Authors Note: Wow! Over 10,000 hits! Thank you all for your wonderful comments and your show of support!

Heh, on an unrelated note, I just figured out this week that my aunt reads gay fanfiction on this website. Like, detailed gay fanfiction. Like, literally some of the same awesome fics that I've read. And in my excitement I was just going to ask her what some of her favorite parts were in our mutually favorite stories, but then I caught myself at the last moment. I knew she would have asked me the same, and I really didn't want to go into explicit detail about how I love reading about Derek pounding Stiles' ass so hard that he can't walk the next day. There are just some things that I don't talk about with family members, but she totally knew what I was thinking anyways. We just sort of mutually gave each other the 'I know what you read at night' look and then awkwardly started a different conversation. Ha, what is my life? *Dies of embarrassment*

XOXOXOXO

The next week and a half pretty much played out the same way, minus his sister coming over and embarrassing the ever living piss out of him. He helped Stiles get around the house, he helped him eat, he helped him with simple things, such as tying the string on his sweatpants. Derek knew he was maybe going a little overboard with all the help he was giving Stiles. Stiles was his mate. It was Derek's natural instinct to provide Stiles with whatever he needed. However, he knew that Stiles would need to start doing things by himself sooner rather than later.

That's how he found himself kneeling in front of Stiles, who was sitting quietly on the couch and shooting Derek a peculiar look. The alpha just sent him a small smile as he lifted Stiles' left leg up did a few therapeutic stretches with it to try and get the blood flowing and warm the muscles up. He worked the leg for a good five minutes or so before giving Stiles' right leg the same treatment.

"All right, Stiles," Derek said as he stood up. "We're gonna try and get you walking again. Your legs will probably be sore after a few minutes, but a few minutes is all we need to start getting you back on your feet." Derek gave a little snort before adding, "Pun intended."

Stiles didn't look impressed.

Derek just blinked and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He knew his jokes weren't the talk of the town, but sheesh. Tough crowd.

"Right, ok," Derek mumbled. He grabbed Stiles' smaller hands in his own and carefully pulled him up so he was standing. His legs were a little bit shaky, but Derek counted it as a good sign that he was standing on his own.

"Do you feel any pain?" Derek asked, becoming slightly distracted by the soft, sweet smell of Stiles' hair inches away from his nose. He resisted the urge to lean forward and bury his face in it.

"No," Stiles answered in a quiet voice, squeezing Derek's hands a little tighter.

That was something that had somewhat improved over the past week. Instead of the wordless answers that Stiles had given him at first, he started answering with his voice. Yes, they were mostly one-word answers, but that was definitely progress.

"Ok, great," Derek replied. He took a big step backwards, still holding Stiles' hands in his own. "All right, Stiles. Can you take a small step forward?"

Stiles didn't answer. He just looked down at the ground with a look of concentration and slowly shuffled one foot forward.

Derek smiled. "Yeah, just like that! Now try the other leg."

Stiles did as instructed, his movements slow but sure. Derek felt pride swelling in his chest. Just a week ago Stiles' leg had been completely broken. To see Stiles walking, well, more like hobbling on it, brought an odd feeling of relief to Derek.

They continued their little practice for a few more minutes, walking back and forth on the nice wood floors. Then Derek decided he should probably let Stiles try and walk on his own without holding Derek's hands. So he let go and back up a few steps.

A small flicker of fear shone in Stiles eyes as he looked at Derek in panic.

"Hey, you're all right Stiles. I'm right here. I won't let you fall," Derek soothed.

Stiles just looked at him with wide eyes before his jaw slightly clenched. He blinked a few times before his amber eyes filled with a look of pure concentration. Derek's inner wolf wagged it's tail at the show of determination.

To help balance himself, Stiles held his hands out at his sides. He then took a slow step forward, lifting his foot impressively off the floor. He flexed his toes before doing the same with the other foot. Derek's heartstrings tugged at the small smile that flickered across Stiles' lips.

All went well for a few more steps, Stiles gradually making his way towards Derek's outstretched, awaiting arms. Even though he was moving along nicely, Stiles' right leg gave out, not used to so much exercise. Before he could hit the floor, Derek was up in his space, wrapping one arm around the slim waist and another underneath Stiles' armpits.

