Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or its characters.

Summary: There is a bittersweet stillness that settles over Beacon Hills after Derek slays the Alpha and Scott now has a silent treaty with the Argents. It's a week after that stressful night and no one has seen heads or tails of Derek since. Stiles can't help but fidget when his thoughts come across the new Alpha. He knows it's dangerous but something inside is pulling Stiles towards the tragic Hale property. He blames it on reckless curiosity now that things are "boring" again.

Pairings: Derek/Stiles, Scott/Allison, Jackson/Lydia, FRIENDSHIP! Danny/Stiles

Rated:T

AN: I'm BACK! A quick note: Stiles will be spending a lot of time at the Hale property so if architecture doesn't match up with the original in the show I am sorry, please don't throw tomatoes at me! *bows* Thank you for all of your reviews! I never get tired of reading them, you guys are amazing. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

The Demon I Cling To

THREE

Stiles drove in a trance all the way home. His thoughts were an incessant stream of what had taken place not even twenty minutes ago. He could feel the largest grin pulling at his lips. But when he drove up to his house, Stiles' heart plummeted at the familiar squad car stationary in the driveway. Sherriff Stilinski was home and probably sitting in a dark corner waiting for his son to sneak in at eleven o'clock at night on a school night so that he can turn on a lamp that'll reveal the man's withering look.

Okay so Stiles watched too many teen movies. But still he fully expected to be grilled once he stepped foot inside. He could say he was over at Scott's but thought better of it. His dad probably already called and confirmed Stiles hadn't graced them with his presence so lying was out of the question.

He got out of his jeep and took his bag with him, dreading the homework and the confrontation soon coming his way all at the same time. The teen didn't even bother with attempting to be quiet. Lights in the living room were on and that was enough indication to tell Stiles his father was awake.

As soon as he walked inside the house, Stiles set eyes on his father who was still in uniform and looking particularly intimidating in his tired state. He grew to recognize the man's temper, how it would flare when he was exhausted and this lead to his patience always running out quickly.

Squaring back tense shoulders, Stiles prepared to embrace his father's lecture.

"Hey dad, I'm so—

Sherriff Stilinski raised a heavy head to look at his son who stood beside the couch he retired on and interrupted.

"Hey! How's the project coming along?" Stiles took in his father's relaxed shoulders and that slight smile with a confused look of his own.

What the hell?

"Uh…p-project?" Stiles asked weakly.

The Sherriff gave his son a look and rolled tired eyes, "The one you were supposed to be working on at Scott's house tonight. Don't tell me you boys just played video games the whole time."

Stiles had to keep from widening his eyes in shock. So his dad did call Scott and Scott…covered for him? Stiles quickly recovered.

"Oh that project! Sorry dad, my brain malfunctioned because…of the project. We worked really hard on it." Stiles yawned just to lay it on thick, "So tired. I think I'll go to bed now. G'night dad."

The teen rushed past his father to make his way up the stairs, tripped on the first step in his rush and recovered with little dignity. Once Stiles was safely behind his bedroom door and out from under that accusatory glare, he allowed a look of fondness to grace his face. Scott saved him big time.

Stiles began grabbing at his pockets on the cargo pants he wore, searching desperately for his cell phone. He found it in his back pocket and right when he was about to check his missed calls, the phone came to life with an incoming call.

Looking at the caller ID, he smirked and accepted.

"Thanks, Scott. You are officially the man!" He said immediately, smiling full on now.

Scott's voice filled his ear in an attempt at sounding arrogant. "Well of course. But Stiles…where were you? When your father called me thirty minutes ago, my mind was racing and I tried calling you like fifty times and you didn't answer."

Stiles felt somewhat guilty as he scratched the back of his head, "Sorry man, I just…sorta fell asleep in the jeep after practice. I guess I didn't hear the phone ringing when I was driving home."

It felt good to be able to lie to the young werewolf and not get caught. Surely Scott couldn't hear his heart over the phone.

"…Oh. Yeah I saw that you had a hard time with Finstock. I was thinking maybe I can help you this weekend, we could go to the park."

Stiles stifled a question he wanted an answer to since he figured it'd be too much to ask. Despite that, the teen felt a warm feeling growing inside at the offer.

"Thanks Scott, I could use the help since I'm like an invalid out there."

Scott snickered, probably nodding his head much to Stiles' chagrin. A silence followed for a moment and Stiles was about to ask something when Scott beat him to it.

