A second chance

Chapter 2 – A puppy's pain

Tempers had not calmed down.

As the Sheriff seemed on the verge of a stroke and Stiles feared for his health, they found better to call Melissa, Scott's mom to serve as a mediator and explain the situation in a more subtle way, since apparently become a werewolf and say "Yes, werewolves exist " as Scott had done minutes before was a bad idea.

The teens rose and were, at the time, camped in the Stiles room in an attempt to save Derek from all the yelling. Which was useless, since even the humans present could hear clearly what was going on downstairs.

"So let me get this straight", said the sheriff , "All those deaths were your fault because you apparently snapped after spending six years in a catatonic state", there was a pause in which they thought Peter was consenting, "And now you think I'll let you get outta here with that child?", shouted the sheriff, clearly upset.

"And you seem to think you'll be able to stop me", Peter replied.

"Come on, calm down", Melissa asked the two.

Isaac and the others had tried everything. Talk, draw, and make origami. But apparently nothing changed Derek's attention, who maintained his expression somber, remembering his adult version. The most they had accomplished was that now he was wearing a shirt from Stiles that it looked more like a huge sweater on him.

He looked toward the door, his eyes unfocused, clearly paying attention to the conversation that was taking place downstairs. He was so entertained that he just realized that Allison was beside him when the girl touched his shoulder.

Derek jumped so high that it would have been extremely funny if he did not flaunt such a terrified expression. He seemed petrified looking at Allison, and when she started to touch him again, he ducked and raised his arm in a clear attempt to protect himself. Lydia thought that was strange and tried to approach him too. He recoiled so much that he almost fell off the bed. The teens watched him with a morbid curiosity.

Unable to bear the situation, Jackson took Derek in his arms, putting some distance between them and the girls.

"What is the matter with you? Cant' you see that he is scared?" Jackson scolded, holding him against his chest in a protective stance.

Derek seemed comfortable in his arms, but he looked at him curious. Jackson, blushing in front of blue pair of eyes, cleared his throat and put Derek sitting in the chair of the computer far away from the girls.

"I just explain that I am a werewolf and you point a gun at me! Really?" Peter laughed rising from his chair in a clear provocation.

"For the love of God, John! Put the gun down", Melissa asked.

"No. No way. We're here for a long time and the only thing I discovered is that my son was lying to me for the last few months and that this man has been terrorizing and killing people. Who knows, maybe even the Argent girl was framed by him - replied the sheriff.

These words had an immediate effect on Peter, and before the sheriff could dodge Peter attacked him.

From the bedroom, the only thing heard was a scream from Melissa and stumble.

"What did you do?" Melissa yelled.

"He was asking for it", Peter defended himself, also yelling.

The teens' eyes widened and they froze. Stiles turned pale and ran out of the room.

Derek left after him before anyone could hold him. He jumped and turned into a wolf in the air falling to the ground shortly after when he tangled himself in Stiles' shirt. But he quickly moved and got out by the collar.

When Stiles reached the bottom of the stairs, he ran towards his father, but halted midway with a horrified expression when he saw the blood on the collar and half faint expression on him.

He felt a weight on his chest and an absurd difficulty to breath.

"Calm down, breathe Stiles. He's not dead, he'll be fine", Melissa said, soothing him.

Within moments, Stiles could finally breathe again. Without thinking twice he closed the distance between him and Peter and gave him a hard shove.

"Touch my father again and I'll kill you, got it? I'll put aconite in your coffee, I'll yank your fur to make a new doormat, understand?" shouted Stiles on Peter's face, who was amused, looking at something on the ground.

"I just got tired of talking nonsense so I gave him my memories. In ten minutes he will be brand new", he casually said without even looking at the boy, trying to calm the troubled teenager, " I swear!", he added, raising his hands with bloody claws and finally facing Stiles, when he realized that the boy did not receded.

Stiles seemed to accept the explanation and calmed down a bit. But then he realized the weight on the end of his All Star. He shook it off without thinking twice. Their movements were followed by a yelp.

