A/N: Very emotional chapter, Chris asks Kate about the fire and then Derek finally tells his sisters what happened with him and Kate. Nothing too graphic is mentioned but there is an obvious power manipulation/seduction tactic that Kate used on Derek so if reading about sensitive stuff like that bothers you, you can skip the last section, labeled under *Motel* Everything before that doesn't really touch on their relationship, just when Derek is talking about it.
Also, Derek talks about Paige, in the same section, so it the Derek/Paige thing isn't something you're up to, that's another reason to skip that section.
*Monday Morning*
Allison's alarm went off extra early, giving her plenty of time with Aunt Kate before school. It had been years since they'd seen each other and she just couldn't wait to hear all about what she'd been up to. Her and Dad had the same job, selling firearms to well, anyone that passed the background checks. She bounced out of her bed and hurried down the hall to the guest room.
"Aunt Kaaaate, are you up? Can I come in, please, please?"
"Is that my favorite niece outside my door? Of course you can come in!"
She smiled and opened the door, "I'm your only niece, Uncle Gary has two sons and I'm an only child. I don't have any other cousins on Dad's side."
"Okay smartypants, you are my only niece, but you are still my favorite! How have you been?" Kate asked, coming from around the bed to hug her close. "You've grown so much! You're what, about to be 17 right?"
"Ugh, don't remind me… I hope no one at school realizes my birthday is coming up… Just another reminder that I'm a year older than I'm supposed to be…" Allison mumbled.
"That's not important, in a few years, stuff like that isn't even going to matter. I mean, it's not like your friends are going to judge you right?" Kate asked.
"So, how bad was it last night?" Allison asked, changing the subject. She knew that her aunt would never be scared of being out on a dark road alone, but still, she wanted to hear that Aunt Kate was okay.
"Oh it wasn't bad, just can't jump a dead battery by myself right? Need another car for it to work," Kate laughed, gesturing for her niece to sit down. Maybe the friend thing was a sensitive subject, it was only the first week, so she let the subject drop.
Allison paused, taking the time to sit on the bed as Kate went back to unpacking her bag. Didn't Dad mention a flat tire? Dad was supposed to have brought her the spare or something… But now she needed a jump? Was something else going on, why would her dad lie to her about something like a flat tire? "Can I help you with anything?" she asked, turning to the bag closest to her.
Kate answered, realizing that Allison was trying to change the subject. "Um, just not that bag… It's got a lot of personal stuff in it…" Kate knew that that bag had her personalized weapons and ammo. Allison knew about her 'job' and wouldn't freak out if she saw it but, Chris also really frowned about her learning such things.
"Oh, yea no problem, what about this bag?" Allison asked, shying away from the intense look her aunt was giving her.
"Oh yea, that one has my clothes, you can hand them to me and I'll hang them up, sound good?"
"Yea, that sounds good, then you can tell me all about what you've been doing since we last saw each other!"
"Oh you don't want to hear about me, I've been doing business stuff, tell me all about high school!"
"Oh, well I only just moved here but already, I was invited to a party! The kids here seem pretty nice, they didn't like… single me out or anything."
"Oh, was the party awesome?" Kate asked easily as she put her shirts in the drawer. Maybe Allison had made some friends already and was just a bit shy about mentioning them.
"Yea I um… well it was actually… This boy Scott asked me on a date. And I guess the popular girl is now my best friend… It's pretty crazy… I like it though," Allison admitted.
"Oh a date, tell me about him, come on."
Allison blushed, "Well he's real sweet, kinda quiet but I like that. Lacrosse is apparently a really big sport here so, I'm sure I'll get pulled to all the games and stuff; I'm not really sure what I'll think about it though."
"He picked you up right? Met your mom and dad?"
"Yea, and um… so did his brothers… Funny story…"
"Umm, that sounds like a big part of the night, care to explain?" Kate asked, raising a brow and sitting next to her niece. From the way Allison was acting, this Scott boy seemed nice, although Kate definitely wanted to hear more.
When Victoria checked up on them half an hour later, all the clothes had been put away, the date had been discussed, and Kate had caved, pulling out her favorite sidearm and showing her niece how to load it. Victoria frowned and crossed her arms, "Allison, breakfast is ready, hurry and get dressed so it doesn't get cold okay."
"Oh right, I'll be right there. How long are you in town for?" Allison asked before leaving.
"Oh for at least a week, I haven't decided yet. I have a big opening in my schedule so I have nowhere else to be," Kate assured her.
"Awesome! So I'll see you after school." With that she hurried to her room to get dressed.
"Hey Victoria, you're looking good," Kate mentioned, flicking the safety back on before tucking the gun into her holster.
"Cut the crap, you know Allison isn't allowed near firearms."
Kate rolled her eyes, "That is just idiotic, she's almost 17 now… why does Chris forbid it still?"
