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, Jessie Hale, Janice Hale, Luna Hale, and Grace (Gracie) Hale, Tauriel (Taurie), Oliver (Olly), Laura, Bayley (Bay-leaf), Jonas, Layla, Alexandra, Nathan, Silvia, James, Timmy, Liam, Tony, Jason, Connor, Cain, Henry Elijah McCall, Joanna-Beth McCall (Jo), Dawn Amelia Whittemore and Charlie Dean Whittemore (twins), Tessa Rose Whittemore, Leolani Hayden Mãhealani-Lahey (Leo), Alana Grace Mãhealani-Lahey (Als, Lana), Michael Jonah Boyd (Mike, Mikey), Cassandra Tegan Boyd (Cas, Cassie), Simon Anthony Boyd (Si), Susannah Cecilia Hale, Amelia Joanne Hale, Emma Tegan Hale, Joshua Peter Hale, Gwaine Angelo Hale, Arthur Tyson Hale, Hayden Cain Hale, Logan Jonah Hale, Dean Henry Hale, Samuel Jackson Hale (Sam, Sammy), Jennifer Rachel Hale (Jenny) and Julia Marie Hale.
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
Please, please review XD
DUDES THIS IS MY MOST SUCCSESSFUL FIC SO FAR, AND I LOVE YOU ALL FOR THAT! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I HOPE YOU ENJOY READING, BECAUSE I LOVE WRITING IT :'D
P.S. I've been really busy with college, so I won't update as regularly as I used to. It's going to be work-work-work, so bear with me, please :)
Chapter 35
Stiles
Saturday, March 22nd – two days left.
Everyone was being so...positive about it all. I was being realistic. There was just as much of a chance that I wasn't going to still be alive on Monday, but they all refused to believe it.
Derek's wounds had healed nicely, leaving only a faint scar when I had taken off the last set of bandages for him last night. Of course that scar would be gone now.
It was strange how, right now, I hated the fact that they all – minus Allison – had healing abilities. I mean, how was it fair? I have the one thing that made me special taken away with me, while being surrounded by a majority of people who still have it.
I didn't care if I sounded like a petulant child.
It was how I saw it.
Since we were on a time limit, we decided that Saturday and Sunday would be spent trying to figure out how to take down this evil witch. I mean, we had found out what she was and why she was doing this, but there was nothing on how to stop her.
I had exhausted every single useful site on the web, still nothing.
So, the only other thing we could do? Look through the books. AGAIN!
Everyone had taken a stack of books to different parts of the house: Peter, Danny and Isaac were in their rooms; Boyd and Erica were outside on the porch; Scott and Allison were in the kitchen; Jackson and Lydia in the library – yeah, I said library –; Derek and me were in the living room.
I had gotten so sick of staring at the same information as before – not to mention the dying didn't make it any better – so stopped, about, a third through my stack of books. Derek, on the other hand, was pushing through.
I don't think I had actually seen him go to bed at any point. If he had, he was always the last one to go to sleep and, surprisingly, the first one awake. Usually that was me, but lately I would drag myself downstairs to see him sitting in the living room, flipping through another book.
Anyway, so I was bored.
So I did what I sometimes did when I was bored – tapped my fingers against the coffee table.
I don't know what it was that always had me so restless since I was a kid, but I could never sit still, so I had to always do something with my hands to keep my mind occupied... Mom found it cute...
I would never tap to the same rhythm, the beat always changing in my head. Sometimes I would tap along to songs that were going through my head at the time, other times I would just make up a random beat and just go along with it.
Derek didn't seem too fond of this...
Every now and then he would glance over, almost glaring as my fingers continued to tap against the wooden table.
It took, about, three minutes before he grabbed my wrist to get me to stop. We just, kind of, stared at each other – well, Derek was more glaring than staring, but, meh.
I waited until Derek had let go and turned back to his book to start drumming my fingers against the coffee table again. He honest to God growled, turning his gaze heavenward, probably wondering how this was even his life as he grabbed my wrist again.
"Ok, ok, I'll stop." I grinned.
You think he would have heard the lie in my heartbeat.
But, this time, as soon as I started up again, Derek just started smiling too. I liked his smile; it was a nice smile... He didn't do it as much as he used to when we were kids.
