You've Got A Mail.

Author: TheShiWolf

Title: You've Got Mail

Genre: Romance, Correspondence, Friendship, Slow Build, Hale Family Alive, angst...

Rating: M+

Pairing: Sterek

Disclaimer: Neither the show or characters belong to me, all are the property of MTV and Jeff Davis. Only original characters are MINE.

Summary: Stiles Stilinski is one of the few people left who still likes to write letters, no matter what advanced technology has given us in 2014.

For Stiles, there's nothing like receiving a letter or writing one. Feeling the paper under your hand, letting the ball of your pen glide along the surface, the sound of them both when they make contact with each other. There's a romanticism, a beauty in it that texting or emailing won't ever be able to recreate.

It's with these thoughts in mind, after another very bad and hurtful break-up, and another restless night, that Stiles decides to pick a random place on the map of the United States, and find someone to write to. That's how he ends up finding Derek Hale.

Or

The story where Stiles and Derek are strangers who exchanging letters, fall in love, and wonder if they'll ever meet in real life.

You've Got A Mail.

Chapter One.

His breakup with Kyle Parrish had been awful. In the long list of horrible breakups he'd experienced in the past, this one had been the worst.

Maybe saying yes to the engagement ring Kyle had offered him had been his biggest mistake, Stiles thought, but he'd thought Kyle was the one. He'd put so much hope and feeling into their relationship, and he'd thought they'd wanted the same things; a home, a family, a future. He'd been taken completely off guard when Kyle had come to him a few days before their wedding to not only call it off, but to tell him to pack his shit and go. He'd ended up back in his old bedroom in his father's house, sleeping in a too small bed, devastated and heartbroken.

Five months later, Stiles still hadn't moved on. The wound Kyle had left in his heart still throbbed and bleed, a hemorrhage that wouldn't cauterize. Going to work everyday broke his heart a little more, the kids he taught a reminder that he'd never have a family of his own, and the mothers all offering home made, microwavable dinners accompanied by that infuriating look of pity.

That was the worst part for Stiles, the pity he now inspired in the people around town. He had always been an outcast, the sheriff's strange kid, but never before had people treated him with such understanding judgement. They were at once comforting, saying how horrible Kyle had acted, and hurtful, gossiping about his broken heart. Stiles had found himself biting his tongue more than once, wanting to prove to everyone that he was over it all, that he'd moved on, so they'd leave him alone.

But truthfully, he felt like he was drowning. He decided he needed something new, something completely out of the blue that would be able to take his mind off things, that would allow him to feel something other than constant agony.

That's how he ended up doing something...a little bit crazy.

Stiles Stilinski had always been the kind of person who liked to write letters, no matter what advanced technology had been able to give us throughout the years.

For him there was nothing like receiving a letter, or writing one. Feeling the paper under your hand, letting the ball of your pen glide along the surface, the sound of them both when they make contact with each other. There's a romanticism, a beauty in it that texting or emailing won't ever be able to recreate.

Maybe that's why he decided to do it, or maybe it was the serious lack of sleep he was experiencing, added to that crushing pain inside his heart. He didn't really know where the crazy idea came from but next thing he knew, he was searching google, after blindly pointing to a place on the map of the United States that hung on his bedroom wall and found a name in the city registry for the city he'd chosen.

Derek Hale. The perfect stranger, the perfect 'No One' in his life that Stiles needed.

In a blur he had grabbed paper and a pen and had started to write, not really thinking about it, just letting the words flow, letting out things he didn't even realize were trapped inside him. The letter was of normal size, not too short but not overly long either, just the right amount of words. Folding it, he went to his dad's office to find an envelope to put it in, resolute that he would send it the next afternoon.

He never expected he'd get an answer though.

Derek was busy wrapping things in newspaper, packing boxes and labeling them when his little sister Cora came in through the front door of his apartment, holding what looked like his mail in her left hand.

"Ayo' big bro, how's the packing going? Where's Laura?" Cora greeted him cheerfully.

'That's not normal,' Derek thought, 'Cora's up to something.'

"In the bathroom. Packing is going fine; is that my mail?" He asked her, suspicious.

"Yeah, just some bills and taxes, and someone sent you a letter from Beacon Hills. Who the hell do you already know in Beacon Hills?" She answered, curiosity shining in her chocolate colored eyes.

"No one. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop going through my mail."

"Ooh grumpy I see!" Cora joked.

"No, trying to maintain the little bit of privacy I've still got left."