"Hey um, well I better let you go. I'm sure you got a hell of a lot of homework—

"I do but listen; I wanted to ask you something…" Stiles trailed off, unsure how he was going to phrase his question so as not to raise any alarms in his best friend.

"Sure."

"It's about Derek…do you think he's doing alright after everything that's happened? He hasn't contacted us since that night. Don't you think it's weird?"

There was a heavy sigh from Scott and Stiles knew that meant the werewolf wasn't quite ready to talk about what happened the last time they were all together. Derek had taken away the chance for Scott to choose his fate. That didn't sit well with Scott at all and he was stone faced for quite awhile after that night. But Stiles found himself wondering if his best friend would have really chosen to be fully human again. Could he have gone back to being absolutely normal?

"I don't know, Stiles. He's probably living it up somewhere far away from here. And frankly, I could care less. We did what we needed to do and now it's done. Forget about him."

Stiles nodded, "Yeah, you're right. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks again, Scott."

"You owe me one. See ya."

Ending the call, Stiles bit his lip in a pensive manner. Well, there goes his plan on telling Scott everything that happened today. He didn't want to cause his friend to face the man who changed his life forever. Nor did he want an already explosive alpha to face a wrathful beta. Those two had to be apart for now. But that didn't stop Stiles from thinking about tomorrow and visiting Derek. Sure, the nagging guilt was there but he thought of his position as being Switzerland. And also Scott wasn't there. He didn't witness how Derek had reacted when Stiles found him. The teen felt obligated to do anything he could for the unfortunate man. That would have to be enough for Scott when the time came for the younger werewolf to know.

He couldn't help the smile growing on his face. Unintentionally, Stiles had succeeded in talking to the man. Hopefully that "do as you like" meant that Stiles was "in" and the werewolf wouldn't hide away anymore. Derek had proven to the teen that what he is now wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. He's still Derek Hale under those gleaming red orbs.

...

(Tuesday Afternoon)

Stiles was pleasantly surprised to find the werewolf at his house rather than at the cellar in the woods. The teen felt exhausted since he stayed up late last night finishing homework. Going through the woods, evading prickly vines and spider webs was not fun while being physically and mentally depleted.

Derek was on the porch, doing sit ups; his naked torso moved swiftly on command without pause from aching muscles. Up, down, up, down…

Stiles wished he was that strong. He could barely do thirty in a row. This made the Sherriff's son curious as he climbed the steps.

"How many of those can you do exactly?" He asked transfixed as Derek continued his even pace without fail.

Derek had his eyes fixed in front of him and Stiles could see that they were actually green for once. But when those misty green eyes made contact with his, Derek's movements stopped after he was sitting up again and those human eyes bled red once more. The transition wasn't only noticed by Stiles but also by the werewolf as he grimaced and hid those orbs behind closed eyelids; growling out his frustration.

The growl showed off his sharp incisors. Stiles went backwards down the steps and sat on the last one, making himself lower than the alpha and faced the woods; hoping that Derek wouldn't try and kill him with his back turned.

"Sorry! Wait. Why am I apologizing?" Stiles was perplexed but still felt apologetic. He couldn't hear any changes in position from the man behind him and that made Stiles relax a little.

The stillness that followed was awkward but told Stiles that Derek wasn't on edge anymore since there were no low growls being emitted from a deep chest. He tried talking again.

"You're outside. I was half expecting you to be closed up again." Stiles spoke truthfully, looking over his shoulder to see that Derek was still sitting sideways, elbows now resting on lifted knees and eyes straight forward and frowning. The man still looked disheveled with dirt smeared on his clear skin and hair free from its usual gel prison but at least he wasn't hiding.

It was easy to just play with his hands or pull at the splintering wood on the step but god was it hard to get a response from Derek. But it was a good thing that Stiles was an inherent incessant talker.

"Why did I set you off like that? I know you heard me coming a quarter of a mile away so…what was that?"

"That's the extent of my control when I lose focus or when I'm in the presence of others. Basically both just happened at once." Derek answered in a monotone voice.

Stiles whipped his head around, his heart pounding, "Did…did you hurt someone?"

He couldn't say kill. But a memory pushed forth from yesterday. That shirt splattered with blood…Surely whatever was the victim of the alpha's teeth and claws hadn't survived that night.

Still staring, the teen watched as Derek's head dipped down but a second later was lifted and facing Stiles with a hard look.

"Yes."