Derek reached over again but, instead of grabbing my wrist, he took my hand.
So, we were, essentially, holding hands!
Of course, Derek just kept on smiling and reading, as if this was something we did everyday, which, hello, was not.
I was rather ashamed to admit that my face lit up like a Christmas tree at midnight. I didn't know what to say or do, considering the last person to do something like this turned out to be an abusive asshole, who I only escaped back in October.
But Derek didn't seem like that.
I mean, I had known him since I was a kid, even if we both forgot until recently.
But I couldn't risk it again.
But it felt nice...
"I found it." Derek muttered, eyes widening.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"I found it. I know how we end this."
"Oh, holy fuck yes!"
"So we have to break the pendant from around her neck?" Isaac clarified.
"And I'll get them back?" I asked.
"That's what it says." Derek nodded, smiling ever so slightly, gesturing to the book. "It also says that they tend to stay in heavily wooded areas, usually in a cave or whatever."
"There's a cave a few miles from here. We used to go there all the time." Peter put in.
"Overlooking the field where we were yesterday, right next to the river." I agreed.
Of course, everyone apart from Isaac, Peter and Derek were confused as to how I knew this. I mean, I did tell Isaac already about my internal battle and all things concerning Derek. So, seeing their confused little puppy faces, I just started poking Peter until he gave in and briefly explained it all to them.
Yes, they were all just a little shocked, but we had to move past that quickly. We had to find this bitch!
The Betas all went to go get ready – none of them had bothered to get out of their pyjamas – so we could all head out and find her. Derek, Peter and I were the only ones left downstairs.
"So, how are we actually going to go about this?" I asked, leaning back a little.
"Well, you are staying here." Derek said. "The rest of us are going to try to find exactly where she is."
"Uh, no, you are not leaving me here!"
"Uh, yes, we are."
"Why? If I go, we could end this today!"
"If you go, she will kill you!"
"I'm pretty sure she has the immediate death stored away for you! Or don't you remember what happened yesterday?!"
The only thing Derek did was growl and flash his Alpha eyes at me. Honestly, they never worked before, why would they work now?
"Stiles, Derek is right." Peter sighed. "We just want you safe, my boy."
'I also promised, to your mother, that I would do everything I could to help her keep you safe if I was ever needed to.' – that's what Peter told me the other day.
Sighing, I just dropped my head back to lean against the back of the couch, quietly sighing 'fine'. They were going to win no matter what right now, now that I was human.
After they had all left, I was doing nothing except lying across the couch. I mean, what else could I actually do? There was, literally, nothing!
TV was boring me.
I had enough of reading.
I didn't want to listen to music.
There was nothing I could do on my laptop.
There was absolutely nothing for me to do here.
"Oh, well isn't that a shame." her voice sighed, sarcastically. "Looks like we will just have to chat."
"Oh, fuck off you bitch." I growled.
"Didn't mommy ever teach you not to swear? Didn't daddy?"
"Fuck off."
"You know what; maybe I should just do this..."
She sealed my mouth shut, without using anything, so I couldn't scream and paralyzed me, so I couldn't move for a third time!
Again, I didn't fight against it, knowing that it would happen anyway.
"Sleep. See what you could have had if you were normal." she said, her voice fading away.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: Saturday, March 22nd 2031
Standing outside the house, I watched as all the kids ran around, chasing each other. I watched as Derek messed around with Tauriel, Oliver and Laura – our kids.
Yeah, I know. Tauriel (Taurie) was ten, Oliver (Olly) was eight almost nine and Laura was seven almost eight. Laura wasn't even our youngest – that was Bayley. He was five, almost six... Bayley was the only one with blue eyes, the others having green or brown or a mixture of the two.
"PAPA!" Bayley yelled, running out of the house.
I didn't even have enough time to turn before he jumped onto my back, leaning forward enough that I could see his little face.
You know how people say that kids are either a 'daddy's girl' or a 'momma's boy'? Well – since it was 'daddy and papa' instead of 'mommy and daddy' – Bayley was the only one out of the four that was definitely a papa's boy.
