3

Derek eagerly went to Stiles when he arrived back in the woods two hours later. "What the hell took you so long?" he asked, eyes flashing.

Stiles produced a coffee and offered it to Derek. "Light no sugar, right?" he asked, calmly.

Derek fumbled over his words for a moment. He looked down at the coffee, not wanting to make direct eye contact with Stiles.

"Most people just say 'thank you'," said Stiles.

"Thanks," Derek mumbled. He popped the seal off the top and gratefully sipped at the hot liquid. It felt wonderful in contrast to the chilly weather. "It's good."

"Yeah it's from that old diner down on Berkeley Street," said Stiles. "It's been there forever. They have the best coffee and the best Texas toast on the planet. Do you know they make their own bread?"

Suddenly Derek had a hint of a smile play at his lips. "Yeah. I do. My parents opened that place almost twenty-five years ago."

Stiles' eyes widened. "They did?"

"Yeah," said Derek. "But after the fire…" he started, looking off into the distance. "Well, anyways it looks like the people that bought the place have kept a lot of my parent's traditions, so that's cool."

"You never wanted to go in and see it?" asked Stiles. "Like to see how it compared to your parent's place?"

Derek shook his head. "No. It would have brought back too many memories."

Stiles took his coffee and enjoyed a long pull. After he swallowed he watched Derek intently. "What kinds of memories? Did you work there with your parents?"

Derek looked at his feet. "Yeah. Sometimes. I'd do a lot of the baking and stuff. Sometimes I'd be a line cook, like when I got a little older."

Stiles pressed on. "Did Laura also…"

"So what did Deaton say?" asked Derek, eager to change the subject.

Stiles swallowed, understanding it would be best to get information from Derek in small increments. Heart-to-hearts probably were not the alpha's forte. "Um, well okay he looked at the photos and he used my two least favorite words when it comes to any investigation."

"Which are?" asked Derek.

"'Inconclusive' and 'coincidence'," said Stiles. "'Inconclusive' basically means 'waste of time' and 'coincidence' is pretty much a load of bullshit if you ask me."

"Agreed," said Derek. "There's a reason these two are here and why they can't Change. If we can't rely on Deaton, then I guess we just figure it our for ourselves."

"I'm on board with that," said Stiles, going into his backpack and pulling out a brown paper bag. "Muffins," he said. "I got chocolate chip and blueberry. Pick your poison."

Derek took the bag and scooped up the blueberry. "Thanks," he said. "I just realized I haven't eaten since yesterday."

"And," said Stiles, looking mischievously at Sura and Miki. "I know it's not a big old deer, but," he said, extracting two fully cooked rotisserie chickens from his backpack. "But I think you might like these." He took them out of the foil and placed them on the ground, just a few feet closer to him and to Derek. "Chow down, kids."

Sura and Miki smelled the delicious birds and their mouths watered. Miki, in his youth and naïveté, went right towards the chickens, which sat just two feet away from Stiles.

Sura nipped him on his thigh in reproach. Miki yelped and hung his head and tail low to the ground in penance. He didn't understand why his pack sister was being so gruff. He rather liked the wolf man and the boy utterly fascinated him. And he brought delicious treats! What could be better?

Sura let out a high-pitched whine and slunk down low to the ground. Stiles and Derek backed away and took a spot at a large tree, where they sat shoulder to shoulder. Sura watched them carefully as she inched forward, taking the first chicken into her jaws. She quickly brought it back and placed it in front of Miki. The young wolf enthusiastically began peeling the meat from the bones of the animal. Sura once again approached the second chicken. She sat down, using her strong paws to hold the chicken in place while she enjoyed the succulent flesh.

Sura and Miki noticed something right off. The creature tasted different for some reason. The metallic tinge of blood was no longer present and the meat came away from the bone so easily. The two wolves marveled at this. The taste of the cooked bird was delectable. Both wolves worked around the carcass slowly and deliberately, astonished at the new, exotic tastes they were experiencing.

