Is This The World We Created

Chapter 20

Sebastian Hale felt like a complete and total failure. As a werewolf, as a human and more importantly as a husband and father. He had been the one there for all his children, every single day. Every child-parent conference, ever dinner, every school drop off…how could he have missed so much that had led to this? He thought his children respected him, loved him and would have come to him with anything. How could he have missed his son was in a relationship with an Argent of all things. How could he have missed just how…unsuitable his eldest daughter was becoming to be where it concerned the Alpha powers? How distance was Cora from the rest of her siblings that Laura made no effort to find her own sister? How could Laura have run off and not helped her own uncle? Judging by the Derek he was seeing on the screen…this closed off angry werewolf that didn't want to let anyone in…what had they been through? His babies, they must have been so scared, so alone, werewolves weren't meant to be that way. They thrived in packs, while the lone wolf died.

Jasper Hale was in no better form, their entire world kept crashing down around them. What his daughter had done to his son, what his daughter had done to the Nemeton despite his tales of caution. He'd thought for so long that she was the best Alpha of them all. Raising four wonderful children Laura, Derek, Cora and Bastian. A career, helping countless packs with their problems and brokering peace between them. People came to her in search of wisdom, she seemed to have it all. How much of it was rose tinted glasses? How had Talia failed to pass on his teachings to Laura? Would Talia have left her brother to rot in hospital with the possibly of exposure? Or was it just something Laura had done? Circe he'd always thought her mature, intelligent, and she seemed to care so much about the pack…again was he seeing things through rose tinted glasses?

Peter grasped their necks, giving them a squeeze to knock them back into reality. It wasn't easy for a werewolf to become overwhelmed, but right now? They were utterly overwhelmed with everything they had experienced in the past not yet even twenty-four hours. "Everyone is safe and alive; nothing has happened yet."

"But it has, to you, Peter, to Derek…" Sebastian said, his voice slightly strangled, as he spoke to his brother-in-law. "It's burdensome knowing what happened but we didn't have to live it…how can you look any of us in the eye? We screwed up so badly, in so many different ways, it's almost like we deserved what happened. Us, me, Talia, Deaton…not the kids, never the kids." So many opportunities surely, and they'd been blind to them all…it didn't matter what happened now…life was never going to be the same.

"It's a burden we chose to bear to save the world," Peter told them seriously, eyes flashing red, "I wouldn't want it any other way, not even for the peace of never knowing." He'd already had his memories scrambled with, and not even to forget the feeling of his flesh burning to the bone three times.

"Ditto," Stiles quipped, that was the truth of it, he'd rather remember and change everything than forget a moment of his life. "I'd never choose to forget Derek, plus, it lets us know just how lucky we are." His body so still, but that might have something to do with Derek being so firmly curled around him soft whining leaving his vocal cords. Stiles might not have said much, but it was pretty much a love declaration if he'd ever heard one. Not that such a thing was unusual, each night, even if they'd been arguing they said they loved each other. Knowing just how precious memories were, time was, of course they'd make sure to make the most of it. Derek more than most.

"And we get to save those closest to us and start again," Harry stated, he wanted to see what would happen if an Alpha bit a werewolf of Teddy's kind. Wondered which strain of Lycanthrope would win out. Because if it was possible, he most definitely wanted his godson to have that strain, to have that kinship, the pack and the lack of pain. Due to the fact he was a born werewolf – just as Remus had feared – it meant it hurt less, but still excruciatingly painful for a child to endure. With the two worlds colliding, he knew he wasn't going to be the only one that would desire such a change and he wasn't even a werewolf.

The council members grimaced; it did seem lately unfair that Harry Potter had to watch families reunite constantly. Especially when his own was so far out of his reach they might as well be in another galaxy. Yet he didn't seem the slightest bit bitter, and they didn't know how. There wasn't a person in the room that didn't want to go back in time and save someone they love. Whether it was a mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, or even a best-friend, or someone close to them.

"So, believe us when we say, it isn't a burden," Peter promised, and there was no blip in his heart detonating a lie. He meant it, truly, he'd never go back to being so utterly oblivious. He'd always believed himself to be smart, dedicated, intelligent and jaded, but even he hadn't foreseen or thought about such a thing like what the Argent's had done. Oh, he knew they went after werewolves, whether they were guilty or innocent…but nothing like this but he'd learned. Oh, he'd learned that they had perfected their recipe this time around. This time he was going to make sure that everyone involved however remotely, would pay the price.