A whoosh of breath left Stiles' mouth as Derek caught him, blowing across the alphas cheek. He kneeled down on the floor, Stiles still gathered in his arms. He leaned back a little to look into Stiles' eyes with a worried expression, gently cupping a cheek with his hand.

"Are you ok? You're not hurt, are you?" Derek asked in a voice that oozed concern.

Stiles blinked large eyes at him, but replied in a shaky voice with. "No... No, I'm fine."

"Thank god," Derek whispered, rubbing small circles on Stiles' back. He also took the opportunity to drain Stiles' pain. There really wasn't much pain, exactly, but there was the beginnings of a deep soreness that he was drawing out.

He carefully deposited Stiles onto the couch and sat down next to him, holding one of his hands. "I think that's enough exercise for one day. You did so good, though, Stiles. We can do a little more tomorrow." Ok, Derek knew he was totally being a mama bear, but he just didn't want to see his little cub get hurt after doing so well.

Stiles nodded his head in understanding. He looked up from his lap and gave Derek a little smile. "Thanks."

"How about we eat some ice cream and watch tv, huh? You deserve a reward for doing so well."

Stiles looked up at Derek through his thick lashes and batted them playfully, giving Derek's hand a gentle squeeze.

Derek held back a groan. He knew where this was going. Stiles wanted a piece of the chocolate cake that was sitting in the cake pan on Derek's counter. Usually Derek had a lot of self control, but a few days ago when Stiles had spotted Derek eating a slice of it, the omega had given him a look. Derek wasn't even sure how to describe what that look had looked like. All he knew was that it did certain things to certain body parts of his.

He knew Deaton had specifically told him not to feed Stiles any solid food, but he couldn't help it. That look just did things to him. Him and his wolf. Needless to say, he had caved quickly. And the look on Stiles face when he had eaten it was completely worth it. God, the omega had Derek wrapped around his little finger.

Derek sighed, but smiled affectionately. "You want some cake and milk?"

Stiles full on grinned at him in response, which caused Derek to chuckle.

"All right," Derek replied. He started to get up, but Stiles held onto his hand. He looked at the omega and rose an eyebrow. "Oh, did you want to eat at the counter?"

Stiles vigorously nodded his head yes. Derek scooped him up in his arms and brought him over to the counter, setting him on a tan, wooden barstool with a white cushion on it. He then proceeded to grab two plates and cups from the cupboard, as well as two forks and a knife from the drawer. He opened the cake pan and cut two generous slices, dishing them out and setting them on the plates. He slid one over to Stiles' awaiting hands before grabbing the milk from inside the fridge and pouring them each a glass. After putting the milk and cake away, he made his way around the counter and plopped down right next to his mate.

Stiles had already dug into the cake, chewing rapidly while making small noises of pure happiness. Derek held back a laugh as he saw chocolate frosting and a few sprinkles sticking to Stiles' lips. He grabbed a paper towel and reached over to Stiles, wiping the sweet food from his lips. He just glanced at Derek from the side of his eye before continuing to shovel another forkful in his mouth.

"Don't eat it too quickly, Stiles," Derek interjected, taking a small swig of milk. "I don't want you to choke."

Derek could see Stiles think about his words for a few seconds before he started to chew a little slower. He then copied Derek and took a small drink of milk. Satisfied, Derek turned back to his cake and ate it quickly with a wolfish appetite.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock on his door. Stiles sent him a quizzical look, but Derek smelt the sudden spike of fear starting to cloud the air.

"Shh, it's ok," Derek said to the omega, rubbing a soothing hand down his bony back. He allowed his wolf to let out a calming rumble. It took effect immediately, Stiles' body going lax under Derek's hand, the acrid smell of fear retreating quickly. Derek smiled to himself, taking a chance and running his fingers through Stiles' soft hair. "Eat your cake, sweetheart," he encouraged, walking towards the door.

He didn't usually get many visitors, so he couldn't really picture who was standing on the other side of his door. He doubted it was his neighbor, Danny. Though they were always friendly enough with each other, they were hardly more than acquaintances.

