Title: Blue & Gold
Series: Unbalanced (1 of 3)
Category: Teen Wolf/Smallville
Genre: Romance/Drama
Ship: Chloe Sullivan/Derek Hale
Chapter Rating: PG-13/Teen
Overall Rating: NC-17/Explicit
Word Count: 8,141
Summary: "The white wolf. Bound to the broken boy. Destined to meet a demon wolf. The hells will rain pain like no other, but she will survive. She will fight. And when the day comes, she will bring order again."
Blue & Gold
Chapter Two
-The Boy Before the Break-
II. [1999]
Derek didn't like fighting.
As Laura threw him off of her again, letting him roll across the grass, bouncing roughly against the hard earth, he groaned, giving his head a shake. If it was up to him, he'd rather be doing homework, but they had training every day and he was required to take part. Sometimes, he didn't think it was the fighting that he disliked so much as the losing. But when his opponent was always his older sister, there wasn't much leaning in his favor. Laura was three years his senior at sixteen; she was quick, smart, and eager to prove herself, which meant Derek spent a lot of time being thrown around and reminded that he was a pathetic opponent.
"You need to block," Laura told him, her hands on her hips as she paced back and forth on the other side of the yard. "You always forget to put your arm up; it's why I always get you."
"Really?" he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I thought it was because you keep kidney punching me before Peter says to go."
She smirked, flashing white canines at him. "Real fights don't start at the bell, Der, you should know that."
Pushing himself up, he twisted and turned his torso, wincing at the lingering pain. "And punching me in the kidneys?"
"That's just good strategy," she replied with a shrug.
"She has a point," Peter called from his lounging position on the stairs, elbows behind him.
"Why don't you fight her then?"
He grinned. "And get my ass kicked? No thanks. I have better preservation skills than that."
Derek snorted, moving back toward Laura, all the while knowing he was only going to be eating grass and dirt again in a few minutes.
"Look a little more enthusiastic," his sister told him, getting into position, her body arched down a little, one leg extended back, her hands out as if she were going to tackle him. Frankly, he wouldn't be surprised if she did; she was fond of putting him in a headlock until he passed out, no matter how many times their dad told her to knock it off. "Every time you go down, you should be learning something."
"I am," he said blandly. "I'm learning I should become a pacifist."
Laura snorted. "What kind of wolf would that make you?"
"One that isn't sore," he muttered.
"Overrated," she dismissed before wiggling her eyebrows. "Now come on… Show me that move dad taught you yesterday."
Derek sighed, but moved into position. When it came to fighting, Laura usually worked with their mom while he sparred with their dad. It wasn't really a separation of genders, despite how it looked; Laura would be alpha when their mother decided to pass it on, so some of her skills needed to be refined. She was taught lessons while she sparred, forced to put both her mental and physical strength to work. Derek, on the other hand, got to horse around with his dad, which generally meant laughing as they wrestled in the grass. It was always less painful than taking on Laura, who aimed to put him down and keep him down. Unlike his eldest daughter, Royce Hale was less eager to use actual violence to teach his kids. Obviously, Derek knew who he would rather be sparring at the moment.
Still, when Laura came for him, he reflected on the move his dad taught him and, in the split second before Laura got her hands on him, he ducked low, knocked her knees out from under her and slammed his shoulder into her stomach, flipping her onto her back before he cartwheeled out of reach, landing in a crouch a few feet away. While momentarily shocked, she was quick to retaliate, flipping herself back onto her feet and turning on him with a snarl.
Peter laughed in the background, enjoying the show.
But when Laura took a swipe at Derek, her claws tearing his shirt open and peeling his skin apart, Peter's laughter faded, a look of pure concentration crossing his face.
It wasn't often that Laura lost control, but she did tend to put winning at the top of her necessities list. Derek always thought it was because she was supposed to become the alpha, that she felt she had to be the absolute best in order to fill the role. Destined for a life of being a beta, he hadn't felt the same push to always outdo those around him, especially not his siblings. He was content with where he was, although he'd prefer to be less bruised.
He leapt back out of her reach, stumbling a little when she just kept coming. Unlike her, he wasn't upset, so he didn't have the surge of adrenaline coursing through him that might guide his movements a little faster. His Instinct was telling him to run, to use Peter as a shield even, but his feet only stumbled back, until he slipped on one of Dillon's toys and fell, landing abruptly on his back.
A seething Laura lunged at him and his arm came up to shield his face, while his body turned, seeking cover. But the attack was never finished and, when he opened his eyes, he found his father was the reason why. Royce had caught Laura by the back of her shirt and was holding her mid-air, dangling from his grip. He was a tall, broad man, with muscle packed over his upper torso and down his arms. He hefted his daughter easily, tossing her backwards so she landed on her butt, giving her head a shake until she was no longer shifted. He raised a thick black eyebrow at her and she ducked her head sheepishly. But he didn't hold a grudge, instead he grinned widely, showing off pearly white teeth under his scruffy black beard.