"I don't think they've ever had a cooked meal before," said Stiles, surprised.

Derek smiled. "It seems like they really like it."

"Four bucks a piece for those chickens," said Stiles, proudly. "Good bargain, huh?"

Derek looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Stiles do you need some scissors?"

Stiles looked confused. "Why would I need those?"

"To clip your coupons, Grandma," said Derek, smirking.

"Ha ha," said Stiles, settling against the tree. The wolf and boy watched Sura and Miki finish their meals and begin to groom themselves and each other.

"Derek?" asked Stiles.

"Yeah?"

"Are werewolf families a lot like real wolves?" he asked. "You know, like do you guys all sleep together in the same room and eat meals together and hunt together and stuff? I'm not trying to be a douche, I swear. I just want to know."

Derek turned his eyes to Sura and Miki. "In some ways they are. The pack and the whole idea of alpha and beta is the same. We don't sleep together, though. Everyone has their own area for that. When alphas make the Change and go for a run, they see each other naked in their human form, but nobody makes a big deal out of it. We always hunt together. And we protect each other."

"What about mates?" Stiles asked. "Like does every wolf have a mate? One that they have for life and stuff?"

Derek shook his head. "No. Werewolves can have a male and female alpha in one pack but they don't necessarily have to be mates or anything. A werewolf can be with a human or another werewolf. It doesn't really matter."

"Did Laura have someone?" asked Stiles.

"There was a guy. A human. In Seattle," he said. "But they broke up before she was killed."

"While you were gone from Beacon Hills, did you have a girlfriend?" asked Stiles.

Derek had to remind himself that Stiles was simply being his usual curious self. He'd wanted to tell him to knock off the twenty questions, but thought the better of it. The young man was going out of his way to help him and that wouldn't have been the nicest way to repay him. "Maybe a topic for another time okay, Stiles?"

Stiles nodded. "Sure. Okay."

The two leaned against the tree. Stiles tried not to make it too obvious that he was trying to extract as much body heat from Derek as he could, as he felt like freezing to death was a distinct possibility. He glanced over at the alpha, noting that he seemed a little cold himself, but that cuddling was most likely pretty low on his list of priorities. Stiles looked over at Sura and Miki's furry bodies and secretly wished one of them would just jump into his lap and warm up his frozen frame. "Should we make a fire?" Stiles asked.

"Sure," said Derek. "That'll get hunters out here in no time. Good plan, Stiles." He rolled his eyes.

"Okay sarcasm noted," said Stiles. "No fire it is." He pressed his head against the tree and watched as the dusk approached.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Derek pointed to himself. "Derek," he said, looking expectantly at Sura and Miki. "Me. Derek."

Stiles stifled a giggle. "You. Crazy."

Derek pointed to Stiles. "Stiles. That's STILES."

Stiles groaned and shifted his cold behind on the forest floor. "It's not good sitting on the cold ground like this. I just know that I'm going to get hemorrhoids," he complained. "I'm sixteen and I'm gonna start looking like my dad, sitting on that stupid donut pillow in the living room. Pretty soon I'll start screaming at anyone who touches the thermostat and groaning every time I go from a sitting position to a standing position. Before you know it, I'll be hollering at the neighborhood kids to get off my lawn. Oh yeah, it's all downhill from hemorrhoids."

"Derek," said Derek to the wolves.

Stiles sighed. "You sound like you're trying to communicate with cave people."

"Well how else are they going to learn our names?" asked Derek.

Stiles looked over at the two wolves. The dusk was settling in behind them, casting a sparkly, sunlit halo on their luxurious fur. They had calmed down considerably and even moved closer to Derek and Stiles. The human and the wolf man fascinated both of them. They seemed to enjoy each other's company, but hid it under a lot of bickering and dissonance. They could feel the wolf man's need to protect the young man, as they could feel the young man's need to help the wolf man. It was a very strange relationship indeed.

