So this is my first Teen Wolf fic. I intended for it to just be a short, fluffy, Christmas fic, but then it turned into all this... I hope you all enjoy it.
"C'mon Derek! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and some of us have things to take care of," Scott whined as he picked himself off the forest floor after Derek sent him flying into a tree. The rest of the group mumbled their agreement.
Derek gave him a hard stare. "Well maybe if you were improving you wouldn't have to be here," he snapped.
The pack was all there for their usual training session, despite the fact that some of them had other plans. Derek didn't care if they needed to finish Christmas shopping, training was more important.
"Seriously Derek, they've been at it for hours, and no one is going to get better when their attention is somewhere else," Lydia stated from her position on the porch. Even the humans had been required to show up. Stiles sat on one side of her, Allison on the other, and Danny sat a step below them, resting his back on Lydia's stocking covered legs.
Danny had been brought in to the supernatural society shortly after Jackson's return from the dead, and for the most part had taken everything in stride.
Derek huffed and Stiles watched as he clenched his fists before breathing harshly out his nose and relaxing his fingers. "Fine. All of you go home then." He turned his back from them and walked straight into the house, slamming the charred door behind him.
For a second they all exchanged uneasy looks, it hadn't escaped their notice that Derek had been crabbier than usual the past few days.
"Well you heard the man, let's go." Erica said after a moment of tense silence.
The humans got off the porch, Lydia and Danny joined Jackson at his Porsche, while Allison and Scott took her car. Stiles got into his Jeep, followed by Erica and Boyd, he didn't mind giving them a ride since neither had a car. Isaac stood a few feet away from them, worrying his bottom lip as he looked between the cars and the house. He usually stayed with Derek since he really had no other choice of housing, but Derek had ordered them all to leave.
"You can stay at my house for awhile, if you want?" Stiles offered.
Isaac released his lip from his teeth and nodded at him before climbing into the back of the blue car. "Thanks."
"No problem," Stiles replied as he pulled away from the Hale house. "Mi casa es tu casa, remember?"
Erica snickered while Boyd just gave a little smirk, Isaac smiled at him and nodded again.
Once Stiles had let his dad in on the secret that werewolves really did roam the earth, which was a really exhausting conversation, his house had become something of a pack hang out spot, not that he minded. His dad enjoyed it too, it made him happy to come home to laughter and playful bickering, he also liked the fact that when they were all there they couldn't get into as much trouble.
Stiles dropped both Erica and Boyd off at Boyd's place and soon he was pulling into his own driveway. Not too much was said during the drive, Isaac wasn't a particularly talkative werewolf, and Stiles was preoccupied with his own thoughts like usual. He unlocked the front door and both of them made a beeline to the kitchen. Isaac dug through the pantry and found some cookies while Stiles heated up the oven so he could throw in a frozen pizza.
"So you up for some Halo 4?" Stiles asked.
Isaac smirked. "You know I'm gonna destroy you."
Stiles scoffed. "In your dreams, bro."
The two of them went into the living room and Stiles set up the game before throwing himself down on the couch with a controller in one hand and a cookie in the other. Isaac took the recliner and proceeded to prop his feet up and get comfortable. Stiles grinned to himself, they'd come along way. A few months ago Isaac was the douche wolf, drunk on new power, then he was a total best friend stealer and Stiles could barely control his glare anytime they were near each other. But during the whole Alpha Pack mess everybody seemed to come together, including them, which was nice because Stiles actually really enjoyed Isaac's company.
After a few minutes, in which Isaac was definitely kicking Stiles' ass, the oven beeped signaling it was preheated and Stiles paused the game so he could put the pizza in.
"Hey Stiles," Isaac called from the living room.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know what's wrong with Derek?" Isaac asked, the concern evident in his tone.
"You mean the fact that he's broodier than usual? How should I know? We aren't exactly the best of friends," Stiles replied as he walked back into the room.
Isaac shrugged. "Yeah, but you're more observant than the rest of us, usually you have some idea of what's going on."
Stiles sighed. "Maybe, but he's kind of a tough read. What about you? You're like the most emotionally sensitive one of the pack."
"Yeah, well knowing his emotions doesn't help figure out what's causing them," he said.
"I don't know man, maybe it's his time of the month," Stiles joked as he started the game.
Isaac snorted. "Something tells me some Midol and a bar of chocolate won't help him much."
Stiles laughed. "I'd say it couldn't hurt to try, but I'm pretty sure I'd get my throat ripped out for suggesting that regimen to him."
"Probably," Isaac agreed.
Soon their pizza was ready and Sheriff Stilinski came in just as they were piling slices on their plates. He grabbed one off of Stiles' plate and took a large bite.
"Hey!" Stiles grouched.
The sheriff smirked at him. "Evening boys."
"Hey Mr. Stilinski," Isaac greeted.
"What are you two up to tonight?" He asked as he grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down at the table, the boys joined him.
"Plotting to take over the world, you know, the usual," Stiles answered with a shrug.
His dad rolled his eyes. "How was training today?" He asked Isaac.
