Chapter Thirteen—Christmas Is In The Air Part Two.

'So, how bored are you on a scale of one to I'm about to gouge out my own eyeballs for something to do?' I asked the strawberry blonde sat up in the hospital bed in amusement.

'I'm thinking that spoon would be a good tool to use.' She gestured to the silver spoon on her tray laden with horrible cafeteria food.

'I figured that, so I bought you a care package with your presents seeing as your mom has banned visitors until after the holiday.' I said, lifting up the huge tote bag beside me like it was the Holy Grail.

It was Christmas Eve and I had been doing last minute chores and shopping. I decided to drop in to see Lydia, both to ease her complete and utter boredom and to let her have her presents. I was hoping it would make her a little less depressed—since the accident I hadn't really seen her laugh or smile more than a handful of times. I couldn't really blame her, she had been attacked by the alpha and she had to stare at the same four walls day after day, but I was hoping I could bring her a little Christmas cheer.

'Stacey, you are officially my favourite person!' she said pulling out all of the items in the bag and carefully laying them on the bed in front of her.

I had bought some school books and books for pleasure, knowing she liked to read just as much as I did, some of her usual shampoo, conditioner, face wash, moisturiser, deodorant, body wash and shaving cream with a razor. I had guessed with the brands but I had already known what scents she used anyway—apparently her dad had gotten it all wrong when he went out to buy them for her and Lydia liked to use her usual products because her skin was sensitive. I had also packed in a small amount of make up—she hated going barefaced everyday— some hair ties and some fashion magazines. It should keep her going for a while and that was the plan, to distract her from the mundane environment she was currently trapped in.

'Thank you so much!' She practically squealed and we both giggled, her excitement affecting us both.

'You're welcome.' I grinned and reached down to pull out a medium sized gift wrapped box, 'I also bought your Christmas present, you don't have to open it now—,' I laughed when she cut me off by making "gimmie" hands at me.

I handed the box over and watched as she tore into it, childlike eagerness lighting up her expression. When she came face to face with a plain brown cardboard box she let out an annoyed growl at the lack of hints and that made me snigger. Eventually, she got it open and she spent so long staring at it that I was worried she hated it. I had gotten her a complete outfit—with the help of Allison—one that she had been eyeing when she and the huntress went shopping for formal dresses a few weeks ago. It was a skater dress that was a light brown on the bust and decorated with pink and white flowers on the rest of the dress. I had gotten her a golden-chained necklace that was styled so that it tied in a knot while the loose strings would hang down in between her breasts. To finish off the look I had added some ankle booties the same brown as the bust of the dress. Allison had assured me she would love it, but Lydia's fashion sense was set in stone—she either liked something or she didn't. I taken a huge gamble getting her a complete outfit for the first gift I'd ever bought her, but I was grateful we had become friends so I'd decided to take the plunge. Plus I figured giving her an outfit she could look forward to wearing when she got out of the hospital was a good idea.

'Do you like it? Because if not you can return it and get something else, I still have the receipt—,' I was abruptly cut off by Lydia practically diving into my arms and catching me in a rib crushing embrace.

'I love it. Thank you, Stacey,' She whispered whilst she hugged me.

I smiled as I hugged her back, relieved and happy that I had gotten her something she liked. After we had pulled apart and she had tidied away her new additions so that she had some resemblance of order in her room, we chatted for a little while. Her parents tended to leave us alone whenever I visited and took the time to eat, shower or fetch things they needed. So Lydia and I were able to talk about how much of a dick Jackson was, how we both knew she still loved him despite that, how she had a good time with Stiles at the formal—up until she was almost killed that is. She also asked about the mystery person I had been texting again but I just shrugged and told her that it was my friend, Derek. Lydia gave me a disbelieving look and rolled her green eyes at me but I just laughed it off. Derek and I were just friends. Just friends. And before I knew it, visiting hours were over and I was making my way out of the door to head home.

I waved goodbye to Jean, another receptionist regular, on my way out of the door. I was humming Christmas tunes underneath my breath as I climbed in the drivers seat and started the ignition. I glanced at the time—it was just after four and I needed to get home soon. Mom wanted to do some last minute shopping so she needed the car; I'd already finished all of my wrapping so I could just relax and prepare for the dinner tomorrow. I couldn't help but grin as I drove, I loved the feeling of Christmas, the excitement, the cheer, the hectic rushing around to make sure everything was ready for the big day, most of all though I loved to spend it with family. It wouldn't be anywhere near worth the effort if I didn't have Scott and mom to spend it with, which was why I was seriously considering just tasering Derek and dragging him over to our house. I had asked mom if she minded, and even Scott, both were completely fine with it. But Derek wouldn't budge. His answer was always "I couldn't do that" or "I don't want to intrude." It was irritating me to the point that I wanted to just scream at him to get his werewolf ass to my house to enjoy Christmas, but somehow I didn't think that would have the desired effect. Or maybe it would.

