Author's Notes: Thank you for everyone who read the first chapter and for the reviews. Here is the next part.

Deals in the Dark

Chapter 2

By: DanniMitchell85

BETA: N/A (Could be you!)

*~*~* Beacon Hill's *~*~*

Kicking his still booted feet up onto the low-rise coffee table, Derek leaned his head back on the black leather sofa. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he was able to relax for the first time in the last five years. There wasn't any immediate danger of hunters looking through a scope ready to pull the trigger, or any crazy were-creatures trying to challenge or take something from him.

Taking a deep calming breath, he was calmed even further by the lingering scents of the loft. While it had been over a year, he could still name each and every scent. There was a mixture of calming scents, and those that still fueled his anger. However, like scars, they told a story. Because his skin wasn't marred by his past due to his enhanced healing, he was left to remember the hardships of his life through the scents they left behind. It was a gift and a curse of becoming an evolved werewolf.

Traces of the Alpha Pack and Jennifer were the weakest, but still present. He thought he had eliminated all traces of the lying bitch, but it was clear her dark power had been strong enough to remain behind even after he burned everything she had touched. It still caused his stomach to clinched just thinking about her. It had been a subject that had kept him up most nights. Not Jennifer the women, but the fact that he has been so easy to manipulate and was blinded once again by a pretty face and open legs. Kate, Jennifer and even Braeden had all used him to get what they wanted. Kate used his aching heart and inexperience to get close to his family in order to kill them. Jennifer had wanted to use him for protection, and Braeden just wanted more money. And they all enjoyed time in his bed.

Even his own uncle had used him and played him in order to get what he wanted from him. It had been Chris of all people to enlighten him on why.

'Those who are most willing to do good, are the ones who fall victim to the will of evil men.' Chris had told him.

It had taken him a while to understand what the older man had meant, but during their time hunting down Kate he began to see what the former hunter was trying telling him. Deep down Derek knew he wanted to do right, he wanted to protect those who were important to him. It was easy to see, and those who wanted to take advantage only needed to work their way into his inner circle.

The problem was, there was no one left to protect now. All but two members of his family were dead. His uncle was lost within himself and his younger sister had made it a point she didn't want his protection. She wanted to live her own life, and Derek could only respect her wishes.

Thinking of Cora, Derek took another long inhale and was calmed when the scent of his sister filled him. Sweat and blood mixed, and he knew it was from the time she had lay dying. He had been willing to do anything to save her, and after following advice from Peter, he had given up the Alpha Spark to save Cora. It hadn't been until much later that he realized it had been a trick of Peter's to get him to surrender his Alpha status. While he had always thought his uncle had been his best friend, the truth was Peter couldn't stand the thought of him being better.

Derek could help but grin. In the long run the joke had been on Peter. It had been a few months ago when following a lead on Kate, and a run in with one of her new berserkers, that Chris had committed on his new eye color.

'Red look's better on your than blue,' the hunter said while they regrouped.

After some joint research and calling every contact they knew of, it was concluding that an Alpha who willing gave up their Spark to save a member of their Pack could regain their Alpha status through shear acts of will. While he wasn't a True Alpha like Scott, he was a Reclaimed Alpha. Combined his status with the fact that he was a born wolf and now evolved, he was quite strong. Even without a traditional Pack of his own anymore, Derek found that his strength came from within. The desire to build a strong pack was still there, but he now wanted to take his time and do it right. No more changing lost teenagers.

The thought of Isaac, Erica and Boyd brought back an ach to his chest. It had crushed him when he had discovered Erica's body after being taken by the Alpha Pack. She had been the one to change most with the bite. So shy and quite, the bite had given her the opportunity to take control of her own life. He never forgave himself for the part he played in her death.

It hadn't been as bad as Boyd's death though. Nothing would ease the memory of having his own claws pierce one of his Betas. There were still nights when he would wake up in a cold sweat, visions of Boyd impaled on his claws. His eyes always staring at him blankly with the same question on his lips. 'Why didn't you fight harder?' It was a question that he had found himself thinking over many times.

