Past Prologue

Derek cautiously stepped into the Sheriff's station, Braeden's arm secure beneath his fingers and Parrish dragging his feet behind him. The man had tried desperately to convince him not to bring this to the Sheriff, but Derek couldn't do that. The man deserved to know everything. He'd been kept in the dark for too long already.

"One last chance, Derek. Please, don't do this." Parrish whispered. Derek fixed the man with a blank stare, then pushed through the door that separated the public area from the main offices.

The station was still bathed in ominous green light, despite the fact that the sun was up and breaking in through the gaps in the shade. The place was almost empty, but for Isaac and Cora, who were sat at one of the desks playing cards. The pair looked up when he entered, Isaac's eyes widening as he took in the woman at Derek's side.

"Oh my god." He gasped, "It's her."

Cora frowned, "Who?"

"The woman who saved me from…"

Before the teenager could finish what he was saying, the Sheriff's office door open, the man stepping out, the heady scent of tiredness thickening the air. He looked from Derek to the woman, then past him to where Parrish was stood a few feet behind. As his eyes drifted back to Braeden, he narrowed them, staring intensely.

With a glance over to the noticeboard where a police sketch was pinned, then back to her, he went rigid as realisation set in. The air in the room seemed to freeze and the Sheriff sucked in a deep breath. He stepped forward, hand going to his hip. "Where is he?" John demanded, tone cold and threatening. "Where's my son?"

Braeden pressed her lips into a thin line and defiantly lifted her chin, and Derek exhaled, "Sheriff."

John's eyes didn't move from the woman. "Where. Is. My. Son?"

"She doesn't know." Parrish grunted from behind Derek.

John's hard eyes flew past her to settle on the young deputy, who was stood there, back straight, chin raised. "So she says." He scoffed, disbelievingly.

"Sheriff, we need to talk." Derek said, cutting through the sudden tension.

The older man looked between them all, then nodded. "Okay. Parrish, take her through to…"

Derek's fingers tightened on Braeden's arm, causing her to hiss in discomfort as his claws bit through the fabric of her thin shirt. "No. All of us." He stated firmly.

The Sheriff looked confused, "What? Why?"

Derek glanced back over his shoulder to Parrish, then turned back to the older man. "Because he's one of them."

A heavy silence settled over the room as the Sheriff stiffened at the revelation, his eyes burning into the young deputy he'd put his trust in over the past few months. "W-what?"

"Please, Sheriff, it's not what you…."

John's eyes blew wide open and he reached for his weapon once more. Thankfully, Derek was able to react quickly, while still keeping a hold on Braeden. He wrapped his fingers around the barrel of the gun tightly, placing himself between the Sheriff and Parrish, and forced it down. "Stop." He ordered harshly, his alpha voice coming through, despite knowing it meant nothing to the older man. "If we want to know how to find Stiles, we need to hear him out."

Derek saw the anger and betrayal battle against the logical of knowing they'd need both of them if they expected to find Stiles. Thankfully common sense won out and the Sheriff returned his weapon to his hip, "Interview room." He ordered, jerking his chin to his left.

With a small nod, Derek dragged Braeden toward the small corridor that housed the interview room, pausing only long enough to tell Isaac and Cora to remain where they were.

Behind him, the Sheriff glared as Parrish slinked off behind the werewolf.

They wandered down the small corridor that led to the interview rooms, Braeden still firmly in Derek's hold, while the Sheriff walked stiffly behind Parrish, his hand constantly resting on the weapon.

The emergency lighting gave the room an ominous atmosphere, like something out of a European slasher movie. Yanking out one of the chairs, Derek shoved the young woman down into it, then stepped back to stand guard at the door, just in case the pair attempted to make a break for it.

Parrish lowered himself down next to Braedon, giving her a reassuring look and a squeeze of her shoulder, before focusing on the Sheriff, who'd taken the seat opposite them. No-one spoke for a few tense minutes, causing the already uncomfortable situation increasingly unnerving.

"So?" John gritted out eventually, "What do you have to say for yourself."

Parrish exhaled, leaning forward on his elbows. "First, I swear, I had nothing to do with Stiles being taken."

John glared at him disbelievingly, "Really? So it's just a coincidence that you turned up only a few months before my son is kidnapped. – And that you've apparently been harbouring a person of interest?"

"I know it looks bad," Parrish remarked flatly. "I came to Beacon Hills to help protect him."