Victoria gave her sister-in-law a tight lipped smile, "You'll have to ask him. But while in this house, you follow our rules." With that she walked back downstairs to finish breakfast. Already this was turning into a fiasco, what else was Kate going to try and do while here? They'd told Kate years ago that they didn't want Allison to carry a weapon until she knew more about what the family did. Sure, she knew all about weapon safety, since having all those guns around they didn't want any accidents happening. But knowing about weapon safety and actually owning a firearm for herself were two different things. Victoria had discussed it with Chris as soon as Allison was old enough to truly understand Chris's day job- no firearms! She was allowed to train in archery but that was because her elementary school offered after school lessons and she wanted to learn so bad. The instructor said she was a natural and Allison hadn't wanted to quit, but she only shot at targets, not living things and that was different in Victoria's eyes. Maybe when the time came for her to learn under her mother, Allison would choose the bow over a gun but, that was still a few years away.
As Allison was getting ready to go, Victoria grabbed up her keys and called out a good bye to her husband. "Don't forget, I'm going to the store so text me if you want to add something to the list."
With that she led her daughter out of the house to drop her off at school, but she had another stop to make before going to the store.
*Stilinski House*
Stiles grumbled as his alarm went off, last night had been mentally exhausting, after they got back home the three boys had to tell their parents about the party. Stiles also had the matter of the cover story to come up with to explain their sudden departure. His mind had been racing with information as well so that made it that much harder. After that it was time for homework and all three of them were feeling pretty stressed so they didn't broach the subject. Instead the information was bouncing around in Stiles's head, keeping him awake most of the night. He rolled out of bed and shuffled off to Isaac's room to check on the youngest brother; he could already hear Scott in the shower so at least one of them was awake.
"Hey Isaac, you okay to go to school today?"
Isaac sat up and rubbed his eyes, "I think so, why?"
"It's just that… well I'm sure Jackson is going to be super pissy, and Andrew isn't going to be in a good mood either, they might say something…" Stiles mentioned.
"So?"
Stiles fixed his brother with a look, "So? What if you end up shifting?"
"Oh…right… the whole anger thing…" Isaac sighed, hands falling into his lap.
"Yea, the anger thing, and Scott and I only see you a few times a day…"
The blonde shrugged, "I only have Andrew in my 6th period, Bio. He doesn't sit near me either so I think it will be okay… If anything happens, or I feel like I'm losing control, I'll go to the bathroom or something. If I need you or Scott, I'll text you."
"I..yea, that sounds like the only way… Anyone else that might cause a problem?"
"Um, I don't have Jackson in any classes… The only other person that I can think that would be mean about it is Dylan, since him and Andrew are best friends…"
"Damn that's right, he's in Algebra with us… Right next to me… Well, I'm in that class so hopefully you can just focus on me if he starts anything. It should be fine though… Mrs. Duff hates talking so…"
Isaac agreed, "I think it will be okay. Andrew is a good player but he's also an asshole and as far as anyone else knows, it was a complete accident so hopefully they won't hate me too much for what happened…They were kinda cold to me on Friday but not mean so… hopefully nothing changed over the weekend."
"Well Andrew wasn't in school Friday, so no one saw him; if they all hung out over the weekend, Andrew had all kinds of time to badmouth you and get them all riled up but I mean…You're first string so they won't do anything to jeopardize 2 spots, if it were me or something I'm sure I'd end up stuffed in a locker," Stiles mumbled, half joking. As Isaac started growling Stiles realized his mistake, "Hey, I was just messing, I'm too tall to fit in the lockers. Plus I didn't do anything, except trip over my own feet. They won't be mean to me… at least not any meaner than normal… Let's go get some clothes, I'm sure Scott's almost done in the shower, okay?"
Isaac just nodded, too busy willing his heart to slow to form words. Today might be a little harder than he thought; maybe now that he realized Stiles and Scott were his Anchors… any threat to them would set him off. That first morning after he'd been Bit, he was fine, just confused by all the extra stuff his senses were picking up. It wasn't until Andrew's comment that he snapped… Friday had been mostly a blur, but like he'd told Stiles, no one had been mean to him really. But if anything were to happen, he had his Anchors to help him focus… They would have to do until he could meet up with Laura again and learn more.
*Argent House*
Chris could hear his sister upstairs in her room, rearranging stuff, she'd mentioned wanting to go out for a quick recon around the neighborhood. Hopefully he'd manage to catch her before she left the house though. In order to seem like he wasn't hovering around waiting for her, Chris went out to the garage and pulled aside some of the firearms for cleaning. Last night before going to bed, Victoria mentioned that they were going to have to talk with Laura again, she needed to know about how Kate's presence might affect the plan. So after she dropped off Allison, she was going to stop by the old house and talk with them. Hopefully they didn't think that Chris had invited her here, that would definitely hurt their chances at working together.
