Authors Note: HEYO! XD Please tell me what you think; I would love to know XD I own nothing and no one, apart from the following: Zane, Chase.
JUST SO YOU KNOW: like everyone else, I have no idea what Stiles' real name is, so I'm going along with what everyone else puts :) and I've made his middle name up XD
You guys are all so amazing and I love you all! In a non-creepy non-psycho kind of way XD
Please, please review XD
DUDES THIS IS MY MOST SUCCSESSFUL FIC SO FAR, AND I LOVE YOU ALL FOR THAT! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I HOPE YOU ENJOY READING, BECAUSE I LOVE WRITING IT :'D
P.S. I've been really busy with college, so I won't update as regularly as I used to. It's going to be work-work-work, so bear with me, please :)
Chapter 36
Stiles
I never counted on waking up.
Honestly, I thought the last thing I would see was that stupid pendant and the cave.
Now? Now I was aware of heartbeats and scents and voices...
It took a moment for me to figure it out and I couldn't help but give as large a grin as I could manage in my weakened state when I did.
We had done it.
I was alive.
I had my wolf and fox back...
We had won.
Of course, I couldn't really focus on that, what with the headache all the noise was giving me.
"You guys are giving me a headache." I rasped, attempting to push myself up into a sitting position on the couch with my eyes closed, but in my state my arms collapsed from under me.
"Stiles, sweetie, are you alright?" I heard Allison say, right when someone was helping me sit up.
The rise was slow – good, otherwise I would have passed out again – and the hands helping me up were steady and strong.
Was it weird that I could identify Derek by his hands on me? Oh, God, that sounded wrong!
"Well, I'm alive. That's gotta count for something." I chuckled, leaning back into the couch cushions when I was sitting up right. "Thank you."
I kept my eyes closed, even when I felt ten people hugging/touching me in the way that I had come to be so familiar with over the last six months and two days. It was a little surprising that the touch didn't scare me like it used to... I thought it would take years, not months, for me to get used to non-threatening human contact, trying to avoid it at all costs... Then these ten people waltz into my life and I'm...fixed.
Well, not fixed, per se, but starting to be put back together, little by little.
I never thought that would happen...
"So, can someone explain what happened?" I asked, leaning my head back.
"As you blacked out the pendant fell from your hand, smashing before you collapsed." Peter explained. "We killed the witch, got you back here. You've been out for the last four hours."
Right, so it was midday...
Instead of nodding to let them know I understood, I shakily raised my hand and gave them a thumbs up. It was the most I could manage at the moment.
"Is anyone else really hungry?" I asked, letting my head fall to the side to rest on someone's shoulder – Derek's, of course.
The rest of Sunday consisted of Disney films, comfort/junk food, soda, pyjamas, a nest of duvets and pillows and a puppy pile – plus, my good pal Wolfy hugged to my chest.
Derek was the only one that new where I hid Wolfy so, every time a puppy pile was going to happen, he was the one that went upstairs and grabbed him for me... For some reason, it always made me see Derek and myself as the kids we used to be. It sounded strange, but it did...
Over the months, we had kind of built a formation with puppy piles, which always ended with me in the middle between Derek and Isaac. The routine of it was nice, much better than the routine of get back to a house only to be dragged to the basement and beaten.
Yeah, I would take this routine any day!
"So, question is: which movie first?" I asked, cautiously – the last time I had asked, it resulted in a rather large, thankfully not physical, fight.
Everything was quiet for a moment, everyone looking at each other with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Oliver and Company." was the unanimous decision.
Well, by 'unanimous' I mean: the three girls, Scott, Isaac and me. And, well, you know...majority rules.
Besides, Derek would side with me – for some reason... – and Danny would side with Isaac, because the guy would do anything for his boyfriend.
It was sickeningly adorable and, no, I would never admit that out loud!
Anyway, so as Derek put the DVD in – it was always him, we made sure of that – the rest of us made ourselves comfortable, burrowing down in the comfy-ness that was the puppy pile nest.
When the eleven of us did this, it made me feel like I was a part of something
I hadn't felt a part of something since my mom died.
These people took me into their home – into their lives – when they knew nothing about me...and they trusted me. They trusted me before they got to know me, ignoring rumours that they thought could have been true... They took me in and made me their friend...
Made me a part of something.
It was something I never thought I'd feel again.
It was nice to be wrong.
The next day – Monday, 24th March – I went back to the university.
I was still weak, still trying to heal. I was exhausted, but I refused to spend any more time away from my studies.
I needed good grades.
I needed a good job.
I needed to prove that I wasn't what people believed me to be.
Of course, everyone tried to convince me to just stay at home for another week at least, just to make sure I was healed properly and was back to normal. I, of course, won that little argument, obviously.
Of course it meant that the Betas were a little more...watchful and protective.
It was the same on Tuesday.
And Wednesday.
Thursday (27th March), however, I managed to slip away from them. I should have realised that something would go wrong.
All I was doing was walking through the halls of the school. I didn't have to worry about Ben or Gabriel – thankfully they had been locked up and would be for a long time –, but that didn't mean I wasn't at least a little wary.
Even after living with the Pack for just over six months, I couldn't help but still be a little wary. It was my default setting. Especially when I was alone.
And rightly so.
I had noticed that, while getting used to having my wolf and fox back, my reactions were slow and my senses were a little more dulled than usual. At first I thought nothing of it, thinking that they would be back to normal in a couple of days, week at the most...
