Chapter 8/12 (+epilogue)

An insistent ringing startled Stiles out of his sleep and, as he took a few seconds to come out of his daze and realize where he was and that it was his own cell phone which was ringing. He grabbed it as he saw that Chris too had been woken and he spared a glance at the clock first.

It was already morning, thankfully early enough that his dad was not home yet, not with the longer shift that were still in effect as they didn't have enough replacements for all those who had died a few months ago. It would have been a bit difficult to explain to his father.

He looked at his text message and saw it was from Lydia, the young woman telling him they had to talk later that day, along if possible. Stiles spared a second to worry but he knew it would do him no good right now. He would have his answer later.

"Damn," Chris swore as he felt the aches in his muscles from the position he had been sleeping in. "You should have woken me up, Stiles."

He really should have. Chris couldn't help feeling embarrassed by the way he had completely lost it the night before. Poor Stiles should have had to witness that. Still, the shock of these new information coupled with his lack of sleep had made it impossible for him to control his emotion.

"You needed the sleep. Plus, good news, you apparently slept through the night," Stiles added, trying to add a bit of lightness to the situation, as he could see Chris was really uncomfortable.

Chris blinked as he realized that it was true. He had actually slept the whole night through, without being woken up by his own subconscious playing trick on him, for the first time in he couldn't remember how long.

"Guess so," he said, letting out a small huff of breath. "Still, sorry you had to see that."

Stiles shrugged, not wanting to embarrass the man any further by commenting on it but, really, he hadn't minded that much. At least, he had helped and that was all he really wanted. He got up and stretched.

"We should probably get down," Stiles admitted. "I'm not sure what time my dad's coming home but it would be better if he didn't catch you in here. Would be a bit problematic to explain."

Chris laughed out loud at that. Yes, the last thing he wanted to do was explain to the Sheriff why he was in his underage son's room that early in the morning, both in the same clothing they had been wearing the day before. That would be more than just a little awkward and would probably involve a pair of handcuffs and a shotgun.

"I should go," he said because really, yes, he should but Stiles seemed not to agree with that.

"Let me at least make you some breakfast," he pleaded. "Come on, I'm a good cook and it's better than eating alone."

Chris knew he should have insisted about leaving right now but, quite frankly, having breakfast with company was tempting and he knew Allison was supposed to stay the night at Lydia's, which was why he had chosen that particular evening to talk to Stiles.

He nodded his agreement and followed Stiles in the kitchen.

"You think I should tell Derek about…," Chris stopped himself midsentence, not knowing how to put it in word, but knowing Stiles would understand what he was talking about.

Stiles shrugged because, really, he didn't know whether or not it would be a good idea. Maybe, in the long run, it would be better if Derek knew so that, if he found out at a later date, he couldn't accuse them of withholding important information but, on the other hand, he didn't know how the alpha would take it and it was really not the time to present a divided front.

"I don't know," he admitted. "It's your choice, in the end. But you'll probably have to decide soon enough because Derek is going to talk to you soon, I'm sure. We can't wait very much longer before we have to be ready. And all of us have to be together when that happens."

He was talking as he was cooking, Chris helping setting the table, even if he had to look into all the closets to find the cutlery.

"You think Derek is going to be okay with me being a part of the pack. Because I doubt it. He doesn't trust me, not completely."

Stiles couldn't exactly contradict him but he knew that the alpha was making all the efforts he could to get over his mistrust of the hunter. It wasn't easy, Stiles could understand that, but he still had to get over it. He needed to, or the alphas pack was going to destroy them.

"He'll have to. But I know he'll do anything to save the pack, especially if he's right about the task we have been set."

That caught Chris' attention because he had absolutely no idea what Stiles was talking about, as he hadn't known they had gathered some new information on the subject. He stopped what he was doing to look at the young man, who didn't seem to notice his trouble.

"What task are you talking about?"

Stiles looked up from his pan and realized he hadn't had the time to tell him everything the night before. He had planned to tell him after explaining the part about him being part of the pack, but they had gotten sidetracked and not only a little.

"We think they have Boyd and Erica, they're holding them prisoner. Derek has gone to look for them, see if he can see where they are being held. We think we have to free them, but…"

He let his sentence unfinished, not sure how much more to explain. He had no idea if it was even the right task. It certainly seemed so, as it would make sense, but it appeared to be a bit too easy, unless there was something big being done to stop them. They probably would have trouble getting to them, which would be the reason they needed everyone in the pack to be there and ready to help.