I pulled up in front of my house and put the car in park before stepping out. Derek could be so difficult. Maybe it was because Christmas just reminded him of a holiday he should be spending with his family, which if that was the reason I could understand the need to be alone. But I didn't want him to spend it alone; I wanted him to know he has people in his life that do care about him. But the man could be stubborn. I shook my head and sighed in frustration as I stepped inside the house. I smiled at the sight of the Christmas tree decorated in the front room; it had taken Scott and I three hours to do and most of that time was spent with us arguing over which ornaments would look best on certain branches of the tree. We eventually finished it, and the labour was worth it because it looked great. It was decorated with gold and white ornaments and white fairy lights with splashes of colour from ones Scott and I made in kindergarten that mom insisted be on the tree. The fireplace also had twinkling lights around it as well as holly and our stockings. I had placed most of my presents under the tree already—I just had a few more to wrap. Mom and Scott left all of theirs until the last minute, which added to the hectic Christmas Eve fiasco. I loved it.

'Oh good, you're back!' Mom exclaimed with a bright smile, kissing my cheek and grabbing the car keys I had thrown on the side, 'I shouldn't be too long, I only have a few more things to get.'

'Sure mom,' I shook my head fondly, 'I'll have dinner ready for when you get back!' I yelled after her getting a thank you in response.

I made my way to the kitchen and decided on cheesy enchiladas for dinner—it wasn't very Christmassy but it was delicious. Plus, we were going to get more than enough Christmassy food tomorrow. As I was cooking I pulled out my phone and dialled Derek's number, smiling when he picked up on the second ring.

'Hello Stacey,' he greeted me, sounding exasperated and I couldn't blame him—I had been calling him none stop for days asking him if he'd changed his mind.

'Hello handsome.' I teased before my voice became serious, 'do you like enchiladas?'

'Yes I do.' He sounded confused by the random question.

'Great! I'm making some for dinner so you can come over. They'll be done about seven and seeing as you need to come over to pick up your Christmas presents you may as well spend the night and stay with us over the holidays! I'm glad you agree! See you at seven!' I hung up the phone before he had a chance to reply, smirking at my own change in tactic. He was going to be so pissed off and sure enough, my phone started ringing as soon as I'd hung up, but I ignored it, placed it on silent and carried on with what I had been doing without a care in the world.

To be honest, I didn't think he would actually listen to me, but I was out of ideas. If he didn't show up then I was just going to visit him tomorrow anyway, whether he liked it or not. I plugged my phone in to play over the speakers and blasted my Christmas playlist; the first song to play was Wham's Last Christmas. I sang along happily as I started to prepare the ingredients for dessert tomorrow—it was traditional for us to have "Christmas Cake" though I made it without the sultanas. Nobody liked that I mean, come on.

'Last Christmas I gave you my heart but the very next day you gave it away, this year to save me from ah!' I screamed as I turned around and saw Derek stood leaning against the doorframe that led to the kitchen.

He had his arms crossed over his chest as he regarded me, amused. I huffed and turned the music down before fixing him with an accusatory stare.

'You can't just sneak up on people like that!' I complained.

'I didn't sneak. I called your name three times, clearly you didn't hear me,' he cocked his brow with a smirk.

'What can I say? When I jam, I jam hard,' I teased, placing the enchiladas in the oven and walking over to give him a hug.

I discretely inhaled his scent, not questioning the way that it calmed me as I hugged him tightly. It took him a second, it always did, but he returned my embrace with equal force. I pulled back after a moment and offered him a sheepish smile.

'I didn't think you'd come.' I said, tying my hair up into a high ponytail to get it out of my face.

'Well I figured if I didn't you'd end up dragging me here one way or another.' Derek said with a roll of his eyes, but I knew he wasn't really annoyed.

'Yeah, I'm sorry if I was being pushy, I just didn't want you to be alone for Christmas because you're stubborn.' I gave him a pointed look that actually made him chuckle a little.

'Stacey this is the first Christmas without any family to spend it with, I know I'm not going to handle it well and I didn't want to ruin your Christmas.' Derek admitted softly, avoiding my eye.