"Great job you did." Derek scoffed coldly.

"I know." Parrish slumped down in his seat, "I let him down, I let Claudia down." The Sheriff stiffened at the mention of his wife, but didn't say anything. "I thought he'd be safe once we…." He trailed off looking at the woman beside him.

"Where is he?" The Sheriff demanded angrily.

"I have no idea." The young deputy shook his head, "Tell them." He said, elbowing Braeden. The young woman pressed her lips into a thin line, back stiff as she stared at the wall past the Sheriff. "Braeden, tell him."

She shot Parrish a hard glare, before looking over to where Derek had taken a threatening step forward. Exhaling a furious breath, she spoke. "I was only meant to locate him and the others." She stated coldly.

"Then what?"

"Then report back to my handler so they could send a recovery team." Braeden replied after a few resentful moments.

"Where have they taken him?" John demanded desperately.

The woman shrugged, "I don't know. A new facility was set up for their detainment."

"Their?"

"Stiles isn't he only one missing." Parrish informed him, leaning forward with a sigh. "How much do you know about your son? – About us?"

"Only what Claudia told me." The Sheriff replied harshly. "That you're a government experiment. That she escaped when she discovered she was pregnant."

Parrish shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unable to fully meet the older man's eyes as he spoke, "That's not… - That's not exactly…There's a lot more..." Parrish muttered, "The government funded the research, but we weren't created for them. – We're an army, to fight against the followers of Stheno."

Derek stiffened at the name, his arms dropped down to his side. "What?"

"Stheno is a…"

"I know who she is." Derek snapped.

Looking up at Derek briefly, before turning back to the Sheriff, the young deputy continued. "Our father was born into the cult, but he was considered cursed."

"Father? Cursed?" The Sheriff's already intense frown deepened.

"The cult have spent generations breeding with werewolves," he glanced briefly over at Derek, "trying to make themselves stronger, faster. Better built to serve the Goddess when she rises. – However, some are born…cursed. Trapped in a permanent limbo between being human and werewolf. Father was one of those." Parrish dragged his fingers through is hair, before fussing with the cuffs of his shirt, rolling up the sleeves.

"If you're here to fight against Stheno, then why take Stiles?" Derek asked, repositioning himself closer to the table.

"We didn't take Stiles, Manticore did, or at least those that took it over. – 17 years ago, Father discovered that the government had been infiltrated by The Chosen, the followers of Stheno, and that they were planning to take over the project and use our Father's research. That was when Father decided to release us out into the world, with orders to remain under the radar."

"Not all of us." Braedon spat angrily, glaring at Parrish, who exhaled a sad sigh. "Some of us were handed over to them."

"What?"

"If Father had let us all go, they would have hunted us down." Parrish countered, tone strained. "We needed a second front."

"Yeah, and screw the rest of us." Braeden growled furiously. "Do you know what they did to the rest of us?" she asked The Sheriff, "We were used as lab rats, tested and tortured to see how we worked. Then, those of us that survived were 'reprogrammed' and rented out to the highest bidder. While you got to live normal lives."

"Normal?" Parrish scoffed, "Constantly looking over our shoulder. Always fearing discovery. – Lying to those we loved."

"At least you got to fall in love. At least you got to have families." She glared at the Sheriff accusingly.

The room fell back into a tense uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, Braeden sat slumped in her chair, arms folded while she glared at the walls. Parrish let his face fall into his hands, leaning heavily on the table as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

"So Claudia lied to me." The Sheriff eventually said, voicing his inner turmoil.

Looking up from his palms, Parrish sighed, "I'm sorry." He said quietly, then straightened, crossing his arms in front of him. "The fact is Sheriff, she should never have met you. She was meant to go to ground, like the rest of us. Especially considering she was carrying Stiles."

"What does that mean?" John frowned, his heart beginning to race.

"Stiles, and the others, they're not like us. They're not just another generation of fighters." He sighed, "Would you mind if I stretch my legs?" he asked carefully. The Sheriff hesitated, shooting Derek a considering look, then nodded.

Pushing to his feet, Parrish began to pace the small interview room. "How much do you know about Stheno?"

"Enough to know we don't want her freed." The Sheriff grumbled.

"Understatement. Do you know what's keeping her imprisoned?"

"Five seals." Derek answered.

"Each held in place by the branches of five family lines." Parrish nodded, "When those family lines die out, the seals break and she'll be set free. Well, Father feared the Cult was getting close to discovering who those family lines where, and that they'd take actions to wipe them out."

