Chapter Nine
February 25th, 2011

In the library, the teens were all trying to calm Derek down. He was angry that Laura had caused other kids to go through the hell he was going through, just because she'd wanted to bury her head in the sand.

Stiles and Jackson planted themselves on either side of Derek on the sofa in the library as Danny sat on his lap to prevent him from moving. Stiles murmured, "You couldn't have said or done anything to prevent it, Sourwolf. She bought and bribed her way out of trouble time and time again. We think that if you had said anything Kate would have killed you to keep you quiet."

When he felt Derek start to calm down Danny asked, "Do you have a big enough bed for all of us down here?"

Stiles mentally cataloged the spare rooms he had set up and he shook his head, "No, but we could just drag a few mattresses out and make a large bed in the main cavern."

Derek shook his head, "No, I'll be fine, I promise. I'm not going to go out and do anything stupid."

Danny stood and he said, "We should go to bed then, I want to be up early for our trip into the preserve."

"He's really excited," Derek whispered, "He can't wait to see your full dragon form."

Stiles grinned, "I can't wait to see if I've grown. Dad is joining us so he can measure me."

He stood and grabbed a small journal and he handed it to Danny who hadn't been present for the discussion at the hospital. "This is where Dad notes down my measurements."

Danny's jaw dropped as he exclaimed, "Twelve feet! Twelve feet tall at the shoulders! What the hell Stiles?"

Stiles grinned with a mouthful of very sharp teeth as he said, "I'm probably bigger now, that was Christmas before last. We haven't had time to do it since then, it takes quite a while to do the measurements with just me and dad on our own."

Jackson's eyes widened, "You had a growth spurt last year, will that translate to your dragon?"

Stiles shrugged, "I'm not sure, I don't have anything to compare it with."

"It should," Derek added, "I know there were records of those in our family with a full shift form growing at a comparable rate to their human height. It's rare though for us to find our full shift forms so young though."

Stiles shrugged, "I am not sure what's normal for dragon shifters, since I haven't met another one and there was nothing in any of my family's journals, but Mom worked with me before she died to make sure I could control all aspects of my abilities. She knew I would be in danger if I lost control when I started shifting."

"Smart," Derek agreed, "We were always homeschooled until we had control of our wolf. It would have been dangerous if we were seen popping claws or flashing our eyes in public."

Jackson laughed, "I think you both would have been fine if it happened in Beacon Hills. People around here are wilfully blind to anything 'other'. Look at McCall, he gets suddenly fit, strong, and healed overnight and no one bats an eye at it."

Stiles snarked, "Sunnydale Syndrome. People just don't want to admit things aren't normal."

"Coach was damn near dancing a jig," Danny said darkly, "I wonder if he's human sometimes."

Stiles pat Derek on the knee and he said, "If you need me, you know where to find me. I am going to have a snack and get some sleep. We'll be getting breakfast from Mikey's before we head to the preserve."

They all stood and headed to their rooms to try and get some sleep. Danny was worried about Derek and decided he would keep an ear out for him in case he had any nightmares overnight.

Stiles realized as he was settling into sleep that he hadn't asked Danny how his turn was going. He figured no one had said anything so it must be going pretty smooth and he made a mental note to bring it up on their trip to the preserve.

Stiles woke early and he wasn't surprised that yet again he had another body wrapped around him, he was shocked however when he opened his eyes and saw scales instead of skin.

He sat up and he saw yellow eyes with a touch of red and slitted pupils blinking back at him, he reached out and ran his hand down the unfamiliar face and he asked, "Jackson?"

The creatures held his hand up and instinctively Stiles interlaced their fingers and he felt a new bond unexpectedly slam into place.

Stiles looked at their hands in shock as the scales started to recede.

Jackson scrambled back as he demanded, "What the hell was that, Stilinski?"

Stiles shrugged and he said quietly, "I don't know."

They looked up as they heard running feet and Derek burst into the room. Derek saw that Jackson seemed angry. He asked, "What's going on?"

Stiles shrugged and he said, "I think we are going to need Peter's help with this one."

Jackson scowled and he demanded, "Why?"

With a hard look at Jackson, he said, "Because I have never seen another reptile shifter and we'll need his help to figure out what the fuck just happened."

Noah leaned on the door frame and he asked, "What did just happen boys?"

Stiles explained, "Jackson's been joining me in bed the last few nights, which is expected, it's pack behavior right. Well, this morning I woke up to find a shifted Jackson in bed with me, except he's not a wolf, and when we touched we bonded somehow."

Jackson was as far back from Stiles on the bed as he could get while still having the covers over him, and he said, "It wasn't from touching, it was when you touched my hand, why the hell did you grab my hand like that?"