I took a step forward and placed a gentle hand on his forearm, smiling softly when he met my gaze.

'I can't even imagine what you've been through and how much you're hurting right now. But you have people in your life who care about you, Derek, people who want to be there for you.' I told him honestly, hoping I wasn't crossing some kind of line.

He was silent for what felt like a long time, staring into my eyes as if he was trying to determine if I meant my words. I refused to look away, wanting him to know he could trust me.

'Stacey?' My mom's voice broke our stare-off.

I didn't realise how close Derek and I were standing until that moment; we were inches away from each other. I had no idea who had started leaning in first, or whether we had been equally drawn to each other, but either way as soon as my mom's voice cut across the room we sprang apart at the same time. I walked over to the sink to start cleaning the dishes I had made in the process of making the enchiladas to hide my blush, while Derek cleared his throat and came to stand beside me, accepting the clean dishes from me and wiping them down. I sent him a thankful smile as my mom joined us in the kitchen.

'There you are, oh, Derek!' She said brightly and I couldn't help but suppress a chuckle at the surprise on the older wolf's face, 'I'm glad you decided to join us for Christmas!'

'Yeah Derek we're glad you decided to join us.' I sent him a mildly smug look and smothered a laugh when I saw a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

'Thank you for inviting me, Mrs McCall.' Derek eventually returned politely.

'It's no problem, the more the merrier.' Mom smiled, kissing me on the cheek before moving to head out of the room.

'Did you get everything?' I asked her.

'Yes! I'll be upstairs wrapping if you need me.' She replied, her feet stomping on the stairs and indicating to her departure.

I shook my head in amusement—it was the same every year, most if not all of her shopping would be done on Christmas Eve, but she always did a great job. I had a feeling she already knew what she wanted to get us before she went but she just liked to leave it until the day before for the shopping rush.

'So… what's your favourite Christmas movie?' I wondered as we finished up the cleaning and headed to the living room.

'I—don't have one,' I could tell from his tone he was lying and I gave him an amused look.

'I don't need to listen to your heartbeat to know you're lying.' I teased, walking over to look at the DVD's by the T.V. while he sat on the couch.

'I'm not lying.' He said in the same unconvincing tone.

I snorted, 'are you naturally a terrible liar or are you incapable of lying to me?'

'Oh like you're one to talk.' Derek scoffed, throwing a pillow at me that I caught easily with a laugh.

'Okay fine, but at least I admit it, Mr-In-Denial.' I teased, deciding on The Polar Express and putting it into the DVD player before joining Derek on the sofa.

The older wolf just rolled his eyes in mild irritation but otherwise didn't respond to my quip as we settled in to watch the movie. Scott returned home about halfway through the movie and just as I was getting up from the sofa to pull dinner from the oven.

'Hey Scotty.' I greeted him as I placed the hot pan on the side and started distributing them evenly on plates with a little side salad that had been in the fridge.

'Hey Stace.' Scott kissed my cheek and went to the fridge to grab a water.

'How's Stiles? Did you let him open his presents?' Stiles usually spent Christmas with us and the Sheriff would join us in between shifts, but amazingly this year he has Christmas off and he and his son were spending their first holiday together in years.

'No,' Scott laughed under his breath, 'you should have seen the look on his face, he was mortified.'

I joined in on my twin's laughter, able to imagine the shock of our best friend easily.

'Well it's not Christmas yet, so he's not allowed.' I said sternly, even though I'd already let Lydia open hers, but she was an exception.

'That's what I told him, I also said you'd beat the crap out of him if you found out he'd opened them before tomorrow. That shut him up.' Scott smiled his dimpled smile and laughed when I wrinkled my nose.

'Why would that work? I'm not that scary am I?' I wondered, grabbing mom's plate of food and preparing to take it upstairs.

'Yeah you are,' Scott told me honestly.

'Huh… interesting.' I mused.

'Uh-oh.' My twin muttered under his breath, making the grin on my face grow, 'why do I get the feeling that I shouldn't have just told you that?'

I merely shrugged before heading upstairs—I know mom wouldn't come down until the wrapping was done, so taking the food up to her was my way of assuring that she did eat.

'Mom, I've got your dinner,' I told her after I knocked on the door.

'Okay, leave it on the floor outside. Thank you sweetie.' She shouted out to me through the wood panelling.

'Fine, but you better get it as soon as I leave! And you're welcome.' I yelled back to her as I made my way back downstairs after following her request.

