When I get a call from Scott asking me if I want to come help him help Derek, I am all for it. When I find out that helping Derek is driving his car, I am freaking excited! When driving his car means getting chased by Kate Argent, Allison's crazy aunt. I am not all for it! But I am just glad that Scott is trying to help Derek out. After all he does kinda owe the guy. And in the end, who doesn't like a good high speed car chase. Then all of sudden, we aren't being chased. And the radio that I brought with just in case, that can get on the same signal as the one the cops use, we hear that they have Derek trapped in the Iron works. So Scott guns it and we make our way there. The ride is tense, and even I don't feel like talking. Once we get there, I open the door and crawl in the back so Derek can get in. I am not sure what is going on exactly, but it seems that Derek almost got caught.
"What part of laying low don't you understand?"
"Damn it! I had him!" Derek slams his hand on the dashboard. And I poke my head forward.
"Who the Alpha?"
"Yes. He was right in front of me, and the freaking police showed up."
"Oh, hey, they're just doing their jobs…" Derek just glares at me until I fall back into the backseat. But I don't fall back from the 'anger' of the glare, I fall back because his attention is on me and it is giving my butterflies, and if I don't my face will be red in about three seconds.
"Yeah, thanks to someone who decided to make me the most wanted fugitive in the entire state."
"Can we seriously get past that? I made a dumbass mistake. I get it."
"Yeah, you did Scott." But then my head is back up, "How did you find him?" He looks over at us, but then doesn't say anything.
"Can you try to trust us for at least half a second?"
"Both of us." I don't say it with attitude, and I am being pretty sincere here. And that doesn't happen very often. He turns to glare at me again, and for a second I think I read something other than annoyance in his gaze, but I just sit back again, knowing that he will tell us. I don't know how I know, but I do.
"Look, the last time I talked to my sister, she was close to figuring something out. She found two things. The first was a guy named Harris." I don't say anything but I am surprised that our Chemistry teacher is being brought in to this.
"Our Chemistry teacher, why him?"
"I don't know yet."
"What was the second thing?"
"Some kind of symbol." He pulls out a piece of paper with a drawing on it. I recognize it almost immediately, all the research I have done about the Argents, and even just seeing Allison around the school. She has a pendant that looks like that. A family heirloom or something. Again I don't say anything I let Scott. But I am trying to put all the puzzle pieces together. There are still missing pieces so I am not getting a good enough picture, but I think I have the gist of it. Well maybe. I don't know. I mean there are so many possibilities but some of it doesn't match up. I guess we need that necklace. That is what they are talking about now. I stay out of the conversation, and I can see Derek look back at me a few times, but he doesn't say anything and neither do I. I don't know where this leaves us, but at least we can be in the same space together without fighting. And he did forgive me so there's that. It's a start.
…
At school the next day, I give Scott a pep talk to get the necklace back. I hit him a few times but I don't think he notices. I think I am finally getting over the whole blaming Derek thing, and full moon stuff. I just want stuff to go back to normal. And that can only happen after the Alpha is dealt with.
Later in the day Scott tracks me down to talk about Jackson, saying that he knows what Scott is. "How the hell did he find out?"
"I have no idea."
"Did he say it out loud? The word?"
"What word?"
I lower my voice, "Werewolf. Did he say, 'I know you're a werewolf'?"
"No, but he implied it pretty freaking clearly."
"Okay, maybe it's not as bad as it seems. I mean, he doesn't have any proof, right? And if he wanted to tell someone, who's going to believe him anyway?"
"How about Allison's father?"
"Okay, it's bad. Does he know about Allison's father?"
"I don't know."
"Okay, where's Derek?" My brain always goes back to him.
"Hiding like we told him to. Why?"
"I have another idea. It's gonna take a little time and finesse, though."
"We have that game tonight. It's quarter finals. And it's your first game."
"I know, I know. Look do you have a plan for Allison yet?"
"She's in my next class."
