A/N: First Teen Wolf fic, yay! Enjoy :D

IN THIS CHAPTER: Character death and grief

...

So hum hallelujah

Just off the key of reason

I thought I loved you

It was just how you looked in the light

A teenage vow in a parking lot

'Til tonight do us part

I sing the blues

And you swallow them too

- Hum Hallelujah / Fall Out Boy

...

FLAME

Derek doesn't even remember that he has the meeting until ten o'clock the night before when he hears his sister tell his parents that they'll be home late from school. His relationship with Kate has been heating up, and with it everything else is starting to fade to the background. It's a wonder that he made it through AP's and state tests, but now it's June and school's almost over and he can't wait until the summer when it will be a lot easier for him to spend time with Kate without getting caught.

She may or may not be four years older than him, and he has a feeling that his parents wouldn't approve. And she's an Argent. Apparently they have history with that family that goes back hundreds of years. Yes, her dad is a bigoted asshole who has sworn to eradicate their kind, but she's sure as hell not, and from his very limited experience with her brother it seems like he's not either.

The issue is that it's their six month anniversary, and they've decided that Kate will pick him up from school for a surprise. Probably something ending with hot, passionate sex, because almost everything they do ends with hot, passionate sex. Laura isn't a big fan of Kate, but she reluctantly agrees to cover for him.

But, no. He has to go to the goddamn information meeting for athletes planning to play sports in the fall. Absolutely mandatory or you can't tryout. They even start it an hour after school ends so that all the eighth graders planning to try out for the freshman teams can get to the school.

He sends Kate an overly-apologetic text message, and can't sleep that night because he never gets a response from her. The next day he sneaks off to the bathroom during lunch to call her, and she answers on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kate, it's Derek."

"Oh, hey, sweetie. Aren't you at school?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to check in with you and see if you got my message. And apologize a thousand more times."

"You didn't get a reply from me? I could've sworn…freaking shitty phone. Anyway, it's totally fine. Can I pick you up when you get finished?"

"Of course, yes, that would be great. Oh my God, I would seriously just not play in the fall, but my parents would absolutely lose it, and then—"

"Der, it's fine, I promise. Just text me fifteen minutes before it ends and I'll be there when you're finished, and then we can go. It shouldn't make too much of a difference, and you definitely need to play in the fall. The things that varsity workouts do to your body is worth having to start a date a little late, hun. I can't have you getting soft on me now, can I?"

Derek just shakes his head before remembering that he's on the phone and she can't see it. "So you're absolutely sure that it's okay and one hundred percent aware that you're the most important thing in my life and I plan on it staying that way?"

"One hundred percent on both counts."

"Okay. I should get back to school because I'll get detention if I'm late to another class and God knows that that is the last thing we need. See you after the meeting?"

"Yep, see you then! Love you."

"Love you too." Derek hangs up the phone.

Now just to get through the rest of this stupid school day.

…

4:00.

Derek shoves his phone back into his pocket and Laura turns toward him to shoot him a glare. This is probably the fifth time he's checked the time in less than five minutes. She doesn't even need to be here because she's a senior and she'll be gone next year, but they need to leave the school at the same time for the cover story to work, therefore she's with him, an AP Calculus textbook on her lap.

He so owes her for this and he knows it.

He's sitting there, more of his attention on resisting the urge to check his phone again than what's going on in the meeting, when pain rips through him like he's never experienced in his life. Everything hurts, and he doubles over and tries (and probably fails) to not look like he's dying. Several people, including Laura, give him concerned looks, but then she's down too, and this must be some crazy werewolf shit. Fantastic. It lasts for ten excruciating minutes that feel like hours before it subsides to a throbbing headache. Laura puts away her homework and glares at him.

"What?" he snaps, and she rolls her eyes before sending a message to their mother.

Both Derek and I just feel like we suddenly got hit by an eighteen wheeler or something: excruciating pain and then these headaches. Is something going on?

