Title: Hindsight - I

Author: tmjohn72

Rating: T

A/N - This took me a bit longer to write that I had planned. I had a group of ideas but had issues putting them into the story in a way that made me happy. At one point I had over 4,000 words and I just deleted it all and started over. That is a difficult thing to do but I believe it was worth it. So at last, here is chapter 1 of my continuation of "Foresight."

Stiles had always known his father to be a man with a deep sense of responsibility toward his job. He had memories of his father leaving for the night shift while his mother prepared to tuck him in for bed going as far back as he could remember. Stiles was amazed by his father. He was dedicated and intelligent, two necessary qualities for the town Sheriff. He was also aware that the dedication and intelligence came with a downside, especially when it came to important things like eating a healthy meal when there was work to be done.

"Stiles? Is everything okay?" The surprise on his face was valid. They hadn't made a plan for him to visit the department that night.

His father's eyes moved from his son to the lunch box in his hand. His eyes seemed to gloss over as the list of possible contents worked through his mind. A stack of paperwork sat next to him and a separate stack was on the other side, tiny in comparison. It didn't require effort to figure out which stack still needed to be worked on.

"I figured you might be hungry since I haven't seen you since yesterday."

"I'm sorry. I've been getting caught up on some paperwork."

Stiles nodded as though he understood. He placed the lunch box right in front of his father and then took a seat in the empty chair. "Which is why I'm not leaving until you eat two of the six things that are in there."

"Stiles..."

"You need to nourish your brain if you want to catch the bad guys."

His father relented. They had been having the same discussion since Stiles was old enough to drive and he knew it would be useless to try resist. His hands fumbled with the zipper and when he opened it he scanned the contents inside.

"You don't seem all that excited."

"It's great. I was just hoping for a steak and some french fries."

"Were you hoping for the triple bypass too?"

"You get that attitude from your mother." Stiles just rolled his eyes at the cheap attempt to distract him.

"I made you a ham sandwich on multigrain wheat bread. I also tossed in some trail mix, a granola bar that tastes like peanut butter, and two different types of grapes."

"Thank you," he managed to say, before pulling out the bag of grapes. He ate two and then ignored the way his son was smiling at him for giving in.

"I'm surprised you even have time to see me tonight. Shouldn't you be hanging out with Derek and the rest of the pack?"

Stiles shrugged. "They're trying to get ready for the full moon tomorrow. I'm keeping my distance so that they don't chew on my bones."

"If they're that dangerous I should..."

"No! Dad, we talked about this. If they feel threatened they'll attack, no matter who it is. They're extremely vulnerable during the full moon and Derek is trying his best to help them get accustomed to the effects it has on them."

"How is Derek able to handle it?"

"His family taught him. Trust me, everything is going to be fine."

"I hope so. I would feel a lot better if I knew that precautions were being made. More bodies turning up in the forest is all I need right now."

Stiles watched as his father shoved two more grapes into his mouth. He was trying to hide the stress but it was clearly visible. "Dad, are you alright?"

"I'm great."

"You're lying to me. Something has you stressed out."

"The Mayor. He's made a few comments about the rise in deaths over the last year and a half and he seems to think I'm not doing enough to protect people. The people in this town love him and if he makes enough noise I won't stand a chance at re-election in two years."

"Good thing you have a pack of werewolves on your side."

A knock at the door immediately disrupted their conversation. The door opened and one of the deputies stepped in. "Excuse me, Sheriff. I have someone at the front that is demanding to speak with you about a missing person."

"Show her to the conference room. I'll be right there."

The deputy nodded and then vanished back to wherever he came from. Stiles stood and met his father's eyes. "Promise me that you're going to eat."

"I promise, kid. Now get out of here."

Stiles made it all the way to the jeep before he realized his phone was missing. He returned to the office and found it on the floor against one of the chair legs. Picking it up, he immediately shoved it into his pocket before heading back. He came to a stop when he approached the conference room. The door was slightly open and he was able to hear the woman inside.

"...where did you last see Mr. Hughes?"

"I saw him two weeks ago. He told me that he had business here in Beacon Hills."

"Do you know who with?"

"I'm not sure." Stiles sensed the hesitation in her words and he immediately knew that she was lying. He heard his father sigh and he took that to mean that he had figured it out as well.

"What kind of work did Mr. Hughes do?"

"He was a traveling salesman. What difference does that make?"

