The Beacon Hills Herald
June 17, 2010
Rotkappchen's Festival
It is the week long festival celebrating and based on the myth of how Rotkappchen, the first magic using human to become the willing mate of the werewolf, Halebourne. The Festival was started in 1942 by Alpha Selena Hale when the Hale Pack was in serious decline. The Festival is held very summer and is one of the largest in the Untied States. Though Alpha Anthony Rogers Beltane, in New York is a closet second.( It is in fact where Beacon Hills own Alpha Talia Hale met her mate Zane Stilinski four years ago.)
And coming up third in Texas is Alpha Kouri Arashi's Searching Ceremony.
The Chosen or Reds as they are more commonly known as, are mostly normal humans with the undertones of Were/Shifters in their scents. But they can also be humans with magic like Witches, Druids, or Sparks. Or even other Supernaturals. Kitsune, Banshee or Dragons that a Were or Shifter finds compatible.
The Reds are also encouraged to wear the color red, as an article of clothing. It is so that all Were/Shifters will know the Reds on sight. Hair ornaments are popular trend this year for the female chosen as are bandanas for the males.
All participants must be seventeen years old or older to participate in any of the festivals four main elements.
There are four main elements to the Festival are as stated:
The Meeting: It's a meet and greet gathering on the first day of the Festival. It's held at the Search Light Youth Center. It is where the Reds and Were/shifters can met in a relaxed social setting and get to know each other.
The Courtship: This is when the Weres/Shifters would court their chosen Red with dates and gifts. This usually starts the third day, up until the sixth day of the festival. This is based on rumor that Halebourne offered gifts to Rotkappchen during his courtship of her.
The Chase: Is held on the last day in the Preserve, the Reds run and hide from the Weres/Shifters. The Weres/Shifters chase or hunt down the Reds they were courting. The more difficult the hunt or chase is? The more kudos go to the Were/Shifter who has courted the Red in question.
There is much debate on whether or not Halebourne actually chased Rotkappchen through the woods and mated with her there or not. If you are interested in this debate a panel will be held at three pm on the third day of the Festival in auditorium of Beacon Hills High.
Although it has been known that a Were/Shifter have ended up mated to a completely different Red than the one the(Were/Shifter) was originally courting.
The Marriage Ceremony: Is the legal ratification of the Were/Shifters bonding or mating with their Red by, Justice of the Peace Maria Harris with Alpha Talia Hale and Sheriff Zane Stilinski as witnesses.
And remember those Were/Shifters and Reds who do not find mates this year? That there is always the Winter Solstice hosted by Lady Morgana Lafayette and her brother Alpha Arthur Pendragton in England.
Stiles tossed the newspaper aside onto the bench next to him.
Stiles scratched the back of his head, he wondered if that meant the Hale Fire never happened here or... Obliviously Stiles father wasn't married to Stiles mother. He wondered what that meant. While that article had been informative and explained why Beacon Hills was decked out in red. Every business on Main Street had a red sign, or banner or some sort of window display that had some sort of red in it.
The town bakery had Red Velvet Cake, Cherry Cheesecake and Strawberry Shortcake in the window all at the same time! (That never happened before that Stiles knew of,)
The Comic/Book Store(which was called exactly that) had Flash, the Scarlet Witch, Elektra, Daredevil, Deadpool and Spiderman comics on display.
The Expresso Pump, the local coffee shop had red table cloths on all the tables. And the Blue Moon Diner was giving away free cherry pie with every meal!
It made it glaringly obvious that while Stiles was in Beacon Hills? It was a very different one from the home town he grew-up in.
After using the ritual that Peter had told Stiles about when he had gone to see him, after Lydia was found hanging in her cell in Echien House. She had been put in there shortly after Jordan Parrish's death at the hands of the Dread Doctors when the deputy refused to kill Lydia. Her mother hadn't been able to deal with her daughter's rantings about people no one could see or things no one else could hear.
It had reminded Natalie Martin too much of her mother-in-laws ravings.
Suicide.
At least that's what the police ruled it as, but Lydia had been found hanging from a rafter in the middle of her room. The rope around her neck had wolfsbane entwined through it.
Stiles hadn't believed that Lydia killed herself for a moment.
Stiles used Peter's ritual to escape Kate Argent.
The world would have been a better place if Chris had just manned up, Stiles thought irritatedly, and killed the crazy bitch. Instead of letting her run off and hope that the Calaveras would take care of her for him. The Mexican Hunters obviously failed.
Epically Failed.
Because the psycho were-jaguar had come back to Beacon Hills and slaughtered his pack.
