Disclaimer- I do not own anything Teen Wolf related.
It was the moment that he left his life in my hands that I began to wonder.
Wonder why he'd do such a thing. Wonder, if there had been anyone else, would he have chosen them? I didn't ask, mainly because I wanted to keep my face from being his punching bag. But then he asked me to cut off his arm, and I realized that he was the most intense person I'd probably ever meet. Then he passed out and I didn't have time to wonder anymore.
...
It was the moment I woke up, and saw him watching me, eyes so fierce and afraid, that I wondered. Wondered if I really trusted him. I hadn't trusted anyone since Laura. Yet here he was, willing to do anything I asked. I'd trusted him this far, hadn't I? Trusted him to get me to a safe place. Trusted him to cut off my arm for christ's sake. That should count for something. And as unbalanced as it made me feel, I knew in that moment that I did trust him.
...
It was the moment I saw his body fly against the bricks that I knew. Knew he'd become more than an intimidating acquaintance. More than the creepy figure that eluded all explanation. I didn't want him to be dead, despite having actually wished for it not too long before that. I didn't want to survive the night and wake up knowing there was no longer the strangely enticing wolf pulling me unwillingly into he and Scott's fucked up adventures.
It was the moment Scott pulled me into the school, not bothering to check if he was still alive that I realized that I may very well be Derek's only friend. And it made me sad.
...
It was the moment I knew he was in danger in the hospital that I realized if it had been Scott, I would've waited. Seen how the situation played out. Knowing it was Stiles spiked an emotion in me I hadn't felt since the fire. Fear.
I took me several hours later to understand that that was the reason I'd raced into the hospital. Not to find the alpha, not even to kill him. It was my sense of protection that made me act. Stiles was something I wanted to protect.
It was in the moment when I saw the fear in his eyes as he looked from me back to Peter that I knew I'd do anything to protect him. He was worth protecting.
...
It was the moment when I knew he was missing that I realized he'd become important to me. Not only important, but someone who topped my list of people I'd risk my life for. There was Scott, my dad, and...well, Derek. He'd somehow wriggled his way into that very select group that I'd do anything for. I knew I needed to find him.
I did, in the end. Strapped to psycho Kate's torture device. She was more sadistic than I gave her credit for. My heart lurched with the realization that I had almost lost him. That made it twice now. I also realized his sense of self-preservation left something to be desired. I needed to keep a closer eye on him, I decided. If he stayed on the course he'd been on since we'd met, he'd be dead in a week.
I unhooked him, cringing as I saw the pain he tried to mask. It was in that moment, as he leaned against me, his weakness obvious, that I thought this whole protection thing he'd taken up didn't only have to be one-sided.
I realized that my puny human strength, while nothing compared to the big bad wolf, was still the only thing keeping us going. I could get him out of this. I was more determined than I'd been in far too long. It felt good.
...
It was the moment that he appeared around the corner of Fucking Bitch Kate's dungeon that I knew I'd be alright. If anything, I knew I'd have to get him out and away from Fucking Bitch Kate. Relief flooded me, surprising in it's intensity. But I knew he'd get me out, or the other way around. It didn't matter.
It was the moment I leaned on him as he led my exhausted body up the stairs that I fully realized just how capable he was. It was he, after all who'd stuck by his friend when he'd changed into something out of a legend, out of a nightmare. He, who hadn't run screaming as he figured out what Scott was. He'd stayed. Not only stayed, but had become irreplaceable. An asset I knew I needed. He was the one who had almost chopped off my arm because it would keep me from dying. He was strong. Stronger than anyone, especially himself, gave him credit for.
It was the moment when he led me upstairs when I understood that the quiet strength I could sense in him became the quality that defined the shift in my perception of him. I was grateful for that shift.
...
It was the moment I showed up at his house, saw them surrounded by Argents, that I felt the most intense guilt I'd felt since my mom's death. In that moment, I didn't think of Scott, or the immense danger he was in. I didn't think that my best friend may very well be shot in front of me. All I thought, all I could feel was terror at the thought of harm coming to Derek. Not Derek. It's all I could think. Then, when I knew the immediate danger was over, my thoughts allowed themselves to shift to Scott. The guilt was stifling. Derek looked at me, and I couldn't look away. I needed him to be alright. I didn't want to go back to my old life where my biggest worry was how many swirlies I'd receive from Asshole Jackson. I wanted the danger, the life-threatening stress-filled madness. Because it would mean he'd be there. But I needed to get my priorities straight.
...
It was the moment Peter was burning on the lawn that I made the decision. Not based on my own survival, but on someone else's. I knew Scott wouldn't be able to cope with being Alpha. He was too young, too impulsive. He wouldn't be able to keep his power, his emotions in check. And he'd end up hurting someone. I knew who that someone would be. I dreaded the thought. It made me sick, nauseous, terrified. He was too important. So I took Peter's life. I claimed my birthright. And the look on Stiles' face said more than his overactive mouth ever could. I'd done it to protect him. But of course there was no way for him to know. It was in that moment that I felt lost.
...
