Ten

We pulled up in the middle of the forest, I turned to look at Derek wearily, what was we doing here? "Is there where you kill me and hide my body?" I asked joking.

"No." I couldn't help but be surprised about how bluntly he said it, in the time we had known each other he rarely took the blunt tone with me, he pulled me along through the forest and I tried not to trip but with Derek walking so fast and me having little legs, I stumbled quite a lot but he always managed to catch me, which was a good thing otherwise I think I would have a lot of bruises and scrapes all over me.

I walked into something and looked up to see Derek stood straight in front of me, "ow," I muttered rubbing my head. Derek looked over his shoulder at me with a confused look on his face, "I didn't see you."

"How I was right in front of you?" He asked utterly confused, I looked at him sheepishly, and he sighed.

"I wasn't paying attention," I admitted walking to stand next to him. "I mean what was the point you wouldn't have let me fall." He pressed his lips into a thin line and I couldn't help but grin slightly, he couldn't really bring up an argument because it was true, he would never let me fall, unless he couldn't stop it of course but 9.5 times out of 10 he caught me. I looked up at the house we was stood in front of and looked back at him, "so what are we doing here?"

"This used to be my house," he said softly. He began making his way up the steps and my eyes widened was that safe? "Before the fire ruined it, my whole family was in there, I thought everyone I loved died in this fire, obviously Peter didn't or Cora, but my whole family was murdered." I followed him into the house and I couldn't help but stare at it shocked, in all the times I had lived here I had never been up to the house of course every knew the story of what happened to the Hale Family, "except Laura but she was murdered by Peter, and then obviously Peter and Cora were alive. Peter killed Laura for her alpha power."

"Nobody is Alpha in your family now though Scott is," I said confused.

"I gave up my Alpha powers to save Cora," he admitted. He walked around the house, I didn't know how he could come back to this, it's horrible and it was so sad, "this place is full of memories of my childhood and teenage years."

"I don't understand why you would come back, does the bad not outweigh the good?" I asked curiously. He come over and wrapped an arm around me.

"It keeps me focused, you used to ask what controlled my shifts and I never actually said, the truth is: anger. Anger is how I control it, this place reminds me of it. But I want to change that, you are right the bad outweighs the good, but I wanted to show you this place."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Because this place made me who I am today and I want to share everything with you," he said softly. "I wanted you to see this place before I got it knocked down for good. There's a bigger point behind all this though Felicity." I turned to look at him, his eyes glowed blue and I knew he was thinking about what had happened, "I wanted to turn Paige into a werewolf Peter kind of manipulated me into wanting to change her, planted a seed in my head that she would leave me if she knew what I was a werewolf. I was a teenager so I was impressionable at the time. The bite it rejected her," he said quietly. I looked at him confused, "she was in so much pain and she was dying a slow and painful death. I tried to take away her pain but I hadn't learned that properly yet. Paige knew I was different just little things she suspected."

"Paige sounded like a smart girl," I said softly. "And you love her."

"Paige and I had a secret hiding place it was a basement, a base of the druid tree, we didn't know that at the time. She was in so much pain, she asked me to end it and I did I broke her neck as gentle as I could." Derek was rushing into an explanation. Peter took her body and they just said it was another animal attack, I stayed in the basement I was covered in Paige's blood and the back goo from the bite. My mom came down I told her what happened and that my eyes were different."

"I like your eyes," I admitted. "It shows real pain, you don't look good with yellow eyes."

He chuckled, "I was really self-conscious about them," he said. "My mom I remember what she said 'still beautiful just like the rest of you' I killed my girlfriend to save her from the rejection of the bite, if I could be one ounce of the alpha that my mom was I would be a son that she could be proud of."

"She would be proud of you Derek, you've tried your best and that's all as people we can do," I told him. "There's a bigger reason for this isn't there?"

He nodded, he leaned down and kissed me softly he wrapped an arm around me. "Everyone I love or have loved has either been evil or died because of me." As soon as he said it I knew where he was going with it, I knew what he was going to say and I knew that he was more interested in punishing himself for all the things that had happened.

"You don't need to warn me Derek," I whispered. "I know what you are trying to do and I know the risks, you've told me the risks many times. Just because we are back here where all your bad memories are, and I appreciate what you are doing but you don't need to."

I leaned up and kissed him, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly, I kissed his neck and I felt his arms wrap around me tightly. "What did I do to deserve you?" He asked quietly. "Are you sure though Felicity?"

