Magic's Call by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

Spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf

Chapter 10/25

A consequence of Stiles sleeping when his body demanded it, rather than being on a normal schedule, was that he no longer had any idea of what time it was when he woke up. The trip to the diner had gone reasonably well, with only one minor blip, and they'd gotten home around 3 am. With no cable or internet to help him stay awake, he was back out by 4 am. Right now he knew that it was daytime. Other than that? Nope. No clue.

He heard voices and he was pretty sure that was Mrs. McCall. Curious, he slid out of bed. This time he made it all the way to the bedroom door before Derek was on him like a hawk, swooping in for its prey. Ignoring Derek's scowl and the indignity of being carried, he spotted Scott's mom. "Hey, Mrs. McCall! How's it going?"

She smiled warmly, "Stiles! I wanted to stop in before work and say hi! I've heard you've been getting yourself into trouble."

"Well, you know me."

"Yes, I do. You and Scott gave me a lot of gray hairs with your antics."

"You're just as beautiful as ever, Mrs. McCall!"

She shook her head. "I'm glad to see you, honey. Scott seems convinced that you're going to keel over." She gave her stern 'mom' look. "You have your dad pretty worried, too. Badly enough that he swung by to ask me to come check on you."

She swung her stethoscope from around her shoulders. "Scott and Derek both mentioned that your heartbeat was erratic two days ago. Let me have a listen."

She warmed it up and slid it underneath his shirt. "Sounds good. Scott said you were dehydrated and that can cause arrhythmia." She wrapped her stethoscope back up. "Scott mentioned that you were pretty shaky.", Mrs. McCall waved at Derek, still standing there, "And I would guess that Derek agrees. Any dizzy spells? Fainting?"

"Nope. All good."

"Stiles." Derek's tone was flat and commanding.

"Ok. So I may have tripped a little this morning, but that's all it was."

"You didn't trip, Stiles. You were being stubborn." He turned to Scott's mom. "He insisted on walking without help once we got inside the diner, and he went down. He took out a waiter carrying a tray of food."

"Hmmm. He didn't hit his head, did he?"

"No. I caught him."

"Good. Ok, lets sit down."

Everybody got situated. "Look, I'd say to go to a doctor but I know this isn't a normal medical condition. Honestly, chronic fatigue syndrome is a decent cover." Mrs. McCall shook her head. "Your dad is suspicious. Some things don't match up and he's a smart man. He's also a parent, and he cares about you. Stiles, honey, I think it's time. I thought it was time years ago."

Stiles didn't respond and Scott's mom looked at him sadly. "I can be here for some big reveal, if you think it will help. Scott can, too." He remained silent. "I don't think it'll be as horrible as you fear. I think he'll handle this fine."

Mrs. McCall stood up and ruffled his hair. "I have to go to work now. Scott's coming by later. Stay out of trouble."

Stiles stayed quiet. Probably not a good sign, all things considered, so Derek decided to cheer him up. "I've got somebody coming today to set up cable and internet. They're supposed to come between four and six pm. "

"Thanks, Derek."

Derek squeezed Stiles' shoulder. "I went shopping while you slept. How about you teach me how to cook?"

Stiles got to boss Derek around. He decided on breakfast foods, even though it was two in the afternoon. It was breakfast time to him, so breakfast it was. Stiles showed him how to whisk eggs (and not cover half the kitchen with goo. Sometimes werewolf strength isn't a good thing), pointed out the right ratio of bubbles that indicated when to flip pancakes, and explained in great detail the perfection of bacon.

Derek got the place cleaned up just in time for the cable guy to arrive. The alpha had evidently anticipated Stiles' needs, because a wireless system was installed. The cable man was pretty good and made sure everything was hooked up and working before he left.

Stiles was already online by the time the installation guy pulled out of the driveway. "Sweet, sweet internet!" He petted his computer. Derek refused to let him sit at the desk with a growled, "You're lucky I'm not making you stay in bed!", so he was curled up in the easy chair.

He was catching up on his backlogged emails. Derek was reading a book, and raised his head. "Your dad is coming."

"Shit. I guess the universe is trying to tell me something. Or trying to get me to tell something. Someone. Whatever. But does it have to be right now? Can't it wait a week or three?"

When Derek opened the door for the sheriff, he noticed that he wasn't in uniform. He waved the man in. "Come on in, Sheriff Stilinski."

Stile's dad nodded at him. "Mr. Hale."

"Hey, dad. This your day off?"

"I left early. I was told that you collapsed at the trucker joint this morning."

"Geez. I tripped. Why is everybody making such a big deal about me tripping? I do it all the time!"

The sheriff sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He turned to Derek, "Mind if I sit down?"

"No, go ahead. Sorry. I should have offered."

"Holy crap, Derek! I go away for two years and you suddenly develop a sense of humor and manners? Either that or I've fallen into an alternate universe. I'm still not ruling out pod person!"

"Stiles." Derek gave his mate a mild glare.

Sheriff Stilinski silently appraised Derek, then turned back to Stiles. He sat without speaking, just taking in the sight of his son. A minute or so ticked by and Stiles started to fidget underneath his stare. "I know you're involved in something. I've known you've been into something big since you were sixteen. I just couldn't figure out what it was. I ruled out drugs. I considered gang activity for a lot of reasons, but that didn't quite fit either."

"Dad…"

"No. Let me speak. I'm pretty sure that I came close to losing you." He closed his eyes and cleared his throat. "Hell, son, judging by the look of you; I still might lose you. I don't know how sick you really are. You shut me out years ago and I let you. It was easier. Your mom would be so disappointed in me…"

"Dad, don't!"

"Stiles." His dad's voice was firm, "I can't make you tell me what's going on. You're an adult now and I can't control what you do. I never really could, to be honest. You've always been so independent and headstrong, just like your mother. But I need to know what's wrong with you. I failed in a lot of ways, and I know it, but I need to know how bad this is. I need to, Stiles, do you understand that?"

"Yeah. I get that, dad. I do." He looked at Derek, and his mate nodded at him. He took a deep breath. "Okay. Where to start?"