Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Lyrics belong to Mumford and Sons.

A/N: Shit! Twenty-five chapters. Whoosh. It's a thing.

Enjoy!

Big Empty Houses

By: Ginny

Roll away your stone, I'll roll away mine

Together we can see what we will find

Don't leave me alone at this time,

For I am afraid of what I will discover inside

Previously:

When Paige glanced back at the lovebirds, she found Scott pressing a kiss to Allison's forehead. With a snarl, Paige stomped around the aisle and grabbed the younger beta by his hood. "Do something useful, would you!" she yelled.

Scott glared at Paige, but picked up Erica with ease.

And then, off to Derek they went.

Thankfully neither Isaac nor Boyd were at the hideout. Paige didn't know how they'd react to seeing their pack mate in such a state. And she really didn't want to have to tackle anyone to the ground to prevent them from trying to go after the kanima. Mostly because after cradling the girl's head in her lap for the car ride that might have lasted a few hours more than eternity, she was ready to go find Jackson and rip his face off.

"Derek!" Paige took off first. The scent told her that he was there – and she'd know his heartbeat anywhere.

Vaulting down the stairs, she burst into his train car. He was barely standing up from his mattress and when he saw her distraught face he sprinted out of the renovated car.

"What's wrong?" His hands were on her shoulders, suddenly. And then he tugged at her shirt to find the chunk of missing flesh that was only half healed. Who knew a chair could do so much damage? "What happened?"

"Don't worry about me!" Paige pulled away from him. "It's Erica!"

The next thing either of them knew, Scott was stepping into the car with Erica in his arms. Stiles was not far behind, stumbling as per usual.

"What happened?" Derek asked again as the boy put his burden down. Everyone knelt by the girl's side, expect for Paige who used the wall to prop herself up. She didn't know if she'd be able to get back up if she sat down at this point.

"The kanima," was all Scott had to say.

"Seizure," Paige added.

"Pull her up," Derek commanded.

Stiles situated himself behind Erica's head, cradling her and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. The girl was whimpering and Paige felt her heart tug a bit. The jerking just looked painful. "Is she dying?" Stiles asked, frantic.

"She might… I…" Derek looked the girl up and down at a loss. And then, his jaw tightened as he made up his mind. "Which is why this is going to hurt," he said. His hands slid along her wrist, up her arm and then he snapped the bones.

A scream echoed out of Erica's mouth.

"You broke her arm!" Stiles yelled at Derek.

"It'll trigger the healing process," he tried to explain. Paige knew the look on his face – he was lost and hurting a member of his pack was hurting him as well. And it was something that went beyond alpha instinct. She knew as an alpha, he was able to feel that Erica was in pain, just instinctively. But at some level, Derek felt responsible for these kids as well – and knowing that he had put them in a position to be hurt wasn't helping the situation. "I still have to get the venom out… This is where it's really gonna hurt." His claws dug into her arm and the blood started pooling onto the train car floor. The smell was overpowering and Paige slid to the ground.

This was too much.

Erica's screams reached a crescendo and then she was just gasping for breath. Paige didn't know if she had just lost the power to scream or the pain was slowly dripping away.

With gentleness Paige didn't know Stiles had, he pushed some of Erica's hair from her face. Groggily, she turned to look at the boy and then she smiled a bit. "Stiles… You make a good Batman," she told him. One of her hands reached up to touch his arm. Paige didn't know what the girl was talking about, but she wished she did. Despite not liking Stiles, she thought it was a touching moment.

And then Erica fainted.

Derek only continued to drain her blood for a few more moments. He glanced up and looked at each person in the train car. Stiles was too busy staring at Erica like he had only just started seeing her. Scott was frowning at the blood on the floor. Paige was the only one to meet his gaze. She knew what he was seeing – a pale girl covered in blood, who was distraught and scared.

When the alpha gently put Erica's arm down and stood, Scott finally snapped out of his thoughts. "Can we talk?" he asked Derek, who nodded.

