Letting Go

by MissYuki1990

Derek walked around Scott and over to the Sheriff. He stopped in front of the older man and looked straight in his eyes. "Where is Stiles?" he asked in a low leveled tone and the Sheriff's eyes filled with pain. "He's not – he's not with us anymore..." SLASH, AU, RATED M FOR A REASON

1. Chapter 1

This story was inspired by the song 'Let me go' by Avril Lavigne. I claim no rights to the song, nor do I earn money by including parts of it in this story.

I hope you'll enjoy the story!

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"Are you sure about this?"

Derek finished putting his bags into the back of his car before he looked at his sister and smiled. She rolled her eyes although her lips were twitching in a smile she tried so hard to suppress. Derek laughed quietly and pulled her into his arms.

"You can stay here, you know? They'll accept you."

"I know, Cora," he murmured as he nuzzled his nose into her hair and she hugged him back tightly. "But my place isn't here. I belong in Beacon Hills. You know that just as well as I do."

They parted and she nodded with her head bowed and eyes focused on anything but her big brother.

Derek sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'll forget about you. I'll come visit as often as possible. And you can come to Beacon Hills whenever you want to see me."

Cora looked at him from under stylish bangs and Derek raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay," she gruffed and Derek snorted. "But you have to promise to call me if the geek squad gives you any trouble. I'll come back and kick their asses."

Derek chuckled and nodded. "I promise to call the moment I arrive."

She nodded and Derek looked at the people waiting for Cora on the porch of their Pack House. Derek nodded at them, his eyes showing both a clear warning and loads of gratefulness before he moved for the front seat of his Toyota.

Cora followed after him and Derek rolled down the window after he took a seat and buckled his seatbelt. "Be careful, alright?"

Cora rolled her eyes and leaned through the window to nuzzle her nose against her brother's. "You too, buck-teeth," she murmured and he huffed at the old nickname. "Stay safe."

Derek nodded and closed the window as he started the car. He looked out the rearview mirror as he drove out of the yard and a small smile tugged on his lips when he saw the Alpha of the Pack Cora was staying with before walk over to her and place his right arm protectively around her shoulders.

Derek knew she would be safe there.

He knew she had nothing waiting for her in Beacon Hills.

He took a deep breath as he drove off the country road and onto the highway. He changed gears, relaxed in his seat and made his way back to Beacon Hills.

He knew he has made the right choice.

He thought he could leave it all behind. He thought he could move on and forget all about Beacon Hills. A lot of bad memories were connected to that town; Paige, Kate, Jennifer, the fire that took his family.

But he couldn't.

He belonged in Beacon Hills.

He belonged to a pair of whiskey colored eyes that haunted his dreams ever since he left.

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The echoes are gone in the hall,
but I still remember the pain of December.

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When he decided to leave Beacon Hills with Cora, Derek thought he would finally be able to move on. He thought he could put everything behind.

But even though the weight that was resting on his back lessened, even though he finally managed to make peace with almost every mistake he had made, he simply couldn't find rest.

Derek's dreams were haunted by whiskey colored eyes. When he was awake he couldn't stop thinking about full, cupid bow lips. When he was alone, taking a run in the forest surrounding the House of the Pack that took Cora in years ago, he often found himself stopping in his tracks, because often he thought he heard a voice calling him; a familiar voice he never thought he would miss.

At first Derek thought he was dreaming about Jennifer. She had similar eyes; similar lips. She had a similar way of dealing with stress; she talked about everything and nothing just to alleviate the tense atmosphere.

But as time passed and Derek's dreams became more vivid, he realized he wasn't dreaming about her. The Emissary of the Pack he and Cora were staying with said it was because the Magic of the Darach was slowly wearing off.

That erased any and all feelings Derek might have still had for the woman, only to sprout another bout of questions and doubts.

The Emissary, Dante, told Derek that he could see the effect Jennifer had on him. Dante said that she couldn't have put Derek under such a spell if such feelings didn't already exist.

It took Derek a week to wrap his mind around that. It took him a whole week of analyzing and thinking about Dante's words.

Each night his dreams became more and more realistic.

Each night his dreams became more and more personal.

He would wake up covered in sweat and heaving, whole body shivering.

Derek could think about nothing but him. He started hearing his voice in his dreams.

Wake up, he was telling him. Wake up.

Derek spent days thinking about what it could mean.

Wake up.

Some 10 days after his first talk with Dante, Derek woke up from a terrifying nightmare. It was the first time he had dreamt more than just those amazing eyes, lush lips or long-fingered, elegant hands.

Derek had seen him… He had seen Stiles sitting alone in complete darkness.

Eyes the color of sun kissed honey stared at something Derek couldn't see. Stiles was sitting on his legs with hands resting calmly on his knees.

Derek tried calling for Stiles. He had knelt in front of the teen trying to make Stiles look at him, but Stiles kept on staring calmly at something beyond Derek.

Next night Derek had seen it all again, but this time Stiles was looking directly at Derek. The former Alpha felt relief until Stiles had raised his hands and started signing a line of strange symbols Derek couldn't understand.

That same dream repeated itself several nights in a row, and Derek decided to research sign language. He was beating himself over and over again for not remembering to do that sooner. When he failed to find an answer to his problem (he was never good at research) he went to Dante. It took them a while to figure it out, but once they did, for the first time since Derek and Cora had left Beacon Hills, Derek has felt the actual need to go back.

Cora was against it. She was against it no matter how many times Derek had spoken to her about the dreams and the bad feeling was getting.

Only when he and Cora went for a run on the last Full Moon and fell asleep in the forest did she start doubting her words. When Derek woke up suppressing a scream, when Cora had seen just how terrified he was, she finally understood.

She finally understood why, after everything that had happened to Derek, after all the suffering and pain he went through in Beacon Hills, he still had the need to go back.

Despite the pain of losing Paige, despite the horrors of losing everything because of Kate, despite Jennifer and her schemes, Derek belonged in Beacon Hills, and there was nothing that would stop him from going back.

Derek finally understood.

He finally let go of everything bad that had happened to him.

He was finally free.

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I'm breaking free from these memories;
gotta let it go – just let it go.
I've said goodbye,
set it all on fire.
Gotta let it go – just let it go.

cut

Derek woke up with a start and quickly took a seat. He looked around while he caught his breath, and let go of a sigh when his brain caught up with him being awake. He got out of the motel bed and quickly got ready. He was another day's drive away from Beacon Hills.

As he pulled his jacket on, ready to continue on his way, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and frowned when the memories of his dreams flashed through his mind.

'When the door closes, don't open it.'

He remembered those elegant hands repeating the same motions over and over again, whiskey colored eyes dull and lifeless. Derek's breath caught in his throat every time he'd remember them. Every time he would remember those eyes alight with life and excitement, alive with intelligence and curiosity, Derek's guts would fill with lead, because in his dreams those amazing eyes were dead.

They were empty and dull.

Derek got into his car after he threw his duffle bag onto the back seat and started the engine. Once he was on the road again, he took a deep calming breath and focused on the road.

But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't erase the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

And that made him drive that much faster.

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He closed the door of his car and dug his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket before he turned around and looked at the small, suburban house; the home of the new Beacon Hills Alpha. He took a deep breath and finally took a step towards it.

He didn't know what to expect.

Scott was the only one who had seen Derek before he left and they've parted in a friendly way. Never the less, Derek didn't and couldn't know how Scott would react to him being back in town.

Derek climber the porch and shivered when he caught a whiff of a strange new scent. It wasn't uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, it was quite inviting, and a small, proud smile tilted Derek's lips.

It was the scent of a Pack.

Derek was about to ring the bell when the door opened wide and he came face to face with Scott, whose eyes were wide and lips parted in surprise.

"Hel…"

"Derek?" Scott breathed out before Derek could properly greet him, and the former Alpha found himself with an armful of an excited teen wolf.

Not really knowing how to react, Derek returned the hug, although his eyebrows were practically touching the line of his hair in surprise and confusion. "I know we didn't part as enemies, but this isn't the greeting I thought I would receive," Derek drawled and Scott laughed breathlessly as he let go of Derek and took a step back.

"I caught your scent when you approached the door. Boy am I glad to see you."

Derek's eyebrows went higher if possible, only to lower in a worried frown when he saw that while Scott was happy to see him, there was desperation and worry in his eyes.

"Scott, what's going on?" Derek asked and Scott took a deep wavering breath.

"Why don't you come in? Everyone's already here."

Derek's frown deepened as Scott let him into his house and led Derek into the living room.

