A/N: Thanks to all of you who continue to read this and who understand what I am trying to achieve with this story. Love you all even if I never meet or speak to you! Anyhoo, another chapter and this will be the last one this year. Christmas is a busy time for me and I'll have no time for writing or sleeping it seems. I'll be posting again in the new year and hopefully will try and post more rather than once a month. Don't hold me to that as this year was supposed to be quiet and I ended up in hospital so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a quiet 2014.
Always, a mahoosive thank you to Noturbaby.
Chapter 14: N for Notice
Faith sat at the dining room table, her head laid on top of her crossed arms. Her head was swimming and she figured she probably had a slight concussion as she could feel the light tremors through her fingers but she wasn't divulging that to Stiles; who was currently retrieving the now familiar, and newly stocked, first aid box from the kitchen. She could feel her hair was matted with blood and the sticky, thick residue was soaked into another one of her shirts. Stiles had once remarked that she wore black a lot and she had commented that it wasn't just for style but for ease. You learned quickly after throwing out a couple of blood stained shirts that black was the go to colour for slaying. He'd mumbled that probably explained why Derek wore black mostly, and not, which he originally thought, that it was his soul manifesting itself on the outside.
She took a deep breath and allowed herself a moment to evaluate the evening's events. She'd had her ass kicked – again – by the Alpha, Peter Hale. He'd knocked her out twice now and she couldn't help but feel the blow to her ego and now that she knew who he was she wasn't going to underestimate the bastard again.
Peter Hale knew she was a Slayer and the little creepy display he put on for Derek still made her skin crawl. The quips about her skin, the caressing, and being part of his pack brought bile to her throat. She vowed that if he even tried to bite her then she'd rip his fangs out one by one with her bare hands; the same if he decided to go for Stiles. She'd probably do worse if he went for Stiles but for now she trying really hard to focus on not getting even angrier.
She knew she was on the precipice and deep breathing was only doing so much but she knew that she couldn't lose it in front of Stiles. Dealing with a pissed off werewolf was one thing but a pissed off Slayer was something else entirely and she could see he'd already been shaken by tonight's events; he'd barely spoken once they crossed the door's threshold.
Faith knew she had to keep a level head, even if all she wanted to do was grab every piece of weaponry she had brought with her and go after Peter. She cursed that she didn't have the scythe with her, or that Dawn had refused to let her take it. The guilt she felt at leaving Derek behind was also eating away at her, fuelling her anger more. She really hoped he was alright and he hadn't done anything stupid, or worse.
"Faith?" Stiles asked quietly, worry evident in his tone.
Faith raised her head, her chin now resting on her arms, and gazed up at her little cousin blankly. He looked tired, worried and stressed; the same look he had when he'd patched her up last time and her guilt increased with that thought, her fists clenched slightly.
"I'm fine kiddo," she answered absently, not believing that she was even close to being fine. She raised herself up from her arms, sitting back in the chair.
"I'm not the only bad liar you know," Stiles said as he took a seat in front of her. He placed the first aid box on the table and began to pull out the contents, avoiding making any eye contact with her.
"You want the truth, huh?" Faith snorted, crossing her arms defiantly as Stiles looked up at her. "Why? Will it set me free? Make everything instantly all better?" she snapped at him. When Stiles remained silent, unable to give her an answer she continued, "Do you want to know how close I am to just walking out of this house, going back to that hospital and ripping Peter Hale apart?" She stood, pushing herself back from the chair, her hands placed on the table. "I haven't slayed anything since I've got here and considering I could average three or four vamps a night and a big bad every other week then you can probably tell that this," she indicated to the space around her, "isn't the norm for me. I've had my ass handed to me not once, but twice by that fucker and I would like nothing more than to hunt the bastard down and take him apart like he's done to all his other victims," she paused as she watched Stiles eyes widen at her confession. She figured she'd started so she carried on with her open honesty, "I'm also pissed that I couldn't do anything but watch as he had me trapped. I could have tried to take him down and maybe he'd have ripped my throat out but what stopped me wasn't my own safety… but yours. I die then he'd have gone after you and I couldn't let that happen." Faith sighed deeply, sagging down into the chair. "There's a reason Slayers were taken from their families. No contact, no nothing."
"We're a distraction," Stiles surmised. His gaze was settled on the table top, shoulders hunched, "A liability."
Faith hung her head. "Yeah," she whispered. She looked at Stiles' dejected posture and winced slightly. "But if something had happened to you and I wasn't here then I'd never forgive myself," she confessed softly, "but I am here and if I have to get my ass kicked a couple of times to protect you then that's what I'll do. It doesn't make me happy and maybe a little angry." She gave a small laugh at the dubious expression from Stiles. "Ok, really angry but I'm not gonna regret being here or getting involved in all this shit. I'm not pissed at you, you have to know that. I'm pissed at myself more than anything."
"For feeling weak?" Stiles asked curiously.