It was the moment Scott woke me up from the first real sleep I'd gotten since Derek's betrayal that I knew I wasn't getting over it. The dream I'd had, had been having, was getting worse. Derek's eyes, red and threatening, was always the only thing I could remember when I woke. He hadn't only betrayed Scott, but he'd taken something I had barely yet begun to recognize. I didn't trust easily, despite popular belief. It was hard to let new people in. But I had. And I had thought Derek and I were on somewhat common ground. Yet he'd done something unforgivable. It hurt to think about.
It was the moment I pulled up to the school with Scott chatting away in my ear that I felt the first of many sudden aching twists in my gut. The kind that leave you breathless and sadder than you'd thought possible. The kind that leave you feeling hopeless. It was in that moment I realized that Derek, despite my early attempts to the contrary, had become a welcome constant in my life. A terrifying and relieving presence. One that I'd unknowingly begun to depend on. And I began to hate myself.
...
It was the moment I woke up gasping for breath that I knew I needed to fix the mess I'd made. The dreams were getting worse. Always Stiles. Always in some terrible danger in which I was powerless to save him. This particular one had him drowning. As much as I tried to save him, as deep as I dove, he was always out of reach. I couldn't breath, couldn't think. I wondered if he'd forgive me. If he'd even hear me out.
It was in the moment when I was putting on my shirt that I realized it wasn't simply friendship I craved. Stiles, having come over drenched from a downpour weeks ago, had changed into my shirt. It still smelled of him. My alpha senses rang, pulling me into an instinct I was unaware of. Something stirred in me, some slumbering beast had been awoken. It was the first time since becoming alpha that I'd made any type of Stiles-related contact.
It was in that moment that I knew he was something that was essential to my survival. In that moment I knew I had to make it right. Even if it meant begging.
...
It was the moment that Scott showed up at my house, all panting and breathless that I knew Derek had made his move. After two months of nothing he'd finally decided to try and make things right. He'd gone to Scott, which I suppose made sense, to ask for his forgiveness. That in itself was hard to comprehend. Then Scott ranted about how Derek had destroyed his only chance at regaining any semblance to normalcy. Had selfishly ripped away his last hope of ridding himself of this wolf curse. Scott's my best friend. So I had to agree with him. I did agree with him. But Derek was Derek. Why would he ask for forgiveness?
It was in that moment I knew there was still part of me that wanted his redemption. I needed to know that there was a reason other than his own personal gain that he'd taken that chance from Scott. And as Scott vented out his frustration in my room at two-thirty a.m., I felt something close to hope.
...
It was the moment I watched him on the field that my hunger grew. It was almost unbearable. I'd talked to Scott the week before, and twice more since. He was still mad and hurt, but was beginning to understand. I tried to use scenarios he would understand, be able to grasp. Imagine Allison in mortal danger. Imagine you were the one hunting her. And because you were alpha, there wasn't anything I could do to stop you? After I'd put it to him like that, he'd calmed down a bit and actually listened. I was trained, I could control myself. I wasn't a danger to anyone.
It was the moment his scent drifted over to me that I knew I had to talk to him. Soon. The other players smells mingled together. But his...I'd know it anywhere. It was freshly mown grass, and lavender laundry soap, and something indescribably Stiles. It was in that moment that I knew, without even considering it, this boy was the only person who could bring me to the absolute edge of my sanity. It was a good feeling.
...
It was the moment that I could see Scott coming to terms with Derek's decision that I knew it would only be a matter of time before I fully forgave him myself. I wanted to so badly, but I still had my doubts. A lot had happened. I wanted it to be repaired, wanted what I knew had begun between Derek and I to continue. He'd been in the wrong, however. It was up to him to make it right.
It was the moment he showed up outside my window, all anger and intimidation gone, I realized I'd already forgiven him. I let him in, the first time I'd done it willingly. We talked, I mostly listened, another first. I heard his side of the story. He listened to mine. He told me what he'd been feeling, what he didn't want to fight anymore. I admitted my own realizations, blushing violently the whole time. He smiled at my embarrassment and fuck me if it wasn't the cutest thing I'd ever seen. We talked about what had happened since Scott's bite, what had been said, and more importantly, what hadn't. It was a long night.
It was the moment the first rays of dawn flickered through the window, the moment the light hit his cheek, the way he blinked, turned his head, eyes settling on me, that I recognized the shift between us that had taken place. I felt lighter.
...
It was the moment Stiles yawned, the exhaustion from what would be the first of several revealing conversations, that I knew I would never want to willingly leave his side. But he needed rest. We'd talked ourselves hoarse. Everything else that needed to be said could wait until his mental facilities were fully functional. I'd give him a few hours to himself, knowing I wouldn't be far away.
It was the moment I reached the window, one leg already outside, that he touched my shoulder, that I knew now was as good a time as any. He was so ruffled and his eyes were so deep. There was really no other choice when I looked back on it.
...
It was the moment he looked back at me from the window, face so close, that I knew how this was going to end. There was nothing left to do. Neither of us was the first to lean forward. It was a compulsion of mutual want. Our lips met, and it was perfect. Nothing else could describe it. And in that moment I was glad...just glad.
...
A/N- Yes, I do know that it was Scott who saved Derek from Kate in the dungeon place, but I changed it a bit to fit with the story. It so should have been Stiles who saved him anyway...