Derek stopped in his tracks and his eyebrows rose again when he found Lydia, Aiden, Ethan, Danny, Allison, Isaac, Mrs. McCall and Sheriff Stilinski in there, only to frown again when he realized who was missing. In that moment Scott rounded Derek and stopped right in front of him, chocolate brown orbs meeting narrowed hazel eyes.

"Scott, where is Stiles?" Derek asked in a dark tone and his frown deepened when everyone in the room bowed their heads. He looked at Scott and the Alpha bowed his head to avoid Derek's inquisitive eyes. "Scott, what happened to Stiles?" Derek pressed out through his teeth and Scott swallowed and licked his lips.

"You were gone for three months…"

"Scott!" Derek interrupted the young Alpha sharply and Scott recoiled. "What happened?" the former Alpha pressed out through his teeth, and Scott looked at Sheriff Stilinski.

The Sheriff stood up slowly and Derek noticed the older man changed. He lost weight, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his lips were stretched into a thin, tortured line. Derek swallowed difficultly as the feeling of dread passed over him. Mrs. McCall stood up as well and placed her left hand on the Sheriff's right shoulder.

Sick of the silence, and with the feeling of dread ever growing, Derek walked around Scott and over to the Sheriff. He stopped in front of the older man and looked straight in his eyes. "Where is Stiles?" he asked in a low leveled tone and the Sheriff's eyes filled with pain.

"He's not – he's not with us anymore," he spoke in a broken voice and Derek's breath caught in his throat.

"What?" he breathed out and the Sheriff looked at him with tears in his eyes.

"Derek…"

"Why don't you take a seat, Derek; we'll explain everything to you." Mrs. McCall interrupted the Sheriff. Her voice was quiet and broken, and Derek looked at everyone in the room. They were all sad and almost terrified.

Derek felt as though a steel, clawed hand was gripping his heart and he looked at Scott again. "Tell me everything."

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You came back to find I was gone.
And that place is empty, like the hole that was left in me.

cut

"It started some two weeks after you and Cora left," Scott spoke in a small voice once Derek took a seat. "Stiles started acting strange. He would space out more often than before. He didn't eat regularly. He had problems sleeping." Scott took a deep breath and shook his head. "We all tried to talk to him, but he was constantly telling us that he was alright. He kept telling us that there was nothing wrong with him. We tried everything. We were constantly watching over him from afar. Isaac, Aiden, Ethan and I followed him wherever he went. John, mom, Danny, Allison and Lydia spent as much time with him as possible, but we couldn't find the reason behind him acting strange. He lost a lot of weight. He stopped sleeping altogether..." Scott's voice broke and he swallowed difficultly. "We tried everything, but – but nothing worked."

"We went to Deaton," Allison spoke up when Scott bowed his head, unable to speak. "We spoke to him and Marin, but they could do nothing either." Derek frowned at her. "Stiles started to disappear. He would go missing for two to three days, and he'd come back looking worse for wear. We went looking for him, but we couldn't find him. We were just happy he came back every time, and then – then a little over a month ago, he – he…"

"He didn't come back," John continued, voice broken and wavering, and Derek looked at him. "What Scott and Allison didn't tell you is that Stiles started locking his room up two months ago. I – I thought he just wanted some privacy. I tried to enter several times, especially when he started to go missing for several days in a row. When he – when he didn't come back the fifth time it happened, I brought Deaton to our house and he managed to break into the room. Stiles – Stiles sealed the door and window with mountain ash and Wolfsbane. What we found there – what we saw in his room, it – it only brought up more questions."

"I'll be right back," Scott murmured and John nodded. Scott left the living room and came back seconds later with a black map in his hands. Derek accepted it and opened it, only to have a shiver run down his spine. There were papers of different sizes in the map, and two words repeated themselves over and over and over again.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Those two words were written in thousands of different ways, in every-which direction. Derek's breathing grew quicker and heavier with every leaf he turned. Drawings of the Nemeton came into the mix, and Derek almost dropped the map when he stopped on the last leaf.

One sentence was written in the middle of the paper.

When the door closes, don't open it.

Derek felt something bitter gather in his throat. His lungs filled with lead and his sight blurred as he gazed upon that sentence. "What is this?" he asked weakly and looked first at Scott and then at the Sheriff. The two exchanged a glance before they looked at Derek and the Sheriff swallowed audibly.

"We thought you could tell us," he answered and Derek frowned.

"Why?"

Scott stood up again, taking a piece of wrinkled paper out of his pocket and offering it to Derek. "Because of this," he said as Derek straightened the paper. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened.

Find Derek.

"We've been trying to locate you for the past month," the Sheriff spoke up and Derek looked at him. "We heard nothing but rumors. We couldn't pin down your location."

Derek looked at the piece of paper again as he tried to calm his quickly beating heart. "Where…" his voice broke and he swallowed before he tried again. "Where is he?" He looked up at everyone, and felt a spark of anger in his heart when they exchanged worried glances, "Did you even manage to catch his scent? Do you have any idea where he could have gone?"

"We found him five days after he disappeared for the fifth time," Aiden said and Derek frowned before he looked at the Sheriff who nodded at him.

"He had that piece of paper in his hand when we found him," he confirmed and Derek looked at it again.

"Where is he?" he growled and looked at Scott, eyes flashing blue for a second.

"He's in a coma," the former Alpha looked at the Sheriff who was looking at him with pain and sorrow in his eyes.

"We've been trying to find you for the past month. If we don't find a way to wake him up he'll – he'll die," the Sheriff's voice broke and Derek felt like someone threw a bucket of ice cold water into his face.

"After he disappeared for the fifth time, and after he didn't come back for three days, we decided to try to find him again," Scott said and looked at the other Werewolves in the room. "Since we couldn't find him first four times, we didn't hope we would find him this time, but we did."

"Where?" the former Alpha bit out harshly, and Scott shivered because of the threatening undertone in Derek's voice.

"We found him on the Nemeton," Isaac spoke up when Scott couldn't. "He was unconscious and soaked to the bone even though rain didn't fall for days, and he was clutching that piece of paper in his hand."

Derek looked at the note. The two words written on it were like knives stabbing Derek's heart.

"We don't know why he wrote that," Lydia spoke up and Derek looked at her. "What little we heard of your position was that you were nowhere near Beacon Hills, which meant that you weren't the one who did that to him."

"You thought I was…"

"We were grasping at straws, Derek," the Sheriff interrupted Derek and the former Alpha looked at the devastated father. "We tried everything. We didn't know what was going on with him. We even spoke to Gerard and Chris, and they had no idea what was going on. Scott even sought out Deucalion, but he was of no help either. When we realized you were nowhere near Beacon Hills we concluded that you couldn't have done anything to him, but that – that note has to mean something, Derek. He was clutching it with all his might even though he was already in a coma."

Derek swallowed over the bitter lump in his throat and looked at the crumpled note in his hand.

Over a month.

It meant Stiles had fallen into the coma at the same time Derek's dreams became more vivid; at the same time Derek started thinking about coming back.

He crumbled the note in his hand and looked up at the Sheriff. "Where is he?" he asked in a tight voice and the older man looked at Scott.

"We'll take you to him," the Alpha said and Derek stood up.

"Let's go," he murmured as the others followed his example. "And along the way you will tell me everything you have yet to say." Scott nodded as everyone moved for the front door. "Sheriff, you're coming with me and Scott. I want to know everything." The two nodded and they made their way to Derek's car.

The Sheriff took the front passenger seat while Scott took the back seat, and once Derek buckled his seat belt and checked to see if the others were ready to drive after them, he started the car and looked at John. "Where to?" he asked.

"The Animal Clinic. We didn't want him in the hospital," the Sheriff answered tiredly.

Derek nodded and drove onto the road. "Now, what more do you have to tell me?" he pressed out through his teeth and John and Scott exchanged a glance through the rearview mirror.

"Deaton has been watching over Stiles ever since we brought him back from the forest. Melissa managed to sneak infusion from the hospital so Stiles doesn't lack anything, but even though Deaton tried everything, he failed to wake Stiles up." Derek spared a glance at the Sheriff and frowned.

"Sheriff, if there's…"

"John," the older man interrupted him and Derek spared him another glance. "Call me John. Everyone does."

Derek nodded shortly and focused on the road again. "If I know anything about Deaton it's that he always has a theory," Derek murmured and John nodded.

"You're right, but this time…" he sighed difficultly and shook his head as desperation glimmered in his eyes, "this time he has no idea what happened. The only thing he knows is that Stiles' condition is somehow connected to the Sacrifice he, Scott and Allison committed to find Chris, Melissa and me."