Holding a large hand out for his son, Royce nearly picked Derek right up off the ground, giving his hair a ruffle before he walked back toward the house, shouting a lighthearted, "Play nice," over his shoulder.
Dusting himself off, Derek looked warily back at Laura, who had pushed back up to her feet.
She pursed her lips at him and muttered, "Sorry," before she turned on her heel and went for a run, her usual way of shaking off the bad energy.
With a sigh, he walked over to the porch and took a seat beside Peter. "Any chance she won't kidney punch me tomorrow?" he wondered hopefully.
With a laugh, Peter smirked down at his nephew. "If anything, she'll do it harder."
Morosely, he dropped his chin down onto his palm and frowned ahead of him.
"Come on…" Peter stood from the stairs and nodded his head. "I promised you a game of one-on-one yesterday…"
As they turned the corner on the house, Derek grinned as he scooped up the basketball laying in the grass. He might not like fighting, per se, but he definitely liked sports, and this one happened to be his best. Which, he was sure, was why Peter picked it. While his uncle liked to act unimpressed and often just amused by his nieces and nephews, Derek knew he cared about them. In fact, he'd venture to guess he was Peter's favorite, and that was an all right place to be in his books.
He tossed the ball toward Peter, who caught it easily, dribbling it without much thought. "First to twenty wins?"
Derek nodded agreeably.
It was no surprise when he won, although Peter maintained that he let him.
Dinner was always loud, between Dillon and Cora vying for attention, Laura fighting over the largest piece of meat on the table, and Royce laughing at the chaos, it was only Derek and Talia who sat back, waiting for everything to die down before they took anything for themselves. It wasn't patience on Derek's part so much as self-preservation, getting in the middle of all that would only lead to trouble. Laura had stabbed him in the hand once for reaching for the steak she'd called as her own. He hadn't heard her over the shouting between Dillon and Cora but apparently that hadn't mattered.
This time, however, before anybody reached for anything, Royce banged a fist down on the table so hard that the plates and cutlery rattled. It immediately drew everyone's attention, their hands still outstretched toward the large plate of roast beef and the bowl of mashed potatoes waiting within reach.
"We have a tradition at dinner…" he told them, his voice booming, demanding attention. "Your mother eats first."
Laura was the first to catch on, her eyebrows hiking. "You're not!?" she exclaimed.
Dillon was pouting. "But mom's the slowest," he complained.
Derek slapped him upside the back of his head and rolled his eyes.
Leaping out of her chair, Laura circled the table to hug their mother, squeezing her around her shoulders. "Can't say I wanted another one, but congratulations."
It dawned on Derek suddenly, his eyes falling to Talia's stomach. "You're pregnant," he said, feeling stupid for not catching on earlier. It was a pack tradition that pregnant mothers always ate first and ate the most.
Talia smiled at him gently, giving a small nod. "I am."
Royce laughed happily, reaching over to place his large hand on her still flat stomach. "It'll be twins this time, I can feel it," he told her proudly.
She shook her head, amused by his long-time desire for twins.
"Does that mean she gets dessert first too?" Dillon wondered.
Derek elbowed him.
"Ow, what? I was just wondering…" he muttered, rubbing his ribs.
Talia laughed lightly, reaching over to cup Dillon's chin. "Is my wolf starving?"
"Feels like it."
"Whatever, I saw you cramming cookies in your mouth an hour ago," Laura told him, moving back to her seat.
Talia's eyes narrowed knowingly at him. "Those wouldn't be the same cookies I told you not to eat until after you did your homework, would they?"
Face screwed up with guilt, Dillon slumped in his chair. "Maybe…"
She lifted her chin, staring down at him sternly. "And your homework?"
"It's… mostly done…"
"Uh-huh…" She clucked her tongue and then held a hand out for the plate of roast beef her husband handed to her. When she was finished putting a few slices on her plate, she waved it back in Royce's direction. "Just for that, you'll fill your plate last."
Dillon let out a huff of breath in complaint. "But—"
"What're the rules?" she interrupted.
"No lying, stealing, cheating, or killing. And also don't put hair dye in Laura's shampoo bottle…" At his sister's cleared throat, he smirked. "Or conditioner."
"Right. And you promised me that you would finish your homework, which you didn't, so there are consequences."
"But I was almost done," he sighed, watching morosely as the roast beef was handed person to person, dwindling quickly.
"Almost isn't completely, which means you still lied."
"That's dumb," he muttered.
"The plate is almost to you, Dillon. If it stopped right now, will you have eaten?"
He frowned. "No."
She stared at him, her brows raised.
"All right, fine. I'm sorry I lied. I won't do it again. And I'll do my homework right after dinner, I swear."