When Stiles had woke up on the Nemton an hour ago with just the clothes he had been wearing and the small brown leather back pack filled with the things he thought he might need if he had gone back to the past. Peter had warned him that the ritual could go wrong, and kill him. Getting sent to another reality? Wasn't even in the realm of possibility, or so Stiles thought. The ritual was suppose to take him years back a few years into the past, just before Scott got bit, that was all Stiles had wanted. (And he was in the past just in the wrong reality!)
Stiles stood up shouldering his backpack. The first thing he needed to do was find a computer. Google is his bitch and would tell him everything he needed to know about this reality. Though just from that article he read? It looked like the supernatural was a known thing here. That could be a really good or really bad.
Quickly he weaved through the crowd. It seemed to thin out the closer he got to the library. It seemed everyone treated the festival as a reason to party, because everyone was in a good mood. So when someone grabbed him by the arm, it took all Stiles had not to react they way he had been trained and not hit the person touching him. The last thing Stiles needed was a stay in the county lockup.
"Where do you think you're going, young man?" A sweet female voice said.
Stiles looked over his shoulder at the woman who spoke. The sight of her made him whimper for she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. And he had known Allison, Lydia, Cora, Kira, Melissa... Stiles had seen a lot of beautiful women, okay!
The woman's green eyes were bright and mischievous, her complexion was a pale porcelain. She had high cheek bones, a slightly up turned nose with an almost pointed chin. She had a single beauty mark in the middle of her left cheek. Her hair, oh, gods, her hair was a shade of strawberry blonde perfection he had thought only Lydia Martin could pull off. She looked to be in her late twenties. She was...she was...She resembled Stiles mother. Except for the fact that Claudia Stilinski had, had dark mahogany colored hair and Stiles's amber eyes. The woman also had her arms crossed and the start of a glare coming to her face.
"The...library?" Stiles asked unsure what she wanted from him.
The woman shook her head, "The Meeting is staring soon. You need to get to the Youth Center, which is back that way," she said pointing over her shoulder with her thumb.
"Why would I want to go there?" Stiles asked now completely confusedly.
She raised an eyebrow, and wow, just wow, she had great eyebrow game. Her gaze fell to his chest which Stiles thought was odd. Then he remembered the color of the hoodie he had on. "I'm wearing...red." Stiles said slowly, "I should...go to the...Center, huh." It was more of a question and a statement.
The woman just twitched an eyebrow, and okay, she had to know a Hale. Only they had such good eyebrow game, no, really, she had too.
So there were worse things than being mistaken for a Red. It was one that would be cleared up when he got to the Center. After all they had to keep a registration or a list or something, right? Stiles just hoped that this Youth Center was like the one in his reality and had a computer room.
And hopefully the WiFi was better.
888
If there was a last place in the universe that Derek Hale wanted to be at right this moment? Pulling up into the parking lot of the Search Light Youth Center for The Meeting was it. The Meeting had been held at the Youth Center for the last ten years. It was one of the few buildings in Beacon Hills that could support such a massive influx of people without becoming a fire hazard. Almost if it had been designed for the purpose of being the gathering place for The Meeting and only doubled as the Youth Center. Derek snorted softly, knowing his family that probably was why the Youth Center was built. He had to give his aunt her due. He wasn't sure if anyone could have handled the preparations for the Festival the way she and his mother had very year.
Derek blinked when the engine of the car turned off suddenly. He looked at his dad, the driver of the car. Well, he was technically Derek's step-dad, when the newly turned mate of his mother claimed Derek and the twins Cora and Lander as his cubs? Something Zane Stilinski hadn't done for Derek's older brothers or sisters, he just rolled with it. It's not like his real dad had ever been in the picture. Derek and the Twins had been the product of an alliance with another pack. And the Triplets were Zane's biologically.
When Derek's father saw that Talia Hale was never going to give up her Alpha status to Derek's father so he could become the Alpha. Derek's father left and went back to his pack when Derek was five and the Twins were just born. Derek had heard rumors that his father had become an Alpha when he was ten.
Zane Stilinski was pack and that was all that mattered.
"I know this is the last place you want to be, Derek." Zane said.
"I'm only twenty, dad..." Derek couldn't keep the whine out of his voice, though he didn't try very hard not too.
"..,And you just finished two years of collage, and moved back home, you're about to start a new job, I know, Derek." Zane said with a sigh, "But you know how important Rotkappchen's Festival is to the Pack."
"There is no proof that Halebourne was our families ancestor." Derek grumbled, but it was a family legend that the Werewolf Halebourne and Rotkappchen were the progenitors of the Hale family.
"I'm not going to beg you," Zane told him. Not that Derek thought he would. The Sheriff of Beacon County begged nothing no one for nothing. He asked politely and if that didn't work then he demanded and if that didn't work? Well, no one had been stupid enough to push the Sheriff.