"Quite a bit. We need to be able to determine whether he arrived in town and left or if he's still here. I realize these questions can be invasive but they really can provide insight into the people we're trying to locate. Please try to answer every question that you can."

"Fine. Just find my fiancé."

"We're going to do everything we possibly can. Do you have a photograph?"

"Yes," she said, and Stiles heard the sound of objects hitting against the table. Since he wasn't able to see her, he assumed that she was dumping the contents of her purse. When a deputy walked by and gave him an odd look he knew that it was time to leave.

"This is your fiancé?" His father's voice was an octave higher than normal. He returned to his spot beside the door once he was sure that no one else was around.

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"He looks familiar to me. What type of products does he sell?"

"He contracts weapons to law enforcement officials. He also contracts with other companies that do the same."

Stiles knew in that moment that the man she was looking for was a Hunter. He did the math in his head and he knew that they were in trouble.

"I know of someone that contracts firearms and supplies to our department. I'll begin my search with him. May I hold onto this photograph?"

"Of course."

"Where are you going to be staying?"

"The Highland Motel just outside of town. Here's my phone number."

Stiles was able to faintly hear the sound of the paper sliding across the table. "If you find anything out please keep me informed. I'm the only family he has and I need to know that some type of progress is being made."

When the door suddenly opened Stiles felt a sudden sense of panic. He walked away quickly but he was sure that they had both seen him and knew what his reaction meant. "Can I have a deputy drive you to the motel?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I drove here. Thank you for seeing me, Sheriff."

Stiles waited in his father's office though it didn't take long for him to arrive. "We have a problem."

"I know. It can't be a coincidence that the fiancé of the guy that tried to kill the pack is here looking for him just as the full moon hits. I just don't understand why she would come see you."

"Maybe she doesn't now about werewolves and what he really did?"

"I doubt it. I think she knows exactly what happened to him and for whatever reason she's trying to get you involved. She must have figured out that you knew what happened to him. She was trying to freak you out on purpose."

"You think she's trying to send the pack a message?"

"Yeah, I just don't know what the message is. I need to talk to Derek."

"I'm going with you."

"I don't think so. Normally I would be fine with you tagging along but tomorrow night is the full moon. They're already feeling the pull and it's making them edgy."

"So it's safe for you to go there alone?"

"They know my scent and they know I won't hurt them. Derek will be there and he'll have control."

His father folded his arms over his chest. They both knew that he was going to win the argument and his father was just going to have to deal with it, but it didn't mean his father had to be happy about it.

"Just be careful, okay?"

"They won't hurt me. I'm the First Lady, remember?"

That made his father smile. He lowered his arms to his side and some of the tension visibly slipped away. "I thought you told me never to call you that again."

"Yeah, you can't. I can call myself whatever I want."

"Whatever you say, Your Highness."

"I'll call you when we have a plan. You should act like it's a normal case and look into it."

"Won't that draw attention to a missing person?"

"Yes, but if she doesn't know that your son is dating the Alpha you not doing anything will make her suspicious. It's better to keep up appearances. Start with Chris Argent after you finish your food."

He left as quickly as he could, but his father's words of protest were audible until he made it to the front desk.

As he parked the jeep he had the thought that he was making a very bad decision. The truth was that he knew from personal experience just how touchy werewolves were around the full moon. He would have to rely on his own instincts to keep them safe because he had the feeling that if anything could make Derek lose touch with his anchor, it would be one of the pack accidentally hurting his mate. Scott and Issac met him before he could get inside the building.

"What are you doing here?"

"I have to talk to Derek."

"He wants you to leave. Boyd and Erica aren't doing so well with with the upcoming transformation."

"I know it's a bad time. I wouldn't be here if it weren't necessary." They both shared a look and then Isaac moved out of the way so that he could enter. The first thing that Stiles noticed was that the place smelled different. It wasn't an all out stench but it was definitely a warning that something abnormal was going on. When he was visible to everyone both Boyd and Erica they tensed up.

"Who let him in?," he heard Derek ask, as he emerged from the train. Stiles did his best to avoid drooling at the sight of him and he chalked his desire to jump Derek on his hormones and having nothing to do with the full moon. When he caught Derek staring at him for a long second he smirked.

"He said it's important."

"Stiles, you're making them agitated," Isaac warned, and he was suddenly aware that Isaac and Scott were standing on each side of him.

"I was bringing my dad some dinner at the station tonight. A woman showed up looking for her fiancé. She's trying to find the Hunter that we killed in the forest."