Faith shook her head. "Nah, I'm finally realising how Buffy felt all those years trying to protect her mom and Dawn from everything. I just have to adjust to it that's all. Besides, it's easier with you. Dawn got herself kidnapped more often than not and caused far more trouble."
"You haven't been here long enough to assume that," Stiles grinned.
"I hope not," Faith matched his grin with one of her own. "You don't need to patch me up this time kiddo. A shower to get rid of all the blood will be fine."
Stiles eyed Faith warily. "You sure? You have a pretty nasty head wound. You might have a concussion. Oh God, what if you have brain damage or something?"
"I'm no longer dizzy and all I have is a throbbing headache. This will all heal, remember?" Faith said, indicating to all the cuts and bruises that adorned her neck. She hadn't looked at them yet but she could feel that they were there every time she moved her neck; Peter's claws had probably done a real number on her this time. She raised herself from the chair. "You gonna be ok down here while I shower?"
Stiles nodded as he snapped the first aid box closed before getting out of his own chair. "I'll just put this back then and try and clean myself up a bit."
Faith disappeared with another nod, heading up stairs for a much needed shower and some quiet time alone where she could gather her thoughts and figure out what the hell they were going to do. She appeared later, freshly showered, wearing sweats and a worn Sunnydale High hoodie she had swiped from Dawn before she left Cleveland. The hoodie was large enough that it covered most of the bruises on her neck and her hair covered the rest; the only thing anyone would be able to see would be the cut on her lip which was nearly healed as it hadn't been so deep. The bump on her head was still there and slightly tender, something she quickly realised when attempting to wash her hair and the open wound was now clotted closed and hidden beneath her hair. She'd long since stopped bleeding but it still slightly unnerved her when she watched her blood slowly disappearing down the plug hole with all the shower water.
"Fresh, clean and good as new," she shouted as she walked downstairs. She walked around to find Stiles standing at the kitchen sink, his back to her. She could hear the water running and he looked to be washing his hands. As she edged closer, she could see the steam coming from the water and the intense way Stiles was focussed on cleaning his hands. "Stiles?"
She quickly moved around him as she watched his shoulders give a small shake, turning off the facet and spinning Stiles around to face her. She grabbed his wet hands, red and raw from the severe scouring they had received, which had him looking up at her in shock.
"Hey, Stiles. You ok kiddo?" Faith asked softly. When she received no answer, she grabbed the towel from beside them and began to dry his hands carefully. "You want to tell me what this is about?"
Stiles watched her closely as she gently dried off his hands. "There was blood and I couldn't get it off," he finally choked out. "It wouldn't go away."
Faith glanced at him worriedly. "Well, it's gone now. See," she pulled his hands from the towel, throwing it back where she got it and carefully clasped his hands, holding them palm up to show him they were blood free. "Nothing there anymore."
Stiles pulled his hands back, rubbing them together anxiously. "I don't know why… I mean, it's not the first time but…," he tried to express. "I didn't react like this last time."
"Shock maybe or something like it. There's probably a long scientific name for it somewhere and Giles probably knows it," Faith said. "You haven't had blood on your hands before. It affects people differently. It's ok."
"It doesn't feel ok," Stiles whispered. "It didn't feel right having your blood all over my hands. I just kept thinking that I had to get rid of it." He looked up at her with wide questioning eyes, "How do you get used to it?"
Faith frowned, her attention focussed on her own hands. "You don't. I'm not worried about what just happened. I'd be seriously worried if you hadn't reacted at all."
"You didn't," Stiles pointed out, his gaze locked at his feet.
"Of course I didn't with you here," she stated, rolling her eyes at him, "and I'll deal with it later. Now, you…," she was interrupted by the front door opening and slamming shut.
"Faith! Stiles!" Her uncle's voice came from the hall. "Anyone home?"
Stiles looked up to Faith in fear. She grasped his shoulders tightly, reassuring. They'd both forgot in the ensuing chaos of the night about Stiles' game or that her uncle was going to be there and sounded as though he'd been looking for them.
"In here Uncle Stan," Faith shouted as Stiles' eyes widened; his head shaking violently from side to side. "Follow my lead," she whispered calmly, "and don't worry."
Faith turned as her uncle paused in the doorway to the kitchen. "Hey Uncle Stan, what's up?" she smiled.
"What's up is I just came back from the game, you know Stiles, the game you were supposed to be playing first line in and instead I find you both here. Care to explain?" The Sheriff asked, looking from Stiles to Faith.
"It's my fault," Faith said, bring her uncle's attention on her and away from Stiles. "I went out for a run before the game, and I stupidly wasn't looking where I was going and well, I kinda ended up having an accident," she easily explained. When seeing the concerned look from her uncle she continued, "Everything is fine now and I'm ok but I needed Stiles' help as I took a nasty bump to the head."