Derek gripped the doorknob, his guard up, and pulled it open, only to reveal his parents standing on the other side of the door. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Darling!" his mother exclaimed, moving forward and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Mom?" Derek asked, more out of shock than anything. He glanced back and forth between both his parents' smiling faces. "What are you guys doing here?"

His father chuckled deeply. "Derek, we own this building. It would be a bit odd if we didn't drop by every once in a while to check on things."

Derek sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know that. I mean what are you doing here? At my door."

His mom and dad snuck a peek at each other before looking back at him with almost nervous looking smiles on their faces.

"We... well, we heard from your sister that... that you found your mate?" Talia replied, her response sounding more like a question.

Derek clenched his jaw in anger. Of course Laura would open her big mouth. He was obviously planning on telling his parents at some point, but he wanted to do so on his own terms. He wanted Stiles to be more comfortable in his own skin first before he overwhelmed him with more people.

"I'm going to kill her," Derek rumbled, letting out a small growl.

"Derek," Talia said. "Sweetheart. Why didn't you tell us? I know we can be overbearing sometimes, but you're our little boy! We want to know when big things like this happen in your life."

Derek just sighed at his mothers coddling and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "Mom, I'm twenty-six years old, for god sakes. I will tell you things on my own time, when I'm ready to tell you."

"We were just curious," his father, Marcus, chimed in. "And we wanted to meet the little fellow. You know, welcome him to the family."

Derek sighed once more, this time sharply. "How much did Laura tell you guys exactly? What do you know about him?"

"We know that he's a boy, he's human, his name is Stiles, and he's 'super cute,' to quote Laura," Talia said, ticking each point off on her fingers.

Derek leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest, giving them a sarcastic smile. "Did she also happen to mention that I found him chained up in the basement of the Argent estate, that he's severely malnourished, he hardly talks at all, and that he's pretty much afraid of everything?"

He felt a bit bad about his outburst after it happened. His mothers skin was a few shades paler, and it looked like nausea was swimming in her brown eyes. His dad just looked downright startled, his hands fluttering uselessly at his sides, not quite sure what to do.

"Ok, I guess that was a bit of an over exaggeration," Derek bit out. "He's not afraid of everything. I managed to gain a bit of his trust over the past week. That's an improvement."

"Oh, Derek," Talia whispered, putting a hand over her heart and clutching at the dark-green material of her dress. "That's... That's horrible."

Derek nodded his head, the anger slowly melting from his body until he just felt tired.

"Is it..." Marcus started to say, but stopped for a second to gather his thoughts. He took a breath before continuing. "Is it as bad as it was with Isaac?"

Derek shook his head no. "Thankfully, no. He actually seems to be warming up to me." Derek scratched at the back of his head. "I, uh, I know that you want to meet him. I get that. But... I got lucky that he liked Laura. I just want to make him more comfortable before I introduce him to a lot of others, ok?"

Talia gave him a sad smile, but nodded her head in understanding.

"We understand," Marcus spoke up. "The last thing we want is an Isaac Fiasco 2.0."

Derek gave his parents a small smile. "Thanks for understanding. I swear I'll call you guys the second he's more comfortable." He then sent them a semi-guilty look. "And I'm sorry for being an asshole earlier."

"Derek!" Talia exclaimed. "Watch your language."

Marcus groaned and wrapped an arm around his wifes waist. "Talia, dear, he's twenty-six years old. He can swear if he wants-"

"I don't care if he's fifty, for goodness sake!" Talia interrupted, wagging a finger in her husbands face. "It's not polite to swear in front of your parents."

"Mom, I've heard you swear in front of grandma plenty of times," Derek commented, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"I don't recall such a thing," Talia denied, giving Derek an innocent look.

Derek was about to reply, but a small tug on the back of his shirt captured his attention. It startled him slightly but he composed himself before he flinched. Turning around, he saw Stiles standing behind him, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Stiles?" Derek asked gently. The omega was wobbling a little from his shaky legs, a tell-tale sign that he was going to fall in a few moments. Derek reacted quickly, scooping him up bridal style before he could tumble to the floor.

Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's neck and fisted his fingers in the alphas shirt. He then sent a small, curious look over Derek's shoulder, towards his parents.

