Authors Note: HEYO! XD Please tell me what you think; I would love to know XD I own nothing and no one, apart from the following: Zane,Gabriel (Gabe).
JUST SO YOU KNOW: like everyone else, I have no idea what Stiles' real name is, so I'm going along with what everyone else puts :) and I've made his middle name up XD
You guys are all so amazing and I love you all! In a non-creepy non-psycho kind of way XD
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Chapter 22
Stiles
Christmas Eve went just the same as the evening before – me drinking on the porch. I stayed out there for as long as I could, just tipping the cold and bitter liquid down my throat.
They all tried to get me inside at one time or another, or at least to try to stop me drinking. But they couldn't get me to do anything of the sort.
There was one point were everyone kind of left the house, leaving only Isaac and me behind. The Pup just sat next to me, saying nothing. He was the kind of company I needed at times like these. Because he knew what I had been through and vice versa.
But I ended up giving Isaac one of the beers and telling him everything.
"You know you can't keep this a secret from them forever, right?" Isaac asks, staring down at the bottle in his hands.
"Yeah, I know..." I sighed, quietly. "I just can't, right now."
"I get it, I do. But at some point you need to tell them. They helped me... We can all do the same for you too. You can't just drown yourself in booze, or lock yourself away in your room, or avoid us for the rest of your life."
The kid was right. I knew the kid was right. And I could admit that.
But it was easy to admit that someone else is right, than admitting your past to people.
I woke up in the morning at six in the morning.
It took me a moment to kind of register where I was, remember that I was in my room at the Hale house and not in my dad's bedroom.
Groaning from the dull throb in my head – hello, hangover – I dragged myself out of bed, walking around like a zombie until I was actually ready to go downstairs.
I was the only one up – obviously – since it was so early in the morning. But, hey, if you wanted to cook a Christmas dinner, sometimes you would have to get up early. When I was, about, seven, I remember waking up early to help my mom cook on Christmas. That was the first time I had ever helped out with cooking a Christmas dinner.
As I walked past the living room – heading to the kitchen – I caught the sparkle of the lights of the tree. I stopped for a moment, looking over to it and just...smiling.
FLASHBACK: Friday December 13th 2013
"Come on, Stiles!" Allison giggled, dragging me into the living room by the wrist. "You have to help!"
"Well, I don't have to..." I started, but still letting the human hunter pull me along.
We had already decorated the house, each of us putting up decorations in our own rooms. I had been pulled between different rooms to help out – including the kitchen, living room, and the outside of the house – and now I was being dragged back into the living room, from the front porch.
To help put up and decorate the fake tree.
The last time I decorated a tree for Christmas, I was nine. It was the last Christmas I spent with my mom. The last Christmas I ever celebrated. When the Pack found that out, they pretty much freaked, demanding that I was having the decision in everything Christmas-y related.
I didn't think they actually meant it...
But they did. It really did mean a lot.
"So, Stiles. What colour tinsel?"
"Star or angel?"
"Fake snow, yay or nay?"
I was asked so many questions at once that not even my enhanced hearing could make them all out.
But instead of flinching back like I used to at all the noise...I just laughed.
I don't know who it shocked more, me or them... But I couldn't stop laughing long enough to think about it.
END OF FLASHBACK: Back to Wednesday, 25th December 2013
The tree had red and blue lights, gold and silver tinsel, and a range of different ornaments and baubles, with an angel on the top. I remember how some of them – Lydia – didn't think that any of it would work... But they – Lydia – were happily surprised when they saw it all finished and standing proudly in the corner of the living room.
It was a little strange, seeing a Christmas tree and presents and decorations again, especially in the place that I know considered home. I mean, it was a nice strange...but strange none the less.
Moving around the kitchen, I set about making breakfast, as well as starting on the turkey and other Christmas-y food. Man, if people thought making dinner for their family at Christmas was hard, they should try making it for nine werewolves and one human, as well as themselves!
It makes everything so much more hectic.
But it was worth it. These guys had already done so much for me in the short amount of time that I had known them, and they probably would be eating out or ordering in if I was cooking... It was the least I could do after everything...
Besides, I loved to cook. It reminded me of the days where I didn't have to worry about anything...
But it also meant I would be out of everyone's hair for the majority of the day, leaving them to celebrate properly, so I didn't bum them out with anything I did or said.
I had to try to keep this happy.
Two hours after the others had come downstairs, exchanging a 'Merry Christmas' with the everyone else and eating breakfast after they had showed up, they were now all in the living room, the TV on a channel that was playing Christmas films all day.
