Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of its characters.
CHAPTER ONE Preparing to Begin Again
The day he told his dad he wanted them to leave, they got into a huge fight.
"Stiles, you're being ridiculous! Of course you're safe here! I'm the Sheriff! I'll always protect you and this town!"
"No you don't! There's so much more that you don't see or don't want to see!"
"Stiles I will NOT leave your mother! I will not abandon my duties!"
"Well then you don't really love me!"
Stiles avoided his dad for a whole week and his dad did the same. Both Stilinski men didn't know how to approach the other. Finally, one night, as the Sheriff walked through the door and hung up his jacket and gun, Stiles walked over and hugged his dad. They stood there for an hour, crying silently and holding each other, apologizing. That night, Stiles came clean with everything. He told his dad about Scott, Derek, Peter, werewolves, hunters, kanimas, all the attacks and now false reports. Even after coming clean, his dad still didn't want to leave. He understood. Now that he knew what lurked in the shadows of Beacon Hills, he was more determined than ever to protect the citizens of Beacon Hills. No one needed him, no one wanted him. His dad cried but told him he knew why Stiles was leaving and would support him. Stiles hugged him and went to bed, clutching his pillow, silently crying over the fact that he felt like he was abandoning his dad in the darkness that shadowed the world.
A couple of days before he planned to leave, he made two visits. The first was to Dr. Deaton. This visit was tricky because Stiles knew that the good doctor also hired Isaac to help. Stiles didn't want anyone from the pack to know his plans so he had to find a way to conceal his scent and go when both werewolves were off duty. Thankfully, through research, Stiles was able to mix certain herbs and plants to make him smell like the forest, i.e., the scent of Beacon Hills. One night, as Stiles was sitting in his Jeep a block from the vet clinic, he saw Scott and Isaac laughing and hopping into Mrs. McCall's car. It hurt to see them getting along but Stiles reminded himself of what he decided and wished the best for them both. Once they were gone and out of sight, Stiles waited 5 minutes and walked over.
*Ching!* As Stiles waited by the front desk, Deaton emerged from the back with a surprised look on his face. "Stiles, what an unexpected surprise. To what do I owe the honor? You know Scott and Isaac just left." After all that he had been through, Stiles learned not to beat around the bush if he wanted to be taken seriously. "I want you to recommend someone to me that can teach me magick." Deaton looked taken back by the request. Stiles could see him trying to understand but Stiles hid behind a stoic face and steady heartbeat.
"Stiles, why do you want to learn something with such a gruesome history?"
"I don't want to become a victim to anything anymore, human or supernatural. The Mountain Ash you gave me halted the pack, therefore telling me that wolves and no doubt other creatures are susceptible to it. Obviously, I'm physically weak so I want to defend myself the only way I know how; through my brain and my will. Please."
Deaton was quiet for 5 minutes, obviously mulling over what Stiles just told him and the consequences of either decision. "Stiles, I cannot teach you because magick is a fickle thing. It affects everything and everyone in the area. I would need to get approval of Derek, the Alpha of the Hale pack. A new witch can cause problems."
"Doc, I bet you're an excellent teach but I'm not asking you to teach me. I'm asking you to recommend me to someone that can teach me."
The silence between the two was deafening. Even the animals in the back were not making a ruckus like usual. Deaton's face was revealing many emotions to the ADHD teen, from confusion, to shock, finally, understanding. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
"..."
Deaton looked at Stiles with pity, understanding that after all he's been through and all the Morell told him, Stiles had a lot of demons to face and overcome. With a sigh of resignation, he pulled out the drawer, got a piece of pen and paper, and starting writing. "Here's the contact info of my teacher. He's a bit stubborn but if you're persistent enough, which I know you are, he will train you. He lives in Boston."
With a tear silently dropping below his left eye, Stiles took the paper and pushed it into his back pocket. As he wiped the tear streak away, "Thanks doc. Don't worry, I'll be a badass magician before you can say Hocus Pocus." He smiled and winked at the doctor, which in turn made him chuckle at the poor witch joke. Stiles turned and began to walk out but stopped. He turned his head but didn't make eye contact, "Don't tell them, please? They don't know anything about my plans and I don't want them to." Without even getting an answer, Stiles walked out.
The next day, before he planned to leave, Stiles went to visit Allison's dad. After Gerard, to his understanding, Mr. Argent gave up the hunting business but still helped Derek very now and then. With his wife and sister dead, his father missing but presumed dead, and his daughter gone, Stiles felt bad for the guy. So when Mr. Argent answered the door with a scruffy face and obviously day old clothes, Stiles thought nothing of it. "Hi. Mr. A. Can I come in?" Mr. Argent grunted and moved out of the way, opening the door a bit wider to let Stiles in. As he stood there, he couldn't help but feel gloomy. All the curtains were shut, the place smelt like old takeout food, and there was staleness in the air that made Stiles pity Mr. Argent even more. As he followed Mr. Argent into the living room, he saw all the picture frames that were shattered but still held up, pictures of the Argent family that remained no more. When both men sat down, neither said anything for a while. Both just stared at one another. Finally, Mr. Argent got up, left, and came back with a bottle of bourbon in his hand. "What do you want, Mr. Stilinski?"