The minutes ticked by and Chris was listening intently for any signs that Kate was getting ready to head out. He had no doubts that the first place she'd probably go "scout out" was the Hale house. He'd managed to clean 2 guns when he felt his phone go off in his pocket, that meant that Victoria was ready; he made his way back into the house and called out to his sister.
"Hey Kate, can I see you for a minute, out in the garage. Want to have a quick chat before you head out."
"Sure, I'll be right there, I just finished reloading and checking my gear."
Before she came downstairs, Chris quickly dialed Victoria's number and slid the phone onto a low shelf of his workbench. He kept his phone brightness as dim as it would go and set it so the backlight would go out in just a few seconds so when Kate finally opened up the door and walked in, there was no light to give away his plan.
"Victoria already reminded me about the gun rule if that's what you wanted to talk about," Kate stated, only taking a half step into the garage.
He shook his head, "No, she told me about that but I figure you don't need a lecture about it, Victoria is more than capable of reminding you."
"Oh, what's up then?" Kate asked, easily taking a seat on the stool by the bench. Since it wasn't about earlier then it was probably going to take a few moments, might as well sit.
"I was just thinking about some things and well, I'm going to cut straight to the chase, I want to ask you about the fire."
Kate tilted her head and raised a brow, fire?
"The Hale fire."
"Hale fire? That was like 6 years ago, what about it?" Kate frowned, why was he looking into that now? It was ages ago. Surely he didn't know about her involvement, she'd waited until after he'd moved out of Beacon Hills to actually go forward with it.
"This has been on my mind for a long time actually, been wanting to talk to you about it but well, you made yourself scarce for awhile now. Never answered my calls, made excuses to keep your calls back really short; after awhile I just stopped trying since I wanted to avoid this. But now that you're here and I can see your face, tell me- did you have anything to do with the fire?"
Kate rolled her eyes, he was fishing. "Wasn't it ruled as an accident? I mean surely we would have heard more about it if it was actually arson right?"
"Payoff. Obviously. I saw the ruins, very clear that someone with supernatural knowledge was involved."
"Okay, that makes the fire that much more devastating but, again, why do you think I was involved?"
Chris put the gun in his hand back on the bench and crossed his arms, "I know you have a record with taking things too far. I also know you took special interest in Derek! He wasn't the first Were that you manipulated. You were way too interested in the Hales, don't think I didn't notice that you were always sneaking off to spy on them! Now tell me the truth, were you involved?"
"Calm down! Derek was what? Like 17? Come on Chris what are you trying to say? I'll admit that I've used some low-key seduction tactics before but that's just way under my age," Kate scoffed, keeping her body language aggressive like her dad taught her. If she kept Chris on edge, he wouldn't notice any signs from her; if she acted indignant about his accusations then she wouldn't let anything slip. "I did go around the property to spy on them yes, I'll admit to that as well but only because Dad told me too! Said you were too lenient with them! I bet the only reason you're looking into it is because they are back in town; have they bullied you into submission again already? The fire was an accident, look up the report if you don't believe me. What the hell does it matter anyways Chris? They are monsters, Werewolves! We're Hunters, their lives don't matter to us, it's too bad they all didn't die, that would be three fewer Weres in the world."
Chris slammed his hand down on the metal bench, "Not all of them were Weres and you know it! There were kids in that house Kate! That fire is inexcusable! You broke the Code! The Hales never did anything wrong, never!"
"No I didn't, I didn't do anything, I left Beacon Hills before you did, remember? Besides, Chris, think about what you're saying! The Hales were a huge, powerful Pack. I know I boast a lot about my skills but even I can't just sneak into a house full of Werewolves and get out undetected! If it really was arson, how did the Hales not realize what was happening and escape? Besides, just because Talia pulled the wool over your eyes doesn't mean they were innocent, Dad was always suspicious of them and maybe you should listen to your instincts. I still can't believe he left you in charge of this place." Kate shot back.
"They couldn't escape, there was Mountain Ash all around the house! As for actually sneaking up on them, don't think I haven't looked into that as well. Someone has to answer for what happened to that family Kate," Chris warned. "Dad put me in charge because I'm the oldest, and you've always had a hair trigger."
"Then ask the other Hunters that were in the area all those years ago, I'm sure we weren't the only ones that had dealings with the Hale family. Just because you're the oldest doesn't mean you know best. It's not like anything interesting happened in this town anyways- isn't that why you moved? Now if you're done throwing around accusations, I have some recon to do- Heaven knows I can't trust you and your men to do a good job!" With that she stormed out of the garage and was through the front door in a matter of seconds.
