My Heart's in San Francisco ~ Part IV
Heart of Stone – 'Hale Aloha 'Oe'
by AgentAlexKrycek
Pairing: Stiles/Derek (Sterek)
Rating: M (over 18) M/M Slash
This is my entry into the "Stiles is a BAMF" category. After graduation and that whole Alpha Pack thing, Stiles disappears leaving Beacon Hills forever (?). He does it to protect himself and his Dad, but leaves a broken-hearted Alpha & wolf pack behind. Established relationship and legal aged characters.
Disclaimer: The characters of the television show "Teen Wolf" are the property of Matt Davis and have been used here for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. This story previously appeared on the Terma Red & The Black site under a different pairing. I loved this story too much to let it die, and also wanted to update it. It's my idea after all! Stop reading here & now if you don't have a sense of humor, or dislike man-on-man sex.
Timeframe: After graduation and Stiles' 18th Birthday
Feedback: Feedback is eagerly sought, but please be gentle, civil, and constructive. Thanks!
The brief glimpse of emotion did not last long, as Stiles snapped out of his personal hell and went straight to anger.
"Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me! God damn it!" He yelled at nothing in particular.
Derek realized that, as appealing as the offer was, it wasn't Stiles' intention to be taken literally. "Stiles take it easy. We can get though all of this. All we need to figure out is just what the best course of action is..." he said as soothingly as possible.
Stiles whirled on him, and for a split second, Derek didn't recognize him. Then his features relaxed as he vocalized the thoughts swirling in his mind. "You don't see, do you? Everything—everything that I love, everything that I care about, is always taken away from me! I will never be happy. Not with my Mom & Dad, not with you, not with Natasha. Nobody! Nowhere! It's a fucking curse – that's what it is! I'm fucking cursed! I wish someone would just put me out of my misery because I can't keep living like this! I just can't take it anymore."
A chill ran down Derek's spine as he heard the words. He thought fast. "Whoa there! I hate to break up this pity party. But here are the facts! We don't know what, if anything, has happened yet. Moreover, it's very presumptuous of you to think that you are the cause of what has happened."
"Trust me, I'm involved," Stiles muttered. "I don't know how I know, but I do." His eyes locked on to Derek's.
The shrill buzzing of the phone made both of them jump. Derek offered to answer the phone, figuring that Stiles had more than his share of bad news for the night. Stiles thanked him for his consideration, but crossed quickly to the handset. Derek studied his lover's face as he spoke on the phone, silently bracing himself for whatever was coming next.
Stiles' face was a mask of stone. He was starting to recede from the carefree person that Derek had come to know over the past few days to a darker version of himself. Derek's heart ripped in two as he watched the transformation taking place. He crossed over to the younger man and wrapped his arms around him in a futile attempt to delay the change from happening. Aside from answering the phone, Stiles hadn't said another word. The call had been brief, less than a minute. The next sound was the receiver being slammed back down.
Derek let him take his time. He knew Stiles would answer every question that was screaming in his mind at that moment. Finally he spoke.
"I fucking hate being right all the time... I knew that this was going to involve me," he said with a tortured half-laugh. Derek turned him so that he could see him face-to-face. He looked into Stiles' tear streaked eyes, wanting him to continue. The gold eyes that he knew so well were a hundred miles away, though. "What did they say...exactly?" he finally prodded.
"Surrender Stiles! Be at the Banker's Heart tomorrow at noon if you ever want to see her alive again." He repeated the message verbatim. "The voice was electronically manipulated and I couldn't detect any background noises that would be of any help either. Sorry."
Derek felt a twinge of pride run through him as he saw Stiles hadn't forsaken everything that he had learned from him, or his father.
"All right, we now know your cover is broken and Natasha is in trouble," Derek tried to analyze the situation. "What's this reference to the Banker's Heart?"