"That… how long have you known that?" Chris asked, slightly hurt by not having been told about it immediately.

He knew he wasn't a part of the pack, not yet, but he had done everything he could to help them, both before and now, and he had thought they would keep him in the loop, especially Stiles and Allison but neither of them had mentioned anything about the two betas, who he had thought had left town.

Stiles saw it and winced because it was kind of his fault, but he quickly reassured him.

"Derek texted me about it yesterday, just a bit before you came actually. He has apparently dreamt about it but he didn't tell me any details. He just left to look for them. I'm not sure about a lot right now. I promise, I'm telling you the moment I know more."

Chris nodded, grateful and slightly sheepish about jumping to conclusion. He was going to apologize to Stiles, even though the kid must have been getting tired of hearing him doing so, when he was cut by said teen.

"Breakfast's ready!" he exclaimed and it was time to forget all that was going on just for a little while and just enjoy a nice breakfast.


After having seen Chris out, Stiles went straight to the Hale house. His father still hadn't gotten home, so he had left him a note to explain he was out with his friends and would be home not too late that night. If there was a problem, he promised he would either call or text.

Stiles needed to know if there was any word of Boyd and Erica, because Derek still hadn't gotten back to him about it and he was really beginning to worry. Of course, he knew that if the alpha was deep in the wood, he wouldn't have any phone coverage but, still, he would prefer if there was some new and he knew that Derek would probably head straight home.

Derek wasn't at the house when he arrived but he decided not to let that bother him. He couldn't stay still, though. It would be impossible for him not to do anything in who knew how many hours it would take for Derek to come back, especially considering the man didn't seem to want a television, something about it not being good for the unity of the pack. Yes, because the Hale family never had a television, right? As if he would believe that. However, when they gathered at the house, they usually didn't just want to watch a movie. If that was the case, they could go to any other house, or the cinema.

Well, he could at least make himself useful by doing some cleaning. His dad would probably be way less than happy if he realized that Stiles didn't have a problem cleaning his boyfriend's house without even being asked to, but that he had to practically beg the kid to get him to do so at home. Of course, that was because for the little time he was actually at home, he usually liked doing one of the fifty other thing he could do.

He put on some music on his iPod and got himself working, losing consciousness about the passing of the time. He didn't know how long it had been when he was jolted out of his reverie by a laughing cough. He stopped dancing around the living room and whirled around, coming face to face with his boyfriend.

"Dancing, Stiles?" Derek mocked, because seriously, it wasn't Stiles' best quality.

Stiles shrugged with a pout.

"I needed to do something to pass time. I didn't know when you would be home," he explained, coming to give him a kiss.

It was chaste, brief, and Stiles wondered whether he should be worried because it seemed that it was more and more that way. He knew he would have to talk to Derek about it one of these days but he still hadn't gotten the courage to do so because he was afraid of the consequences that would follow.

Derek wrinkled his nose slightly and Stiles was about to take offense because, seriously, he had actually showered before leaving his house, when the alpha commented.

"You smell like Argent," he said and Stiles understood.

"Yeah, we spent the night together," he explained and then his eyes widened and he blushed, realizing exactly how that sounded. "Not like that, I don't mean…"

Derek snorted, interrupting what would probably have become an impressive babble fest.

"I had gathered. What happened?"

The question and tone were short and showed that Derek thought something was really wrong. He wasn't exactly mistaking but it was hardly the kind of problem he would have thought about, thankfully.

"Nothing special, we talked. But, Derek, you really need to have a chat with him, about this whole pack thing, preferably before he ends up in hospital."

Derek frowned. That didn't sound good at all. He had gathered from Stiles' previous comments that the man was having some problem sleeping but he hadn't realized it had been that bad. Danny had hardly showed any sign of being under stress and, from what he had seen of Melissa since then, neither had she.

"Is it that bad?" he asked, worried despite himself and it only amplified the truth about the reasoning that he must be part of the pack.

Stiles nodded.

"Yeah, it really is," Stiles approved. "Look, all I ask is that you talk to him, at least. See if it's what we think. Just try… please, Derek…"

Stiles was looking at his boyfriend with pleading eyes and Derek caved immediately, attracting the boy to him in a loose embrace and nodding against his head.

"Okay, I'll go talk to him. But we have to free Erica and Boyd first. I think I know where they are."

Derek seemed ready to call the cavalry and go there as soon as possible and Stiles felt a jolt of fear course through him because that was simply the worst idea ever. If rescuing the two betas was really the task they had been set to accomplish by the alphas, they needed quite a lot more preparation that they had had. They couldn't just go there like that.

