They didn't have time to mourn over Ellie's death, Talia ordering the Hunters to return them to the cabin where they were immediately tied up to the circle of boulders. Almost forty five minutes later a Hummer drove through dragging a flat bed trailer behind it, an iron steel cage welded on top. There, struggling inside, were the rest of the pack members, the iron bars buzzing with electricity.
"Scott!" Isaac exclaimed, a sense of relief washing over him despite what had just happened.
"Isaac, you're ok!" Scott beamed. "I knew it."
"Is everyone alright?" Derek called.
"We've been trapped in here for weeks! Where the hell have you been?" Jackson snapped irritably.
"Come on now, we took real good care of you," the Hunter who had been driving smirked.
"Funny," Erica snorted, Boyd snarling.
"Kiss my ass, Hunter," Jackson glared.
"Hush now, all of you," Talia shouted. "Today is finally the day we begin the weeding process."
"Wedding? Derek and Stiles are finally getting hitched?" Lydia gasped. "Stiles, this is a horrible way to break the news!"
"Yeah dude, it's called a card," Scott grinned.
Stiles' face immediately flushed, the urge to hide on the other side of the boulder rising. Talia's face was redder than Stiles' as she glared hatefully at Lydia. "My son is not getting married to a-to a human!"
"Lady you sound like King Triton," Isaac said.
"Have you seen those two? They're like-dammit what is it that phrase?-two peas in a pod," Peter chuckled.
"Mates there psycho," Erica spat.
"No, no! This is all wrong!" Talia shrieked as she grabbed her ears. She sharply turned to Derek, eyes flaring in fury. "You have done nothing for the Hale legacy. Not only have you created a pack of misfits, but you decided to mate with a human? A male of all things! No. I refuse to let my son lead as Alpha, not like this."
They all watched as she approached one of the Hunters, pulling the bow from around his head and the arrows from his back. "What are you doing?" Derek demanded.
"Helping you make the difficult decisions," she deadpanned. "Just like I did with that half-breed."
When she loaded the bow Derek's eyes widened. "What the fuck!"
"Dude!" Stiles struggled against the chains, staring wide eyed at the tip of an arrow.
"What the hell does she mean like she did to the half-breed?" Scott questioned.
"What the fuck did you do to Ellie?" Peter glared. "What did you do to her, Talia!?"
"He pushed her over the edge with a boulder tied to her fucking ankles," Isaac spat.
"She can't swim!" Peter exclaimed, the others gasping in horror.
"N-no," Lydia gasped, covering her mouth as the tears flooded.
"It's for your own good, Derek. Even if you claim to leave him, I know there is always a chance you will find each other again! I cannot risk that happening," Talia explained.
"Stop! Have you lost your mind?" Scott asked as he shook at the iron bars of the cage, wincing when the volts shot up his arms.
"He's human mom, stop! This is murder!" Derek screamed.
"He's a kid, Talia! A human kid!" Peter attempted.
But it was no use, Talia simply took aim. Stiles couldn't believe it, what the hell was happening? Was he really going to die? Shot in the face by his boyfriend's mom? Jesus he'd rather have had Emmett be the one to take him out. At least he wasn't tied to a fucking rock then. "Stop! You can't! He's my mate, you can't do this!" Derek pleaded, wildly struggling against the chains despite the drugs still thick in his system.
"That's exactly why I'm doing this! Humans don't belong anywhere in a pack," Talia said. "I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be."
"No! Stiles!" Derek sobbed.
Then, Talia released the string. The arrow shot through the air almost in slow motion, Stiles sharply closing his eyes. He'd rather not watch this happen. Derek and the others were screaming, roars tearing at their throats along with Lydia's sobs. He heard the impact, but oddly he felt no pain. Instant death.
Until he opened his eyes and found a pair of glowing blue ones staring down at him. "E-Ellie?" he whispered. "Good lord, I really am dead aren't I. Is this what heaven is like? Because if it is, the chains are seriously unnecessary."
Ellie merely giggled. "You're not dead, Stiles."
"I'm not-Jesus Ell! You're soaked!" Stiles squealed, eyes immediately locking on the arrow protruding from her chest. "And you've been hit!"
"Come on, I couldn't be late for the party," she smirked, wincing as she snapped the tip before pulling the rod from her back.
"You!" Talia snarled.
"Miss me already, Talia?" Ellie beamed as she turned around. "Shame, I should have tidied myself up after pulling myself from the river!"
Talia said nothing as she quickly reloaded her bow but Ellie was faster, knocking the bow away before tackling her to the ground where they immediately lashed out at each other. "Jackson, the keys!" Derek exclaimed.
