A/N – What a cliffhanger the show ended on! Oh well, I will have to make up what I think happens next. I was thinking a one shot, but could continue if people want to read more, really not sure. Also, if people want to throw in any ideas, I'd be happy to add them in. And I don't know which way this will ship yet. Ideas? Let me know in a review or PM.

Aftermath: Prelude to Season 2

"So now, it's my turn to get what I want!" shouted Jackson. Up in the darkness at the top of the stairs, Derek was invisible except for tiny flashes of light (red) reflecting off his eyes, and of course the brighter flash of teeth,

Jackson, already planning his run out the door should Derek attack, let his breath out in a silent scream. Beta-Derek was fast, but Alpha-Derek jumped to the bottom of the stairs so quickly he might have teleported. And then, scariest of all, he smiled.

Derek Hale never smiled. There weren't even rumors that he smiled.

Yet any similarity to the expression he had on his face to a human smile ended when the mouth opened to reveal the teeth of the Alpha.

Stiles voice seemed to echo in his head: 'Ok, what are we trying to prove here? Does ANYONE really need that many teeth? And how many TOOTHBRUSHES do you go through in a week?'

Just before he bit, he stopped, shifted back to human, and looked condescendingly at Jackson.

"Are you really sure you want to ruin that shirt and that jacket?" he asked.

Jackson was still frozen, his brain moving too slowly to process the words. When it finally seemed obvious that Derek was not even going to kill him, much less bite him, he began to calm down. A bit.

"You serious?" he asked.

"You will be going through a lot of clothes, Jackson. And you like them expensive. Its all one to me."

He stepped forward suddenly, and Jackson threw himself backward against the door.

"Ok! OK! Give me a second!" Jackson edged around Derek, who watched with that same feral grin. 'Oh boy, when I am one of you and don't have to be afraid of you anymore, Big Bad Alpha Wolf, we are SO going to redefine our relationship!' thought Jackson. He stepped over to the stair railing and carefully dusted it off before hanging his jacket from it. The shirt came next, folded neatly and laid on top. He shivered, clutching his arms around his bare chest, suddenly feeling terribly exposed before the older teen.

"Aren't those designer jeans? And the shoes are $500 at least."

Jackson glared, then removed the shoes and the jeans and placed them in the growing pile. He noticed Derek about to speak again, then removed his socks too. A pair of Calvin Klein boxer briefs was all that defended his dignity.

"Go ahead Jackson, nothing I haven't seen before." Said Derek, sarcastically.

Jackson glared for a full minute, then hooked his thumbs into the waistband of the briefs.

"Oh my God, you were actually going to do it, too." Said Derek, shaking his head in disgust.

Jackson flushed red hot, all over his body, forgetting the cold as his skin seemed to flame.

"STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH ME! ARE YOU GOING TO BITE ME OR NOT?" Jackson shouted. He hyperventilated, and his eyes shimmered with unshed tears. His chest was on fire, and there seemed to be hooks in his throat.

Derek scowled ferociously, and Jackson backed up again, this time falling backwards onto the steps. The fall destroyed the last of his composure, and he began to cry, heaving out great sobs, his breath hitching painfully.

Derek looked down on him without the slightest hint of pity.

"You aren't asking for the right reasons, Jackson. I thought we covered this the last time. You are all about yourself. You don't care about anyone. No one cares about you, or at least the things you feel they should care about. Being a werewolf means being part of a Pack, and a Pack member works for the good of the group…not the individual. Even the Alpha has to be concerned about the group. That's why only the Alpha can make a werewolf; he has to determine who would be a good choice…and who would be a poor one. You just would not make a good choice, not until you can learn how to stop focusing on WHAT YOU WANT!"

Jackson flinched backwards, terrified.

"Is that why you 'helped me', Jackson? To get what you want? Or because it was the right thing to do, to help save your friends? Answer me. I'll know if you lie!"

Jackson kept silent, not daring to risk an answer.