That included Harris, hell, everyone would cheer over that, he'd be the hero of every single student from Beacon Hills High School, both past and present that had endured his odious presence.

"If I could…I'd take it from you," Jasper said, raising his hand and squeezing his sons' shoulder, "I'd do anything for you, Peter, and I'm so sorry if I've ever given a different impression."

Peter's eyes flickered up to his father in surprise, Jasper had always been the impassive sort, he didn't say the words often. What was the point when you could smell how proud he was of his children? The mistake they made was believing that they didn't need to hear it. Plus, Jasper had spent a lot of his time with Talia and hardly any time for him. It had been his mom that had made his childhood worthwhile and happy, or what he could remember of it. "You didn't," was all Peter had to say, it was a little too late for that, he wasn't a child who needed his father anymore.

No, he was an Alpha that would see the Hale pack thrive in a way it had never before.

Eventually and reluctantly after the food was eaten, coffee drank and the pumpkin juice consumed everyone sat back down ready to get back to viewing everything. Chris himself got back to writing everything he knew down, which was a lot, and it was a good job for the parchment being so long. He did keep half an ear out on the proceedings.

"I wouldn't take it," Sebastian said, that was no lie, he was staring at the screen as if seeing something that was no longer there. His beautiful pup all grown up and so very angry and betrayed. Tears in his eyes, oh, how had he and Talia messed up so much? To think they thought they were the perfect parents, perfect balance. It just went from bad to worse, his family dead, Laura dead, his mates father dead, being forced to give someone the bite – something he considered a gift – then the apocalypse, the only good thing was that he'd found his mate amongst it all. Gripping his son's forearm, how the hell did he go through with apologising? Was there enough apologies in the world that could make it better?

The answer that came watching the rest of the memories was a big fat no, and he didn't even know what happened to his son during the times Stiles wasn't with him. He somehow doubted his luck got any better…certainly couldn't have gotten worse.

They watched Derek, Isaac, Peter and Stiles look for Erica and Boyd to no success.

Watch the fear darken Derek's face, as he shared a look with Peter, that Stiles definitely wasn't ignorant off even with his human senses, at the design on the front door of the burnt husk that had once been their family's home. Of all the properties they had, cabin in the preserve, why choose to always remain there he didn't now. Perhaps they too had been compromised? It wouldn't be a surprise if they were. The cabin was small, room enough for maybe three or four people, but meant for intimate get always so that the pups didn't hear anything.

Apparently, there was an Alpha pack on the prowl, which confused Jasper and Sebastian, Alphas weren't made to work together, especially without Beta's. Not that it mattered, the look on their faces spoke of more bad times coming upon them.

"You began working with that boy?!" Jasper bit out when he saw his grandson accept help from that traitor. Disgust thrumming through him, "Where are the Hale pack allies? Were you really that short you had to accept help from a traitor?"

Stiles scoffed, "Do you really expect any of them to come when the Heir of the damn Hale pack herself abandoned Beacon Hills as a lost cause? Abandoned all alliances her pack had built up? That sort of thing isn't one way, it's a two-way street and she abandoned them. They in turn, turned on all things Hale, there was only one really willing to work with us after everything that happened. Satomi Ito."

Jasper clenched his jaw, bitterness crawling up his throat, of course, he hadn't though of that one if he was entirely honest. All werewolves avoided New York, too cramped, no forest to run in, far too much a risk of exposure. The one place that Laura would be safe from anyone wanting to kill her on principle. In the end she tried to find out what happened to her pack, six years it took to gain the courage to do so. Or maybe she only came rushing back because Deaton tricked her, they honestly don't know. Laura had taken that secret to the grave with her.

They watched the so-called Alpha pack make an appearance, and they recognized every single one of them.

"DEUCALION?" Jasper and Sebastian gaped at the sight in front of them, "No way!" he was all for world peace, for working with hunters, admittedly if the rumours were to be believed it had all gone seriously wrong.

That 'No way' was punctured by having the knowledge that they had impaled Derek on a pipe with threats given if he didn't join the Alpha pack.

Watched the plans to infiltrate the bank in Beacon Hills, gasping when they realized what was so special about the bank and why keep the two Beta's there. They were forcing Derek's hand, there was only one thing conceivable to do to keep the supernatural hidden against feral werewolves – however temporary – was to kill them. Then he saw his beautiful baby girl as an adult, just as broken as Derek but strong too. Cora had tried to come home after realizing that a Hale Alpha had once again taken up residence in Beacon Hills. After all these years she realized she had family alive after all.