"Get the necklace." I am not 100% on what this plan will entail, but Derek is pretty good about scaring people, so I was thinking something along those lines. But we would need to convince him to do it first. And I am not sure that we will. But maybe if I can compile enough information, I can scare him away from wanting the bite. I know I am pretty scared off it. Maybe. Kinda. Okay, not really. I mean how cool would it be to have all that?
…
"Did you get her to give you the necklace?" I put my tray down and take my seat next to Scott.
"Not exactly. She told me not to talk to her. At all."
"So she's not giving you…"
"She's not giving me the necklace."
"Well, did you find anything else out?"
"Just that I know nothing about girls, and that they're totally psychotic."
"Okay, I came up with a plan B just in case anything like this happened.
"What's plan B?"
"Just steal the stupid thing."
"Couldn't we just try getting to Harris?"
"No, my dad put him on a 24-hour protective detail. The necklace is all we got. Just steal it."
Scott looks up and says that Jackson's looking at them. And then Jackson is talking to him. And he starts to freak out. All I can do is eat, I try to calm him down, but it doesn't work. Then he snaps his tray in half. Like that didn't get any attention.
I rush home as usual. I want to start putting stuff together for my plan, and I do have a bunch of homework to do before the game tonight. Also I want to try and see if we can find out who sent that text to Allison and where from. I have an idea how to get help with that, but I am not so sure he will be willing to help me. As soon as I get in my room I go over to my computer and start at it. Then my dad yells up the stairs. "Hey, Stiles!"
"Yo-" I turn to face my door, and see Derek standing there behind it. My heart jumps into my throat but I think it has to do more with fact that he is wearing that leather jacket and just looking so, so… "Derek." He gestures for the door, and I am reminded that my dad might just step into my room. So I run to the door and pull it part way closed with me half hanging out of it. It looks totally suspicious. It will be a miracle if my dad doesn't want to know what I am doing. But he is usually pretty good about letting me have my privacy.
"What did you say?"
"What? I said 'Yo, Dad.'" And I give a small chuckle. Please believe me. Please believe me.
"Listen, I've got something I've got to take care of, but I'm gonna be there tonight. I mean, your first game."
My first game? All I can think of right now is how I have Derek Hale in my bedroom and what I might or might not like to be doing with that, "My first game. Gosh, great. Awesome. Uh, good." Nope not suspicious. Maybe he will read it off as nerves. I am pretty freaking nervous right now.
"I'm very happy for you. And I'm really proud of you."
I don't know if it's the recent events or the fact that my dad actually says this to me, but I start to get a bit emotional. Emotions that aren't what I think I am feeling well up inside me. I pull him in for a hug. A Stilinski man hug. That is what I am going to call them from now on. "Thanks dad."
I pull back. "So they're really gonna let you play, right?"
"Yup, I am first line after all."
"Like I said, I'm very proud." He pulls me in for one more hug, and then walks away. "See you there." I am not really thinking about it when I walk back in the door, but when I am pushed up against the door and his hands have me by my jacket not letting me move but my brain goes, 'oh yeah! Derek!' He has his growly face on. Of course he has the growly face on.
"If you say one word…"
"Oh, what, you mean, like, 'Hey dad, Derek Hale's in my room. Bring your gun?'" His finger is in my face but my eyes don't leave his. For a few seconds I can see something underneath the anger that he is showing. This is the first time I see the mask; I just can't tell what lies beneath it. Being this close I start to notice things about him, like how his jaw is tight when he isn't speaking, almost like he is holding himself back from saying something, his nostrils are flared, but not in an angry way, it's almost like he is trying to not breathe to deep. The crease in his brow is lighter than the normal 'angry' way, and then there is the way he smells. He smells like the woods, and leather, with a hint of smoke. Not cigarette smoke, smoke like hickory used in a fire, or smokehouse. There is also an undercurrent of the scentless deodorant that always has a vague smell. And will all of this I know that I have to get away from him soon, because that smell is stirring parts of me that not even the smell of Lydia's favorite perfume can. I also can't let him know that I am feeling a certain way about him, and I hope he can't smell it, that would just be too embarrassing. I don't think he would hit me, but you never know. "If I am harboring your fugitive ass, it's my house, my rules, buddy." I tap his chest, and feel the muscle underneath. Not helping…
He backs away, stepping out of my personal space. All I really want to do is pull him back and push my mouth against his, but that is so not going to happen. He straightens my jacket, and I have to just walk away and sit down. The problem in my pants, isn't, going down that is. So I have to do my best to hide it.