"But why are Scott and Allison alright then?" Derek asked.

"We don't know," Scott said. "Deaton has no idea why Stiles ended up in a coma. Allison and I do feel the darkness Deaton warned us about, but there are no other consequences. We both just feel our fears and worries stronger, but we handle it. He doesn't know what went wrong with Stiles."

Derek nodded shortly as they drove onto the parking lot in front of the Animal Clinic. Once they parked the car and got out they met up with everyone else and made their way towards the clinic.

They were all surprised when they found Marin at the front desk instead of Deaton, only to have their hearts fill with fear when she looked at them with a darkened gaze.

"Marin?" John spoke brokenly as she let them in.

"Stiles has gotten worse. Alan had to defibrillate him because his heart stopped," she spoke as they followed her into the basement of the clinic. Derek felt like his heart fell into his stomach when they stopped in front of a room and Marin looked at him with a strict glare. "I don't know in which way you're connected to this, Mr. Hale, but I sincerely hope you'll help."

Derek frowned at her. She opened the door and nodded at him, and Derek looked at John over his shoulder.

"There's not enough room for all of us inside. You go," John said and Derek nodded.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the room, hearing the door close behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Stiles, not even noticing Deaton who stood up from the chair beside Stiles' bed the moment Derek entered.

The teen looked like Death warmed over.

Stiles has lost what seemed like more than a third of his weight; his cheeks were indrawn and there were dark circles under his eyes. Even his hair looked lifeless. He was attached to several machines, including a respirator which was breathing for him since he was obviously too weak to breathe on his own.

"Derek?"

Ignoring Deaton completely Derek took several slow steps towards the hospital bed Stiles was lying in.

With shivering hands Derek reached for Stiles' right hand, which rested on top of the covers. Careful of the infusion, Derek took it in his left hand and his heart ached when he saw how thin Stiles' arms have became. He looked so fragile; so breakable.

Derek swallowed difficultly and forced himself to look at Stiles' face. His heartbeat was slow; so unlike Derek's which was through the roof.

Derek looked at Deaton who was observing him carefully and shifted his jaw as he tried to think of what to say. "More often than not you don't say everything you know," Derek finally spoke up and Deaton frowned. "The others do nothing concerning that. I will." He shot Deaton a pointed glare and the Emissary's jaw shifted. "Tell me everything. Even if you're not sure in your conclusions, I want to know everything."

Deaton nodded minutely and looked straight into Derek's eyes. "I will. But first I will need you to tell me what brought you back to Beacon Hills." Without thinking about it Derek looked at Stiles and Deaton nodded for himself. "So you came back because of him," he concluded and Derek glanced at Deaton before his gaze strayed back to Stiles.

"I started dreaming about him," he admitted and Deaton nodded for Derek to continue even though Derek wasn't looking at him. "At first I just kept seeing him sitting alone in darkness. I could touch him, but no matter how hard I shook him he wouldn't react. I tried to make him say something, but he just kept staring at something I couldn't see. And then, a month ago, the dream changed. Every night it was the same. I was with him in that darkness, with him staring straight through me, but this time he moved. He raised his hands and started making signs with his fingers."

"What signs?" Deaton asked and Derek frowned as he unconsciously caressed the knuckles of Stiles' hand with his thumb.

"For a week I tried to discover what he was trying to tell me," he finally spoke up, and he was surprised when his voice came out raspy and strained. "Since I couldn't discover what those signs meant I spoke with the Emissary of the Pack Cora and I were staying with. It took us a week to decipher what Stiles was trying to tell me." His mouth dried and he licked his lips. "When the door closes, don't open it." Deaton's eyes widened at Derek's words and the former Alpha looked at him. "Over and over and over again, he kept repeating the same phrase. In my dreams I tried to talk to him. I tried to make him look at me, but no matter what I did he wouldn't budge. He just – he just kept repeating those signs with his eyes focused on something I couldn't see."

"Was there more?" Deaton asked and Derek nodded.

"He was pale and his eyes were dull, lifeless. But…" he looked Stiles over and felt as though his guts filled with lead. "But he didn't look like this. He didn't look like he was…"

"Dead?" the Emissary finished for him and Derek nodded weakly. Deaton looked at Stiles with a small, thoughtful frown. "I have nothing but theories," he warned and Derek looked at Deaton.

"What theories?" he asked almost pleadingly and Deaton sighed.

"I believe that he's trapped in the Void." Derek's frown deepened and Deaton took a step closer to the bed placing his right hand on Stiles' chest, right over his slowly beating heart. "I think that somehow a part of him stayed behind; that his soul didn't return completely from the other side."

Derek looked at Stiles' face with a frown.

"If that's the case, then it could be that the part of his soul that did come back was constantly drawn to the missing part and that ever so slowly, the rest of his soul passed on to the other side. Since he was found beside the Nemeton, I think we can assume he was there every time he went missing. How Scott and the others didn't find him I don't know; this is just a theory of mine that sounds most plausible. I think he was going back there because the part of his soul that was trapped on the other side was calling the other part of him there. I think he's trapped there with no way to come back. That would explain his current condition. A body without a soul can't survive. The fact that he's still alive must mean that his soul is trying to return to his body."

Deaton looked at Derek and the Werewolf frowned at the meaningful stare Deaton aimed at him.

"The fact that you have started seeing him in your dreams at what appears to be the same time he fell into this coma must mean that his soul is trying to find a way back."

Derek would have swallowed if his mouth wasn't as dry as gunpowder. "Do you have any idea what it means; what 'when the door closes, don't open it' means?"

Deaton looked at Stiles' face and shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "And I don't believe we'll know unless we manage to bring him back."

Derek nodded. "Do you have any idea why he ended up like this?" Derek looked at Deaton when no answer came right away and saw the Emissary looking at Stiles with a sad expression and shoulders hunched. For the first time since he had met Deaton, Derek saw him looking sad and defeated. "Deaton?"

"I do believe that this could be my fault."

Derek's eyes widened at Deaton's silent admission. "What?" he breathed out and Deaton looked at Derek with a pained gaze.

"When he, Allison and Scott decided to commit the sacrifice to save their parents, I had designated Lydia as Stiles' anchor." Derek's breath caught in his throat and Deaton looked away from him and at Stiles' face. "I had thought that their connection would be strong enough to pull Stiles back. I had thought that Lydia's feelings for Stiles were strong enough. I had believed that he had loved her enough to latch onto her and come back. Scott and Allison made it, and – and at that time I thought, since there were no signs in the beginning that there was anything wrong with him, that he had made it back as well." Deaton closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame. "I never even thought he would end up like this."

Heavy silence settled between them as Derek observed Deaton, and the Emissary stared at Stiles' face. "Is there a way to bring him back?" Deaton looked at Derek with wide eyes and Derek's eyes darkened. "Is there a way to find his soul and bring it back to his body?"

"There could be a way," Deaton said and hurriedly continued. "But it would take someone going to the other side to find him, and the risk is too big. Both that person and Stiles could remain trapped on the other side."

Derek pressed his teeth together tightly and looked at Stiles. "Is that why you didn't tell them?" he asked and Deaton nodded.

"It would have to be someone with a strong connection to Stiles. The only ones among them who fit that are Scott and John; but the risk is too big for either one of them to…"

"Who gave you the right?!"

Derek and Deaton turned on their heels when the door was slammed open and John marched in with eyes blazing hellish fury.

"Who gave you the right to keep that information from us?!"

"John, you need to calm down…"

"My son is dying!" John roared, interrupting Deaton, and Derek winced at the high frequency. "And you didn't think it important enough…"

"John!" Melissa jumped in front of the Sheriff and took a firm hold of his arms. "Deaton is right. The risk is too big!" Derek looked beyond John at Scott who was standing in the doorway with the others behind him. "We can lose neither you nor Scott!"

"Melissa, that's my son!" John snapped.

"And he wouldn't want you to risk your life for his." Everyone looked at Scott when he spoke up and John seemed to deflate. "We heard everything," Scott said to Deaton and Derek, and the Emissary bowed his head in shame. "John, you know just as well as I do that Stiles wouldn't want us to risk our lives for him. He would never forgive himself if one of us died while trying to save him."

"We can't just let him die!" John cried out before he turned to look at Deaton. "There has to be a way to save him. You thought of this! Think of something else!"

"I'm sorry, John," Deaton answered and looked at him with pain clear in his eyes. "But the only way to bring his soul back, if it's even trapped there, is to have someone he has a strong connection with bring him back."

