Sorry this has been so long in the making and I'm still so unsure of this chapter but here goes.

WARNINGS:

LANGUAGE

SLIGHTLY SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE CONTENT

VIOLENCE

MENTION OF PAST TRAUMA

Chapter 13: One of These Times

It had been the longest couple days of John's year this past bit. The only saving grace had been Stiles keeping himself busy with school and lacrosse so he didn't have to feel guilty leaving him home alone. Even though he was a very independent boy John knew his son worried more when he was working lots. This was the first time all week he'd been able to sneak down to Rudy's for a greasy and filling breakfast.

Stiles had taken off like he'd been shot out of a canon this morning. All the excitement of a big game coming up and a morning practice he had said. John wasn't so sure about that but knew if Stiles wasn't keeping his nose clean it'd get back to him eventually. He sighed wearily as he shoved a large bite of pancake smothered in syrup into his mouth.

He almost jumped when a file folder was smacked down in front of him. He looked up to see the saccharine sweet smile of Kate Argent.

"Your front desk deputy told me I could find you here," she said sweetly, taking a seat looking like a cat sneaking through a door.

"By all means," John could feel his patience waver, "take a seat Mrs. Argent."

Kate's smile turned sharp, "it's Miss actually," as she slid the folder forwards with her left hand to emphasize her point with her bare ring finger, "you can call me Kate. I heard you had a bit of an encounter with one of my nieces."

Kate waved the waitress over for coffee without a word to the kind woman.

"Thank you Helen," John eyed the woman across from him for a moment before answering, "I guess that's what you could call it."

"Well as one of the local contacts for Argent Arms I wanted to drop off her case file for her injuries," she explained and John wasn't buying the formality for one moment.

"This is the private security job she spoke of. I take it?" John was paying more attention to Kate's face than the file in front of him.

"Yes it was a joint venture with Parker Relics," Kate sat back holding her coffee in both hands, "they were having an auction with some priceless items so they hired us to help beef up their security team."

John opened the file skimming the details, "and I'm supposed to believe that this tiny woman, who could barely stand when I met her, took down an armed assailant and took that kind of beating. Then just decided on a cross country road trip? And these injuries don't account for the amount of drugs in her system."

"Weren't you ever rebellious in your twenties?" Kate asked with the tilt of her head as though she was trying to picture John as younger, "I know I was."

"No ma'am I'm sorry I wasn't" John took a sip of his coffee, "I was just leaving the army and signing up for the academy to become a deputy. So I wasn't much of a rebel."

"Oh so a boy scout from the start?" Kate arched her brow in question.

The deadpan look John shot her was a mirror image of his son, and he had to bite his tongue before he said more. John couldn't put his finger on it but he didn't trust this woman and it was more than the repulsion he felt at the way her eyes were raking up and down him.

"You know I haven't had a good training session in a while," Kate spoke over the rim of her cup, eyes locked on his, "do you know anywhere a girl could go to get a little sweaty and make her heart race, do you?"

"Miss Argent," John was a little gruff in his response but he didn't look up from the file he was reading, "no offense but I've had a really long day and this file just added extra paperwork to that. Do you mind leaving me to my meal and I will call you if I have any questions?"

John looked up to see a moment of rage fill Kate's face before the cool calm mask was back, "absolutely, I'm so sorry to have interrupted your meal," as she stood up she snagged a piece of bacon off of his plate before leaning down and slipping her business card in John's front pocket.

She patted the pocket before standing up with a wink and a bite of bacon.

"Have a wonderful day Sheriff," she waved over her shoulder before slinking out like a cat on a hunt.

John didn't even acknowledge her as he went back to his breakfast and his file, "that woman is trouble," the waitress remarked as she filled his coffee, "not worth the trouble if you ask me."

John looked up at Helen, confusion on his face, "oh sweetie, I know it's been a while but that woman was trying very hard to have her very own dirty movie starring little old you," Helen smacked him in the back of his head with her cheque book.

John could feel a headache coming that had nothing to do with that surprisingly hard knock to the head he'd just received and more to do with the pictures and information in front of him. If this was to be believed this girl took on a team of thieves who beat the literal shit out of her before she was able to chase them down and arrest them. Something about the way the file was set up reminded him of something. It was niggling at his brain but just not breaking through the fog lack of sleep was causing.

"Well one of these days I'll get an easy one again," John sighed leaving Helen a generous tip on his way out the door, file in hand.

Nora was a woman on a mission today, this creepy stalker shit was ending. No more Derek Hale watching her through her window. As she stomped through the forest she knew she was getting closer to an area that was definitely not a good idea. It didn't take long to hear a growl that was starting to become familiar to her and she couldn't help the small smile that graced her face.

"Derek Hale if I didn't know any better I'd assume you've been following me," she was greeted by being slammed back first into a tree before coming face to face with glowing blue.

"I didn't follow you," he gritted out, "you trespassed on my land."

Nora pressed her blade to his gut, "I'm not talking about right now, I'm talking about earlier," she snarked.

This caught Derek so off guard he let go of her, "earlier?"

Nora stepped back and leaned against another tree, "yes this morning," she sighed crossing her arms over her chest, "got a good show too. Fresh from the shower, I'm starting to wonder about your kinks."

"I've been out here trying to track the Alpha in the woods," Derek explained catching her eye, "all night and this morning. I lost track of him when he headed closer to neighbourhoods that way. I doubled back this way and started to circle the house further and further out. This is as far as I've gotten since sunrise."

Derek saw the fear in her eyes and she didn't try very hard to hide it this time, "you don't think this Alpha was dumb enough to be out in the daylight and that close to that many hunters?"

"Not dumb no," Derek shook his head a lump of lead in his stomach, "arrogant enough yes. Strong enough definitely."

"If that doesn't sound about ten million times worse I don't know what does," Nora deflated into the tree dropping her hands from their cross to catch herself.

"What are you going to do?" Derek stepped closer the waver in his voice betraying his age.

Nora locked eyes with him again, fierce determination burning at him from her icy blues. If he didn't know better he'd say they were a reflection of his blues.

"I'm going to kill it," that simple statement brought another mass of emotions to the surface for Derek.

The problem with being alphaless was his wolf's split second of protective instincts at those words. He even flinched his hands slightly and those sharp eyes saw it, he was sure of it.

"When's the last time you had a good spar?" Nora smirked relaxing instantly.

"With a hunter?" Derek's eyebrow ticked towards his hairline.

"What's the matter?" she stepped closer, the knife still in her hand, "don't wanna get your ass handed to you by a woman?"

"Not really looking to get killed if that smell is anything to go by," his eyes flicked to her waist where she kept a small vial of aconite.

"Fine I'll put that away if you promise not to scratch the merchandise," Nora cocked her head waiting for his answer.

She saw the movement a split second before it happened but it was enough to duck his shot while divesting herself of her knife and aconite, "I said no scratches," she huffed.

Derek held up his hands to show his claws retracted as he smiled briefly before a front kick to his stomach winded him slightly. Getting his ground again he swung his foot around to take out her legs. Nora was about to slam hard into the ground so Derek caught her using the momentum to swing her to her feet.

"Please," the voice came out small and shaky, "don't take it easy on me. Not here."

Before Derek could comment Nora's head shot up pure terror in her eyes before she turned tail and left. Not a word to Derek and her weapons abandoned on the forest floor.

"What the hell does that mean?" Derek asked her retreating back but the only answer was an increased rigidity to her spine as she walked.

Derek was starting to wonder if this was the view of her he was always going to have. The back of her as she walked away into the forest, alone and broken. One of these times was going to be the last if things didn't change soon.