"Scott didn't get the necklace?" Okay right down to business. This I can handle.
"No. He's still working on it. But there's something else we can try. The night we were trapped at the school, Scott sent a text to Allison asking her to meet him there."
"So."
"So it wasn't Scott. You had broken his phone the previous night and he still hadn't gotten a new one."
"Well, can you find out who sent it?"
"No, not me. But I think I know somebody who can. I turn back to my computer. I don't have Danny's number so I message him on the school's social media page and ask him to come over to work on Chemistry labs. He says yes. We are lab partners after all. While we wait, I start on my other homework, and Derek grabs a book of one of my bookshelves, and starts reading. I am not sure what he picked up, but most of my books are mysteries, or scifi-fantasy novels. I wonder why…
Siting there doing my homework with Derek in the room is one of the strangest things that I have done. And that is saying something. But it isn't strange as in weird, it's strange because I feels so comfortable. We can be in the same room without having to talk. It feels so normal. It kind of freaks me out. There is so much I still want to say to him, to ask him. But I don't want to ruin the 'moment' or whatever this is. I keep my back to him for the most part, but I do turn to look at him every once in a while. I caught him looking at me a few times, and each time, that mask of anger wasn't there. There was even almost a smile on his face I swear at one point. But I might have been seeing things. Then a thought occurs to me. Derek has been on the run. Has he even had a chance to shower? I mean he didn't smell dirty…
"Hey, if you wanted to, um, take a shower or something, the bathroom's all yours." He looks up at me with a questioning look, one eyebrow raised.
"What?"
"Well I was just thinking that you might want to take a shower. You have been in hiding, and I am not sure where you are staying. I didn't mean that you smell, cause you so don't. I just don't know what your showering situation is and we will have to wait about an hour for Danny to get here." My voice starts to crack and then at the end gets quieter. He is still giving me a weird look, like he is trying to look under my skin. Maybe he is trying to see through my mask. Cause I totally have one too. For a long time now. Good luck buddy. He finally nods. "Towels are under the sink in the bathroom, second door on the right." He puts a book mark in his place and gets up and leaves the room. When I hear the water go on five minutes later, I am not thinking about Derek naked with rivulets of water streaming down his back. I'm not. Honestly. Okay fine, I totally am. But I am not going to use those images later. I'm not. Don't judge me. He comes back out about twenty minutes later, in the same clothes and the towel draped over his shoulders. I point to the hamper by my desk and when he walks past me I get a waft of him again. He has that same basic woodsy smell, but now it is layered with the scent of my mint body wash. And I can't say that I am complaining that Derek kind of smells like me. When he goes back to sit down and picks up the book again, I glance in his direction and can't help but notice the calm, almost happy look on his face. And I feel pretty good knowing that I help put it there.
When Danny gets there I tell him what I want him to do. "You want me to do what?"
"Trace a text."
"I came here to do lab work. That's what lab partners do." I knew this was going to be hard."
"And we will, once you trace the text."
"And what makes you think I know how?"
"I…" Busted. "I looked up your arrest report, so…"
"I… I was thirteen. They dropped the charges."
"Whatever."
"No we're doing lab work."
"Oh, my…" I flail my hand a little. I am hoping that after we get some work done he will be more willing. But for now, he pulls up a stool, and I get ready to start doing lab work,
"Who's he again?"
On the spot, why am I always put on the spot? I suppose I should have thought of this. "Um, my cousin… Miguel." I can almost hear the nonexistent growl.
"Is that blood on his shirt?"