A shiver ran down Derek's spine as he remembered what Lydia had told him. How one of the lines was already gone. – Except it wasn't. The seal was still holding and she couldn't figure out how.

"So he put in motion a failsafe," Parrish continued, "Five secret, untraceable children, each one connected to a single branch. Stiles is one of those children."

"What!" They all gasped in unison, including Braedon, who shot up straight in her seat looking shocked and bewildered.

"I – had no idea."

"No reason you would. We were just kids. Only Claudia and the others knew."

"Then how do you know?" The Sheriff demanded, eyes mistrusting as he watched the man closely.

"I was told when I was sent to Beacon Hills."

"Sent? By who?" John asked, brows pinched.

"My Father."

"What?" Braeden gasped, shaking her head, "That's not possible. He's dead."

"No." was all Parrish said in reply, turning to lean back against the grey wall, hands slipping into the pockets of his uniform pants.

"Where is he?" Derek demanded.

Meeting Derek's hard gaze, Parrish shook his head. "Somewhere safe."

"Wait," John snapped, "So, you're telling me Claudia didn't get pregnant because of an affair with one of the guards at Manticore?"

Looking at him sympathetically, Parrish shook his head. "No. She was impregnated by Father using sperm samples he collected from a member of each family."

With his heart pounding in his ear, Derek couldn't stop himself from asking, a sickening feeling in his gut. "W-which family?"

"Don't worry," the deputy smiled reassuringly, meeting Derek's fearful eyes. "He's not related to you?" his gaze drifted back to the Sheriff. "She tracked you down, despite being ordered not to."

John's stared blankly at the younger man, his heart beating loudly in his ears. The memories of a white doctor's office flooding his mind.

"Is this really necessary?"

"It's just a precaution. We need to be sure you don't have anything."

"Yeah, I get that," John muttered awkwardly, dropping his eyes to the small plastic cup on the doctor's desk, his cheeks burning. "Just a little odd, is all. I mean I get taking blood, but…"

The older man met his gaze, eyes searching John's flushed young face. "I understand your embarrassment Mr Stilinski, but if you're going to join the police department, we need to be sure you don't have anything that could harm the general public."

Shooting out of his seat, John marched away from the table, dragging his fingers through his hair as his heart beat out a frantic rhythm in his chest. He stopped in front of the two way mirror and stared at his own reflection. Eyes flickering over his features while conjuring Stiles to mind. There had been times when he'd thought, imagined similarities between him and his son, but he'd brushed them off so many times as wishful thinking. He'd dismissed it when Stiles mirrored his own behaviour or mannerisms, told himself it was just a kid mimicking his parent. When people had commented how like him Stiles was, John had gritted his teeth and smiled, thanking them while inside his heart broke and his gut twisted with guilt and shame for the bitterness that took root inside him. - And all the while…. - "Why didn't she tell me?" he demanded angrily.

He saw Parrish shake his head behind him, "Because we had orders."

"You just said she'd already broken them by tracking me down." John snapped, turning to glare at the young deputy.

Parrish met his gaze sadly, "I wish I had answers for you, but…." He took a deep breath through his nose, "…I hadn't seen her since Father packed us off in the dead of night. I can't tell you why she didn't tell you the truth about herself, about us."

John swallowed thickly, turning away once more. His heart beating painfully against his ribs and stealing his breath.

"Sheriff?" Derek asked carefully.

Without a word, John turned, "You said there are others? How many?"

Parrish pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Sheriff but…"

"Unless you want me to lock you up as an accomplice to a kidnapping, you'll tell me!"

Meeting his angry, threatening gaze, Parrish pushed himself off the wall, straightening to his full height. The two men stared at one another in challenge, Parrish making it clear he wasn't going to be saying anything more.

"Fine." The Sheriff spat furiously. "Derek, would you mind taking them down to the cells." He reached for the keys on his belt.

Derek frowned for a second, before taking the offered keys and grabbing Braeden's arm, forcing her out of the chair. He met the deputy's eyes, and exhaled a relieved sigh when the young man moved to follow him without argument. Pausing only briefly to look back regretfully at the older man.

a/n: So, yes. The Sheriff really is Stiles dad. I know it's a bit of a cop-out, and honestly I seriously considered making other options, but it just didn't feel right for anyone else to be Stiles father.