"Yes, why would you doubt what I feel for you?" I asked confused. "Is this because of my parents or because of what happened with Freya?"

"Let's get out of the house," Derek said softly. He grabbed my hand and we walked out the house and got into the car, he began driving and I looked at him waiting for his answer. "Partly because of your parents, they made me realise how many people have been lost with being with me, they were just concerned for your safety. It made me think though Felicity." He stopped the car and he got out, I climbed out the car and followed him, we was on the cliff edge looking over Beacon Hills, it was beautiful. All the lights made the town beautiful.

"Think of what?" I asked quietly.

He placed a hand on my waist and I placed my hand in his, we began slowly dancing, the stars were a good light for us. "It made me think of all the things I would do to protect you," he whispered softly. "I would protect you from anything and everything, I would do what it takes if it meant you would be safe, happy and healthy." I looked up at him, "I love you Felicity." I stared at him shocked, I stopped and stared at him, I was speechless. Although we both know how we felt about each other we never said the words, for some reason we didn't feel the need to say it.

"I love you too Derek," I crashed my lips to his and kissed him like I had never kissed him before, I pushed my body closer to his and held him closer he pulled away and I rested my head on his forehead. "We've never said those words, we both feel the same but."

"Sometimes I feel like you doubt how I feel about you, and I know we both know how we love each other. I also know you overthink quite a bit, figured after today you could hear those words," he whispered.

I smiled I turned around and looked over at the city, I leaned my head against his chest and laid my arms on top of Derek's, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the peace and quiet that was around us. It felt like a calm before a storm and I hoped we would never reach that storm. I felt a kiss on my head and smiled softly, "I always overthink when it comes to my parents, they try to dictate my life when it comes to you and I get so angry. A part of me they can convince that we are not meant to be together that we aren't-" I trailed off and sighed. "But then I think of you and I look at you and I know they are wrong, I know that we are better together." He nodded, "we have a beautiful town."

"We do," Derek agreed.

"How did you find this place?" I asked curiously.

"This is where I used to call to my pack, best place to call your pack, highest place and all that, speaking of I better take you home," he said.

"I don't want to," I complained. He twisted me in his arms to face him, I pouted and he just smiled, "can we not just stay here in our bubble forever? It's not even 10pm yet."

"You have school tomorrow," he said. "Also I was planning to sneak through your window tonight, but I have to speak to Cora first, which is why I'm taking you back at 8 and not 10." I smiled, we made our way back over to the car and he drove me home, he pulled up outside and I let out a breath of air, "I'll see you tonight."

"I'll leave the window open," I whispered. I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, I got out his car and shut the door, I walked towards the front door and opened it, as I entered the house turning around to shut the door Derek's car speeded away.

"You're home early," I heard someone say. I shut the door and turned to see my mom stood there leaning against the door frame, "your talk with Derek went well?"

I looked at her flatly, "you know it didn't," I lied. I slipped out my jacket and hung it on the frame, I kicked my shoes off and made my way into the kitchen, I opened up the cupboard and got a pot noodle out, I clicked the kettle on and turned to my mom who had followed me into the kitchen. "What?"

"Why didn't you come straight home after the little chat then?" She asked suspiciously. I grabbed a fork out the cupboard and walked back over to the kettle as the water boiled, I began pouring it into the pot then put it back on the stand. "I figured you would have been a little more heartbroken."

I slammed the fork down on the side and turned to her facing her angrily, "What do you want me to do mom?!" I shouted. "You want me to come in slam around storm upstairs slam my door! You want me to lose it?" I walked out the kitchen and she went to follow me I turned around and glared at her, "you want me to breakdown? You want me to scream and shout about everything you and dad have put me through with Derek? Tell you that I hate you both and I wish you were both dead because you do nothing but ruin my life." I was getting angrier and angrier with each word I was saying, all the feelings I hid about her hurting me were finally coming out and I didn't know if I could stop them.

I turned away and began making my way upstairs, "I'm trying to protect you."

"NO!" I screamed as I turned around to face my mother. As I did a gush of wind came swooping through the air and mom went flying down the stairs hitting the wall and falling to the floor.

"Mom!" I heard Freya shout. She pushed past me running down the stairs, I watched as both her and dad looked over her, she turned to look at me, "what have you done Felicity?!"