"That's just what I thought. Get dressed, and get the hell out of here. Something I imagine the girls you've dated have heard often enough from you."

"Help me. Please." Jackson said in a very small voice.

Derek whirled around, his anger flaming high once again.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU NEED HELP WITH?" he roared.

For once, Jackson did not flinch, just let Derek's anger wash over him like a gentle ocean wave.

"Caring about my friends, my family. Other people." He said this so softly, even Derek had to strain to catch it.

"Is that what you really want?" Derek listened very carefully to the heartbeat of the boy kneeling in front of him. One way or the other, this would be the last time they had this particular conversation.

Jackson looked up at him, his face more naked than his body, displaying a raw emotion Derek had not believed was possible. A hunger lay in his eyes for something even more powerful than his need for the bite. Redemption.

"Yes." The absolute truth, to Derek's ears.

Derek extended a hand, and pulled Jackson to his feet.

"Now that was the right way to ask. Pack brother."

Jackson barely had time to register the last two words before he was suddenly screaming in rawest agony: Derek's eyes had flared crimson, the jaws gaped revealing the hellhound teeth, and in an instant they were buried in the boy's shoulder. The jaws released, and his body thudded heavily to the floor, blood pooling all around him.

Later…

Derek taped the bandage securely to the wound. Stripping down had been the right idea; Jackson would not have anything to explain when he got home, as long as nobody touched his shoulder.

When the boy was dressed, he looked up at Derek with silent thanks in his eyes, still red and raw from having cried for the first time in…he could not even remember.

"Come see me tomorrow, after you've healed. Then we'll begin your education. And Jackson, DON'T be another Scott. No Lydia, no distractions. When I tell you to do something, you listen. The first time I have to argue with you, you are on your own. And believe me, if you think these powers are all you need to keep safe, you're wrong. Your life will be a hundred times more dangerous with all of the hunters out there. You…will not…survive. Understand?"

Jackson nodded. Derek gave him an impatient glare, and Jackson gulped.

"Um, yes Sir."

Derek nodded. "That's better."

"Derek? Would you have bitten Scott if he asked for it?" he asked quietly. In other words, is he better than me? Derek heard the silent question, and carefully considered his answer.

"He never wanted it, and still doesn't. But…Scott thinks only about others. Well, ONE other person. And not his Pack. But it's a start. He has a long way to go."

Derek snickered softly to himself. "You know, Stiles is insane, but he would have made a better werewolf, with the lengths he goes to for everyone around him. Even Peter recognized it, and that's why he offered him the bite. Even tried to appeal to Stiles' own insecurity. But he didn't take it, even though he wanted it. I have to say…I admire him."

Jackson looked down at his feet.

"I WILL prove myself. I've been trying to do that my whole life. Thanks…and I don't mean the bite…I mean opening my eyes."

"I know you will, Jackson. Go on, get home. And one more thing…nobody knows yet. Might be a good idea to keep it that way. Which means…no showing off."

Jackson's face read defiance for a split second; Derek almost missed it. (What? I can't have any fun?) The thought likely came and went so fast Derek doubted Jackson even registered it. Then he just nodded, and left. Derek listened to the sound of the Porsche's engine, followed by the crackle of the tires on the dirt road.

After the boy was gone, Derek sat alone in his destroyed house, pondering his decision with Jackson. More hunters were coming, of that he was sure. There was no way the Argent clan would take Kate's death lying down. They would never believe that she was responsible for the fire. The boy was a target now, just as Scott was. Derek had no right to do it…but lately, Derek felt very alone, and to a degree was no better than Jackson at closing himself off from the world. But now, all of that was going to change. The Pack had begun to form. There was Jackson, and Scott (who would have to learn to focus on the non-Allisons of the world). They were the first, but they would not be the last. He already knew who he wanted for his next members. And together, they would stand strong against the Argents, the other Hunters, and anyone else who threatened the safety of his new family. He had lost a family once. He swore that his teeth would crack the bones of any Hunter who tried that again. He was not going to feel alone anymore.