When Scott and Derek came back to the Hale house they had the scariest order of Taco Bell Stiles had ever witnessed and one cheese pizza. They made two trips into the restaurant and Scott put his wolf power to good use balancing drinks while Derek drove.
The whole trip took an hour mostly because Derek was driving like an old man. Erica and Isaac were in the drive way when they got back.
"Oh my gosh, thank goodness! I was starving." Erica rushed forward to help with a single bag that probably contained her food. Isaac helped them with the rest.
All productivity came to a halt as food was distributed and devoured.
Boyd was apparently a plain crunchy taco man. The others gave him an odd look as he pulled a box of fifteen to him but no one was dumb enough to make fun of him for the lack of fixings. It didn't help that the beta was sipping his root beer like he would cut anyone who spoke about it. Erica had about as many tacos but it was those fiery Doritos ones that made Stiles' tongue melt off, and the girl hadn't even ordered a drink. What was that about?
Scott had three seven layer burritos, two soft tacos, and a meximelt which was already half gone because he got hungry in the car. Isaac got two smothered steak burritos and a nachos bellgrande. If past encounters were anything to go on, Isaac would attempt to share it and act like it was a real hardship. Allison was usually a taker on that mostly because she just got a couple potato soft tacos and a sweet tea. Scott and Isaac toasted their Baja Blasts when Scott revealed he got them cinna-stix. Lydia had a gordita supreme and a diet coke, giving the extra soft taco to Jackson who had two taco salads of his own and a Sierra Mist. Apparently being alpha means you need two XXL steak burritos, a crunch wrap, a lemonade, and an small army of cheese roll-ups in order to feel full. While food was being distributed Danny showed up and Jackson handed him the pizza Stiles had been wondering about.
Derek handed a bag over to Stiles' dad. If there was a half-pound cheesy potato burrito in there Stiles swore on all that was good he would kill his father. He would kill him dead because that was nothing but bad for him and he probably got sour cream too. Confusion dawned on his father's face and he looked up at Derek. "I didn't order this." The sheriff pulled out a chicken cantina salad. Derek looked between the sheriff and the bowl, obviously unconcerned.
"And?"
His father did the best impression of a fish that he could, mouth opening and closing like his brain kept starting and stopping. "What do you mean 'and'?"
Derek just stared at him unimpressed. His dad looked to Scott. "I told you a burrito."
Don't-look-at-me crossed Scott's face. "And I told Derek a burrito."
Stiles' dad looked back to Derek, then at the salad and mumbled about conspiracies as he opened it.
It took about ten extra seconds for Stiles to catch up with the implications. If he read this exchange right—he didn't usually read situations right but if he DID just this once— then Derek just got his dad a salad he didn't ask for.
Which either meant Derek likes to just mess with his dad or Derek knew about his dad's need to diet. The latter meant that Derek had not just heard Stiles' rants but actually listened to what he was saying and remembered.
And on top of that Derek had extended packhood to his dad.
And was taking care of him while Stiles couldn't.
Stiles felt a sudden wave of gratitude and wholly regretted being unable to express it. It was one thing for Derek to feel guilty about Stiles disappearing and to start providing for the pack the way he should but to do this for Stiles' dad—who arrested him and whom he had been generally wary of?
For the first time Stiles felt a real, strong surge of affection for the alpha. Not just curiosity or empathy or man your life really sucks, but true fondness.
"You're doing this on purpose to get into my good graces, aren't you? That is cheating. You were a jerk. There was head slamming involved. And threatening. You did an awful lot of threatening."
But everyone laughed at a joke Isaac had told during Stiles' mini rant, and Derek laughed too and looked back at the sheriff, who gave a small smile. Derek masked his telltale worried-alpha face by taking another bite of his burrito.
When the food was mostly eaten Derek spoke up, "Find out anything good while we were gone?"