Jackson sharply grabbed the closest Hunter by the back of the shirt before knocking him out against the cage. As he scrambled for the keys on his belt, another Hunter dove for them. Ellie saw him and sharply ducked beneath Talia before kicking the Hunter against the cage, waiting for the shock to knock him unconscious. Talia immediately lashed out at her, sending her stumbling away. "Hurry!" Lydia coaxed as she watched the other Hunters close in. "They're coming!"
"I should have killed you the first chance I had!" Talia roared as she slammed Ellie into the empty boulder.
Ellie scrambled on top just as Talia slashed a clawed hand at her, deep lacerations digging through the rock. "I haven't trusted you since the first day showed up; you'd never have had the chance to get me alone," she snapped before crashing down on top of her.
Boyd was finally able to open the cage door, all of them piling out and attacking the remaining Hunters who had begun firing at them. "How do you like the cow taser now huh?" Jackson snapped.
"Lydia, free the other three," Boyd said, tossing her the keys.
Lydia quickly rushed over to Stiles and unlocked his chains, followed by Isaac and Derek. Derek easily tossed a Hunter over the edge as soon as he was free, Isaac helping Scott knock out a second. The Hunters were easily disposed of over the edge within minutes, Erica courteously waving as they disappeared into the water. "Now it's time for Momma Bitch. I'm going to enjoy ripping her head off," Erica hissed.
Peter caught Ellie just as Talia kicked her into the dirt, Isaac and Erica slamming into her in retaliation. "Get off of me you mongrels!" Talia warned.
"Derek, they're going to rip her apart," Stiles called.
Derek ignored him as he approached the mass of werewolves circling around Talia, eyes glowing before he let out an earth shaking roar that sent them all scattering. "That's enough!" he ordered.
"They obey their alpha," Talia whispered proudly as she watched the pack back away, Stiles joining Isaac and Scott.
"And you," Derek said as he sharply turned to his mother, "are hereby banished from Beacon Hills."
Talia stared at him in horror. "W-what? No, this isn't the Hale legacy! This is not how this is supposed to be!"
"No, this is Derek's legacy you daft bimbo," Erica snapped.
"We might not be purebreds," Isaac said.
"But we're just as strong and as united as a purebred pack would be," Scott added. "That's why we're different. We don't base ourselves on our status, we base ourselves on how we work together."
"And together we kick ass," Erica cheered.
"This is a new time, mom," Derek said, "a time where humans and half breeds are just as strong as purebreds have ever been, if not stronger."
"Hell, nobody can seem to kill Ellie," Jackson pointed out. At Lydia's glare, he rolled his eyes. "What? I'm just proving a point."
"So you think you can just banish me? Your own mother!? I will not let my son stain the family name!" Talia hissed.
"Well I've already done that for the legacy so I'm pretty sure the Hale name has its issues already. Especially with a psycho like you added in the mix," Peter pointed out.
"Derek is making a new legacy, a better one," Stiles said, sliding his hand into Derek's. "And we're all going to stand by him."
"You're making a mistake," Talia attempted.
"Leave, mom," Derek ordered. "Leave and never step foot back in Beacon Hills."
"Are you insane? We should slit her throat now so the bitch can't come back!" Erica argued.
"For once I'm with Erica, Dare," Stiles whispered. "We can't trust she'll stay away."
"Go! This is your last chance. And if I ever catch even a whiff of you, I will hunt you down and end you myself," Derek said, eyes piercing red.
"Fine," Talia said as she stood to her feet. "Banishing your own mother."
"No," Derek glared, grip tightening around Stiles' hand, "my mother died the day that house burned to the ground."
That clamped Talia up, her eyes dropping before she bolted passed Isaac and Scott and disappeared into the trees. "Bye psycho bitch!" Jackson waved.
"Do you think she'll really stay away?" Lydia asked.
"For her sake I hope so," Scott sighed.
"Let's get back home," Derek said. "We have a lot of much needed rest ahead of us."
"And showers, so many showers," Lydia sighed, Jackson grinning as he hugged her from behind.
As they all filed passed, Derek gently grabbed Ellie's elbow and pulled her to stop. "I just-I just wanted to apologize. I should have believed you from the beginning, but, I mean, she was my mom Ell."
Ellie merely shrugged. "Yeah, well, you didn't," she muttered. "I'm going to go home now. Almost being drowned and shot with an arrow is tiring. Get Stiles back in one piece."
With that she pulled from his grasp and walked away. Derek immediately groaned, running a hand down his face. "She hates me."