Then they heard Stiles comment blankly that they had forced Derek to kill Boyd, by own claws and he was useless to stop it. Two Beta's down, both of them killed by the Alpha pack. That Derek had used what he knew against Isaac in order to terrify his final living Beta, and watched him leave terrified of Derek. Breaking the single last pack bond, he had with the Beta's he needed to keep him whole and healthy.

They saw a broken Derek giving up all he had left of himself, an ultimate his Alpha powers, to save Cora. It was no wonder the Nemeton had chosen him, he'd already proven beyond a shadow of a doubt he deserved the Alpha powers. Watched Stiles break with the knowledge that his father had got caught up in the supernatural, taken by the Darach to be a sacrifice in her three-fold spell.

The sacrifice Stiles, Scott and Allison were all prepared to make in order to get their parents back.

The Lunar Eclipse

The moment the wizarding council realized what was happening they breathed in and choked on their own salvia, "Oh Merlin no!"

"They Didn't!"

"How can they use powers beyond their ken?!"

Stiles had known it was bad judging by Harry's reaction before they returned, but this…they were beyond terrified.

"The ritual was done by Doctor Alan Deaton, a Darach and the former Druid and Emissary for the Hale pack." Harry told them, the image paused at his face, which was impassive but the unmistakable glee in his eyes was unmistakable. "He used it with the intention of unleash a Chaos Demon into the world, and give the Nemeton the power for another ritual he had in mind." sacrifices were highly powered after all, especially virgins which Stiles had been.

"I'm going to assume since he has…betrayed his Vows to your pack that it will be pack vengeance you'll enact?" the President asked resignedly. Staring at the figure, he was a danger to all they held dear. If this was something all Druids or Darach's were doing…they needed to get that knowledge removed, ASAP.

Jasper and Sebastian's faces turned as one and said "Yes," in the coldest of voices they'd ever given. Especially Sebastian who was always so laid back, Derek started just hearing it, he would never have thought in a million years he'd hear something like that. His father had always been laid back, fun loving, and gave them all room when they requested it, respecting their boundaries.

The President just grudgingly nodded, "Then do so, you have exactly a week before I interfere, he's not just a danger to your pack, but to the supernatural on a whole. A chaos Demon…we haven't dealt with them since the war." He hadn't thought any of them survived, and according to his predecessors they had all been dealt with. Evidently not, somehow one must have gotten lost in the chaos that was the war. Being attacked on all sides, Hitler, Grindelwald, and numerous magical creatures attacking people it was a mess.

Jasper and Sebastian were about to see first hand just what it was like dealing with a Chaos Demon.

Saving their parents.

Then the grand finale, battling the Alpha pack and a demented Darach who turned out to be Derek's new girlfriend.

They could see the anticipation wrapped around Scott the entire time, until they began losing, then in the nick of time, Scott received those Alpha powers. Deucalion with his restored vision – thanks to one tricked Darach – left, and the Darach wasn't hunted down like the disease she was.

"YOU LET HER GO?!" Jasper gaped out incredulously, "Are you out of your mind?!" staring at his grandson as if he couldn't believe it. "You listened to this idiot and let a threat go, a threat that had you under her thrall?"

"Circe help us," Sebastian sick to his stomach, staring at the screen, unable to meet his own son's eyes. How many had died? It was little wonder the supernatural world had been exposed, letting threats go. How many times had his son been manipulated?

Derek cringed, definitely not the reaction he expected from his mild-mannered father.

"Derek, back then…lived by the motto, just because we're Predators it doesn't mean we're monsters, and he took it way too far." Peter answered, understanding dawning on Sebastian aware that it was one of his wife's favourite saying. "And you should hold no fear that the Darach survived, I killed her the moment McCall and Derek were out of sight. Derek might have been oblivious of his duties but I am not." an Alpha shouldn't let a threat live, it was the innocent that always paid the price, or worse, young pack members.

Sebastian's face ended up being cupped and hidden in his hands, reeling over everything he was learning. How many times had his son been betrayed now? Four? There wasn't anyone that deserved it less. He felt so disgusted with himself, Circe help them.

"The ritual, let me guess, it took the Hale Alpha powers and put it in this…incompetent simpleton!" Jasper practically spat the words out, "I'm going to kill him slowly and methodically, and Peter, you're helping!" Peter would make sure the Darach would suffer before he died. His son was inventive like that.

