"Derek?" Stiles asked as he walked into the abandoned bus depot. He knew the Alpha was here somewhere. "Derek?" He asked again moving forward. He couldn't get the older boy out of his head. He'd come so close to dying tonight, they both had, and something like that tends to put things into perspective. The life Stiles he lived, and the creatures he lived it with, was dangerous and fast paced. One minute everything was fine and the next your at death's door hoping for a miracle, praying to live another day. He couldn't live a life like this and keep everything to himself. Out of all the people mixed up in these things he was the most vulnerable, the most at risk. He couldn't die without being honest about his feelings, both to others and to himself.

"Derek's not here." A sly voice said and Erica rounded the corner. She looked amazing. Despite the Kanima attack and everything that's happened since, she still looks amazing. Before now Stiles would've killed to be in a room with a girl who looked like her but now that he was being honest with himself about his real feelings, he knew that Erica was not the one he wanted. No girl was.

"Where is he?" Stiles asked looking around.

"He's out with Isaac. They're running patrol, looking for the Kanima. What are you doing here Stiles?"

"Just looking for Derek. I'll be going now." He said but when he turned to leave he found the Alpha was blocking his way.

"Why don't you stay for a little while Stiles? Be my Batman." She smirked and stepped forward. A week ago Stiles would've killed for this type of moment, now all he wanted to do was run away.

"No thanks. I've got to go." He was going to lie and say that Scott was waiting for him outside but he stopped himself quickly knowing Erica would know that he was lying. "Bye Erica." He said as he side stepped her and walked away. He knew she'd be able to stop him if she wanted to, but she didn't. Instead she let Stiles walk out of the building her eye's following him out.

Derek sighed as he returned back to his house. He walked up the stairs and down to the room in the house that had been the least damaged by the fire, his bedroom. He couldn't get Isaac's question out of his head. They'd been running patrols when he and Isaac had come across his house and Isaac had asked him why he didn't move. As if moving or rebuilding was the sane or normal thing to do. It probably was. Derek had thought about trying to fix this place up before, and he knew a lot of people wondered why he didn't just bulldoze it and build something better. But the truth was Derek liked living in his ruined house. He felt like it represented him, it represented what he was inside, deep down to his soul. It represented all of his hurt, his pain and it made him remember everything that happened. It made him remember his family, how they died and how it hurt. Yes, rebuilding was probably the normal thing to do. But then again, Derek Hale had never really been normal.

Stiles ran into Derek the next day. When he said ran into, he meant ran into. They were outside the local shopping centre when it happened. Derek had been trying to enter and Stiles had been pushing his shopping cart filled to the brim with various food items when they collided with one another. "Oh my God." Stiles said as he fell down and sprawled on the ground. "Ow." He mumbled and looked up at Derek. Derek was standing over him glaring at him with his big bright green eyes. Stiles tried to ignore the way his heart fluttered at the sight of him and the way it did it again when Derek surprised him. He leaned down slightly and extended his hand to Stiles. Stiles took his hand gratefully and let Derek hoist him up off the ground.

"I heard you came by the depot last night." Derek said letting go of Stiles' hand. Stiles tried not to let the loss he felt when Derek's hand was removed get to him.

"Uh, yeah." Stiles said awkwardly having lost his nerve. Derek was standing so close, so damn close to him that it was hard to concentrate on anything other than the way he smelt and the heat Stiles could feel radiating off him in waves. "I uh-" He began but stopped and looked around, "Can we talk about this later? My dad's waiting for me at home." Derek's eyebrows shot up slightly when he caught Stiles in the lie but he nodded anyway.

"All right. Stop by my place tonight at Midnight. I'll be waiting." He said and then side stepped Stiles and went into the grocery store. Stiles didn't know whether he was relieved or scared to be seeing Derek tonight. Alone. Stiles sighed. He wasn't sure. But he knew he couldn't back out, not now.

A/N: Only the first chapter, it will get better as it goes along.