Exhaling, Stiles began his explanation that he practiced the night before, "First, I wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry that Kate was killed by Peter and that Allison had to witness it. I'm sorry your wife committed suicide but after reading the coroner's report that my dad got, I saw that she had a wound on her left shoulder, in the form of a bite. If what I'm guessing is true, I'm sorry you had to help your wife commit suicide." At mentioning this, Argent widened his eyes as he squeezed the bottle he was drinking, shattering it but didn't make a move. After a couple of minutes, Stiles continued. "I'm sorry you had a shitty father that not only betrayed all he taught your but threatened your family for his own selfish reasons. Personally, I hope the guy is dying a slow painful death at the moment." Stiles knew it was reckless to speak like this to Argent but right now, his heart was beating faster than normal and his eyes portrayed the confidence that Stiles had left. "Most of all, I'm sorry you had to be left behind with Allison while everyone is gone. I know what it feels like to be left behind. I came to ask something of you, a favor but after seeing you, I realize I have one more to say." At this point, Argent no longer looked like the man who answered the door but the man who held Stiles by the throat, demanding where Scott was. Stiles knew he should stop, but it was all coming out like word vomit.
"I'm sorry Allison has you for a father."
At this, Argent's hand twitches towards the shard of glass on the floor and his legs twitch as if he's resisting the urge to lunge over and stab Stiles in the chest.
"You're not the only one who lost your family. Not only that, but she committed atrocities under Gerard's brainwashing schemes that I bet even you didn't know about. She's done all those things, and now she has to live with it. After the warehouse, I bet you went and secluded yourself off, not becoming the man who I saw answer the door till she left. You're her father, her last stable rock besides Scott (Argents eye twitches at this) but you decided to think of yourself first. I'm sorry she has you as a father, but that can change. You need to help her through this, let her know that although it was her choice, it is not her fault. Look at this place. I mean, even Derek's old house doesn't look this bad, and that place is practically one windstorm away from crumbling down! You need to let her know that while most of her family is still gone, you're still here and that this place can become a place of love again. Most of all…she needs to continue her huntress training." Argent's eyes go wide, his jaw slack at what Stiles just said.
"She may no longer be at the whim of Gerard, but there are still things are there that lurk in the dark. Teach her better than Gerard, not to become a soulless manipulator who kills but a strong woman who can protect those she loves without going furry twice a month. She needs her father, and right now, I don't see one." Stiles could tell Argent was fuming at his words, staring intensely at Stiles shoes, as if trying to set them on fire with his glare alone. His hands clenched and white knuckled but eventually, he calmed down and just sat back, pinching his nose. At this, Stiles took it as his cue to continue.
"And now, I want to ask a favor of you. (Argents chuckles) I'm leaving Beacon Hills. I don't plan on ever coming back but I know that the Big Bad go beyond this place and I want to defend myself against them. *Exhales* I want to undergo hunter training." Argents gasps, his eyes wide once again but this time, with a hint of fear. He starts to sputter but before he can get a word out, Stiles continues his speech, "I'm not asking you to train me. Like I said, I'm not staying. I'm going to school in Maine and was wondering if you knew any hunters in the area that would be willing to train me. I'm not looking for a sadistic sonofabitch that teach me torture techniques but more along the lines of someone who follows the Code, who can teach me how to defend myself."
Stiles slumps back and just waits for Argent to process everything. He thinks Argent is in a state of shock until he starts to blind and breath rapidly, as if Stiles just told him he was his long lost son or something. Eventually, he calms himself down with slow breaths and shutting his eyes. Finally, he opens his eyes and starts to laugh, "Ahh , you never cease to amaze me." He leaves the room and Stiles' mind begins to go into overdrive. 'Oh crap, what if I went too far? What if he models after everyone and decides to kill me? Crap dad is gonna kill me if he finds me dead on the side of the highway. Hmm I wonder if heaven or hell exist?' As Stiles begins to sing "Highway to Hell" in his head, Argent returns with a worn black book with bits of paper sticking out here and there and a small sheet of paper. "This is the contact info of Bobby Heraldo. He and I trained under my father since we were 5. Although, him and my father had a falling out after he refused to kill an innocent werewolf family out in Montana. He currently lives in Boston so will be able to help you. Just drop my name and he'll train gladly train you. THIS is my family's black book. It has everything we've ever encountered since we became hunters and is translated from some obsure latin that my father insisted we hold onto. It will help you along with your training." At this, Stiles beamed and immediately grabbed both before Argent could change his mind.