"It's a God awful modern art statue in the financial district. I'm not sure what the real name is. It's a huge black stone oval. Only natives call it the Banker's Heart. It's located right in the center of 'the canyons'-what the locals call the skyscraper-lined streets downtown. Anyone caught making an exchange in that area would be totally exposed and vulnerable. There are a hundred places to hide a sniper in those buildings," Stiles explained as he crossed the room. Derek then watched as he stepped into the Atrium, and wondered if Stiles was losing it. Stiles walked up to one of the huge mirrored plates of glass, he paused for a second to catch Derek's worried look in the mirror and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Alpha ~ Derek Hale~ Alpha," Stiles said to his own reflection. Derek thought for a second that Stiles was calling him, and then noticed that the huge pane of glass was moving. The unmistakable sounds of an electronic door opening followed. The wall hid a small room into which Stiles walked into. Derek was more than a little curious about what lay hidden behind the cleverly hidden door. The room took full advantage of the stone cliff the house was perched on, burrowing deep within the face. The room was cold and smelled of stale air. The cold flickering neon lighting had been activated with the opening of the door. Derek's mind refused to believe the messages being sent to it by his eyes. Almost lovingly arraigned along the walls of the stone cave, was a huge array of almost every conceivable gun, rifle, machine gun and knife. Boxes of various ammunition and bundles of several different countries' currency were also stored. The freaking Argent's had nothing on Stiles Stilinski!
"Holy shit, Stiles! Are you planning on starting a war, or overthrowing a small country!? I feel like I accidentally walked into Rambo's Rec Room," Derek exclaimed. "The only thing missing is an anti-tank weapon! Babe, remind me never to piss you off!"
Stiles kicked a wooden olive-drab box on the floor, causing Derek to look down. Stenciled across the wood, in unmistakable military writing was, "Surface to air, Light Anti-tank Missile." "A LAW, I stand corrected, terrified and corrected. Do you have any idea just how many local, state, and federal laws are being broken here?! No pun intended?"
"If they want me to walk into a trap, then at least I'm going to give them a fight that they'll remember," Stiles said as he selected a few of the weapons off the wall.
"First of all, you're not going tomorrow, I'm not going to let you," Derek told him. His words felt weak as he realized he was the only person in the room who wasn't currently armed, well, at least not with human weapons. "I'm going in your place. Once Natasha is released, I will give them the location where you can be found. This way it won't be some shooting gallery trap of their choosing."
"Derek, I really appreciate the thought. But this is something I have to do. Besides, I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger for me. I've lost 'Tasha, I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you too." His hand gently touched Derek's face and for a second the kinder, gentler Stiles was back.
"Follow me here, Stiles," Derek tried again. "Someone obviously knows who you really are. This whole scenario has 'trap' written all over it. They can't capture or kill you, if you're not there."
Derek watched as options were being weighed in Stiles' mind. "Only on one condition, I will be with you somewhere in the area, in case anything goes wrong. Non-negotiable."
Derek nodded.
"I like your password to get in here. I think I could possibly remember that," Derek joked. He watched as Stiles turned a pale pink. "It's more than a password. It's VR voice recognition also..." He crossed over to a small console set into the wall and pressed a sequence of buttons. "Learn new user..." He then motioned at Derek to say something.
Derek had been caught by surprise. He didn't know what to say, so he blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I love you, Stiles." Stiles smiled as the console chimed, "your new password has been accepted and remembered. Storage complete, thank you."
That night the two made love with an intensity they had never reached before. It was like both of them knew it might be their last chance to be together. After the exhausting exchange, sleep came easily and quickly for Derek.
Derek awoke abruptly. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. He noticed that Stiles was wide-awake next to him, fully dressed, loading and inspecting a high-powered rifle.
"Why did you let me sleep? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to crash on you." Derek said groggily.
"I didn't have the heart to wake you; we still have a couple of hours until noon. I didn't know when the next chance you might have would come..." Stiles explained as he smoothed Derek's hair down. "Besides, you looked so cute."
Derek was glad to see that some of Stiles' sense of humor remained, but was worried about him nonetheless. "You haven't slept at all, have you?"
"Can't, never have been able to before a big day," Stiles explained. "You should see me before Christmas."
"I'd like to. I mean, I really would like to be able to spend Christmas and other things with you. Are we ever going to get that chance?" Derek asked, looking deep into Stiles' far-away golden eyes.
"Someday, I hope," Stiles answered. "Go get ready; we have some scouting to do."