Chris sighed and retrieved the phone but saw that Victoria had already hung up- probably to make sure she wasn't near the house when Kate got there. He finished cleaning the gun he was on and reassembled it before sinking onto the stool that his sister had vacated. That didn't go nearly as well as he'd hoped… It seemed more and more likely that Kate was responsible for, or at least heavily involved in, the fire all those years ago. Even though Laura had told him it was Kate, actually seeing her act so defensive about the whole thing, as well as trying to throw his own accusations back at him (a trick they'd learned from Dad), he couldn't avoid the truth. Now he just had to prove it, although he didn't want to send his sister to prison, he wasn't lying when he said someone was going to have to pay. He also couldn't ignore the fact that she knew the Hales were in town, that wasn't something they'd talked about last night. That meant Kate probably knew about where the Rogue was located as well, her informant finally updated her. He'd almost believed her when it came to Derek, her reaction seemed genuine but, he'd seen them together. It was just another thing that he'd pushed to the back of his mind at the time but he could read the signs.
It had been on a night when he was on Hale duty, meeting up with Talia and getting the rundown on where certain members of the family were. As he left the house, Derek was coming back in, a guilty flush to his cheeks and mussed hair. He was just a teenage boy though so Chris just offered him a polite smile and continued out to his car, how many times had he come home looking the same way at that age? It was when he'd made it back out to his car, he spotted Kate in another family car, backdoor open with her looking for something. He called out to her and she straightened up, smiling. When asked about what she was doing, she gave some vague answer about Dad wanting him home and since she was out she offered to pass along the news. As he'd stepped closer though, he saw the smudged lipstick in the dim light from her dome light as well as the half untucked shirt. Derek was way too young for his sister, surely she wasn't the one that Derek had just left? But why would Kate look like someone that just finished making out in the backseat as well, right in front of the Hale's driveway? What had really cinched the whole thing was later, Kate had mentioned that she'd misplaced her necklace, causing Mom to get mad. A week later when he was driving the car, he found it wedged in the crack of the seat- only one reason it would be there.
This whole situation was just screwed up and he knew it, now he just hoped that Victoria was able to fix things with Laura before the phone call went through. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, he had a meeting set up with the Sheriff, time to actually sell some weapons. Chris knew it was a show of faith mostly, it wasn't like the Beacon Hills PD needed new weapons, this was just John's way of showing that he'd checked up on his license and didn't find any problems. He'd have to wait until later to get any information from Victoria.
*Hale House*
Laura was pacing, looking at her watch for the fifth time, as she waited for Victoria to show up. Last night had been an absolute mess- she'd come home to find Cora beside herself about Derek. Apparently he'd seen the message on her phone and had taken off; luckily Cora had been close enough to hear his pained whimpers, although their pack connection also alerted her to the emotional turmoil he was feeling. He'd been a snarling mess when she finally found him, he didn't recognize her and wouldn't let her close; she spent a few minutes talking to him until her voice got through to him. By the time she'd gotten him into the house and Laura had returned, Derek was completely shut down. The Alpha was still worried about him too, he had seemed more like himself this morning but the turmoil was just under the surface, she could feel it coming off him in waves. None of them took the news of Kate being in town well but it seemed to really affect her brother and she was concerned for him. Years ago, Kate had been the one always hanging around the house and her scent was the one they found the night of the fire, surely it brought back horrible memories for him.
As soon as Victoria pulled up, Laura was off the porch and ushering her closer, Cora and Derek standing in the doorway. Victoria wasted no time on small talk, pulling out her phone to keep it ready. "I don't know much more than I did last night, other than Gerard sent Kate here and we don't know why. Someone in our midst is a rat, as you know, Chris hasn't spoken with Kate for awhile now, nothing more than a friendly call to say hi at least. But when she showed up, she already knew that we were after an Alpha, not an Omega-"
"But we told you it was an Alpha…" Cora cut in, confused and unable to stop herself.
"You did, we found out the night of the full moon, but Chris hadn't updated Gerard on this information. As far as Chris's latest report, we were looking for a Rogue, probably an Omega that had lost its mind. But when she showed up last night she knew it was an Alpha. She didn't know that we had found its lair though so her informant hadn't been able to spread that information by that time."
"So she also knows we're back in town as well, do you think she's here to finish us off? We all know Chris is capable of handling a Rogue, Alpha or not, there was no reason to send in back-up on Kate's level," Laura asked.
"I'm really not sure, but, we are going to figure it out- obviously Gerard is up to something, something he doesn't trust Chris with. I told him last night that you deserve our information as straightforward as possible and the best way to do that is to have a direct source. This way, nothing gets lost in a recap of the conversation. Chris is going to talk to her about the fire, and maybe her real reason for being in town. As far as Kate knows I dropped off Allison and went to the store, it's just the two of them in the house so she might be more apt to tell the truth. Chris is going to call so we can listen in on the conversation," Victoria offered.
After a quick glance over her shoulder, seeing that her two Betas were on board, Laura nodded, "That would be appreciated. Direct source will go a long way to getting to the bottom of this. Plus now, no one can accuse you of withholding anything."