When I got back to the kitchen I saw Scott had already grabbed his food. I rolled my eyes at his predictability and grabbed the two plates after balancing two bottles of water under my arms. As I made my way into the living room I noticed two things—one Scott was sat in the spare armchair, stuffing his face and watching the movie with rapt interest, two they had played the movie without me!

'Hey! Why exactly is this playing without me?' I asked my twin, knowing he was most likely the culprit.

'It was Derek's idea!' Scott almost spat his food out at me and I sent him a disgusted look after I'd handed Derek his plate and water.

'Twin, we shared a womb. I know when you're lying,' I rolled my eyes and took my seat next to the oldest wolf, smiling at him when he snorted at my words before I regarded the movie, 'anyway it's fine the best part hasn't happened yet.'

The movie was at the part where the kids were split up and trying to find each other; I loved the part where they all gathered together to see Santa. We all sat, ate and watched the movie. When the credits rolled up the screen we had all finished eating and I was just about to get up to take everyone's plates into the kitchen, but Derek beat me to it and refused to listen to any of my protests. I hadn't realised I'd been staring after him with a smile until a pillow hit the side of my face and my twin gave me an obvious look.

'Shut up,' I muttered, throwing the pillow back to him and ignoring his laughter, 'you wanna pick the next movie?'

'Sure.' Scott grinned and I shook my head, already knowing which one he was going to choose; my twin's favourite Christmas movie was The Grinch, hands down. I loved it too, but I don't think anyone could love it as much as him.

Derek joined us just as Scott had hit play and I idly wondered if he had planned that. With a shrug I nestled deeper into the sofa, grabbing the throw laid on the back and putting it over both of us. I placed my head on Derek's shoulder and in the back of my mind I registered that he didn't even freeze that time, he just wound his arm around my waist and allowed me to snuggle into his side. I felt a small smile form on my face as my eyelids started to droop and the last thing I remember is the feeling of Derek's thumb rubbing back and forth soothingly on my shoulder.

Derek's POV

I was listening to her heartbeat so I knew the exact moment she fell asleep. I smiled a small sincere smile and forced myself to watch the rest of the movie; I saw Scott giving me pointed looks out of the corner of my eye but I ignored him. I was hoping that my expression wasn't as transparent as it felt. It was a little alarming how close I had gotten to Stacey in a matter of months. I didn't know what it was about her. She was kind, selfless, caring, brave, fiery and somehow she had gotten past the walls I had carefully constructed around myself, walls that had grown stronger when Laura had died. Honestly, I couldn't pin point the moment that she had become someone I now cared about, but I knew the moment I realised it.

It was the night we had discovered that Peter was the alpha; we had gone to confront Scott and Stacey in the locker room. The way that Peter had spoken to her, the way he had looked at her had rattled me more than I would have cared to admit. Luckily I had managed to control my chemo signals, or the alpha would have picked up on my anger and protectiveness for the brunette in an instant. I didn't even want to think about what would have happened then. When the interaction had ended with him sinking his claws into the back of her neck, my concern and anger had been building inside of me to the point that I'd had to make up an excuse to get away from Peter straight after. I had tried to go to her that night, to explain what was going on, but instead I sat in my car listening to the sound of her crying herself to sleep and I knew that Stacey McCall had rendered the protective walls around myself to clumps of dust and rubble and there was no getting rid of her. And I didn't want to. She was the first person, outside of my family, that had believed in me, trusted me and cared about me for the longest time. And as terrified as I was that she was somehow going to get hurt from being around me, the thought of losing the only person I trusted was just as painful. She was my best friend.

'Hey mom, you finished wrapping?' Scott's question bought me out of my thoughts to notice Melissa joining us in the living room looking quite tired.

'Yes.' She smiled and I could smell that she was both relieved and excited, 'have you finished yours?'

'Um… sure.' Scott rubbed the back of his neck guiltily and I didn't need to be listening to his heartbeat to know he was lying.

I cocked my brow at him in amusement but he didn't notice because he was climbing from his seat.

'I'm just gonna go and make sure it's all finished.' He said awkwardly squirming under his mother's disapproving gaze on his way to the stairs.

Melissa's lips twitched into a smile when Scott darted up the stairs and I felt my own lips do the same. Her eyes moved over to me and I offered her a small smile and tried not to blush when she observed her daughter snuggled into my side with a soft smile.

'How long has she been out?'

'A little over an hour.' I answered softly, not wanting to disturb her.

'You're gonna have to wake her sooner or later, you know.' She gave me a knowing look that I pretended not to see.