"Okay, good. I'm impervious to your influence anyway." Derek said, which was untrue, Zane was one of the best influences in his life. And about to start his apprenticeship at Dogwood, the tattoo shop owned by his mother's younger sister, Livia.
Derek would have become a deputy to follow in his step-dad's footprints. But being a tattoo artist was pretty much the only way he could satisfy his craving to made art and get paid regularly.
"Extortion?"
"You got nothing on me, old man." Derek grinned at the light glare he received the words. Zane had met, mated and got the bite from Talia when he was he his early forties. Derek knew his dad had been worried he was to old for Talia. Derek could only imagine how surprised Zane must have been to learn that Talia was older than him by a lot.
No one is sure how long a werewolf can live because most wolves have in the past been killed by hunters and other supernatural creatures. Weres/shifter all age like normal humans up until they hit their teen years then the aging process slowly down. Werewolves can look a lot older than they are due to the trauma they have suffered in their life. In fact it takes a lot of physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma for a werewolf to show their age.
"How do you feel about a bribe?"
Derek wobbled a hand side to side, "Keep talking."
"I'll give you a dime for every person you don't sent running away in terror."
And Zane would. If his dad actually used the internet for anything other than work? He would be trolling the idiots of the Internet, Derek just knew it.
Derek sighed, he just had to get through The Meeting. Then he would have freedom! Sweet wonderful freedom from parental or familial interference in his life. Because taking their advice is what caused the whole thing with Braeden to blow up in his face. If nothing else it had taught Derek not to date anyone with ties to the Pack. No matter how vague they were. Braeden was just scary, and he was glad she was mostly mad at his oldest brother Trick for seducing her into sleeping with him.(or so she claimed. Derek had his doubts about that.) Thus proofing she wasn't right for Derek.
Derek followed Zane out of the car and they started toward the Youth Center. Derek looked past the basketball courts, and longingly at the gardens with the woodened area that led to trials in to the Preserve for hiking.
It wouldn't take much and he could- He felt a hand come down on the back of his neck as his dad leveled a look at him.
"I'm not going to run. No matter how much I want too." Derek muttered.
Zane just raised an eyebrow at him. And Damn to Lykaon, it wasn't fair that the things Zane learned as a cop made him a better werewolf. He always knew when Derek was lying to him even without listening to Derek's heart beat.
They walked into the Center and Derek almost ran over a teenage boy who was loitering in the lobby. He was lithe and tall, just a bit shorter than Derek. He had messy short dark mahogany, gravity-deifying spiky hair. A small up turned nose, pale skin with the most prettiest amber eyes that Derek had ever seen. On the boy's left cheek was a scattering of moles that, Derek was sure resemble the Lupus star constellation. He was carrying a small brown backpack, leather by the scent and wore a bright red zip up hoodie, black jeans an brown hiking boots. The only thing that seemed odd was the ornate metal belt around his waist.
"I know this is mostly public property but you just can't stand around being in everyone's way! You need to find somewhere more private if you just want to stand around gazing at nothing." Derek informed the boy coldly. Derek knew the look on his face would have been enough to sent any normal person running in fear. The boy just laughed, boarding on hysterical. The pain and grief poured from the boy like poison. It wasn't a pleasant scent to say the least.
Idly Derek wondered what the boy's natural scent was normally. He shook off the thought by asking the boy, "Are you even old enough to be here?" But instead of answering the boy only laughed some more.
"Derek, he's wearing red." Zane said as if it was the most obvious thing ever and the boy had stiffened when the Sheriff spoke, his gaze dropping to Zane's uniform, turning the boy's scent acidic as a new wave of rage and grief poured from him.
Great, Derek thought, the kid as issues with the cops.
Derek did not need this. He was one second from just leaving and letting his dad deal with the kid but... there was something about this kid. Maybe it was the utter despair that shone from those amber eyes that tugged at Derek. Making him want to wrap the kid up in a blanket and hide the kid under his bed and protect him.
It was a weird feeling.
Derek didn't like it.
"Do you need help finding your way to the main hall?" Zane asked looking at the boy as if his very presences confused him.
The boy got control of himself the grief and anger disappeared as he gave an sad smile when he said, "No, sir, Sheriff. Being mated to a supernatural creature before I'm finished with high school is not in my plans."
That wasn't a complete lie, Derek thought. The boys heart rate only skipped once and that was when he said the word 'Sheriff.' " Could the kid be attracted to his dad? Derek didn't like that thought and pushed it away.
"What's your name, son."
If you hadn't been looking you never would have seen the slight flinch the boy gave when Zane called him son. The boy looked confused, like he didn't want to answer the question but after licking his lips he said, "Nyctimus," Stiles continued with, "but everyone calls me Stiles."