Victoria nodded and quickly sent her husband a message, answering the call the second it came through. She muted the speaker on her end and stepped closer to the porch to set the phone on the railing. The four of them held their breath as they heard Kate come into the garage, her first few words were faint- hopefully the whole conversation wouldn't be so bad. But then she stepped closer and her voice came in nice and clear. The Argent politely kept her eyes on the phone, but she still noticed Laura put a reassuring hand on Derek's shoulder as Kate's voice came through.
At first things seemed normal enough, Kate was mostly confused about the conversation but then Chris mentioned her being interested in Derek and Victoria stepped back in surprise. Kate was about 8 years his senior and he'd been in high school at the time of the fire, why would she have any interest in him? She looked up and saw Derek go pale, both of his sisters looking at him with concern. Of course she denied that anything happened between them and Derek whimpered, launching himself over the decrepit railing and making for the forest.
"Stay!" Laura growled out, eyes red and nostril flaring.
Derek whined, unable to disobey his Alpha's orders, he sank to his knees, fangs and claws coming out as he lost control, breath coming in short, ragged gasps. He was thankful when Cora came and knelt beside him, pulling him close so he could ground himself with her scent; Derek focused everything on Cora's heartbeat, refusing to listen to any more of the phone call, to hear her voice.
Laura noticed that Derek was losing control, obviously his experience with Kate went a lot deeper than she realized, and hearing her voice on the phone was too much. She stepped around Victoria, putting herself between her Beta and the more fragile Human, just in case. She knew that the Argent would understand the situation, would trust Laura to keep Derek from hurting her. The Hunter didn't even have a gun on her, it was still in the car and Laura wasn't going to let that trust break. Laura growled to herself as she heard Kate call them all monsters, wishing that they'd died in the fire as well- to her that was all she needed in order to condemn Kate's existence.
Victoria's hand covered her mouth as she listened to Kate mouth off, she'd been doing a good job at avoiding Chris's accusations but it seemed like she finally lost her temper. She was glad that she'd thought about muting the call, surely the yelling and growling would have alerted Kate otherwise… Victoria was floored as she listened to her sister-in-law yell. That wasn't the part of the Code, the Code was there for a reason, didn't Kate care about the kids that were in that fire? Victoria'd been a Hunter her whole life and never had anyone in her family killed a child in cold blood. The only story she even knew of was when her mother had been attacked, while pregnant with Mellie, the female was only 14 but she'd just been Bitten and it was her first moon. Mom had no choice but to defend herself and the Were wouldn't stop coming. It had been a messy ordeal but in the end, the Alpha understood that the Code hadn't been broken intentionally. Still, in order to keep the peace, her family had moved from the area, knowing that it wasn't easy for a Pack to lose a member to a Hunter. The Hale children had never been a problem, since they were Born-Weres, they had much more control, and they knew for a fact that not everyone that had died that night was a Werewolf. Kate didn't show any remorse, Victoria couldn't understand how she had so little regard for another's life. Sure, there was a fundamental difference between Werewolves and Humans, and Hunters were responsible for protecting Human life but, that didn't mean every single Were was a monster that needed to be destroyed. As Kate stormed off, Victoria hung up the phone, "I'm so sorry… I… I had no idea Kate felt so… little towards your kind. We all knew she was a bit ruthless but never like this. I can't stay, you shouldn't either, she's bound to come here looking for you. We'll have to talk later about what this means for the plan…"
Cora stood up then, having heard the entire conversation even while helping Derek; she turned and looked at her sister, already shifted and eyes glowing. "Why can't we just kill her? We have more than enough information to know that she'll kill us the moment she has the chance!"
"We can't just kill her because we aren't monsters like her! If we kill her then we'll be giving Gerard the ammunition he needs to finish wiping out our family!"
Victoria frowned at those words, did she know something about Gerard or was that just the emotions talking right now? Either way she didn't have time, not if she didn't want to run into Kate. "I'll call when it's safe to talk, please, don't be here when she shows up, I have no idea what she has planned."
Just to be safe, since both Cora and Derek were shifted, Laura walked Victoria the few feet to her car. "I'm not even 100% sure what happened before the fire, obviously Derek is more tore up about this than I thought. I won't shift tonight, so I'll have my phone on me the whole day, call when you can."
The Argent nodded and climbed into her car, hurrying back the way she came, this was more than just a simple fire, and they still had the Rogue to deal with… this was starting to feel like too much all at once.
Laura didn't waste any time, calling out for her siblings to run, knowing that Victoria was right, Kate was coming here. Derek and Cora were in no state to see her right now, as it was Laura could barely keep it together, if she saw her face now, there was no telling what might happen.
*Motel*
Laura ushered her siblings inside the crappy room, it would have to do until they knew that Kate was supervised. Cora immediately growled and covered her face, the unclean room clearly not meeting her approval.
"It's just temporary Cora, this is the only place that lets you pay cash and doesn't require a name," Laura whispered.
"I know, it's just so gross in here!" Cora complained, eyeing the bed warily and choosing to remain standing.
Laura rolled her eyes and left Cora to investigate the room, Derek was her main concern right now (since Cora was back under control).
