Unbeta-ed as of now. Sorry.
Sterika = Stiles, Derek, Erica.
It's a rowboat. Join me.
It's an AU that takes place approximately four years after the main series where they're 17/16/Derek.
Derek stares. Not his usual 'I'm staring you down till you behave stare' that he usually finds himself giving the Devil Child that is Erica Reyes, it's more of a dumbstruck stare. Because even if he couldn't smell it straight off of her, which he can and it's almost a pleasant scent like cookies and cakes on Christmas, he would have to be blind not to see the bump. The low rounded thing that extends from her stomach in a way that isn't totally unpleasing to the eyes and is covered in a brightly flora print that just screams MOM at him. Beside him Stiles makes a sound like a dying chicken and he sighs. Now he understands why Erica suddenly went AWOL while in Paris after her boyfriend's death. No he understands why she vanished and has been gone for months and months and it diminishes the sting of betrayal. But not entirely. He's still pissed and angry and hurt and he doesn't want it to go away. But then he smells it: sorrow deep abiding sorrow and tears and sees that her eyes are rimmed red. All he can do is wrap his arms around her and try to make it better. Erica lets out a small gasp and buries her face in his neck, sobbing as she half collapses. They sink to the ground together and he holds her best he can with her pregnant belly in the way. Stiles lets out another of his dead chicken noises and kneels beside them, hugging them both in his tiny arms. Erica's tension all but vanishes and he finds it funny, Derek really does, that Stiles is the one to make them both feel safe. Both feel home.
Erica is sitting at their kitchen table sipping tea, with her jacket off Stiles can clearly see the belly. The little round thing that signifies that a whole new life is growing within her and it makes him uncomfortable. It gives a whole new meaning to little werewolf ovens that have him smiling softly and feeling a little sick all at once. Erica pregnant is something that his brain is still computing because no one had even considered it a possibility when she went missing. Well, more like ran away. Ran away cause here she is not a blonde hair out of place, except now that the hat is off he can tell that she butchered it wildly. Cutting it all off in one blow. She sips tea, Derek stares, and he gawks. Openly and unashamed. Cause there's a pregnant bare foot Erica Reyes in his and Derek's kitchen his seventeen year old self would have soooo many problems with that sentence, but his twenty-two year old self is a lot more understanding. Almost a lot more understanding. Erica breathes out in a deep cleansing way and Derek shifts, ever so slightly and he knows shit is about to go down... Or, um, Erica is gonna just sip more tea and Derek will shift again. And glance at him with a silent order to 'Do Something.' oh yeah, cause he can handle a pregnant woman better than he can. A pregnant werewolf. Derek Hale is a coward and not getting laid for three weeks... Three days... that night! Yes that night! Cause they totally were still gonna have sexy time after this. Not. He clears his throat and moves to take a seat across from Erica. Avoiding Derek's 'What are you doing, do it standing cause it's more menacing Rawr.' look as he smiles at her softly.
"Hey Erica-" he starts and most definitely gets cut down by one of her looks. Stiles swallows and wonders if the whole glarey thing is transmitted by the Bite as well, cause he sweeears that Derek gave him that same look earlier today when he suggested curly fries as a totally reasonable substitution to an actual meal. It's a 'Shut up Stiles!' look that Derek has been perfecting since High School. He sighed and rubs his head, glancing at Derek who glares like 'now you listen when someone tells you to shut up?' and he turns back to Erica. And the bump is like right there and she just sips her tea and gets away with it, Fuck. Like Derek could deal with a pregnant woman anymore than he could. "Erica," He says in his best practiced alpha (mate?) voice and sits up straighter. She looks up, meets his eyes and winces, looking away once more. "You need to explain yourself." Because as far as they knew she was gone, dead or no longer part of this pack. Of the Hale pack. And Derek was so hurt and broken by it and Stiles hated her for it, dead or alive. And now here she is most certainly alive and with child.
Erica opens her mouth and Stiles seriously regrets ever asking, ever pushing the subject because all she can do is whimper softly. Softly and lowly and hurt. Like a wild animal. Derek is at her side in a second, reassuring her, as she pressed her face into his stomach. Inhaling his scent. The Pack's scent. And he realizes that Erica never wanted to run. The feeling in his chest is so much heavier now. He feels pain and sorrow for them both and he just leans over, grabs her hand, and squeezes it tightly. She squeezes back and Derek is running a reassuring hand through her hacked up locks. Stiles tries not to feel a pang of jealous, but fails, not horribly, but fails nonetheless. Finally they detach and Derek resumes standing, non-threateningly this time, by the counter. Erica squeezes his hand and looking down at the table begins to talk. She hadn't said a word, and now he realizes why. Her voice is raspy and low, damaged from screaming or howling so much that her vocal cords are jacked up. He squeezes her hand harder, "I... We were... I.." She pauses and looks up to Derek before her body composure changed completely. Submission in one second to another, simply submissive in front of her alpha. It takes Stiles breath away, because this means he's right and she still considers them all Pack. And it breaks his heart a little to have hated her. She collects herself, taking a breath, and speaks. "I found out I was pregnant before Evan, my boyfriend... before he... I knew. And I was going to tell him." Erica declares and she's trembling with emotion. "I get home, to our apartment," She looks guilty then, cause she never mentioned living with him, which explains why Boyd and Isaac found an empty apartment. "And.." She stops again and squeezes Stiles hand. Derek makes a reassuring noise, or at least he thinks it's reassuring and Erica calms again visibly.