Derek got ready in record time. He donned the freshly laundered suit that he'd worn since the night he had found Stiles. It felt weird on him for some reason. He checked his reflection in the mirror. He looked the same as always. But, it still felt like the skin he was in was not his own. He wondered in passing if San Francisco could have had that quick an effect on him. Derek would not take any of the weapons in the home's arsenal, opting only for the regulation Glock Stiles' father has given him. He explained that if things didn't go well, the fact that he had an unregistered and untraceable weapon in his possession would only complicate matters. It didn't complicate matters for Stiles, though, who deftly picked out another weapon to make up for Derek's lack of one.
The drive downtown was a quiet one. Both of the men were deep in their own thoughts. When they arrived at the destination, the car pulled to a stop. Derek took a look around, to get his bearings. This didn't look like the financial district - it looked like Chinatown.
Stiles pointed down California Street. "The Banker's Heart is just down the street. It's a short walk or you can take one of the trolleys. I'll be nearby. Be careful."
"Where will you be?" Derek asked. "How will I find you after?"
"It's better that you don't know," Stiles answered. "And, I'll find you, hopefully both of you, when this is all over."
"Take care of yourself, Stiles, I mean that. Promise me you won't take any unnecessary chances," Derek pleaded, hating the worried sound of his voice.
"It's what I do best. You should know that by now." With a smile and a rev of the engine, the car was gone into the thick lunchtime traffic.
Derek started to walk down the steep incline of California Street. It wasn't too long until he heard the clanging of the trolley's bell and felt the vibrations through the soles of his shoes. He waited until the trolley car was even with him and jumped aboard. He could tell the operator was not happy with his unorthodox and dangerous move, until he flashed his fake police badge. The operator went back to minding his route.
Derek kept his eyes open. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, but assumed he would know it when he saw it. Then he spotted it. On a small plaza, at the top of a rise of steps, a huge black stone oval that sucked the life and color out of everything around it—the Banker's Heart. He jumped from the trolley not realizing how much speed it had picked up on its noisy journey down California Street. He had to take a few running steps to lose the momentum he had jumped with. The first order of business was to check the time. Next he scouted the entire plaza looking for anything out of the ordinary. There were a lot of suit and ties, and a few power dresses, eating sandwiches under the shade of some sickly looking trees. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He looked around briefly at the towers that surrounded him. He wondered which one Stiles was on top of, or inside of. Judging from the location of the plaza and the time of day, he would be readily able to pick it out given enough time, but didn't want to attract any attention in that direction. He made himself disappear into the sea of suits. At a few minutes until noon, he moved close to the sculpture. At noon, a parade of unmistakable government sedans pulled up to the small plaza. Out of which came an unmistakable pack of government agents. They quickly set up a perimeter, and advanced menacingly up to Derek. The rest of the crowd was more easily intimidated and cleared the plaza in moments.
The lead agent had pulled his gun and was holding it pointing skyward as he drew closer. "Stiles Stilinski? I have a Federal warrant for your arrest. Please come peacefully and you won't be harmed..."
Derek stood up, and was very intimidated to see that the man still towered above him. For the briefest of seconds, Derek saw the pure red light of a laser sight mark the taller man's heart. Then it was gone just like a firefly on a dark summer night. If Stiles was sending him a message, it was getting through loud and clear.
"Buzz! Wrong answer, but thanks for playing," he replied in his most smart-ass way possible. "Care to tell me who the hell you are and why you're interfering with a active kidnapping investigation, Slick?" Derek knew Stiles was rubbing-off on him.
Derek's attitude had hit the right cord and taken the man completely by surprise. He composed himself enough to ask, "We're working on a tip from a reliable source that a wanted computer hacker would be here. Can I please see some identification, sir?"
"I'll show you mine, if you show me yours," Derek answered with a huge smile at his own double entendre. The other agent was not so amused. Derek realized that might, in some cases, does make right, and realized he had pushed his luck about as far as he was going to be able to. He reached slowly into his breast pocket and pulled out his identification. He was betting that inter-agency courtesy would win out, and they would not run his badge number. Two of the agents inspected it in passing. "So what brings Beacon's Hills PD all the way out to our coast, officer?"