At the mention of Stiles' name, the Sheriff looked to him. "Stiles?" the Sheriff questioned, arms crossing as he leaned against the doorframe.
Stiles followed Faith's lead effortlessly. "Yeah, I was just leaving when Faith called and I kind of panicked."
"And you didn't think to give me a call to let me know what happened?" The Sheriff admonished them both.
"My battery died and you know how this one is," Faith elbowed Stiles lightly with a smile, "he's always leaving his phone everywhere or obviously we would have called. However, Stiles was great and brought me home. As far as he's checked I still have all my marbles and no damage other than a knot to the back of my head." She lowered her head slightly in supposed shame, "We're sorry but it's kinda embarrassing having to admit my kid cousin saved my ass because I wasn't looking where I was going."
Faith watched her uncle melt a little at her act and her guilt twisted even further in her gut. She didn't like lying to her uncle, even if she had gotten exceptionally good at it over the years, but she knew that it still wasn't the best time to let him in on everything. Stiles looked like he was going to have a coronary when he'd heard his dad's voice and she knew she was protecting him more than herself at this point.
"If you're sure," the Sheriff eyed them both dubiously. "You don't want me to call Melissa McCall and see if she can look you over?"
Faith waved him off. "I'm good but I'll keep you posted if that changes. I was just heading to bed before you got in and was apologising to Stiles for causing him to miss his game. I know how much he was looking forward to it," she admitted sincerely, looking at Stiles. "I am really sorry kiddo."
Stiles gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "You would have done the same for me. I didn't really do much."
"Ignore him Uncle Stan. He saved me from being left out there all night," she said with a smile, draping her arm across Stiles' shoulders, pulling him tightly to her in a one armed hug. "You should be proud."
The Sheriff smiled at them both. "I am, but next time, and I hope there isn't, call me. Being the Sheriff means I fear the worst and as a parent, worse than that."
Faith gave him a nod. "It won't happen again."
"Well, I have to get back to work as I only got the time off for the game. If you two are good here then I'm going to head off."
"Stiles was just telling me how he was going to see Scott. This is all my fault so I hope he's not in too much trouble."
Faith really hoped that Stiles' coach wasn't too harsh with him. She'd heard from Stiles and Scott that he was a bit of a nut job and had severe emotional issues, anger and sarcasm being the main two but she'd already decided that she'd deal with Stiles' coach if did punish Stiles for missing the game. She dealt with anger and sarcasm on a daily basis in Cleveland from teenage girls, a high school coach would be a piece of cake.
"Well, Scott was heading to the locker room the last time I saw him so I'd check there first. Now I do really need to be heading out." The Sheriff hugged Faith a moment before clasping Stiles on the shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "You did good son."
Stiles blushed, lowering his head. "Thanks dad. Faith makes it sound more than it was."
"I'll be home late. Love you both."
The Sheriff gave them both a small wave before heading back out, leaving them alone in the kitchen. It wasn't until they heard the cruiser engine start and the car leave that Stiles and Faith let out a breath.
"You normally feel like this when you lie to your dad?" Faith asked Stiles as she leaned back against the countertop.
"Sweaty palms, heart racing and the constant need to have him just call you out on your bullshit before you burst under the scrutiny? Yeah," Stiles affirmed. "You're pretty good though, he didn't even give you the third degree or the stink eye."
"Perks of being a Slayer is you get really good at lying, as well as awesome health insurance," Faith joked. "I have a feeling that we just got away with that. I don't think he'll believe another one."
Stiles shook his head. "He can't ever know. If he knew then he'd get involved and if something happened…," he rushed out.
"If you're involved then he's involved kiddo. It's all a matter of time and he'd probably rather know before it's too late and don't think I don't get it, I do, more than you know," she said, crossing her arms and facing Stiles. "I'll go along with it for now," she relented to the worried expression from him.
Stiles nodded solemnly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks."
"No more freak outs?" Faith queried. "I tend to suck at the emotional heart to hearts but I will listen if you need to talk. You know you aren't on your own anymore kiddo, right?"
"Right," Stiles agreed, giving a nod. "No more freak outs and thanks for before." He nodded to the sink behind him.
Faith gave a soft shrug. "It happens. Now, I wasn't lying about you going to find Scott. He needs to know what's going on before Peter decides he wants a reunion with his protégé." Stiles nodded at her again as he walked with Faith to the front door. "And Stiles," she stopped at the threshold of the doorway, "be careful."
"I will."
Before Stiles could head out he was stopped by Faith's hand on his arm. He turned his gaze to her in question.
"I am sorry about your game," she expressed regretfully. As Stiles went to speak she quickly added, "I mean it and I'll make it up to you."
Stiles shrugged. "It was only one game and there will always be others. I only have one of you." Faith gave him a small smile as he proceeded on his journey to his jeep. "Besides," he called out as he opened the driver's side door, "you're way more important than some stupid game… Just don't tell Coach I said that," he added hastily as he got in.