When he looked down, he saw the wolf cub shaking his head a little dizzy. The puppy couldn't stand on his four legs for a few seconds, but soon recovered and ran to grab the hem of Stiles' pants, growling. Stiles shook him off again, causing Derek stagger and fall sitting.

"What is he doing?", he asks, looking at the puppy that was now in front of Peter, in attack position, crouched front and rear raise, growling and showing teeth.

"The same thing you were doing just now, Stiles. He's just cuter", Peter said, picking up the puppy in his arms. In contact with his uncle, Derek relaxed enough to transform again wasting no time in snuggling into his uncle chest, wrapping his arms around Peter's neck possessively while still scowling at Stiles.

The young man rolled his eyes and went to check his father, who looked a bit better and less pale. Scott went into the kitchen and rummaged in the cupboards to find a first aid kit for his mother to help the sheriff.

Isaac approached awkwardly, with the shirt that Derek was using and offered it to Peter, who watched through narrowed eyes for a few seconds, apparently analyzing something, but then accepted the shirt with a small smile, making Isaac blush.

An awkward silence settled until the sheriff was back to normal.

Everyone saw him wiping a few tears that escaped.

"That was ... intense", he said running his hands in his hair. Peter replied with a sad smile, "How will you make it work?" he asked indicating the child in his arms.

"You cannot be serious! He's crazy", Scott complained, "He bit me, mom. That should count as aggression towards a minor, right?" he tried to encourage the other teens who were silent, "We don't need him. Derek could stay with us, right?" he asked his mother.

"We don't know how to raise a young werewolf, Scott. Must have innumerous differences in behavior in comparison to a human child. And we can't afford another resident in the house", she said awkwardly.

"He can", Stiles said, pointing to Peter, "He's like Richie rich".

"You know, I really don't feel comfortable rubbing that in everyone's face. It's rude", Peter commented, making circular motions on the back of his nephew, who was fighting a battle to stay awake.

"He has a Camaro!", Scott replied, pointing to Derek, who lost the battle and now was dozing with his head on his uncle's shoulder with his mouth open.

"I said I thought it's rude, not that he also thought that", Peter explained with a bored expression, "I should have bitten Stiles", he muttered softly only to make the werewolves giggle. Scott seemed offended.

"Why instead of arguing, don't you ask him?" Isaac suggested, with a timid voice unconsciously approaching the two.

"In what world you live, huh? Am I the only one who's wondering how that happened? Don't you find it a bit odd that an adult to go to sleep in his late twenties and wakes up with four?" Lydia asked perplexed, " Who cares who he's going to live? We should focus on how to turn him back to normal".

Peter gently woke the boy who slept on his shoulder, who mumbled burying his face in his neck, before put him sitting on the table in front of him and the other adults.

Derek gave a huge yawn and then rubbed his eyes and looked at his uncle with a sullen face.

"Don't make faces 'cause If a wind hits you in the face, you can stay like this forever", said Peter with a carefree voice scaring Derek, "I'm just kidding", he confessed making the boy smile, "Well, I want you to pay attention now, ok? I want to introduce you to a person. This is my good friend John and he is the sheriff", he said pulling the sheriff and holding him by the shoulders, "You must have heard him up there because he obviously loves the sound of his own voice", he muttered in a low tone audible only to werewolves, "He is cool and wants to chat with you. So be nice and don't bite", he turned away.

"I am the sheriff Stilinski and you're safe here", he emphasized to the child, who stared at him with his huge blue eyes and a curious expression, "Do you know your name?"

"Yes", Derek replied right away, swinging his legs.

Everyone instinctively took a step forward in an attempt to hear the rest of the response that never came.

"Derek, be nice and answer right", Peter asked, hiding a smile.

"But I did. He asked if I knew my name and I said yes. He didn't ask anything else", the boy explained with a confused expression, making the sheriff pass his hands on his face.

"What is your name?" Stiles asked, taking the lead.

"My name is Derek Peter Hale", he promptly replied with a smile.

"Are you Peter too? Did anyone know that?" Stiles asked to the others , "Or it was only me?".