"Hey, Bay-leaf. Having fun?" I chuckled, moving him around so I could actually hold and look at him properly.
"Grandpa John say he take me school in cruiser, on Monday!" he grinned, arms flailing slightly.
Bayley took after me the most – the flailing, the incessant talking... He was like me. I guess that would be one of the reasons why he – I suppose you could say – preferred me to Derek.
"Sounds awesome, Buddy." I smiled, walking over to one of the picnic tables we had all placed outside, sitting down with Bayley sitting on the table in front of me. "Don't you want to go play with daddy? Your brother and sisters? Cousins? Aunts and uncles? Grandma Talia and Grandpa Oliver?"
Bayley just shook his head, scooting forward slightly until he could hug me again.
"I stay with you?" he asked quietly, still sliding forward until he landed in my lap.
"Yeah, you can stay with me, Bud." I nodded, wrapping my arms around him.
Moving him slightly, I got Bayley so he was sitting side ways, facing the others as they continued to chase around.
I still couldn't believe how many of us there were... I mean there was: Talia, Oliver, Peter, Grace, Jessie, Janice, Luna, Laura, Cora, Jonas, Layla, Alexandra, Nathan, Silvia, James, Timmy, Liam, Tony, Jason, Connor, Callie, Scott, Allison, Isaac, Danny, Jackson, Lydia, Boyd, Erica, Derek, me, my dad... And that wasn't counting the kids!
Derek and I had: Tauriel Claudia Stilinski-Hale (Taurie), Oliver John Stilinski-Hale (Olly), Laura Talia Stilinski-Hale (Lor, Ra-Ra) and Bayley Cayden Stilinski-Hale (Bay-leaf, B). Scott and Allison had: Henry Elijah McCall and Joanna-Beth McCall (Jo). Jackson and Lydia = Dawn Amelia Whittemore and Charlie Dean Whittemore (twins), and Tessa Rose Whittemore. Danny and Isaac had: Leolani Hayden Mãhealani-Lahey (Leo) and Alana Grace Mãhealani-Lahey (Als, Lana). Boyd and Erica had: Michael Jonah Boyd (Mike, Mikey), Cassandra Tegan Boyd (Cas, Cassie) and Simon Anthony Boyd (Si). Jessie and Timmy had: Susannah Cecilia Hale and Amelia Joanne Hale. Janice and Liam had: Emma Tegan Hale and Joshua Peter Hale. Luna and Tony had: Gwaine Angelo Hale and Arthur Tyson Hale. Connor and Laura had: Hayden Cain Hale and Logan Jonah Hale. Cora and Jason had: Dean Henry Hale and Samuel Jackson Hale (Sam, Sammy). Callie and James had: Jennifer Rachel Hale (Jenny) and Julia Marie Hale.
There were a lot of us, right?
But I wouldn't change it for anything. I loved each and every one of them. I mean, they were my family.
(A little while later)
Bayley and I were still sitting at the picnic table, and I listened as my youngest son talked about, well, just about anything he could think of – definitely took after me.
I don't actually know how long we had actually been sat there, but I couldn't care. I was surrounded by the people I loved and they were all safe. That's all I needed to know.
Of course, as soon as arms went around my from behind and a chin was on the top my head it was instantly better.
"Daddy!" Bayley grinned, leaning back so he could see Derek.
"Hey, Champ." Derek chuckled, one of his hands reaching out to ruffle his black hair. "Bayley, why don't you go play with your brother and sisters."
That only made Bayley bury himself closer to me, hiding his face in my chest as his little fists curled into my t-shirt. There were a lot of times when he didn't want to leave my side... Some people thought it was separation anxiety or whatever...but it really wasn't. Before Bayley, Derek and I had lost a child. Well, we thought we did. Apparently, when developing, Bayley combined with the one we thought we lost, which is how we thought he was more like me than the others. Ever since he was born, he had always been quite attached to me...we couldn't really figure out why. But that was fine. I loved each one of my children, I loved my baby boy. I didn't care what people said.
"Bayley, come play!" I heard Tauriel yell.
"Come on, baby bro!" Olly called.
"It's no fun without you!" Laura added.
I saw Bayley turn his head to the side, glancing at his siblings. But, like he usually did, he turned his head back to being hidden in my chest.