Isaac took a bite of his pizza and chewed as he thought of a decent reply without making Derek sound like a slave-driving asshole. "Tough, but nothing too bad."
The older Stilinski nodded and picked up his plate. "That's good. I'm gonna watch the game, you two are welcome to join."
Stiles crinkled his nose in distaste, he wasn't a big fan of football, nor was Isaac.
Once they were done eating they headed up to Stiles' room and put in The Dark Knight, even though they had both seen it at least ten times. Sometime near the middle Isaac got a text from Scott saying that he needed his help with something and after assuring Stiles that everything was fine he left.
Stiles wasn't in the mood to sit still anymore, but then again when was he ever? Checking the clock he saw that it was only a little past eight, and he wandered around his room looking for something to do. There was a pile of gifts sitting in his closet that were already wrapped so he carried them down the stairs and placed them under the tree.
"Those better not all be for me," his dad said from his chair as he appraised the multitude of boxes.
Stiles shook his head. "Some of them, others are for the pack."
"They still coming over tomorrow night?" He asked.
"Yeah, they'll all be here for dinner and then we're exchanging gifts and all that fun stuff," Stiles explained.
His dad nodded. "Is Derek coming too?" It had taken his dad a few months to get used to the idea of Derek Hale, but he was coming around nicely.
Stiles stopped fidgeting with one of the bows and looked at him. "Uhm, I think so…" He knew he had made it clear that the entire pack was invited over for Christmas Eve, but had he remembered to invite Derek personally? "I've gotta go take care of something," Stiles said hurriedly as he stood up and pulled his jacket on.
His dad just quirked his eyebrow at him and watched as his son ran out the front door.
Stiles clambered into his Jeep and started towards Derek's. He had realized that he had completely forgotten to tell Derek about dinner at his house, he had told everyone else and for some reason had assumed that they would let Derek know. Maybe they had, but he wanted to be sure that Derek knew he was welcome.
It was dark and cold when Stiles pulled up to the house, and not for the first time he felt bad that Derek was living like this.
"Hey Derek," Stiles called from the front porch. "Derek, you home?" Stiles called again after a moment.
Finally the door opened and revealed Derek standing there looking stoic as usual.
"What do you want, Stiles?" He griped.
"Wow, no 'hello Stiles, how nice to see you', you know it wouldn't kill you to practice some manners."
"Stiles," Derek growled.
Stiles threw his hand up in surrender. "Okay, okay. I just wanted to know if you were coming to my house tomorrow for Christmas Eve dinner with the pack?"
Derek stared at him until Stiles began fidgeting under his intense gaze. "Why would I go?"
Stiles spluttered. "Because they're your pack, and it's important to be with family during the holidays, Derek."
Stiles noticed Derek stiffen slightly and realized that mentioning family had probably struck a nerve, and suddenly his recent grouchiness made total sense. The holiday season probably just filled Derek's mind with memories of his family, and Stiles understood how much that hurt.
"C'mon Derek, it won't be right without you there," Stiles said, his tone softer this time.
"I'm sure you'll all survive without me," Derek replied and went to close his door, Stiles pushed against it, despite the fact that Derek was obviously stronger than him.
Stiles huffed from the outside. "Fine Scrooge, be that way. But if you change your mind dinner is at six." With that Stiles stomped his way down the stairs, into his car, and drove off.
Derek walked back into the living room and flopped down on the couch. He sat there for a few minutes just trying to clear his thoughts, too many images of past holidays with his family were clouding his brain and it just hurt too much to think about. He sighed heavily and picked his book off of the floor and began reading. He had made it through a few chapters when he heard a creaking noise from upstairs, followed by the sound of splintering wood. Before he even had the chance to move a beam from the ceiling was crashing down and struck him on the top of his head, causing his world to go black.
When he came to he was still slumped on the couch and the beam was resting on his stomach. He flung it off and heard it clatter somewhere behind him. He was glad none of his betas had been there to see him get knocked out by a piece of wood, they would never let him live it down.
"Sorry about the little bump on the head, Der." He heard a voice say from the corner of the room. He immediately sprung up from the couch, ready to defend himself. But he stopped short when he saw who was standing there.
"L-Laura?" He stuttered and advanced towards her cautiously.
She smiled softly and nodded. "Relax Derek, it's just me."
He tentatively reached out and tried to touch her shoulder, and to his surprise his hand didn't just catch air. He could feel her. "What are you? Are you a ghost?" He asked, and felt incredibly ridiculous as he did so. Derek knew that he should be more cautious, this could be a trap, maybe a witch was behind it, but the way Laura was staring at him made him forget about self preservation.
"Something like that, but technically I'm more of a spirit guide. You know, here to help you get your life back on track and prevent you from making huge mistakes." She smirked.
Derek cocked his eyebrow at her. "A spirit guide? Really Laura?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes Der, a guide. Now quit being such a, what was it your friend called it? Oh right, a sourwolf, quit being such a sourwolf and go along with it, because I have a job to do," Laura said matter-of-factly, and grinned when Derek growled at the use of the nickname.
"What kind of job?" Derek asked suspiciously.