"Focus, Stiles!" Scott said, pointing towards the boy.

"Oh yeah. Well, do you know where you are now?" the boy shook his head, "Do you know someone who is here in the room?" Derek nodded his head and pointed to Peter and Isaac.

"You remember Isaac, then?" Scott inquired. Derek shook his head, "Can you please help? I can't understand what he means", he asks Peter, who rolled her eyes.

"He smells like Laura", Derek tried to explain, "So I followed the trail".

"He means that Isaac smells like a close member of the pack, as well as Laura. Smells like family, understand? Even not knowing his name, he was able to recognize the connection between them", Peter said before anyone could ask.

"And how did you get to him? Sniffed some clothes or something?" Jackson asked joking. But the smile died when the boy nodded.

Then Derek told how he woke up in a dirty shed and got scared. How he looked for a family member and then found some clothes that smelled like Isaac inside a dirty wagon that was there. Hoy he followed his trail to the school where the evil people kept pulling his feet, insisting on squeezing him. How he finally found the trail, but when he jumped on his arms he realized it was not Laura, because Laura didn't have curly blond hair or a grave voice. He then also explained how the guy who talked too much caught him in his arms and ran, and how fun it was to jump on the banks, and when they arrived they found an old stinky lady called Mrs. Hoffman, and when they entered the Mr. Sheriff thought he was a dog and that the boy had stolen from someone.

"You don't remember how you got to this size then?" Allison said, "How have you de-aged to four years old?".

"I have five, not four", Derek replied, moving away from the curious girl who approached the table.

"What did she mean, darling, is if you remember anything before waking up in this strange place", Melissa said with a hand on Peter's arm, "What were you doing before?"

Derek looked at her and his uncle looking confused, and lowers his head embarrassed.

"Mom left me grounded in my room for having bitten the boy who brings the letters again. I said I was only joking, but she didn't listen and told me to stay there alone and think about what I had done", he confessed sadly, "I already thought. I swear!" he said, raising his right hand, "Can we go home now?"

All present looked awkward. Derek noticed something strange when nobody was looking at him directly.

"Can you guys give me a minute with him?" Peter asked in a tired voice.

"Do you think it's a good idea to tell him this now? Is he not too small?" the sheriff asked uncertain.

"Nice. Tell him how you killed his sister too", Scott muttered in a low tone only for werewolves.

When he heard what Scott said, Derek turned in his direction with a look of obvious pain, and Scott felt bad for talking something in the child's presence.

"I think you better get out of here, McCall. If you don't have something useful to say, so shut up", said Jackson, dragging the other werewolf to the other room, without any delicacy, being followed by Lydia and Allison.

"You hurt Laura", Derek said to Peter before starting to cry, "I want to see my sister", the boy sobbed.

"Calm down, I'll explain everything", asked Peter with an anguished expression, trying to approach the boy who recoiled from him.

"What Scott said, anyway? He was fine until now", Stiles asked to Isaac, who watching Derek so he didn't fall from the table.

"He told about Laura", he replied quietly, with a somber expression.

Stiles was appalled by the attitude of his friend and didn't think twice about going after him.

"What were you thinking, you idiot?", he shouted, pushing Scott who was arguing with Jackson, "I know you're not the smartest person on the planet, but didn't you think that say something like this to a child of this size without any delicacy could be somewhat traumatic?", he completed, holding him against the wall, " He has not lost a shoe, you stupid werewolf, he lost his entire Family", he explained sad, as only those who have lost someone in the family could understand.

Then he turned away and returned to the kitchen, running a hand through his hair.

Apparently nothing that Peter and others spoke made sense to Derek, who rebelled more and more, he was even with a half animalistic appearance and was not hesitating in scratch Peter with his little claws.

Not knowing what else to do, Peter stepped forward and dug his nails into Derek's neck, who returned to his normal appearance yelping.

All witnessed the change in the last two members of the Hale family. The two were now with their foreheads touching and Derek seemed no longer wanting to attack his uncle, and only cried a lot sobbing. Peter tried to calm him down, making circular motions on his temples. And didn't notice when his nephew dug his little claws into his neck.