Sighing, I couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Hey, Buddy." I whispered, pulling and lifting him up slightly. "How about I tell you an extra special story tonight if you go play? Sound good?"
"Any story?" he whispered back.
"Any story you want."
I swear, it was the fastest I had ever seen him move.
"Definitely your son." Derek chuckled, turning his nose into my hair, swaying slightly.
Rolling my eyes, I managed to get out of his hold so I could stand up and face him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders as I did so.
I still found it amazing how Derek and I had been married for fifteen years and we had four adorable kids. We had our friends, we had our Pack, we had our family, we had each other.
There was nothing else we needed.
END OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN – Back to: Saturday 22nd March 2014
That, for me, was the last straw.
My eyes were stinging, my throat was burning.
I couldn't tell how long I had been looking at that, seeing the faces of those four kids... I just knew it hurt!
I didn't think about it, I just moved.
My hands curled into fists, just like they always did when I was trying to keep control. Of course, I didn't have my claws to make me think of the pain instead. No, I just had the anger and the hurt and every other feeling that I preferred not to feel!
I didn't like emotions!
They were always getting broken.
In no time, I found myself in the training room.
I didn't close the door, just left it open as I walked over to the – you guessed it – punching bag.
I didn't even think as I drew back my curled fist, launching it forward as hard as I could in my weakened state.
I just kept punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And...
Until someone grabbed my fist so it did not collide with the back, putting my arm down slowly.
I must have been out of it for a while if Derek was back.
"You going to explain why you just tried to break your hand?" Derek asked, quietly.
As I blinked, I felt something wet roll down my face. I didn't bother to wipe it away. I didn't bother to do anything. I just looked up at Derek blankly.
"You would too if she had showed you everything she had shown me." I whispered.
Derek tilted his head to the side slightly, raising an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, cautiously.
"She showed me things. Said they would have happened if I had always been normal." I mumbled, quietly, my voice breaking. "It looked so much better than what I have now."
"You shouldn't sa..."
"Your family was still alive."
Derek's words stopped, but he couldn't seem to find the ability to close his mouth. He just stared at me, mouth open, and eyes wide.
"In the last one she showed me, the one from today, your entire family – mom, dad, sisters, uncles, aunt, cousins... All of them." I chocked. "And we still knew each other, and the others were still there, and there were all these kids, and..."
My words died as my voice gave out; all I could do was shake my head.
"Do you even know how much that hurts?" I asked, croakily. "To know that if you were born a regular human being, like so many others, that so many things could have been changed?"
Derek didn't reply.
All Derek did was drag me towards him and wrap his arms around me.
Just like that, I felt more and more tears roll out of my eyes, but not once did a sound leave my mouth.
And we just stood there like that, in the middle of the training room.
It turned out that the witch was in the cave we had talked about earlier in the day. It seemed like the only time she ever actually left was when she attacked me and when she attacked Derek.
We made a plan to go back tomorrow – with Chris – to take that bitch down, so I could get back to normal.
But if it didn't work, then I was dead come Monday morning.
"Is there a certain way we need to destroy the pendant?" Isaac asked.
"Not 'we'." I said. "It's 'me'. I'm the one that has to do it."
"If any of us do it, it won't work." Peter explained. "We just have get the pendant and to keep her busy while Stiles takes care of the rest."
"Yeah, but is there a certain way to do it?" Isaac asked again. "Just break it? Or does it have to be broken with anything specific?"
"You're reading into this way too far, Pup." I chuckled, tiredly. "Just have to break it."
Isaac nodded slowly, looking completely serious... It still amazed me how he just acted like a big kid sometimes, but he had a good reason to be. I mean, it's not like he had much of a child hood – and I had seen that.
The Pup deserved to act like a kid.
"Does anyone else just want to order take out for dinner later and just watch movies until we fall asleep?" I asked, looking around at them all. "I mean, I don't know about you guys, but I can't be asked to do anything but that."
In a matter of seconds, people were running to get blankets and pillows and food and drinks and DVDs.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Peter, Derek and I were the only ones lest sitting in the living room as the Betas ran to collect everything and I couldn't help but turn and just ask on question that had been bugging me for a long time.
