"Can you do something?" Stiles asked, already half-asleep and before Derek could work out what they meant, they were snoring softly.
However, the question echoed in Derek's mind. All he could do was to take Erica's pain but she hadn't been in pain earlier. There was nothing he could do about the tumor in her head.
Laura could. The bite cured cancer as well, if it took, but that would open a whole new can of worms. Derek didn't think it was a good idea. With turning Erica they would have to bring Boyd into this too. Laura wouldn't have to turn him but there was no way they could keep it a secret from him. And Isaac. He would have questions about a miracle healing. They might be able to keep it from Finstock, he wasn't working that closely with them, but Derek doubted it.
On the other hand, could he just sit back and let Erica die?
He tucked Stiles in and it was tempting to crawl into bed with them but he hadn't seen Laura in way too long. They had texted a few times over the last two days but now Derek needed to see her.
Derek made sure that Stiles' alarm was set and he sent them a message that they would see each other at work tomorrow but then he left.
It was getting late, it was past eleven by now, but Laura was still up.
"What have you been up to?" She paused her game and fixed him with a stern look, trying to read him. "Did you really quit your job?"
That was the last thing on his mind and he needed a moment to remember that he had indeed quit his old job. He'd been working his new job for less than two days and he'd almost forgotten that he'd been driving for that app.
"Have you been drinking?" She sniffed the air when he came closer. The bar was most likely not the only thing she smelled on him. Hospitals had a special stench to them as well.
"Okay, sit down." She gestured to the chair next to her. "And then spill. I don't see you in two days, all I get are some vague messages, and when you come home, you reek of cheap whiskey and sanitizer. What the hell is going on?" Red flashed into her eyes. Derek got it, he'd left her in the dark for two days, he'd basically disappeared on her. They didn't do that to each other. Not after …
"Is Stiles okay?" She asked, softer now.
"Stiles is fine," Derek answered. "They'll wake up hungover and they'll most likely be late for work but they're fine."
Laura knew that one of Stiles' co-workers was in the hospital but when Derek had prepared lunch for Stiles and Isaac the other day, she'd already left for work. So Derek started there. How bringing Stiles lunch had ended up with him having a new job.
"Only you." She shook her head at him. "You're too good for this world."
"What was I supposed to do?" Derek defended himself. "I couldn't just leave them hanging."
"I know."
He couldn't stand the affectionate way she was looking at him, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"What about Stiles' co-worker, Erica, right?" Laura got the hint and changed the topic. "Will she be back soon?"
"We visited her after work today." He'd caught her whispering that she didn't want to die. It was still echoing in his mind. "She won't be back soon. She's going to die."
He didn't even need to close his eyes to see her. He wasn't part of their group, not really, so he'd been staying back to not interrupt but he'd watched. He'd watched Stiles with Erica and later Isaac with her. Boyd who was barely holding it together.
"Stiles needed a drink after that," he continued with a toneless voice. That reminded him of something. "You know, the other day I told Stiles that alcohol does not affect us. They found it sad." He let out a bitter laugh. "Told them that I don't think that I miss out on much. I get it now."
He'd watched Stiles and Isaac getting drunk while he sat between them, stone-cold sober.
"Today I really would have liked to get drunk." He dropped back against the back of the chair.
"Sorry, I've nothing laced with wolfsbane at hand," Laura said. Not that Derek would have gone through with it. At least one of them should be semi-functional in the morning and that would be neither Isaac nor Stiles.
"Stiles asked me if I can do something. For Erica." He let his head roll to the side to look at her.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Derek went back to looking at the ceiling. "They had passed out by then. Doubt they'll even remember asking in the morning." But even if Stiles had forgotten about it tomorrow, they would bring up the question again. And Derek had no idea what to tell them.
"I don't even know her," Laura said in a tone that made Derek glance over to her again.
"You're not considering it, are you?" There were a lot of really good reasons why they should not do this. "Laura?"
"You could introduce us." She rubbed her hands. "Just to see what kind of person she is."
Derek straightened into a more upright position and now it was him, sniffing the air.
"Laura? What's going on?"
She was radiating too many emotions at once but there was bitterness in there. And some kind of longing. Derek remembered how she'd reacted to the idea of Stiles joining their pack. She had assured him that the two of them were enough but now he wondered who she had been assuring. Him or herself?
She had become alpha with their mother's death. Becoming alpha on top of everything else hadn't been easy. Suddenly she'd been responsible for the pack. She had to take care of the betas while she'd been struggling herself. Usually, the pack supported the new alpha after the death of the former one but most of the pack had been dead, leaving her with Derek who had been anything but helpful and Peter who had never gained consciousness before he died.
At first, Laura had been more than busy with bringing them to safety and dealing with Derek who had been falling into depression, he could admit that now. But things had changed. They had settled in here, had made themselves a home. Derek was doing better, especially since he'd met Stiles, and Laura had found back to her old passion with playing video games which had led to her finding a part-time job and a person she might want to get involved with.