I look back at Derek. How did I not notice the blood on his shirt, but I can notice the way he smells. What the hell is wrong with my brain? "Yeah, yes. Well, he gets these horrible nosebleeds. Hey Miguel." I am so gonna get punched for this. He looks up at me, knowing he isn't going to like what comes out of my mouth. But he can't really do anything about it. "I thought I told you, you could borrow one of my shirts." As he walks over to change his shirt I can't help but watch. There is still some water there from his shower, and as the water slides down his back, I am thrust back into my fantasy I was thinking about earlier. I have to get myself out of this line of thought. Derek is messing with all my normal faculties. I have to turn myself away from him back to my computer. I cannot just fantasize about Derek while he is in my room, can I? "So anyway. I mean, we both know you have the skills to trace that text, so we should probably…"
"Stiles," I slowly turn around towards Derek.
"Yes." Oh my… his chest. I can't even…
"This…" he holds a shirt and yanks it out a bit. "No fit."
"Then try something else on." I have to pull my eyes away again, but when I do, I see Danny staring at him. And this sudden urge to smack Danny, and get him the hell out of there is in the pit of my stomach. I swear I see green, then red. I am so mad, but I know that I have no right to feel like this. Why the HELL do I feel like this. So I take advantage of the situation, not only to make Danny help us, but to also see Derek try on clothes. I am so sick… so sick…
Derek puts on a shirt, that I don't even know why I own it. I would never wear it. And it honestly looks horrible on him except the fact that it is so tight you can see his muscles bulge under it. "Hey, that one looks pretty good, huh? What do you think Danny?" He just looks at me like he has no idea what I am talking about. "The shirt."
"It's… it's not really his color." Derek starts to take off the shirt, and I can't look at him anymore.
Guilt time. I am good with guilt. Sometimes I feel like I thrive on the stuff. "You swing for a different team, but you still play ball, don't you, Danny Boy?"
"You're a horrible person."
"I know. It keeps me awake at night." And that is the truth, it actually does some nights. "Anyway about that text."
"Stiles! None of these fit." He holds up a shirt, without anything on. I have to turn back, and thank goodness Danny finally caves.
"I'll need the ISP, the phone number, and the exact time of the text." I almost turn around as Danny starts going to find the right site he needs to trace it. Then he looks at me, not at Derek who is behind me no doubt still looking for a shirt. "You know, you aren't fooling me."
"What?"
He just shakes his head and goes back to the computer. What did he mean by that?"
Derek finally finds a shirt, I think I wear it as a night shirt, but it fits, and it isn't too tight. I wonder if I will ever get that shirt back… "There." It only took Danny about ten minutes to do his magic computer thing. "This text was sent from a computer. This one."
"Registered to that account name?" I am starting to get really nervous here.
"No, no, no, no. That can't be right." The account name is Melissa McCall. It's from her computer at the hospital. I feel bad, but I rush Danny out promising that tomorrow we can get together and do our lab work. He also says that we will be talking about other things. We never do. And I am a horrible person for it.
After he is out of the house Derek and I hop in my Jeep and we drive to the hospital. Neither one of us is saying anything. We are both too nervous I think. Then after we park, I get a message, and a call from Scott. The message is a picture of the necklace. "Did you get the picture?"
"Yeah, I did, and it looks just like the drawing." Derek grabs my hand to talk into the phone, I grab my hand back and put Scott on speaker, and send a look at Derek that says 'really'. He looks back, without a glare, which is kind of disconcerting.
"Hey, is there something on the back of it? There's gotta be something. An inscription, an opening, something."
"No, no, the thing's flat. And no it doesn't open. There's nothing in it, on it, around it, nothing. And where are you? You're supposed to be here. You're first line. Man, you're not gonna play if you're not here to start."
"I know. Look if you just see my dad, can you tell him… Tell him I'll be there, I'll just be a little bit late, okay?" I can feel Derek's gaze upon me, but I can't bring myself to look at him. I know I am not going to make that game. And it is kind of killing me. "All right, thanks."
"You're not gonna make it." There is almost a current of sympathy in his voice.
"I know." I try not to sound too upset about it. But I am.
"And you didn't tell him about his mom, either."
"Not till we find out the truth."
"By the way, one more thing."