"Before I came along, how many Puppy Piles had you guys done?" I asked, tilting my head to the right.
"Two." Derek answered.
The answer was just so final that I just simply forgot anything else I was going to say.
Sunday, March 23rd 2014 – 7:30 am.
Yeah, I know, early right? But, hey, if we did destroy that pendant today, I would need a few hours to start recovering.
So that's why, at this time in the morning, we were trudging through the woods, heading towards the cave.
Of course, because I was newly human and, you know, dying, I couldn't exactly walk as far as I used to. This was why I had hitched a ride on Derek's back.
Yeah, that's right. Derek Hale – twenty five, almost twenty six, year old Derek Hale – was giving me a piggy back ride...
Never did I think this would happen – again.
It was a little humiliating to say that I was almost falling asleep on Derek's back as he walked, but I put that down to the fact that the Spirit Bitch was slowly killing me. I mean, I was dead tomorrow if this didn't work.
"Stiles, stay awake." Derek muttered, moving sharply to jolt me awake.
"It's hard." I muttered into his ear as I slumped forward. "Stay awake for me?"
"Come on, it's not long left now, Gen."
FLASHBACK: Tuesday, August 4th 1998 – Derek's POV
"Come on, it's not long left now, Gen." I sighed.
"I'm tired!" Genim – three, almost four – called back. "And hot! And thirsty!"
"Come here then and I'll carry you."
"Yay!"
Genim ran over to me, his dark brown curls bouncing as he ran, and jumped into my arms.
I laughed as I straightened up, rolling my eyes as I swung him on to my back. I loved the kid; he was my best friend in the world – I didn't care if people said it was stupid for a nine, almost ten, year old to be friends with a little kid.
"You're so lazy, you know that?" I chuckled.
"Yeah. And?" Genim shrugged, completely straight faced.
Grinning, I just shook my head as I started walking again.
"What would I do without you, Gen?" I asked, quietly.
"Die of boredom." he replied.
"You know what, I probably would."
I didn't know where we were going. We were just walking for the hell of it. We did that sometimes, just walked around the forest, seeing if we could find something new. I could always find our way back, so it wasn't like we got lost or anything. Besides, anyone in my family, plus Genim's mom, would be able to find us too.
It wasn't like we'd be lost for hours and they'd have to call the police.
"Der?" Genim asked, leaning over my shoulder. "You be my best friend forever, right?"
"Of course, Gen." I grinned.
"No matter what?"
"No matter what."
"Even when we old and wrinkly?"
"Even then."
"Love you, Der."
"Yeah, I love you too, Gen."
END OF FLASHBACK – Back to: Sunday, March 23rd 2014 – Stiles' POV
"Stiles, we're almost there." I heard Derek tell me, though his voice sounded far too distant for my liking.
All I did was nod, letting him know I heard him.
This was going to be eventful.
We had gone over the plan on our way to the cave, but now it was time to put that plan into action.
I got off of Derek's back just outside of the cave's entrance, out of sight of the witch. Everyone decided that was the best place for me at that moment in time, given my current state of being.
While I stayed there, the others were going to go in and, somehow, get the pendant; Derek was then going to get it to me so I could destroy it, while the others distracted the bitch.
That part of the plan wasn't as well thought out as the 'Stiles stays outside' part, but it was worth a shot.
"Whatever you hear, do not move." Derek whispered, helping me lean against the wall of the cave. "Stay here."
Again, I just nodded.
I watched as the blurry shapes of the Pack and Chris made their way into the cave.
Almost instantly, I heard snarls and bangs and all sorts of noises, but it all sounded as if I was underwater.
My sight and hearing were going... At least she really wasn't lying about the dying in two weeks part.
I heard someone yelp in pain, but I couldn't place who it was. The only thing I could identify was the roar of an Alpha, which came shortly after the yelp.
So many sounds blended together, and I think I blacked out for a minute or two...
Or maybe more... Especially since, next thing I knew, Derek was running out with a circular object on a silver chain.
Derek pressed the cold metal into my hand.
But, just as I raised my arm to smash it, everything went dark.
Come on, you knew it was going to happen, right XD
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