Heavy silence settled among them as they bowed their heads. Sorrow and pain was almost palpable, and the tension could be cut with a knife.

"What if I do it?"

Everyone tensed up when Derek spoke up and they looked at him with shock in their eyes.

He nodded minutely and looked at Deaton. "You found a note in his hand which said that you should find me," Derek spoke quietly, gaze focused on Stiles' weakened figure. "If we got the timeline correct, my dreams started at the same time Stiles fell into the coma. I'm not as important as Scott and John. I can do it."

"Derek, no…"

"Scott!" Derek interrupted the young Alpha, and Scott looked at him wide-eyed. "I came back because I couldn't stop dreaming about Stiles. Night after night I've dreamt of him. Night after night I've watched him as he used signed language to deliver me a message. Night after night he was telling me 'When the door closes, don't open it'. Now, I don't know what that means, and judging by everything I've heard today, you don't know either. There's a chance I can save him, and I'm going to take it."

Everyone was staring at Derek as though he'd grown another head.

"Didn't know you cared," Lydia pressed out through her teeth and Derek glared at her.

"Well, obviously you didn't care enough," he returned in kind and she paled drastically. "Because if you did, he wouldn't be in this condition."

"I'm just as much to blame as she is, Derek," Deaton said, trying to calm the situation. "Don't take it out on her."

Derek shifted his jaw, but nodded never the less. "What do I have to do?"

"We didn't decide anything yet," John jumped in and Derek shot him through with a glare.

"There's nothing to decide." John looked at Derek wide-eyed. "Stiles wrote a note in which he said you had to find me. I've dreamt of him and came back because of him. Now, I do believe that we all know that no matter how it may have seemed to us, Stiles has never done anything without a purpose. He always knows exactly what he's doing."

"You're right," Scott said and the others nodded. "What I want to understand is why." Derek frowned in confusion when he saw the hurt in Scott's eyes. "Why would he ask for you to save him when John's his father and I'm his best friend?"

Derek looked away from Scott and at Stiles' face. He looked down and only then did he realize that he's been holding onto Stiles' hand ever since he first took it. He swallowed over the lump in his throat and squeezed Stiles' hand a bit as he looked at the sleeping teen's face. "I don't know."

The Werewolves frowned at Derek. They had heard the way Derek's heartbeat skipped, but they kept quiet and Derek gave them a minute nod. He looked at Scott pointedly and the Alpha turned his head away. Derek looked at Deaton and the Emissary sighed.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Deaton asked.

"I am," Derek said without the need to think about it.

"Alright," Deaton sighed. "We'll need to move Stiles, though. You'll have to lye beside him for this to work."

"My bed is big enough," Marin spoke up. "We just need to bring Stiles to my room."

"I'll take him, you take the machines," Derek said and Deaton nodded before he showed Melissa and Marin to come in.

"Be careful," John warned Derek, and the Werewolf glanced at the Sheriff shortly.

Derek let go of Stiles' hand as Deaton took the respirator, since it was the heaviest machine, Melissa took the infusion stand and bags, and Morel took the heart monitor. Careful of all the wires attached to Stiles, Derek picked the light teen up into his strong arms, guts clenching at the feel of Stiles' slight weight cradled against his chest.

'I should have come sooner,' Derek thought as they carefully carried Stiles up the stairs.

Marin led them into the room on the floor above the clinic, and while the rest of the Pack with Scott and John in the front watched, Derek, Alan, Melissa and Marin settled Stiles in Marin's bed.

"What now?" Derek asked once he laid Stiles down and looked at Deaton.

"Scott, I need you to go to the operation room. Under the sink, you'll find a big, metal box. Please, bring it to me," Deaton said and Scott nodded and ran down into the operation room while the rest of the Pack entered the room to stand along the walls. "Derek, I'll need you to lie down beside Stiles. Usually, you need to have something of his with him to anchor you on the other side, but since we have his body here, you'll just lye beside him." Derek nodded and toed off his shoes before he rounded the bed and took a seat. "I'll need you to take your jacket off as well."

Derek raised an eyebrow at Deaton but did as he was told.

"What will you do?" John asked just as Scott came back with the metal box and Derek lied down beside Stiles.

"Stiles had to die to save you," Deaton said as he placed the box on the ground beside the bed and opened it. "Derek will need to do so as well."

"Won't you need a tub and the ice cold water for that?" Isaac asked only to wince when Deaton took a big syringe out of the box and a bottle of a clear liquid.

"Derek is a born Werewolf," Deaton murmured as he filled the syringe with the clear liquid and pushed some out to make sure there was no air in it. "It will take more than extreme hypothermia to kill him." Isaac snorted while Scott and Allison raised eyebrows at Deaton. "Ready?"

"Wait," John jumped in before Derek could answer. He approached the bed and looked down at Derek who was frowning up at him. "Derek, I want you to know…"

"No need, Sheriff," Derek murmured and looked at the ceiling. "I know."

John swallowed difficultly and nodded shortly.

Deaton took a seat beside Derek and took one massive forearm into his hand as he prepared to inject the liquid in Derek's arm. "Ready?" he asked and Derek nodded as he took a deep breath. "Don't worry," Deaton muttered as he pushed the needle into Derek's vein. "It will feel just like falling asleep."

Heavy silence settled over the room just as Derek closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. Everyone watched with bated breath as Derek's breathing became slower and slower. Deaton pulled the syringe out of Derek's vein and checked his wristwatch before he looked at the machines Stiles was attached to.

"And now we wait," Deaton murmured as Derek stopped breathing, and the Werewolves in the room shivered when his heart slowed down until it stopped beating all together.

Melissa took John's hand into hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze, and John nodded as he took a deep breath. A shiver ran down their spines when the heart monitor that was beeping in a stead rhythm up until then signaled a skip in Stiles' heart beat.

"It's on," Marin murmured and shared a glance with her brother. Together they looked down at Derek and Stiles, their gaze settling on their joined hands resting between them.

cut

Derek took in a deep strained breath as he dove out of darkness and fell to his knees. He stood up quickly and looked around frantically, frowning when he realized he was in his old school. His frown deepened when he saw that it was daylight.

He straightened and took a careful step forward. He recognized that hall. It led down to the gym. He winced and recoiled when the bell rang and classrooms started to open around him letting students out. His instincts told him to run and hide, and he would have if he didn't turn on his heel and a student he didn't see coming walked right through him.

Derek stopped in his tracks and looked around with wide eyes. He swallowed difficultly when he looked down the hall and saw his younger self walking alone with his head bowed.

He remembered that day. It was a few weeks after Paige died. With a frown on his face Derek followed his younger self to his old locker. The hallway already started to empty. A basketball game would start soon; a game Derek didn't participate in because he had quit the team after Paige died. He followed his younger self as he walked down the hall only to stop in his tracks when he remembered what happened that day.

"Scott?! Scott, where are you?!"

A kid ran around the corner and ran straight into his younger self only to fall on the ground with a yelp.

"Kid, are you okay?" his younger self rushed to help the little one up.

"Yeah, yeah." Derek's heart jumped in his chest when the kid looked up at his younger self, and whiskey colored eyes alight with excitement, looked up at him.

'How could I have forgotten?' Derek thought as his younger self received a toothy grin. "Sorry for running into you."

Derek's younger self chuckled and ruffled the kid's hair. "It's okay, kiddo. Where were you running to?"

"I'm looking for my friend. Our school's basketball team is playing against the other school so we don't have any classes. Scott and I don't want to watch the game so we've decided to go and play outside."

"You don't like basketball?"

Derek took a few steps closer as his younger self talked with the kid.

"I don't like sports, but my friend Scott likes Lacrosse, so I agreed to play with him. He wants to get on the school team when we become juniors." The younger Derek chuckled and nodded at the kid.

"Gen?! Gen, you're here! I've been looking all over for you!" Derek looked at the kid that ran over to them and swallowed with slight difficulties when he recognized a younger Scott McCall. The kid looked up at his younger self and his eyes widened almost comically as he gaped. "You're – You're Derek Hale, right? You were a star player of the school basketball team, right?"

Derek's younger self laughed sadly and nodded at the 10 year old. "Yeah."

"Why did you quit the team?" Derek frowned as his younger self sighed heavily and focused on Scott's friend.

'Why didn't I make the connection?' Derek thought as he gazed down at the young, confused faces.

"I can't play anymore," his younger self said and Scott pouted.

"Did you get hurt while playing?" the kid with the whiskey colored eyes asked and the young Derek smiled at him kindly.

"Yeah," he spoke brokenly. "I got hurt."