Stiles shrugged and he said quietly, "I don't know, it just felt right, like it was something I had to do to protect you. Sorry." He scrambled off the bed and ran for the bathroom before locking himself in.

Jackson sat mutinously on the end of the bed as Derek said, "I'm going to go wake Peter. I'll send Danny up if he's awake."

Noah sat on the bed and he asked, "What's going on in that head of yours, Jackson?"

Jackson shrugged and shook his head so Noah theorized, "I'm guessing you're a bit confused, especially if there is a bond involved that neither of you asked for."

Jackson snapped, "I'm supposed to be a werewolf, not whatever the fuck I am."

"Language," Peter snapped from the doorway. "Derek is trying to coax Stiles out of the bathroom, he said Danny is still asleep. Now, what's going on?"

Jackson scowled, "I woke up wrapped around Stiles which has been normal since you bit me. I was going to ask you about it but kept forgetting to mention it. I don't remember ever coming up here from the basement but I have woken up each morning wrapped around Stiles. This morning I was shifted and I had scales."

Peter asked, "Derek said you bonded?"

Jackson nodded, "When our hands touched a bond formed, it felt strong, almost violent when it formed. But neither of us asked for it and I sure as shit didn't want it."

Peter sat on the other side of Jackson and he snapped, "Stop reacting like a pissed off kid. There is no bond that can form as strong as what you describe without at least unconscious consent from both parties. You need to stop and think before you destroy the friendship you have built with Stiles over the last week."

When he saw that Jackson was calming down he asked, "Can you try and shift for me?"

Jackson shrugged and he admitted, "I've been trying while we've been talking but I'm not having much luck." He whispered, "All I can concentrate on is the feelings of devastation coming down the bond and it's a bit overwhelming."

Peter used his finger under Jackson's chin to lift his head and he flashed his eyes a vibrant red to try and push Jackson's eyes to change. He was not disappointed when his eyes flickered to a bright yellow with red bleeding in from the edges and a slitted pupil that dilated in the light of the room. Peter held his face between his hands and he said, "Can you concentrate on your eyes and see if you can change them back and forth."

Jackson was busy looking around the room with the vision changes his new eyes gave him. It seemed that he could see beyond the standard range of colors or something like it. He tried to follow Peter's instructions but he could almost see a wolf around Peter that was dragging his attention in.

Peter called, "Jackson?"

Jackson murmured, "I think I can see your wolf, it's definitely wolf shaped. It's like a glowing shadow around you."

"That sounds good," Peter said with a grin, "But can you concentrate for a bit and try to change your eyes consciously?"

Jackson nodded and he tried to change his eyes back to human, he closed his eyes and tried to think about how the change felt so he could try to replicate it. He grinned when he opened his eyes and everything looked normal again. He asked, "Did they look familiar?"

Peter shook his head, "No, definitely reptilian but not something I have seen before."

Jackson demanded, "So why aren't I a wolf. I thought I was supposed to turn into a wolf."

Noah said, "Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person you are. We'll figure it out Jackson, our library has books about all sorts of supernatural creatures, there is bound to be something that matches what you are. We can start to research after our hike."

Jackson asked quietly, "Aren't you mad? I mean about the bond."

Noah shook his head, "You'd think I would be, but I'm not. For two reasons, firstly, when you have a dragon shifter for a son you learn to accept all the curve balls and you just roll with them. The other reason, and probably the more important one is that Claudia, Stiles' mom, warned me bonds like this could happen. She didn't know who but she knew it was a possibility, and she said my reaction to it would affect his. She said if I accept it then he'll be more willing to accept it. One thing I know about my kiddo though is whatever happened, it won't harm either of you. He is too protective of those he considers his to accept it any other way. That devastation you can feel is likely him beating himself up for forcing a bond on you without your consent."

Jackson nodded, "He has very strong opinions on consent. He ripped into Greenburg when he was joking about getting a girl drunk so she would sleep with him."

Noah pat his knee before he stood and he said, "You're going to have to fix this one, kiddo. Preferably before our hike, the last thing we want is a pissed-off dragon stomping through the preserve."

Jackson closed his eyes and he agreed, "Can someone get me something to wear, it seems shifting broke everything I was wearing."

Peter chuckled and threw him some clothes Derek had picked up from Jackson's room in the basement. "I'm sending Derek back down to wake Danny while I help Noah gather what he needs to measure Stiles. You need to fix this, please."

Jackson nodded and when he heard them all reach the bottom of the stairs he murmured, "Stiles?"

Stiles sullenly snapped, "What?"

Jackson tiptoed down the hallway and he settled outside the bathroom door and he whispered, "I'm sorry. I overreacted, badly. I know you didn't force the bond on me, that you wouldn't do that to anyone."

