They carefully loaded Derek and Isaac into the back of the jeep, both of them stuck to each other like glue. Derek didn't say anything else and didn't start back up with the growling, but Isaac would let out a whimper every now and then. Stiles was driving them all back to the loft, since that seemed like the safest place for them right now. Maybe the familiarity of home would help calm them down so Scott could find out what happened. There were so many scenarios running through his head and none of them were good. He couldn't imagine what could cause this sort of reaction in someone like Derek.

The ride in the elevator was a minute of torture, with Isaac flying into a panic the second the doors closed. He was shrieking and crying, trying to break out of Derek's hold to escape the temporary confinement. Scott tried to help, but Derek roared him back, obviously still uncomfortable with his presence. After that he stood back, pressing the elevator button as if that would make the ride go by any faster. As soon as the doors opened, Derek dragged a wailing Isaac into the open hallway, tucking his face down into his chest. Something really bad had happened.

Stiles was in full crisis resolution mode, bundling them into the loft and straight to the shower. He didn't even bother taking what was left of their clothes off, just sitting them under the warm spray. Stiles stripped down to his boxers and climbed in himself, helping them clean as much as they'd let him. Isaac was only letting Derek touch him, but Derek was accepting Stiles' ministrations here and there. Scott stood on the outside, piling up towels and clothes and blankets and anything else he thought they might need.

Stiles eventually shut the water off, but none of them made any moves to get out. Scott felt stupidly helpless just standing there, but he didn't want to push and make things worse. Isaac was curled in a ball with his arms over his head, rocking back and forth. Derek was sitting next to him with his back ramrod straight, staring blankly ahead at nothing any of them could see. Scott was about to ask Stiles what they should do next when a quiet whisper caught his ear. His lips were barely moving, but he recognized the voice.

"Fuck," Derek whispered, his frame shaking with minute tremors. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Scott could never remember seeing Derek cry the entire time he'd known him, but there were tears streaming down his face now, mixing with the water he hadn't bothered drying off from the shower. That scared Scott more than anything else so far.

After what seemed like another hour of sitting and waiting, Stiles finally coaxed Derek out of the shower and into some clean clothes. And where Derek went, Isaac followed. Any other time, seeing the two of them naked and helping them dress would've been something to make jokes about, but right now all Scott could do was stand back and look at all of the bones that hadn't been visible before. Isaac had always been lean, but now his rib cage was frighteningly protruding. And Derek's muscles were all but gone. They must have barely eaten during the entire two weeks for this much change to occur, especially in werewolves.

When they were finally dressed, Derek took Isaac into the main area of the loft, depositing him into a corner and squatting protectively in front of him. Again Scott didn't know what to do, wanting so badly to make things better, but not knowing how. Stiles kept murmuring questions and encouraging words, but he wasn't getting a response anymore. He ended up setting the pillows and blankets from their beds in a pile in front of them and backing away, letting Derek make the choice whether or not they wanted to use them. Once Derek pulled them over and made a little nest for him and Isaac, Stiles motioned for Scott to follow him into the kitchen.

"What the hell?" Scott breathed out as soon as they had a tiny bit of privacy. Scott still kept his ear open for any little sound, but he hoped they weren't listening as closely.

"I don't know," Stiles sighed, rummaging through the cupboards.

"What happened before I got there?" Scott asked, wanting to know every single detail.

"When I stepped out of the house, I saw movement from the woods. When I realized it was them, I was so shocked that I dropped my phone. I ran over, but Derek roared at me and looked ready to attack, so I went back to stand on the porch," Stiles explained, grabbing a big container and glasses and putting them on the counter.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm mixing up some protein shakes for whenever they are ready to eat. I'm not sure if they'd be able to handle solid food right now," Stiles muttered, concentrating on his task. Scott was glad Stiles was good at figuring things out and making things better. He always felt like he was struggling his way through all this mess.

"What do you think happened to them? And do you think anyone else will be looking for them?" Scott wondered. If there was, they were screwed. If they could reduce Derek and Isaac to that, Scott would have no chance fighting them off.

"I can't even think about that right now," Stiles mumbled, stirring the concoction. Scott was about to suggest calling Deaton to ask if he'd heard about anything when a blood curdling scream tore through the loft. They abandoned their current chore and rushed back into the living room, finding Derek straddling Isaac's waist and holding his wrists firmly above his chest. Isaac was screaming, thrashing around and trying to buck Derek off of him. Scott couldn't tell if he was awake or trapped in a dream, but Derek was barely able to control him.

"Isaac. Isaac. Isaac," Derek chanted, leaning down to press their chests flush together. It was a strange position, but seemed to be helping Isaac calm down a bit. Maybe it was feeling Derek's heartbeat against his skin or just the bond shared between Alpha and Beta, but Isaac slowly started to settle. Stiles tried to move closer, but Derek held him back with a growl.

"Okay," Stiles whispered, backing up with his hands raised. "I'm gonna bring you back some water, okay? We don't want you to be dehydrated." Stiles sprinted off to grab the drinks, but Scott stayed where he was. Derek was tucking Isaac back into the corner, situating him so his back was against the wall. Then he ducked back down in front of him, on edge and ready for anything.

"Derek, can you hear me?" Scott attempted again, aching to be able to connect with the man. "You're safe now. You can trust us." Derek didn't respond, doing a constant circuit around the room with his eyes. Stiles came back with the glasses of water, making sure to set them a safe distance in front of Derek.

He didn't pick them up at first, staring down at them like he wasn't sure what they were. After a few moments, Derek carefully reached out to take one, bringing it close to his eyes to inspect it. Then he sniffed it, before setting it back down.

"It's okay, see?" Scott said, slowly grabbing the discarded glass and taking a sip. Things were starting to make a bit more sense now. He picked up the other one and drank too, letting Derek see that nothing happened. If they'd been drugged, they might need to call Deaton to make sure everything would be okay, but Scott was pretty sure Derek wouldn't like that.

Isaac whined a little, peeking his head around Derek's body to look at the glasses. That seemed to be the last push Derek needed before he snatched up one of the glasses and held it to Isaac's lips, helping him take small sips instead of chugging it like he wanted to. It was very strange seeing Derek taking care of Isaac like this, since he'd been so nonchalant about his Betas well-being before. This was not the same guy who stood back and let Isaac and Erica get beat up by Scott multiple times. He helped Isaac finish the whole glass before grabbing the other and swallowing it down without caution.

"Would you like another? I have protein drinks as well if you'd like?" Stiles offered, waiting to see if Derek would respond. Derek closed his eyes, spinning the glass in his hands. He looked like he was contemplating the offer, which was more clarity than Scott had seen from the man so far. Maybe they were finally moving in the right direction.

"Yes," Derek whispered, holding out the glass for Stiles to take. Stiles gently eased it out of Derek's grip, but before he could pull back Derek grabbed his wrist. Scott was about to spring forward to stop this from taking a turn, but Stiles shook his head sharply.

"Derek?" Stiles said, sounding calm, but firm.

"Stiles," Derek mumbled.

"Yes," Stiles breathed out in relief.

"Stiles and Scott."

"Yes." Derek let his eyes flutter open, meeting Stiles' honey brown gaze.

"Home."