Paige crossed into the gutted car and shuffled through some of the stuff she had taken to leaving behind. She knew she had left an old t-shirt she only wore to bed… Quickly, she found it and returned to her alpha's side. "Here," she said, holding the shirt out. Derek hesitated for a second and so Paige assured him, "It's very old. Just… get that blood off your hands."

This time he took it and then he exited the car. Scott trailed after him. With one last glance at Stiles holding Erica, Paige followed the boys.

"You know who it is," Scott instantly accused.

"…Jackson," Derek admitted, sitting himself down on one of the many barrels. Scott stood directly in front of the alpha, but Paige took her place at Derek's side.

"You just wanted Erica to confirm it, didn't you?"

Derek nodded and looked off a bit.

The young beta glanced off into the distance before he said, "I'm gonna help you stop it." There was a pregnant pause and then… "As part of your pack." Derek's head swiveled as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing and Paige perked up. What? "If you want me in, fine. But I'll only do it on one condition." Derek's eyebrows shot up as he physically inquired about what exactly that one condition was. "We're going to catch him, not kill him."

"And?" Derek asked.

"We do it my way," Scott concluded.

Paige bristled a bit, but Derek seemed to accept those conditions. "Okay," he shrugged a bit.

"Okay…" Scott looked a little relieved and for a moment Paige wondered if he had honestly thought that Derek would turn him down. Then the boy glanced back at the train car. "You'll take care of her?" he asked.

"She's pack," Paige explained. "Of course we'll take care of her." She hoped that she was making it seem like being part of the pack was a good thing.

That seemed to pacify him. Paige decided to go check on Stiles and Erica – not that she thought Stiles was any kind of threat to the wolf. They were right where she left them. But Stiles seemed a bit more relaxed. "She's going to be all right, right?" he asked, a little grey in the face.

Coming kneel beside him, she assured the boy, "She'll be just fine."

"Good, good," he muttered. "Uh… could you take her?"

"Of course," Paige slid on her knees to get closer to the unconscious girl. Gently, Stiles shifted her from his arms into Paige's waiting embrace.

"How's your arm?" he asked, gesturing to the wound.

"Healing," Paige muttered. She wished it would completely heal already because Erica's extra weight was making her arm ache. "I'll be fine."

Stiles kind of nodded and then he stood. "I'm… I'm going to go find Scott."

Paige let him go. Cradling her friend in her arms, she vaguely heard Scott and Stiles leave before Derek returned to the car. "Still out?" he asked.

"Out cold," she clarified. "But the shaking stopped." She glanced up at Derek. "I thought you said her seizures would stop."

He frowned, but didn't say anything. Paige didn't push.

Derek knelt down on her other side and lifted Erica's arm. Turning it over, he revealed that the skin was already knitting itself back together. Murmuring something about that being a good sign, he stood and disappeared into the renovated train car. When he returned, he had bandages. Gently, he wrapped Erica's wound and took her from Paige's arms. By that time, Paige didn't have the energy to follow him back into the other car. Instead, she pulled herself up and plopped into one of the attached chairs.

When her alpha returned, he sat down next to her. Briefly, he tugged at the collar of her jacket before she realized he was trying to take it off. Wincing, she helped him remove the garment and then her shirt followed.

"This wasn't the kanima," Derek commented.

"Not his claws," Paige clarified. She let him wrap the gauze around the wound. "He smashed a chair over me. Then he got at Erica. Then he wrote something on the chalkboard."

"Scott told me," he said. "He also told me that the kanima is being controlled by someone else." He tied off the gauze and slid his hand down to her own, lacing their fingers together. "I want to do this right. I made Jackson into what he is. It's my responsibility to fix this. Scott said that the kanima can become a werewolf if it settles whatever made it turn into a kanima in the first place. If we can find who's controlling it and stop them, maybe we can save Jackson."

"You feel guilty," Paige realized.

"I bit him," Derek said softly.

