A/N: Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep.. Beep.. Beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, BEEP! - that was me having a heart attack over last night's episode! I was watching it with my hands over my mouth. Firstly, I'd just started to like Erica and she ditched out on Derek… NOT COOL! Speaking of Derek… WHAT THE HELL IS HE THINKING TRUSTING PETER!? Oh a happy note, I really, really, really fell in love with Isaac this episode. I literally cried when I thought he was going to die. And Allison, I hope you die because you're really pissing me off! Oooh, just you wait until I get to this part in the sequel to this story. Your ass will be kicked SO HARD! And where the HELL is Stiles? I'm so worried about him. Oh, God, I've got to stop rambling. I have to, because if I don't this entire chapter will be me freaking out about the SEASON FINALE next Monday. Ugh, okay, I'm stopping.
But a quick warning before we start. This chapter's kind of like a cool down, what happened after Peter died. Why exactly did the police decide to stop chasing Derek? How did Scott not hate Derek overly for taking away "the cure"? This is that chapter. So, now, Ladies and Gentlemen… The conclusion to The Fire Connection.
Chapter Eleven::
"I am sorry, you know." Derek murmured into Ross's ear as they sat on the hood of his car, far away from the Hale House.
"Rule number four, rule number five, and rule number sixteen." Ross sighed, leaning heavily against him.
She honestly didn't care anymore. What had happened, happened and now all they had to do was wait for Evan and John to show up. Apparently they had some miraculous plan that was going to throw all suspicion off of Derek. That made Ross excited, though she didn't show it much. Then she'd be able to use him as a big, comfy Alpha pillow and not worry about Melissa showing up.
"Never apologize-" Derek stated, making sure he had all the rules right.
"It's a sign of weakness." Ross added with a smirk.
Derek gave a light chuckle. "Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission." He paused. "Don't those two kind of contradict."
Ross shrugged. "They're both true."
Derek rolled his eyes and sighed. "Rule number sixteen. Sixteen, sixteen… What's sixteen?"
"You do what you have to for those you care about." Ross replied softly. "Even when's it's wrong."
"It's a good rule." Derek whispered.
"I like it."
"How many rules do you have?"
"A lot. Everyone needs a code they can live by. They don't all have to be fancy, eerie Latin ones."
"It's not that eerie."
Ross pulled away so he could see her look of disbelief. "Not eerie? 'We kill those you kill us'… You don't think that's eerie? Not even a little bit?"
"Nah, it's more spine-chilling."
Ross laughed, snuggling into him again. "It's the same thing, you goof-ball."
Derek shrugged, sighing and resting his chin on her head. They sat like that for a while, until a rustling from some distance away reached Derek's ear. He sat up straighter, making Ross look at him, and inhaled sharply. John and Evan's scents. He relaxed.
"Hey." Evan said, practically waltzing into the clearing.
"Hey." Ross replied, raising an eyebrow at his cheerful demeanor. "What are you so happy about?"
"We get to beat up Derek." Evan replied with a childish tone and grin.
"Excuse me." Ross said, sitting up straight and looking straight at John.
The older Knight rolled his eyes. "Chill, he's already agreed to it."
"He's what?" Ross asked, turning her attention to Derek.
Derek huffed. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. Head home."
"You're kidding me right?"
"It'll be fine." Evan assured her.
"Rule number forty." Ross said, in a deadpan voice.
"Rule number what?" Evan questioned.
"Thought you only had up to rule number thirty-nine." John said with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh this one's new. Rule number forty… Never trust John and Evan when they say they have a really good plan." Ross replied.
"Ouch." Evan muttered.
"I'll be fine." Derek replied. "I'm the Alpha."
"I don't care. This isn't a good idea."
"Rule number fourteen."
Ross's mouth fell open. "You can't use my rules against me."
"What's number fourteen?" John asked.
"Sometimes a bad idea is the best idea." Evan replied quickly.
"I can and I am." Derek said. "Besides, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to um… to break rule four for me and tell Scott I'm sorry."
"Are you serious?" Ross asked. "Derek, that's like pulling the pin on a hand grenade. He's pissed. You lied to him about that cure."
"Rule number ten."
"Derek!"
"Please."