Laura had found her equilibrium, she'd grown into her role as the alpha. The next logical step was to expand the pack. Their strength grew with numbers. Having only one beta was the barest minimum that kept her from becoming omega.
"Our pack is too small," Derek realized.
"No, it's okay," Laura hurried to say. "It's just …" She didn't know how to finish the sentence because there was nothing just about this.
"I can talk to Stiles," Derek offered. "I think they would like to become pack." They had been interested. "If you promise to not boss them around too much," Derek added with a smile.
"No promises." She gave him a weak smile in return. "Besides, you don't know them very well if you think that they would let me boss them around."
"True."
"But I would also like to meet this Erica."
"I'll ask Stiles." Derek still wasn't convinced that this was a good idea but introducing them couldn't hurt, right?
"Okay, it's getting late, I'm going to bed." Laura stood but then she paused. "Want to come with me tonight?"
The weeks after the fire they had slept as wolves in the same bed every night but now they only did it when one of them needed the comfort. Like Derek the other day. Today it was Laura who needed the closeness of the pack.
They got ready for the night and then they curled into each other as wolves. Derek fell asleep with her muzzle resting on his neck and her body pressed against his.
In the morning Derek tried to turn off his alarm with his paw.
Of course, the still blaring phone fell between the nightstand and the bed. Derek had to crawl halfway under the bed to retrieve it. He was just glad that Stiles wasn't here to laugh at him while his head was under the bed and his bare ass was high in the air. He didn't want to know what kind of ideas Stiles would get from that.
Besides, Laura was bad enough. She was sitting on her hint-legs on the bed, her tongue lolled out in a wolf laugh, and was watching him from above.
"You need to dust under there," Derek grumbled and ran a hand through his hair to get rid of dust bunnies and cobwebs. But at least the phone was quiet now.
Laura still had a few hours before she had to go to work so she laid back down, head resting on her paws, while Derek got ready for work.
He did have the time for breakfast but he opted for getting something on the way. Knowing Stiles he would need it. After some consideration, he got something for Isaac as well.
Like predicted, Stiles wasn't in when Derek came into the office. Neither was Isaac.
However, Finstock was. Derek wasn't sure if he'd even left for the night.
Isaac must have smelled the coffee because he came in just when the pot was ready.
"Thanks, man." His face lit up when Derek poured him a cup. Isaac had a scarf covering half his face which he barely lowered to take a sip of the still too hot coffee and he was wearing sunglasses which he didn't take off at all.
"Hungover?" Derek asked amused to which Isaac made an indifferent sound. He was leaning with his butt against the counter, clinging to the cup of coffee in his hands, and Derek was pretty sure that he had his eyes closed behind his sunglasses.
He had his head bowed and on a whim, Derek placed a hand in his neck. He couldn't do anything about the nausea but he could help with the headache he felt pulsing under his palm.
Isaac didn't say anything but Derek could feel the tension leaving his neck and shoulders. He didn't know what Isaac thought of the situation, touching somebody like this was kind of weird for humans but at least from this angle Isaac couldn't see the black lines crawling along Derek's forearm.
"I'm not sure if it's the coffee or your touch but damn." Isaac rolled his shoulders to get rid of the last of the tension.
"Must be the coffee." Derek stepped back. "I brought breakfast."
"I could kiss you, man."
"I would prefer if you didn't," Stiles spoke up. Of course, they'd come in just in time to catch that line.
"But he brought breakfast." Isaac held up the paper bag. "And my headache is gone. I'm in love."
He made hearty eyes at Derek but it was hard to tell because of the sunglasses.
"Can I interest you two in a ménage à trois?" Isaac looked from one to the other.
"No." Without even looking at him, Stiles pushed past him to get to the coffee maker.
"Okay, okay. I'm leaving." Isaac grabbed his coffee and his breakfast. "You have no idea what you're missing out on."
Stiles shook their head after him but quickly thought better of it. Derek put a hand in their neck as well.
"You look like shit," he observed while he felt Stiles' headache easing off. "Is that the fun I'm missing out on because I can't get drunk?" He raised an eyebrow at them.
"Har, har," Stiles made but breathed out in relief once the headache was gone. "Did you do the same to him?"
"He was suffering."
"Are you insane?"
"He doesn't know what I did," Derek assured them. And himself. It had been a reckless move, he knew that. He wasn't even sure why he'd done it.
"Let's hope." Stiles poured themself a coffee. "By the way, not cool disappearing like that in the middle of the night. I thought you got kidnapped or something."
"I had to see Laura," Derek said. "I left you a message."
"You think hungover me thinks of checking the phone when you're just gone?"
"We should get to work." Derek patted their shoulder. "Don't forget your breakfast."
Work kept them busy all day but Derek liked it. They were getting things done.
Erica was the topic of their lunch break, though. Stiles kept throwing him glances so they did remember what they had said last night but that had to wait until they got home. Along with the other thing Derek wanted to talk about.
In the afternoon Derek got a call from Stiles' dad.