Shaking his head to push the dark thoughts away, Derek got up and walked over to his kitchen. Even though it had been over a year things were clean and fresh. He wasn't sure if it was because Scott took him up on is offer to use the loft whenever he needed to, or if it was in preparation for his return. Whatever the reason, he was glad he wouldn't have to spend time on housekeeping. It was nice to see that the young Alpha was being responsible.

Reaching into a lower cabinet, Derek pulled out a bottle of his favorite whiskey, only to discover the bottle he had left was replaced with a new unopened one. With raised eyebrows he lifted it up to read the yellow sticky note attached.

'Sorry, please don't chew my face off.' It was signed S.S and Derek knew right away that it was Stiles who was responsible. With a grin, Derek pulled the cork and poured himself a glass of the amber liquid. At least the boy had grown a brain cell while he had been gone. He didn't have anything against the Sheriff's kid, he was just best in small doses.

Gears from the lift could be heard, and Derek knew that it wouldn't be long before Chris and Isaac joined him. Grabbing two more glasses, he poured each a drink. Even though Isaac was still underage, he knew with his werewolf healing he wouldn't get drunk. Besides it was a ritual of man-hood, and if anything Isaac had shown both Chris and Derek how much he had grown over the last year.

After taking some time to mourn the loss of Allison, Isaac had called and asked if he could help them hunt down Kate. It had been clear to both men that he was still hurting, but was in need of doing something. They both could understand and respect that. It was under the condition that he finish school, and with the help of both Derek and Chris they got him signed up for online school so that he could still travel with them, and finish his education. It had been a struggle, but worth it. Most nights they would bunker down in a shitty hotel and while both Derek and Christ cleaned and checked weapons, Isaac would set up the laptop and finish his projects. It was no surprise that he finished early and got all top scores. The kid was smart.

Derek had seen how the kid looked up to Chris and knew it was important for him to have a strong male role model. Chris had been calm and nurturing when it came to Isaac, and in a way, they both filled a void for the other. Isaac was in need of a father figure, and Chris couldn't turn off the 'father-mode' after losing Allison.

Hearing the lift stop and the heavy door sliding open, he walked back out into the main room with the filled glasses in hand.

"I thought you said you were going to make sure the place was secure?" Chris said gruffly as he dropped the two large black bags down onto the floor. Placing his hands on his hips he took a look around. No doubt surveying the room for any threat to ease his own mind.

"Yeah man, you left me to carry all the heavy shit." Isaac said dropping his own load down, double in size to that of what Chris brought up. He had been tall and lanky as a young teen, and had started to develop more muscle during his time hunting Kate with them. Derek knew in just a few more years he would reach his peak and would be an intimating wolf. With his caring heart and willingness to help others, Derek could see the real Isaac coming out. No longer was he a scared child afraid of getting beaten for saying something, or locked up for not being good enough. Isaac had come a long way.

"Looks secure to me," Derek said with a grin as he handed out the other glasses. "And why are you complaining," he asked the younger wolf. "Have you gotten weak in the last twelve hours? Do we need to pick up your training?" he asked with glee in his voice. While Chris had been able to educate him on more about guns and other hand to hand fighting, he wasn't able to go all out on the human hunter. Training with Isaac was a bit more fulfilling. The younger Beta wasn't a match for the evolved Alpha, but it was better than nothing. It also gave Isaac a challenging opponent to train against.

"NO!" Isaac called out quickly. "I mean, no. I'm good." He corrected as he took the outreached glass and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know," Chris said with a knowing smile. "Seemed to take you a while to unload those," he said as he pointed to the four bags at the kid's feet. "Maybe your Alpha should up your training."