"You remember how A Christmas Carol goes, right?" Her sly smile was positively blinding.
"You've got to be kidding me, " He groaned.
"I'm not. I'm here to show you your past, present, and future, and hopefully get you to see the error in your ways."
"Aren't you supposed to come on Christmas Eve?" Derek questioned, while working through all the details he remembered of that book.
Laura let out an annoyed huff. "Well seeing as Stile's party is tomorrow that wouldn't be very productive, now would it?"
"So the whole point of this is to get me to go to Stiles' stupid dinner? No thanks." He stalked back over to the couch and resumed reading his book. Laura stomped over and loomed over him.
"Stop being a baby Derek and go with it." She ordered.
Derek stood up and walked past her to the stairs, suddenly the room spun and everything was fixed. The house wasn't burnt, there was a roof, walls weren't crumbling down. Derek whirled around and saw Laura standing at the base of the stairs smirking at him.
"What did you do?"
"I took us back a few years," She said simply.
Derek looked around, the whole house was decorated for Christmas. There was garland on the banisters, the tree in the living room was covered in ornaments and lights, presents stacked up underneath, stockings hung on the fireplace, and he could smell something delicious coming from the dining room.
"Derek, Laura, get in here! It's time for dinner!" Derek's heart felt like it had shattered all over again. His mom had walked into the foyer to open the door and call for his younger self. Outside there was snow on the ground and Derek could remember that he and Laura had been in the middle of an epic snowball fight. All he wanted to do was to reach out and hug his mother tightly, tell her how much he loved her and how sorry he was for everything that had happened, but when he moved to touch her all he got was air.
"Five more minutes mom!" Child Derek pleaded.
His mother shook her head and he and Laura pouted as they came inside. Derek's mind reeled as he saw other self walk in. Judging by his age he figured it was about three years before the fire. He glanced at ghost Laura and saw her smiling sadly at him, then tugged on his hand to get him to follow her into the dining room. The entire family sat around the large oak table, in the middle there was a ham and a plethora of side dishes. He saw his younger sisters eyeing the spread, looks of excitement on their chubby faces and Derek clenched his jaw to hold back the onslaught of emotions. Derek saw Peter's hand sneaking to swipe a piece of pumpkin bread and his mom swatted at his hand and gave him a stern look. They were never allowed to eat until his father had said the blessing.
His dad stood at the head of the table and he smiled as he talked about their good fortune, and Derek reveled in the way his father had always been such a natural leader. They watched as their family laughed and ate, and for a moment Derek felt better than he had in years.
Dinner ended and they moved into the living room where the older kids played board games and the younger ones sat around their dad's feet as he read The Night Before Christmas, before they would be sent off to bed.
Laura grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the front door.
"Where are we going?"
"To see how somebody else is spending their Christmas Eve, but just a few years later."
The door opened and instead of it leading them outside they were transported into what Derek recognized as Stile's living room. It was different though, there were pictures covering the walls and mantle, most of them including a woman with long brown hair and big doe eyes, much like Stiles' own. From where they're standing he can see Stiles and the sheriff eating quietly at the table. Stiles is young, maybe eleven or twelve and there are boxes from a Chinese restaurant in front of them. Stiles finishes his dinner and puts his plate in the dishwasher before moving into the living room and turning the TV on to a Christmas movie.
Derek studies him and sees that his eyes are completely blank, dull even, definitely not the expressive brown orbs he's used to seeing. The sheriff goes into the kitchen and pours himself a glass of whiskey before joining his son, neither of them saying anything. The difference between this scene and the one he was in moments ago is a stark contrast. He glances at the tree, the lights aren't even turned on. He looks at the presents underneath and freezes when he sees one that reads: "To mom, love Stiles".
"His mom passed away a week before Christmas," Laura informs him. For a minute he had forgotten she was even there. He looked between her and Stiles who was now falling asleep on the couch, and Stiles words from earlier rang in his head, "It's important to be with family during the holidays," he had said. Derek felt his heart go out to the kid, the first Christmas he and Laura had spent without their family had been nothing less than absolute misery.
Stiles' dad turns off the TV and picks up Stiles, carrying him up the stairs and tucking him in bed. Derek was surprised that he was able to carry his son until he noticed how scrawny Stiles was, he was almost unhealthy looking. Back down stairs he picks up the presents to his wife and stows them in his room. He watch beeps as it turns midnight and he picks up a picture of his wife. "Merry Christmas," He whispers as his thumb strokes the picture.
Stiles' bedroom was pretty much the same, his bed was smaller and he had posters of super heroes all over his walls, along with a shelf that had sports trophies on it. There was a picture next to his bed and him and his mother at Disney Land, both wearing Mickey Mouse ears and huge smiles. In his bed Stiles tosses around in a fitful sleep, Derek figures he's probably having nightmares. He would be lying if he said it didn't affect him seeing Stiles look so broken.
Laura sighs and sits on the edge of his bed, brushing her hand over Stiles' head in a soothing motion even though Stiles can't feel it. "Ready for the next one?" She asked after a moment.
"Not really," Derek sighed.