Really? That was the kid's answer? Derek thought but said, "What the hell is a Stiles?"
Derek almost felt bad when he saw the boy give him a disappointed look.
Why he was disappointed Derek couldn't even begin to know. Maybe because he expected a better retort or something more original? Cause that couldn't have been the first time the kid heard that.
"Lame," Stiles muttered to Derek then said, "Look as fun as this conversation as been," Stiles tone implying that it had been anything but fun, "I need to find a computer."
The boy started to walk away and Zane grabbed him by the shoulder, "Now hold on," Zane started but Stiles did some complex marshal arts move. Derek could only watched wide eyed as Zane was pinned to a wall, helpless. Derek growled, letting his eyes flash. Stiles gave Derek a blank bland look, as if he wasn't afraid, and he wasn't. Because Stiles didn't smell afraid.
And he should! Most humans did when confronted with a werewolf would be afraid and would smell so. This boy didn't.
Derek was confused. Derek didn't like being confused. Least of all by a teenage boy, Derek could snap like a twig it he wanted.
"Chill, Sourwolf. One he's a werewolf." Stiles said and Zane's eyes flashed yellow-gold in the low light of the lobby as if to give the kid's statement more impact. Derek knew it was because Stiles emotions Anger, Grief, Resentment, were flooding the room again.
"Two, he let me pin him. Because it's not like I have the strength to keep a werewolf pinned..." Stiles paused as if realizing what he had done, "to the wall." he finished stepping back from Zane.
"You're strong." Zane muttered before asking, "Who taught you self-defense? You must have known some Weres or a Shifter to be comfortable using it on one."
Derek watched as Zane rubbed his right shoulder, he had gotten shot a few years before he had met his mother. It had given Zane a lot of problems until he took the Bite. Derek knew there was nothing wrong with his dad and that Zane was just rubbing it out of an old human habit.
Stiles turned away grabbing up the backpack he dropped as he said softly, "A lot of people taught me many things." From the way Stiles said it. It wasn't a happy experience, Derek thought as Stiles practically ran down the hall way from them.
"Well," Zane said, "he was certainly interesting." Derek just grunted in reply. Zane rolled his eyes at the response. "That is one messed up kid," he continued softly.
Because scent could tell a Were a lot of things. Basic things about a person's physical health and mental (because yes, some mental illnesses had a certain scent). Scent can also tell you where someone has been or who they've been with.
The kid smelled like a local. Though Derek had never seen Stiles before today. Though it wasn't like Derek knew every person in town or anything. He also smelled of Wolves, magic on Stiles grief and anger were also the type Derek had learned to associate with death.
Stiles didn't make any sense.
"It's strange," Zane said suddenly, looking intrigued, "but the kid looks like a mirror image of my younger brother, Zale at that age."
Zane hardly ever talked about his blood family. So when he did Derek paid attention. Even after being in the Hale family for four years, Derek still learned new things about his Dad.
"I didn't know you had a brother."
Zane nodded, "He was a military. He was actually coming home on leave when..." he trailed off. The scent of sadness from his dad startled Derek.
"When?" Derek prompted quietly.
"Zale was coming home on a plane..." Zane said, "I got a phone call just before..." Zane sighed and shook his head, "My baby brother was my hero."
Derek put a hand on his dad's shoulder, "Maybe one day you can tell me more about him?"
Zane smiled slightly nodding, then with a slyly look, "You sure can pick them, son." Zane said.
Wait? What? No. Derek thought, "No." he told his dad flatly, while trying not to think about how pretty, he thought, Stiles eyes were. "He looked like he was twelve."
Zane sighed, grabbing Derek by the neck again just before Derek could side step his dad and make a bid for freedom. "Sometimes you amaze me, Derek."
Derek didn't think his dad meant that in the good way. Derek only huffed and let his dad drag him to the main hall.
888
Stiles stumbled in to the computer room, he knew he was on the verge of a panic attack. He sank down in front of the closest computer and quickly turned it on trying not to think about how... His own father didn't know him. Didn't know him! That right there told Stiles it was possible that he didn't exists in this reality!
Derek Hale... was a live. Stiles shook slightly, this Derek had been all clean shaven, leather jacket wearing, and grumpy. He reminded Stiles of his Derek when Stiles had first seen his Derek.
Stiles took some deep calming breaths, and began to type.
Twenty minutes later he had learned that this reality in terms of world events had flowed close to his own except for the fact that Supernatural creatures were known. And lived side by side humans normally. It wasn't always so the there had been wars in the Ancient times that had almost wiped out normal Humans and Supernaturals. So it wasn't surprising to learn that the too groups learned to live with each other. Supernaturals though stayed out of Human politics and Human wars. They didn't seem to care so long as Humans didn't endanger them or the planet.