During their time together, Derek had the opportunity to talk with Isaac and apologize for being a horrible Alpha in the beginning. He didn't blame the kid for leaving his Pack and joining up with Scott at the time. However, after everything that happened with Allison, Isaac felt he couldn't go back to Scott's Pack. Even though Scott and Allison had been over at the time they had gotten together, Isaac confessed that he felt like he had let Scott down by not being able to save Allison. Everything about the situation was uncomfortable, and Derek didn't blame the kid for wanting to put some distance between himself and the pack until he figured out what he wanted for himself.

After their talk, Derek had offered to continue to teach him everything he knew. There had been a deep desire to teach the younger wolf, and he hadn't been sure why it was so fulfilling to do so. Chris had laughed at him and shook his head. Derek suspected the older man knew something and was keeping it to himself.

It had been a night not too long ago, and after Scott's phone call, that Isaac had asked if he could become part of Derek's Pack again. Officially. He had told Derek that he had grown to truly trust him, and knew Derek wasn't the same as before. There wasn't so much anger in the Alpha now, and Isaac felt like he had something more to offer to a pack. Derek had been caught off guard by the request, but had welcomed him back with open arms. He promised the kid he would do better this time around, and deep down Derek was moved that he had been given the second chance.

"Well, here is to being home." Chris said as he lifted his drink up. Isaac and Derek followed.

"To belonging," Isaac toasted.

"To Pack," Derek added.

After downing their drinks, Derek refilled each glass.

"So," Isaac started as he looked into his glass. "When do we meet up with Scott and the others?" He asked. Derek could smell the anxiety and excitement on the younger wolf. He knew Isaac was both worried about meeting up with the others. He had missed them, but hadn't talked with them much since he left.

Looking at his watch, Chris answered him. "We got in ahead of schedule so I wouldn't expect them for another few hours."

At the sound of gears turning, he shifted his head to hear the lift moving once again. Derek focused a bit more and heard the sound of the McCall Pack making their way up. "Looks like they couldn't wait." Derek said as he downed his third glass. Isaac's heart rate picked up, and he thought he heard a small uptake from Chris.

They all turned around and faced the door as the other Pack made their way into the entrance. Everyone stopped and took in the site of the others. Derek had to admit they all looked good. Scott had risen to the role of Alpha and it was clear to see how his pack respected him. Stiles was beside him as always; Lydia was standing tall with the blond deputy standing behind her. Liam and Malia made up the rare, both trying to figure out why they had all stopped short of the door.

"Well this sucks," Lydia broke the silence as she dropped the bags she was holding in her hands. "There goes the plan for a 'surprise' welcoming home party." Her red lips pouted.

"Party?" Isaac questioned with raised brow. "There was going to be a party?" He asked and then turned to look at Derek to ask if he knew anything about a party.

"Well there was," Lydia said with a huff as she crossed her arms. Even though she was trying to seem upset over her ruined plan, she couldn't fight to grin that was taking over. Without waiting for the other, who were still frozen in the doorway, she closed the distance and pulled Isaac into a tight hug. "It's good to have you back," she said as he returned her hug and held her.

The spell was broken after that, and the others made their way to greet each other. Liam was introduced to Isaac, and Derek could see the two Beta's eyeing each other up. He had a feeling if the two where left alone for too long claw would come out in a challenge. Chris and the Deputy shook hands and began talking off to the side. There was no doubt the two had a lot to talk about. Now that Parrish knew more about what was going on in the world, and he was part of the supernatural, he had stepped up to try and protect the town. Scott had told them they still weren't one hundred percent sure what former military office was, and had hoped with Chris's help, they would figure it out. Apparently the Deputy had begun to have some disturbing nightmares, and was concerned about hurting someone. Lydia had pulled Malia and Stiles off to start setting up for the party. It didn't matter that it wasn't going to be a surprise anymore. She could be heard mumbling to the taller girl and ordering Stiles on where and how things should be placed.

"I hope you don't mind," Scott said as he leaned up against the counter next to Derek. "The minute I told her you guys would be back today she started planning this whole thing. I know you don't like a ton of people in your place, but the others should be here soon." Scott said.

