I hope you all are enjoying the story! Thank you for reading.


Derek had to admit it wasn't his best moment. They were on the couch in the middle of eating Chinese while watching some ridiculous movie from the 80s that Stiles insisted was a classic when the front door opened. And the sheriff walked in.

Derek looked up at him, his mouth full of house lo mein and slowly removed his feet from the table. He noted that Stiles just left his there. He was a bit of a dick sometimes, Derek thought. He had noticed.

"Son." The sheriff said as he took his jacket off and stuffed it into the closet next to the door.

"Father of mine," Stiles replied between bites of food. The brat didn't even have the good sense to look apologetic for harboring a suspected murderer.

Derek slid upright on the couch, his previous relaxed state long gone.

The sheriff meanwhile made himself home right in front of the TV, forcing stiles to pause the movie. With one hand brushing the back of his head, the other motioned in Derek's direction, "What's this then?"

"It is called Derek, Derek Hale to be precise. You arrested him once, think you'd remember his name a bit better, tsk tsk," Stiles said, shaking his head at his father.

Derek was impressed with the sheriff's control on his temper. He could tell that the man's blood pressure rose a bit with Stiles lackadaisical answer, but he never raised a finger in the boy's general direction.

Derek was going have to stop thinking of him as a boy if they were going to continue things.

The sheriff continued to stare at his son with a gaze that lesser men had broke under. "I know perfectly well what his name is, now would you mind explaining to me why an, I mean a man YOU accused of murder is now sitting in our house, eating our food and watching our movies with you?"

"School project." Stiles said flippantly as he took a bite out of his egg role. "We have community service projects that have to be finished before the end of senior year and well, when Scott and I thought of people we'd wrong, there was Derek at the top of the list!"

The sheriff crossed his arms across his chest, "I'm aware of the giving back program, now what exactly does this have to do with why Mr. Hale is doing here," he looked straight at Derek, "no offense son."

Derek said nothing, sitting stiffly, just continuing to watch the confrontation unfold. So far, nothing Stiles had said had been a lie, not even half a one. He too now wondered what plot those two had cooked up this time.

"Derek is rebuilding his house. And as a way of apologizing for his past behavior, Scott is going to help. And since I'm just a kind thoughtful friend, I've decided to help as well. In fact we've gotten together a few people that are willing to lend a hand." Stiles smiled up at his father like he'd never done a thing wrong in his life.

The sheriff closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them again and focused completely on Derek this time, "You okay with this son?"

His heart throbbed at being addressed like that, the way his own father would speak to him. Aspirated after a day's work only to come home and have to deal with some trouble him or his siblings caused. Derek meanly whined and shook his head.

"While I'm not so sure about their help," mainly because he'd only just found out about it, "however it was their fault that everyone in the town thinks I killed my sister. Things have been," Derek paused because how do you tell someone who's always fit in with society about the stares, the whispered comments that he always heard perfectly. The way people would pull their children closer as he walked past in the grocery store. "Awkward, since my return. Frankly speaking, being seen in the company of kids, almost my own age, especially one who is the sheriff's son, well... That could make some things easier."

He looked back and forth between the two Stilinskis; both had a look of semi shock on their faces.

Stiles leaned forward, "I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much all at once."

"Derek, if anyone is giving you trouble, you let me know and I'll have a talk with them. You were cleared," the sheriff said while throwing a glance to his son, his eyes softening a bit. He leaned forward and snagged the rest of Stiles egg roll and popped it in his mouth. "You boys have fun with your movie."

"Hey you can't eat that! And what are you doing home anyway; I thought you had a meeting?" Stiles gave his dad a knowing look, moved his gaze pointedly to his stomach and then back.

"Stop looking at me like that." The sheriff huffed. "I did. Only instead of going, we just connected our offices via video conference and had it that way. It was a bit easier and let me come home and find out what you've been hiding from me. Now I'm going to get some dinner and watch the game in my room. Be good." The sheriff made his way to the kitchen.

"Better be a salad you're eating," Stiles after him.

Derek snorted as he heard e sheriff curse under his breath about how he had the most annoying, but loving son in the world. And called the salad fixings vegetables of Satan.

Stiles leaned closer, his shoulder brushing Derek's, "Tell me his eating a salad."

He liked it. This side of Stiles, that cared so much about his father. Who nagged his father to eat better. Who needled him a bit, but then surprised him a second later. Stiles surprised Derek as well.

He had made it possible for them to be around each other. Quietly. They needed time and an explanation and Stiles had gotten that for them.

Crap, he'd also gotten him time spent with Scott. Derek curled his lip and threw his fork into the lo mein container and glared at Stiles.