Standing up she offers Derek her hand and he takes it as they walk out of Stiles' room. But of course they're no longer in the Stilinski house. They're standing in the upstairs hallway of Scott's house and sitting on the top of the stairs is a younger version of Scott, hugging his knobby knees close to his body, listening to a fight take place in the living room. Laura leads them down to where Melissa and a man Derek assumes to be Scott's father are arguing.
"God damn it, Melissa!" The man yelled. "What the hell were you thinking? We can't afford all this!" He points to the pile of gifts under the tree, beer bottle in hand.
Melissa finished placing the last present under the tree and straightened herself up. "Maybe if you didn't waste all your money on booze and gambling we'd be okay," She said scathingly, but much quieter.
"Oh so this is my fault?"
Scott had never said much about his father to Derek, just that they were better off without him, and Derek agreed.
The fighting continued and he heard Scott get up from his place on the stairs and return to his room, Derek and Laura followed him.
They found Scott laying on bed, crying softly but silently. Derek suddenly felt like he was intruding, this was private and he shouldn't be seeing all of this.
"Why did you bring me here? And to Stiles'? I thought it was just supposed to be about my past, that's how it went in the book," Derek said to Laura.
She nodded. "Yes that's how it went in the book, but we don't have to do everything the same way. You can work out why I showed you this on your own. Now are you ready for a trip to the present or do I have to show you an utterly heart breaking Christmas with what's left of the Lahey family?"
Derek winced. He definitely did not want to go visit them, he could imagine it just fine. Their mother left them, his brother was dead, and his father was an abusive asshole, he really didn't need to see it firsthand.
"Present it is," He replied.
"Thank god."
He took her hand once again and they were transported into Boyd's room where he and Erica were sitting on his bed. Erica's phone buzzed and she frowned as she read the message.
"What's wrong?" Boyd asked.
"Stiles said Derek isn't coming to dinner tomorrow."
"You surprised?" Boyd replied with a quirk of his eyebrow.
Her frown deepened. "No, but don't you think our Alpha should be present at a pack dinner?" She huffed.
Boyd shrugged. "Probably, but it's Derek. He's not the most social person."
Erica chewed on her lip and it reminded Derek of how vulnerable she had looked before she took the bite.
"Why is everyone so hung up on me going to this stupid dinner?" Derek practically groaned.
Laura rolled her eyes at him. "You're an essential part to the pack dumbass. And maybe, just maybe, they actually care about you. Ever thought about that?" She said with an amount of sass that would make Peter proud. "And you know Erica may be a handful but she is loyal as hell to you Derek, just like Isaac."
"Loyal? She and Boyd tried to leave to pack, remember that?"
Laura smacked the back of his head. "They were scared Derek, and that was months ago, you've all moved on from that. But if you keep pushing them away you better not be surprised when you find yourself alone again." She gave him a hard look and he had enough sense to look ashamed.
Erica crawled over to Boyd and snuggled into his side. "But don't you think it's sad that he's spending the holidays alone?"
Boyd brushed her hair out of her face and sighed. "He was invited Erica, he said no. It's not our problem."
Derek's eyebrows raised. "I take it he's not as loyal."
"He's just more guarded Derek, maybe if you would do more pack bonding exercises like a certain someone keeps suggesting you would all be closer by now."
Derek exhaled harshly through his nose. Stiles had been adamant about having pack movie nights and most of the time the pack would go and Derek would find an excuse not to. Was it really necessary for him to sit through crappy horror movies? But if he was being honest the pack had been coming together nicely lately.
"Well I think we should go visit some humans and a reformed Kanima," Laura stated.
"Is it really necessary to bring Jackson into this too?" Derek still wasn't sold on Jackson, he was arrogant and refused to work with others most of the time, unless Lydia ordered him to. Sometimes Derek was ridiculously grateful for that girl.
"Yep, c'mon." Laura jumped out of Boyd's open window and Derek followed, landing in Lydia's kitchen.
Lydia was standing at the kitchen counter, piping red flowers onto a white cake, while Jackson and Danny sat at the kitchen table.
Jackson was holding a washcloth against his arm, he pulled it off to reveal a bright red gash that ran down the length of his bicep.
"I am so done with these fucking training sessions. Derek Hale can kiss my ass," Jackson growled.
Derek stared at the wound. He barely remembered causing it. Jackson had been mouthing off again, challenging Derek's authority. He had snapped and lashed out at him, catching his arm with a claw.
"That should be healed by now," Derek mumbled to himself.
Laura shook her head. "It was made by an alpha asserting his dominance. It will take awhile, but he'll be fine by morning," she reassured.
"I shouldn't have done that," he confessed.
Laura shrugged.
Derek lifted an eyebrow. "What?"
"He is kind of an asshole sometimes," she admitted.
Derek laughed and she smiled at him.
"What now?"
She shook her head. "I've just missed your laugh, that's all."
Derek looked away. He was already dreading the moment he wakes up from this dream and realizes that Laura isn't there.
"Anyway, issues with Boyd aside, Jackson is the one who really needs some attention before he actually leaves the pack," Laura said, getting back to the topic on hand.
