Ch. 2
"Guys, food!" Lydia yelled up the stairs. Boyd and Erica were sitting at the table across from Peter and Isaac talking about their plans for the day.
"Erica and I are planning on going into town later and getting some more supplies for fixing up the house," Boyd was saying.
"Well I'm in," Isaac said. "I need to pick up a few things myself."
"What things Isaac?" Stiles asked, walking into the kitchen with Scott. "A muzzle," he joked. "We all heard you whining during the last full moon," Stiles said, shoving Isaac's arm playfully.
"Actually Stiles I was going to get some rope and a shovel since I'll be burying you in the backyard tonight," Isaac shot back, making everyone laugh.
Stiles was quick to retort, "Yeah you'd be good at that seeing as how you worked in a cemetery for like ever," he said rolling his eyes.
Everyone was laughing and passing around food and coffee that Lydia and Allison had made. Most days you would find the group like this, all together at the Hale house. After Derek and Scott realized that they needed to work together to protect Beacon Hills and that two alphas were better than one they got along better. Derek remembered telling Scott once that they were brothers, now they really felt like it. Scott did make the suggestion that with the growing pack they would need more room so Derek and Peter decided the best place for everyone would be the Hale house, but it had to be fixed up first. They'd been working on rebuilding it for months and had just moved in a few weeks ago. The only people who didn't live at the house were Scott, Stiles, Allison and Lydia. Boyd, Isaac, and Erica lived there with Peter and Derek who knew the teens had nowhere else to go. It was usually a packed house though since the others all slept over often. Everyone had been taking turns running into town to grab supplies and other things that they needed to fix up the house.
"Morning sourwolf," Stiles joked when he saw Derek coming into the kitchen. "Dude you look like hell. Did the monsters under your bed keep you up, because I specifically told them to only party when you're out of the room."
Scott and Isaac, who had been taking sips from their drinks, both choked from laughing. Stiles never knew when to shut up. As Scott looked closer at Derek he did see that Stiles was right however. Derek looked exhausted. Scott made a mental note to ask him what was wrong later, knowing that Derek wouldn't give any explanations now.
"Stiles do you ever just shut up?" Derek growled at him, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down next to his uncle.
Peter rolled his eyes at their antics knowing that it was a usual ritual between these two to antagonize each other. Anyone outside the pack would think that Derek and Stiles hated each other, but in reality they were actually close. Both had lost people they loved and both tried to hide their pain using different methods; Derek through his anger and Stiles through his sarcasm.
"Who's making the run into town today," Derek asked the group, looking around the table at everyone eating.
"Erica and I are," Boyd said, taking a bite out of his bagel. "Isaac said he'll go too," he added.
"Ok good, remember to pick up the paint for the living room. That's the last room that needs to be painted and then we're done," Derek said. "Also I'm going to go into town as well to get some more groceries so if anyone needs anything make me a list and I'll pick it up."
"Already done" Lydia said handing Derek a list with a bunch of items on it. "Also, I'm going to go with you because there's no way you'll have the patience to get all of this," she said with a small smile.
"Alright fine, but be ready in 40 minutes," he told her sternly before heading upstairs to shower.
"Is it just me or does he seem off to you guys," Scott asked the group once Derek was out of earshot.
"You mean more off than usual," Stiles dead panned, earning a smack to the back of the head from Lydia who was next to him.
"What the hell," Stiles exclaimed, glaring slightly at the red head who he was crazy about. After all the craziness in Beacon Hills and everything the two had been through they had grown closer and were now happily dating.
"You know what that was for," was all she said before getting up to go get ready. "Oh and Stiles, you're on kitchen duty this morning," she said sweetly before turning and walking upstairs with a smug smile on her face.
"Yeah, yeah," Stiles grumbled as he went to the sink and started cleaning. Everyone else retreated into different areas of the house, getting ready for the day or just relaxing.
Later...
"Hey Derek," came Scott from beside him. Derek had been standing out on the porch waiting for Lydia to come down, when Scott decided it would be best to try to talk to him. "I just wanted to see if you were okay. Stiles was right, you didn't look good this morning."