Derek waited for her to nod, holding the plate with its last few slices of roast beef just out of Dillon's reach. Seconds passed, all of which were spent watching Dillon squirm, and then Talia nodded. He blew out a relieved breath and took the plate quickly from Derek, scooping the last of it onto his plate. He was still the last to get anything handed to him, but he wasn't complaining anymore, seeming instead to take his mother's word into consideration.
The rest of dinner was spent talking about the coming baby. Peter bet it was a girl and soon had everyone betting on what day it would be born and how much it would weigh. Derek stayed quiet, focusing on his dinner, not completely sure how he felt about the new addition to the family. He liked his brother and sisters just fine, but he knew adding one more was going to change the dynamics again. When Cora was born, he'd been 8, Dillon's age, and Laura had taken on a lot of responsibility for her, changing her diapers and putting her down for naps. Their mother had been exhausted the first few months, napping frequently. Cora was just as loud as a baby as she was now, constantly demanding attention and making noise. And with Talia putting more emphasis on Laura's alpha training, Derek worried he'd be the one taking care of the new baby when his dad couldn't. It was hard enough feeling like he was responsible for Dillon and Cora, and they were old enough that he didn't have to have his eyes on them all the time. He didn't know how his parents or Laura did it, or why they would want to be an alpha. Who would want to have that must responsibility on their shoulders?
When dinner finished, he gathered up the plates to do the dishes. He and Laura usually traded off but, despite it being her night, he decided to do them himself. Chores were a regular thing around the Hale house. Each of them had their duties and he'd never really questioned it. He got a weekly allowance that he tended to save up for things, mostly sports memorabilia and equipment. But he didn't mind chores, not like Laura, who found them a waste of time, or Dillon, who only ever half-assed them. Even Cora tried to avoid them, but he thought that was because she was so young and so easily distracted. Last week, when she was supposed to be tidying up the living room, he found her painting her nails while she sat on the coffee table. There were stacks of things she had piled up to put away, but apparently she'd found a bottle of nail polish she'd left lying around and that was as far as she got in her chores that afternoon.
For Derek, it was as good chance to think. Dillon was up in his room, finishing up his homework, and he could hear Cora in her bedroom, dancing to a mix tape she had Laura make for her. His older sister, he knew, was jogging. She always did after dinner. And she'd probably stop by her girlfriend's house before she headed back home. She and Julia had been dating for two years and she took every chance she got to hang out with her. Julia didn't know about their family secret and so she wasn't often invited out to the house, mostly because Dillon and Cora still occasionally shifted, never thinking of who could see them. Derek liked her though; she was the exact opposite of how he saw his sister. Julia was nice and soft spoken, she was always gentle and friendly. Laura, on the other hand, Derek saw as brisk, forward, and often loud and demanding. But every once in a while, he'd see her with Julia, whispering like they were in their own little world, and something soft would cross his sister's otherwise hard face.
Shaking his head of Laura, he focused back on the dishes, wondering briefly where his parents were. He got his answer when he drained the sink and grabbed up a tea towel to start drying the dishes off. His dad was sitting in a chair at the table, head leaned back, hands stacked over his chest. If Derek hadn't been able to hear his heart and the not quite even set of his breathing, he might've thought Royce was sleeping. Still, rather than say anything, he turned toward the stack of dishes and started wiping them down before he put them away in their proper place.
"You were quiet at dinner," his father's voice said, ending the peace he'd come to enjoy.
"Usually am," he replied.
"You excited then? To have another brother or sister coming?"
He pursed his lips, staring down at the plate in his hand, and shrugged.
Royce sighed, pushing up from the table. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong…" He crossed the room and leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. The plaid shirt he was wearing stretched over his chest and around his bulging biceps. But for all that Royce looked like an intimidating man, Derek had never known him to use that against his children.
"I don't know how I feel," he admitted.
"You were happy when Cora came along. What makes this time different?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm older."
"And?" He stared at him, waiting for him to figure it out rather than leading him to the conclusion.
"Sometimes I feel like they're my responsibility. Dillon and Cora. And it freaks me out, because… what if I screw up?"
He nodded slowly. "So you're worried that another baby means more responsibility, and you're not sure you're handling it as it is?"
Derek sighed, turning back to the dishes. "It's stupid."
"They are your responsibility."
He looked back, his brows hiked.
"But only to a degree," he amended. "Family is family, Derek. You protect your own, you love them, you give them the tools to do and be the best they can… You watch out for them and guide them, but things happen and you might not always be able to keep them from making mistakes." He shrugged. "Cora and Dillon look up to you, and you've never let them get hurt. You would protect them with your life, I know that, and so do you."
He nodded. He would too. He would give his life for any one of his family members.