Ross groaned, rolling her eyes melodramatically. "Fine! But if he's not in one piece next time I see him." Ross paused, for dramatic effect as she look at the Knight siblings. "I'm gonna kill both of you."
xXx
"Scott!" Ross called, closing the door behind her. "Scotty, we need to talk."
Scott didn't reply and Ross sighed, climbing the stairs to his room. She paused outside the door to take a deep breath before knocking on the door.
"Scott, come on. Please."
Scott opened the door, the glare he'd worn all night still placed firmly on his face. Ross met his gaze before pushing past him into the room and sitting on his bed.
"I need you to listen to me."
"Why should I?" Scott snapped, turning on his heels. "Do you know what he took from me? Why should I forgive him? How can you forgive him?"
"Because I understood Scott. Peter was his family." Ross cried "Derek just wanted that one little part. What would you give to have Dad back? Back with you? With Melissa? Back to the way he was before they started fighting. Before I showed up. What would you give Scott?"
Scott didn't reply. He didn't even look at her, choosing to look at the ground instead.
"Everything!" Ross shouted, her voice full of tears. "Anything! Even if you knew it was wrong! Because he's family and some part of you still loves him. Some part of you still wants to protect him, to bring him back, to help him. I feel that way Scott. I feel that way a lot. I would give anything to have my mom back. Anything!"
Scott stared at her. Ross could see him thinking, slowly understanding.
"Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes, Scott. Derek's not like you. His mother, his father, his big brother, Laura? They're all dead. He didn't have a stitch of family left and some part of him thought that maybe, maybe he could change Peter. Maybe he could save him. But when he knew he couldn't, he did the right thing. He killed Peter. He saved me. That should count Scott. That should count for a lot."
"He took the cure." Scott suddenly snapped, trying to make himself angry at Derek again.
"Scott." Ross's voice squeaked, so close to breaking, as she rolled her eyes. "Lycanthrope is not a disease. There is no cure."
"Derek told me that there was a cure."
"Derek believed in a myth that wasn't real!"
"Did he know that? When he killed Peter, did he know that?"
"I'd imagine."
"So why didn't he tell me?"
"Would you have believed him if he did? Cause I doubt you would have. I know you Scott, you would've said that it was just because he wanted his vengeance."
"Then he should've figured that out before he told me!"
"Rule number ten Scott!" Ross cried. "Never believe what you're told. Double check!"
"He still could've let me have the kill."
"You're kidding, right?"
"No! Peter took away my-"
"Peter took away his sister. What would you've done if it was me that Peter had killed? Me instead of Laura. Would you really be willing to hand over the kill, just like that?"
Scott didn't respond and Ross knew she'd hit the nail on the head.
"He did save you, you know." Ross continued. "If it wasn't for Derek, you'd be the Alpha. You'd have all these unwanted responsibilities. You'd have the weight of the world on your shoulders. And that sucks, Scott. Trust me, I've seen what that can do. Laura wasn't the same person. She wasn't as giggle and happy-go-lucky. She lost that part of herself because she had to become Alpha. Peter went insane. God only knows what's gonna happen to Derek." Ross said, shaking her head. "So maybe, instead of being pissed you should let it go. Because he's sorry Scott. He is."
Scott looked at Ross as tears streamed down her face. He slowly nodded, sucking in a deep breath. "Okay." He said gently. "I think I understand."
Ross gave him a half hearted smile, standing and pulling him into a hug. "Good. Thank you."
Scott hugged her back and Ross felt the weight disappear from her shoulders. Unfortunately, she also felt a large jolt of pain that shot through her chest. She couldn't stop the cry of pain that escaped and Scott immediately helped her sink to the ground.
"What?" He asked, panicked. "What is it?"
"I'm gonna kill 'em."
"Who?"
"John and Evan!" Ross shouted, clutching her chest as a fresh wave of pain shot through her. "God! They are such… I don't even know what word to use!"
It wasn't too long after the pain passed that Ross's cell phone began to go off. She answered it on the first ring. "What?"
"Ross? Honey, is something wrong?"
Ross sighed. "Hey, Melissa no. Sorry, it's- it's been a long night."
"It's about to get longer. They just brought Derek Hale in."
"They what?"
"It's a long story, Ross. But he's been asking for you and Sheriff Stilinski would like you to come to the hospital."
"Asking for me? How long has he been there?"
"Not long. They gave him medication to knock him out. They said he looked like he was in a lot of pain.. But the EMT's said he's been crying out your name in his sleep."