"Can't tell you, sorry. Any questions or inquiries can be directed through the sheriff's office," Derek stalled, knowing that no matter what agency, paper work sucked and everyone hated it. "What I can tell you is that I'm a friend of the family, and only here to make sure that nothing unwanted might happen. You might say, that I'm a concerned citizen." It worked. The gang of agents reconned the plaza just as Derek had done earlier. It gave Derek a chance to check their cars for any sign of Natasha. His heart fell when he didn't find any. Derek knew he owed Stiles' father a huge steak dinner when he got back home. He would also have the Sheriff make a few discreet calls to clear Stiles' name. The agents got back into their somber government vehicles, leaving one agent behind to wait for Stiles or watch Derek. He wasn't quite sure which. Derek walked up to the young man wearing designer sunglasses. He reminded Derek of Stiles in his younger days. "Hey, kid, can you tell me how to get to Chinatown?"
The boy pointed up the street with a patient, patronizing smile. Derek waited for the next trolley, and left the area. He let the car take him on its entire circle. Jumping a cab, he asked the driver to take him to Pier 42. It would be one of the best places to get lost in a crowd. He wasn't lost long, though, as he felt Stiles' welcome presence sneak up behind him.
"Good job losing your tail," Stiles complimented. Derek was shocked. He wasn't even aware that he had been tailed. He wasn't going to let Stiles know that though.
"What ya mean, I don't have a tail! Is that another one of your really bad dog jokes?" Then, serious again. "Stiles, I'm sorry. She wasn't there. It was a trap. They wanted you, they had a Federal warrant," Derek explained.
"It was probably fake, even they wouldn't know it until long after they had turned me over," Stiles explained. "We're still no better off than we were last night."
"Wrong! We know that the kidnappers are local, they wanted to set you up to be captured, and they are playing us against the FBI," Derek thought out loud. "What do they have to gain?"
That was an easy one for Stiles to answer. "The reward. It has to be for a reward or bounty on me," Stiles stated. "You wouldn't believe how much my ass is worth to other men out there, Derek."
The joke fell flat with Derek. He hated seeing Stiles take such a serious matter so flippantly.
His next thought was interrupted by the shrill beep of Stiles' cell phone. An uneasy look passed between them before Stiles put the phone on intercom so that they both could hear.
"Stiles, Stiles, Stiles…" the mechanical voice mocked. "You've been a very bad boy, Stiles. You've cost us lots of money."
"Look you fucking bastard, if you think I'm dumb enough to walk into an obvious trap, you've got a lot to learn about me. I've used guys tougher than you for target practice. You're fucking with the wrong man, got it!" Stiles yelled into the phone as he pulled the car over to the curb and killed the engine. "Your bargaining days are over, starting now. These are the new rules! This is what I want, my demands... You WILL deliver Natasha to me unharmed in one hour at the gun emplacement above and behind Fort Point at the Golden Gate Bridge. You will not be late! Whatever money you have been promised, I will match and double in cash. Deal's off if just one hair on her head is out of place. And mark my words, if anything has happened to her, I will hunt you down and kill you in the most excruciating way I can think of. We can all walk away from this alive, the choice is yours. Do you want to live or die? Now let me talk to Natasha..."
The conversation had made Derek's blood run cold. He knew what Stiles was capable of, and prayed silently that whoever was on the opposite end of the phone had the sense to realize it as well. He also silently mourned the passing of the Stiles he had come to know over the past couple of days.
There was a long silence on the phone, with what sounded like the start of several thoughts that were never fully vocalized. Finally, after a heavy sigh, the sounds of a scuffle could be heard. A new voice came over the phone line, and Derek's heart took a huge jump for the first time that day.
"Leave me alone, you fucking Neanderthal. If I wasn't tied up, I'd kick your balls through the top of your head... " Natasha hurled at her abductor.
"Speak," the voice ordered.
"Nicky? Is that you?" she asked, hope and stress filling her voice.
"It's me," Stiles answered. "We'll have you free real soon. Don't worry. Are you... okay?"
"I'm all right, Nicky, tell my Grandmother that I love her and not to worry... Fuck off! I'm not through yet, you fucking jerk! Fuck off!"
The remainder of the conversation disintegrated into an endless stream of cursing, some in English and most in Russian. The sound of a struggle could clearly be heard before the phone line suddenly died.