To be completely honest, he had forgotten about them the second he had laid his eyes back on Stiles. If it wasn't for the look Stiles had sent them, Derek probably would have closed the door without another thought. But it just so happened that his wolf didn't enjoy Stiles' attention being on anyone else. Especially not his parents. His wolf was selfish like that. So he had no choice but to turn around and face them like a polite, mature adult.

He hesitated before he turned around, though. He wanted to know if Stiles actually wanted to meet them or save it for another day. He couldn't smell any fear, but he wanted to give Stiles the choice anyways.

"Stiles, those are my parents," Derek murmured low into Stiles ear. "They came by because they wanted to meet you. Do you want to meet them? I can send them away if you want. I promise that they're nice people. They're good guys."

Stiles blinked a few times before he put his mouth next to Derek's ear. The air from Stiles' nose was ticklish against his skin.

"Good guys like you?" Stiles whispered.

For a moment Derek's breath caught in his throat, emotions threatening to tighten it.

He vaguely heard a whimper come from behind him, but it didn't really register in his mind. All he could think of was the fact that Stiles categorized him as 'one of the good guys.'

He felt the familiar sting behind his eyes that signaled to him that tears were going to flow any second. He quickly bit his lip with one of his fangs, the sharp pain keeping the tears at bay.

He thought he was being a bit ridiculous. He only ever cried when he was really sad, and nothing said in the last few minutes was even close to sad. However, it was the fact that Stiles saw him as somebody good, saw him as someone who wouldn't ever hurt him, that really squeezed at his heart. No, they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of happiness.

Derek could honestly say that that small detail meant more to him than anything else ever could.

Derek swallowed thickly and composed himself. "Yeah," he responded, voice rough with emotion. "Like me."

"Ok," Stiles responded, prompting Derek to turn around.

The look on his parents' face showed that they had heard their little exchange. Which, of course they had. They were werewolves, after all. But they also had a look of pride and adoration that was aimed at Derek. It made the alpha feel like even though he had jumped into the whole mating thing blind as a bat, he was doing a pretty damn good job.

"Stiles," Derek said. "These are my parents; Talia and Marcus. Mom, dad, this is my mate, Stiles."

Talia flashed him a warm, motherly smile, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "It's so nice to meet you, sweetie."

"Yes, it's very nice meeting you, Stiles," Marcus chimed in, an unusual, calm smile on his lips.

"My goodness," Talia spoke up again, giving a small laugh. "You're very gorgeous. And your eyes are so beautiful."

Stiles replied by blushing profusely and burying his face in Derek shoulder.

Derek chuckled and softly nuzzled his head.

"I think you've overwhelmed him, dear," Marcus murmured.

Talia slapped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened.

"I think we'll be going, son," Marcus said, lacing his fingers with Talia's.

Derek gave them both a smile. "Ok. See you guys later."

"Goodbye, Stiles!" Talia blurted, waving her free hand wildly at the omega.

Stiles briefly untucked his face from Derek's shoulder and gave her an unsure smile.

Derek closed the door, sighing in relief.

"I'm sorry, Stiles. I didn't know they were going to visit me today," Derek apologized, looking at the omegas tired face. "Did you finish your cake?"

Stiles nodded.

Derek chucked. "I suppose your not hungry for any dinner then?"

Stiles gave him an innocent look, making Derek laugh out loud.

"Ok, so you are hungry." Derek walked them back to the kitchen and set Stiles back on his chair from earlier, the only evidence of him sitting there being an empty plate with some chocolate cake crumbs. "Let's see what we can feed you."

The next hour was full of Derek moving around the kitchen with multiple kinds of food. Stiles had expressed his desire for eating some grits, and Derek was happy to comply. To make them taste not so plain, Derek shook a generous amount of cinnamon flavoring in them. Stiles' eyes lit up when Derek had suggested it, so he complied quickly. While they were cooking in the pot, Derek grabbed his blender out from the cupboard and some fruit from the fridge. He then proceeded to make a blueberry-banana smoothie for both him and Stiles. He added a bendy straw into each cup and slid one over to Stiles.