She doesn't get a response, which makes them both think something's going on. He's a little worried, but he has to sit through this stupid meeting, and then Kate…

His phone starts vibrating in his pocket and he pulls it out to see a call from a number he doesn't recognize. He hits the ignore button and looks at the time before shoving it back in his pocket.

4:27.

His phone vibrates again. Same number. He still ignores it. And then it rings again.

Fed up, he whispers a harsh, "Be right back," to Laura and goes out in the hall, where he takes the call.

"Yes?"

A clinical voice he doesn't recognize asks, "Have I reached Derek Hale?"

Derek heaves a sigh. "Yes. This is my cell phone. Who is this?"

"Of course, just making sure. This is Dr. Coyer from Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital…"

He doesn't even feel himself slide to the floor.

…

The meeting ends just after five and Laura is furious when she finds Derek sitting on the floor in the hallway, staring into space.

"Derek, what the fuck! I sit through this stupid information meeting so that I can cover your stupid ass so you can meet with your stupid girlfriend and you ditch me?"

"Kate's not stupid," he says without thinking. Thinking isn't exactly something he's capable of right now.

"That's all you have to say to me right now? Really, Derek?"

He doesn't respond, just stares at the same locker he's been staring at for thirty minutes, and Laura keeps talking.

"You know what, fuck you. I've succeeded in wasting almost three hours here with you when my unit project for calc is due tomorrow and my head is still pounding so hard that even looking at math makes me want to die. Hopefully you can figure something out with Kate, because I'm not doing shit for you."

She's about to make a dramatic exit when Derek mutters, "Oh my God, that's what that was. It must be some kind of werewolf family thing."

Laura stops in her tracks. "You know what happened? Did you get in touch with mom or something?"

He still doesn't make eye contact with her, but replies with, "No, it's just when you said that it clicked. Oh my God." He pulls his knees toward him and lays his head on top.

"Okay, Derek, what the hell is wrong with you? What's going on?"

"That feeling in the meeting? It's some kind of connection based on being a family pack, because it happened at the same time that our entire family burned."

And then he gets up and he sprints off because he knows he's about to break, and a random hallway in Beacon Hills High School is not where he wants that to happen.

…

Unfortunately Child Protective Services shows up before he can escape. Laura's nineteen, so they can temporarily transfer custody of him to her, but it still requires lots of discussions and paperwork. He calls Kate, but she doesn't answer, so he leaves her a message explaining what's going on. She's probably mad at him because their plans are completely fucked at this point, but he didn't have a choice with CPS and even if he did…his entire family just died…violently. The Hale's are a decently sized family (he has two other sisters: Cora and Anna), but they had extended family in town as well. And for once everyone was home except for Derek and Laura. Laura's still mad at him, now for not telling her immediately, and all he wants is Kate. He keeps sending her text messages, knowing that he probably seems desperate as hell, but he gets no response from her. Maybe something came up with her family too?

Laura and the social worker finally come out of the DSS office. Laura's eyes are puffy and red and she has a manila folder in one hand. The social worker walks over to Derek, and he slips his phone into his pocket and tries to look like he's not completely falling apart.

"Your sister said that you'll be eighteen in a few months?"

He nods.

"Okay, then we can probably just give her informal custody. She will have to work with the court to gain access to her portion of the Hale estate, but until then we'll put you in a temporary apartment furnished by the Department of Social Services. We've already contacted the school, and we'd like to see you again tomorrow to go over some legal stuff. Is that okay?"

Derek nods again and they leave, Laura grabbing his hand on the way. He gives her a look, and she tries to sound snarky as she says, "All we have is each other, get over it," but her voice cracks at the end.

He doesn't trust himself to respond.

...

A/N: Yes I know this is a little AU because apparently the fire happened at seven something. I wasn't aware of that when I first started writing this, and then I loved the idea I had too much to change it. I hope it's not too bothersome.

Feedback's appreciated if you liked it ;) Or even if you didn't.