Peter's lips stretched into a lazy smirk, winking at Harry who chuckled but shook his head.

"I must confess myself entirely confused as to why anyone would give Alpha powers to a child. His mind is still growing, his sense of self is still being created. That sort of responsibility isn't good for anyone, especially if they're unprepared for it…and judging by how little everyone has changed…it's still very new to him." the President of MACUSA confessed.

"It all comes back to the Nemeton," Harry deducted, realization dawning, "He was never fully able to gain control of it, not while a Hale still drew breath. I wonder…did he attempt to gain control by using Scott as the Alpha…or was still recovering from the Chaos Demon before the end or had Stiles actually bonded to her stopping Deaton from gaining control? The Nemeton has had a Hale bound to it since the beginning of time, until Talia and Laura…but if he wanted it why poison it? To try and weaken it? or was it someone else?" staring thoughtfully at nothing in particular.

"A child would be easier to control," the President conceded.

"No, not always," Peter said with a vindictive smirk, "I would love to have seen Deaton's reaction had he tried any of that with Stiles." Who would have researched the hell out of everything before he did anything. The ritual he did to find his father had been out of sheer desperation and terror. He'd learned his lesson, but if he had to go back and relive it, he'd do it, he'd choose his fathers live above anyone else, even those officers he'd been fond off at the Sherriff station, where he'd spent his childhood being babysat by them.

"He does seem rather…dim-witted," Daisy agreed fully. "Did he even pass his classes?"

"Just," Stiles told him, not that he'd been in a lot of classes with Scott, since he was in most Advanced classes. Mostly because he had his and his current girlfriends help at the time. Becoming a werewolf didn't make Scott any more intelligent, if anything he became stupider.

Derek swallowed when he realized his father was likely furious with him, he certainly was making every effort not to meet his eyes. Back then he thought his family would have been proud of him, just how much did his memory rely so heavily on the wrong belief's? All those years of thinking he was making them proud and all along he hadn't been.

The memories began again, showing Scott and Stiles trekking through the woods, which did confuse everyone for a brief moment before realization dawned. It was unmistakable really, there was a lot of Hale in the girl, not just her ability to fully shift. The image was distorted from the head down, to give the girl privacy.

"She looks like…" Sebastian paused and glanced at Jasper.

"My wife," Jasper croaked, "Her grandmother." There was so much of her in Malia's image, Talia and Peter too, it made his eyes burn. How long had she been there? Stuck in Coyote form? So very confused as to how and why? One moment human the next an animal with no way to communicate? After attacking her mother and sister, Talia had condemned those people to death as if she had clawed them herself.

Peter's gaze shuttered, she wouldn't end up lost for long, he'd bring her home where she belongs as soon as they were done here.

Memories surfaced of Stiles being taken over by the Chaos Demon, you could tell almost immediately. The stillness, the look in his eyes, the lack of sleep, but each of his friends seemed to eat up whatever lies the Demon spewed out. Watching as the spark – who definitely couldn't have ignited yet otherwise the Demon couldn't possess him – began to play a game of chess with the Chaos Demon and actually came out ahead of him.

The split, the decision to bite Stiles, anything was better than allowing it to continue possessing people. The Oni being summoned to take care of the spirit. Deaton stunning the spirit with Wolf Lichen. Shocked to find that there was a hospital that deals with supernatural creatures. Imprisoning them. Watching how they treated Stiles, all the while knowing he was possessed. Stiles was then separated from the spirit (Chaos Demon) and Lydia was captured. Then the group figure out how to deal with the spirit, by biting him and containing his essence in a jar made from the Nemeton.

"You bet a trickster at its own game," Jasper said dazed, still not exactly sure how he'd done it mind, but knowing he had.

"It was impressive," the President agreed, the council very quick to agree.

"Unbeknown to everyone Kate Argent had returned and kidnapped Derek," Peter said, cutting short their impressed murmurings.

"She died, we saw her die…you didn't salt and burn the body?" Jasper asked, entirely forgetting one important aspect.

"I was dead," Peter said dryly, "I apologise if it messed with my plans to take care of it."

"Apparently the other hunters came and stole her body and tried to get her to do the honorable thing, kill herself now that she was a were creature." Stiles told them. "Gerard Argent knew, of course, but didn't care."

"You survived, so what did she want?" the President of MACUSA asked shrewdly.

Peter laughed finding the entire thing ironic.

