A/N: There's a few things I would like to cover before you get going on this next chapter. First, all the chapters I have previously written are posted, so now there will actually be gaps in between when new chapters appear, I apologize dearly. Secondly, and I should have mentioned this before, Chapters 1-3, but specifically the atrocity that is Chapter 2, were just introductory chapters, trying to get as many characters as possible into the picture. Next, chapter titles, building names, and secondary characters (i.e. the reporter in this chapter) are all an homage to a band or the series' actors' real names. Finally, thank you to everyone who made it this far, it's really exciting for people to read about this weird AU I would be stoked to see.. You guys are all crazy awesome!
A house can be engulfed in flames and burning down to absolutely nothing within minutes. In less time than it takes for you to make your breakfast in the morning, an entire house, everything that means anything to someone, could burn to the ground. Their home, their things, all of it..gone. Someone's entire world could be turning upside down and yet, there you are, pouring yourself a bowl of Apple Jacks.
"We're on location here at Beacon Hills Forest Reserve where just moments ago a 911 call sent firetrucks from the surrounding counties to try and stop the monster blaze that has broken out in a family's home. While fire fighters frantically try to put out the blaze, paramedics are on scene treating the few members of the family who managed to escape through an upstairs window, just before the flames brought a rafter down blocking that exit. There's no report on fatalities at the moment, but we have been told there are still people trapped inside the structure. We'll keep you updated as the fiery battle continues. This is Melissa Ponzio, reporting for Channel 9 news."
"He's coming back!" As the man lay on the gurney, he began drifting back into consciousness. Everything was dark, it was silent and he had a throbbing pain in his legs; then he opened his eyes. First he was met with a bright, white light, slowly dimming and changing colors as he began to move his head and more shapes came into view. Then came the sound; distressed voices were blaring from the the intercoms he passed under, shouting codes and paging doctors. He tried to sit up but was strapped down. As he tried to rip free of the restraints, hands were pressed against his body, holding him down as more voices clouded his thoughts. "Derek?! Derek Hale! Can you hear me?" The man's voice was calm but somehow seemed nervous and rushed at the same time. "Derek, I need you to listen to me," another voice broke into Derek's head as his vision finally settled. "Son, can you tell me what happened?" Derek looked to the man who was speaking to him, not realizing it at first, but soon clicking that it was Sheriff Stilinski. "Can you hear me?" He turned to the doctor, "Can he hear me?" "I can hear you," Derek mumbled, barely loud enough to hear over the busy hospital background noise.
"What happened? I..I don't know." Derek raised his head to look around but felt a rush of nausea and pain and immediately laid it back down. "We were having dinner..everything was fine and then Cora-" Derek's eyes shot open. "Where's my sister?!" Derek extended his claws and slashed through one side of the bed's restraints. "Where is she?!" Sheriff Stilinski and his deputies immediately held Derek back down as the doctor took a needle out and injected a sedative into Derek's IV. "Look I'm sorry Sheriff but this will have to wait." The doctor ushered the policemen out of Derek's room as his vision began to blur and he slowly slipped back asleep.
"Here we are in Beacon Hills Forest Reserve, just 2 hours after the blazing house fire that spread into a small forest fire, has been extinguished. Now, there's no word on who or what caused the fire here at the Hale home, but arson specialists have been called in. From what we've been told, there were 4 members of the Hale family who are in Intensive Care at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Sadly, there were a number of other people in the house when it caught fire, including friends of the family and 3 small children, who passed away from what has been determined smoke inhalation. Names of the deceased victims have not yet been released, as police are still contacting family. More on the condition of the 4 survivors coming to you at 5. This is Melissa Ponzio, Channel 9 news."
"Mom we have to see him!" Scott pleaded to his mother as he and Isaac followed her down the hallway and into an empty room in the hospital. "Scott," Melissa McCall shook her head, "I can't let you in. Sheriff Stilinski's men are posted at all the doors with orders to keep anyone who isn't hospital personnel out. There's noth-" "Mom, it's important, we have to see Derek, we can get past the guards, just keep them from coming in the room." "Scott-" "Mom, please, I wouldn't ask if it weren't important.." Melissa bit her lip as she looked tentatively between her son and Isaac. "You promise you won't do anything to cause trouble?" "Mom I swear." With a heavy sigh Melissa lead the boys out of the room and down the hall to Derek's room. "Hi, Deputy Parrish is it?" "Yes ma'am." "We need you to fill out some papers for a moment, would that be all right?" "Sure thing, miss." The deputy followed Melissa just a few feet down the hallway to the nurse's station while Scott and Isaac quickly entered Derek's room and locked the door.
"Derek, can you hear me?" "Dude he's half dead, of course he can't hear you." Scott approached the bed, "Derek," he shook the lump in the blankets, "Derek!" he half whispered-half screamed. "Oh no," just as Isaac's words escaped his lips, Scott felt his stomach dropped as he gripped the top of the blanket. Just as he began to pull the blanket down, preparing for the worst, "I can hear you just fine." The sudden voice scared Isaac and Scott, causing a small yelp to escape from both of their lips. "Shut up!" Derek picked the pillow up from the bed and slung it at his beta. "Do you wanna get caught in here?"