"Alright here, your mail." Cora said, sighing heavily. She extended her hand towards Derek for him to grab his mail.

Taking hold of the few envelopes he'd received, Derek went through them quickly, putting the bills and taxes on the table to take care of later, and looked down at the blue envelope that was left. Curious about it, he decided he could take a well deserved break, but before he could slip a finger under the flap, his stomach growled, asking for food. A glance at his watch told him it was already past twelve.

Setting the envelope on the kitchen's breakfast bar, he busied himself cooking something quick and filling for himself and his sisters. He could hear them giggling like kids, about God only knows what, though past experience told him it was probably about his grumpy self, in the bathroom. A few minutes later, they joined him in the kitchen, drawn by the delicious smell of food.

"Hmm, smells nice, what are we having, Der-bear?"

"Nothing for you, if you keep calling me that."

"Yeah, right." Laura answered amused, already busy filling plates for her and Cora. Derek wasn't in his right mind if he believed she would ever pass on his cooking.

Sitting down, she couldn't help her curiosity at the letter her baby brother was reading. Cora tried to read over his shoulder but he blocked every attempt until she gave up and went to sit on the other side of the table. Laura waited patiently for Derek to be done reading before snatching the letter from his hands.

"That's mine, Laura."

"Oh please, you would have told me anyway." The woman said, eliciting a small laugh from Cora sitting across from her. "So let see, what have we here."

"It's none of your business." Derek grumbled, trying to take the letter back.

"Oh sweetie, everything that concerns you, Cora , and the boys is my business." She said with a flash of her eyes.

"No, your just a nosy old woman who enjoys making my life miserable." Derek retorted deadpan.

Cora looked at him dumbstruck, while Laura only smiled at him with that creepy smile of hers, then she turned her attention back to the letter in her hands, preparing to read it out loud to Cora. Sighing, Derek wondered what he had done to deserve such infuriating sisters. Where were his brothers when he needed them for moral support? Oh yeah, two of them were in fucking Canada, doing god knows what strange things at that university they'd chosen to go to.

Hey there stranger,

You don't know me, I don't know you, but fate, or something like it, led me to you. I picked your name and address randomly off the Brooklyn city registry.

Truth is, you were what I found when I was looking for something new, someone new, someone unknown. I know this might all seem crazy to you, but what can you expect from someone going through a crisis?!

All I know about you is that you live in New York, the big apple yay \o/, and that your name is Derek Hale. Derek's a really cool name, I've always liked it. In movies and TV shows there's always one BAMF character whose name is Derek, so I think you must be someone BAMF too.

My name is Stiles by the way. It's a nickname that everyone's called me since I was old enough to demand them to. And in case you're wondering my real name sucks and most of the few people that know it can't pronounce it. I'm a teacher. I teach a class of some of the brightest little kids you've ever met, at the local grade school here in Beacon Hills.

What do you do for a living BAMF Derek Hale? Have you always lived in NYC?

As you can probably tell I'm a curious person. I hope me sending you this letter won't offend you. Sometimes when you're really desperate like I am, you tend to do stupid things.

xoxo,

Stiles Stilinski

The long silence that followed Laura and Cora's reading ticked him off, that wasn't a normal attitude for them. Together, they barely shut up, which was a bit scary, cause otherwise Cora was just as stoic and silent a person as he was. Get her next to Laura however, and it was like she had a strange case of schizophrenia and suddenly had multiple personalities, or maybe being their baby sister she had just taken on the more dominant traits of his and Laura's personalities.

"Interesting letter." Laura said, going back to her food.

"Who still writes letters though? That's so last century." Cora said, sipping at her ginger ale.

"Cora, don't be so judgemental, letter writing is a very romantic gesture, and it tells us what kind of person Mystery Writer is. Derek's lucky, I can't remember the last time I received a written letter. Most of the texts I get are less than five words." Cora sent her a very telling look, which made Laura snort a bit.

"Alright..." She said in a low voice, then turned her attention back to her brother. "You're gonna write back, right?"

"What? No. I don't even know hi-that...Stiles." Derek said, trying to look as judgemental as Cora had a few minutes ago.

"What the hell is a Stiles, anyway?" Cora suddenly asked around a bite of her Thai pepper chicken, which resulted in a comical lift of her sister and brother's right eyebrows. Gosh, sometimes even she had troubled believing these two weren't twins. "What?" She said, sighing.

"Cora, honey, just eat your food. Derek, darling... You have to answer that letter." Laura said, in her mother hen voice. Great.