It was after those two hours that I heard footsteps coming closer, stopping just inside the doorway to the kitchen.
Glancing behind me, I found Peter standing there, leaning against the doorframe, and staring down at the ground a little. If I had my back turned to the door then the older wolf was still hesitant to walk in... I felt a little guilty about that, but Peter had assured me countless times that he was like that because he didn't want me to have any more unnecessary panic while living in the house.
"Hey, Peter-Creeper." I grinned, turning back to...well, I can't actually remember – by this time everything I was doing had just blurred together. "You need anything?"
"Oh, no." the older Hale replied, clearing his throat and walking further into the kitchen. "I was just wondering if you wanted any assistance."
Now, that made me stop.
I dropped the knife I was using onto the chopping board, spinning around to pretty much stare at him, as if he had just suddenly sprouted another head.
"Sorry... Could you repeat that?" I asked, slowly.
"Would you like any help?" Peter asked, frowning, as if what he said was the simplest thing in the world.
To anyone else, it would have been.
To me? It was something that I hadn't heard in years.
No one had asked me if I had wanted help with anything, and I told Peter as much. People had just always left me to it, leaving me to find my own way around things. Even back in Dallas people saw me as a hindrance, wanting to stay as far away from the 'troubled' kid as possible, leaving his 'Saint' of a father to deal with him.
No one had ever asked if I wanted help before.
And even though this was just for cooking...it still meant a lot to me.
"You know how to make anything?" I asked, smiling slightly.
"Not at all." Peter grinned. "But I am always ready to learn something new."
In the end I had Peter, Boyd, Danny, Erica and Jackson in the kitchen, helping me cook. Any time I asked why they were helping; one of them would just shrug and say how it's not fair that I should be left to do everything, when I do that every day.
I tried telling them that I wanted to do it for them, but they wouldn't listen. They would just ignore my complaining and carry on with the task I had shown them how to do, while they muttered about how they wanted to help.
I caught myself thinking about how great each and every one of these people really was.
They took me in off of the streets.
They stood up against class mates for and with me.
They – well, Derek – helped me with Zane, and Isaac with everything else.
They befriend me.
They helped me when I really needed it...
My luck had started to change when I met them, because now there were people who were willing to look out for me, for nothing in return. They had given me everything I thought I could never have – that I still thought I couldn't have.
They had helped me to start to trust again. Letting me see that, sometimes, it was good to take a chance in someone. Because that's what they did with me.
They all took a chance in me. Just like I took a chance on all of them.
I couldn't bring myself to regret that decision.
Lunch was actually great.
Everything that Peter, Boyd, Erica, Danny and Jackson had helped make tasted awesome, the turkey wasn't dry... The taste brought back a lot of good memories and, at the moment, it was starting a lot more.
The meal went by just like any other, only this time we all practically forced one of those paper crown things onto Derek's head... It took a lot less persuading than I had first thought, especially since after I had asked him – throwing in my own puppy eyes for good measure – he did it straight away.
I would have thought more about what that meant, and probably have glared at the others for their comments and smirks and wiggling eyebrows, but I was too distracted by the small smile and colour on Derek's face...
It wasn't too long after we finished that we all found ourselves in the living room, everyone deciding to leave washing up until tomorrow.
In the living room, everyone was sitting on the floor next to their other half, which left Derek, Peter and I sitting fairly close together but with a little distance between us. Everyone was taking it in turns to open gifts and it was easy to decide on who was first.
I mean, why would we wait to see Isaac's face just light up?
Especially when he saw just how much he got. And when he saw who gave some of them to him.
"Told you Santa was real." Isaac muttered, childishly sticking his tongue out at Jackson before ripping into the paper.
FLASHBACK – Thursday, December 19th 2013
After school, I was sitting in the living room, curled up in one corner of the couch, happily sketching the Christmas tree sat opposite me, in the corner of the living room. Everything was quiet, everything was calm.
The only thing that would make it better would be if it were snowing.
But that seemed a little too perfect.
Right now, I was just content for this. I liked what was happening now.
Well, I did until an extremely upset Isaac stormed into the room, throwing himself down onto the couch, with four of the Betas following him.
Anger, hurt and sadness in its purest form emitted of the kid, immediately making both my wolf and fox whine. So, placing my sketching pencil between the two pages, I closed my sketching pad and placed it down on the coffee table, before turning towards them all.
"Jackson, stop it!" Allison yelled.
"No! He has to grow up at some point!" Jackson shouted. "I just seem to be the only one with enough balls to tell him!"