"Other's?" Derek asked with a raised brow. He wasn't sure who else would want to welcome them.

"Yeah, Dr. Deaton, my mom and Stile's dad." Scott answered. Derek had to keep from spitting out his drink when he heard the Mr. Stilinski would be stopping by. He didn't have anything against the man, but he did have a history with him.

"Don't worry," Scott said with a smile. "After everything that has happened, we sat down with him and my mom and explained everything from the beginning. He is even thinking about starting a new task force to deal with all the weird stuff that happens around town."

That surprised the Alpha, but he was impressed with the idea. It could save a lot of lives if the law was working with them when something came up. Instead of always having to look over their shoulders and work twice as hard. Pushing the idea to the back of his mind, he told himself to talk to the Sheriff about it later.

"What about Kira?" Derek asked. He noticed the lack of the fox, and her scent wasn't as heavy on Scott like he remembered. He didn't miss the change in posture from the other male.

"She left," Scott started plainly. "She was having a hard time controlling the fox spirit within her so her parents took her somewhere to help. I haven't heard from her in a while," he said softly. Derek could hear the pain and hurt in his voice and didn't miss the slight change in his scent. He was lonely.

Derek reached up and placed a reassuring hand on Scott's sounder. "If it's meant to work out, it will work out. But don't be so blinded by the lost that you don't see new opportunity when it is presented to you." Derek offered. "You're about to start collage, and with that comes a lot more opportunity," he added with a grin and a knowing wink.

Smiling at the hint Derek was giving him, Scott nodded his head. Scott was strong, he would be alright. His Pack would let him suffer.

They stood next together for a while, just watching their friends. It was nice to have so many people that understood the life and were willing to help when the need ever rose.

"So," Scott broke the silence. "…were you guys able to deal with Kate?" Scott asked quitly.

Derek took another sip of his drink before answering. "She won't be hurting anyone else." He didn't want to get into details, it wasn't really his place to tell that story. When Chris was ready he would open up about it. Derek knew it hadn't been easy on the Hunter to stop his sister, and out of respect to him both he and Isaac vowed to never speck of what happened. Changing subjects, Derek looked over to the two Beta's. "So, looks like Liam has adjusted well." He noted as he watched the younger Beta arm wrestle with Isaac. There was no denying the kid was strong. He notice some of the anger was gone, no longer was the kid a ticking time bomb.

"Yeah, he's a pretty good kid," Scott said with some pride. "That's part of the reason I asked you guys to come back. He is still learning and I don't want to leave him without support." Scott said. "I don't want him to feel like we are all abandoning him when he still has two more years of high school. We'll only be a few hours away, but a lot could happen in that amount of time."

Derek nodded. He understood completely what Scott meant. With Scoot, Stiles, Malia and Lydia all leaving over the next few days, Liam would be the last of the McCall pack in Beacon Hill's. It would be a prime opportunity for another pack to try and take over, and they would go after Liam first. Another reason Scott had called Derek to come back, another pack would think twice about going up against him now that he was an Alpha again.

"We'll keep an eye on him, don't worry." Derek reassured him.

It wasn't long after that when the remaining people showed up. Derek was surprised once again when he was welcomed back with a hug from Scott's mother. Deaton had shaken his hand and with a wide smile had told him it was good to see him again. Even Stiles' dad offered warm words to them, glad there would be some extra help on hand should anything happen to threaten the town. He had to hand it to the man, he had still wanted to protect his town even after learning about all the supernatural things in it.

The afternoon turned to evening and Derek found himself enjoying himself. He found himself talking with Chris, Deputy Parrish and the Sheriff about different fighting styles while they sipped on some special aged whiskey he had stashed away. Both he had the Deputy agreed to a training session in the next few days, both wanting to test their limits against the other. Chris had even said that it might bring them closer to finding out what Parrish was. Derek had commented on his scent, something that Scott hadn't been able to do. He had a feeling the deputy was something altogether different, and was looking forward to helping the man figure out what he was.