"But you're not the only one watching out for them, all right? I'm their dad, and I'll do everything I can to keep them happy and safe, just like I did for you and Laura. Me and your mom, we're the parents. We don't expect you to pick up our slack, just help us out where you can. So if the baby needs her big brother to rock her back to sleep, then yeah, maybe I'll ask you to do that. But you have a life too and I want you to live it."
"Okay," he murmured, looking up at his dad from the corner of his eyes.
"Good." With a grin, Royce grabbed up a towel and joined him, helping him to dry the last of the dishes and put them away. And when they were finished, he put Derek in a playful headlock before ruffling his hair into a complete mess, all the while laughing as his son struggled to get free. When he finally let go, Derek was red faced and glowering at him.
"Dad…" he complained, reaching up to fix his hair.
Walking past him, he gave him a hard pat to the back. "You have homework?"
He shrugged. "A little."
"Go get it done," he ordered, before moving into the living room.
Derek walked slowly toward the stairs, glancing back over to see his dad lift his mom right up off the couch before he took her seat and settled her into his lap. Not the least bit surprised, Talia merely rested against him, still holding the book she'd been reading. Royce kissed her hair before he rested his chin on her shoulder, reading the book with her as his hands rubbed affectionate circles on her stomach.
Leaving them to their moment, Derek climbed the stairs two at a time, making his way down the hall to his bedroom. He still wasn't sure how it was going to be when the baby was born, but he wasn't as worried about it anymore. Whatever happened, he was going to be the best big brother he could be.
A knock at his door drew Derek's attention and he paused in his sit-ups, his arms still tucked behind his head. When the door creaked open, he looked over to see Laura leaning there, her arms crossed over her chest. "Can we talk?" she asked.
He shrugged, sitting forward to rest his arms on his knees.
Closing the door behind her, she crossed the room, plopping down on his bed. "So I wanted to talk to you about the other day, when we were fighting…"
He raised an eyebrow and she blew out an annoyed breath.
"You know, when I almost slashed your throat for getting the drop on me…?"
He half-smiled, ducking his head in amusement. "Right. That."
Rolling her eyes, she sat forward. "Look, I know you think I'm being a jerk to you, that I'm picking on you or something, but that's not why I do it."
"So you're kidney punching me for my benefit?" he asked sarcastically.
"Kind of, yeah."
With a sigh, he stared at her, waiting on an explanation.
"You spar with dad, and that's great, but dad likes to think that if there was ever a real fight, he'd deal with it. Maybe it's because he was supposed to be an alpha before he met mom, but it's like he's prepared to take on any enemy that comes after us… And that'd be fine, he's our dad, I get it, but the point of being in a pack is that there's strength in numbers, and we want to protect each other just as much as he wants to protect us…" She stared at him searchingly. "All I'm saying is, you need to be prepared. Because when a fight comes, and it will, dad might not be there to stop them before they get at your throat."
He frowned. "You think that'll really happen though…? I thought the packs were getting along."
"There's always peace before there's chaos, Derek." She shook her head. "The point is, keeping your head down and hoping for the best doesn't make the world a better place."
"So you think I need to train more."
"I think you need to train harder…" She frowned at him. "I know you think I'm being a bitch, but I just don't want to see you get hurt." She pushed up from his bed and started across the room, reaching over to ruffle his hair in the way she knew he hated, and smirked as she sauntered out of reach. "You're my baby brother, and if keeping you alive means kicking your ass, then I'll do it every single day." With a wink, she walked out of his room, and he glared at the open door.
"You know you have two brothers, right? And he's younger than me!" he shouted after her.
"You're always gonna be a baby in my eyes," she called back laughingly.
Rolling his eyes, he fell back to the floor and decided to burn off his irritation with exercise.
If she wanted him to prove he could handle himself in a fight, he would. He didn't think one was coming, but Laura was rarely wrong, and if she thought peace would only last so long, then he wanted to be prepared for war.
Derek had just pulled his bike around to the front when he spotted Cora, bouncing on the tips of her toes hopefully. Sighing, he raised an eyebrow, climbing on his bike when he got closer.
"What?"
"Dad said you were going into town."
"Yeah. And…?"
"I want ice cream," she said bluntly.
"Do you have any money for ice cream?" he wondered.
She shook her head. "Nope. You do though. You save it up."
"Yeah, for me…"
"Please, Derek." She hopped on spot, her hands clasped under her chin.
"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "But go get Dillon. And tell Laura we're going."
"She's not here. She's on a date with Julie," she called back as she ran across the lawn, shouting Dillon's name so loud he nearly cringed.
Sitting back on his seat, he frowned. He'd been hoping to ride around alone for a while, maybe see if any of the guys were at the arcade. It was almost a guarantee that Billy would be up for a game of air hockey. Instead, now he had a little brother and sister to keep an eye on. It didn't usually bother him. He didn't mind keeping an eye on them; they usually behaved. But sometimes he just needed time away from the family. Even Peter. It was hard to find any time alone in a house full of energetic wolves.