"Derek, I want to free them as much as you but we're not ready," Stiles pleaded with him and Derek appeared ready to tell him off for even thinking about waiting. "Think about it, think about what they told us we needed to do before being able to accomplish the task. We have to have all the pack dynamics figured out, which we still don't have, especially with both Melissa and Chris in limbo like this. We need to sort this out and then we have to elaborate a plan because I doubt they are going to let us take them without any kind of obstacles to pass."

Derek looked ready to kill but, thankfully, the glare didn't seem directed at him, which Stiles could only be grateful to, because it did scare him some. He had progressively gotten more and more depressed as Stiles talked because he knew the teen was right but it didn't mean he had to like it.

"What do we do?" he asked because when his act first think later attitude didn't work, it was Stiles he looked to for a real plan.

"Okay, Scott is spending the day with his mother, trying to get her to agree to join the pack on a more constant basis, so that's one thing taken care of for now. We can't do anything on that front that he can't. Now, Lydia has called me to ask me to talk. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's important so I'll stop by her place to see what she wants to tell me. You, you're doing to talk to Chris and see if you can solve the situation on this side. I'll come by tonight and see if we have any new information that can help. I'll also try to talk to Jackson, seeing he's probably with Lydia and ask him about the territory and see where Boyd and Erica are from there."

Derek nodded, as Stiles seemed to know exactly what they had to do for the moment, much to his relief. It did reassure him that someone was there for the pack, to know what they needed, even when he didn't seem to be able to decide himself. He just hoped it would continue to be so, even after Stiles discovered what he had kept to himself since their last meeting. He knew it was going to be hard for the kid, but he also knew he wouldn't be capable to keep it a secret for too long now.

"Okay, go to Lydia. See what she wants to tell you. I'm going to see Argent," Derek approved and he was gone before Stiles even had time to say goodbye.

He sighed and called Lydia, asking if it was okay with her if he stopped by at the moment. Since she agreed, he was on his way before the end of the call.


When Derek arrived in front of the Argent house, he took in the open window but decided against it as he didn't really want to get shot before he even got to say hello to Chris. Besides, contrary to what Stiles seemed to think, he actually knew how to use a front door and a doorbell. He just preferred not to bother usually, as it stopped people from pretending not to be there to answer. That, and he just liked to startle Stiles for his own amusement, which he would never actually admit out loud to the teen.

He rang the doorbell and waited to be let in. As soon as he did, he heard Argent's footsteps resonate in the house, coming closer and closer and he was, therefore, not surprised when the door opened only moments later. Apparently, the man had been waiting for someone to visit. Stiles had probably told him he would make sure Derek stopped by and the alpha nearly snorted out loud because what Stiles wanted, Stiles got apparently.

"Derek," Chris greeted, his voice guarded and a bit surprised and Derek took in his appearance.

He had been a bit skeptical when Stiles had told him it was really bad but he could see his boyfriend had not exaggerated the situation. As a werewolf, he had more sense at his disposition than Stiles or Allison and he could see that the man was really not in good shape. He almost felt a stab of guilt. Stiles had told him quite some time ago about his suspicions of Chris being part of the pack. If he had at least come to see what was going on instead of being so sure it wasn't the truth, he could have spared Chris some pain.

However, time was not for self-recrimination. He had more important things to deal with right now.

"Chris," he greeted in return. "We need to talk."

It was straight to the point and he saw Chris smile lightly as he stepped out of the way to let Derek in the house.

"Stiles told me you talked last night," Derek began only to be cut right off.

"Wait!" Chris interrupted and Derek raised an eyebrow at that, especially confused when it seemed that the man appeared nervous.

In all the time he had known the hunter, he had never seen him anything less than perfectly self-assured. Even after killing his father, he had been sad, yes, but there hadn't been any trace of doubt about his decision. Now, though, it seemed as if something that bothered him. He also couldn't understand why it would be Derek he told.

"Before we talk about that," he began, as if trying to carefully choose his words. "I think there is something you need to know."

Derek frowned as he didn't like the tone of Chris' voice at all. Something told him that what he was going to learn right now was not going to be pretty and he had an awful suspicion that Stiles had known Chris wanted to talk to him about more than just the pack. He couldn't be mad at Stiles to spring that on him, though, the teenager always kept his words and if he thought it would be best coming from Argent himself, he wouldn't try to explain it to Derek himself.

Derek sat down on the couch, looking intently at Chris as the man began talking.