"Would that really be such a bad thing?" Derek mumbled.
"If Jackson leaves Lydia and Danny will follow, you can't have that happen, Derek."
Derek nodded, looking back to the scene in front of them he saw that Danny was talking.
"Maybe you should try not to piss him off so much," he suggested.
"And maybe you should try to be a more supportive best friend," Jackson quipped. "I get that you have a little crush on him, but if you start taking his side we're going to have a problem."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Don't have a bitch fit Jackson. Just chill."
Lydia snickered and Jackson turned his glare to her. "Something funny, Lydia?"
Lydia picked up a bag of green icing and began piping leaves around the flowers that resembled Poinsettias. "Jackson you challenged an alpha, did you really expect not to be reprimanded?"
"This whole hierarchy thing is bullshit."
"Well you better get used to it."
Derek turned to Laura. "Are we done here, I see enough of them bickering already."
"Aw, but they're like watching a soap opera, how do you not find it entertaining?"
Derek leveled her with a glare.
"Fine, geez, don't throw a tantrum." She snapped her fingers and they were standing back in the Stilinski living room once again.
"More Stiles, great," Derek said sarcastically.
"Oh hush, he's adorable," Laura said fondly.
The front door banged open and Stiles entered the house, peeling off his coat as he did so.
"So, how did it go?" The sheriff asked, he was still in his recliner, blanket pulled around him tightly.
"Derek is a Grinch," Stiles stated, obviously annoyed as he tossed his jacket on the floor and kicked off his shoes.
Laura giggled in Derek's ear. "I like him."
"Of course you do," Derek rolled his eyes. On a few occasions it had stunned him just how similar Stiles' personality was to his sister's. They were both sarcastic, energetic, and kind people, those were the times that it hurt to be around Stiles, but almost in a good way, it was like Laura was there for a minute.
"What happened?" His dad asked, muting the TV.
"He's not coming, and he has no reason not to. He's just being his usual broody self." Stiles flung himself onto the couch and his expression was positively pouty. "Grinch," he grumbled again.
"I'm sure he has his own reasons Stiles, you have to respect his decision."
Stiles looked at his father like he was insane. "It is Christmas Eve dinner with the pack, he should be there, dad. Besides, he shouldn't have to spend it alone," Stiles said the last part more to himself and he stood up wandered into the kitchen.
Okay, Derek was aware that when the pack was all together he should probably be there too, but couldn't they all understand that he couldn't be? He wasn't ready. He didn't think he could stand in a room with all of them laughing and joking and not be reminded of his family and how much he missed them and how he singlehandedly ruined all of it. He didn't know if he could go through all of that without breaking.
They watched as Stiles ran through recipes for tomorrow's dinner and made a list of ingredients he would need to pick up in the morning.
"He's putting a lot of work into this," Laura said.
"I'm aware."
She sighed. "Well baby brother, are you ready for a trip to the future?"
"From what I remember in every version of this story the main character always ends up dead and alone," Derek griped.
"Don't be a spoil sport," Laura said and grabbed his hand.
"A cemetery? I told you I'd be dead." He looked around, the ground was covered in fresh snow, topping the tombstones in white.
Laura looked unimpressed with him. She led them over to the part of the cemetery where their family was buried, this time a new grave accompanied it. It had Derek's name and birthday on it.
"No death date?" He asked.
"Nope. That's up to fate."
Suddenly he heard two sets of footsteps and he turned to see Stiles and Erica walking towards them, both with flowers in their hands. They were older, early thirties maybe, Stiles grew up to be very handsome and Erica was still as stunning as she was now.
"The funeral was today, they're the only ones who showed up," Laura informed him.
Derek frowned. "What about the rest of the pack?"
"They went off to college, decided that they were better off without their grumpy alpha, and broke off. Scott became an alpha and some of them joined him. Like I said earlier, Erica is loyal, and Stiles obviously cares for you too. Why else would he save your ass so much? They would come see you sometimes but neither of them stayed in the area, for the most part you were alone."
Derek stared as Stiles laid down the flowers and patted the tombstone.
"Hey Derek, I know wherever you are you're probably groaning about how even in death you can't escape my voice," He chuckled and Derek found himself smiling softly. "I miss you man, I wish I'd been able to spend more time with you lately." Stiles voice thickened and Erica grabbed his hand.
"You'll always be my big bad alpha," she murmured as she placed her flowers next to Stiles. Derek saw a tear slip down her face and then the two of them stood up and walked away as the snow began to fall.
"Are the two of them together?" He asked after a moment.
Laura shook her head. "No, they're just friends, neither of them married."
"Why? I thought Erica would be with Boyd."
"When the pack broke up so did they."
Derek leaned against a nearby tree. "So now what?"
"So now you have a choice to make. Are you going to continue to push them all away and be a Grinch and end up alone, or are you going to try to make things right with everyone?"
Derek said nothing for a moment, thinking it all through. "I don't know if I can Laura," he finally admitted.