"Is she a Hunter too?"

"I'm not sure. I definitely think that she knows what kind of work he did. I just can't figure out why she'd go to the Sheriff's department to file a report"

"It could be to keep up appearances. She might have also been testing your father to see if he knew anything about werewolves and Hunters."

"He stayed calm. I don't think he gave anything away."

"We should check the body to be sure he's preserved."

"Why? If there were something to find it would have turned up by now. Right?"

"We need to be sure there isn't anything to find," Derek said. It was then that Stiles met Erica's eyes. They held the same spirit that they usually had but there was a look that told Stiles she was losing focus about who he was. It gave him the creeps to think that they could flip out and kill him and while he knew deep down that none of them wanted to, it didn't take away the threat of it happening thirteen times a year.

"Fine. I'm going with you."

"No. It will be good for Erica and Boyd to be able to roam the forest without the possibility of hurting anyone."

"They won't hurt me. I'm going."

Derek glared at him. "Last I was aware I was still the Alpha."

Stiles nodded. "Yes, you're the big bad Alpha. That means you have dominion over the werewolves. I'm not a werewolf, ergo I have free dominion over myself."

"Stiles, I'm not going to argue with you."

"Then it's settled. Scott and Isaac are with me and we'll meet you guys there."

Derek nodded after a moment of thinking. Thrilled that he had won two arguments in less than an hour, Stiles knew it was time to get out of there before Derek could change his mind. He drove Isaac and Scott to a spot at the edge of the forest. It was a dog park during the day so there was ample parking, especially since it was night and there weren't any other cars around.

"How far do we have to go? I was kind of out of it that night."

"Not that far. I'm already picking up the scent of blood. Your blood." Stiles met Isaac's eyes and he was surprised how uncomfortable he was.

"Isaac, are you alright?," Scott asked. He was thankful that he wasn't the only one that noticed it.

"Yeah, I'm good. It's just the smell of Stiles' blood. It makes me feel like I need to protect him or something. Don't you feel it?"

Scott shook his head. "It isn't like I'm compelled to protect him. I do it because he's my friend."

"Stupid pack dynamics. Let's hurry up and make sure the body is still buried so that I can let my dad know that everything is still contained."

Stiles allowed Scott and Isaac to both lead him deeper into the forest. He felt like he was about to have a heart attack as three figures emerged from the trees and only when he recognized the glowing red eyes as Derek's did he remember to take a moment to breathe. "Jeez! Are you guys trying to give the human a heart attack?"

"I told you that you shouldn't come," Derek said, proud of himself.

"Besides, you aren't exactly human, right? How is that going, anyway?"

"Deaton and Lydia are still working on figuring it all out but they aren't having much luck. Wait, where's Jackson?"

"You just now noticed he isn't here?"

"Shut up. I was too busy drooling over Derek to notice that he wasn't around." Even in the darkness Stiles thought he could see the corner of Derek's lips curve into a smile.

"He's with Lydia."

Stiles froze. "Is that a good idea? This is his first transformation on the full moon."

"He'll be locked up with the rest of us during the transformation," Isaac said.

When they walked through a large grouping of trees Stiles was surprised to see that it led to a clearing. There were six holes in the ground with mounds of dirt piled next to each one. Stiles pushed his way past Isaac and Scott and ignored the way that Boyd and Erica both sniffed the air when he moved closer to them. They seemed calm but Stiles was anything but.

"Please tell me someone didn't dig up the pieces of Hunter that were buried here. Anyone?"

"Someone didn't dig up the pieces of the Hunter that were buried," a male voice said. It sent chills down Stiles' spine, especially when the owner of the voice emerged from the trees across the clearing with his fiancé. Derek immediately let out a growl and the pack began to spread out. Even Erica and Boyd seemed to be suddenly in control again as they both stared into the eyes of their enemies.

The first thing that Stiles noticed after the shock of the completely healed Hunter was that neither of them had any weapons. One look at the woman gave Stiles an eerie feeling but he couldn't place what it meant. "You led us into a trap," Boyd growled.

"Hey, this isn't my fault," he said, though he knew it wasn't exactly true.

"What do you want?," Derek asked, and his eyes flashed red. The Hunter and his fiancé, if she really was that to him, seemed unimpressed.

"We've lured you here to kill one another. Normally it wouldn't be possible for me to inflict that much control over a pack of werewolves but we're in luck. You're all under the pull of the full moon and I happen to be able to draw power from it for my spell."