Dillon hopped off the porch to the lawn, bypassing the stairs, and circled around the house to grab his own bike before joining Derek. While Cora had a bike, she was still small enough that it would take too long to wait for her to catch up, so instead he hauled her up onto the bars of his bike and started pedaling. There was a clear path through the woods that led down to the highway. Derek had Dillon ride ahead of him so he could keep an eye out and they made their way into town easily enough. There weren't many drivers on the road that day, and for that he was thankful. Despite the fact that they would all heal if they were hit by a car, it didn't mean it would hurt any less. Even just the faint sound of an approaching car made his heart speed up, so he made Dillon pull over and wait for vehicles to pass each time, ignoring how Dillon rolled his eyes and complained. He wasn't risking it.
When they finally got into town, their first stop was the ice cream shop. Cora had talked non-stop on the ride about all her favorite flavors, deliberating out loud over which one she was going to have. And then, eyes much larger than her stomach, decided to tell him she was going to have five scoops, because she just couldn't pick.
After locking their bikes up, Derek led them inside with Cora seated on his shoulders. He had to duck through the door so she wouldn't hit her head, which only made her giggle, her hands frequently pinching his cheeks and covering his eyes, just because she knew it annoyed him.
"You know I'm buying, right?" he reminded, shrugging his shoulders to bounce her up abruptly.
Not the least bit worried, she nodded. "Can I get a waffle cone too, Derek? With the chocolate and the sprinkles?"
Sighing, he rolled his eyes. "If you're getting that, you're only getting one scoop."
"But there's so many…" she pouted, bending over his head to peer inside the glass cover to the ice cream below.
"Dillon, what are you getting?" Derek wondered.
"Double scoop of Tiger Tail," he answered back, knocking his knuckles against the counter.
"Bowl or cone?" the server asked.
"Bowl."
"C'mon, Pipsqueak, you've gotta pick already," Derek told his sister.
"Mm…" Cora tugged on his right ear to get him to walk in that direction, letting her see some of the other colorful buckets. "What kind's the blue one, with the nuts?" she wondered, pointing.
He peered down at the sticker and told her, "Pistachio almond. You don't like almonds."
"But it's blue."
"Cor, you don't like almonds. You're not getting it…" He started moving back the way he came. "You want blue, get Bubble Gum. Or get Cotton Candy, it's got pink in it too."
"Cotton Candy is purple, not blue."
"Whatever," he muttered. "Just get something."
"I waaant…" She slumped, resting her arms atop his head and leaning on them. "I want Bubble Gum," she decided, nodding.
"Okay, great." He pointed at the Bubble Gum. "One scoop in a waffle cone."
"With sprinkles and chocolate," she added loudly.
Derek nodded, waving a hand up at her.
She wiggled happily as her ice cream was made and he reached up to grab her off his shoulders, dropping her down to her feet. When her waffle cone was handed to her, he gave her back a push to get her to walk over to the table Dillon was sitting at, people-watching out the window. "I'll get a scoop of Rocky Road in a bowl," he said before walking over to the till, digging out his wallet as he went.
After paying, he took his bowl, and joined his siblings at the table. Cora was sitting on her knees, her mouth and cheeks covered in ice cream.
Derek frowned.
Dillon snorted. "You're gonna have to clean her up before we go."
"Yeah, or you will," he replied, digging his spoon into his ice cream.
"Derek, can we go to the park after this?" Cora hoped.
"After. We're going to the arcade first."
Dillon perked up. "Do you have change for five dollars?" he wondered.
"If you had five bucks, why was I buying ice cream for you?"
He grinned cheekily. "You didn't ask."
Muttering under his breath, he dug out his wallet and found four loonies and four quarters. Before he handed them over, though, he held out a hand for the five. Dillon dug it out of his pocket and handed it over before scooping up his change.
"What about me?" Cora wondered with a pout. "I wanna play, too."
"I'll set you up when we get there," he assured before leaning back in his seat.
Aside from some bickering between Dillon and Cora, time went by quickly. Cora ate most of her ice cream, but eventually made Derek finish it because she didn't want it to go to waste. He had Dillon take her into the bathroom to wash up before they started the trek over to the arcade. They left the bikes where they were, assuming the arcade bike ramp would be full.
Derek took Cora's hand as they walked, while Dillon walked on her other side, his hands tucked into his pocket even though Cora kept tugging at his wrist. "You have to hold my hand, Dill. It's mom's rules."
As they reached the curb, Derek hiked her up by her arm so she swung onto the sidewalk, making her laugh happily. They walked past familiar shop fronts, from the small organic grocery store that his mom preferred to the sports equipment outlet that his dad took him to on weekends, until finally they were at the arcade, bustling with kids of all ages. The inside was loud with the sound of voices and machines. Dillon took off as soon as they stepped inside, his pocket jingling with change. Following after him with less enthusiasm, Derek found Dillon by Pacman before he went off to see if any of his friends were around.