"Then all you have to do is get better, right?"

Derek felt something in him twitch when his younger self smiled and ruffled the young Stiles' hair again.

"Yeah. Go now, you two. I hope the both of you join the Lacrosse team," he said and the kids grinned at him.

"Thank you!" they said at the same time and ran down the hall.

Before Derek could follow them, the world started to spin so fast he almost lost his balance. His breath caught in his throat and he felt like someone punched him in the stomach. He tripped forward and when he straightened he found himself in the hospital. The hallway was empty except for one small figure sleeping in a chair all curled up.

Derek frowned and took a small step forward. In that moment someone walked around the corner and his heart almost jumped out of his chest when he saw his mother, Laura and himself.

"You wait here, Derek. Laura and I will be done quickly," his mother told his younger self and he nodded at her only to frown when he saw the kid. Derek's frown deepened when his memory was stirred. He remembered that day vaguely. He was 16 then, and one of his human cousins was in the hospital with a broken arm.

Derek's younger self took a seat beside the sleeping boy and gently shook his shoulder.

"Kid? Come on; wake up. You can't be comfortable like that." The kid woke up with a start and the hood that was pulled over his head fell down, making Derek's heart stop. Two sad, terrified, whiskey colored orbs gazed up at his younger self. "Take it easy, kiddo. I didn't mean to frighten you."

'Stiles?' Derek thought brokenly as the kid sniffed and shook his head.

"It's okay. I guess I fell asleep."

His younger self laughed lightly and the kid smiled shyly. "I remember you," he said and Derek's heart skipped a beat. "I met you and your friend at school."

The younger Stiles took a closer looked at the other Derek before his eyes widened and he nodded. "You're Derek, right?"

"Yeah. I don't think I caught your name that day."

"Genim." Derek's hands were shivering as his brain started to catch up to things.

"What are you doing here, Genim?" the younger Stiles giggled and shook his head.

"It's Gen-Im; not GE-nim."

"Sorry," the other Derek apologized and young Stiles shook his head with a small smile.

"It's okay. The only one who correctly says my name is my – my mom," Stiles' voice broke and the other Derek frowned when Stiles bowed his head.

"Is something wrong with your mom?"

Stiles nodded and tears filled his eyes. "She's very sick," he murmured and the other Derek frowned. He placed his hand on Stiles' small shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Hey, don't be sad. I'm sure your mom will be alright."

Derek took a step closer as the memories slowly came back to him. Genim looked up at the other Derek and smiled a bit and Derek's heart clenched when the other Derek laughed quietly.

"That's it. Smiling suits you better than frowning."

Young Stiles giggled and his smile widened. "Thank-…"

"Genim?"

A younger Melissa McCall ran over to them and Stiles looked at her wide eyed.

"Aunt Mel?" He got up as Melissa looked at him with tears filling her eyes.

"Gen, your mom wants to – she wants to see you. I'm trying to get your dad on the phone, so while he's on his way why don't you – why don't you stay with your mom?"

Young Stiles nodded as he looked at Melissa with a confused frown. He looked at the other Derek and smiled weakly. "Thank you," with that he followed after Melissa.

Derek stood completely still as everything started to shift around him and he found himself standing in the doorway of one of the single rooms in the hospital. He saw John and Stiles holding on to each other as they cried together beside a woman whose heart wasn't beating anymore.

Derek swallowed difficultly as he looked to the side and found his younger self observing them through the window. His mother stood beside the other Derek with her hands on his shoulders, and Laura was leaning against the wall behind them.

"Her illness was grave. There was no way to save her," Talia Hale spoke gravely and the other Derek nodded with a pained expression on his face.

"Poor kid," Laura murmured and Talia nodded.

"Let's go, Derek. Your father will worry." The younger Derek sighed and turned to leave only to stop in his tracks when the younger Stiles looked up and their eyes met. Tears streamed down pale cheeks, and Derek remembered exactly what he had thought in that moment. As the younger Derek walked away and everything started to turn around Derek, he remembered.

'I hope you learn how to smile again, kid.'

Derek closed his eyes and bowed his head as the world spun around him. His heart ached and his mind was filled with memories. He felt the air currents around him calm, but he didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't want to see this new memory because he knew what it would be.

He didn't want to see it.

But he knew he had to.

Ever so slowly he opened his eyes and a steel, clawed hand gripped his heart.

He was standing in the graveyard. The sky was dark and heavy rain was pouring. He looked to the side and saw people walking towards the exit. He saw the other Derek and Laura standing alone in the rain. In the distance Derek could see the newly appointed Sheriff John Stilinski talking to a few people.

"We need to go, Derek," Laura spoke quietly and Derek looked at his younger self. He saw Laura's broken hearted countenance, one he hadn't seen on that day because he was too overtaken by sorrow, pain and guilt. "I'll wait for you in the car," she said, turned to walk away.

Derek didn't remember how long he stood there in the pouring rain. He remembered feeling sick. He remembered feeling angry. He remembered hating himself more than he hated Kate. It was his fault; entirely his fault.

Derek took a deep breath when he remembered what happened next, and as if on cue, he saw him walking towards the other Derek with an armful of white roses.

The one he now knew was younger Stiles stopped behind Derek and looked at the line of new graves. Derek watched as realization shone in younger Stiles' eyes as he looked at the other Derek's back.

"I'm sorry about their deaths."

The younger Derek twitched and looked at Stiles with dull, cold eyes. Without a word he looked at the graves again and Stiles frowned as he bit into a lush bottom lip. He looked at the bunch of roses in his arms as if contemplating something before he looked up at the line of graves. He nodded for himself and moved forward. The other Derek watched as Stiles walked from one grave to another, placing on rose on each.

"What are you doing?" the other Derek wondered just as Stiles finished and smiled sadly at him.

"Paying respects," he said and stopped beside Derek.

There were no more roses in his arms so he clasped his hands in front of himself and bowed his head while the other Derek stared at him with a frown of suspicion. A few moments later Stiles opened his eyes and looked up at the younger Derek.

"I know it hurts," he said and tilted his head to the side as he looked at Derek with understanding and compassion in his eyes. "It won't stop hurting, but it will become easier."

The younger Derek snorted and looked at the graves again. "I doubt it," he bit out and Stiles looked at him with a sad smile.

"I hope you learn how to smile again, Derek," he murmured as he turned to walk away. "It suits you better than frowning."

The other Derek watched from the corner of his eyes as Stiles walked away.

Derek watched as Stiles walked over to his father and a small smile tugged on his lips when John shook his head at his son with a fond smile before they walked away. Derek looked at his younger self again as he remembered the feelings passing through him at that time.

'I'll never smile again.'

Derek shivered as everything started to shift around him.

As though he was watching a movie on fast forward he saw himself meeting Scott and Stiles in the woods after he returned to Beacon Hills. He saw everything they've lived through together, all the while wondering how he didn't remember Stiles sooner; how he didn't recognize him right away.

He wondered how he hadn't connected the dots until now.

He kept wondering as scenes changed in front of him one after another.

"Oh, I don't know, Derek. You two make a pretty good pair."

Derek swallowed even though his mouth was dry, and fisted his hands by his sides as he relived everything all over again.

Everything slowed down and Derek found himself looking at his own back. He looked around with a frown and realized he was in his loft. He looked at himself and walked over to the table his other self was leaning over, pouring over different newspapers. Derek looked at the date and his frown deepened.

It was just a few days after they've defeated Gerard and found the message of the Alpha Pack. He remembered that Isaac was with Peter that day. He sent them to look for Erica and Boyd. He turned around when he remembered what he did that day and what would soon happen. His other self straightened and Derek turned on his heel as the door of his new loft opened and Stiles walked in.

"I gotta tell you, Sourwolf. You sure know how to pick 'em." Stiles walked into the loft and Derek's throat closed up when he was reminded just how good Stiles looked mere months ago.

Stiles has just started letting his hair grow. He had his hands pushed deep in the pockets of the red hoody, and walked with that same strut Derek later realized was supposed to make people believe Stiles was more confident than he truly felt.

Derek looked at his other self remembering how much he hated it all at that moment. How much he hated asking Stiles for help. How much he didn't want the teen to mix in.

Stiles stopped in front of the other Derek and raised an eyebrow at him. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I need your help," the other Derek bit out, and Stiles' eyebrows rose.

"I should have figured this wasn't a social call," he grumbled and brushed his right hand through his now slightly longer hair.

Derek couldn't help but snort when his other self rolled his eyes and shifted his weight. "I shouldn't have called you," he muttered and turned his back on Stiles.