"I'm on my way."
xXx
The first thing Ross did after Melissa and the Sheriff left the waiting room was slap Evan as hard as she possible could across the face.
"Ouch!" He cried, thought Ross knew very well it didn't hurt him at all. "What was that for?"
"What the hell did you do to my boyfriend?" She demanded as John sauntered into the room.
"He's fine." John assured her.
"Okay, you know what. You two have ten seconds to explain this glorious little plan of yours before I flip my lid." Ross said through gritted teeth.
"We're blaming it all on Peter."
"You're what."
"Okay, Peter's nurse is dead, Peter's gone." John explained. "So, we figured, we'd rough Derek up a bit-"
"A bit? A bit!" Ross fought to keep her voice down. "They brought him to the loving hospital! What are you going to do when he heals?"
"He won't." Evan said simply.
"What do you mean 'he won't'?" Ross asked, her voice and heart rate spiking.
"Ev, shut up!" John ordered. "Ross, he'll be fine. He gave him an herb that slows down the healing process. He'll be completely healed in a few days."
Ross rolled her eyes and sat down in a nearby chair. "Okay." She said, looking up at them. "You rough him up and make it look like Peter did it. You convince them that he killed all those people, which he did. How does this explain Scott and Stiles's lie about seeing him at the school?"
John gave her a slight smiling. "Derek had a knight-in-shining armor complex when he was younger, remember?"
"Of course I remember. Jock used to say I gave it to him."
"Well, he went to the hospital to visit Peter and he overheard Peter and Jennifer talking. He followed Peter to confront him about pretending to be comatose and found out he killed all those people. So then he tried to stop Peter from killing Scott and others and that's why they saw him at the school."
"That…" Ross nodded her head, slightly impressed. "That might actually work. What are you to doing here, by the way?"
"You called Mandie and she called us because we were closer."
Ross nodded. "You've thought of everything."
"We're awesome like that." Evan said, grinning.
"Shut up." Ross and John sighed together.
"Ross." Ross looked over at Melissa as she beckoned her stepdaughter over. "Derek's awake. Sheriff Stilinski just got done talking to him. You can see him."
"Thank you." Ross said, her voice nearly breaking as she looked up at the sky as if she was talking to God.
"Come on." Melissa said, quickly turning her attention to John and Evan as they made to follow. "You boys will have to stay. Sorry, but technically speaking only family's allowed."
John smiled and nodded. "It's fine Melissa."
For a second, Ross forgot that Derek was a werewolf. He was lying on the narrow hospital bed, a blanket covering his legs and waist and a white, poka dot hospital gown. His wrist was wrapped in a white ace bandage, he had a large bandage on his cheek, stitches on his upper arm, and bruises scattered all over his body. He looked so vulnerable, so human.
Melissa waited until Ross had taken the seat next to Derek's bed to close the door.
"Hey." He said softly.
"Hey." She replied. "How'd it go?"
"Bought it like it was on sale."
Ross smiled and leaned over to kiss his lips. "You are such a jerk."
Derek shrugged.
"I'm gonna kill them."
The smirk that Ross (with the help of Stiles) had dubbed "The Derek Smirk" crossed his lips. "No, you're not."
"I can't believe you even did this."
"Better than spending the rest of my life running from the cops."
Ross rested her head on his chest. "I should be so mad at you."
"I'm sorry."
"Rule number four."
"Rule number five."
Ross sat up and glared at him. "You can't use my own rules against me."
"We've already been over this. Did you talk to Scott?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I did. And he no longer hates your guts, so you're welcome."
Derek sighed and closed his eyes, leaning against his pillow. Ross brought her legs up beside her in the uncomfortable, plastic chair. She placed her elbow on the chair of the chair and rested her cheek on her hand.
"So what do we do now?" She asked gently.
"We figure it out along the way."
A/N: And that is the end! I hope you've enjoyed this because I've really enjoyed writing it! I'm going to work on the name-less sequel. Want to help name it? Check out my profile for the poll and pick your favorite title. Think you have a better one, please PM me! Thanks for being such great fans, I loved all the positive feedback. So this is me and Ross saying see ya until the sequel… Oh, wait, that's not true. Check out the one-shot I've posted… "Everyday Superhero" if you want some Ross/Derek fluffiness :) See you guys later!