Suddenly Stiles stood up and stretched. He giggled, getting on all fours, lowering his head to the ground.

"What. The hell. Are you doing?" Derek asked, cocking his head to side. Stiles thought that he might actually have looked amused.

"It's this thing I do with my uncle's dog, Optimus. You see, he'd…"

"Wait, I'm sorry," said Derek. "Optimus?"

Stiles shrugged. "My cousin Billy named him. He's big into Transformers. Anyway," said Stiles, lowering his head again. "This makes Optimus get crazy excited." He aimed his head towards Miki and began scooting forward with his knees. Miki stood right up, his tail beginning to wag. He didn't know what the boy was doing but it looked like more fun than any wolf could ever have and he wanted to immediately be a part of it. He let out an excited yelp and began scratching at the ground, wanting to get to Stiles more than anything in the world.

Derek looked at Miki incredulously. "He's going for it," he said. "Keep going, Stiles."

Stiles continued to move towards Miki in the very strange posture. Sura stood up, also fascinated by the human's gesture. He was using the same posture that her pack brothers and sisters would when they played! How did he know how to do that?

Now both wolves approached. Sura let Miki go first, keeping a watchful eye on her young alpha. Miki pounded his paws on the ground excitedly and barked.

Derek crawled forward slowly, wanting to be able to protect Stiles if the female mistook the boy for a danger and tried to hurt him. However, the female simply watched carefully, not really showing any signs of aggression.

Miki excitedly charged Stiles and buried his snout in the boy's neck, wanting him to lift his head. But when Stiles started patting his hands on the ground it sent Miki into a frenzy of delight. He circled Stiles, bumping him gently in his ribs with his snout in an attempt to get Stiles on his back. The young wolf whined and barked, his tail moving uncontrollably in his excitement. Occasionally, Stiles would quickly reach out his hands and gently tug Miki's ears or grab his paws. This got the little wolf even more excited.

Derek thoroughly enjoyed watching the two young ones play, but he remained prepared to assist if Stiles needed him. He looked over at Sura and noted that she did the same. She sat regally, her tail slowly and gently patting the ground. Derek sensed that she also liked watching them play together.

Finally Stiles felt comfortable enough to give the little wolf what he wanted. He got on his back and let Miki charge him. Stiles laughed as he felt the two front paws on his chest. Miki groaned and yipped in glee as Stiles lightly tugged at his scruff. Stiles felt a cold nose and warm tongue on his cheek and ear. He snorted in laughter. "I'm getting kisses now I see."

Sura continued to watch, as Miki had the human in a subordinate position. She watched as his hands moved along Miki's fur, very soft and gentle. This shocked her, as no human she'd ever met would have played and touched Miki with such tenderness. Could it be that some humans could be kind? She turned and locked eyes with the wolf man. Derek was his name.

And the boy was Stiles, she knew.

Derek. And Stiles.

Sura lay down and watched Miki enjoy himself. She finally relaxed and rested with her belly and spirits full.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Stiles sighed and folded his arms protectively against the bitter cold. The wolves had long fallen asleep, snuggled up against each other. He began to stir. "It's getting colder if that's even possible. I think maybe I'll head home. My warm house and a hot meal are calling to me." He stood up, cursing that his left leg had fallen asleep. He walked it off in circles.

"Home?" asked Derek. "You're going to walk through here by yourself? It's almost dark. It's not safe."

"Well, you can't very well leave these two alone," argued Stiles, gesturing to Sura and Miki. "I'll be fine."

"The hell you will," said Derek. "The last teenager that took a little stroll through the woods at night got himself bitten by a psychotic alpha werewolf."

Stiles smirked. "You afraid another alpha will bite me?"

"No," said Derek, indignantly. "I couldn't care less." He shrugged in a non-committal manner.