Lydia raised her hand. "I was right about the bacteria. Nothing I've ever seen in person. It looks like it could be a cousin of caulobacter crescentus. Basically it makes a really strong natural adhesive."
Derek raised an eyebrow. "How did you—?"
"That would be me," Danny interrupted. "I tutor chem in the lab after school. I… borrowed a microscope."
Derek nooded. "Alright, what does that tell us?"
The red head shrugged. "Nothing we didn't already know; fresh water, smells a bit moldy, the bacteria seems able to withdrawal the adhesive back into itself which means it can release whatever it's latched onto. I've never seen that before."
Jackson snorted. "But it makes a kind of sense. Doesn't do any good trying to eat something stuck to your back."
Derek ignored him. "Where we at lore-wise?"
Allison whipped out her laptop. "So there aren't many freshwater siren-esque creatures roaming the wilds. It's helped a lot."
Boyd counted off on his fingers. "Nixies, melusines, kelpies, rusalkas, morgens, selkies—"
Derek frowned. "Hey, selkies are good people… most of the time. Anyway, they aren't man eaters… not like that. Cross them off your list."
The faces the pack made were priceless, but all mirrored the struggle between asking and not wanting to know. If Stiles were tangible he would have been the brave soul to ask. You don't drop the "I have knowledge of selkies that is possibly juicy supernatural gossip" bomb and not share with the class.
Allison was the first to recover. "We're leaning closer to nixie, anyway. Basically a kind of river mermaid."
Isaac beamed. "Or rusalkas. They're similar just… more fishy and—" Suddenly every werewolf in the room tensed and they all fell silent.. After a tense and still moment Derek got up and went to the front door. When he opened it, Peter was on the other side looking put-upon and poised to knock.
"Good evening. Felt the call. I wish you'd all stop doing that. I may be half way to clinically insane but I am still pack and you all being together is itchy."
Scott frowned. "What are you talking about? That's the second time you've just creepily waltzed in and blamed us. Not cool."
Peter rolled his eyes and sauntered in, giving the sheriff a salute as he passed. "Pack bond. It's a kind of… sixth sense. You've all got. Not as strong in the newly bitten ones and the discourse between you all has not helped. I'm sure you'll grow into it. " The older werewolf rolled his neck. "It's a little too kumbaya for my tastes and all very beside the point. I heard something on the way up the drive about nixies?"
"Something is in the river and luring people to their death so it can eat them. Derek nearly drowned. We're looking up possible suspects." Stiles' dad looked like he really wanted to say more but was doing his best to just be quiet. Probably something to do with the fact he recently learned Peter had been resurrected from the dead not all that long ago and had been the perpetrator of a string of vicious killings. Lydia had a similar look and it occurred to Stiles she probably wasn't over the whole bringing him back from the dead thing.
Peter shrugged. "Nixies are clever. Too clever to be so stupid as to tango with an alpha. You want one with a little less reasoning."
"An animal?" Scott asked.
Peter glared at him. "If you want to sound ignorant then yes."
The two glared at each other, but Boyd grinned. "Well, I'm still putting my money on a nixie. No matter what Freaky Fred over there says. Might have been over reaching."
Erica raised her hand. "I'm gonna make a guess it's a Kelpie. Lore says they generally go after children. They're original form is a horse and they tend to be more beast like then the other shifters."
Boyd stuck out his hand. "I'll take that wager."
Isaac perked up. "I'm putting in my vote for rusalkas. It's getting close to Rusalkas Week which, according to legend is when they're most active. The usual terms?"
"Agreed." The three of them shook on it when it became apparent no one else wanted to bet on it and Derek rolled his eyes.
"Alright, until we get some kind of confirmation on what this thing is, we'll need to figure out where else it's been fishing." Derek looked to the sheriff. "Anyone stand out?"