Humans did the same for Supernaturals. With the excepted being the Enforcers that were employed by varying Supernaturals for protection or business. Enforcers had once been the Hunters of said Creatures until the Hunter Wars in the early 1500's.
The Hunters lost. And the Enforcement of the Code became mandatory for both Hunter and Supernaturals: No Supernatural may harm a Human. No Hunter shall harm a Supernatural who has not harmed a Human.
There were other subsets and by-laws of the Code. But those two were the main ones. And from what Stiles read...
Boston Gazette
May 4, 1830
Code Abiding Kitsune Family Brutally Murdered By Hunters...
At 3 O'clock this morning a fire was set to the home of the Larenards. Mountain Ash and Foxglove were found at the scene. The family, Dean and Zoë Larenard and youngest children, five year old twin boys, Lucas and Marcus were found dead by the local police and fire firefighters who arrived on at the crime scene. They had been stabbed repeatedly and there were signs of foxglove poisoning on the victims.
The oldest daughter at seventeen, Teyla was found barely alive and had been violated in a most brutal fashion. Teyla told the police that this was the fault of the local Hunter family the Andersons...
Simply because the daughter had refused the suit of a Hunter. A stricter enforcement of the Code by both sides happened and the Enforcers Council was created.
Enforcers could be Human or Supernaturals. They enforced the Code for both sides.
Which made sense to Stiles. If there was a watch dog from both sides watching each other then there was less of a chance for either side to screw up.
It was mostly Beacon Hills history that had changed. The Hales were alive and Stiles dad- no, Sheriff Stilinski was married to Talia Hale. Stiles found article on one of the alpha's previous husbands.
Beacon Hills Herald
October 10, 1987
Philip Coulson-Hale, age 38
Died from complicates from the gunshots wounds he received after being attacked by a member of the Hunters Coalition. He is survived by his wife of ten years Alpha Talia Hale, and his three children, Patrick, Damon, and Laura.
The memorial will be Friday, October 13, at the Beacon Hills Preserve National Park...
From a wedding announcement, Stiles had read said that Talia Hale's second husband had been a Werewolf from an ally pack who wanted to made a permanent alliance. William Connor was the father of Derek, Cora and Lander. It was a much shorter marriage than Talia's first, ending in divorce after lasting only five years.
New York Times
May 9, 2006
Alpha Anthony Rodgers Beltane has once more produced many Mated couples this year. The most notable is that of Alpha Taila Hale from Beacon Hills, California and that of Zane Stilinski. Zane Stilinski joined the NYPD in 1998 after a ten year career in the Air Force, making Detective by 2001.
Zane Stilinski is the brother of War Hero and National Hero Zale Stilinski. Zale Stilinski was honor posthumous for his actions during 9/11. Zale Stilinski was on the second plane and was able to get a warning out telling that the plane was heading toward the second tower twenty minutes before it actually hit the building. Many lives were saved because of this...
Zane Stilinski was Talia's Mate. Something her previous spouses hadn't been and the father of the youngest Hales, the triplets, Konrad, Sera, Nita. From want Stiles remembered Mates were a BIG thing to Were and some Shifters. A Mate was the perfect person for you. That wasn't to say a Were only had one Mate ever. Cause people died or things just don't workout between people. It was one of the reasons for the Festivals were so Weres/Shifters could look for compatible people to be with and if they were lucky would find some one they would consider as a mate.
Stiles found out everything he could about the Hales, and the members of his own pack and allies. Almost all of them were in Beacon Hill or Beacon County. So there was that.
Then Stiles looked up his enemies...mostly the Alpha Pack. Which he was glad to learn was scattered all over the country, most were mated.
Stiles could only stare at the computer monitor in disbelief as he read the informant on the Argents.
Beacon County Observer
November 2, 2008
What Is Alpha Talia Hale Thinking?
It was come to the attention of this reporter that our Alpha as lost her mind. Why? You ask? It's quite simple she has hired Christopher Argent and his wife, Victoria Chasseur-Argent as the Enforcers for the territory.
As you dear readers remember the scandal that led to the deaths of Gerard Argent and his daughter, Katherine ten years ago...
It was learning that the Argents were the Enforcers for the Hales that horrified Stiles. Stiles was sure the Enforcers Council had something to do with there deaths of the Gerard and Kate Argent. Stiles triple check everything on them to be as sure as he could without seeing the bodies that they were actually dead.
Stiles got up running a hand over his face tiredly, his other hand tightened on the strap of his back pack and he walked out of the room. He had taken about five steps when he heard,
"...By Lykaon's Bastard, Peter!" Coming from the woman, Stiles had met earlier and she was addressing Peter Hale, with an unhappy look.
