHCC stands for Beacon Hills Community College (I made it up, lol), and...anything else you may not understand, you can message me about or something, idk. XD

Thanks for reading~