"Three." Stiles' dad moved some of the food stuff out of the way to spread the map out again. He tapped a red x that had been drawn on it. "First was a five year old two months ago. One minute at the park near the river, the next she was gone. No suspects. No clues, just gone." He moved up river some and tapped again. "Second is an eight year old on a camping trip further upstream, believed to be abducted by her father. Her mom got a restraining order against him and he's been accused of stalking her. No one has been able to find him or the girl. That was a little more than a month ago. The last was three weeks ago—siblings ages seven and ten, walking home from school which could take them close to the river. That's why I included it."
Derek looked at the x's on the map and sighed. "Probably all of them. If it is, the thing is getting bolder."
Allison's face paled. "Hungrier."
While it was probably inappropriate due to the horrific implications everything they just deduced, Stiles was beaming with pride at this point. Usually this was his job; making the connection from point A to point B and sometimes jumping all the way to point W without much to go on but a gut instinct. That the pack was finally putting all their heads together and bouncing ideas off each other, despite that it took losing him to accomplish it, put him a little at ease.
Peter smirked, crossing his arms. "And its last two hunts were flops. Now it's wounded. It's only going to get more desperate."
Allison nodded. "It'll attack again. And soon."
Peter gave her a little bow. "The little huntress knows best."
Allison's death glare would take down any sane man. Scott snorted. "Allison can shoot your balls off from a football field away. You don't want to mess with her." But then he looked to Allison. "Speaking of hunters though, maybe we should ask your dad about it. He does have a bunch of guns and a general dislike for supernatural creatures."
Peter rolled his eyes this time. "Putting it mildly."
Derek snarled, "I will mildly put you down if you don't stop being an ass." The alpha really needed to work on his comebacks.
Peter held up his hands. "Whoa, sorry I'm not overly fond of the family that produced the woman who would ultimately burn our family alive. All water under the bridge… that was also burned. But their aid would be… helpful. And would you all stop glaring at me? I haven't even threatened any of you recently."
Everyone pointedly stopped looking at Peter and looked to Derek. "I hate to say it but it is probably a good idea to let them know what's going on. Shows good faith. And besides, this way they can't say we didn't tell them, right?" The alpha looked to Danny. "How caught up are you on all of this?"
The older teen looked surprise. "I—uh, Jackson told me about how he was a lizard thing and now he's a werewolf like the lot of you. But a couple of the things you've said are just… Whoosh." He swiped his hand over his head.
"Well, if you want to be a part of this, we'll get you up to speed. Sheriff any questions so far?"
The sheriff shook his head. "I'm sure the shock of it all will settle in later but I've kept up."
"Alright, I think this is as good as it's going to get for one night. I don't want anyone going near the river alone. Steer clear of it unless absolutely necessary. I think we'll skip training for the night. Now, anyone got homework they haven't done?"
Most of them shook their head but Erica and Scott looked distinctly guilty. Derek looked between them. "Well, if you ask nicely I'm sure that your packmates would help." There was a thinly veiled implication that this was a command, but it was phrased in a way that gave them the option to bow out and Stiles wondered when Derek became less pushy.
"Do you have a TV?" Isaac asked, obviously trying to appear innocent.
"No. I haven't found one I like and I am still working on this room. When I start furnishing the place for real I'll get a TV."
Erica face brightened. "You need to let me help you decorate."
There was a collective groaned from the pack, except for Isaac. "Hey, I'm going to be living here! If anyone should get a say, it's me."
"We will cross that bridge when we get to it. Maybe if you actually do your work and pass your classes." The alpha looked to the rest of them. "Anyone have to or want to go home that hitched a ride here?" The teenagers all just kind of looked at each other. "Everyone wants to stay? Okay then, but make sure the two slackers get their work done."
The sheriff stood and stretched. "Well if the summit is over I'm going to head out. I've got an early shift in the morning." Derek extended his hand to the sheriff who looked at it and smiled. They shook and the sheriff waved to the teens. "I'm gonna go try and find an excuse to warn people away from the river. Don't make battle plans without telling me. I don't care if you have super healing and super strength and super… everything."