"Yeah." He slaps the back of my head. It hurts, because he puts a little more strength behind it. You know werewolf strength. And then points a finger in my direction.
"Oh, God! What the Hell was…"
"You know what that was for. Go. GO."
I get out of the car, and run up to the building. I made sure to get his number, so I can call him inside, but also so that I can contact him. It's not like I can send a bat signal in the air and he will just show up. Actually, that might work. He is the dark and brooding type. I get inside and I try to find Mrs. McCall. But I can't find her. The hospital seems kind of deserted over all. I don't have a good feeling. So I call Derek. "Yeah, I said I can't find her."
"Look ask for Jennifer. She's been looking after my uncle." So I head for his uncle's room, only to find it deserted. Then a piece of the puzzle falls into place. "He's not here either." I start to back away from the room. "He's gone Derek."
"Stiles, get out of there right now! It's him! He's the Alpha! Get out!" I hang up and keep backing away and I am about ready to turn, when his uncle comes from around the corner. But he is walking. He is up and moving.
"You must be Stiles." How does he know my name? I mean it is creepy enough that he has been faking his coma the whole time that Derek has been back, and then there is the fact that he killed Laura, his own niece. But then he knows who I am. I have only had one or two encounters with the Alpha, and I am pretty sure we were too busy running from him to get to know me.
I turn to run, but then his nurse is there. Another puzzle piece, "What are you doing here? Visiting hours are over." She sent the text from Mrs. McCall's computer. She has been helping Peter this whole time. That is all kinds of sick. "Oh, my God, I'm gonna die." Thankfully that is when Derek shows up and elbows the bitch nurse in the face.
"That's not nice. She's my nurse."
"She's a psychotic bitch helping you kill people. Get out of the way." He barely looks at me, but I am about to be in between two wolves fighting it out. I can only hope that Derek will be okay. I slump down and try to crawl out of the way. I want to just hide, but I can't help but watch.
"You think I killed Laura on purpose? One of my own family?" I am not watching Peter. I should be, but my eyes are too busy on Derek. Then when his eyes go blue, it causes those damn butterflies in my stomach. Why is that kind of a turn on, and why am I thinking like that now. So not the time Stiles, so not the time.
Derek pounces and with the direction of the attack, it gives me time to get out of the way. But Peter is obviously stronger. He starts throwing Derek around like he's nothing. And with all that muscle, Derek is definitely not nothing. I get out of sight. As much as I want to help, and do something, I know that I would only be a liability to Derek, and probably get myself killed. So I hide and I listen.
"My mind, my personality, were literally burned out of me. I was being driven by pure instinct."
"You want forgiveness?" Derek is up again by the sounds of it, and is on the attack again.
"I want understanding." But it doesn't sound like he is getting anywhere. "Do you have any idea what it was like for me during those years? Slowly healing, cell by cell. Even more slowly coming back into consciousness." I move so I can see where Derek is lying. He spit out some blood from his mouth. I am really worried. But what can I do? "Yeas, becoming an Alpha, taking that from Laura pushed me over a plateau in the healing process. I can't help that." Derek tries to attack again, but Peter evades all his attacks. He is bleeding from his mouth and nose. And now it sounds like Peter is breaking his wrist. "I tried to tell you what was happening. Tried to warn you." Peter throws Derek through the glass of the nurse's station and Derek start to crawl away. Peter follows. And I follow both of them. I can't just leave Derek alone.
They go into one of the lab rooms, and I put myself in a position so I can see them. Peter heals his burned flesh, and makes some stupid snarky remark. "Derek, you have to give me a chance to explain. After all, we're family." I don't hear any more except Derek cry out in pain but Peter is leaning over him and blocking the view. I don't hear any more words though. Then I hear them both get up and wordlessly they leave together. I follow as best I can, but when they are out the door they are running. I get to my Jeep and I peel after them, but there is no way I am going to catch up. From the direction they are running I assume that they are going to the school. They are heading for Scott. I don't know what Derek's playing at. Fighting the Alpha one minute and following him willingly the next. He better have one damn good explanation for all this.