"Fine then," said Stiles, saluting the two wolves. "Goodbye my comrades. Private Stilinski off duty sir," he said, turning on his heels and heading into the woods.

Soon, he felt Derek slide up beside him. Stiles smiled. "Couldn't bear to think of me all alone out here, could you?"

"Get over yourself Stiles. I'm just making sure you get home safe because, I…"

"Because you might KINDF OF like me. Just a little?" asked Stiles.

"I don't want you to die. That's a totally different thing than actually liking someone," stated Derek, flatly.

"Likely story," said Stiles.

"Yeah well, as much as I hate to admit it, the wolves seem to like you. They are beginning to trust you. I-ugh, I can feel the nausea building as I say this, but I need you around if I'm ever going to get through to them," said Derek.

Stiles did not say another word after that.

They passed the mine and into the field where the deer carcass lay. Once through a short path, they were back at Stile's Jeep. Stiles unlocked the car and looked at Derek. "Are you staying out here tonight for sure?"

Derek looked around, not particularly looking forward to a cold night outside. Stiles could see his apprehension. "I, um…"

"I can sneak you into my house," Stiles offered. "At least until this cold snap breaks. It's nice and warm in there. My dad won't be home for at least another three hours. I'll get you some dinner and I've got an air mattress you can sleep on."

Derek's mind fought between the two extremes. There was staying out in the cold all night while keeping a close eye on the wolves or enjoying a nice cozy night's sleep at Stiles'. He sighed, knowing the latter wasn't really a possibility. "I should stay out here. With them," he said. "Just in case."

"Okay," said Stiles, opening the back to the Jeep. He extracted a large, thick olive green blanket, two books and a flashlight. He handed them to Derek before going to the back seat and grabbing two unopened bottles of Gatorade. "That should hold you for the night. Tomorrow's Monday so I'll come back to see you and the wolves after school, okay?"

Derek was taken aback by Stiles' show of kindness. "Sure. Thanks."

As Derek watched the red tail lights of the Jeep disappear, he'd suddenly wished he'd taken Stiles up on his offer. The wind was picking up and there was no guarantee that the two wolves would even be in the same place when he got back. Despite his feelings, he simply zipped up his jacket and carried his supplies back to his makeshift "camp".

When he arrived back, the wolves lifted their heads briefly. Once sure that it was only Derek, they lay back down. Derek laughed, despite himself. "Yeah sure, it's all fun and games when you have a snuggle partner. I'm just gonna go over near the tree and freeze, thanks."

MIDNIGHT

Derek awoke with his entire body quaking. He'd never felt so cold in his entire life. Though he knew he could never die of hypothermia, it was still a remarkably painful feeling being that cold. He looked up from his blanket and eyed the two wolves nuzzled up near each other.

The thought he had was undoubtedly crazy.

However, to ease his own personal discomfort he was willing to suffer punishment by the female's bite for trying.

He stood, legs stiff and aching from the abuse his joints had taken on the freezing, hard ground. He slowly walked towards the two creatures and stood over them. Sura looked up and saw Derek above her. She could feel that he was freezing. She watched him for a few moments and then looked down at Miki, who knew Derek was behind him, yet it raised no suspicion in the little wolf.

Derek knelt next to Miki, in an attempt to lie next to the young male, figuring he'd be much more receptive to the gesture than the female. Sura puffed in an almost-bark, feeling that she'd rather have Derek next to her just in case there was some lingering desire within the wolf man to harm them. Derek nodded, understanding the female's implication. He stood again, this time, going behind Sura and slowly lying down. He spread the massive blanket out and covered all three of them under it before pressing in close to Sura.

He waited a few moments before laying his arm across her and nuzzling in close. She didn't tense or offer any signs of warning, which made him feel much more at ease. Soon, the warmth between the three of them began to spread and proliferate. Derek's shivering ceased and he finally began to become seduced back into a deep, comfortable sleep.