"I want to play, too," Cora told him, tugging on his hand.
"In a minute. If Billy's here, you can help me beat him at air hockey."
Content with that, she helped him look for his friend, a tall, loud kid with a cigarette permanently tucked behind his ear. He finally found him by one of the boxing consoles and nodded his head in greeting.
"Hale, what's up dude?" He pulled off the gloves and put them back before he raised an eyebrow at Cora. "And who's the princess?"
"I'm Cora," she told him, lifting her chin proudly. "And we're gonna beat you at air hockey."
Billy laughed. "That right?"
Derek shrugged.
"All right, let's put it to the test then…" He walked toward the air hockey tables, assuming they followed.
The next hour was spent with Cora sitting on the edge of the air hockey table, attempting to help him win against Billy. They were interrupted a few times by Dillon, who needed more change and had no qualms about using Derek's.
When they clock struck five, however, he knew it was time to start heading back. So he said goodbye to Billy before he hauled Cora up onto his side and searched out Dillon. Before his brother could beg a few more quarters off of him, he nodded his head toward the door and, together, they made their way out. They walked back over to the ice cream shop to get their bikes and started the trek back into town, only now Dillon was the one talking non-stop about the games he played and the high scores he'd reached.
"Why'd you call yourself Dillinator?" Cora wondered, her nose scrunched up.
"'Cause, it's like Terminator. I killed all the other scores and now mine's the best."
"So if I did it, I'd be Corinator?"
"Yeah, but you won't, 'cause I'm way better than you."
"But I could, if I practice lots."
"Yeah? And how are you gonna do that? You spend all your allowance on candy, and you need Derek or Laura to take you to the arcade," he reminded, looking smug.
"Derek will take me!" she told him angrily. "Right, Derek?"
"Yeah, sure, but you gotta save up your own money for it," he replied, letting the bike coast for a few feet before he started pedaling again.
"But what about candy?"
"That crap rots your teeth out anyway," he muttered.
"I'm a wolf though."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and if you wanna be the best wolf, you've gotta take care of yourself. It's not a free pass to everything. You've still gotta practice at that, too."
Cora let out a long sigh. "I don't like all this practicing."
His lips twitched. "Well, you wanna be the Corinator, right?"
She frowned thoughtfully, but nodded.
"Okay, then you gotta practice."
Turning her head, she stuck her tongue out at Dillon. "I'm gonna be better than you at everything, just you wait!"
Dillon rolled his eyes and pedaled harder, getting ahead of them on his bike. "We'll see!" he called back, grinning.
"Derek, go faster we can't let him win," Cora said, squeezing his forearm.
Both amused an exasperated, Derek pedaled harder, surpassing Dillon easily, though he chose not to get too far ahead just in case there were any cars coming. Still, when they arrived back at the house, Derek was in the lead, which meant Cora didn't stop boasting all through dinner, rubbing it in Dillon's face every chance she got.
The farther into her pregnancy she got, the less Talia liked to shift, which meant she spent a lot of time walking through the forest on foot rather than paw. Since Derek was a little boy, he remembered going for hikes with her while she was in her full wolf form, his hand tightly gripping her black fur as he walked next to her. Now, it was her hand he held as he helped her over fallen logs, looking worried with every step she took, heavily pregnant with what she told them was going to be a little girl.
"I'm not as fragile as you think I am," she told him, releasing his hand so she could press her palm to his cheek affectionately.
He leaned into it, but pursed his lips arguably. "You're fragile enough."
Her lips turned up at the corner. "You worry too much." She tucked a hand under her round stomach and continued walking, letting her fingers drag across the rough bark of a tree. "I've already had four children. You don't think I know what I'm doing by now?"
He shrugged, keeping step with her. "Just because you're careful doesn't mean everyone else is."
She looked over at him from the corner of her eyes. "And you're going to keep the world at bay, is that it?"
"I can try," he murmured.
Wrapping an arm around him, she tugged him against her side and kissed his head. "While I'm touched, you know it's not up to you keep us all safe, right?" She stared at him meaningfully. "You're just a boy, Derek. Bad things happen, things that can't be controlled, and it's no one's fault."
"I guess."
She smiled, hearing the disagreement in his voice, and shook her head. "You're stubborn, just like your dad."
He grinned then. "He says the same thing about you."
"Then you come by it honestly."
In the distance, he could hear the water rushing, and wasn't surprised when his mother turned in its direction. She loved the water and, despite the fact that it would probably be just short of freezing, he knew she'd probably take her shoes off and dip her toes into the frigid water. He helped her across the rocks and up a small hill, leading her down to where the rocks thinned out, replaced with damp grass and dirt. She kicked off her shoes and hiked her skirt up above her ankles as she stepped into the water, smiling to herself.