"What the hell's going on?" I interrupted, all of them spinning around now they knew I was there.
Danny looked murderous, looking like he was going to kill his best friend; Allison looked as if she wanted to beat Jackson round the head repeatedly; Erica looked seconds away from shifting and attacking Jackson; Jackson himself just looked fed up.
"Jackson's being a douche!" Danny growled, angrily.
I actually took a step back in surprise, since the Danny I had come to know was nothing like this... I guess it was a completely different story when it came to Isaac.
"Well, I gathered that much myself." I nodded. "What did he do?"
"All I did was tell Isaac that Santa does. Not. Exist." Jackson hissed."He's too old to believe in some old guy coming down the chimney or whatever."
A spike of anger and a heavier scent of sadness overwhelmed me senses. Looking down at the blonde haired kid, I found that he had curled up into a ball, tears falling down his cheeks like mad.
Those tears were the last straw for me.
"Can the four of you leave, please?" I asked, trying to stay civil for now.
"What? No!" Erica protested. "Why should we?!"
Growling quietly, yet loud enough for them all to hear me, I allowed the red to seep into my eyes, my status as an Alpha overpowering them. Even though they weren't my Betas, they still ended up bearing their necks in a submissive gesture before turning tail and leaving to room.
By the time I was sitting down again, Isaac had buried his head into his knees, sobbing freely now... I don't know what was going on, or why I felt this tug in my chest, or why my wolf and fox were crying out like they were...but I knew I needed to do something. Anything to get the hyperactive, innocent little kid back to normal.
So I did the only thing I could think of. The only thing I knew to do when someone was crying.
It was easier than I thought to just slide closer and pull the kid in for a hug. I think he stopped crying more out of surprise for me initiating such a thing, than anything else. But he didn't comment. He just shuffled a little closer, sniffling a little.
We stayed like that until Isaac was calm and less teary. When he was, the kid sat up straighter with a sheepish and apologetic smile in place.
"Don't let Jackson get to you, Pup." I told him, handing him the box of tissues from the mantel on the fire place. "He's just sour about only getting coal from Santa."
And it worked; I got a laugh out of the kid. I smiled a little, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"Loads of people will tell you that Santa isn't real. They'll probably poke fun at the fact that you believe in him, while they don't, and they'll try to make you feel like the size of a pin." I told him, not really knowing why or how I was coming up with this crap. "But you believe in what you want, ok? Jackson doesn't know if Santa's real or not, he's never seen them. No one has."
Isaac looked up, smiling a little, nodding his head and sniffling again.
"You believe in what you want, because it's true to you. Who gives a crap about what anyone else thinks?" I continued, pulling my friend – never thought I'd say that before – closer. "And don't let anyone tell you any different, Pup. Because, you know what, I believe in Santa too."
"Really?" Isaac asked, voice croaky from crying, not picking up on the lie I just told.
"Really.Now come on, you sound like a frog, you need some water. Besides, I think Danny might maim me if I keep you away from him any longer."
Isaac just laughed, softly saying thanks as we walked out of the living room and into the kitchen.
It was later that night, as I sat in my room drawing again, that there was a knock at my door. I had left it open, a small habit I had gotten into doing unless I wanted some alone time or I was asleep. Looking up, I found Derek standing just outside the doorway. He raised an eyebrow in question, to which I just smiled and set my sketch book down on my bedside table.
Derek took that to mean come in, which it did, closing the door softly behind him. That was another strange thing I was still getting used to... I was used to doors slamming. But not in this house.
The younger Hale walked over, until he was standing at the foot of my bed, hands stuck in the pockets of his jeans.
For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at me. Not glaring, just...watching.
"I saw what you did for Isaac." Derek finally said. "Thank you."
And, what now?
"Isaac's father never told him about Santa. Isaac learnt it from his teachers and the other kids at his school. So, because his father didn't know he knew...Isaac never got told if the guy in the red suit that appeared at Christmas was real or not." Derek explained. "When I first took Isaac in, made him part of my Pack, I found this out rather quickly. We all did. So, we decided to play along, for his benefit. We couldn't do that to him. Jackson... Well, Jackson is an ass. We don't know why he does things like this. But not many people would have done what you did. So... Thank you."
I nodded, slowly. Not really knowing what to say.
Well, I didn't, until something that Isaac told me while we were in the kitchen came to mind.
"Why haven't you ever, I dunno, pretended to be Santa?" I asked, curiously. "He thinks he's a bad kid and that's why he'd the only one that's never been visited by Santa, he told me himself. It would probably make him the happiest pup in the world if someone did that for him."