"What? Why?" Derek exclaimed. Why was it that he always felt trapped exactly where Laura seemed to want him?

"Because clearly this person went through a certain amount of trouble to find out your name and address, and to write you a letter. He seems desperate for help and a distraction, and he choose to write to your grumpy sour ass. And because Derek, you're a nice person and nice people answer letters that ask for help. Besides, what pain could it cost you to answer this letter? You don't know, it might even turn out to be a good thing for you, a good way to get your mind off of things."

Laura didn't say it, but Derek was smart enough to understand exactly what she meant by 'off of things', things being his disastrous relationship with Jennifer and the reasons he was being forced to leave New York.

Sighing, he kept looking at his older sister, trying to ignore how funny Cora looked looking at them one after the other as if she was watching a tennis match at Wimbledon.

'What did he have to lose answering some stranger's letter?' He asked himself. And Laura was mostly right, it would distract him from his own problems, and he could help someone who clearly needed it.

"Ugh, alright, I'll think about it." Derek exclaimed, rolling his eyes at Laura's smug face, and Cora's shaking head.

"Aww Der-bear, I know that's your way of saying you'll do it. Now, this dish is delicious, is there more?"

"Yeah, on the stove. I have some more packing to do." Derek answered, getting up from his seat and going back to sorting his belongings into boxes. He'd never thought he'd one day be going through all this again, this time to leave New York. The worst part was that he loved this city, but that was life, and he really couldn't stay here any longer, he needed a fresh start.

Derek tried to busy himself going through his clothes, separating what he'd keep and what he would send ahead to Beacon Hills, but he couldn't shake the thought of the letter from his mind. Who was this guy? How bad could his situation be, that he'd write to a stranger? What was he like as a person? Was he really going to answer the letter? And also, what name could be so horrible that someone would choose to be called Stiles instead. Too many questions and not enough answers, Derek thought.

He could hear Laura and Cora, back to work packing boxes in the bathroom and living room, talking loudly to be heard across the apartment. Derek sighed, a small smile gracing his lips; he would never have been able to get through all this if it hadn't been for the constant support of his sisters. He was really lucky to have them, and strangely it was that thought that helped him make up his mind. Maybe he could help someone take back control of their life with his support and understanding.

He'd answer Stiles' letter tonight before going to bed, he decided. Laura would be sleeping in her bedroom and Cora would be half dead in front of his flat screen, and he wouldn't have to worry about nosy sisters barging in to 'help'.

Dear Stiles,

To say I was surprised to receive your letter is a bit of an understatement; no one's ever sent me a letter like this before, and it took reading it a few times before I finally decided to answer it. (I was also under pressure from my sisters, who were so curious about your mysterious letter that they stole it as soon as I was done reading it to read it themselves, before demanding I write back.)

Anyway, the main reason I decided to answer you is because I felt your desperation. I was very desperate myself until a few months ago, and the thing that helped me was the constant support and sympathetic ears of my family, my sisters especially. They helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel that was my depression and heartache, and to take back control of my life. I think I can be that for you, I'm willing to try.

I don't really know where or how to start, I'm not very good with people to be honest and it's worse with strangers. I've never done anything like this before so I'm sorry in advance if I'm not very good at it.

I guess I should tell you a little about myself.

As you already know, my name's Derek. I'm twenty eight, and I currently live in Brooklyn, New York. I have two sisters and three brothers, two of them are twins. I live with my older sister Laura, and my baby sister Cora, despite having her own small place, spends most of her free time at our apartment. We're a very close family. My twin brothers are younger than Cora and live in Canada now, where they decided to go to college. I don't get why they would want to go that far away when they were accepted to almost all of the universities they applied to, but they seem happy there. My parents live in Oregon with my youngest brother and my uncle and his family, on a large property. Like I said, we're a very close family.

What about you? Do you have siblings? Have you always lived in Beacon Hills?

I don't want to push, but would you like to talk about whatever made you reach out to me? Maybe, I could help.

Hum, I don't really know what else to say, except feel free to ask me questions and I'll try and answer them. I'm a bit shy about talking about myself, to be truly honest, and like I said, this is all new to me.

Well, I think that's it for now, hope to hear from you again,

Sincerely,

Derek H.

PS: Do you often search for strangers on the Internet (which I guess you used to find me) and write letters to them?

PPS: What is your real name? I'm so intrigued! I'm sure it can't be that bad.