Her hand tightened around his and she decided to change the subject. "So, Scott is part of the pack now…"

Derek's thumb slid across her knuckles. "Yes, yes he is," he whispered. "One of the first times I interacted with Scott, he accused me of giving him the bite. He was so upset about it and I told him the bite was a gift. I told him that like it or not, we were brothers now. Sometimes it's felt like we were brothers, and sometimes like we were enemies."

"What does it feel like now?"

"Like the pack is becoming stronger…"

Paige slid a bit closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Maybe next year we can celebrate the Wolf Moon," she suggested quietly.

His heart was so steady and his breathing so peaceful. "Yes," he sighed. "I'd like that." There was a brief pause and then he reminded her, "Of course, you'll be in Illinois."

She pulled away a bit. "I…" The words were nowhere to be found. "Yeah," she finally muttered. And then she totally pulled her body from his. "I need to get home and face the scolding that's waiting for me. I can come back if you need help with Erica," she offered.

"No, I got it," Derek said.

At some level, she knew that he did want her to come back. But something was bothering him and he wasn't ready to discuss it. Paige figured it had something to do with her leaving California for college, but if he wasn't going to man up and tell her that he wanted her to stay, why should she?

Nodding, she pulled her shirt and jacket back on.

Before she left, she pressed a hesitant kiss on the scruff of his cheek. Almost as though to assure her that he wasn't completely shutting her out, he turned and caught her lips with his. She smiled against his mouth.

And then, it was time to face the music.

"A detention? We just had a talk with you about your behavior and instead of altering your choices for the better, you alter them for the worse." Her mother's frown dragged her mouth down a bit and deepened preexisting wrinkles.

"I wasn't involved in the fight," Paige tried to explain. "I was walking with my friend Erica and the next thing we know – these two guys are fighting. Other people pulled them off each other and then I stood in between them. The teacher who showed up didn't bother to actually figure out what was going on – he just gave everyone nearby a detention."

Her father continued to look at her skeptically. "You shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place," he told her simply.

"I thought I was helping," she said.

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions," he recited.

But they still didn't punish her – just sent her back to up to her room. It was more than she could ask for.

Exhausted, Paige shrugged her jacket off and pulled her sleeve up. The bandage hadn't become bloody and actually – she discovered when she lifted the gauze that it was mostly a scab now. Good, she'd be able to sleep comfortably… But she couldn't sleep yet.

Her research called to her.

The entire drive home, she had been thinking about the Wolf Moon and being here with her pack to celebrate it. If watching Erica screaming on the floor and damn near screaming right along with her had taught Paige anything it was that this pack meant everything to her.

She couldn't leave.

And so, if she couldn't leave that meant that she had to find a way to stay. Her parents wouldn't let her live under their roof or take their money unless she was at a four-year university. So – her search began.

There were some problems, of course. It was already February and some more prestigious schools in the area weren't accepting any more applications. But, there were still some universities that would take her, even this late in the year. Diligently, she complied a list. Applications could wait until tomorrow, she decided. And she didn't plan on telling Derek until he finally spoke up about wanting her to stay – or until his broody silence got too much for her to bare.

Taking a deep breath, she realized that this was exactly what she wanted.

"You definitely have got some color back," Paige commented with a sincere smile.

"Well, considering that last night our lovely alpha snapped my ulna like a cracker and then drained my blood all over the floor, yeah, I hope my super cool werewolf powers enable me to be functional the next day." Erica ran a hand through her limp blonde hair and leaned farther back against the wall.

The other beta had decided to wake up especially early the next morning so that she could pop in on her friend and see how she was doing. Part of her also wanted to maybe catch a glimpse of Derek before she went to school. She didn't really want to speak to the wolf, but she wanted to see him. Unfortunately, the alpha had gone to grab both himself and Erica some breakfast.

"I'm glad you still have your snark intact," Paige jested a bit. "That was initially my main concern when I was listening to you scream."

"I guess I was a pretty nasty sight last night, huh?"