Laura moved over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You can't keep living in the past Derek, it's not healthy and you need to move on. You can't change what happened and you have to accept that. You have another chance at family, don't mess that up," she said, her blue eyes were soft and Derek hugged her tighter. God, he missed her.
"Okay, I'll try," he slowly replied.
She smiled up at him and gave him one last squeeze before releasing him.
"Good. I love you, Derek," she said as she took a few steps backwards. Her form became less opaque and more transparent until she faded away into nothing.
"Laura?" Derek called. "Laura!" He looked around frantically trying to find her, before finally coming to terms with the fact that she was truly gone. "I love you, too."
The wind blew hard and the snow swirled around him, hitting him in the face, causing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again he was back on his couch in the living room.
"What the hell?" He muttered to himself. Outside the sun was shining, and the light reflecting into the living room was blinding. Getting up and looking out the window he saw the snow blanketing the ground, a few inches of it already and it was still falling.
Derek rubbed at his face, he still couldn't believe what had happened. He wanted to believe it was just a really bizarre dream, but none of his dreams had ever felt that real, not even the ones he had about his family burning in the house. And he was absolutely positive that if he chose to ignore what had happened Laura would come back down and kick his ass.
Checking his phone he saw that it was ten o'clock. Derek grabbed a bag and a change of clothes and got into his car. One of the many downsides of living in this place was the lack of a working shower. He drove to the gym which was thankfully open today and took a quick shower before dressing for the day. Derek got back in his car, ignoring the looks he got from those in the gym, and headed to the mall, he had some shopping to do.
Stiles was in the kitchen cutting up potatoes while a ham cooked in the oven and a green bean casserole waited to be put together. He had music blaring and in was totally in the zone. His dad went into work early so that he could be there for dinner, so Stiles was alone in the house, allowing him to sing along loudly and off key, even though he would do that if his dad was home too.
At five thirty the door bell rang and Lydia, Jackson, and Danny entered. Lydia was carrying a cake and Stiles, wearing a Santa hat, took it from her after kissing her cheek in greeting, earning a warning growl from Jackson that he ignored.
"Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!" Stiles called. "Lydia, you look beautiful, as always."
Lydia gave him a large smile. "Have I mentioned lately that you're my favorite?"
Stiles laughed and Scott and Allison walked in then. Scott was carrying some side dish that Allison had brought and he placed it in the kitchen while Stiles hugged Allison.
"Hey Stiles, where should we put the presents?" Danny asked, holding up a bag with wrapped gifts in it.
"By the tree is fine."
"Man it smells good in here," Scott said as he joined them again.
"It better, I've been working my ass off," Stiles replied.
"You better not work that ass completely off, I'd be really sad if it was gone," Erica said as she entered the house with Isaac and Boyd behind her.
Stiles smirked and wiggled his ass in her direction. "It is pretty nice, huh?"
She laughed and hugged him. "Merry Christmas, Stiles."
"Merry Christmas."
The oven timer went off and Stiles rushed over to it to check the ham, he smiled when he saw that it was done and looked delicious. He pulled it out and began to slice it as the guys made themselves comfortable in the living room while the girls helped him set the table.
"Alright, my dad is on his way home so as soon as he gets here we'll have dinner," Stiles told everyone as he moved into the living room. He smiled at his pack all squished into the living room, some on the couch, some on the floor, everybody seemed happy. Stiles was grateful to have them all in his life, for the first time in years he felt that whole in his chest be filled. He had invited Scott's mom to join them too, but she couldn't get off work. He had also considered invited Allison's dad since the rest of their family had all been killed within the past few months, but he decided he'd rather not have a tense and awkward dinner.
His dad walked in shortly after and they all migrated to the table taking their seats. Stiles grabbed the ham from the kitchen and placed it on the table.
"Looks good, son," His dad complemented. The others made noises of affirmation.
Stiles took his spot and his dad said the blessing and then they were all digging into the feast. Stiles tried to ignore the empty seat across from him as he chatted away with Isaac. There was a knock at the door and Stiles stood up to get it, trying not to get his hopes up that it was Derek out there.
He opened the door and immediately smiled. "Hey,"
Derek gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry I'm late."
Stiles waved it off, "Don't worry about it. Come get some food before Jackson eats it all."
"Shut up Stilinski," Jackson hollered from the dining room.
"No fighting at the table," the sheriff warned, but his tone was light.
"Uhm," Derek held up a bag of gifts and Stiles tried really hard not to look too shocked.
"I'll take those, just go eat." He shooed him towards the table and went into the living room to put the gifts away, he had to fight the urge to snoop through the bag and find out what Derek had gotten everyone.
He returned back to his seat and began eating again, finally content now that everyone was there.
Derek loaded up his plate with heaps of scrumptious looking food, the spread reminding him of the meal his family always served at Christmas Eve and when Scott leaned over and tried to steal Stiles' slice of pumpkin bread from his plate he had to fight back a laugh at the absurdity of it all. Just a bit of history repeating, he thought, trying to ignore the thought of who had said that.