"Der, we have to talk about what happened-" Immediately Derek started shaking his head, he didn't want to talk about it, not ever. Laura sighed, she needed to know exactly what had happened between him and Kate. "I'm your sister and your Alpha, I love you, you know that right?"
"Yea…"
"Nothing is going to change that, I just need to know what's causing you to be so upset, can you tell me?"
"I can't," Derek mumbled, sinking to the floor and dropping his eyes to his lap. He was the reason everyone had died… he let Kate take advantage of him and he confessed his family's secrets- to a Hunter!
"Derek, you look really upset, what are you thinking about? Talk to me, please."
He looked up as Laura's soft voice interrupted his thoughts; he knew he couldn't tell her the truth… she'd kick him out of the Pack, disown him, and he'd have nothing left.
"I know she's the monster who killed our family, and hearing her voice again wasn't easy for any of us, but clearly there is something more going on here. What exactly was Chris referencing when he said she took a special interest in you? What did she do to you Der?"
"I thought she was different!" he suddenly blurted out. "After Paige I… I couldn't…"
Laura slid down next to her brother, arm going around his shoulders to comfort him, "I know losing Paige was hard… Mom had to help you find a new Anchor and that's never easy…"
"Why was Paige in that rundown house anyways... She shouldn't have been there!" Cora commented under her breath. She'd been floored when Derek came home, crying, mumbling about Paige being dead; Mom had said something about a bad fall in the old shack. But at least it had been quick, a broken neck.
"She was there because of me!" Derek confessed finally, unable to hide the truth from his youngest sister any longer.
Cora wrinkled her nose, "Really, you met up there for a date, geez Der way to-"
"It wasn't like that Cora… the truth… the truth is a lot more complicated. We kept it from you since you were only 12 at the time."
"Kept what from me?" she asked, looking between her two siblings.
Derek let out a shaky breath, looking up slowly, blue eyes connecting with Cora's unshifted brown ones. "I killed Paige… that's why my eyes are blue…"
"No, it was an accident, she fell through the floor and got hurt, it wasn't your fault. You got your blue eyes when we killed that faery in the woods, the one we thought was behind all the dead flora."
Laura shook her head, "No, Derek killed Paige, out of mercy… but still, she was an innocent and his soul broke."
"But you loved her, she was your Anchor, why did you…?"
Derek looked down again, ashamed, "I… I –sigh- it was Uncle Peter… He convinced me that… That if Paige found out what I was, she'd run away from me. I had been planning on telling her, I asked Mom and everything… She said if I was sure, and I was! But then… Uncle Peter he kept saying all this stuff and it got me worried. So instead, he said that if I turned her, and she became a part of our Pack, it would be perfect. Conveniently it was the same weekend that Ennis was in town, and he asked for me, if he would Bite her-"
"Without her knowing? But that goes against… everything!" Cora cut in, suddenly very worried that the Argents had no idea about the truth behind Derek's eyes. If they ever found out…
"It was all a stupid mistake, I was only 16, I didn't know any better, I just wanted her to stay! Ennis was happy to do it, I have no idea what Peter said to him to get him to agree but it doesn't matter. Paige was supposed to meet me in school that night, I had a change of heart but by the time I got there to warn her, it was too late… S-s-she… her b-body rejected the Bite, she was dying and in pain… She begged me… I tried to take the pain away but there was just too much… I didn't know what else to do! So I hugged her, softly at first and then just squeezed… her neck broke… I killed her…"
Laura held him close as she felt the waves of anguish wash over him, suddenly he was 16 again and terrified. She remembered Mom calling her into her room when she brought Derek home, telling her the truth and swearing her to secrecy. The only reason she was privy to the truth was because she was the Alpha-In-Training and Mom would keep no secrets from her. Derek was told to keep his shifted eyes a secret for as long as possible, until she could come up with a lie to tell the others. But they were the only three left now so they might as well tell Cora the truth after all these years.
"Oh Derek… I thought…" Cora walked over and pulled her brother into a hug, truly understanding now why Derek had fallen into such a dark place after Paige's death… She'd never had someone she was close to like that, she only stayed close to her family, and she could never imagine killing anyone that had lived with her. Paige must have been in extreme pain if she was begging for death, knowing what it would do to Derek. "I'm sorry for all those times I said something mean about your blue eyes, I had no idea!"
"I know, you thought it was over some faery creature, a simple mistake. It hurt to hear you say that stuff but I knew, deep down, that you didn't realize the truth. But you know now so, I mean, that's fine."
"But… what does this have to do with Kate?" Cora asked in a whisper, afraid to dredge up even more horrible memories.
"She… I don't want to talk about Kate! I just, never want to see her…" Derek stood up suddenly and pushed past his sisters, heading into the bathroom and shutting himself in.