The alpha straightened. "You'll be the first to know, sir."
The "sir" caught his dad a little off guard and the incredulous look he gave Derek was priceless. "Good… Good. Be safe." Though he shot Peter a look that Stiles knew well. It clearly illustrated that he could go straight to hell without having to actually vocalize it. Sometimes Stiles and his dad were scary similar.
When the sheriff was gone Peter perked up. "I see where the human pup gets his bite. I almost felt threatened. No one supply him silver bullet."
Derek sighed. "Are you sticking around too?"
"Depends. Is there beer in the fridge?" Derek's immediate 'no' was ignored because Derek was a bad liar. His Uncle went to the kitchen and returned with two. "So predictable."
Scott made a face. "But you can't get drunk."
"So?" Peter handed the spare beer to Derek.
With that the pack broke apart a bit. Lydia, Allison, and Scott discussed his World History report on the aftermath of World War II, while Peter made snide and unhelpful commentary. Danny was kind enough to help Erica with her much needed Chemistry extra credit. Jackson grabbed his laptop and opened Netflix, while Isaac and Boyd moved a couch over to the other side of the room. Derek retrieved a stool from the kitchen.
Jackson rested his laptop on the stool after he clicked play on The Walking Dead. "Alright, Isaac, this tragedy is about to be corrected."
Isaac pouted. "Derek hasn't seen it either."
Jackson looked personally offended. "Sit. Come into the 2010s. Live in the now for a bit."
The alpha huffed but sat on the floor by Isaac's feet. Jackson, being the 'go big or go home' guy that he was, had a huge laptop screen.
Stiles ventured over and sat next to Derek on the floor as he looked around the room at them and just felt a wave of home sickness. It was weird, because he was home and looking at them all, but he just suddenly missed them. He missed talking with them and arguing with them and plotting the downfall of mythical creatures with them. It should have been him on that couch with Scott, hashing out why the Berlin Blockade was bullshit and how the Berlin Airlift was one of the most badass things of all time. Or he could be doing what he was doing now, watching the Walking Dead with the guys but also making stupid commentary about people's reactions to a zombie apocalypse and trading zombie plans.
And his dad…. He would have argued to the death about that burrito with his dad. The sheriff might have stayed and watched the show with them.
Sadder still was knowing that if he was there, none of this would have happened. They would still be at odds, and it was a tiny bit selfish to almost miss the fighting because the peace meant he wasn't there anymore.
While he watched them hang out, he saw signs they felt it too. Sometimes he would catch sadness creeping into Scott's eyes, and worry in Allison's. There were moments were Erica would get unnecessarily frustrated with Chem stuff and Danny would put a hand on her shoulder. Isaac was completely absorbed in the Walking Dead like tearing his eyes away would kill him but Boyd would keep glancing over to Erica like he expected her to explode at any moment. Their grief was still there.
Derek's leg was bouncing and Stiles reached out to stop it, much in the same way he did for himself. He stopped inches from Derek's knee because he realized how weird and awkward that would be. Then he remember it would do no good.
But the bouncing. That wasn't a thing he remembered Derek doing. Derek was steady and didn't jitter like Stiles without his meds.
Stiles afterlife seemed to be filled with a mixture of unending frustration at not being able to communicate, sheer helplessness when faced with the inevitable dread that was the rest of his existence, and growing concern for Derek's state of mental health. At least being concerned for Derek took his mind off of the other two things because those sounded very 'oh woe is me'. Stiles always hated self-pity. It was unproductive.
Stiles wasn't one to give up. There was a reason he was here and with the pack, literally, in spirit.
With all the focus he could muster he concentrated on pretending to be solid, reached out and put his hand on Derek's knee.
The bouncing didn't stop but after a few seconds it was less violent. Stiles was elated because whether or not that was because of him it was progress.