The omega happily sucked on it, not letting up until it was halfway gone. When his grits were done, he ate most them, making little, happy noises as he chewed beside Derek. Derek just shoveled his own food in his mouth so he wouldn't embarrass himself by groaning at the noises, or something as equally mortifying. It was definitely the fastest he had ever eaten leftover Chinese.

The cleanup afterwards was quick and easy. All there was to do was shove the dishes in the dishwasher and wipe off the counter. After that, the two of them settled down on the couch to watch a little bit of tv before bed. The only cartoon that was playing was 'My Little Pony.' Though Derek wasn't the biggest fan of the show, he watched it anyways because of Stiles. Though, to be honest, Stiles was giving it some suspicious looks, like he couldn't quite understand why a bunch of horses were talking to each other. Then again, a talking sponge wasn't exactly considered normal either.

About an hour later, Derek found himself watching Stiles from the corner of his eye. He could tell his mate was getting really tired by the way his head was bobbing up and down, but there was something he needed to tell him before he slipped off into dreamland.

"Stiles," he spoke up. The omega cast him a drowsy look. "I just want you to know that a friend of mine is going to be coming over next week. His name is Deaton. Remember, the guy I told you about who helped me when I found you?"

Stiles nodded, looking a bit more awake.

"Well, he's gonna come over for a little bit next week," Derek continued. "He's going to check up on you to make sure you're healing right and getting better. I think you're doing really good, though."

Stiles gave him a side-eye, his fingers twitching in his lap. He was silent for a few heartbeats before he mumbled, "What's he gonna do?"

"I'm not quite sure," Derek confessed, scooting over an inch so their legs brushed each other. "He's definitely going to check your leg that was broken. He might have you walk around a little bit, but with more practice over the next few days I think you'll have that down no problem."

Stiles nodded slowly and nibbled on his bottom lip, the air becoming smoky with anxiety.

"Hey," Derek said gently, his hand creeping over to rest on top of Stiles'. "It'll be fine. I promise you that he's not going to hurt you. He just wants to check you over to make sure you're doing ok. You're body went through quite the change, you know."

"Ok," Stiles answered, the smell of stress slowly dissipating from the air.

Derek didn't know if Stiles truely believed him, or if his wolf was just influencing Stiles' emotion changes. Either way, he wanted to make Stiles know that Derek was true to his word.

"Hey," Derek said softly, giving Stiles' hand a little squeeze. "I mean that, Stiles. He may be a family friend, but if he does anything that makes you uncomfortable, I won't hesitate to tell him to leave."

They held eye contact for a while, trust sparkling in the amber pools. Stiles flickered his tongue out to wet his bottom lip, shifting Derek's gaze down to Stiles' plush, red lips. They parted slightly under his gaze, causing Derek to hold back a small moan that wanted to break free. He wanted nothing more than to shift forward a few inches and lick inside of that little mouth. He knew Stiles' mouth would taste sweet, with an under bite of innocence. All he had to do was lean forward a little and press his lips to Stiles' and-

Derek was shocked out of his thoughts as the cat jumped up onto the couch and promptly sat on Stiles lap. He hissed at Derek and gave him the evil eye, like he just knew where Derek's thoughts were heading.

Derek looked away and faked a cough to try and hide his embarrassment. He was pretty sure that the red blush blooming on his cheeks and the back of his neck gave him away, though. He really hoped Stiles hadn't noticed him gazing at his lips. He didn't want to make him think that Derek only wanted him for mating purposes. He was quite certain that that would break Stiles' trust. Now, if Derek dreamed about kissing Stiles' pretty lips, well, Stiles didn't need to about know that.

Derek shifted his gaze back to the omega and cat. The look on Stiles face was a cross between amusement and confusion, like he didn't comprehend how the cat didn't like Derek. After a moment, Stiles just gave a little shrug and started to stroke the cats fur. The cat curled up in a ball in Stiles' lap and sent Derek a smug look.

The bastard.

"Does it have a name?" Stiles murmured, eyes transfixed on the cat.

"No, he doesn't." Derek had had the damn cat for almost a whole year, and he just called it 'cat.' Well, on a good day. On the days when he was really being a thorn in Derek's side, he was called an entire collage of unsavory names. "You can name him if you want!"