Faith watched as he drove off, giving a small prayer for his safety. She knew he'd be fine but it made her feel a little better for doing it. She closed the door behind her, locking it before turning all the lights in the house off and making her way upstairs to her bedroom. While she hadn't been lying about needing sleep, she had hastened to mention that she was a little off and the throbbing from her head was beginning to bother her.
When she approached the last step she heard a faint thud from her bedroom that had her senses on full alert. She rushed towards her bedroom door, pushing it open with a little more force than she wanted as she heard it slam against the wall.
Faith was met with Derek attempting to escape out the open window but had only gotten half way; a familiar black duffle bag was clinched in his hands.
"Well, when most of my one night stands would sneak out the next day they would have the common decency to at least not know my name," she said heatedly, switching on the bedroom light, illuminating them both. "It makes it easy for both parties. You, on the other hand, know my name and if I recall clearly, snuggled with me for most of the night." She paused, watching as Derek pulled himself back into the room; his back was to her and his shoulders hunched over. Faith thought he looked almost apologetic in his stance but she ignored it as she disappointedly said, "I have to say Hale, this kinda hurts."
Derek stood with his back to Faith, unwilling to turn around and see the disappointment he was sure to see in her expression. He had figured that he would be in and out within seconds but he hadn't counted on her hearing him or moving as fast she did, then again he should have. He figured that all the mental face palming he's been doing lately in regards to Faith Lehane was soon going to start leaving a mark.
He turned slightly to see Faith watching him carefully as if any sudden move she made would have him running; she wasn't wrong. He knew that she probably had questions and he definitely had a few of his own.
It was with a deep sigh that he turned to face her fully, dropping the duffle to floor at his feet. They both stood in silence; Faith taking in Derek's entire demeanour, looking for some clue as to what had happened after she left the hospital, whereas Derek was cataloguing each and every one of Faith's injuries. He couldn't see all of them but he knew they were there; the scent of her blood permeated the air around them. The thing that suddenly struck him was the rate at which the visible wounds were healing. He'd known in the hospital that her head wound had been bad from the amount of blood coursing down her neck and the cut on her lip had been more prominent and would have taken a while to heal… for a human.
"What are you?" He asked finally, breaking the silence between them. He took a step forward but stopped as he watched Faith narrow her eyes at him.
Faith sighed, finally surrendering herself to the inevitable. "I suppose this is a good a time as any, right? Tell you who I am before Peter does."
Derek shook his head. "He wouldn't tell me anything. We had… other things to discuss." Derek wasn't mentioning that he kept Peter's attention as far away from Faith as he could. He didn't like that Peter knew who she was, or rather, what she was and he certainly didn't like his uncle's ideas for her either; he could barely contain his anger that he'd marked her, he didn't want to think what he'd do if he bit her.
"Like the fact he killed your sister or that he bit an innocent kid, or maybe, that he's been killing off members of the public like some kind of serial killer?" Faith spat at him. "No? Tell me, what the hell made you not want to kill him?"
"It was an accident. It happens sometimes," Derek said blankly.
Faith reeled, shocked at his words and that he was showing less emotion than normal; she didn't think that could be possible. "It happens sometimes?" she repeated. "You heard that, right? You actually heard those words that came out of your mouth?"
"He's family!" Derek growled at her.
"He killed Laura!" Faith argued.
"You know nothing!" Derek shouted. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "He told me what happened that night and…,"
Faith gave a short laugh, interrupting him. "He's lying to you."
"So are you," Derek countered back. "I'm pretty sure I heard Peter call you a warrior. Care to explain that or was he lying about that too?"
"I remember that fine," Faith said with a sneer. "It was around the same time he was stroking me like a damn pet!" She couldn't help the smirk when Derek let out a small growl. "Yeah, I wasn't the only one who didn't like that. He bad touches me again and I'll declaw him, permanently."
"Doesn't hide the fact that he was right and he was, wasn't he?"
Faith gave a non-committal shrug. "Warrior, soldier, it's all the same thing, except I'm neither. I'm, we're, different."
"We?" Derek asked, pushing her more information.
"Once upon a time there used to be only one. Then there were two, and now… now there's an army of us all over the world," Faith explained wearily, settling herself against the wall behind her. "Bear with me as I tend to leave Dawn and Andrew to this shit, but I think it goes something like this. Into every generation blah, blah, blah, one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the … strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of yadda, yadda," she rattled off, absently waving her hand around. She continued on, "Something or other to do with bad guys… to stop the spread of their evil and whatnot. She is the…"
"Slayer," Derek choked out. He took an involuntary step back as Faith looked at him in shock.
"You know of Slayers?" Faith pushed herself off the wall and took a step towards Derek. "How the hell do you know…?" she trailed off as she watched Derek stepping back from her, his eyes wide with shock and fear. She stopped, raising her hands up in a placating gesture. "Hey, are you…?" Faith shook her head at him; she knew fear when she saw it and she couldn't believe that Derek was afraid of her. "Derek… Do you think I'm going to hurt you?"