Stiles smiled at him from across the table, Derek returned it easily. Being here felt right. Allison and Jackson were teasing each other while Danny and Lydia sat there judging them. Isaac and Scott were laughing about something. Erica was talking football with sheriff Stilinski, she was the only one who actually paid attention to the sport. Boyd was doing the same thing as him, just silently watching and looking to be content with it all.
There were hardly any leftovers when they were done, which was kind of impressive because Stiles had made mountains of food. "So I say guys have dish duty," Stiles said once the conversation had died down a bit.
The boys groaned, and the sheriff just laughed.
"Hey, you're included in that too," Stiles added. "I cooked all day and the girls helped me set up, so now it's your turn to make yourselves useful. Also there will be no present opening until dishes are done."
The guys grumbled but did what Stiles said. With all of them working it hardly took any time to get them cleaned and the little bit of leftovers put away. They joined the girls and Stiles in the living room once they were done and Stiles organized all their gifts into their respective piles. There was no order to the unwrapping, they all pretty much tore into them, shouting their thanks across to room to each other. Again Derek had to take a moment to appreciate how great his pack meshed together. Maybe Laura had been right after all, maybe he could have a new family.
Derek watched as Stiles opened his gift from him, he saw his face go from curiosity to bubbling excitement.
"Oh my god," he mumbled. "Oh my god!" He looked up and caught Derek's eyes. "You got me a first edition Batman comic," Stiles stated.
Derek chuckled and nodded. "I'm aware."
Stiles looked at him with wide eyes. "Dude, thank you," his voice dripped with gratitude and Derek didn't know what to do with that.
"No problem," he finally said.
Stiles stood up and moved so that he was sitting next to Derek on the couch. "Now I feel kinda lame about what I got you," he admitted.
Derek picked up the small box that said it was from Stiles, it was light enough that it felt like it was empty. Derek opened it up and found a gift card to the book store.
"Sorry, I know it's not that great, but I always see you reading and I was gonna get you a book but I didn't know what you liked, so I settled for a gift card, but it just seems really impersonal now."
"Stiles, it's great, thank you," Derek replied. Stiles couldn't realize that Derek wasn't thanking him for the gift card. He was thanking him for being a persistent little shit, for helping bring his pack together, and for giving him back something he had been missing for so long.
"No problem," Stiles said, copying Derek's earlier words.
Stiles stood up and addressed the room, "So who's ready for dessert?"
Lydia stood and followed him into the kitchen to help him serve up the cake and Stiles took everyone's drink orders.
"The cake looks great, Lydia," Derek said as she handed him a plate.
Lydia eyed him suspiciously but bit back her usual witty comeback, "Thank you."
"Hey Derek, how do you want your coffee?" Stiles called from the kitchen. "I'm assuming black," he added.
"Actually, I'll try some of that gingerbread creamer you can't seem to shut up about."
Some of the pack snickered and Stiles smirked back at him. "You got it."
He emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later balancing a tray of mugs filled with hot cocoa and coffee and he proceeded to dish them out. Derek was just surprised that he managed not to spill anything.
"And last but not least, here you go Derek." Stiles handed him a coffee mug that had a snowman on it and he took a small sip while Stiles watched him expectantly.
"Not too bad," Derek said and took another sip.
"Not too bad? It's like heaven in a cup," Stiles exclaimed.
Derek chuckled. "Sure Stiles."
Stiles grabbed his slice of cake off the coffee table and sat down next to Derek once again. "Hey Scott, put the movie in."
Scott nodded and grabbed a DVD off the top of the TV and put in.
"Christmas Vacation?" Derek asked as they watched the opening scene.
"Of course, it's a classic," Stiles replied around a mouthful of cake.
"What's your favorite Christmas movie, Derek?" Erica asked, looking up at him. She was seated on the floor by his feet.
Derek thought about it, he hadn't watched Christmas movies in a long time. But he remembered the first Christmas he and Laura had spent together after their family had died, how they had sat in on a small couch in a tiny studio apartment in New York and Laura had turned the TV on and just left it tuned in to some movie that she could quote every line word for word. It was the first time he'd seen her relax. "A Christmas Story."
"Great movie," Sheriff Stilinski said with a nod. "It always reminded me why giving Stiles a gun is a bad idea."
Stiles scoffed. "I would not shoot my eye out!" He argued.
The pack laughed at him.
"Stiles, hun, you probably would," Allison sat from her spot on Scott's lap.
Stiles stuck his tongue out at her. "Well we can't all be Katniss."
By the time the movie finished it was almost eleven and the pack filed out of the house after hugging and wishing each other a Merry Christmas, and Stiles made sure to send Allison and Scott containers of food for their parents. His dad had gone up to bed earlier since he had to be to work at ten, and Stiles expected to find the house empty when he came back inside from saying goodbye to everyone.
Instead he found Derek in the living room piling plates and glasses on the tray.
"You don't have to help me clean up Derek," Stiles said as he joined him.
Derek shook his head. "I don't mind."
Stiles shrugged and Derek carried the dishes into the kitchen where Stiles began to wash them and he would hand them off to Derek to dry.
Stiles wanted to make a comment about how domestic the werewolf was being tonight, but he decided he'd rather not ruin it.