"I get to the apartment." She brave Erica again, strong Erica and she looks up from the table to Stiles. "And there's hunters there." He sucks in a panicked breath, hunters in a city? In Paris, but he had checked, had made the proper communication with the right packs to keep Erica out of any crossfire. He and Derek both had. "And I think immediately that Evan is-" She pauses and whines lonely, like she's been stabbed in the gut. "-dead." Stiles looks to Derek immediately and they trade a look, neither of them is sure they like where this story is going. "I.. he.." The low whine escapes her again and Stiles remembers that the body of her boyfriend was torn to shreds, but a wolf. Not a human a wolf. A wolf. And hunters aren't wolf. A horrified expression slips onto his face and he was to cry, wants to sob at the implication of Erica's words. "He's there. With them. Guns and arrows pointed at me." She shakes, and shuts her eyes. Hot, wet, drops of tears sliding down pale cheeks. "He's talking and I can't even understand at first." Derek moves forward, both hands going against her back keeping her grounded as she speaks, cause already one hand is clawing at their table. Sharp lines torn into otherwise flawless wood. "Then I do.." Her eyes meet his, "I do get it. Cause he's saying I'm a monster. That he figured it out and that his friends, his friends, are here to put me down like the animal I am."Derek is snarling lowly and Stiles is too, his snarl is almost as animal as Derek and it doesn't even phase him. Or her.
"Erica, you-" She holds up a hand, unclawed now and wipes her face. He quiets and Derek, is rubbing her back lightly, working out knots of tension and letting out like wolf noises that Stiles instinctively knows are meant to provide comfort. Just knows. She breathes and is calm again, centered and its scary. Cause Stiles would be screaming in agony right now. "He's saying all these things and the hunters are all marching at me, they're not from any family, some are hunting with silver instead of wolfsbane. It hits me that they're just quacks for the most part, people from the internet that he found or something." Erica says this bitterly and the betrayal is evident in her voice then there's fear. "But one of them knows, I can smell the blood, the wolfsbane." She shakes her head, "I start screaming about the baby at Evan, trying my hardest to not fight, to not turn right then in there. Cause everything hurts, everything is breaking and I-" Her voice cracks and he reaches over wiping her tears, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Most of them leave, they do silly little tests and they're gone. But the one, the Hunter." She declares and it sounds like she'd spit on his grave, cause Stiles has no doubt that the Hunter is dead if Erica here, sitting at the table. "He moves in for the kill." She looks up, eyes golden and Derek is looking back with red red RED eyes. "I knock him out ready to just run and then-" She pauses and pulls her hands free from Stiles, both arms wrapping protectively around her belly. "-then Evan stabs me, stabs with a kitchen knife, in the abdomen and I just... I lose it." She doesn't need to tell the rest of the story, he's seen the pictures. They both have, they just never considered the possibility that she was the wolf that caused Evan's death, sure they entertained it, but never considered it a true possibility.
Stiles inhales deeply, thinking that this is so much to take in all at once and at once so many other questions pop into his mind at once, "The baby-" "Is a wolf." Derek cuts in and Stiles looks as surprised as Erica is, he's sure.
"But how?" Stiles breathes softly, almost a whisper. Not that whispers mean anything to werewolves.
"Right combination of genes." Derek says again in that 'duh this is so simple' tone, then looks to Erica and more softly says. "That's why it survived. Erica, your baby is a wolf and is going to be just fine." Relief, pure fucking relief emanates from her and Stiles finally understands that she was scared. So fucking scared for the child growing within her. She loves it he realizes, even if it's fucked up father went after her life, she loves it and that's all that matters to him. Or, he realizes meeting Derek's eyes, to Derek. Erica slumps forward suddenly in exhaustion, have asleep as a whine escapes her. "ssssh," Derek whispers in her ear as he lifts her, bridal style, and gestures at Stiles to open doors. "It's okay, just sleep. The rest can wait." She nuzzle her face in his neck and breathes deeply once and then is simply asleep. Limp in Derek's arms, but still holding on tightly. Stiles leads the way opening door and watches as Derek places her on the bed and climbs in after. Starting already the process of scent marking, Stiles watches awkwardly for a moment from the doorway then turns to leave.
"Stiles." Derek says simply and he understands it's in between an order and a plea. He turns again and Derek gestures to the other side of Erica. He nods with understanding and climbs in the bed with them both. They do this all the time with Pack, he knows that. But that part of him hasn't kicked in with Erica yet, not yet. But will soon and this, he knows, will help. He cuddles closer and her hand catches, first his sleeve, then his hand and squeezes. Derek's eyes are shut and his breathing even as his whole body hums, he catches Derek's hand with his free one and squeezing. As Derek squeezes back he buries his face into blonde hair and breathes in deeply, letting sleep over take him.