Melissa and Deaton sat at the dining room table sipping glasses of red wine, talking about difference between human anatomy and those with supernatural abilities. Apparently Melissa had been learning a few things from the Druid about supernatural healing. He had laughed when she mentioned something about needing to take a supernatural med class. Scott was lucky to have a mother who was so willing to help. It made him think of his own mother. She would have been so happy to see all the different people in the room. Were-creatures, a Banshee, Hunters, a Druid, and Humans alike all working together. It was everything she had worked for, and he knew she would be proud of him for being a part of it.

His focus was pulled from the many conversations when the small trace of blood filled the air. Concerned that Isaac and Liam were pushing their little arm wrestling contest to far, he turned his head to look at the other people in the room. Chris picked up on his body language and started to look the room over for any threat. This caused both Parrish and the Sheriff to straighten up, pausing their discussion. His eye's landed on Stiles as he looked strangely at Lydia.

"Lydia," Stiles said with a frown. "Your nose is bleeding," he held out his napkin.

"That's odd," she said as she dabbed the tissue to her nose before pulling it away to stare at the red stain. "I don't get nose bleeds…" her words trailed off as her eyes rolled backed.

"Lydia!" Multiple voices called out as she fainted. Parrish moved pass him and hurried to the Banshee's side. Both Scott and Dr. Deaton came forward to see what was wrong. Resting the girls head in his lab, Parrish looked to both medical professionals to find out what was going on. The overwhelming scent of worry and concern coming off the young man was enough to tell Derek the young deputy had feelings for the young red head.

"Is she going to be alright?" Parrish asked as everyone watched on.

Before anyone could answer him, the entire building shook with such force everyone lost their balance. Car alarms could be heard going off down in the street, and security alarms were going on in the building.

"What the hell is going on?" Isaac called out as he tried to right himself. Before anyone could say anything else, another trimmer rocked the building. What few items he had on walls or shelves knocked over and crashed to the ground. Yells and shouts could be heard from everyone as they fought through the harsh shaking.

"Are we having an earthquake?" Melissa asked in disbelief as she tried to look over Lydia.

"I doubt it's anything normal." Deaton spoke up next to her. "Not if it is what cause Lydia to pass out," he advised.

"What could cause her to pass out," asked Stiles, as he tried to pick himself up off the floor. "…and cause an earthquake?"

"Nothing good," Scott said with a knowing frown.

Lights flickered on and off as another large quake knocked them all down. Trying to find his footing, Derek looked out his large windows to see the entire town start to lose power as it shook from the powerful quake, however that wasn't what caught his eye. His stomach dropped at what he saw in the distance.

"Everyone get down!" He yelled out. Without wasting any time, he overturned the large dining table and placed it in front of the living room where Lydia was still laying. No one wasted time, the all ran for some form of shelter or cover. With another large earthquake rocking the building, the supernatural shock wave Derek had seen blew out the large windows. A strong gust forced the broken shards to fly around the room with dangerous intent. His ears popped from the changing pressure, and it felt like the air was getting sucked out of his lungs. Pain erupted in his back, and he could smell the blood of a few others.

It felt like it lasted for hours, but it was over in a matter of seconds. "Is everyone alright?" He called out once the wind calmed down. Standing up from where he had found little cover, he reached around to pull the razor like glass from his back. Tossing the bloody piece to the side, he heard everyone else mumble as they tried to recover.

"What's your definition of 'alright'?" Liam asked with an edge to his voice. Looking over to the youngest wolf, Derek hissed at the sight. Blood flowed freely from his shoulder where a large piece of glass pierced him. Knowing he wouldn't be able to pull it out himself, he looked for someone who could help.

"Isaac," Derek called out, "Help him with that," he pointed to the younger wolf. Isaac had been the first to recover and seemed to be waiting to be told what to do, not sure where or who to help first. With a nod to his Alpha, Isaac marched over and helped Liam.