"Come on, Derek. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't want to help you," the other Derek turned to look at Stiles with a frown of suspicion marring his face. "What do you need help with?"

The other Derek took a deep breath and turned to face Stiles fully before crossing massive arms over his chest.

'I really was a Sourwolf,' Derek thought as Stiles raised an eyebrow at the other Derek who shifted his jaw.

"I have a problem," he bit out and Stiles snorted.

"That's nothing new," he murmured and the other Derek growled at him, making Stiles raise his hands and smirk a little. The other Derek growled a little before huffing and pressing teeth together.

"Peter and Isaac are out searching for Erica and Boyd. I don't want them to know you were here. I don't want anyone to know you were here."

Stiles frowned in confusion but nodded never the less. "What is it?"

Derek took a deep breath a shifted his weight. "An Alpha Pack is coming to Beacon Hills."

Stiles' eyebrows touched the line of his hair. "Say again?"

"An Alpha Pack, a Pack made out of Alphas is coming to Beacon Hills."

"How does that work?"

"I don't know," the other Derek bit out and annoyance colored his voice, and Stiles bowed his head a little with a thoughtful frown, biting into his bottom lip.

"Why are they coming?"

"I don't know."

Derek remembered expecting another smartass remark from Stiles, only to be surprised when the teen's frown deepened and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you need me to do?"

The other Derek frowned in confusion when Stiles said that.

"Your father is the Sheriff, and I know he tells you a lot of things. I need you to listen in to him as much as you can. I need to know if anything suspicious happens." Stiles nodded in understanding. "Do you think you can do that?"

Stiles raised an eyebrow at him. "'Course I can," he muttered, almost offended, before he lowered his arms and pushed his hands into his pockets again. "What I want to know is why I can't tell anyone?"

The other Derek frowned and looked down. "This isn't your fight. They must have heard about me and they're coming for me. I don't want Scott or you to get involved into something you don't need to get involved in."

Stiles looked at the other Derek with a small frowning pout. "I don't like that, Derek," he murmured and the other Derek frowned at the teen. "I will help you, but you'll have to promise to me that if things get too much for you to handle alone, you'll let me talk to Scott." The other Derek ground his teeth together before he nodded slowly and Stiles grinned. "Great! I'll call you with news," he said, turned on his heel, and made his way towards the door. "Oh, and Sourwolf?" Stiles stopped by the door and looked at the other Derek, and Derek felt something in him shift when Stiles smirked.

Derek remembered feeling quite taken aback by that.

"What?" the other Derek asked and Stiles snorted.

"Smile; it suits you better than frowning," with that Stiles left and Derek looked at his other self watching him frown and bow his head, and Derek swallowed difficultly.

'Why didn't I make the connection?' he thought as the world started shifting around him again. 'Why didn't I see who he really was?'

Not a heartbeat later, Derek found himself standing a the corner of Stiles' room. The teen was sitting in front of his computer and he was biting into his bottom lip as he stared at whatever he was reading. A second later the window opened and the other Derek jumped into the room.

"Stiles?"

The teen jumped out of his chair with a yelp. "Knock, damn it!" he hissed and the other Derek raised an eyebrow.

Stiles took a deep calming breath and threw a small glare at the other Derek, and Derek's lips tilted up into a small smile.

This wasn't the first time he had surprised Stiles that summer. This was the fourth time it had happened. Derek remembered that night clearly. Usually he'd come over, Stiles would tell Derek if there was anything new Derek should be watchful of and then Derek would leave.

This time was different.

"You called me," the other Derek said and Stiles ran his fingers through his growing hair.

"Yeah," he murmured and grabbed a few papers off of his table. Derek took a moment to look around Stiles' room while the teen handed the papers to his other self. One wall was already covered with papers of all sorts; newspaper pages, printed papers, photos…

"Are you sure this is connected to them?" the other Derek asked and Derek looked at them.

Stiles took a deep breath and nodded. "They're leaving a bloody path. It's may seem random; to the naked eye there's nothing to connect these murders."

"But you've seen the pattern," the other Derek concluded and Stiles nodded.

"It's them. And they're close; very close."

The other Derek frowned, hummed and nodded. "I'll see what I can do," he said and handed Stiles the papers before turning around and making his way towards the window, and a small smile tilted Derek's lips at the memory of what happened next.

"Derek, wait," Stiles stopped the other Derek and he turned to look at the teen.

"What?"

Stiles took a deep breath and tilted his head to the side with a small smile. "You always come for information. I'm sure you're constantly running around and that you aren't getting enough rest."

The other Derek frowned and bowed his head a little. "I need to look for Erica and Boyd," he said and Stiles huffed.

"I know; and I'm sure Isaac is on it right now."

The other Derek looked at Stiles with a confused, thoughtful frown. "What do you want?"

Stiles huffed and rolled his eyes. "Derek, my dad's taken the night shift today. Why don't you stay for a bit? You need to take a break."

Derek smiled a little when he remembered what he thought and felt at Stiles' words. A lot of thoughts passed through his mind, but the most prominent one was the question of what the teen was aiming for. At that time Derek still didn't believe they were friends. Stiles was just someone who was helping him get the information he needed.

But the teen had been right. Derek did need to take a break.

Derek remembered constantly searching for Erica and Boyd at that time. He remembered he hadn't had a night of sleep in days before he met Stiles that night.

Ever so slowly the other Derek moved away from the window and Stiles grinned.

"Make yourself comfortable. I wanted to have something to eat either way." He all but ran out of the room and Derek found himself standing with the other Derek in the room. He watched as the other Derek looked around the room with hands deep in the pockets of his jacket, walking over to a cabinet and taking a photo off of it, looking at the smiling faces of Stiles and Claudia Stilinski.

Derek licked his lips and took a deep breath. 'I can't believe I didn't recognize him. What was wrong with me?'

In that moment Stiles ran back in and the other Derek hurriedly left the photo on the cabinet. Stiles grinned at him and presented him with a plate full of sandwiches. "Dinner and a movie?"

The other Derek snorted and rolled his eyes. "Is this a date?" he grunted as he took a seat on Stiles' bed, and the teen choked up and tripped on air. The other Derek jumped forward and caught the teen and the plate before they hit the ground. "Idiot," he grumbled and Stiles grinned at him, although now that Derek took a closer look, he saw something in Stiles' eyes he hadn't noticed at that time.

"So!" The teen let Derek take the plate with the sandwiches and walked over to his computer. "Comedy, Thriller, Action or Horror?" he asked while the other Derek took a seat on the bed again, and Stiles started rummaging through the endless DVD's scattered over his desk. "And if you say horror I'm soooo going to laugh at you," he murmured and Derek snorted.

The other Derek rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "Thriller."

The teen turned to grin at the other Derek and waved 'Thor the Movie' at him. "Too late; already picked one."

The other Derek rolled his eyes again, but said nothing. Within minutes Stiles started the movie and all but threw himself on the bed beside Derek. He placed the plate of sandwiches between them and grabbed one.

Derek watched as his other self observed Stiles in contemplation.

Derek remembered wondering what the teen was doing. He remembered feeling something he hadn't felt since Laura died. He watched as the other Derek settled against the wall, and saw Stiles throw a small glance in his direction. Derek's heart clenched when he saw a small, pleased smile grace Stiles' lips before the teen concentrated on the movie again.

Derek fisted his hands by his sides as he felt the air shift and everything started to move quicker. He saw Stiles falling asleep in the middle of the movie. He saw himself placing the empty plate beside Stiles' computer before leaving quietly making sure that the window was good and locked. Everything moved quickly as Derek watched.

He was seeing it all again.

The events of the past months drifted in front of Derek's eyes as if on fast-forward, and Derek found it difficult to breathe. He felt as though a mountain settled on his back as everything darkened around him.

His breath caught in his throat and he shut his eyes tightly. A wave of something pushed him forward and he stumbled and fell to his knees. He felt the world stop spinning, and ever so slowly, as he took deep, strained breaths, he opened his eyes only to lose his breath all together.

"Hello, Sourwolf."

Derek's eyes widened and he froze up.

Whiskey colored eyes gazed at him with a fond smile on that pale, thin face. Derek pushed himself to his feet and took a hesitant step forward.

"Stiles?" he breathed out and the weak, thin teen smiled at him.

"Took you long enough," he spoke in a strained, broken voice and Derek took a good look at Stiles.

The teen's soul was just as drained as his body, but his eyes…

Those amazing eyes glowed with life. There was happiness in them, and Derek felt as though someone pushed their hand in his chest and grabbed his heart as though they wanted to rip it right out.