'I'll carry her up, she deserves the sleep.' I said, not quite looking her in the eye; I could smell the wave of fondness radiating from her and I didn't think I could face it.

She had already made several not so subtle comments that she wanted Stacey and I to be a couple, but I couldn't even consider that. The last girlfriend I had burned my family alive and the one before that had died in my arms. I couldn't imagine letting someone that close to me again… it hurt too much. Stacey was as close as I was willing to let anyone right now.

'I'm sure she'd appreciate it. Though I wouldn't put it past her to be pretending right now, just to avoid having to walk up the stairs.' Melissa shook her head fondly, planting herself in the armchair Scott had vacated.

'She used to do that?' I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

'All the time. Scott too, it wasn't fun carrying them both upstairs at the same time. I'm sure they regretted their acting from the minor concussions they both got from me accidentally banging their heads against the wall.' She chuckled and I couldn't help but join in with her.

'I'm sure they did, until they needed to be carried again.' I commented.

'Very true.' She nodded, taking the remote and switching it back to normal T.V.

'I'm gonna take her up anyway.' I said, avoiding the soft gaze I could practically feel boring into the side of my head.

I wound my arm around Stacey's waist and used my free hand to hitch her legs over my lap so that I could stand with her in my arms, bridal style. She groaned a little when I stood up, but she didn't wake up; she nuzzled into my chest and settled down almost instantly.

'Goodnight.' Melissa said softly, I returned the sentiment before heading upstairs, being careful not to bang any of her limbs on the walls.

I reached her room without an incident and laid her down, gently removing her shoes and taking the hair tie out of her hair. I took off my own clothes and slid on a pair of sweat pants that Stacey had started keeping in her room for occasions such as these. I was about to join her in the bed when I noticed the presents piled up on her desk. There were three separate piles, distinguishable by the different types of wrapping paper. Scott's were wrapped in Rudolph, Melissa's in snowmen and mine in Santa. I felt an unknown emotion swell in my chest over the simple fact that she had gotten me Christmas presents and not just one, but the same amount that she had got for her mom and Scott. I looked over to her where she was sleeping peacefully in her bed, a small smile forming on my lips. Stacey McCall was definitely something else. Without further hesitation I carefully slid in beside her, smiling when she immediately sought me out and snuggled into my chest, inhaling and then sighing happily. I took in her scent as well, enjoying the comforting feeling that flowed through me at the smells of rain, antiseptic and strawberries that made up Stacey's unique scent. Being surrounded by her warmth, hearing her soft breathing and her heart beating meant that it wasn't long before I fell into unconsciousness.

Stacey's POV

I groaned at the sunlight that rose me from my slumber the next morning, rolling over and snuggling back into the warmth of my bed. I was planning on going back to sleep but then I remembered what day it was. I lifted my head up and blinked away the sleep from my eyes, a slow grin growing on my face as I realised it was morning. I almost squealed when I looked down and realised that I had literally rolled on top of Derek in my plans to go back to sleep. I rolled to the side and shook his shoulder hard enough to wake him.

'Derek! Wake up! It's Christmas!' I practically yelled, yanking the covers off him and jumping from the bed.

I frowned when I realised I wasn't in pyjamas and realised that I must have fallen asleep down stairs yesterday. Meaning that Derek probably carried me to bed. The thought made me smile as I rummaged in my dresser for some Christmas themed pyjamas. I settled for a pair of shorts that were covered in snow flakes and a pale blue vest top that had a snowman on it.

'Derek!' I shouted again before I danced into my bathroom to change, throwing my clothes in the hamper before entering my room again. I huffed when I saw the blue-eyed wolf hadn't even moved and went to shake his shoulder again, only for him to grab my arm and suddenly flip me so that I was underneath him.

I blinked in surprise and laughed when I realised what he had done; it was becoming a habit of his.

'Good you're awake,' I smiled cheekily, my hands resting on his shoulders.

'I think the whole street is awake, Stacey,' he rolled his eyes in amusement before climbing from the bed and pulling me up with him.

'They should be, it's Christmas.' I reminded him, encase he had forgotten since I told him five minutes ago.

He just shook his head fondly and went to shrug on his shirt from yesterday but I stopped him, going over to my dresser again and pulling out the tank he had lent me last week.

'You stole my shirt?' He cocked his brow and shrugged it on before following me out of the room.

'Technically you lent it to me, I just wasn't in any hurry to give it back.' I winked, heading to Scott's room only to find it was empty. I frowned in confusion; I was usually the first one awake on Christmas day and I was the one who had to wake everyone else.

I went to move to check my mom's room but Derek stopped me by taking my hand.