Stiles looked at Derek and cocked his head. "Like what?"

"Anything you want to. He's just a cat."

Stiles frowned at the alpha. "Not just a cat. You're not just a dog, are you?"

A burst of startled laughter escaped from Derek's mouth. Something about Stiles' question was just funny to him.

Derek scratched at the scruff on his jaw. "I suppose you have a point. But either way, you can name him whatever you want to. Just think about it. It can be something as simple as your favorite color, or something as complex as the name of a president."

Stiles thought for a moment, his gaze fixed on the cat. Then, all of a sudden, a wide grin stretched across his face as he exclaimed, "Cinnamon!"

Derek threw his head back and laughed. Of course. His favorite flavor. Derek really should have seen that one coming.

The clock hanging on the wall chimed, telling them it was eight o'clock. To some people it may have seemed to early to go to bed, but Stiles had been falling asleep around that time every night.

"Are you tired? Do you wanna go to sleep?"

As if just realizing his own sleepiness, Stiles let out a huge yawn and sagged against the couch, nodding his head yes.

"All right. Move, cat," Derek said, making a shooing motion with his hands. It hissed at him before jumping off of Stiles' lap and running down the hallway.

Derek rolled his eyes and muttered, "Drama queen." He easily lifted Stiles' into his arms and carried him to the bedroom. He helped Stiles get some pajamas on and then let him brush his teeth and use the bathroom. By the time the omegas head hit the pillow, he was already asleep.

Derek just smiled as he reached over and turned off the bedside lamp. He thought the whole day was a big success. Stiles started walking again, he hadn't freaked out when he met Derek's parents, and best of all, Derek had miraculously gotten him to say more than two words at a time. Hell, he had said an entire sentence! In fact, more than a sentence!

Derek kept those positive thoughts in mind as he drifted off to sleep.

XOXOXOXO

Derek knew he was sleeping, but he could tell something was wrong. Something in the air just felt... off. He wasn't even dreaming, but his wolf was getting really restless. Something was making his wolf restless.

As the fog of sleep slowly started to clear, his wolf got more urgent, causing him to sit up in alarm. His wolf was never wrong about things like that, so he forced himself to be immediately alert. That's when he realized his wolf was panicking because of Stiles.

As his head snapped towards his mate, the moonlight in the room allowed him to see Stiles shaking. His fingers clutched at the blankets and his head thrashed from side to side every few seconds. He was whispering something under his breath, little fragmented pieces of a sentence that Derek couldn't quite make out even with his wolf hearing.

Derek quickly turned on the lamp and scooted over to Stiles, giving his shoulder a light shake.

He was about to call Stiles' name, but Stiles interrupted him before he could. It was just one word that his mate whispered. One word that Stiles spoke, but it made his wolf whine is distress.

"Daddy."

Derek's hand just hovered above Stiles' shoulder, a little to stunned to do anything. This was the first time Stiles made any real mention of one of his family members, even if he was not aware of it.

"Dad," Stiles whispered again, his face crumbling. "Where are you?"

Derek shook himself out of his stupor and gave Stiles' shoulder another shake, this time a bit harder.

"Stiles," Derek called gently, not letting up his shaking until Stiles was startled awake. Derek held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, it's all right. You were having a bad dream."

Stiles' chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes looked around the room wildly before they landed on Derek, his heart slowing down a few beats.

"Are you ok?" Derek asked, mindlessly running his fingers through Stiles hair.

Stiles swallowed thickly before nodding, letting out a long breath as his head fell back down to the pillow. "Yeah. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for having a nightmare, Stiles. You can't control that," Derek replied. "Do you think you can get back to sleep?"

Stiles just nodded in reply and turned onto his side so he was facing away from the alpha. Derek just sent his back a small smile and turned off the lamp. He scooted close to Stiles before making himself comfortable. He tried not to think too much about Stiles' nightmare because that just made him want to question Stiles about his father.

Was he alive? Did he live in California? Did he care that Stiles was missing? Did he miss Stiles?

As hard as Derek tried to clear his mind of the thoughts, he couldn't help but fall into a fitful sleep.