Derek shook his head but Faith could see that he was alert and looked as though he was ready to jump through the window. To prove her point, she took another step forward, watching as Derek moved back further.
"I'm not going to hurt you," she said calmly, slightly hurt that he would think she would change in the three seconds it took for him to find out what she was.
"Slayers are extremely dangerous," he pointed out. "There's been tales, stories of them murdering wolves." He shook his head slightly. "They were just myths, legends passed down except... You aren't supposed to be real."
Faith gave a slight movement of her shoulders. "You're looking at a living legend right here." She received a disdainful look in return. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. Derek, murdering isn't their style, believe me. They frown upon stuff like that. It makes them look bad," she said simply. She took a step toward him again, hands still raised in peace. "Can you please stop looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" he asked, eying her warily. He watched every step she made towards him.
"Like I've suddenly went from your friend to the enemy. I'm not your enemy. I haven't been your enemy the entire time I've been here." Faith stopped when she got as close as he was allowing her to get without bolting.
"What the hell am I supposed to think? You come out with the fact that you are a Slayer. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? You are just some bedtime story. You just can't be."
"Any ideas on what you think I can be?" she asked. "Stiles had more than a few ideas before I told him. Of course, they were all superheroes of some sort. I kinda liked the thought of being a Jedi but he nixed that when he realised I didn't have force powers or a lightsaber."
"This isn't funny." He pointed angrily at her.
"It depends on your definition of funny, but it doesn't change the fact that I am a Slayer. I have been now for over eight years and I'm pretty fucking good at it."
Derek shook his head at her, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is insane."
"Let's look at the evidence, shall we? I can heal pretty fast, as I know you've noticed. See." Faith held up her wrists, allowing the arms of the hoodie to pull back, showing Derek they were bruise free now after the incident in the car from the night before. "Not a mark. They were gone before I woke up this morning. I nearly put you through a wall and don't forget the tree too. I took quite a beating from your uncle – twice - and I'm still standing. Shall I go on with how I can surprise you at every turn or maybe that I knew what you were the moment I laid my hands on you?"
"Is that why you are here?" He asked. "You came here to kill the Alpha?"
Faith gave her head a small shake, stepping back from Derek. "I checked this place out before I got here and there was nothing to hint about werewolves or even the killings. Then again, I was looking at it from a Hellmouth point of view but it still stands that I found nothing and then I get here and find Stiles up to his neck in werewolf business." She fell back against the wall, sliding down until she sat on the floor. "I came to meet the family I hadn't seen in years because the moment I was shown the world of vampires and demons I made the decision to cut them completely out of my life. Stiles was just a little kid and it would be cruel to involve my aunt and uncle in a world they knew nothing about and would probably get them killed" She gave a short, sharp laugh. "Funny how it caught up to them anyway."
"So, that's why you stayed away; to protect them from you," Derek concluded, sitting down, opposite Faith, his back to the wall and the window above him. "Makes sense."
At that moment Stiles' ringtone went off, the sound coming from the pocket of Faith's sweatpants. She grabbed it, pressing the button to answer it, putting it on loudspeaker. She figured that now Derek knew she didn't have to hide anything anymore.
"Yeah kiddo, everything ok?" She asked.
Stiles voice reverberated through the quiet room. "I found Scott at the school. We have a serious problem. Peter and Derek got to him first."
Faith's gaze shot to Derek, her mouth pressed in a hard line. Derek stood swiftly, preparing to leave but Faith had him pinned against the window, one hand on his chest and the other still clasping the phone before he could even turn to go.
"Stay right where you are," she mouthed to him, eyes narrowing. He could feel the heat of her hand through his shirt and a slight tremble which he attributed to her anger; he gave in without a fight. He knew she was just as protective of Scott as she was of Stiles and going after him tonight had crossed a serious line.
"He isn't hurt?" she asked Stiles, her eyes never leaving Derek.
"Not physically," Stiles answered, as Faith glared harder at Derek. "But they want Scott as part of their pack. Apparently Derek has gone over to the darkside, like the big traitor he is. I saw that coming from a mile away." Faith and Derek both rolled their eyes at the phone. "Peter nearly brain fried Scott by giving him his memories or something. He's kind of out of it so I'm taking him home."
"Good. Stay with him and both of you come here in the morning."
"You sure? What if Peter and Derek come for you next? Peter knows what you are now and what if he...," Stiles panicked.
"They won't," Faith said confidently, she raised her eyebrow to Derek in a silent question, 'Will he?' Derek shook his head in answer. "Get Scott home and I'll see you both tomorrow." Faith hung up without hearing Stiles reply, discarding her phone onto the bed.
"Before you say anything…," Derek tried to explain to her.