"Such language is so unbecoming of a lady, Gloriana," Peter said in a soothing tone, but Gloriana wasn't having any of that it seemed.
"I'm not a lady but a Witch, Peter!" She yelled.
"No, actually you are my wife!" Peter snarled back at the strawberry blonde.
"There are days when I'm not sure I want to be that anymore." Gloriana muttered and started to walk away from Peter, but Peter grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her to him, nuzzling at her neck. Stiles was about to step forward to help the woman but realized that Gloriana was letting him do it.
Suddenly a rolled up newspaper appeared in Gloriana's hand. Peter gave a slight yelp when it hit him in the face.
Stiles blinked and couldn't stop himself as he asked, "Did you really just hit Peter on the nose with a rolled up newspaper?"
Gloriana shrugged, "He deserved it."
"Oh, I don't doubt that." Stiles said walking up to them, "I'm sure Peter deserves a lot of things. and none of them good." Stiles ignored the intrigued look he got from Peter. Having Peter Hale's interest never ended well.
"Oh My Glory, look, Bambi here thinks he knows things."
But it looked like it was to late for that.
Stiles rolled his eyes and took Gloriana's hand in his own bringing it up to his mouth, kissing the back of it and ignoring Peter's slight rumble of irritation. "What did he do, my lady?"
Gloriana gave Stiles an amused look, "Oh, he upset the Druids...again! I'm swamped helping Talia run things for the Festival and he thinks it a good idea to make trouble." Gloriana sighed, pulling her hand away from Stiles but leaned close to confide, "If he didn't make such pretty babies? I would have dumped him years ago," she flashed Peter a teasing smile. So, Stiles knew she was joking.
Stiles shook his head, "He really doesn't deserve you," taking her hand again and pressing the back of it his chest, in an overly dramatic way said, "Run away with me!"
Gloriana laughed, "I think I like you..."
"Stiles."
"Oh, I know I do." Peter said in a smarmy tone.
Stiles looked at Peter, cringing as the man's eyes trailed over him. Stiles dropped her hand as he looked back to Gloriana, "You do know your husband is one moment away from bad touching me, right?"
Gloriana nodded, "I do," and then frowned, "The real question is how do you know that?"
Stiles was actually stumped for an answer that didn't make him sound crazy. When he heard a shout come from up the hall and what sounded like wheezing?
"I'm...just...gonna..." Stiles gave up trying to explain and bolted.
After Stiles had left Gloriana turned towards Peter. "He seemed like a nice boy."
"Yes," Peter drawled out staring after the boy in a way that almost made Gloriana worry, then Peter glanced at her, "We could use a pet," at his wife's darkening look he clarified, "to take care of the children, of course."
Gloriana snorted, "Right."
Peter shrugged, shaking his head, "That boy is destined for our the Pack."
Gloriana said nothing. But didn't doubt her husband because Peter knew what others did not. And he was always right.
888
It had been an hour since Derek had met Stiles and he was still trying not to think about the kid. Running into his Uncle Peter hadn't helped that. "Go Court, Mate, and make him Pack." was what Peter had told him to do. Derek had flatly told him no, before walking way from his uncle. Derek had been walking in the hall ways avoiding all the rooms with people in them.
When Derek heard Stiles voice come from up the hall way,
"You've got to be kidding, me?"
Derek heard Stiles say as he turned a corner but stayed in the shadows of the hallway but could see Stiles glaring at, a couple of teenage twin boys, the Carver Betas, as they tossed an inhaler back and forth over the head of the dopey looking wheezing kid, that the inhaler had to belong too. Derek was just about to step forward to put a stop to this, when Stiles stepped up to Twin 1 and sucker punched him in the side hard enough for the boy to double over, the inhaler fell to the ground.
"It's not funny when some else," Stiles said, kicking Twin 2 in the back of the knee causing the beta to stumble and hit the floor, "is doing the bullying..." Stiles grabbed Twin 1 by the throat when he made a lunge for Stiles, who then slammed Twin 1's head into the wall of the hallway, dazing the beta. He dropped Twin 1 and turned to kick Twin 2 in the face, "Now is it?"
Derek didn't think Stiles really wanted an answer as he watched Stiles pick up the inhaler and was about to hand it to the wheezy boy,
"Oh, Shit!" Stiles yelled out when a mostly shifted lizard creature jumped out in front of the weaker boy, lashing his tail at Stiles. Stiles jumped back avoiding the tail barely, tossing the inhaler at him. The lizard caught it glaring and handed it to the boy, who shook it quickly and then took a hit off of it.
Derek stepped closer when the lizard started towards Stiles.
"Jackson! Stop!"