"I'm fine," Derek said, running a hand through his hair and looking at Scott. And he did feel better. After showering and throwing on a pair of jeans and a black long sleeve thermal he had come outside in the brisk fall air to enjoy a few moments of quiet and to think about her. God I miss her he thought. What I wouldn't give to see her again.
The only people who knew about Derek's past were Peter, Scott, Stiles and Lydia. He never even got a chance to tell his sister, Laura. Derek had never told her about where he was and who he was with before she had been killed. Then there was the whole fiasco of Scott being bitten and Derek finding out his uncle was alive and behind it and it really threw him. Peter and Scott were better now that time had passed as were Peter and Derek. And Scott couldn't complain, he actually did enjoy being a werewolf.
"If you miss her, you should tell her that," Scott told him.
"Too much time has passed," Derek said sadly. "She wouldn't want to hear from me."
"You never know unless you try," Stiles said, walking out onto the porch to join them.
Derek thought about Ruthie. How he always felt better, calmer, when she was close by and how it broke him to see her crying, especially that last night when he knew he really hurt her. There's no way she would want to see me again he thought sadly.
Derek thought about how he hadn't even looked at another girl since coming back to Beacon Hills. How he used his anger at hurting her to help keep himself in check. The only people who knew his true anchor were the same ones who knew about Ruthie. Everyone thought it was his anger that helped him control the shift, but really it was her. All he had to do was think of her. Those brown eyes that always seemed to light up when she saw him, the way her hair fell down to cover her face when she'd look away from him after being caught staring. Little things about Ruthie suddenly flowed through his mind and he realized with a sudden stirring that Scott and Stiles were right. There's no harm in trying his subconscious said.
"Derek," Lydia suddenly said from the doorway dressed in a short red dress with black tights underneath and a black jacket thrown over to keep her warm. "Are you ready to go?" she asked tapping a black boot on the porch out of impatience.
Turning from Scott and Stiles and nodding his head, he started walking towards his black camaro with Lydia following after getting a quick kiss from Stiles. Getting into the driver's seat he told the guys he would see them later and pulled out of the driveway when Lydia was buckled in.
They drove for a few minutes in silence until Lydia couldn't stand it any longer. "Derek why don't you call her? Or go back and visit her?" She asked him. "We'd be fine for a few days if you wanted to go back to Glen Oak."
Derek sighed and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "It's not that simple Lydia. I really hurt her. Plus it's been so long I doubt she would want to see me."
"You're probably right," Lydia said, never one to let someone wallow in self pity. "She's probably got a serious boyfriend or is engaged or something. I mean it has been five years."
Derek tightened his hands on the steering wheel in anger. Lydia knew exactly what she was doing. Riling him up until he admitted that he needed to go back for her. Ruthie engaged, Ruthie kissing some guy that wasn't him, holding his hand, having his arms wrapped around her when it should be him holding her and kissing her. All these images were going through his head and it was all because of Lydia. He pulled into a parking space and tried to calm himself down before getting out and following after her.
Walking into the grocery store Lydia and Derek started walking through the aisles and getting what they would need. They had gathered everything and were walking to one of the checkout lines when Lydia said that they had forgotten syrup. They had ran out and needed more since Lydia and Allison decided on waffles for dinner tonight.
"I'll get it," Derek said walking towards the aisle the syrup was in. Upon getting to the aisle he saw a young woman in a white dress and jean jacket thrown over with brown boots on. Her long brown hair flowing over her back and shielding her face from him. "Excuse me," he said, hating that the woman reminded him of Ruthie. "I just need to grab some syrup."
"Oh I'm sorry," the woman said and turned to face him. She took a step back to move out of his way and locked eyes on him. "Derek," came a soft voice. "Is it really you?" she asked him, shocked.
Their eyes locked on each other and it was like time stood still. Her scent hit him like a ton of bricks, the light floral scent that he always loved breathing in when giving her a hug. The scent of her that would wake him in the middle of the night, haunting him of a girl he could only dream about. Seeing her brown eyes lit up the way he remembered seeing them so long ago made him forget how to breathe. "Ruthie," he whispered, quickly grabbing her and pulling her to him in a tight hug without thinking. He felt immense happiness when she wrapped her arms around him just as tight and held him to her. She's here Derek thought. She's back. And I'm never letting her go again.