"She had heard of a Hale talisman that was in the Hale vault, she thought it had real powers. She couldn't control herself, and changed me into a fifteen-year-old." Derek confessed, "Back when I trusted her…" feeling sick just recalling the 'second but first time' he'd seen the Hale Mansion entirely destroyed through the eyes of his ritualised fifteen-year-old self.

"The thing had no such powers, of course, it was just something we told the pups to help them learn control." Peter continued when it was clear Derek couldn't. "The ritual was permanent from what we could find, there was nothing to return Derek back to his right age. Worse still, he was losing his wolf, he was becoming entirely human. To add insult to injury while we were all attempting to get him back, all the bearer bonds were stolen from the Hale Vault."

A shudder wracked Derek's frame, vulnerable in a way he'd never known before – except for the eclipse – he'd honestly expected to die.

Jasper choked, there were millions upon millions of dollars in those bearer bonds. He made a mental note to move them ASAP. Nobody except a Hale should have been able to get into the damn vault.

"We returned home, Derek got close to Braeden, a human, meanwhile there was assassins attacking anyone supernatural. The money stolen from the Hale vault…was used to fund a Deadpool, a plan I came up with…in the first week after the fire…trapped in my own mind…I somehow connected with a Banshee…shared thoughts, that's how they got the bearer bonds." Peter confessed blankly, "As always, Scott was letting the assassins go, and more and more people were dying as a result."

Derek startled at that; he hadn't been aware of that.

"We were too close to total exposure, I joined up with Kate Argent with every intention of double crossing her. Get her to kill Scott McCall and I would kill her. Unfortunately, things didn't go that way at all." Peter said, pursing his lips, remaining quiet, gesturing towards the platform.

They watched as everyone panicked when Scott and Kira were kidnapped. Watches Scott as a Berserker, watches him overcome it and defeat Peter.

Watches Derek Hale heroically take on the Berserkers in order to let everyone get away. Instead of dying for good however, Derek evolved into a wolf.

Jasper and Sebastian gasped in shock, watching in awe as they shivered, goosebumps enveloping them. They'd heard of these things happening, but only in books, and they'd all went on to have great destinies. Then again, after everything they'd seen and heard tonight…Derek had most definitely had a great destiny and seemed destined for greater still.

He was identical to Talia and Laura in wolf form, he was stunning.

Then they watched as Peter Hale was imprisoned in Eichen House, a place that they knew harboured dark experimentation on creatures thanks to Stiles' time down there and of course, Lydia's time there.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Jasper choked out, there was no mistaken the utter disgust and rage that Jasper exuded and it was most definitely for the first time, directed at Derek. His ice blue eyes flashing in his fury, "You chose that…that…parasite over family…I can't even…" aghast to his very soul as he paced back and forth, trying to work off the devastation and fury consuming him.

"It seems to be a reoccurring theme," Sebastian asked, scrutinizing his son, realizing for the first time that he really didn't know him at all. Didn't understand what he had turned into. Was the Nemeton right? Was Derek the right person to defend Beacon Hills?

"He was right not to be able to trust me," Peter replied, "I killed his Alpha," unable to say Sister or Laura.

"I would have killed her! Daughter or not if she did that to me! She was no Alpha! She left her pack behind!" Sebastian roared angrily, before losing the last remnants of colour in his face. There was never a reason to leave pack behind, under any circumstances.

There wasn't a single scent of disagreement anywhere in the room, not even from Stiles. Which in retrospect, shouldn't surprise anyone. There was no more family orientated boy than Stiles Stilinski. It was as if he had meant to be a werewolf all along. For he definitely acted more like pack than even the most eager of Beta's. An Alpha mate who had been able to protect the pack as ferocious as any Alpha before him. Stiles deserved the title of Alpha mate, and he would rain hell down on anyone who suggested otherwise.

What kind of world had they left behind for their children? How had they failed so badly?

A/N – well, there we go the next chapter, so much for getting the rest of it in, I underestimated how much information is needed to be put into the story! Once again I hope it's understandable to you all 😊 I know not everyone watches Teen Wolf – I certainly didn't passed Scott becoming an Alpha – so I think it's a little easier for me to put it into perspective to a reader 😉 not as much as usual sorry guys but lately it's been more difficult for me to type well, and I actually called the doctors about it today and they actually reckon I've got arthritis in my hands guess there's a downside to writing all the time eh! If it was walking the dogs, it would definitely just be my right hand/wrist. I hope it's just temporary! The pain and stiffness is rather annoying…anyway R&R please guys!