Mostly everyone else was alright. Malia had used herself to shield Stiles and had earned a few cuts but they were already healing. Scott had covered his mother and Deaton as best he could while Parrish covered Lydia. It seemed like Chris and the Sheriff had hidden out in the kitchen. Thankfully those who had gotten hurt were able to heal quickly.

With a groan, Lydia woke and tried to lift herself up off the floor. "What the hell happened?" She asked as she lifted a hand to her nose. Looking around the room her eyes widened at the sight of the damage all around her.

"We were hoping you would be able to tell us," Deaton said as he took her hands to lift her up. Derek watched as Parrish made sure to stay close in order to catch her should she fall.

"Did I do this?" She asked with frightened eyes.

"No, honey." Melissa reassured her.

"You passed out right before all this..." Stiles added as he held out his arms.

The sound of a cell phone broke the silence and they all turned to look at the Sheriff as he took the call. They knew it had to be the department calling him in to deal with the disaster that just took place. "Yeah, I am on my way in." He said cutting whoever was on the other side off. "Go ahead and send out response units where they are needed." Pulling his phone away and covering it with his hands, he addressed the rest of them. "I am going to treat this as a normal natural disaster, until you guys tell me what the hell just happened. Parrish, you're with me." He ordered as he made his way to the door.

"Dad," Stiles called out. "Be safe." With a nod the Sheriff smiled at his son while he listened to who was talking to him through the phone.

Turning to look at the young Deputy, Derek saw Lydia reassuring him that she was alright. He watched as she gave a tinder kiss to the deputy, showing that the feeling went both ways. Lydia had come a long way since dating Jackson Whittemore. No longer was she acting like a spoiled rich girl he had first know her to be. She had grown into a fierce young woman who wasn't afraid to show how smart she was.

Derek saw Melissa talking with Scott as she pulled her things together, getting ready to leave with the Sheriff. "I should check in with the hospital." She said as she kissed her son on the cheek.

After the Sheriff and Deputy left with Melissa to report for duty, everyone moved around and tried to clean up what they could. Derek found himself walking out of the broken window and looking out into the small town below. From where he was he could hear all the different alarms still going off and families trying to recover. He could hear the others behind him trying to come up with different explanations for what had happened.

"What do you hear," Scott asked Derek as he joined him one the balcony.

"Everything," Derek answered. "There was nothing normal about the blast or the quakes," he added.

"Did you see what cause it?" Deaton asked as he stopped just inside the window.

"It's hard to describe," Derek said as he closed his eyes to try and focus and recall what he saw. "It was bright, but at the same time darker than anything I have ever seen."

Derek could feel Deaton's unease as he thought over what he had shared with him. "That is truly unsettling." The vet admitted.

Turning his eyes back to where he had seen the blast come from, he closed his eyes and pushed all his attention and focus on listening. Pushing past the town and all its noise, he found himself hearing leafs and water. The woods. It was oddly quite. No sounds of insects buzzing or little furry creatures running from the safety of one bush to another. Pushing himself, he tried to find anything that didn't belong.

"It started in the woods," he said softly to the other two standing by him. "Everything is quite, too quite." Brows frowned.

"Should we check it out?" Scott asked Deaton as Derek kept trying to find something that would give him a hint as to what danger they had to deal with now.

Drowning out the sound of Scott and Deaton talking, Derek kept pushing to try and find something, anything. Before he was about to give up, he heard a faint sounds of crying. Turning his head to better adjust his hearing, he focused on the sound. Pulling back in shock, both Scott and Deaton questioned him on what he had heard.

"Crying," was all Derek could say. It had been a long time, but he still recognized that sound, the sound of a small wolf pup in pain. He didn't have to say much more, because before he could, a sorrowful howl filled the air. Scott and the others could all hear it clearly.

END Chapter TWO

I hope you all enjoyed the longer chapter! Working on the next part, but it might be a few days before I get it out. Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think.