"Can't really blame her. I mean she tried to warn you, tried to protect you like usual, and you shoved her through a wall for it," Stile shrugged. "She's hurt; she counted on you to stand with her, but you didn't in the end."
"Thanks," Derek glared.
Stiles subconsciously stepped out of punching distance. At Derek's raised brow, he scratched at the back of his head. "Sorry, still a force of habit," he chuckled nervously. When Derek frowned, he sighed. "She just needs some time, that's all."
"Come on, let's just go home," Derek said, retaking Stiles' hand.
Graduation was tomorrow. Ellie and Peter had ironed the packs gowns, fixed the tassels on the caps, and set up all their suits and dresses to wear underneath. They were all set and ready for their final moments of high school.
Except one little problem.
"She still refuses to talk to me," Derek groaned as he collapsed down at the island.
Stiles didn't glance up from where he was making sandwiches. "Still?"
"Don't act like you haven't noticed. She'll barely stay in the same room with me."
"I know," he said, finally looking up, "but I don't even know what to do. She won't talk to me about it. And trust me, I've tried, but she's always escaping with Peter getting ready for Graduation and the grad party."
Derek shook his head as he sighed. "I just-I don't what to do to fix this Stiles. I've never fucked up this big."
Stiles made his way around the counter before wrapping himself around Derek's back. "She'll come around, Dare. I know she will."
Derek nodded, taking and kissing the back of Stiles' hand before standing again. "I have to go on a perimeter run before lunch. Boyd and Erica are waiting out there for me," he said.
"Alright, be careful. I love you," Stiles said puckering his lips.
Derek rolled his eyes before kissing him. "You're a dork, you know that?" he chuckled.
"Born and raised dude. Now go on, be Mr. Alpha," Stiles smirked.
As soon as he was outside, Stiles let out a long groan, slamming his forehead against the island. "That time of the month again, Stiles?" Peter grinned.
"Shut up," Stiles growled.
"Come on, tell Uncle Peter what's happening in the land of Stiles," Peter said, swiping a sandwich from the table.
Stiles sighed before sliding into the chair Derek had just occupied. "Ellie's still not talking to Derek and it's really upsetting him."
"That can't be all."
"Well," Stiles hesitated, but at Peter's grin he caved. "When Derek's upset Stiles doesn't get happy time which makes Stiles upset too!"
"There's the underlying problem."
"I do want to help them but I don't know what to do."
"Pull an Ellie."
"What?"
"Trick them into talking it out. Kidnap them, put them in a cage, and force them to talk it out."
"You mean how she first got us together?"
"Bingo. Think like a Wild there Stiles, it could just save your life," Peter winked before heading back upstairs.
"Think like a Wild huh?" Stiles said, plans already unfolding in his head.
"Stiles!" Derek exclaimed, Ellie on his heels as they bolted through the front of the Sheriff's office.
"Excuse me, where are the Stilinski's?" Ellie questioned the woman at the front desk.
"In the back with the cells, hurry!" she exclaimed, frantically pointing down the hall.
The two werewolves darted down the hallway towards the back where they were greeted by darkness. "Stiles! Where are you?" Derek called.
"Please, say something!" Ellie begged as they filed further into the room.
"Now!" Suddenly they were shoved forward, the sound of a metal door slamming shut behind them. "Lock it, lock it!"
"What the hell?" Derek gaped, both of them shaking the locked jail cell door.
When the light flickered on they found Stiles, Isaac, and Scott standing in front of them. "Hi!" Stiles waved.
"What's going on?" Ellie demanded.
"I thought you and your dad were in trouble," Derek glared.
Stiles shuffled at the floor as he cleared his throat. "Well! You guys weren't speaking, and Graduation is tomorrow, so I was running out of options! So I-well-Peter suggested I pull an 'Ellie'. I talked to my dad about it and he let me borrow the cells so you two can talk it out. He didn't understand why we couldn't just lock you in a normal room, but telling him werewolves, windows, and drywall don't mix was too complicated."
"Besides, you get to share the company with the local drunk, George!" Isaac cheered.
Ellie and Derek both glanced over to find a shorter, pudgier man with a balding scalp waving at them. "He-hic-llo!"
"Hello George," Ellie waved in confusion.
"Stiles let us out," Derek demanded.
"Not until you two talk things out because what is happening now cannot keep going," Scott added.
"Not only is it cramping you two, but it's messing with all of us," Isaac said.
"So talk it out," Stiles warned. "We are going to wait out in the hallway."
Ellie let out an annoyed groan as she collapsed down onto the cell bed. "You have no idea what kind of smells are in here Stilinski!" she whined.