'They're already downstairs.' He told me, tapping his ear in an explanation.

'Weird.' I muttered but my suspicion faded quickly and I pulled on Derek's hand to lead him downstairs.

I could smell pancakes cooking and didn't bother to hide my sound of appreciation as I entered the kitchen with Derek in tow. Scott was sat at the table, scrolling through his phone and subconsciously humming to the Christmas tunes that were playing in the background. He was wearing some sweatpants with a jumper that had Santa putting presents underneath a Christmas tree. Mom was stood at the stove, full on singing along to the music as she cooked; she already had a pretty impressive pile of pancakes on the plate beside her. I smiled when I noticed they were shaped like Christmas trees.

'Merry Christmas!' I greeted the kitchen, pulling Derek down to the empty seat beside mine. Scott was sat across from me and I assumed mom would take the empty seat next to my twin, unless she decided to sit at one of the head seats.

'Merry Christmas sweetheart! Merry Christmas Derek.' mom sang making us all laugh.

'Merry Christmas, Mrs—Melissa,' Derek amended his words at my mom's firm look.

Scott returned the sentiment with a lot less enthusiasm before sipping on his orange juice; mom had already laid out a glass at each table setting.

'Have you heard from Stiles yet?' I wondered, moving to check my own phone but I cursed when I realised I'd left it upstairs.

'Yeah, he had the sheriff up at the crack of dawn this morning.' Scott shook his head fondly, 'he told me to thank you for your presents and to shout at you for going overboard. Again.'

'Hey, I restrained myself a lot this year.' I said, frowning when both Derek and Scott snorted, 'what?'

'You have enough presents up in your room to fund an elves workshop.' Derek said, giving me a soft smile.

'Well Christmas only comes once a year.' I shrugged, digging into the pancakes as mom laid them down in the centre of the table.

'You're a good person, Stacey. Both of you are, I'm so proud of my niños.' Her eyes filled with happy tears and I offered her a smile while Scott squeezed her hand.

'And we're proud of you, momma.' I told her, meaning every word. She was my hero and she always would be.

'So, Stacey, what have you gotten me for Christmas?' Scott sent me his puppy eyes and I almost caved but I managed to stay strong.

'Nice try, Scotty! You'll find out after breakfast,' I rolled my eyes, a smile on my face.

The rest of breakfast passed with lighthearted conversation as we talked about School, Derek talked about living in New York and his collage degree and mom talked about her shifts at the hospital. It was like your typical family breakfast, although there was a feeling of excitement lingering in the air. I cleared the plates and washed the dishes, offering Derek a grateful smile as he once again dried them. Mom and Scott used that time to bring their presents down stairs and to sort them into piles in the living room. Once Derek and I were done I popped my head in the living room.

'I'm gonna go and grab mine. Don't open any without me,' I gave them a stern look, smiling when they promised they wouldn't.

'Do you need a hand?' Derek asked and I looked over to him to see he was nervous. Why, I had no idea, but I offered him a comforting smile and took his hand to pull him upstairs with me.

I gestured for him to hold out his hands and started piling presents onto his arms strategically. My hands paused at the wrapped up scrapbook that I had made for Derek and I carefully placed that on my bed, winking at him when he sent me a questioning look. Once he had reached his full capacity I managed to juggle the rest of the gifts and I headed out of the door first, Derek carefully following behind me. It was adorable how much concentration he was putting into not dropping any of the presents I had supplied him with.

'Woah, Stacey!' Scott gaped at the amount of presents I was carrying and when he saw Derek following in behind me with more gifts, his jaw dropped open.

I ignored his reaction and carefully distributed the correct presents to the correct piles, when I was finished I went to sit by mine and waited for mom to say we could dig in.

'Go ahead everyone.' She smiled, looking a little excited herself.

I grinned and started unwrapping, sneaking looks at everyone else as they opened their own presents. Scott opened the new lacrosse stick I had gotten for him, mom opened a new bottle of her favorite perfume and Derek opened his new black leather jacket. I couldn't have wiped the smile off my face if I tried; that right there in that moment was why I loved Christmas. The smell of the turkey cooking lingered in the air, the sounds of Christmas music and paper being torn played on my ears and the happiness on the faces of people I loved all made the day perfect.

I felt incredibly spoiled as I finished opening my presents. Scott had gotten me some new sweats, Deadpool on DVD and Eminem's new album. Mom had gotten me a new leather jacket, some of my favourite perfume and some white high-topped converse. Stiles and the Sheriff had gotten me a high school musical case for my phone, a new notebook and some high-end pens that I was already itching to write with.