Gulping, Stiles failed at hiding the apprehension he felt but he couldn't tell who it was for.

"Who was it?" He asked with a numb tongue, lips still parted as he sucked in air.

Those red eyes seemed unfocused as if he was remembering the incident at that very moment. Dragging a cruddy hand over his face, Derek answered in a low voice.

"The kid who wanted so desperately to be turned."

Eyes widening and mouth fully agape, Stiles erected to his full height, looking disbelieving.

"Jackson? You killed Jackson?"

Derek growled loudly, also getting to his feet which had him towering over Stiles and looking pissed off.

"No Stiles, I didn't kill him! Didn't you see him at school today, you idiot?"

Stiles was about to burst out his own argument when the logical words reached his brain, his mouth snapped closed only to open with a more rational out come.

"Oh. Yeah." Scratching the back of his head, Stiles wished he could escape that condescending look he was receiving right now. Every emotion the werewolf directed at the teen was intensified by those creepy eyes. Stiles wondered if he'd ever get use to them.

"So what did happen?" Stiles pressed, settling back down but now sitting sideways with his legs spread out and his back resting on the railing.

Stiles watched as Derek began to pace but abruptly stopped and took that calming breath Stiles had witnessed once prior to this right before the werewolf retracted his claws. When Derek opened his eyes, he walked to the top step and sat down there with his bare dirty feet below him. Stiles noticed they were only a few steps apart. But he thought nothing about his close proximity to the werewolf.

"After slitting my uncle's throat, the change was immediate. It felt amazing to be this powerful. But slowly that feeling began to ebb away as I started to have…urges that never were like me before. I was fighting to hold it back in front of you all. Desperately so."

Stiles listened intently, his brown eyes taking in Derek looking far away as he recounted the past.

"…That night after you and the rest left from here, Jackson came back late. He insisted that I change him. At that point I had already lost any semblance of myself before the change and I was at battle with the power inside of me. So as this kid…this human kid, vulnerable with the scent of fear spilling from his pores approached me…I couldn't stop the predatory instincts that kicked in.

"It was so unlike me. I wanted to hurt him. I didn't want to stop my claws from ripping at his shirt and I didn't want to stop as I pushed him around. I enjoyed his cries of pain and wanted to hear more so I pulled back my shoves, made them less forceful so I could inflict more pain on him without killing him. Fortunately, he got a punch in and that slightly jolted me back in control.

"I told him to leave before I tore his throat out with my teeth. He got the message which was the only reason he is still breathing. Because after that car's engine was out of my hearing range I let go again. All I wanted to do was hunt and maim and finally…devour. When I woke up that Saturday morning I was a good fifty miles east of here, naked, and covered in blood and remains from a stag."

Stiles unintentionally shivered which Derek caught. It reminded the Sherriff's son of Jackson's appearance which was so jaded last Monday. It was most definitely because of Derek's attack on him.

"So that's when you decided to lock yourself in the cellar…right?" Stiles added on helpfully when Derek stayed silent.

"Yes. It was too dangerous to be anywhere near humans even during the day. The bloodlust is just too strong."

"…Do you feel it when you look at me?" He couldn't stop himself from asking even though the answer was not one he was sure he would want to hear. Stiles could feel that intense gaze as if Derek was studying him. He resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably.

"At first…yes. When you barged in like a fool into my den it was the biggest mistake of your stupid little life. I have no idea how I stayed in control while you shallowly bantered with me." Derek glared; Stiles cleared his throat and looked away guiltily.

"But then…you kept coming back with your annoying one man conversations and cold fast food. I got used to your presence as bothersome as it was." He growled in affirmation of his judgment of the teen when Stiles gave him a triumphant look that spoke 'I won'.

"And yesterday, when you fell asleep like a rock in the middle of the woods, it confirmed for me that I had no desire to kill you."

Stiles smiled widely, "Because I'm special."

Derek scoffed, "Because you'd be even more vexing as a poltergeist. I don't need a vengeful ghost Stiles following me for the rest of my life."

Stiles pouted playfully and chose not to be offended, "But your eyes…they're always red."

Derek closed those eyes as if he was trying to hide them away but let his lids slide back open a moment later.

"Even if I don't have an urge to kill you…It's… that power is still begging to be released and let run unattended. I'm suppressing it."

Stiles thought about this and couldn't make sense of it.

"There has to be something else…I feel like there's something missing. I mean despite your uncle's lack of sanity, he was able to control that power. And what about your sister?"