Of course, that was when I was grabbed from behind and my back was shoved into the lockers roughly. I shouldn't have been surprised to see Chase's face in front of me.
This was turning out to be a shit day.
"Hey, Freak, long time, no see." Chase growled.
"Well, I have other friends aside from you, Asshole." I spat, sarcastically.
"Friends? Is that what they are? You have no friends. Soon, they'll get tired of your shit and leave you, and then you'll be back on the streets – yeah, I knew about that. Then anyone or anything can get to you. It's all pity, you stupid. Little. Bitch."
If I wasn't recovering, I would have punched him in his stupid little bitch face! But, as it happened, Chase decided he was done playing, throwing me to the floor as if I was a rag doll.
I might as well be; I felt as useless as one.
Of course, he couldn't pass up giving a kick to my stomach while I was done.
Thankfully, I was heading home when Chase cornered me – early finish – so it meant I wasn't going to go after the bastard and stab him.
No.
I sped home; it's amazing that I was never stopped by police, knuckles turning white as I gripped the wheel.
But, hey, I was pissed.
And what he said, that couldn't happen. It would never happen.
Right?
Eugh! I hated being like this! For once, I wish I could just trust them! Trust that they actually cared about me. But no, I couldn't do that, because I was fucking broken! I was broken and useless!
Once I parked and got out my Jeep, I pretty much had to hobble to the door, the pain in my stomach making it a little difficult to walk properly at the time.
That further soured my mood.
Of course, today had to be the day when everyone else was home before me...
"Stiles! Come here, you have to look at this!" Erica called from the living room.
"Give me a second." I muttered, throwing my jacket onto the hook.
"What's up, bud?" Scott called out.
"Just leave me alone!"
Derek
We watched as Stiles ran up the stairs, his hands clenching ever so slightly.
I will freely admit that I was the first one up and after him.
When Stiles got like this, we found it was better to sort it out straight away rather than let it stew until it reached an unbearable level. Besides, we knew there were going to be many more of these moments...it was the same as when we tried to help Isaac.
Well...sometimes it was like that. Other times it seemed to run a lot deeper than Isaac's ever had.
It was easy to catch up with him. Since he was still healing, he wasn't as fast as he usually was. But he still got to bedroom before we stopped him.
"What's happened?" I sighed, stopping Stiles from shutting his door easily.
"Who do we need to kill?" Jackson inquired.
"Was it Harris?" Scott groaned.
"Was it a girl again?" Lydia suggested.
"Just tell us." Isaac pleaded.
In the end, I expect everyone talking and the voices mixing together was what made him snap. He would have been calmer if we had spoken one at a time and not bombarded him... Of course, that didn't happen.
"YOU'RE ALL JUST GOING TO LEAVE ME AND I'LL HAVE NOWHERE TO GO!" Stiles yelled, collapsing onto his bed, distress clear in his voice.
It was so quiet after that you could have heard a pin drop.
"How the hell did you get that?" I frowned.
"Chase." he muttered.
Stiles
As Derek's eyes flashed red, I couldn't help but take a step back and look down in submission. I know an Alpha shouldn't submit to another, but it's not like I ever wanted to be an Alpha!
"Stiles, get this into your head: you will always have a place here!" Derek said, slowly.
"Say you promise!" I said, jumping up. "Promise I won't just get kicked out!"
Even though they all agreed, I still had a sinking feeling that maybe one day it might happen.
People always broke their promises.
Promises were just things people used to get your hopes up.
Promises were things that people used to make you trust them.
Well, that was my experience with them anyway. And, yeah, my experience with things weren't always the same as other people...
I should have seen the hug coming.
The next day, I decided that I completely imagined the Betas cornering Chase in the hallway at the university.
I decided that I completely imagined Chase looking like a scared little boy.
I decided that I completely imagined them telling Chase that it he did 'shit like that again' that he would 'be in pieces'.
I mean, Allison was far too sweet to do anything of the sort.
So, yes, obviously I only imagined it all...
It was on Monday – 31st March – that it happened.
We had just finished at the university, all ready to go home – for some reason we were all, even Derek and Peter, standing around talking, complaining about Harris yet again – when, all of a sudden, this girl – short blonde hair and long bangs, blue eyes – pushed her way into the middle of the circle.
"What the hell are you doing?" Erica scoffed, staring at her.
"Shut up, don't say anything. Pretend I'm not here." the girl hissed, crouching down and looking through a small gap.
It was then that Chase walked by, obviously looking for someone.
I pretty much felt this girl tense up, her expression hardening, making as little movement as possible.
As soon as he saw me he glared.
I heard the girl sigh in relief as Chase walked away, straightening up and leaning back against Peter.
And she just...stayed there, not moving...
So Derek cleared his throat, hoping it would get her to move.
"It looks like you saved me, dude." she laughed, placing her hands on Derek's shoulders. "Seriously, that guy needs to realise that I really don't want to date him. You saved my life and I am eternally grateful!"
As she finished speaking, she glanced over to the side, grinning wildly.
Glancing over that way, I noticed another girl – long, thick, red hair and emerald green eyes – had pulled up, not too far away from us, grinning at the blonde.
"Bye, thanks again!" the blonde called as she jumped into the car.
We all stopped, just staring, wondering what the hell had just happened.
I mean... What the actual hell?!
"Did... Did she just quote Toy Story?" Isaac asked.
Well, there would be one, wouldn't there?
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