Stiles parked his car into the Martin's driveway and rang the bell. He was not surprised to see Jackson open the door because since these two got back together, there was really not a lot of time they didn't spent together.

What surprised him was the way he talked to him, friendly, far more than usual, with none of the usual disdain he had always showed, even as it began more to be more affectionate than anything else. This time, though, he looked as if he knew the news Lydia was going to tell him would affect him.

"She wants to talk to you alone," Jackson said as he seemed to be getting out and Stiles was wondering why.

"O-kay," he said carefully, already knowing he wasn't going to like it. "You got the infos about the territory?"

Jackson nodded.

"I've got the map, with all building and territory having ties with the Hales," he said briefly.

Stiles nodded.

"You'll have to take it to Derek, so he can see where Boyd and Erica are held. That's the task, apparently," he added when he saw the questioning look.

Jackson frowned, not liking it at all, but he still left as Lydia had asked him to. Stiles jogged up the stairs to Lydia's room and knocked on the door, letting the young woman invite him in first. When he entered the room, he almost believed that a hurricane had blown over. There were books and papers everywhere. Well, at least he wasn't the only one.

"Stiles," Lydia said. "I've something to show you."

She seemed pretty self-assured but, then again, she always was, even when she was preparing to break some bad news.

"I'm ready," he said. "Considering Jackson was nice to me, I suppose it's going to be bad."

Lydia nodded and motioned for him to sit at the desk, on the chair. She stayed on her feet, looking at him speculatively for a moment.

"I found out what Melissa's place in the pack should be, considering she wouldn't be attracted to us if she didn't have a role to fill."

Stiles acquiesced. It did make sense.

"Okay, that's good. We will have to find what's Chris' place too," he added, thinking to himself.

Lydia spared a second to look surprised and interested but decided it would be better discussed at another time.

"She would be the caretaker," Lydia said. "The old word is Lupa. Basically, it means she's the one who takes care of us, a pack mother."

Stiles smiled at that thought, because that role would fit Melissa to a T. He still didn't know what exactly Lydia thought would be the bad news though, because up to know, it was all good.

"Normally, the caretaker is the alphas' mate, the only exception being if he doesn't have one," she finished and Stiles received the news as a slap.

Lydia stayed silent for a while, letting him digest the news. He was less surprised than he should have been all thing considered, he mused absentmindedly. He knew that there was something wrong with his relationship with Derek, as the man was becoming less and less affectionate. Well, no, that wasn't all that true. He was less affectionate in the way of a lover, but more in the way of a friend. Their embraces, their kisses, they were less passionate than at the beginning, but more tender.

Of course, that explained a lot about Derek's reaction to Melissa's being part of the pack. Derek had to have known what it meant. Stiles couldn't help the anger that took over him at that thought. He was less angry about the fact Derek and he weren't meant to be – because that, he could handle as it was, after all, rare to find the one person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with on the first time – than about the fact he had had to hear it from Lydia instead of his boyfriend.

"Stiles?" Lydia asked inquiringly, a slightly concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine," Stiles said, not all that truthfully but he knew he would be, once he had some time to get over the fact that his relationship was over. "I can't say I'm all that surprised about the fact I'm not Derek's mate but…"

"But it still hurts," Lydia finished for him. "I'm sorry, Stiles, but you will find someone who will appreciate who you are."

Stiles smiled at her, appreciating the sentiment and glad that they were good enough friends to have remarks like that said between them without being uncomfortable with each other. It was a far cry from where they used to be at the beginning of high school.

"Thank you. Well, I really hope Melissa will accept because we will need all the pack ready to act and soon."

He steered off the conversation about him and Derek because he didn't want to think about it right now. He will have to talk to Derek about it and he knew he would have to do it soon enough, but that would be between Derek and him. Now, on the other hand, he had to bring Lydia up to speed.

So he told her all about the situation with Boyd and Erica and, while she didn't feel very charitable to them after their abandonment of the pack when they needed them the most, it didn't mean she actually wanted them to be hurt or even killed. She would have to look about all the other roles and how they could be filled so that they would all knew what was expected of them.

When she told him that, he also told her about Deaton having implied to him he was probably good at magic, that he could at the very least use it, once he had some training. It seemed to brighten her moods, as it was apparently something she had read about.

They finished their talk quickly after that and he went back home for a little while. He knew he had promised to see Derek afterwards but he needed to have a moment to himself, to prepare for the unavoidable break-up. He just hoped they could salvage their friendship.