It was quiet too long, Stiles was starting to regret bringing up Derek's sister who died cruelly by her own uncle's hands. Derek peered into the forest; Stiles thoughts sidetracked as he wondered how good the man's supernatural eyesight was.

"She adjusted gracefully. Like she was born to be an alpha. She never suffered from my weaknesses. Though it did make her insufferable at times…" Derek shared with a dim ache in his eyes, which made Stiles feel a tad bit closer to the man. He didn't waste time when asking his next question, knowing that a pause would be uncomfortable for both of them.

"And did you know any other alphas that struggled being around humans and controlling their power?" He asked quietly, surprised that the two of them had been talking back and forth for so long. Their past conversations were always filled with sarcasm and threats (on Derek's part). This was definitely something Stiles preferred rather than their old way of communicating.

"No…" Derek responded with what could only mirror shame in his voice. The teen pretended not to notice.

Stiles let his head fall back onto the wooden railing, his eyes resting on the sky with a thoughtful expression.

"So what makes you so different from the rest of the alphas? That's the million dollar question."

The teenager let his eyes slip close in a small serenity but the moment passed when a curious sensation of warmth grazed over the skin on the right side of his neck. Snapping his eyes open, Stiles turned his head around to investigate. The older man was so close that Stiles felt their cheeks brush together when he frighteningly made eye contact with the werewolf.

Those eyes looked hungry and there was something else Stiles couldn't describe. He tried to find his voice but that split second of having Derek's stubble graze his face still tickled at his skin and made his brain fuzzy.

"Never. Bare your neck to me." Derek growled out, his hot breath hitting the younger man in the face. Somehow, Stiles hadn't noticed when a large hand had wrapped around the top of the railing right beside Stiles' head. His eyes couldn't help traveling down, taking in the protruding veins in the forearm and the large sinews in that bicep. Brown eyes traveled past the dip in Derek's bare shoulder and over the strong collar bone then finally made their way back to the man's face.

Stiles was cross eyed as he noticed their noses were so close to touching…

Finally his brain rebooted and he yanked his head back to put distance between him and an intense Derek Hale only to bang the back of his skull on the wooden vertical banister behind him with a solid thumping noise.

"Ow! Man that hurt…" Stiles felt tears coming on as the waves of throbbing pain washed over him; he threw both his hands over what was sure to be a lump later where the impact occurred. Opening watery eyes, Stiles watched as mirth grew on the werewolf's face. Derek was not as close but still close and this birthed for the human an opportunity for revenge.

Without much hesitation, Stiles splayed both of his hands over Derek's broad pecks and shoved as hard as he could against them; slightly amazed at how warm and hard the muscles were under his palms. He had hoped at least for the man to lose his balance off his knees and scramble to fight gravity but no such luck. All he got from his efforts was an immovable werewolf whose mirth had grown tenfold.

"There is no way a human such as yourself could overpower me. Hunters and even Jackson I can understand, but you…never." Derek's voice was filled with arrogance, with a grin on his face that spoke volumes of how much he took pleasure in making Stiles feel inferior.

Stiles fumed, feeling a heat rise to his face in anger. He still had his hands on Derek's chest and he decided to press harder into the hot flesh trying to get the infuriating man away from him.

"Back off! God it's like trying to move a boulder." He complained and groaned as he strained in a futile effort. Stiles attempted to add on the power of his foot, which the werewolf caught by his ankle before the sole of his shoe could connect with Derek's midsection.

Shaking his now captured ankle to rid of the large hand encasing it, Stiles glared, "You're not going to let go?"

"It's like I've caught a hare." Derek didn't release his hold but gripped harder and yanked which made Stiles fall onto his back. Yelping in surprise, the younger male stared up wide eyed as the alpha werewolf crawled between his jeans clad legs; finally letting go of his ankle.

"Derek wh-what the hell?" Stiles, bewildered, tried pushing up on his elbows but a wide hand pushed him back down. There were claws almost penetrating the Killers band T-shirt he wore.

"Stay." The man above him growled out, his eyes were now glowing.

Stiles cursed continuously in his brain, his distressed heart pounding in his ears. This was bad. Derek believed he was a defenseless fuzzy rabbit rather than a human being. He was going to die if the werewolf didn't get control of himself.

"Derek, snap out of it!"

...

AN: Oh crap! A cliffhanger! Please tell me what you think, review! Sorry for any mistakes, I'm crazy sick right now so it's easy to overlook them. :D