A/N: It's become impossible to get the remaining Dark Angel episode titles to fit the chapters I'm writing, so I'm just going to scrap that plan. Dammit.

Fallout

Derek stood by the door of the Sheriff's station, hands buried deep in his pockets, while the deputies rolled off question after question at the Sheriff. John clearly didn't have a clue what was going on, any more than they did, but he was calm and reassuring.

"It's just a power outage." He told them, but Derek heard the uptick of his heart. He didn't believe that.

"But what about the cars?" One of the deputies asked, the stale sent of fear and anxiety rolling off him as he stood with his arms waving.

John looked at the younger man and took a deep breath, pressing his lips into a thin line for a brief second. "Look, right now, our number one priority is the public. – I want you all to get out there, door to door, and reassure everyone that we have things under control."

"Even when we don't." The same deputy muttered.

If the Sheriff hears it, he doesn't comment, instead he waves his hands at them all, and reluctantly they all scurry away. Parrish shoots Derek a suspicious look as he passes by and Derek returns it with just as much heat. As everyone vanishes out of the door, John turns to him, waving him forward. "Is this…" he wriggles his fingers about as if conjuring the words he can't say.

"Supernatural?" Derek says with a sigh, and shrugs. "I have no idea."

John nods towards his office and they step inside. Closing the door, John turns on him, hand still resting on the handle. "I can't get hold of anyone. The phone lines are down, internet too. It's like we've been cut off." Exhaling a worried breath, he drags his fingers through his hair and marched to his desk. "Like I don't have enough on my plate right now." He grumbles.

"Perhaps it is just a power outage?"

Lowering himself heavily into his chair, John closed his eyes and shook his head. "You don't believe that any more than I do." After a few silent seconds, the older man opened his eyes, fixing them on Derek. "If it were, the emergency lines would still work, they run of a separate generator like the lights, but there's nothing. Even the cells are down." He added, holding up his cell phone in demonstration. "This isn't a power outage."

Shoulders slumping, Derek dropped down into the chair, "Then what is it?"

"You tell me. Could this have anything to do with the Nemeton?"

Derek considered it and shrugged, "We don't know enough about any of it." he sighed regretfully. "We don't even know if this," he waved a hand, "is just affecting Beacon Hills?"

John nodded, "You're right." He hummed, leaning further forward on his desk. "As soon as they've finished the door to door, I'll send them out to the neighbouring towns."

"Without cars?"

John gritted his teeth and a wave of frustration hit Derek. "Dammit."

"I'll go." Derek offered.

"What?" John's head snapped up.

"I can go on foot." Derek clarified. "I'll send Peter and the twins out too. As long," he paused, inhaling deeply, "Would you mind if Isaac and Cora came here. I'd feel safer with them here."

John looked at him, already nodding. "Of course."

Derek shot to his feet, already heading for the door.

"Derek?" John called, "Be careful."

"Yes, Sir."

_(*_*)_

"Why us?" Aiden grumbled from the couch, Cora curled into his side.

"Because I said so." Derek replied harshly, "Unless you want to leave?" He hadn't been happy about allowing the twins to stay, but he'd done so for Cora, but only if they accepted him as their Alpha, and everything that implied. – Which meant, if he told them to do something, they did it.

Aiden stiffened, his heckles clearly raised, but then Cora's hand landed on his thigh and he melted. "Fine. – What exactly are we searching for?"

"You're not searching for anything, just see if this blackout reaches the neighbouring town."

Peter exhaled a dramatic sigh, "I don't see why we can't just wait it out. Give it at least twenty-four hours."

Turning, Derek meet his uncle's dismissive gaze with determination and a flash of red, "Because, we need to know if this is an attack on Beacon Hills and the Nemeton. Preferably before we get caught with our pants down!"

The mention of the Nemeton was all Peter clearly needed, he was on his feet and already marching towards the door. "Fine. – I'm going to check on Lydia and Jackson first."

"What about me?" Isaac asked, getting to his feet.

"You and Cora are going to the sheriff's office."

"What!" Isaac whined, features pinched, "Why?"

"Because I want someone watching him." Derek lied flawlessly. A skill he'd picked up during his relationship with Kate. "Just in case this is an attack."

"What about the others? Erica, Boyd?"

"I'll doubt they'll want to leave their families right now, and I wouldn't ask them too."