As Argent began to escort Stiles to the door, he paused when he reached for the handle. Before Stiles even knew what was happening, Argent had pulled him into a hug and held on tightly. Stiles didn't know what to do but hug back. "Thank you…Stiles, for everything." Stiles didn't know what to do so he simply patted Argent's back and said, "No worries Mr. Argent. Glad I could set ya straight." As Argent opened the door, he chuckled and spoke as he ever so lightly pushed Stiles out, "You can call me Chris. You earned it." As Stiles put on a shit-eating grin, Chris closed the door. Stiles began to walk to his Jeep, Argent's gifts in hand, and one step out of Beacon Hills.
Stiles returned home and started packing up his Jeep. As he started loading, his dad opened the attic stairway and climbed. Stiles avoided that area of the house at all costs because all of his Mom's things were in there. Finally, as he took one last look at his old room, he closed the door and announced up to his dad, "I'm just about ready Dad!" The Sheriff descended the stairway, carrying something in hand. Stiles could see a hint of it poking out at the side of his father's hand and his breath hitched and eyes began to water. "..Dad.." His father gestured for Stiles to turn around. As he did, his dad snaked one arm around Stiles neck, hooking the back and turned Stiles around. There, just below Stiles' collarbone, rested a silver necklace that had his mother's wedding bands with the inscription, 'forever and always.' "Your mom would have wanted you to carry it. It'll keep you safe." Stiles hugged his dad tightly, not caring that he was fully crying at the moment. He dad tightly held onto him, sobbing. Eventually, both men composed themselves and headed outside. As Stiles got into his Jeep and turned the engine over, his dad began his whole Father/Sheriff speech on road safety, "Follow the speed limit, don't try eating AND drinking while driving, leave your CD player alone till you stop, and for the love of god almighty, put your seatbelt on!" This time around though, Stiles had his own speech ready, "Don't go wandering the forest alone in the dark, ESPECIALLY during the full moon, be sure to ask Chris Argent for wolfsbane bullets for when things go creepy, line the house with Mountain Ash (go ask Dr. Deaton at the vet clinic for some), don't think of being a hero in the supernatural community, and don't even think of deviating from your diet! I already called all the fast food places, grocery stores, and restaurants and blackmailed them into giving you healthy only." The Sheriff glared at that last part and muttered 'I thought parents were supposed to be the overbearing ones' but Stiles held steady. Finally, with one last pat on the shoulder, the Sheriff stepped back and allowed Stiles to leave. As Stiles put the Jeep into drive, he began to cry but he saw something in his peripheral and looked. There, he saw Scott wolfed out but teary eyed, running in the forest the lined the road but keeping up with the jeep. He whined and jumped for the Jeep. "Sorry Scotty. Goodbye" said Stiles and he grabbed some powdered wolfsbane from the glove compartment and blew it into the side, letting it gather in the wind. Scott suddenly halted and turned 90 degrees, running away from the acrid smell that infested his nose. Suddenly, Stiles heard a wolf howl in the distance and it only hardened his resolve. He began to drive away, to a new place, a new life, hopefully, a better beginning.
Derek and Isaac were at home when they suddenly heard Scott's anguished howl. Derek and Isaac both jumped up and ran outside, following the sound where Scott's howl was. While running, Derek howled, alerting his uncle to join them. When they reached Scott, he was at a stream, washing his face but crying. Peter, and surprisingly Jackson, showed up when Derek and Isaac started to approach Scott.
"Scott, whats wrong? What happened? Did you see something? A hunter?"
Scott couldn't stop sobbing to answer. Finally, when Isaac and Jackson pulled him up, he started to calm down somewhat.
Irritated, Derek asked again, "Scott, What. Happened? Why did you howl?"
"…I went by Stiles to thank him. I guess he went to Chris Argents sometimes and yelled at him, I don't know. Chris came by to tell me that..that Allison would be coming home and that if she chooses it, he wouldn't fight it if we were together."
Everyone's jaw dropped, Derek included. They all knew how psychotic the Hunters were about their rules and for Chris to overlook it…
"When I went by, I saw that the Jeep was gone and the Sheriff was outside. He looked like he had been crying. I walked up to him and asked him if he was ok. He didn't answer. He just sort of glared at me and walked inside and shut the door. He's never been like that to me. I was gonna sneak into Stile's room but all of a sudden, I heard the Sheriff talking. He said, he knew what we are and that he wants to talk to Derek and Mr. Argent."
Everyone stiffened at this. Stiles told his dad? All eyes suddenly went to Derek, noticing he was void of emotion.
"…then…then he told me…Stiles left. He packed up and he left Beacon Hills."
End note: YAY! So I this is where I stopped. I'm not sure if I want to continue after this. I got as far as the next chapter title and lost my muse. Thoughts? Comments? P.S. Next chapter title is "5 Years Later"...