"Oh like, I'm going to kill your uncle and if you try and stop me I'll kill you too?" Faith answered, pushing away from him.
"You won't hurt me," Derek stated, arms crossed, daring her to deny it.
"That was until you hurt Scott," Faith reasoned. "You hurt him, I hurt you. It goes the same for anyone I care about."
"I didn't touch him."
"Peter did," Faith pointed to him, eyes narrowing again. "And I bet you stood by and did nothing."
"You wouldn't understand. Pack is family, it's everything. Peter is the only family I've got left," Derek said, pushing himself from the window.
"He's killed people," Faith shouted, as Derek huffed at her. "Innocent or not, he's now got blood on his hands and I can't ignore that. He nearly killed me at the school and you too or did you forget that? How about that he's trying to get Scott to kill his friends?"
Derek paced the length of the window. "That wasn't him. That was the wolf, instinct. He didn't know what he was doing."
Faith's eyes followed Derek's steps. She could see he was trying not to let his temper rise but she needed him to see the truth and so she pushed him further. "That's not an excuse. He took human lives. It changes you."
"Like you would know?" Derek paused in his pacing, facing her. "A Slayer doesn't murder, isn't that what you said? They kill vampires, demons and every other supernatural creature out there. Humans aren't something you deal with, is it?" He moved towards her.
Faith shook her head slowly. "I know a hell of a lot better than you do. Have you killed a human, Derek? Killed an innocent? Truly taken a life and felt no remorse? That is something you don't come back from and if you do, you will always carry a piece of darkness with you, haunting your every waking moment. It changes you from deep within and there is no excuse. It's damnation and Peter is far beyond redemption." Faith got up to see Derek watching her with wide and questioning eyes; she could see his desire for answers. "What? Does that shock you Derek Hale? I'm no saint and I never said I was." She let out a breath. "I'm proof that when a Slayer goes bad, she goes truly evil." She looked at Derek with tired eyes. "You got anywhere to be tonight?" she asked him.
Derek shook his head. "I've already hit my scare quota for today," he said dryly. "Do you think we'll have this heart to heart and everything will be fine, it won't."
She gave him a small smile. "Probably not but ever since I met you I've had the compulsion to tell you everything. I nearly spilled my guts, figuratively of course, in the kitchen today but Stiles really does have the most perfect timing."
"That's not entirely true," Derek grinned at her. "I clearly remember the kitchen going in a different direction from talking."
"Fuck you very much with the flirting right now. Where was that in the beginning?" Derek merely gave her a shrug in response. "And actually I do mean the truth. It's time you knew." Faith sat back down on the floor, legs stretched out in front of her and her back against the bottom of her bed. She looked up at Derek, patting the space beside her. "I suggest you get comfy, we're going to be here a while."
Derek sighed, making a show of rolling his eyes before removing his leather jacket and sitting down beside Faith, mimicking her position. "This is stupid. What makes you think I'm going to believe anything you say?"
Faith placed her hand to her heart, giving it a light tap. "Because you'll know," she indicated. "Besides, not even Stiles knows everything yet. There will be a time and place for that to happen and the time for you is now."
Derek shrugged. "Nothing you can tell me will change this or make me think differently."
"Is that so, huh?" He nodded at her as she smirked. "I think you'll find that who I used to be, what I've done, makes hunters like Kate Argent look like baby faced amateurs in comparison." Derek stared at her cautiously; unable to form words.
"I think it's best if I start from the beginning…," she began.
Sheriff Stilinski sat at his desk in his quiet office, the only source of light from the lamp behind him, as he poured over the statement from Adrian Harris. He'd questioned his son's Chemistry teacher before going to the lacrosse game but hadn't figured on what he would be told. Six years ago, Adrian Harris had, in his inebriated stated, told some mysterious woman how easy it was to commit arson and get away with it.
The Sheriff had been angry that Harris had kept it a secret for so long, all the while knowing that his disclosure had most likely been the instigator for the Hale house burning down. The Sheriff had known for years that the Hale house fire wasn't an open and shut case but with no hard evidence to prove it or any evidence really, there was nothing he could do. He hadn't been Sheriff six years ago and could only go by what they had found; those images from that day still plagued him and the haunted faces of Derek and Laura Hale as they were told about the demise of their entire family. He had never wanted to think of what he would do if he lost someone he loved but that was to happen years later when he lost his wife.
Now, it turns out that it was no accident, which meant a new investigation and thanks to Harris, they had a lot more than before. The crude image that Harris had drawn for him of her necklace was the only real lead they had to the mysterious woman but at least it was something. The murders in town looked to be likely part of the case but there was nothing tying it together just yet and all he had to go on was gut instinct.