He could hear Stiles moving around in the small room and he pleaded quietly, "Will you come out? Please."

Stiles opened the door and he stood there with red-rimmed eyes looking like a drowned rat as he murmured, "What if it was me, what if your turn was corrupted by me. How do we know it wasn't my dragon's influence that turned you into a reptile too."

Jackson wrapped him in a towel as he pulled him into a hug and he said, "I'm not a dragon so I doubt that's it. Whatever it is we'll figure it out. We have your library so we can research the hell out of whatever's going on and Peter's bound to have contacts if the library doesn't help us."

He dragged Stiles through to his room so he could get dressed. "Come on, we need to get you carbo-loaded at Mikey's according to the Sheriff."

Stiles nodded and he stripped off his wet clothes as Jackson went down to his room to finish getting dressed. Stiles got dressed in his old sweats, they were quick and easy to remove and redress in as he hadn't yet found a spell to keep him dressed as he shifted, so he always saved his old clothes for the days he spent in the preserve in his full shift form. He packed a backpack with the clothes he would wear when he was done shifting and he headed downstairs to meet the others for the trip to the diner. He made a mental note to talk to Peter about finding a spell that would let him keep his clothes when he was fully shifted.

Mikey's was one of the few places in town where Peter would be safe to venture without being spotted. The only people who could get through the wards are those who were aware of the supernatural who had no ill intent. They catered to the supernatural palate using specially sourced meats and vegetables that weren't loaded with preservatives and other artificial nasties that most modern foods were loaded with.

Noah loved eating at Mikey's because Stiles loosened his diet restrictions and allowed him to eat the red meat. He suspected it was magically altered specifically for him so it didn't increase his cholesterol but he would take it either way.

The other bonus to eating at a diner that catered for supernatural palates was that they also catered for supernatural appetites without asking too many questions. They knew better than to question the natures of their diners.

Becky approached the table with a handful of menus for them all, she greeted them and said, "Peter Hale as I live and breathe, it's good to see you again. We've missed you."

Peter grinned, "It's good to be out and about again. I've been hanging out for a good Wagyu steak."

Becky smiled, "We just got some in this morning, I'll make sure Mikey prepares it just how you like it. Do you want the rest of your usual?" When Peter nodded his agreement she turned to Stiles, Noah, and Ralph, the latter having met them at the diner, and she asked, "What about you three, your usuals?"

Noah and Ralph both nodded and Stiles requested, "Double my normal please Becky, it's going to be a long day and I need to carbo-load."

Peter suggested, "Why don't you guys get the same as me and you can grab a copy of the menu for next time."

Derek, Danny, and Jackson all nodded. Danny said, "Can you make sure there are no onions in anything for me please."

Becky wrote down the order and the special instruction for Danny. "Sure thing. Coffee's for everyone? I can bring out a pot for you all to share."

Noah agreed and he handed over their credit card to pay for the meal.

Jackson nudged Stiles and he asked, "What's your usual?"

Stiles shrugged and he said, "Lots of pasta, curly fries, and a breakfast burger. Their pasta is to die for, so creamy and cheesy and really good for carbo-loading. You are going to love the steak Peter ordered. It's one dad orders for special occasions, thick and juicy and you will notice the difference in taste between the steak you get from the supermarket."

Becky brought the coffee and a tray of mugs to the table, "He's right hon, the steak we get is bred specifically for supernaturals. No artificial chemicals are added at any time either on the farm or at the butcher. The food won't be long boys, Mikey is cooking it now."

Stiles asked, "So Dad, you are spending the afternoon with Peter and Ralph going through the case file to make sure it will pass mundane inspection?"

Noah nodded, "Yep, I also want to put together a file for your grandfather. He will be able to pass it to relevant parties to maybe get sanctions imposed on the Argents until the FBI can arrest them. I am also hopeful that if he knows we are doing something about it he won't send a team here to shut them down."

Jackson asked, "Is that such a bad thing?"

Ralph snorted, "So bad. They won't stop to find out who's innocent or guilty, they will just take out all the Argents to protect the secret and so far we only have proof of Kate being involved."

Noah explained, "It's due to what happened with Claudia's family. They had been attacked by hunters about two years earlier, the hunters were warned but not dealt with. Stiles' grandfather was so angry when he found out those same hunters returned to bomb the house. He took them all out to send a message but by then it was too late."

Becky and a tall older gentleman carried out several trays and started placing meals down in front of everyone. The newbies all discovered why the tables were bigger than most that you would find in a typical diner when the pair returned with a second round of loaded trays.

It took a bit of creative arranging but they fit all the plates on the table and everyone tucked in to eat. The sooner they were finished the sooner they could hike out to the clearing and see Stiles as a dragon.