I was feeling incredibly grateful as I went to the kitchen to get a garbage bag to dispose of all the wrapping paper. When I returned to the living room I frowned in confusion when I noticed that Derek was missing, but his pile of presents were still where he had left them after opening them. I had gotten him an array of things ranging from a new jacket to the newest CD that Shawn Mendez had released; he hadn't had it yet and I knew he would like it. I'd also gotten him a couple of tickets to his upcoming concert in California, remembering when he had mentioned how much he loved seeing him perform. He seemed to like it and I smiled as I remembered the surprise and gratitude on his face as he opened everything.

'I'm gonna get started on dinner okay?' I murmured, mentally running through everything I needed to do—most of it was ready. I'd chopped the vegetables, potatoes and everything yesterday; I just needed to turn them all on.

'Okay, sweetie. I'll take your stuff up to your room.' Mom smiled, offering me a kiss on the cheek as I passed by her.

I smiled back and tied the garbage bag to prevent the rubbish from falling out as I headed to the kitchen. Mom had refused to let me cook the dinner at first, insisting that it was a holiday and she should prepare it, being as she was the mom of the house. But I told her that I liked cooking and the Christmas day dinner was honestly one of my favourite meals to prepare, so we had reached a compromise. I'd cook and she would wash and dry the dishes with my brother's help. It sounded like a pretty fair deal to me. I was humming under my breath and turning the hobs onto the right heat when I felt another presence join me in the kitchen. I looked over my shoulder to see Derek standing there, his arms crossed over his chest and a soft smile playing on the corners of his lips.

'Where did you go?' I wondered, making sure everything was cooking properly before turning to face him, my back leaning against the counter behind me.

'I went to go and get my presents out of the car.' He told me, smiling at my surprise.

'You didn't have to get me any presents.' I murmured, crossing my arms and trying to generate some warmth on the tops of my arms—I'd gone all cold for some reason. It might have had something to do with the fact I was wearing shorts.

'Yes I did. And not just you. Your mom and Scott have already opened their presents.' He said, coming to stand right in front of me, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

'Okay, based on your current behaviour, I'm not sure I want whatever you're planning to give me.' I said, pushing myself up so I was now sitting on the counter, my legs swinging back and forth.

He laughed and I felt my expression soften at the sound. He extended his right arm and opened his palm to reveal a small square shaped box secured with a red ribbon. I cocked my brow, but I couldn't contain the excited smile that formed on my face as I gently took the box from his hand. I slowly untied the ribbon and lifted off the lid to reveal a key. I frowned in confusion and looked up to him for an explanation. He simply offered me a smile and his hand, which I took, allowing him to help me from the counter and lead me to the front door.

'I don't get it, Derek.' I murmured, stepping closer to his side to steal his body heat when he opened the front door. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder to allow me further access and I squeezed his waist in appreciation.

Just as I was about to ask him what was going on, I caught sight of a big red bow, the same colour that matched the ribbon that had been tied around the gift box. I felt my jaw drop and my eyes widen in disbelief. He had gotten me a car. And not just any car, it was a Camaro, the same make and model as his but it was a dark blue. I looked in between the car and the key in my hand, still not quite believing what was happening.

'Derek, I—,' he must have been expecting my protests because he cut them off by placing his index finger to my lips.

'Don't even think about it, Stacey. I got this car for you, because you deserve it and there is nothing that you could say to get me to change my mind so don't even try,' he gave me a stern look that made my hesitation waver.

I wrapped my other arm around him and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, trying to tell him how grateful I was without words. He returned my embrace, his thumbs moving back and forth where they rested on my back.

'Thank you.' I whispered, blinking away the tears that wanted to fall down my cheeks.

'You're welcome.' He murmured back.

I don't know how long we stood there for but eventually we pulled apart. Derek softly closed the door and I shot him a grin as we headed back to the living room.

'I'll take you for a spin later.' I said, twirling the key around my index finger.

'Why do I get the feeling I probably shouldn't have gotten you a high-powered sports car?' he asked, shaking his head in reprimand. I simply laughed in response and joined Scott and my mom in the living room where they were just about to start a Christmas movie—Elf.

Scott was on the armchair again and Mom was sat on the far right of the sofa. I sat down next to her with Derek sitting on my left. Before I could even think about doing it, I was snuggled into Derek's side with his arm around my waist. It was strange, like we were so used to each other now that our bodies moved without our brains even having to consider it. As I looked around the room at that moment I found myself incredibly grateful for the people in my life, ones that had always been there, and Derek who had come into the picture quite recently. He had become my best friend and I couldn't explain how or why I was so comfortable around him, I just was. I was so glad I'd found him.