Derek stopped for a moment, looking as if that idea had never crossed his mind before. He smiled slightly, nodding a little, as he thought of something. But all Derek did was thank me again, said goodnight and left.
FLASHBACK – Sunday, December 22nd 2013
Sometime after lunch, way after the embarrassing discussion of what I did as my fox self the previous night, Derek had dragged me – not literally – out to his car. I asked where we were going, but he just told me to 'get in' and 'wait and see'. I did so with a, slightly exaggerated, sigh.
So, I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
I waited for an hour and forty six minutes, until we were in Red Bluff.
Frowning slightly, I turned until I was facing away from the window and towards the Sourwolf in the seat next to me.
"I was thinking about what you said Thursday night. About actually pretending 'Santa' came to the house." Derek told me as he pulled into a parking lot. "I thought you could give me a hand."
"Really?!" I grinned.
Something I said had caused this.
Something I said was going to make Isaac a very happy puppy...
This had to be the best day ever!
I could see Derek fighting a smile of his own, trying to keep it small. I was just about ready to burst, thinking of how happy this was going to make my friend.
I pretty much jumped out of the Camaro, grabbing Derek's hand – once he had gotten out and locked the car – and ran towards the first store that looked remotely interesting. And if I didn't let go for a very long while, well...then that was my business.
As we walked around the town, Derek and I found a lot of stuff to give to Isaac as 'Santa'. I felt guilty for not being able to chip in with the cost – it was my idea after all, initially – but Derek played the Alpha card.
As we walked, we talked. Not about anything in particular, just talking. I even found out a few things about Derek that he had been reluctant to share before.
Derek told me, briefly, about his girlfriend Paige and what happened with her. He told me, briefly, about Kate Argent and what happened there – especially with the fire. I refrained from asking any questions on those subjects... Derek told me he had two sisters, one older and one younger, both by a few years, so he got to know what it was like to be both the youngest and the oldest. He told me about the rest of his Pack – not that he named people, unless it was Peter – and everything they used to do together, everywhere they used to go. He told me about the books he liked, the music he listened to... Surprisingly, we both had similar tastes, in...well...everything. We had many things in common, though we disagreed with each other on a few points that the other would make...
I found out, whilst on this little shopping trip, that Derek Hale and I were actually pretty compatible.
Which did nothing to stop my attraction for him.
END OF FLASHBACK – Back to Wednesday, December 25th 2013
I glanced over at Derek; both of us smiling a little as we watched Isaac excitedly open everything in front of him. He nearly squealed at the sight of what 'Santa' had brought him and what the rest of his Pack had got for him.
Jackson, the poor guy, just looked confused as hell.
It went on like that, one by one everyone opening what the others had given them. I was content in just sitting there and watching, smiling at their closeness.
I was not prepared to be handed four presents.
"Wh-What?" I stuttered out, looking at them all in shock as I stared at the four wrapped boxes in front of me.
"Did you really think we were going to leave you out?" Boyd asked, the left side of his mouth curled up into a sort-of-smile.
"Please be serious." Lydia sighed, grinning. "Now, open them."
It took me a few more moments to get over the shock of it all. These people who had known me for just over three months had actually gotten me Christmas gifts...
Gingerly, I reached for the second smallest box. The tag read it was from Isaac, Danny, Erica and Boyd. I glanced at the four of them, all of them nodding to encourage me to open it.
So I did. I unwrapped the wrapping paper, revealing a brown cardboard box. Inside the box was a black cell phone. My eyes widened slightly as I took in the sleek, black model, a little wary about the fact that a cell phone could, in fact, be tracked... But did I really need to worry about that with them?
I looked up, getting ready to thank them, when Erica held up her hand, stopping me before I could speak.
"Open them all, and then thank us." she told me, laughing a little.
Nodding, I reached for the next box. This one was longer and flatter; the tag reading it was from Jackson, Lydia, Scott and Allison. I repeated with this one what I did with the phone, this time, revealing a black laptop, case and all.
I could already feel the tightening of my throat and the stinging of my eyes.
Before I started to say anything, I looked at the remaining two packages, reaching for the smaller of the two, which just happened to be the smallest out of the four of them.
This one was square-ish and the tag said it was from, well, everyone. After unwrapping it, I found that it was a box that jewellery would come in. Tilting my head to the right a little, I put the box down in front of me, glancing at all of them. All of them – even Derek – were grinning at each other as they watched me... It was kind of unnerving.
So I turned my attention back to the box in front of me.
It was a ring.
The ring itself was gold, small black triskelion symbols surrounding it.