"So," Stiles started once he couldn't take the silence anymore. "What made you change your mind?"
Derek sighed and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "I had an epiphany I guess you could say."
Stiles stared at him. "Care to elaborate?"
He ignored Stiles' question. "How did you get through the holidays after your mom passed?" Derek asked quietly.
Stiles stilled. "You don't have to answer," Derek said after a moment.
"No, it's fine." Stiles took a deep breath to steady himself, talking about his mother was not something he did often. "She passed just before Christmas, it was awful. That first year just felt wrong, like why should we be celebrating when she just died? Who cared about presents when your mom was dead? So we just kind of went through the motions, you know? The next year was a little better, we actually talked that day. I didn't think it would ever get better, but then I just remembered how my mom loved the holidays. Christmas was her favorite time of the year. She would spend a full week decorating the house until it looked like something from a magazine, and her Christmas cookies were the best. I didn't think she would want us to spend our time moping, that's not what the holidays are about. So I tried to make things the way she did, and eventually it got easier, but it's never been the same," He paused for a second, mulling over his words. "Until this year. With the pack here it felt good."
Derek nodded and thought about the Stiles he had seen in the past. The boy who looked totally empty, and compared him to the Stiles he was with tonight.
Stiles could see the wheels turning in Derek's head and figured he was working through his own problem.
"The reason I didn't want to come tonight is because I didn't know if I could handle it," Derek admitted after a long stretch of silence.
Stiles finished the last plate and leaned against the counter to look at Derek, confusion all over his face. He didn't say anything, he knew enough by now to let Derek work out his thoughts without prodding him.
"I didn't want to spend the night being reminded of my family," Derek said softly.
Stiles placed a comforting hand on Derek's arm and nodded at him. "I get it, I do. It's hard to move on, but it's easier when you have a little help." Stiles smiled at him.
Derek nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm starting to get that."
"Good, because the pack needs their alpha. I can only keep them in line for so long." Stiles laughed.
Derek laughed too and bumped Stiles with his shoulder. "You did good, Stiles. Thanks for taking care of the pack while I was being a Grinch."
Stiles eyes widened as he recalled calling Derek a Grinch the night before. "Who said you were a Grinch? I didn't say you were a Grinch."
"Shut up Stiles," Derek said, but the small smile on his lips belied his words.
"Can I ask what brought on your epiphany?"
Derek laughed to himself. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it."
Stiles wanted to question it further, but he decided he'd let it go since it was the holiday.
The two of them made their way into the living room and begin stuffing the shredded wrapping paper and boxes into a garbage bag. Once that chore was done they were left standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"So, uh, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Stiles asked.
Derek shrugged. "I don't have any."
Stiles flailed. "But it's Christmas! You know what? You should come over tomorrow. Scott always spends Christmas here since both of our parents have to work. You can bring Isaac too if he wants to come."
Derek shuffled his feet and looked around the room uncomfortably. "I don't know, Stiles."
"Well I do," Stiles huffed impatiently. "Besides, I'm making an awesome potato soup, and we can watch A Christmas Story, they play it all day. So yeah, you're coming."
Derek just shook his head, but he couldn't hide the look of fondness on his face. "Okay, I'll come," he said, as if it was the worst possible thing he could be asked to do.
"Good, now that that's settled you should head home and get some sleep. You look exhausted man." Stiles really wanted to offer the guest room to him, but this was Derek and there was no way he would accept it.
Derek gave him a small smile and nodded. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Stiles," he replied and walked towards the door.
"Wait," Stiles called. He picked up Derek's pile of gifts and handed them to him. "Merry Christmas, Derek."
"Merry Christmas, Stiles," he responded.
He saw Stiles bite his lip as if he were considering something and suddenly he felt Stiles arms wrap around him in a hug.
"You know, you're not such a Scrooge after all," Stiles grinned.
Again Derek shook his head at this absurdity, but lightly hugged Stiles back anyway.
Once the hugging was over Derek got into his car and drove back to his place. It seemed so much emptier after spending the day celebrating with the pack. He went into his room and laid down on the thin mattress he had placed there.
He still couldn't believe everything that had happened within the past day. But if he was being totally honest with himself, he was glad it did. He thought about Christmas with his family and how much he loved them all, how blessed he had been to have them around at the holidays. And he thought about Stiles and Scott who had spent their Christmases being unhappy, but found ways to cope with it in the years following. It was time for Derek to learn to cope with it too. He finally understood why Laura had brought him to their past, to show him he's not the only one who had been through tragedy, and it was possible to overcome it, especially with his new family by his side.
The whole in his chest wasn't fully healed, he doubted it would ever be, but he felt better than he had in years. He was strong, he would man up and be the alpha his pack needed, and in return he would gain a family.
Derek smiled to himself in the dark and let his eyes fall closed.
"Merry Christmas, Laura," he whispered.
And maybe it was the wind, but Derek could have sworn he heard her answer back.
So there it it. I hope you liked it, I'm open to any criticism you have to offer to make it better. Happy Holidays everyone :)
Peace. ERIN