Derek looked over at Stiles, and was surprised to see a huge smile lighting up his face. "Natasha, I love you! You beautiful, brilliant bitch! Yes!" Stiles yelled, hitting the steering wheel of the car. His comment surprised Derek.
"You have to let me in on this, my Russian is a little rusty," Derek queried. "It sounded like she got some good insults in there, what did she call him, anyway?"
"Nothing too out of the ordinary," Stiles said, the smile still lighting his face. "She just called him a nightclub car boy."
It took Derek just a few seconds to realize the importance of the message that Natasha had secretly sent them. His mind went immediately back to the night they had all met at the South of Market nightclub and the valet he had encountered there. It took him a few more moments to remember the name that went with the face in his mind. "Bryce!" Derek said. "I knew there was something about that weasel."
Stiles had been proudly watching as the pieces came together in Derek's head. He now smiled approvingly. "We always did make a good team." he said, giving Derek's leg a quick squeeze. He started the car and headed towards the Presidio.
Derek was surprised when Stiles pulled up to the agreed upon location. "Aren't you forgetting something? Don't you need to find an ATM or go back to the house first?" he asked.
"I keep enough in the car to buy off a small time punk like Bryce," Stiles explained. "Besides, I need to be ready, if I needed to disappear or leave town really fast."
He grabbed the cover on the cars console and pulled hard. The sound of Velcro and glue ripping filled the car. In the hidden space, was a small fortune in cut diamonds.
"Hidden contraband, weapons, remind me not to take your car on any trips into Mexico or Canada," Derek joked.
Stiles pocketed two of the small bags, before replacing the console cover. "Small, light, easy to carry, conceal, and sell, and almost totally untraceable," Stiles said proudly. "Plus, they don't make the machines go off at international airports. They're more than a girl's best friend."
"I haven't been shopping for diamonds lately. How much are they worth?" Derek asked.
"Black-market, $10,000, retail about $25,000 per bag, give or take a few thousand dollars," Stiles explained. The stash remaining in the console could still buy a car dealership. "Grab your gun; I want to be real familiar with this area before they get here."
The two had barely circled the area, when a new vehicle joined them. It took an eternity before the driver's side door opened and two people got out. A gun was held on them while Natasha struggled stubbornly.
"Back up!" Bryce ordered. "Get into the trees. The less witnesses the better."
Without taking their eyes off one another, the foursome walked into the tree line until the steep terrain wouldn't let then go any further.
Stiles broke the silence. Keeping his voice calm and gentle, he slightly lowered his gun. "Look, there's no need for anyone to get hurt here today, I have what you want right here..."
He had said the absolute wrong thing, and his calming words set Bryce off.
"What I want?! What I want! What the hell would you know about what I want? That's a fucking joke, Nick—Or whatever the hell your real name is! If we all had what we wanted, then you would be with me, not him!" He spat out. "Why him? What the hell does he have that I don't? I tried so hard to get your attention, Nick, Stiles, whatever the hell your real name is! Couldn't you see that all I ever wanted was you..." The final words came out in a choked whisper. Desperation and pain filled his eyes, with a hint of insanity. Bryce was a man barely holding on.
Stiles lowered his guard and his weapon and took a step closer to Natasha. The look that passed between the two spoke volumes and Stiles could see her relax slightly. The strain of this ordeal though, was taking a heavy toll on her.
"I'm sorry that I've hurt you," Stiles purred. Derek did a double take. That was probably the first time he had heard those words come from Stiles' mouth. The stakes must really be high, he thought to himself. "Derek and I have a history that's all," he continued, while easing forward another fraction of an inch. Placing himself in a precarious position between a loaded gun and the sheer cliff face. Unlike the parking area, there were no guardrails here, just a steep two-hundred foot drop to Fort Point and the breakers below. "Here take these. They're diamonds, the best quality available - anywhere. You can make a brand new start anywhere you want. We can all forget about this. Nobody needs to get hurt here. Just take these and go, we won't stop you." Stiles let the diamonds slide around in his palm. The tiny gems sparkled like fire in the afternoon sun.
Stiles wasn't prepared for the vicious blow as Bryce's gun hit his hand from below. The stones flew into his face, and he felt himself falling backwards. Then, there was nothing but air. He abandoned his gun and the diamonds in an all out attempt to grab anything that would keep him from going over the cliff.