The sudden reappearance of Laura Hale and her subsequent death showed that she may have been onto something and was taken out because of what she may or may not have known. He never believed that Derek Hale killed his sister, despite the evidence that Stiles and Scott had literally unearthed but he still had to do his job. It helped that the kid had one hell of an alibi and hadn't even been in Beacon Hills the night his sister had died; the multiple speeding tickets he had received in different states had saved his ass. It still begged the question; did Laura tell her brother what she had discovered? Even if she had, the Sheriff had no probable cause to approach the guy and ask. Still, they were yet to find him after the episode at the school. The Sheriff knew that there was a whole other story about that night and that something didn't ring true with the statement the kids had given him, just like the parent/teacher night with the mountain lion. He knew he wasn't as oblivious as to what was happening as some people thought he was, he noticed things a lot more often than not but it was hard to do your job when people were lying to you constantly. The Sheriff was lumping Stiles into that category even though it pained him to do so.
Even with all this new information it was still giving them more questions than answers but the Sheriff would take what he could get at this moment. He had the safety of the people of the town as well as his superiors to worry about.
It didn't help that things had been getting weird in town, in spite of the current death toll, and he knew, call it a sixth sense, that his son knew something about it and was probably up to his eyeballs with it too and after tonight, he suspected that his niece knew something also.
They may not have been lying outright tonight about the real reason as to why Stiles missed his game but he was a parent first and foremost and he was calling bullshit on the pair of them. He could have called them out on it but the bond they now shared meant that neither was willing to give up the other; he'd be happy about their protectiveness of each other if he didn't find it so exasperating.
The Sheriff loved his niece dearly and had missed her after all those years but he couldn't help but notice a few things about her. It wasn't anything he worried about per se, it was more that he had a feeling there was something else to her back story that she wasn't telling. At first he thought she may have military training considering her habit about situating herself in a room so that she was facing the door or that she always had her back to the wall and would silently survey her surroundings, but after a while he came to the understanding that military life didn't fit Faith at all. It was too disciplined and straight laced and she rarely graced the morning with her presence if she could help it. The running and training for hours had concerned him until he realised there was more to it than just getting fit; he could see her entire demeanour change after she'd been out for a couple of hours, becoming more relaxed and calm. Her knife skills when she'd first cooked them a meal had raised his eyebrows and Stiles if he remembered and not because they were worried she'd also adorned the Stilinski curse and was a bad cook, quite the contrary. She'd joked that a friend of hers was a chef and taught her a few things. He hadn't questioned any of it separately but together – some things weren't adding up.
It wasn't that Faith hadn't been very forth coming with her life, she had, and had told him about her job as a teacher at a prestigious girls school in Cleveland and about her travels around the world but whenever he'd mention her past or where she'd been all these years he would notice a wary look in her eye. He'd figured that it was because she was upset that they'd not kept in contact with her through the years but she'd reassured him several times that she'd understood and didn't hold it against them.
It wasn't until tonight that he'd really put any thought that there was something more to his niece. She was a good at the details of a story, keep them simple and no one will question you, unless your uncle is a sheriff and his son is Stiles Stilinski. There was a story there and the cop in him was determined to find out what it was.
He'd remembered when he and his wife, Stella had been told that Faith had been taken into foster care, it had been too late. His sister-in-law wasn't exactly forth coming with any information and after a lot of searching they had finally found out that Faith had been taken in by some unknown aunt and moved abroad. Stella had tried so many times to get in contact and retain some sort of relationship with her only niece but it had proved futile and after his wife's illness had been diagnosed, they'd had to stop and the Sheriff knew it had broken his wife's heart to do it.
Faith had grown into a beautiful woman and it had been disconcerting at first when he first saw her step out of her car that she'd gotten both her mother's and aunt's looks. He'd quickly become used to it and had been surprised that Stiles had too and now she fitted in so well with them. She came across as respectful, smart, had a sense of humour like Stiles' and could give it out just as easily as take it. He was still undecided about whether the both of them together would ever be a good thing after they ganged up on him about eating healthy.
He'd been more than happy that Faith and Stiles had grown close. Sure, he'd been a bit apprehensive but Stiles had been surprising in his enthusiasm to have his only cousin come and stay with them and had made a point to clean the house and get her room ready for her arrival.
The Sheriff had felt bad that he hadn't been able to spend a lot of time with Faith and hoped she hadn't felt neglected, but it wasn't until he'd arrived home late one night and had caught her with Scott and Stiles in the living room arguing with them about how 'button mashing' was a skill that he could see the relationship she'd built with both, that he needn't have worried. He had no idea what they had been talking about but it looked to do with whatever the game they were playing on the TV and had watched them fire arguments back and forth with Scott as spectator. It turned out that Faith had kept beating them and Stiles was now pouting about it whereas Scott hadn't looked so bothered. The Sheriff had quietly watched them for a while and after Faith had grabbed Stiles in a playful headlock, knuckles rubbing his head and had told him that she knew he loved her and he'd agreed, trying hard to sound reluctant, all with Scott laughing at them that he'd left the trio to it and had proceeded to go upstairs, a smile on his face and a warm feeling in his heart.