"But Scott..." Jackson, the adopted son of the Whittmore Kandimas, started to asked his friend. Jackson had gotten turned by his adopted father two years ago, in order to be able to officially make the boy his heir. Mostly Derek remembered the fit his mother had thrown over it. Talia had planned to ask Jackson if he wanted the Bite and become a wolf. Why though Derek didn't know.
Scott pointed to the Twins as the two boys helped each other to their feet, "He was helping me, Jackson." When Jackson saw who they were, he let out a hiss at them and gave Stiles a slight nod of acknowledgement. To Stiles, Scott said, "Thanks for helping me."
Stiles shrugged, "No problem. My best friend had asthma."
And there is was again, a wave of pain and grief, that could only be associated with death. Derek wondered how many people Stiles had lost to make his scent so consumed by Anger, Pain and Grief. Derek shifted his weight when the Carvers stared at Stiles in a way Derek didn't like, if they attacked...
"Problem, boys?" Zane's came from besides Derek. He wondered just how long his dad had been there before he made himself known.
"Yes, there's a problem!" Twin 1 snarled.
Zane nodded, calmly, "And what would that be, Aiden, Ethan?"
And of course his dad would know the betas names, Derek thought.
"He attacked us for no reason!" Aiden said pointing at Stiles. Stiles looked shocked at the accusation. "We were just trying to help, Scott..."A look of rage replaced the shocked look Stiles had. Derek was glad that look was not aimed at him. Scott looked like he wanted to say something but Whittmore grabbed his wrist tightly and Scott looked away.
"Wait," Zane cut in, "You want me to believe that," Zane pointed to Stiles, "some one who might weight one hundred and thirty-five pounds soaking wet at the most," Stiles turned away muttering under his breath so low even the wolves couldn't hear him, "attacked you both? For no reason what so ever?"
When Aiden nodded, Derek had enough, stepping out of the shadows he said, "He's lying, Dad."
"Creeping in the shadows like a Creeper-Wolf," Stiles muttered but didn't look surprised to see Derek.
"You willing to make a statement, Derek?" Zane asked. At Derek's nod, Aiden took a step towards Stiles. Stiles just gave Aiden, a disturbingly blank stare as he cock his head to the side, looking at the beta as if Aiden was some strange creature he had ever seen before.
"Aiden, no," Ethan said touching Aiden's arm and giving his brother a meaningful look, "we don't want any trouble." Aiden shook off his brother and stormed away. Ethan only shrugged and followed his brother.
"Always lovely dealing with the Twins," Stiles muttered walking past Scott grabbing him by the arm, "I'm bored, Scotty-boy. Let's go find a video game consul. How does 'Call of Duty' sound?" Jackson growled, "I guess your boyfriend can come too." Stiles said sarcastically as he dragged Scott down the hall.
"What?" Scott exclaimed, "Jackson's not my boyfriend!" Scott looked over his shoulder at Jackson, shaking his head as he said, "You are not my boyfriend!" Jackson just gave Scott an unimpressed look. Scott looked back at Stiles, and exclaimed earnestly, "I like girls!"
Stiles nodded agreeingly, "So do I. And in memory of Caitlin, who with a simple sentence threw my sexual orientation into question, when she told me, 'I also like boys, do you?' " Stiles gave Scott a look that was full of meaning.
Scott only flailed his arms as he stuttered incoherently as an answer. Behind them Jackson sighed loudly as he followed after them.
When the boys were out of sight Zane said, "That Stiles kid is really keeping things interesting, isn't he."
Derek said nothing and before he could slip away, Zane grabbed him by the back of the neck once more pulling Derek into and almost hug, "Your mother wants to see you."
"Oh, joy." Derek said dryly as Zane pulled him back to the main hall.
888
Stiles slipped away from Scott when he was distracted by Jackson whispering in Scott's ear things Stiles didn't want to hear. Ever.
Stiles wandered through the familiar, yet not, rooms of the Youth Center. In a room to Stiles left he heard voices. He glanced through the open door and saw Alan Deaton sitting at a table with Peter Hale and a tall dark haired man. The man was young, maybe a handful of years older than Derek. The guy was also very attractive, almost prettier than Derek, but no, no one was prettier than Derek Hale. Yet this guy came close.
When Stiles stepped into the room Peter's head snapped up and he gave Stiles a small smirk.
"Come on, Alan. I've been working on this protection rune for months!" the man said as Stiles slinked closer to the table ignoring Peter. As he stopped just behind the dark haired man looking over his shoulder at the small open notebook laying on the table in front of him, "Tell me what I'm doing wrong."
"Damon, if I do it for you, you will never learn." Deaton said.
Damon turned to Peter and whined, "Uncle!"
Peter shook his head.
"What the hell!" Stiles exclaimed, causing Damon to jump and look at him. Stiles reached pass him and pulled the book closer. "You do know if you attempt to use this...What are you using this for? No, don't just don't use this. Because..." Stiles stops and looked at Deaton.