The brunette shrugged casually. "If you're asking whether you creeped the Stilinski boy out, I think he was more focused on making sure you were all right. And you're right – he does make a good batman. When he isn't, you know, doing stuff that hurts Derek."

What little color Erica had gained back during the night quickly vacated her face. "I said that aloud?"

"He took it as a compliment," she assured her friend. "Don't worry. I think it's cute."

"It's not going to happen," Erica announced suddenly.

"What isn't?"

"Stiles and me," she clarified, giving a little sigh. "That was a different girl in a different body at a different time. But sometimes when I see him… my body just reacts the same way it used to. That's all."

The scent of freshly made bagels reached both of the girl's noses at the same time. Derek's footfalls reached them next and finally the door to the hideout opened. He of course had already known that Paige was there – he was just as familiar with Paige's scent as she was with his – if not more so because he'd been born a wolf. Holding up the bag of bagels, he announced, "Breakfast."

"Is there blueberry in there?" Paige asked, standing to approach him. While he hadn't known she was coming to visit, the fact remained that usually breakfast between the two lovers consisted of a blueberry bagel with nothing on it for Paige and an everything bagel with garlic cream cheese for Derek. She was hoping he had picked up a blueberry one on habit.

"Yeah," Derek simply said as he tossed her the bag.

"What about cinnamon raisin?" Erica spoke up as Paige pulled her favorite bagel from the bag and began to munch on it.

"Well, considering that that was what you asked me to pick up, I feel like it's safe to say that I bought it," the alpha snapped a bit. When Paige and Erica both frowned, he sighed and tugged off his jacket. "It's been a long night," he explained.

"Yeah. I know. I was there." Erica spoke tonelessly and with a minor scowl. Mostly, her whole expression and stance was weak. It had been a long night for her as well.

Paige glanced between the two and decided it was time to go. "I'm… gonna peace out," she announced.

"I'll walk you out," Derek offered.

There was a palpable silence up until they reached her car. Even the way they walked involved a bit of distance – Derek was dragging his feet and remained a good two feet behind her. Finally, Paige swallowed the rest of her bagel, turned around and without explanation wrapped her arms around his waist. She didn't like that she had missed out the night before – she should have stayed with Derek and Erica and helped the younger pack member throughout the night. That was part of the responsibility she had given herself as the eldest beta in the pack. It had felt wrong – her in her own bed back at her house and Erica sprawled on the floor of the train car, healing with painful slowness.

Gently pressing her face into his chest, she felt his own arms come to encircle her shoulders.

With some level of satisfaction, she realized she would in fact be able to go to school with Derek's scent on her. Those were always the best days – when her clothing would rustle and the smell of campfire and spice and old leather would reach her nose.

"Scott mentioned something about the vet," Derek finally said. "Apparently he knows a bit more than he's let on."

"Yeah," Paige murmured, suddenly sleepy. Being in the alpha's arms always kind of had that effect. "He healed Scott once and knew he was a werewolf. Also – there was some kind of barrier against wolves in the vet's office. Peter couldn't get in."

"I don't know what his game is, but we'll need to get all the help we can."

Paige couldn't help but agree. This was bigger than the pack – this was scary and strange and they had nearly lost Erica the night before. They wouldn't lose anyone else, Paige mentally decided.

"Are you going to go talk to him?" she asked.

"I'll talk to Scott first," he said. "And I'll keep you informed."

"Okay, thank you," she muttered distractedly. A yawn really wanted to work it's way out of her mouth, but she was too content hugging Derek to let go just yet. She could hold it in.

Snugging closer, she tightened her grip around him briefly. Half of her heart was encouraging her to tell him about her change in plans – she had compiled her list of schools and was planning to begin applications that night. The other half of her heart decided that she wanted to… test him a bit.