Xxx

'That was amazing!' I exclaimed, more than a little buzzed on adrenaline.

Derek and I had just gotten back from taking my new car for a spin. Lets just say it could go pretty fast.

'Just promise me one thing, Stacey.' Derek's serious voice attracted my attention and I looked over to where he was hanging his brand new leather jacket up on the back of my door.

'Sure, what is it?' I asked, kicking off my shoes and moving to pull out some pajamas. I settled on the sweatpants I'd stolen from Derek and the shirt he had been wearing most of the day. It smelled like him and it was still warm seeing as he'd just shrugged it off.

'Be careful when you're driving. I know you're a wolf and you heal faster than humans but that doesn't make you invincible.' He murmured as I stepped into the bathroom to change. I paused with my shirt over my head, my expression softening as I quickly dressed.

'I promise.' I said, meaning it. My heart squeezed that he cared enough to make me swear I'd be careful and I placed a kiss to his cheek on my way to the bed in thanks.

I heard his heart beat quicken for a moment before it slowed to its regular rhythm. I bit my lip when I saw Derek's final present resting on the bottom of my bed where I had left it earlier. I picked it up and turned to face him with an unsure expression on my face, which he noticed because he stopped in his tracks and came to stand next to me in concern.

'What is it?'

'I—I have another present for you but I didn't want to give it to you before because it's personal and I didn't think you'd want to open it in front of everyone else. You might not even want to open it in front of me and that's okay, but I thought it was something you'd like.' I took a deep breath to calm myself and handed him the present. I moved to get into bed, not wanting to pressure him into opening it now when he caught my hand to stop me.

I felt my nerves grow when he tore away the paper, gently placing it on the bed and revealing a black binder album. He gave me a curious look and opened it to reveal the first page, which was when I heard his breath catch in his throat. He lowered himself to sit on the end of my bed, I didn't think he was aware of the movement but I went with him, squeezing his hand in comfort. The first picture was the group shot Cora and I had managed to get everyone to pose for. After that there were ones of Cora and I with different family members individually, ones of Cora opening presents, blowing out her candles, getting cake mushed into her face by Derek and finally pictures Cora and I had taken together. I wasn't sure about adding those, but I didn't think it was fair to keep pictures of his sister from him because I was embarrassed of my younger self.

Derek was quiet for a long time as he studied the images. Some pictures he stared at longer than others, as if he were lost in a memory much like I had been the first time I'd looked through them. Sometimes his hand would come out and touch the picture as if he were hoping the movement would transport him into the memory, when it didn't he moved onto the next and repeated the process. The very last picture was Cora, Tommy, the twins and Derek with Talia and Dale. All were grinning at the camera; it was a genuine smile that I was pretty sure I inspired by pulling funny faces behind the lens. My head rested on his shoulder comfortably, not wanting to rush him in any way. I remained silent and looked through the album with him.

'Thank you, Stacey.' He said, his voice breaking over my name.

'You're welcome.' I murmured softly, lifting my head from his shoulder as he gently, but reluctantly closed the book.

He placed it on my dresser after letting go of my hand to move to what I was coming to consider as his side of the bed. I followed suit and slipped under the covers, my eyes closing as the exhaustion caught up with me. Today had been perfect. After Elf we had dinner and Derek and I had gone for a ride in my new car while Scott and mom cleaned up the kitchen. Time had gotten away from us as I tested the limits of my baby and night had fallen by the time we had returned. Mom and my twin were already in bed and so we'd made our way up too.

Derek pulled me to his chest as he climbed in beside me and I went willingly, nuzzling into his chest and sighing in appreciation due to the warmth his body was exhibiting. He was my own personal hot water bottle and comfort blanket rapped into one, and I was pretty sure he thought of me the same way. Derek sharing my bed was becoming a frequent thing and when he did, I slept better than I did when he was gone. To be honest I was growing accustomed to his presence and when he was absent I tossed and turned before falling into a restless nights sleep. I sighed happily when Derek's hand started moving gently through my hair; I was powerless to ignore the pure relaxation that washed over me and I happily surrendered to unconsciousness.

Niños— children

This is the second and final part of the Christmas episodes! I hope you enjoyed them because I really enjoyed writing them and exploring Stacey and Derek's relationship further. The next update will be the first episode of season two! See you there ;)

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