Who sat there like e smug bastard he was. "You just figure out that you'll be spending plenty of time with Scott."

Derek glared at him, honestly there was only so much rejection and hatred leveled his way he could take. And Scott hated him. Derek looked away, even though Derek had called Scott brother.

"Don't worry, they'll all be there. Lydia and Allison too. We all have parts to play. And we'll be rotating who takes pictures at what time so it clearly shows all of us working. I think Lydia and Jackson are going to go out to the house soon so she can draw up a list of things that needs to be done." Stiles used his chopsticks to snag a piece of chicken from Derek's container.

"I have a small list. I can do some things, but I need someone to do the electrical work. And I need to contact someone about seeing about the frame of the house." Derek clenched his fist. He wasn't sure how he felt about everyone helping. There were things he needed to do himself.

A punch to his arm drew him out of his thoughts, "Don't hit me!" He stared at Stiles in amazement. Derek didn't like to be hit for more reasons than he was the alpha. Kate used to do that and it made him hurt inside. It wasn't okay to hit people.

"Don't be a baby, it was a love tap. Besides you were getting all broody on me. This will be good, just trust me." Stiles fiddled with the control, "come on let's finish the movie."

Derek looked away, at anything but at Stiles. He focused back on the movie and started eating again. He felt dismissed in a way.

Later that night, after he'd left with a wave to the sheriff, Derek drove around for a bit. He wasn't sure if he should go back to Stiles' for the night or not. He ended up going back to the train cars and wasn't at all surprised to find his three betas lounging around. What he was surprised to see was Lydia and Jackson there with them.

Lydia flicked her hair over her shoulder as she said primly on a crate, "I'm glad you showed up. There are a few things that I'd like to go over with you. However it's getting late and Jackson needs to take me home. Are you available to meet tomorrow?"

Though Lydia was the one who asked the question, the rest of them were clearly waiting for his attention to the question. He saw papers with writing and doodles sitting on a board in the middle of them and tablet in Lydia's hands. They were all really going to do this, they were all helping. Without him even asking. Warm spread in his belly.

Derek pulled a sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket. It had all the notes he'd taken written on it. He walked over and handed it to Lydia who snatched it with pink talons, "What time were you thinking?"

A wave of sighs came over the group when they realized that Derek wasn't going to yell at them.

He watched Lydia scan the notes before she answered, "Well, seeing as its Sunday tomorrow, how about we meet for brunch at that little corner cafe in town, The Black Lab. Jackson loves their omelets."

He wasn't buying that innocent act for a minute. The Black Lab indeed. He glared at her, "Fine."

Lydia smiled and stood, then entwined her arms with Jackson followed, "Excellent, meet us at 10am, that will give me time to go over your list and add it into the tablet."

"And I suppose you're what, the project manager of this project?" Derek couldn't help but ask.

Lydia blinked at him in a way that made him uncomfortable. He was grateful that she was immune to the bite, because he had no doubt that she'd turn into something worse than Jackson. "Of course. We'll all be assigned jobs based on our skills."

Derek nodded. That sounded good.

"Of course some of us have a pre-disposition towards demolition may be used a little harder at first than others." Lydia glanced at Erica who took this as a compliment and preened at the attention.

"Just don't let her near our food," Isaac mumbled, reminding them all that Erica's only ability with food was to somehow poison others with it. Again Erica smiled, only this time everyone knew it wasn't a compliment.

Derek nodded and made his way towards the train car where he kept his things. He climbed into the metal structure and stared at the mattress inside. It was large and comfortable, but he didn't want to sleep there.

Turning around he walked back out past the others.

Later as he climbed into bed with Stiles, who once again held the blankets for him to get in, he wondered just what was happening. He curled up into Stiles, making him the small spoon, wrapping his arms around tightly, so he could bury his face into the back of his neck and breathe in deeply his scent. Also so he could hold him still as he struggled to speak.

It was difficult to talk sometimes, to get out exactly what he meant. And hope that the other person understood.

"You can't, you can't do what you did earlier tonight. I don't like it." Derek said, his heart pounding hard.

Stiles, voice a bit thick with sleep, hummed before asking, "What do you mean?"

Derek rubbed his nose along Stiles skin, before hesitantly placing a small kiss behind his ear. He leaned back barely an inch, "Don't hit me, not if we're going to be doing this. Going to be meaning something more to each other. I don't like it, there should never be hitting. Not, not from you, not from me, not between us." Derek closed his eyes, hoping that Stiles would understand.

"Did she?" The question trailed off.

Derek nodded into Stiles' neck.

He felt fingers trace along his and then grip his tightly, "Okay."


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