Stiles' thin, chapped lips tilted into a small, weak smile, and his head leaned to the side a bit. "It's good to see you again, Derek."

"Stiles, what – what happened to you?" Derek murmured as he walked over to Stiles.

They were in a big white room, and Stiles was sitting on the Nemeton with hands resting clasped in his lap. Derek noticed Stiles was shivering and immediately took his leather jacket off, throwing it over Stiles' shoulder before kneeling in front of the teen and looking up into eyes the color of autumn.

"It's strange how a single mistake can make such a mess," Stiles murmured and Derek frowned.

"Whose mistake?" he asked and Stiles sighed.

"Lydia. Deaton was wrong when he made her serve as my anchor."

Derek swallowed and nodded a bit, before he looked around. "What is this place?"

"I don't know exactly," Stiles answered, lips tilting into a smile of bitterness. "I do know what this place puts you through though. I've seen my life roll in front of me so many times by now that I could write everything down without a problem." Derek nodded in understanding and Stiles looked at him. "Thank you for coming."

Derek's frown deepened when he saw something he couldn't name in Stiles' eyes. He could only say that it made something inside him freeze. "You called me here," he said and Stiles smiled a little. "Now all we have to do is get you out of here."

Stiles' smile turned sad and Derek's heart clenched. "I can't leave this place, Derek," Stiles whispered brokenly and Derek jumped to his feet.

"What?"

The teen only bowed his head and Derek looked at Stiles' legs. Only then did he realize that there were thick roots climbing up them.

"Stiles?" Derek's voice broke, breathing becoming a problem. "Stiles, what's going on?"

Stiles' head tilted forward even more, and a shiver shook that frail form. "We've opened the door, Derek. We've opened the door that never should have been opened."

When the door closes, don't open it.

"Stiles, what's going on?" Derek pressed out through his teeth and Stiles looked up at him.

"The Nemeton lost its power centuries ago and the door closed. We opened the door with our Sacrifice - with my Sacrifice. It started gaining power again, and its taking his power from me."

Derek paled and his eyes widened when the meaning of Stiles' words reached him. "We need to destroy it."

"It can be destroyed only from the outside," Stiles said. "I can't leave this place Derek. I tried. I tried everything, and I failed. The Nemeton won't stop on me. Once it's done draining me it will turn on everyone else. It will drink Beacon Hills dry."

"What do you need me to do?" Derek asked firmly and a small smile tugged on Stiles' lips.

"I need you to go back and tell Scott and the others to destroy it."

"What about you?" Derek asked and tears filled Stiles' eyes. "No." Derek growled when he realized the meaning behind that sorrow-full gaze. "I'm not leaving you here."

"Derek..."

"No!" the Werewolf snapped. "I'm not letting you die!"

"Derek, I can't leave this place," Stiles breathed out and Derek kneeled in front of him, taking those body hands within his gentle hold and looking into Stiles' eyes with promises shining in Derek's hard gaze.

"If we destroy the Nemeton, you'll be set free…"

"Derek…"

"I can go back and tell them what to do and then come back for you."

"This risk is too big, Derek!" Stiles cried out.

"I don't care about the risk, Stiles!" Derek snapped and Stiles looked at him wide-eyed. "You've saved me. You've saved me a hundred times already and I won't leave you. I won't let you die."

Stiles' eyes softened and he swallowed difficultly. "You've remembered?"

Derek bowed his head a little and looked at Stiles' hands firmly clasped within Derek's strong, albeit trembling hold.

"I'm sorry," Derek whispered, guilt filling his head. "I don't know why I couldn't remember you. I'm sorry I – I'm sorry I failed you." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he tried to swallow over the huge lump of bitter guilt. A shiver ran down his spine when he felt a gentle hand cup his right cheek.

"Derek?" He opened his eyes when Stiles pushed his head up and looked into those unique, beautiful eyes. "You've never failed me."

"Stiles…"

"You did well, Derek." Stiles smiled at him and all of a sudden Derek felt like he could see his mother gazing down at him. "You did really well."

New resolution burned in Derek's heart, and strength filled his body. "I will save you, Stiles," he pressed out through his teeth and Stiles' eyes widened. "I will save you."

cut

I let it go, and now I know
a brand new life is down this road.
And when it's right, you always know.
So this time, I won't let go.

cut

Derek jumped awake with a deep, painful intake of breath and felt a pair of strong hands holding him down.

"Derek, calm down! You need to calm down!"

Scott's worried face came into focus and Derek immediately looked at Stiles, glancing at the heart monitor, something in him shifting when he noticed that Stiles' heart was beating just a little bit faster.

"Derek?"

The rest of the Pack ran into the room and Derek immediately looked at John and Deaton.

"He's trapped in there. The Nemeton is feeding off of him," he blurted out as he caught his breath. "When Scott, Allison and Stiles sacrificed themselves they've opened the door which never should have been opened, and now the Nemeton is feeding off of him. It's killing him, and once – once it's done with Stiles it'll destroy this town. It will feed on everyone in it."

"We need to destroy it!" John looked at Deaton. "We need to set Stiles free!"

"Derek what did you see?" Deaton asked and Derek shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

"The Nemeton is practically swallowing him. I couldn't – I couldn't pull him out of there without hurting him." Derek looked at Deaton while the others frowned in worry. "Someone needs to go and destroy the Nemeton while I go back to Stiles. The moment the Nemeton is destroyed I'll need to pull him back with me. He's too weak to come back alone."

"That's too risky, Derek. We're risking losing the both of you…"

"I'm not leaving him there to die!" Derek thundered and everyone shivered when his eyes turned bright blue. "I won't let him die!"

Heavy silence settled over the room as everyone stared at Derek in either shock or surprise.

"Are you sure you want to risk your life for him?" Deaton asked and Derek glared at the Emissary.

"Stiles had risked his life countless times for me - for everyone. It's time someone did the same for him," Derek pressed out through tightly clenched teeth and Deaton nodded.

"Very well," he said and looked at Scott. "Isaac, Scott, Ethan and Aiden; the four of you will go and destroy the Nemeton. You'll need to burn it, and you'll need to make sure every single piece of it is turned to ashes."

The four Werewolves nodded at Deaton and without a word to anyone left the room.

Once they were gone Deaton turned to look at Derek. "Derek, this is the last time I will ask this. If you fail you will die…"

"I know," Derek interrupted Deaton and looked at Stiles. "I don't care." Deaton nodded while Melissa took John's right hand in hers and Derek looked at the Sheriff. "I'll bring him back," he promised and John nodded.

"You do that," he whispered and Derek lied down again.

Deaton prepared another syringe and took a seat beside Derek. Their eyes met and Derek nodded at the Emissary, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

Derek felt the sting of the metal needle and let go of the breath he was holding as darkness consumed him, lurching forward what felt like a second later and stumbling before he regained his balance, finding himself standing right in front of Stiles.

"Derek?" the teen breathed out in obvious shock and Derek's eyes widened when he saw that the roots wrapping around Stiles climbed all the way up to his knees.

Derek hurried over to the teen and fell on his knees in front of him.

"Why did you come back, Derek? What's going on?" Stiles' voice was colored with panic and Derek looked awy from the roots and into Stiles' eyes.

"Scott, Aiden, Ethan and Isaac left to destroy the Nemeton and I came back to make sure you make it."

"Derek…"

"Don't," the Werewolf interrupted Stiles and the teen's eyes widened. Derek took a deep breath and looked in Stiles' eyes. "I've failed you," he pressed out through his teeth. "I've continually failed you ever since the first time we've met. I've failed to recognize you, and for the longest time I've continuously antagonized you because I – because I didn't know what to make of you. From the day we've met in the forest I could feel something about you, and I kept denying it because I – because I was a stupid Sourwolf that couldn't see beyond his own stupidity."

"You're not…"

"I am, Stiles," Derek raised his hands and cupped Stiles' face within them, "and I'm sorry. Even though you've never said anything I know you've remembered me from before all of this. And I'm sorry; I'm sorry for not remembering you."

Stiles' eyes filled with tears again. "We've only met two or three times, Derek. You couldn't have…"

"I should have," Derek interrupted him again and his lips tilted into a strained smile, "but it doesn't matter now. I'll make it up to you. I just need to get you out of here."

Stiles let go of a wavering breath and shook his head. "You're an idiot, Derek Hale," he spoke brokenly and Derek frowned at the teen. "Do I really need to be on the brink of death for you to proclaim your undying love to me?"

Despite the situation Derek laughed and Stiles' lips twitched into a small smile.