Deaton gave Stiles a curious look and inclined his head giving Stiles permission to continue, "First of all you have this rune inverted, so what ever you are trying to do? Is going to do the total opposite of what you are want to accomplish and second..." Stiles turned the notebook upside down, "you drew the rune upside down."
Damon looked up at Stiles, "Who are you," in that half confused-half snarl, all Hales Stiles had known, had used with Stiles the first time he met them. Damon's eyes were blue, Stiles could see, they were a deep sapphire blue.
"Stiles," Peter purred.
Damon gave Peter a look. It was never a good thing when his uncle used that tone. And from the look on the kid's face. The kid knew that too from the way Stiles rolled his eyes.
"And what would you do?" Deaton asked.
"Well I'm not going to be a cryptic bastard and not tell him why this won't work so I can keep the balance." Stiles said scathingly, then turned to Damon and began to explain everything wrong with the rune and how to use the protection rune it the right way.
Peter snickered at the look on Embassary's face.
Twenty minutes later Damon had dragged Stiles to see a group of Druids and magic users, and debated runes verses spells for an hour. Stiles left them when he got hungry and went looking for food. He wandered through the rooms of the Youth Center. Until he got to the main hall, which was just a really big, open room, where there were tables covered in red clothes. Three buffet style hot tables, and two cold, and another that had just deserts on it. Stiles could see people dressed in food service uniforms waiting tables and passing out plates and drinks.
Stiles was making his way to one of the buffet tables, he could see the mountain of curly fries, that were calling his name. When Stiles bumped into a girl with dark hair, it was Allison Argent, her hair was long, like it had been when Stiles first met her and she was wearing a bright crimson butterfly clip that was holding her hair back away from her face and a matching red dress. Allison smiled shyly at him showing off the dimples on her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry," she said, then waved a hand around, at all of the people, "This place is crazy. I'm Allison, by the way."
"It's okay," Stiles mumbled, because it was Allison, who was alive and healthy, and he has felt so guilty for her death for so long...
"Is this your first time at The Meeting too..." Allison asked trailing off questioningly.
Stiles nodded, because of course it was, "Stiles."
Allison wrinkled her nose, "What's a-"
"Please, don't," Stiles said irritated, "finish that sentence. It's a nick name."
Allison giggled, "I guess you hear that a lot, huh?"
"More than I'd like."
"You know I-" Allison was cut off by someone calling her name. Allison closed her eyes, grimacing, "Great, " she muttered. Looking over her shoulder Stiles could see Chris and Victoria Argent coming towards them.
"Allison!" Victoria said sharply.
Allison turned towards her mother, "I don't know why you let me come to The Meeting if I'm not allowed to talk to anyone."
"Just because the Supernaturals think you have some scent that will make you compatible with one of them, doesn't you must take one for a mate." Victoria said making the word mate sound like a dirty word.
So much for thinking that the Argents were different in this reality, Stiles thought and before he could stop himself said, "Don't you think Allison should be the one to decide that?"
"You should mind your own business, you..." Victoria stumble over her words as she looked at Stiles, her eyes falling to his red hoodie.
"Red? Chosen?" Stiles asked. He was tired and hungry, his temper was fraying around the edges. "Or perhaps you want to use something a bit coarser like Wolf-Whore? Or Bitch?" Stiles held up a finger tisking at the red haired woman, "Your Hunter origins are showing, Enforcer."
"Do you have a problem with hunters?" Chris spoke up, his pale blue eyes watching Stiles as if he were some dangerous animal.
"Only those that do not follow the Code to the letter, Mr. Argent." Stiles hissed darkly, Victoria gasped at his tone and Chris took a step back face pale at what Stiles was implying. Stiles was pretty sure he had hit a nerve by their reactions.
"Hunters hurt you?" Allison asked, and oh, no, she had 'sad Disney princess' face.
An normally Stiles would do anything for her not to have that look but... At one point or another all three of the people in front of him had hunted and hurt those Stiles had cared about. "A hunter killed my pack!" He snarled, coldly. He would have said more but a commotion caught coming from the next room caught his attention as he heard a voice yell out angrily,
"STILINSKI!"
"It's Donovan O'Keefe," Allison said worried.
"It sounds like he's threatening the Sheriff, again." Chris said sharing his daughter's worry.
Which won those two a few points with Stiles.
"The boy is human. I doubt he's any sort of threat to our dear Sheriff." Victoria said with a trace of sarcasm in her voice.
Victoria was now Stiles least favorite Argent.
"Donovan O'Keefe is a threat or don't Enforcers know a Wendingo when they see one!" Stiles said before racing off to the next room.