"What about the tunnels?" Ethan asked quietly. "If this is an attack, should we really leave them unguarded?"

Derek paused, considering. He looked back over his shoulder, trying to figure out how to protect them and….

"No-one knows about the tunnels," Cora piped in.

"Jennifer knew." Aiden gritted out.

"Because she had me." Cora reminded them flatly, looking between the two men. "Besides, if it's about the Nemeton, they'll come for us first." she stated in a surprisingly calm tone.

"She's right." Derek said, staring down at his sister.

"Which is why we should stay." Aiden said desperately, looking at Cora.

Dragging his fingers through is hair, Derek gritted his teeth tightly before he spoke. "Cora will be safe enough with Isaac and the Sheriff."

"A human." Aiden scoffed, disbelieving.

Derek wasn't going to be drawn into an argument, instead he flashed his eyes at the beta, and nodded to the door. "Get going. The sooner you get out there, the sooner you'll be back."

With a low growl, Aiden got to his feet, his hand clinging to Cora's until the last second. Ethan quickly stood, and together the twins hurried to the door, leaving Derek alone with the remaining betas'. "Okay, let's go. – I – I need to check in on Scott."

_(*_*)_

"I thought it was just a blackout?" Scott frowned, eyes flickering between the three werewolves.

"It probably is, we're just being cautious." Derek said tersely.

"Where's Melissa?" Isaac asked, his voice a little worried.

"Work." Scott replied, brows slowly creeping into a worried frown. "Why?"

"It's probably nothing, but…." Derek growled, "it might be best if you didn't stay here alone." He added tightly, looking back to the teenager. "Either go to the hospital or the Sheriff's office." With that, he turned and marched down the stairs. He'd done his duty, he'd given Scott options. He'd done exactly what Stiles would expect him to do.

_(*_*)_

Dawn was on the horizon when he reached the outskirts of Beacon Hills. He's wasn't sure if he should be relieved or more freaked out that the nearest town, Beacon Valley, was also plunged into darkness. It did mean that they weren't under attack, or at least he hoped that was what it meant, but the fact that the county, and possibly the state was currently in a blackout set his nerves on edge.

With Beacon Hills in sight, Derek slowed his pace a little and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He strolled through the woods, allowing the early morning air to fill his lungs, clean and cool.

The scent of winter drifted on the air, conjuring memories of a family gathered around a large table, sharing his grandmother's goose, laughing and exchanging gifts.

The holidays had pretty much been abandoned by him and Laura for those first few years after the fire, neither one feeling particually thankful, not even for their own lives. Over the last two though, Laura was slowly moving forward, accepting invitations for thanksgiving dinners, and Christmas parties. Derek on the other hand, stubbornly allowed himself to wallow.

He hadn't realised however, that the pain and misery of the seasons had diminished during that time, not until he heard everyone discussing their thanksgiving plans, and he felt his heart twist painfully in his chest for the first time in a long while. That had been the first night he'd risked his life to block out the pain. However, instead of it allowing him to fall into a dark abyss as he'd expected, it had awakened a part of his mind where wishes lay.

He'd laid on the couch, eyes closed while his mind conjured up the fantasy of a happy thanksgiving. His pack gathered around him, all smiling and laughing at shared jokes. The house once more filled with the sounds and smells of pack. He visualised himself staring down a food covered long table, straight into the eyes of Stiles.

Derek's stomach twisted and he snapped his eyes open. He wasn't sure if he was still taking the drug in order to banish the memory of that dream, or if he desperately wished to return to it.

A sound, off in the half-darkness, caught Derek's attention, chasing all his melancholy thoughts away. Yanking his hands free of his jacket, he stiffened, lifting his nose to the air and drawing in another deep breath, this time taking a more categorized note of each scent molecule that drifted on the breeze. Beneath the natural winter scent of sleet and ice, along with nature itself, trees and animals going about their normal morning routines. There was still the tangy metallic taste that had accompanied the blackout from hours earlier. Under neither all of that though, Derek didn't fail to detect the familiar unnatural scent that made up Stiles. The same scent he'd gotten from the Sheriff's deputy.

Derek took off in the direction of the scent.

The months with Stiles, learning how he fought, gave Derek a slight advantage with he turned a corner and was tackled to the dirt. It took a few seconds for his vision to focus and his mind to register that he was begging straddled by a young dark skinned woman, her fist raised in preparation of attack. Derek reacted quickly, tossing her body aside, before diving for her. Her fighting style was far more regimented than Stiles' had been, and his gut twisted with revelation.