"I'm not proclaiming anything, you idiot," he muttered as he let go of Stiles' face and looked at the roots around his legs. He placed his hands on the roots to see how strong they were. "At least not until we're both out of here." The teen chuckled and Derek growled when the roots refused to give in under his strength. He felt Stiles shiver when he wolfed out and he spared the teen a glance from under thick eyebrows. "I'll be careful."

Stiles nodded and Derek returned to the roots. He made sure his claws would be as far away from Stiles' legs as possible as he dug them into the thick root and pulled. He looked up with bated breath when Stiles hissed, and Derek frowned when he saw the teen breathing deeply.

"Stiles?"

"Is it – is it just me or is it getting increasingly warmer in here?" Stiles gasped out and Derek's eyes widened. He looked at the Nemeton and his heart almost stopped when he saw an illusion of flames building around it. With a growl he returned to the roots and trying to be as careful as possible he ripped them apart.

"Derek?!"

The Werewolf grabbed Stiles and pulled him off of the Nemeton just as it burst into flames and inhuman screams filled the air.

"Stiles!" The former Alpha grabbed the teen when he screamed and collapsed on the floor with hands over his ears.

Derek looked around with wide eyes and not a moment too soon, because just as he pulled Stiles as far away from the Nemeton as he could, several roots jumped into the air and rushed towards them. Derek let go of Stiles and cut the roots down before he rushed over to Stiles' side again and took the teen into strong arms.

Derek did his best to ignore the screams and the growing heat around them. Stiles was shivering and whimpering in Derek's arms as the room around them shone red with the fire that was consuming the Nemeton.

"Derek?"

The Werewolf looked down at Stiles when the frightened whimper escaped lush lips, and Derek's breath caught in his throat when he saw that Stiles' clothes started to smoke.

He growled and looked at the Nemeton, eyes glowing bright blue. "You won't take him," Derek pressed out through sharpening teeth as roots rose into the air, enveloped in hellish flames. Derek pulled Stiles closer to his body, as he moved away from the Nemeton slowly. "I won't let you take him."

The roots rushed towards them and Derek bowed over Stiles, covering him with his body. In that moment the heat around them became almost unbearable and Derek looked up with murderous eyes, trying to ignore the inhuman screams echoing around them. His eyes widened when he saw the roots fall to the ground and turn to ashes as the fire burned harder and harder.

Suddenly Stiles screamed and Derek looked at him. In the next moment Derek's breath hitched in his throat when Stiles pushed the werewolf away from himself.

"Stiles!" Derek called out and Stiles looked up at him weakly.

The fire was dangerously close to the teen and all of a sudden, huge pressure pushed Derek down. He barely managed to raise his head, and feeling as though a mountain fell on his back, he moved his right arm and reached out for Stiles.

"Stiles, please…" he pressed out through his teeth and the younger man raised his head weakly.

Stiles' eyes were filled with pain, but never the less the teen reached for Derek with a trembling hand.

The Werewolf whimpered when he saw the flames licking at Stiles' feet and he pushed himself harder. 'Just a bit more!' he thought, his fingers inches away from Stiles'. 'Just a little bit more!'

Derek felt his fingers brush against Stiles', and the teen cried out in pain. "Stiles!" Derek roared when he felt something grab him from behind and Stiles' eyes opened wide. With last bits of strength Derek lurched forward and just as his fingers touched Stiles' everything went dark.

"STILES!"

cut

Derek lurched up and hit the hard ground, his ears immediately assaulted by a loud, quickly beeping noise.

"Derek? Derek, focus!"

Someone grabbed his shoulders and shook him and his eyesight cleared quickly. Derek saw Deaton looking at him and behind the Emissary he saw John and Melissa beside the bed. Melissa was holding a syringe as John tried to subdue Stiles who was trashing around in bed.

"Stiles?!" the Werewolf breathed out and jumped around Deaton.

He completely ignored Allison, Lydia and Danny who were cowering in a corner and Marin who was standing in the doorway with wide, terrified eyes and arms wrapped around her waist, as Derek crawled over to the bed before he pushed himself to his feet and helped John hold Stiles down. He couldn't think because of the quick beeping of the heart monitor, and all he could see was Stiles' pale face and wide, unseeing eyes.

And all of a sudden it stopped.

The beeping turned into a long, ominous note.

Stiles' eyes slipped closed.

A long breath left lush lips as the weak body went lax and Stiles' head tilted to the side.

"Stiles?" the Sheriff whispered brokenly, but Derek could only stare.

John moved back as heavy silence settled between them. The only sound that could be heard was that of the heart monitor.

"Stiles?" Derek breathed out weakly, heart beating in his ears. He kept staring at Stiles' pale face. Derek's whole body was shivering and a lump of something bitter appeared in his throat. "S – Stiles?" he cupped the teen's face in his hands doing his best to ignore the long, ominous note echoing through the room. 'No,' he thought as tears welled up in his eyes and his lungs filled with lead. 'No!'

cut

You came back to find I was gone,
and that place is empty, like the hole that was left in me,
like we were nothing at all.
It's not what you meant to me;
thought we were meant to be.

cut

"Genim?" Derek whispered brokenly. He ignored it all. He ignored John's painful cries and Melissa's sorrowful whimpers. He ignored Allison and Lydia's broken crying, and Danny's quiet sniffing. He ignored Deaton's and Marin's mournful presence.

Derek concentrated completely on Stiles.

Only on Stiles.

"I'm not letting you go, Genim," his voice was barely above a whisper as he caressed Stiles' indrawn cheeks with his thumbs. "You didn't give up on me. You never gave up on me. I'm not giving up on you, Stiles… Genim. I'm never giving up on you."

A few tears dropped on Stiles' pale cheeks and Derek felt like a clawed hand gripped his heart. He let go of a strained breath and rested his forehead against Stiles'.

"Please," he pressed out through his teeth. "You never gave up on me." He was almost hyperventilating, and he felt like the world was spinning around him. "Please, don't give up now. Please, please come back."

His heart was beating in his ears so hard that he didn't even hear the heart monitor anymore. He never felt this broken. Not when Paige died, not when his family was killed, not when Laura died, much less when he found out about Jennifer. He let go of a choked up sob and leaned down to press a chaste kiss to Stiles' lips.

"Please come back…"

In that moment everything went quiet, and Derek felt like the world stilled.

"Smile…"

Derek's breath caught in his throat and his eyes snapped open, and he found himself gazing into tired amber eyes.

Tired, but so filled with life.

In that moment various sounds slammed into Derek's ears, and he finally registered the steady beeps coming from the heart monitor.

"You should smile more." Stiles' voice was barely above a whisper. It was raspy and weak, but it was his voice. "It suits you better than frowning."

"Stiles?"

cut

There's only one thing left here to say;
love's never too late.

cut

Derek stared in Stiles' eyes for what seemed like hours, and when a small smile tugged on Stiles' lips Derek felt like his heart would burst.

"I thought we were past monosyllable conversations, Sourwolf."

And Derek kissed him.

He kissed Stiles for all it was worth and pulled him into a tight embrace. Even though it was weak, Derek felt Stiles raise his arms and return the hug. He pulled back and Stiles looked to the side at the same time Derek did. John and Melissa were staring at them with shock written all over their faces.

"Dad?"

It was all it took for John to move, and the Sheriff jumped forward. Derek moved to the side in time, and Stiles was enveloped into his father's arms.

Derek swallowed difficultly and looked at the others.

A moment later Scott, Aiden, Ethan and Isaac ran into the room, breathless and wide-eyed, only for Scott to collapse and laugh when he saw John hugging Stiles, and Stiles hugging his dad back as hard as he could.

Derek closed his eyes and sat back against the headboard as he finally started breathing again. He tilted his head to the side and looked at John and Stiles with a small smile.

John raised his head a little and looked at him, and Derek nodded when John mouthed 'thank you' before burying his face into Stiles' neck.

Derek rested his head back on the wall, and a small, happy smile tilted his lips.

Everything would be alright.

cut

I've broken free from these memories;
I've let it go.
I've let it go.
And two goodbyes led to this new life.
Don't let me go.
Don't let me go.

cut

I remember writing this shortly after watching the last episode of 3a. While I did love Dylan O'Brien's performance as the Nogitsune, Teen Wolf just hasn't been the same since then. I still follow the series, but it's more to see Dylan and everyone than because of the plot anymore.

Ah well, everything that's good can't last long, right?

I hope you've enjoyed reading this and that you'll like the second chapter as well!

Warmest regards,

Ms. Yuki