"Hurt! You don't know anything about hurt! But you will by the time that I'm through with you," the kidnapper screamed. He renewed his grip on Natasha and started to back towards the parking lot. He locked eyes with Derek and the smile on his face was pure evil. "Looks like you have a choice to make lover boy... Who are you going to choose, him or her? Who's going to live, and who's gonna die? Can't have both. Tick-tock, time's running out…"
Derek's mind screamed. He could feel his body wanting to shift. His gun was locked on Bryce. But, he couldn't take the shot without risking Natasha. Stiles was at his feet, just barely holding on. Derek could hear him whisper, "Don't worry about me, get Natasha." But there was something in his tone that Derek knew was off. He could hear the fear in Stiles' voice. He could smell it, and almost taste it, as it poured from the panicked younger man. As he dropped to grab Stiles with no time to spare, he heard a final taunt, and mocking laugh, as the gunman closed the car door. "I guess you really do love him." Natasha's screams were drowned out by the sound of the car's engine roaring to life.
Laying flat on the dusty ground, Derek grasped Stiles' arm and pulled hard. Unfortunately, his human strength was not going to be enough. He felt his muscles grow, giving him the needed strength to pull Stiles back up. The two locked eyes and Derek expected an outburst when Stiles reached the safety of the ledge again. When he was standing on firm ground again, Stiles just dusted himself off, picked up his gun and the diamonds that could still be easily found. "Thanks!" was the only thing he said as he raced for the car. Derek had seen his eyes though. The coldness had returned. He hadn't seen them this hard since their reunion, but now the coldness was back. Derek hated to see it back. A part of his heart broke, seeing that look come back into his lover's eyes.
The car roared into life and took off like a wolf in pursuit through the California hills.
Traffic laws were ignored, twisted, and butchered, as the black sports car strained to close the gap. The sun was starting to set, and the fog was starting to creep into the city for the night.
The lead car made a last minute desperate turn onto Divisidero, and floored the gas up the series of steep hills. It was a bad move and allowed Stiles' more powerful sports car to soon overtake them.
"Can you get a shot?" Stiles asked. "Go for the tires."
Derek tried, but the uneven terrain was playing havoc with his aim. Half his shots were hitting the pavement, and he hated to think where the other half were going. Time and roadway were quickly running out. The car crested the final hill on Divisidero, where it drops suddenly down to Market and entered the Castro. Derek's heart stopped. He had forgotten that it was Halloween night. The barricades were already up and the throng of thousands had already started to gather in the streets. "Oh my fucking God. He's not going to stop! He's going to plow right into the crowd," Derek yelled.
"Grab the wheel!" Stiles yelled. Derek jumped across the car, and tried to keep the vehicle in some kind of control. Stiles jumped up on the driver's seat and took aim. Derek's mind was doing somersaults, "Jesus, Stiles, are you trying to get killed? Get your ass down here!" He desperately tried to get his foot across to the brake pedal. The car had to still be doing over 50 mph on the narrow, crowded city streets. He used one hand to steer the car and the other to try to keep a hold of Stiles. At the last second, Bryce hit his brakes throwing his car into a power spin. The crowd split in several directions. The car now raced back up the hill straight for Stiles and Derek. Shots thundered out from both vehicles, and the already frightened crowd panicked. Revelers ducked for any cover they could find. Derek was too busy trying to bring Stiles' car to a safe stop, that he never saw the windshield explode on the oncoming car. But, he heard the screech of the tires and the sickening crash as it turned sharply and smashed into a bank building set on the corner. Stiles was already out of the car and running. There was only one person left alive in the mangled wreckage. He pulled the limp body from the car, and carried it back to his. "It's going to be okay, Natasha. It's going to be okay. It's all over. Just hold on." He turned to Derek. "Derek, two blocks back up this road, there's a hospital. Go, Go!
"When we get to the hospital, you're in charge of getting 'Tash admitted," Stiles ordered.
"Where are you going to be?" Derek asked.
"I going to let Natasha's Grandmother know where she is and that she's going to be okay," Stiles explained. "I'll meet you at the house later. Besides, you know there's always too many questions at hospitals. Your badge should be able to do away with most of them."