Stiles' father unconsciously put his hand in his gun when he saw that Peter had removed his hands from his nephew and had his hands beside his own body, curled into fists.

Peter seemed upset with his nephew for he had showed him, but tried to hide it from the boy, who noticed his discomfort and began to cry even more.

He pulled back a little, not knowing how to react, stroking his hair, wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"What happened? What did he show you?" John asked afraid.

"Apparently he still has all his memories, and when I showed him mine, he was able to access some that were related. I knew them, but see them with details left me a little... nervous", he said, looking back at Derek, who began to cry even more.

"I think that's enough! This is already turning to a torture session", Melissa muttered, getting a glass of water with sugar to the child.

Isaac, unable to bear more, tried to calm Derek, but in vain. Melissa offered him the glass, but Derek couldn't drink and getting increasingly nervous, he ended up throwing up on the kitchen floor, drawing attention of those who were in the other room.

"It was not your fault, Derek", Peter said as he approached his nephew, who was clinging to Isaac, "I will not lie and say that I'm not a little angry", he continued , taking the glass from the Melissa's hand and offering to the little one who drank it all, "But everything will be okay", he promised, "And we'll be ok. I'll figure it out some way and we'll make it work. But for that, we need to let some things past us and start again, do you understand me, puppy?, Derek nodded with his head, still sobbing, "Then go with Isaac and try to rest a bit, ok?, he suggested, giving a sniff in Derek's neck, who sniffed him back and went to Isaac 's arms, hugging his neck between sobs.

Stiles motioned to Isaac to follow him back to his room, and all teenagers followed. Isaac tried to put Derek in bed, but that made the little one to become agitated even more.

Lydia suggested that they tried to give him a warm bath, as it was used to calm young children, causing the others look surprised at her.

"I read somewhere ", she said, "You should try once in a while", she muttered as she played with her nails.

Allison poked Scott, pointing to Stiles. When Scott looked towards his friend, he realized that Stiles had his eyes full of tears while he looked toward Isaac and Derek. Not knowing what to do, he nudged his friend.

"Are you okay?" he asked calling Stiles attention, who wiped his eyes quickly when he felt a tear drop.

"Sure", he automatically answered, "I better go prepare the bath for them", he said, rushing towards the bathroom.

It didn't take long for him to call Isaac and deliver him a fluffy towel.

"I'll find a clean shirt for him, but everything in there is set."

The curly haired boy thanked him, taking Derek with him into the shower.

Stiles wasted no time in digging his wardrobe looking for his smallest t-shirt for Derek.

"I really feel very bad about what I said. I had no right to speak something like that to a child that size. I was just angry at Peter and he what he could do with Derek", Scott explained himself without facing his friend.

"I know", Stiles replied, without turning,"Sorry I called you an idiot", he said quietly, "At least in front of you", he added, turning to his friend and offering a small smile.

"But you were right. I was an idiot", Scott admitted, staring at all of them now, "I didn't care about him now, and you know what? Neither before. I never even took the time to give my condolences because he found his dead sister, nor cared how it would feel having to kill the last member of his family, it only mattered how I could go back to being human", he blurted, sitting in the computer's chair. Allison didn't hesitate to embrace her boyfriend.

At that moment, Isaac left the bathroom with Derek wrapped in towel, looking at Scott. Apparently he heard all of it from the bathroom, which meant that the little one also heard.

"I found this one here. It is the smallest I have", Stiles delivered a Batman t-shirt for Isaac, who dressed in Derek quickly, sitting on the bed beside him.

Stiles, without thinking, ran a hand through the boy's damp hair who was still sniffling from time to time.

After Isaac handed the towel to Stiles, Derek didn't hesitate to snuggle into his lap, holding him and leaning his head on his chest. He seemed more reassured when he heard the Isaac's heartbeat. And then he closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

End of Chapter 2

Authors note: English is not my first language. So I'm sorry if there are errors in the text. I tried to translate as better as I could. I hope you can understand ^^