Getting the upper hand took some work, but eventually he was able to pin the woman face down in the dirt, his whole body weight holding her against the earth. He pressed his knees into her shoulder blades as his hand tugged violently at her hair and shirt, baring the back of her neck.

Derek inhaled sharply at the sight of a barcode, its lines a range of thin and thick black standing out against her mocha skin. He couldn't control the fury that surged to the surface, his eyes bleeding red and his canines burst forth.

Leaning forward, Derek let his hot breath play across the transgenic's cheek as he demanded, "Where is he?" he growled, voice filled with enough danger her flesh burst out in goosebumps.

"I… - Who?"

"You know who?" Derek growled, "Stiles!" He roared the name into her face, and the woman's eyes closed tightly and he felt a wave of pleasure when he felt her begin to tremble beneath him. "Where. Is. He?"

She began to shake her head, voice trembling as he replied, "I don't know."

"You're lying. I know you took him."

"I don't know where he is!" she said and as much as Derek hated it, her heartbeat was steady. – Then again, Stiles knows how to lie to him.

The sound of gunfire had Derek's head snapping around his eyes narrowing. He inhaled deeply when out of the woods stepped a familiar blond man. Weapon trained on Derek. "Step away from her." Parrish ordered firmly.

"No." Derek stated resolutely, lip curling over his human teeth.

"I don't want to hurt you, Hale."

Letting his eyes drift down to the handgun, Derek inhaled, grinning when all he smelt was lead and gunpowder. "Go ahead." Getting to his feet, he yanked the woman up by the back of her neck, his claws biting into flesh.

"Jordan." The woman pleaded, fear evident in her voice. "Please."

Parrish flinched and Derek let out a low growl and shifted his features back to his werewolf form in warning. The scent of anger and fear rolled off the young deputy, mixing with the man's unnatural scent and Parrish straightened, seemingly unaffected by Derek's appearance. "Just let her go." He repeated again wearily.

Derek shook his head, "No. I'm taking her with me."

"She doesn't know anything."

"You expect me to believe that?" Derek snapped.

"It's the truth. All Braeden did was tell them where he was. She doesn't know where he was taken."

Derek's eyes flashed red and he tightened his fingers. "Oh well, that's okay then." He growled sarcastically.

"She saved your beta, Isaac right? Doesn't that mean anything?"

Looking from the woman to Parrish, Derek narrowed his gaze suspiciously, "Who are you? How do you know…?"

Parrish exhaled a long sigh and lowered his weapon, "You know who I am. – Or at least what I am. Stiles told you everything, didn't he? About his mom, about himself." Parrish's brows drew together, "How'd you figure out about me?" he frowned.

"Like you said, Stiles told me everything."

"Except Stiles doesn't know about me. As far as he's concerned, he's alone in town."

Derek lifted his chin, pressing his lips into a thin line, refusing to explain how he'd smelt what the deputy was. "I take it then, that the Sheriff doesn't know what you are, either?"

Parrish lowered his eyes guiltily, causing Derek to scoff humourlessly, "Yeah," he took a step back, pulling the woman, Braeden with him.

"Derek," Pleaded Parrish. "I swear, she doesn't…."

"I don't care!" Derek roared, "She's responsible for Stiles' being missing. I'm taking her to the Sheriff. He deceives answers." He spat, glaring furiously at the young man who'd wormed his way into the Sheriff's trust.

Derek heard the hurried footsteps behind him as Parrish raced to catch up with them. He saw Braeden glance over her shoulder desperately, as he continued to drag her along by her arm. She fought against his hold but all Derek did was tighten his grip. The scent of blood filling the air as his claws began to piece her struggling flesh.

"Derek!" Parrish yelled after him, the voice followed by a gun shot, the bullet flying past his head. "There's nothing she can tell him." He shouted, "I just told you, all she did was tell them where he was. She wasn't even there! We had her!"

That had Derek drawing to a halt and spinning to fix the man with a hard glare. ""We?" he growled.

Parrish stopped in his tracks, shoulders slumping. "Yes. Stiles isn't the only one missing."

A/n: Thank you all for sticking with me through this fic, especially considering how irregular the updates have been. I'm also incredibly appreciative of the feedback you've been leaving, I love to hear from you.