Postscript
It had taken forever at the hospital, but by the time Derek had left, Natasha was in stable and satisfactory condition. The hospital wanted to hold her for a few days for observation, nonetheless. Derek was still present when Natasha's Grandmother arrived. She showered him with kisses, and was surprised not to see Stiles in attendance. Derek lied, saying that Stiles was answering some of the questions the police had. Inside, his heart sank. There would be lots of questions now, and Stiles wasn't the answering kind. He wondered what he would find when he got back to the house. Would Stiles be there, or would he already have pulled one of his disappearing acts? The strong sense of dread stayed with him, until the taxi pulled up to the gate. Without any hesitation, the gate swung open and Stiles bounded down the stairs. He had a million questions, and Derek tried to answer them all as thoroughly as possible.
When Stiles was done, though, Derek had a question of his own. "What's going to happen now, Stiles? There's a dead body down on Market Street. The police are probably already looking for the shooter..."
Stiles paused for a moment before answering the question. "I didn't shoot him, Derek. I don't kill people. Bryce caused everything that happened to himself."
"Stiles, I heard all the shots, I saw his body...What are you taking about?" Derek argued, wondering if Stiles was in some sort of shock, or denial.
"Three shots—the tire, the windshield, and the mechanism in the steering wheel for the driver's airbag. I guess you could technically say that I killed him, but I never shot him. Besides, the special rounds that I used fragmented on impact. It would be almost impossible to find a shard big enough to be of any use."
Derek's mind was trying to fathom the skill it would take to make the three miracle shots Stiles had described. It was impossible, wasn't it? And, furthermore, to make them from an unsupported standing position from a rapidly moving car. It boggled his mind. He started to argue the point, but one look into Stiles' eyes told him that he would lose that argument. He let Stiles push him gently into the house and close the door.
Their lovemaking had a frantic feel to it tonight. Afterwards they collapsed in a tangled heap on the bed, falling asleep in each other's arms. It was a tortured sleep though, and Derek soon re-awoke. He found himself being studied by Stiles, who tousled his hair and gave him a huge smile. "Aloha, my love."
Derek was still groggy, and the strange words coming from Stiles were not helping. "Aloha? What do you mean? What are you taking about Stiles?"
"It's a great word—Aloha. Did you know that it means 'I love you,' 'hello' and 'goodbye'? It's also a way of life and state of mind. All words should be so cool, don't you think?"
Derek let the soothing words and calming touch relax him back to sleep. In the morning he awoke again, this time to find Stiles nowhere to be found. He had expected it this time. But, expecting it did not make it any easier. But this time, he had Natasha and her Grandmother to share his pain. He felt sorry for 'Tasha, it would be really hard on her. But they would get through it together.
He was almost ecstatic when he found the short note attached to the Tiki God as he was getting dressed.
"I'm not big on good-byes as you should know by now. Find me, Derek. You did it once; I know that you can do it again. I have faith in you. Just remember the VERY LAST thing I told you last night. Tell Natasha and her Grandmother take care of our house until we can all be together again. All my Love, Always, Stiles."
Damn it, cryptic as usual! Derek tried to make sense of it. Remember the last thing I said to you last night. Then it all made sense. He laughed hard and pulled the door shut behind him. He had never been to Hawaii. If he played his cards right, maybe he could be out there by Christmas. Stiles had promises to keep, after all. He remembered his mother telling him once, long ago, how Hale meant "home" in Hawaiian ~ with a slightly different pronunciation that is. As he waited for the cab to the hotel and his waiting car, he hummed an old song he hadn't thought of in years.
"Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day, That's the island greeting that we send your way from the land where palm trees sway..."
Derek smiled and his heart soared.
-The End-
Well, that's it. Thank you guys for coming along on the ride with me. Sorry about the slight wait for the final chapter. I've played with the idea of continuing this story, or making a separate one of Stiles and Derek in Hawaii… What do you guys think? Please Review and let me know what you thought. There's a lot of me in this story, not to mention dear friends no longer with us. Just letting you know, that I may take any harsh criticism personally. ;-) Going back to the humor for the next one. Just wait, it's going to be EPIC! Love you all! J Thanks for reading.