That sounded terrible, she knew but with a man like Derek – she wasn't sure exactly what he had in mind for them as a couple, or whatever they were. It was probably her teenage girl insecurity at work here, but once he had said that things would never work between the two of them. Sleeping with her probably meant that he had reconsidered some things. But whether he intended to make this last past graduation was another thing entirely. Personally, Paige was interested in making their… relationship last as long as possible. She had never felt like this about a boy. Quite honestly, she didn't think that Derek had much reason to want her gone – he had never expressed any displeasure in her besides when she had gone after the kanima against his wishes.

If he wanted to make this last, if he was serious about this, he would ask her to stay in California. Or maybe he'd just command her to stay. Actually, knowing Derek – it was more likely to be a command than a request.

Either way, Paige just wanted to know where they stood and decided that she wouldn't tell him that her plans had changed.

Finally, she remembered that she needed to get to school. Reluctantly, she lifted hers head from Derek's chest and said, "I have school."

"What's the purpose of school at this point?" Derek asked, reaching up to cup the back of her head and gently guide it back to his chest.

"An education," she giggled, throwing his words from the other day back in his face. But still, holding him like this was very tempting. Her parents already thought she was flunking out, ditching school and getting into fights in the hallway. Why not just drop out?

Shifting from foot to foot, Derek gently rocked the two of them back and forth. "There are different kinds of educations," he protested. "I bet I can still teach you quite a bit."

"And who's to say I can't still teach you quite a bit," she smiled against his dark shirt. She loved when he let his guard down long enough to be playful.

There was a brief pause before, "I should have had you stay last night."

Frowning, Paige tilted her head up so that she could at least see his jaw. "Erica was there, that would have been weird."

"No," Derek blinked as he realized what he implied. "Not – no, that would have been weird. I meant that I shouldn't have sent you home – Erica survived, obviously, but when she woke up she was frantic and even her sleep was fitful. The other pack members look up to me for the strength and guidance. They look to you for comfort and counsel. Your presence would have been better than mine last night."

Her fingernails dug a bit into the flesh of his back, and slowly a smile slid across her face. She liked the idea that the pack members thought they could rely on her and that Derek thought she was a useful member of the pack. Being useful was something Paige had always been good at – useful for doing the dishes, useful for doing the laundry, cooking dinners, packing lunches, running errands, essentially anything her parents and brother didn't have time to do because they actually had lives. Now, it was Paige's turn to be useful as something other than a domestic servant.

"Well, now we know," Paige shrugged.

Gingerly, Derek slid his hands from her shoulders, down her sides and onto her hips. "School," he muttered, placing a kiss on her lips briefly.

"You were just advocating against it," she reminded him.

"And if you don't leave soon, I might start supporting truancy again," Derek sighed.

Then, he completely let her go. The places where he had been pressed against her glowed with warmth. Gracefully, he pivoted on his heel and turned to head back inside.

Paige searched her purse for her keys and when her sleeve rustled a bit, a burst of Derek-scent slithered under her nose. With a small smile she paused her search and grabbed the collar of her shirt – bringing it up to give it a sniff.

"Did you just sniff yourself?"

Jumping a foot in the air, Paige finally recognized the voice to be Derek's. Twisting her head a bit she saw that he had apparently turned back and had seen that embarrassing display. The collar dropped from her hand and she blushed. "It smells like you," she admitted softly.

Derek allowed the smile he reserved only for her to grace his lips. "Wolves – the actually animals – mark territory by urinating or defecating on what they deem their territory. It's called scent marking. In werewolf culture, we have a… cleaner way of marking our territory."

"Should I consider myself sufficiently scent marked?"

"Most definitely."

Preview:

"Is saving him worth the effort of risking our lives?"

Derek's hand paused it's rummaging for a few beats. Then gingerly, he removed the pants from his trunk. Standing up slowly, he finally turned to face her and said, "I don't know."

"If one of the pack is killed because of this, I blame Scott," Paige muttered darkly, removing her shirt with an angry flourish.

It seems that all my bridges have been burned,

But, you say that's exactly how this grace thing works

It's not the long walk home

that will change this heart,

But the welcome I receive with the restart