"Derek you're okay!" Isaac was relieved to see his alpha up and walking around, able to move fast enough to throw the pillow and strong enough to pry open the window. Wait, what? "How are you doing this? The news said you were in critical condition. Werewolf or not, jumping out of a second story window is gonna do some damage.." As Isaac stood by the bed questioning Derek's condition, Scott approached the door to the room and slowly pulled back the curtain, greeted by the back of someone's head. "Guys, the cop is back, keep your voices down.
Derek squinted angrily towards his beta. "It's a window, Isaac. Not a semi." Derek pulled on his leather jacket and slipped on his shoes as he positioned half of his body out of the window. "Well?" Scott and Isaac looked at each other then back to Derek. "Well what?" "Well are we gonna go talk or what?" "Derek you can't just leave the hospital!" "Watch me." Derek slid out of the windowsill and onto the ground below, pausing only a moment to ask, "So are you coming or what?"
Isaac looked out the window at his alpha, then back to Scott, then again to Derek before taking a few steps towards the window. "Isaac," "Dude, it'll be fine..he'll heal. He's a werewolf, remember?" Isaac hopped out the window to join Derek. "Why can't I just have a normal life for once?" Scott reluctantly climbed out of the window to follow Isaac and Derek.
"Hey, Derek," the three boys had been sitting in the woods in complete silence for quite some time now, Scott's voice the first sound of anything since they left the hospital. "Yeah?" "What...happened?" Derek sat in silence, he knew that one of them would ask him eventually, he knew everyone would ask, but he had hoped it wouldn't be this soon. "Derek?" Scott asked, his tone still calm, but tinged with an undertone of pleading. "I honestly don't know, Scott."
Derek shifted uneasily in his seat on the ground, crossing his legs and holding his head in his hands. "I don't know what happened." Scott was frustrated with Derek's answer but he knew not to press it. Isaac placed his hand on Derek's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze before placing it back in his jacket pocket. Derek lightly scratched at his head, "I remember taking Erica back to school and then coming home."
"Cora called me right when I was pulling in to tell me about mom cooking, and then when I went in mom handed me some plates. All the little kids were-" Derek's words caught in his throat as he choked back tears. "Derek, this can wait-" Scott spoke up, realizing just how hard this was for him. Derek sighed, "The little kids were all playing in the basement. Mom called them up for dinner. We were all at the table eating and then Cora smelled fire. Mom got up to check and didn't see anything, but then just seconds later the fire came bursting through the floorboards in the kitchen."
Isaac's heartbeat began to rise, he didn't want Derek to finish because he already knew what happened. He already knew that no matter what police think happened or what Derek says happened, he knows that in the end, there's still an entire family slaughtered, including the girl of his dreams. "Everyone started freaking out, none of the doors would open..in seconds the fire seemed to just takeover the entire house.." Derek trailed off, pausing only to wipe the tears welling in his eyes. "I don't know how, but Cora and Peter got out of the room and disappeared. I didn't know where they went at first but I just focused on getting mom out. It was getting so hard to breathe, the whole room was black with smoke, it was so hot, the only person I could find was mom. We made it to the stairs and I could hear Cora calling for us. We got out the window and I tried to go back," Derek's jaw tensed as he sniffed away tears, "I tried to save them, but Peter pulled me away just as the ceiling caved in.." "Derek," Scott gave Derek's shoulder a squeeze, "There was nothing you could do-" "I should have tried harder, I should-" "Derek, it wasn't your fault," Isaac said quietly. Derek's fists were clenched so tight his nails were cutting into his skin, his knuckles were snow white, and his heartbeat was so fast Scott almost couldn't hear the individual beats.
Derek shot up from the ground, snarling with rage, taking off deeper into the woods. "Derek!" Scott and Isaac called for him but he kept running. The boys stood and followed him, finding it hard to keep up with the shifted wolf in front of them. Before they knew it, the three boys ended up at what was left of the Hale home, quickly ducking behind trees to hide from the police and fire investigators who were scavenging the scene for clues. Derek shifted back, slumping down to the ground with his head in his hands. The sight of his home burned almost completely to the ground sent him a wave of grief, washing over him, relinquishing any anger he had previously had and replacing it with the deepest sorrow imaginable for one man.
Isaac didn't know what to do; should he console his alpha or should he give him his space? Scott stepped towards Derek, leaning down, and began to tell him something. He spoke only loud enough for Derek to hear, leaving Isaac leaning against a nearby tree. As Isaac looked down at his feet, he noticed the ground surrounding the three wolves had been trampled by half a dozen different people. "Guys," Isaac half shouted, half whispered, "look at the ground. Look at all the footprints!"
Scott and Derek slowly stood looking at the ground and all of the shoe marks. "This place is a crime scene Isaac, do you know how many officers have gone through here?" Derek shrugged off Isaac and slumped back down to the ground, looking to one of the prints beside him. "Except policemen don't wear Nikes." Derek pointed to the very clear check mark logo dug into the middle of the shoe print. "And," Isaac added, "This is almost 20, maybe 25 feet away from where the police tape ends. No way any of them would be here." Derek quickly stood and followed the set of Nike footprints, Scott and Isaac close behind.
The prints lead the boys towards the back of the hale home. After letting a leaving officer pass by before approaching the window, Derek quickly scanned the ground, making sure the prints were the same. "Look!" Scott said as he stepped towards the house and began to rub his fingers along the edge of the shutters. "Something was screwed in here."