I stared at it for a long time before looking up at all of them
"Hey, it's just a ring, if you don't like it we can take it back." Boyd told me.
Smiling a little, I shook my head, looking back down at the gold and black object.
"I don't like it...I love it..." I muttered, feeling a little embarrassed at the admission.
"Then why do you look like you're about to cry?" Erica questioned.
I looked back up, giving her a tired and sad smile.
"I haven't celebrated Christmas in ten years... I forgot about getting gifts." I said, quietly. "I miss her, you know..."
Everyone kind of went quiet. As the silence stretched on, I picked up the gold band, sliding it onto my right ring finger.
Before the silence could go on any longer, the largest box was pushed in front of me by Peter. It was a big box. A really big box. And I mean big as in tall. Tall like Boyd, but not as tall as him. I looked at the tag, seeing that this one was from Peter and Derek.
I had to stand up to take most of the wrapping paper off and to open the box but, when I looked inside, I couldn't help 'eep'.
"You got me a guitar!" I beamed.
It was a natural coloured electro-acoustic guitar, with a capo and an amp and a strap and everything I would need for it. I was, essentially, freaking out right now, because this was a fucking awesome guitar!
"I would hug you all right now, but I have no idea where to start." I laughed.
I realised that, by saying that, I had opened myself up to the attack that followed. I was pretty much tackled to the ground, being squashed to death by nine werewolves and one human.
I never thought I would like that...
The warmth and the weight made me think that this could have been what it was like if I had any brothers or sisters, or if my mom never died. I made me think that this is what it could have been like if I was actually part of a Pack... It was a really nice feeling.
By the time I had wriggled out from underneath all of them, I was laughing like crazy.
"Thank you." I told them, once I had gotten my breath back. "I... It means a lot to me."
All of them just grinned at me, still touching me in some way... Of course, they were all kind of confused when I jumped up and started searching behind one of the units in the living room.
"Stiles... What are you...?" Derek started, only to be cut off by my triumphant yell.
I pulled out a few packages of my own, sorting them all out quickly before handing them all out easily.
"I only have, like, nine dollars to my name... But I still wanted to get you guys something." I explained as they all stared at the two things in their hands. "So, instead, I did this."
They all opened them at the same time, coming face to face with two pictures each, that I had drawn. All of them had a portrait of themselves along with something special...something that meant something to them.
Allison had a picture of her mom, because she said she didn't have a decent one.
Boyd had a picture of the ice skating rink. He had once shown me a picture of it when he let the whole Pack in without anyone known, so I had remade that picture for him on a larger scale.
Danny had a picture of his parents, since he never really saw them.
Erica had a picture of her two favourite guys – Boyd and Isaac.
Isaac had a picture of his mom, since he couldn't really remember her.
Jackson had a picture of his biological parents, since he never got to meet them – I was good with hacking too.
Lydia had a picture of her and Jackson. She showed me this one picture the previous month and was devastated when she couldn't find it again after that... So I recreated it from memory.
Peter had a picture of his Pack. His old Pack. I had found a picture that was fading and ripped from when I first went into his room, so I decided to redo it for him...
Scott had a picture of his mom, because even though he got to see her, it wasn't as much as he wanted and he missed her.
For Derek? Well, Derek got the picture I had been working on for a while now – the one on one of my large canvases. What I had been doing on it was drawing the house we were in now – the exterior of it – with the whole Pack standing outside it. I hadn't seen a picture with all of them together yet, so I thought I would make one for them all.
By the looks on their faces, they all loved their gifts.
"Stiles, could I make a request?" Derek asked, quietly, not looking away from the large canvas.
"Sure." I nodded.
"Add yourself to this and then give it back to me."
I was more than a little surprised as Derek handed me the canvas, my mind taking a moment to figure out what he had said.
"What? Why do you want me on there?" I questioned, frowning.
"Really, Stiles? You don't know?" Danny asked, laughing slightly.
"You belong with us." Allison told me.
"Which means you belong on here." Derek added, tapping the canvas. "So, can you add yourself in and then give it back to me?"
I nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
That night, lying in bed, I stared at: the ring on my finger, the guitar in the corner on its stand, the laptop on my desk and the phone on my bedside table.
The guitar was turned.
The laptop had internet access.
The phone had everyone's numbers programmed in to it.
They had done everything to make sure it was all ready and working for me... That just made everything all the more amazing.
I lay there, twisting the ring twice clockwise and twice anti-clockwise, going back and forth as I stared up at the ceiling, smiling to myself and replaying the events of the day.
This had been an amazing Christmas.
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