Laura huffed, tired of playing nice- they needed to know what had happened since it was obviously going to affect everything. She stood up and knocked on the door, "Derek, I'm not going to make you face us, but you will have to tell us what's going on. What happened between you and her? This affects everyone."
"No it doesn't, it's in the past, it doesn't affect anyone but me!" Derek countered, growling just slightly.
"Dammit Derek, you know I won't order you to tell me, I'm your sister! But you have to tell us what's going on, clearly you can't focus with her here! Do you want the Rogue to Bite someone else?"
"She'll probably have it locked up by tonight! She's a very capable Hunter," he spat out, hands tangling in his hair as he sank down to his knees. Everything would have been just fine if she hadn't heard they were back in town! His breath started coming in short gasps as he flashed back to when he first met her and how she wormed her way into his life.
"Derek, please, tell us, you're hurting and we can't help you if you shut us out. Keeping something like this in will only hurt you more," Laura called out softly.
"The Argents had been in town for what… 6 months before Paige…. Died… I didn't pay much attention to them, listened to what Mom always told me: respect them and don't give them a reason to hurt me…" Derek started, mumbling, unsure if he really wanted to continue. But he remembered how Mom had held him close in the weeks after Paige's death, how she'd always tell him to just let his feelings out. He'd just talk and talk, words tumbling out of his mouth, probably not even making much sense; she'd listen to him and hold him. Laura was right, he needed to let this out, it had been a dark wound in his chest for years, poisoning him, but it was time to tear the old wound open so it could heal properly. Hopefully his sisters will still love him after.
His sisters both sat on the ground, right outside the door, barely breathing so as to not distract their brother. Laura reached over and took Cora's hand in her own, afraid of what Derek might finally reveal. No matter what though, they'd be here for him, pick up all the pieces and help put him back together, they wouldn't let Kate hurt him again.
"I had just gone for a run and was kinda wandering through the woods, not ready to go back home yet, when I heard someone. They weren't trying to be quiet or anything, but I wasn't really expecting to hear someone that far off the trails, so I made my way towards them. It was Her… I didn't know at first who she was, I wasn't focused on her scent and I had never seen her at the house. She was… she was only wearing some running shorts and a sports bra… She didn't even shy away from me, like high schools girls always would have, just smiled and asked how often I ran. I said every day, since I needed to stay in shape for basketball. She just lit up when I mentioned basketball, asking what position I played, how many years I'd been playing for. I hadn't even noticed that she was steering me back to the road at this point, we were just walking and talking. When we finally got back to the road, I noticed her car, one of the usual SUVs the Argents used- that was when I finally paused. But it didn't bother her, she just smiled, finally told me her name and asked if maybe tomorrow I'd run with her, show her some of the better trails."
Laura listened carefully, easily picturing a young Derek getting taken in by Kate at that age. It probably wasn't hard for her to figure out Derek's schedule, especially since Paige, he spent a lot of time by himself; Kate had always been lurking around the property, Laura had noticed it right away. It just went to show how preoccupied Derek was that he never picked up on her scent before. Next to her, Cora had started to tremble- Derek's recollections were so sharp, even if this had happened 6 years ago… Those memories must have been on his mind a lot over the years for them to still be so sharp in his mind…
Derek sniffled, breath catching for a second as he lost himself in describing his memories for his sisters. "After that we'd go running almost every afternoon, I didn't… I realize now what she did but… She always told me how I was so mature and strong for my age. That lots of the other Weres my age wouldn't be able to keep up with me; always dropping hints on how she forgot I was just a high schooler… It made me want to see her more, someone that wasn't treating me like a kid… Someone who didn't know about Paige… After about a month… she met me in town, saying we should catch a movie, but of course, we couldn't go together, we'd have to meet there. She led me up to the top row, waited for the room to go dark… I wasn't used to… to someone else making the first move… Here I was, so nervous about kissing her, if she'd let me… when suddenly her hands are all over me and she's whispering in my ear… After that, it was so easy for her… The f-first time I had been nervous and she went slow but soon, she was demanding, keeping me on edge and needy… She started complaining that I was just a kid, inexperienced, so I promised I'd get better, be whatever she needed. That was when she started asking about the rest of the family. In the back of my head… I knew she was an Argent, a Hunter. Hell the only reason I had agreed to go on the runs was because I thought I'd be the one keeping an eye on her. I was so stupid…
"Of course I hadn't wanted to give up any important information, just the stuff that I knew she'd already know because of Gerard. But she'd complain about me not trusting her, and that clearly I must only be after the sex. She got mad, saying that she wasn't just some booty call for a kid. She wanted to know that she meant something to me! And I fell for it… I told her a lot… even showed her basement and the tunnels under the house that we used if anyone was having a hard time with their control. I was always very careful about not having her touch anything, and only when I knew the older, more skilled family members, weren't going to be home for a few hours. Mom never asked me about it so I always assumed I had gotten away with it… Mom will never know how big of a disappointment I am…"
As Cora startled to cry, Laura held her close, both of them starting to realize just what Derek was trying to tell them. He'd let Kate into their house, gave her information on them, he let the Hunter get close. She felt herself go cold as Derek started crying openly in the bathroom, some of his words barely coherent.