"Do you know why I wanted to go for a walk?" she asked him.
He shrugged. "'Cause dad's nesting… I think he rearranged the pantry three times already."
"Four," she laughed.
He smiled, shaking his head as he took his own shoes and socks off, rolling his jeans up his legs before he joined her. He winced as the water hit his skin and took a deep breath, feeling his skin cool rapidly. He stood next to her, trying not to squirm against the pins and needles that stabbed his skin.
She chuckled, side-eyeing him with amusement.
He glanced at her and then back out at the water. "What do you think you'll name her?" he wondered.
"Your dad likes the name Hope."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, but I'm partial to Nora."
He rolled his eyes. "You don't think Laura and Cora were enough?"
"Why break tradition?" she mused, smiling widely.
He hummed, staring down at the water, trying to see his feet through it as he wiggled his toes, trying to get the gritty sand out from between them.
"We don't do this enough," Talia said, drawing his attention back to her.
"What? Risk hypothermia?"
She snorted, shaking her head. "No, we don't get to spend as much time together… Between Laura's training and the baby, I feel like we've been spending more time apart."
"I get it."
She turned to him, letting her skirt drop, and reached for his hand. "I want us to do this more often. Just me and you, taking our walks like we used to."
"It's okay if you get busy," he reassured.
"I'm not taking no for an answer, Derek." She squeezed his hands. "Things might be a little difficult when the baby first comes, but we'll figure it out, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good." She released one of his hands and turned back, facing the water once more. Breathing in deep, she closed her eyes. "It's beautiful out here, isn't it?"
He half-smiled. "Yeah, it is."
She leaned against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're getting so tall," she noticed.
He laughed under his breath. "Maybe you're shrinking."
She clucked her tongue, rolling her eyes. "I'm not that old."
"In dog years…"
She slapped his chest, but he only laughed.
They spent a few more minutes lingering in the water before she decided she was ready to leave. He helped her get her shoes back on since she had trouble bending lately before he pulled his own sneakers back on and unrolled his jeans. She held his hand the whole walk back home and, while Derek would never admit he liked spending so much time with his mom, he really looked forward to doing it once a week.
Today was the worst day of his life.
While it would later become a common, repetitive thought, in that moment, Derek thought it would truly be the worst day he ever faced. As the years would pass, he'd later add it to a list of top five, but at thirteen years old, kneeling in the woods, crying over the body of his father, he couldn't imagine anything that would feel worse than that.
A rogue hunter had entered the Beacon Hills preserve at just before sunrise. He stalked through the trees, armed to the teeth, with only one mission in mind; destroy the Hale pack. There would be little warning that he was coming, as everybody was fast asleep in their beds. But just as the sun was beginning to peek out, a loud howl rent the air, cracked with warning.
After that, it was chaos.
Derek remembered falling out of his bed, half-shifted, confused and worried. And then Laura was throwing open his door, her shirt half dragged down her body. She grabbed his arm roughly and yanked him from the room. "Get Dillon and Cora and go downstairs to the basement," she ordered.
Rubbing his eyes, still half-asleep, he shook his head. "But that was Peter..."
"I know. He's warning us." She shoved him toward Dillon's room. "Go, Derek. Get the kids downstairs."
Instead of fighting for answers, he listened. Dillon was sitting up in bed, rubbing a hand over his face. Derek grabbed him up and took his hand, pulling him alongside him as he went into Cora's room. She was still sleeping, somehow not hearing the howl, or not bothering to respond to it. He scooped her up out of her blanket, with her favorite stuffed animal still clutched in her arm, and led them downstairs, rushing toward the door leading into the basement. As soon as he put them on the lumpy, oversized couch, he rushed back up the stairs, searching out Laura and his parents.
Royce was on the porch, dragging a thermal t-shirt over his head, his long, mussed hair falling into his face. Talia reached up to right it, stretching on her tip-toes.
"Don't do this," she begged. "Not alone."
"I'm not alone. Peter's out there."
She shook her head, her brow furrowed. "I love my brother, but he's young, Royce. He's not ready for whatever's out there. You heard it. You heard the fear when he called to us."
"That was fear for us," he assured. "Peter's a lot of things, but he'd never let anything happen to his family."
Talia swallowed tightly. "Please. You know who's out there. He's already killed so many."
"His last attack was on my brother. He's lucky he made it out alive. He won't this time." Turning to her, he took her by the hips and pulled her forward, her protruding belly pressing against his. He dropped his forehead to meet hers and sighed. "Go with the kids down to the basement. If I'm not back in a half hour, lead them through the tunnels, get out of Beacon Hills. Stay with my brother until you know it's safe."
"Royce," she choked out.
He kissed her, slanting his lips roughly over hers, his fingers tightly furled in her hair at the nape of her neck. "I know. I know you'd be out there with me. But it's not safe, not with Hope coming." His hand fell to her stomach, rubbing the curve. "He wouldn't stand a chance against you, Tal. Which is probably why he's coming now."