As much as he'd love for Faith to stay with them, he knew that she had a life somewhere else and responsibilities, to the students she taught and her employers. He knew Stiles probably wouldn't handle her leaving and he could be honest and say the he wouldn't either.
It just didn't help that with the secrecy tonight and the hesitance to talk about her past was clouding his mind.
It was with a deep sigh that he pushed those thoughts to the side and concentrated on the problem at hand, who really burnt down the Hale house all those years ago and why?
Derek sat beside Faith in complete and utter silence. He'd been physically unable to make any sound as he'd listened to Faith talk about her life and about who she really was. It was one thing to hear about Slayers in stories… but to actually hear from a Slayer herself was astounding. Being a werewolf, he knew there were other creatures out there however the sheer amount that was unnerving.
His unease about her being a Slayer had quickly dissipated after he begun to accept what she was telling him and the tales of what she'd gone up against began to unfold; the revelation that sparkly vampires were just as fictitious as the story they were from was somewhat comforting. He'd never actually come across a vampire, he didn't want to either but it was still good to know what he would be dealing with.
He didn't really know where to begin with his thoughts on what he was being told. He hadn't really expected her to tell him everything but she had; only stopping after she'd gotten to her arrival at Beacon Hills and had drifted off to sleep soon after. He didn't know how to feel or if he could really feel anything at this point and yet he couldn't bear to stop her at any point; the need to know had outweighed his desire not to.
Her admission in the beginning that she had been worse than Kate Argent had had him wanting to argue the contrary but the tales of her time in Sunnydale with the mayor, in Los Angeles, even the torturing and finally her reasons for going to jail had him quickly conceding. Regardless though, he knew deep down that she would never be, and was never like Kate. Kate was as far beyond any kind of atonement as any person could get in his opinion and he thought the same of himself. Derek could tell from her words alone that she was truly regretful of the mistakes she'd made and that ever since she'd accepted what had happened to her she'd been making sure to not let it rule her life and shape her future.
Derek was more shocked about the Slayer and Council life in general. With Faith being one of the oldest Slayers who'd ever lived, considering that most Slayers lived about two or three years max and even then they had to be pretty good, was a surprise. It was like a punch to the gut when Derek realised that Faith would most likely die young, should have and there wouldn't really be anything he could do about it. He didn't think when Stiles found that out he'd accept it as easily Faith had obviously done at some point in her life; Derek was having trouble himself but he'd forced himself not to show it.
Dawn was barely rising when Derek snapped out of his thoughts; realising suddenly that he'd been there the entire night. Faith looked vulnerable as she was tucked into his side as close as she could get without sitting on his lap, her right hand clasped tightly in his. He didn't know exactly when he'd taken her hand but he knew it was between the time her friend, her sister Slayer as she called her, Buffy had stabbed her for trying to kill her boyfriend and then watched as Faith had jumped off a roof to escape and when months later she'd finally broken apart in the arms of a vampire called Angel; his hand had wound around her clenched fists unconsciously as she'd fought to get the words out.
The scars had been the hardest not to react to. He had no physical scars himself but enough emotional ones that were etched into his own soul. Faith's scars and her blasé attitude to them were disconcerting for him and he'd longed to reach out and runs his fingertips over the one on her stomach that attributed to her being in a coma for eight months, but it was Peter's own marks that had him biting back a growl.
Now, he was unsure of what to do. He'd told Faith that nothing would change but it had and would forever be. She'd shared her entire life with him in one night, something she hadn't even told her own family, all the while knowing that he may never do the same. She trusted him enough and it seemed she had wanted to tell him since they'd met and he could admit that he had the same sort of feeling. He wasn't judging her for her past and hadn't at all that night but he couldn't believe she would do the same for him once she found out about everything.
Derek didn't even know how to tell Faith that he agreed with her about everything she'd said about Peter. He knew his uncle was lying to him and was no longer the man he remembered from years ago but a monster hell bent on revenge. Peter killed Laura and he would never forgive him regardless of what reasons he'd given to him hours before. His alliance with Peter was to make sure that he could keep an eye on him and to keep him as far from Faith as he could. Pure and simple.
Yet, Derek knew without a shadow of a doubt that Faith was going to go after Peter and kill him, and the question was – would he … could he let her? Or, could he do it himself and save her the trouble? Then again, he knew killing Peter himself would bring a whole heap of new problems but they paled in comparison as to what was happening now.
Derek yawned as he felt Faith curl snugly into his side seeking warmth. He squeezed her hand, smiling a little when she returned it even in her deep sleep. He guessed he had a few more hours before he'd need to leave and he wasn't looking to getting back to Peter any time soon. Derek settled back against the bed further, his cheek resting gently on top of Faith's head as he closed his eyes. He exhaled deeply as he allowed sleep to claim him.