"I'm t-the reason everyone died, me! She used all that information I gave her to kill everyone! She knew there was going to be a meeting that night, I told her the week before… She'd already moved out of town by then but promised she'd come back all the time and see me. And she did, every few days, I craved her attention and she knew it. When I told her that I couldn't meet her that night in advance she wanted to know why, so I told her, it was a Pack meeting night. I told her I was sorry and asked if there was any way she could come the day before? But she was adamant that it was the only day she'd be able to see me and surely Mom would understand if I asked to be excused… She pressed and pressed and I gave in. As you know Mom said okay. I have no idea why Kate didn't want me in the house… why didn't she want to kill me too? I don't know how she got in without Mom knowing but… I have no doubt she used all the information I gave her to ensure that no one would get out alive…I killed them all, I killed our family!" Unable to say anymore, Derek curled up on the floor of the bathroom, clawed digging into the meat of his arms as he hugged himself. His eyes were shut tight as all the screams echoed in his head from that night. He didn't even hear the door crack open, barely even registered someone else's arms around him until he heard Laura's voice.
"You didn't kill them Derek, you were an emotional wreck, you were just a teenage boy! She manipulated you; she knew how to get answers out of you! Trust me Derek, if she couldn't get answers out of you via seduction, she would have just turned to torture. She's the one that killed everyone, not you, you understand me? This changes nothing, if anything I only hate her more now! She used you, broke you, just to kill us, she's the monster here, not us- not you!"
"But everyone only died because I told her our secrets!" Derek sobbed out, pushing away from his sister. He didn't deserve her comfort right now, not ever. She should kick him out of the Pack, kill him, not be hugging him.
Laura wiped away the tears, free hand reaching out to her brother, "Derek… you… you weren't the first one… Remember, Mom had me follow you that night? It was because she was concerned about you. How many times did you come home smelling like jasmine from the garden? We all knew to use it to mask the scent of, well… sex. Mom didn't judge, she knew that we all deserved privacy, and the jasmine would make it so the rest of the family wouldn't pinpoint the other person's scent. She didn't know it was K- Her… but she could see the signs of you being used… you were sullen and moody, in a different way than before… She was concerned and she had me follow you. But that wasn't the only reason… Since I was the Alpha-In-Training, we didn't keep secrets. It was actually right after that night they barged in on me when I was baby-sitting. She tried that same tactic with Uncle Peter. I think she picked up on the… manipulative nature of his and tried to get him to turn his back on us, but Peter was too smart for that. He wanted the Alpha power, but he wasn't going to turn us in to the Hunters for that, he wasn't that desperate. He strung her along for awhile, coming up with his own plans to use and manipulate her but she wised up to it and cut off communication. That was when he went to Mom about it, let her know that he had been approached. We should have figured it out sooner, that She was the one you were being manipulated by. But we didn't think she'd go after someone in high school! We had no reason to think she'd be that disgusting and ruthless, we were looking into Aunt Bella first, since she was openly gay, maybe She would try her next. But we were looking in the wrong place. We let you down Derek… we should have known! I'm sorry… If we had caught on sooner…"
Derek looked up in surprise, Uncle Peter had been approached too? Mom was trying to put a stop to Kate?
"Even after the fire, when we caught her scent… I only wanted to hurt her, never you Derek. You didn't know what she was planning!"
"You knew that Kate had used me, and didn't hate me?" Derek asked in disbelief.
Laura shook her head, "I had no idea she'd… she'd done all of that… But after the fire, and her scent was there, it made sense. Mom had been concerned, wanted to know who you kept going to meet… I thought maybe it was one of the younger Hunters that was passing on the information to her or something, but I knew it was Kate that had gotten to you yes. That she was the reason behind your change in mood and everything else. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you Derek, so sorry. But I would never, ever, hold that against you; you're the only brother I have left- I'm not letting go of you."
He rushed forward and hugged his sister, not caring that he was 22 years old, right now, he felt like he was 16 again, scared and lonely. He cried as her strong arms wrapped around him, whispering reassuring words in his ear as they rocked back and forth on the floor. Cora came up and wrapped herself around his back, crying with him as she found out the truth of what had happened. She always knew that Kate was a monster but now knowing just what lengths she would go to… Cora wanted to tear her apart! Derek was in shambles over what happened to him, from what Kate had done! And now she was back in town to finish the job.
A/N: I promise, the next chapter will be school and maybe practice and will be a lot lighter =D
Also the biggest shoutout in the world to my editor Sharon, she edits quite a few of my works! Without her my stories would be so full of errors! Lol. Some of the chapters that do have errors are usually ones I didn't run by her first cuz I was in such a hurry lmao