"Which means he's smart," she growled through clenched teeth, her eyes flashing a bright red.
"Wouldn't have lasted this long if he wasn't." With a sigh, he pressed another kiss to the tip of her nose. "I'll come back."
"Don't make promises you can't keep."
He grinned at her, wrinkles fanning out from the corners of his eyes. "I'll love you 'til I die."
"Better," she breathed, blinking quickly against her tears.
Laura rushed past then, joining her parents on the porch. "I'm coming."
They both shook their heads. "Laura—"
"I'm in training for this. You can't keep me locked up." She looked up at her dad beseechingly. "Please. You'll need help."
He stared down at his daughter before looking back at Talia. "She's strong and fast, you said so yourself."
"She's also still a child!"
"I'm sixteen," she argued. "And I know what I'm doing."
"We're wasting time arguing about this. The more we fight, the closer he gets."
Just then, Peter broke through the tree line and rushed up the driveway, his golden eyes wide and his mouth gaping as he gasped for breath. "He's coming. We have to go."
"I'm coming," Laura told them decisively, before she hurried down the stairs and started across the lawn, shifting as she went, cracking her neck from side to side before she gave a loud, feral growl.
Sighing, Royce looked back to his wife and then past her and inside the house. He waved Derek over, his hand landing on his shoulder as soon as he reached them. "You'll take care of them." He stared down at his son seriously. "They're yours to protect, do you understand?"
He nodded, startled by how stern his father was being, a characteristic he rarely possessed. "I will. I promise."
Gripping him behind his neck, Royce pulled him forward and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. "I'm proud of you. Don't ever forget that." With one last pat to his shoulder, Royce released him and turned to leave, joining Laura and Peter. He looked back once, nodding his head to Talia, and then he was gone, rushing into the woods to meet the problem head on.
"Will he come back?" Derek wondered, hating how his voice waivered.
Talia turned to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, and led him back to the basement door. "Come on. We have to be strong for Cora and Dillon, okay?" She cupped his face and stared down at him searchingly. "I know how scared you are, but I need you to be strong right now."
He swallowed tightly, nodding his head.
Derek made her walk ahead of him before he followed her down the stairs.
Dillon was holding a crying Cora, trying to calm her down while he silently cried himself. Derek took a seat beside them, wrapping his arm around them both and holding them to his side. All the while, their mother paced, watching the clock that hung on the wall. The basement was made completely of brick, the windows barred for safety, not only from the outside world but for it as well. On full moons, when the kids were still too young to completely control themselves, they were brought downstairs, where they could be kept from hurting others and themselves. Exercise equipment took up one side of the room, while the rest, aside from a couch and a few chairs, was just open space. The couch had seen better days, tears and chunks missing from it. Talia said it gave it the sofa personality, that it was made of up memories of their childhood, and often refused to get rid of it. Derek picked at a hole in the arm, tugging threads free, all the while silently counting the minutes away in his head.
He strained his ears to hear the fight, but it was difficult to tell one person from the other. He knew their heartbeats and comforted himself with the fact that he could still hear Laura, Peter's and his dad's beating, if erratically. The more he listened, however, the less comforted he was.
The last ten minutes, he would only remember in bits and pieces. He heard his father's howl break through the woods, but just as quickly as it hit him, so did Laura's, full of fury and pain. He remembered Peter coming back to them, torn up and bloody, still panting, something empty in his eyes.
"It's over," was all he said.
And then Derek was there, in the woods; he remembered the trees going by in a flash as he ran through them.
When he found his dad, Royce was lying feet from the shredded body of a man Derek had never seen before. Royce's head wasn't completely separated from his shoulders, but it was cut through enough to kill him. A sword lay on the ground, just out of reach of the hunter, as if it'd been ripped from his grip and thrown away before he was killed. Laura was sitting against a tree, her knees pulled up to her chest, her cheeks wet with both tears and blood spatter. Her eyes were wide, yellow, and staring emptily at the forest bed.
"Dad?" he asked, though he knew he wouldn't get a reply. He dropped his forehead down to Royce's chest and he cried, his body shaking with the force of it. And some part of him, some naïve, innocent part, waited hopefully for his father to wrap an arm around him and tell him it would be okay. But as he knelt there, his jeans soaking through with blood and wet earth, he felt the first crack ricochet through his soul.
And so began his journey as the Broken Boy.
[Next: Part III.]
Author's Note:
Huge thanks to Nienna Tinehtele, TessFan, and Booklover9477 for reviwing. I really appreciate it.
For those wondering when Chloe and Derek will meet, that'll the chapter just after the next one, so get excited. I have a number of chapters finished, but I'm pacing myself on posting them. Please try and review to let me know what you think.
Thank you for reading.
- Lee | Fina