They waited in silence, George hiccupping and humming some awful tune through it all. "He's right, Ell. We have to talk about this," Derek attempted after almost ten minutes.
"No, we don't have to talk about anything. You can talk to George though if you'd like. He seems like the real talker," Ellie smiled.
"I really -hic- am," George smiled.
"Look, I know I should have trusted you, but I just never thought my mom would actually do what she did."
"You mean try to kill me? Yeah, shocker."
"Ooooh ouch," George said.
"Stay out of this," Derek glared, George raising his hands in defense. "I know I fucked up, but you have to know that I do trust you."
"Oh do you now?" Ellie snorted.
"Please Ell, just talk to me. I'm begging you," Derek whispered.
"What is there to talk about, Derek? You didn't listen, again, but even worse you took the side of a woman who hasn't been here for ten years. Ten years. I tried to show you what she was doing, tried to save you the trouble of having me thrown into a river and setting Stiles up as an archery target. Instead, I was thrown through a wall. Know what though? It's whatever because at this point I'm used to it," she shrugged.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Derek demanded. Ellie simply looked away as she shook her head. "Ellie!"
"You abandoned me again!" Ellie exclaimed as she shot to her feet.
"W-what?" Derek stepped back.
"I did what I could to help you when you lived with us in North Carolina. I saved your life, I was there to pull you back up when you just couldn't anymore, and I was always there to fill the hole the death of your family left. And what did I get out of it all? You left me a crappy, half-assed good bye note, and then you were gone for three years without a word!" Ellie exclaimed, her throat thickening with a sob. "I am always sacrificing myself for you. I came to Beacon Hills following Emmett but instead I chose to help you stop him and his psycho alpha pack. I betrayed my own mate to help you Derek! I gave your pack a safe place instead of a run down death trap, and I showed you what a fucking idiot you've been when it came to Stiles. I died while killing the love of my life to keep your mate alive, twice!"
"Don't," Derek winced.
"I'm always proving myself. Always. I've proven that I am apart of this family for the long run and that I can be trusted with anything. But instead when Stiles-your God damn mate-is attacked and stalked and your pack starts to go missing right after your supposedly 'dead for ten years' mother shows up, you choose to trust her instead of even considering that I was right!" Ellie added sharply. The tears were already beginning to flood down her cheeks. "I love you, you're my big brother remember? You're all that I have left of our family. But I can't-I just-I can't keep doing this."
All Derek could do was stare, a mix of pain and guilt warping his face as he watched her dry her cheeks. "But that's just how it's going to be right?" she said with a forced smile. She sharply pushed passed him before shaking the cell door. "Stiles, can you open the door now? I want to go home. I'd like to go h-home now please."
Derek sharply pulled her into his arms just as she began to sob. "I'm sorry, Ell," he whispered. "I've been so caught up with this Alpha thing that I haven't even considered what I've been doing to my pack. God, I'm so sorry." They stayed like that for a few minutes before Ellie managed to collect herself and pull away, Derek wiping away the smudges of her make up. "I've been a complete asshole, haven't I."
"Basically, but you can't help it. You've been a brooding asshole since you were six," Ellie sniffled.
"I promise, from now on, I'll listen. I've learned a lot through this, I can tell you that."
"That our family is full of serial killers? Yeah so have I," she chuckled. "I love you, Dare."
"I love you too Ell, I'm sorry I haven't shown it."
Suddenly they heard a sniffle from next to them, both turning to find George sloppily wiping at his face with his sleeves. "That-hic-that was beautiful."
"Stiles!" Derek exclaimed.
"Stiles, it's time to open the door now please!" Ellie called, shaking the handle.
"I'm-I'm coming," Stiles called.
When he walked in, keys in hand, he was rubbing at his eyes. "Oh God, not you too," Derek sighed.
"What did you expect? Ellie went and opened her damn mouth! You should see Scott and Isaac; they're sobbing in each other's arms and kissing like drunk people," Stiles glowered. "No offense to you George." George simply saved him off as he blew his nose into his sleeve.
"You're such a goober," Ellie grinned, ruffling his hair as she passed.
"Look at you. Come here," Derek sighed, drying Stiles eyes.
"Are you two alright now?" Stiles whispered.
Derek nodded. "We're perfect. Come on, we have Graduation preparations to finish, including werewolf proofing her house," he said, taking Stiles' hand and filing from the holding block. "You know they're all going to get shit faced."
"Bye George!" Ellie waved from the entrance.
"Good luck beautiful lady!" George waved.
