Stiles woke up and stretched under the incredibly warm sheets when Derek closes his bedroom door. Stiles looked over at the alarm clock on his nightstand.

"What are you doing up already?"

Derek shifted his weight onto one leg, "I heard your front door open."

Stiles nodded, "Oh. I guess it was my father?"

Derek smiled, "That's what I was hoping for."

Stiles scratched his head and rested on the backboard,

"And why's that?"

Derek chuckled, "So he wouldn't hear what I'm about to do to you."

Derek threw off his shirt and took his pants off. Stiles momentarily got lost in the body he was looking at, he could have swore Derek was photoshopped. Stiles shook himself out of the daze,

"Ok, as convincing as this is I haven't even brushed my teeth yet."

Derek walked towards the bed, locking eyes with Stiles. Stiles started panicking at what Derek was going to do, scenes from 50 Shades of Gray started playing in his head which only excited Stiles further. He spoke fast and hysterically,

"So what ever you are planning on doing is going to have to wait. Like I'm seri—"

Derek locked lips with Stiles and wrapped his hands around Stiles waist. Stiles couldn't resist Derek when he was far away from him, so when he was locking lips it was basically impossible. Derek pulled Stiles ands over his head and started to kiss down his neck. Stiles heart fluttered with every moist kiss that graced his body. Derek stopped at the blanket which was about stomach high.

"Do you trust me Stiles?"

Stiles nodded furiously, his throat felt like it was closed and words were impossible. Derek smirked which sent waves of pleasure through Stiles. Derek ran his hands down Stiles legs and stopped at the end of the blanket. He lifted it up and vanished underneath. Stiles heart raced, he didn't know what to do, he didn't know what he was going to do. Stiles felt Derek run his hands up his legs, skin on skin. He felt his body heat moving up through the blanket. Stiles felt a finger lightly separate the waist band of his boxers from his skin. Stiles felt his underwear slide off him and saw it launch to the other side of the room. He felt kisses on his stomach traveling down. A tongue moved from his balls up to the head of his penis, and then Derek swallowed Stiles whole.

"Ahh! Fuck!"

Stiles breathed heavily as Derek went up and down on his dick. He felt hands wrapping underneath his hips and then his cheeks separated. It felt like they were being ripped apart, but instead of pain it sent a wave of ecstasy down his legs and up his penis. Stiles felt a wet finger teasing his hole. The finger slid in as Derek swallowed Stiles whole and licked the bottom of his balls at the same time. Stiles inhaled sharply with passion,

"Oh God! Derek!"

The finger found its way deeper in Stiles until it started to massage Stiles prostate. A tsunami of ecstasy poured into his body, and then the finger withdrew. Stiles felt the pressure Derek's body was producing around his penis. Two fingers slid in this time, and worked their way in and out. Stiles felt the familiar build up forming in his penis.

"Derek! I'm going to cum!"

Derek withdrew his fingers and left Stiles cock right before Stiles climaxed. He pulled the blanket off Stiles. Somewhere during this exchange Derek had pulled off his underwear.

"I'm not done with you yet."

Derek pushed himself off the bed and grabbed onto Stiles legs. He pulled Stiles towards him until Stiles butt was hanging off the corner. Derek put his dick in line with Stiles butt and teased him again. He spread Stiles cheeks apart and slid in, inch by inch, locking eyes with Stiles.

"Ahh! Fu—ck!"

Derek rested his balls against Stiles and leaned over, kissing him. He work his dick in and out of Stiles until they established a nice rhythm. Stiles felt the waves of ecstasy as Derek entered him, and felt his muscles contracting as Derek left him empty. Derek moaned as he manipulated his dick inside Stiles, hitting his prostate every single time. Stiles watched as Derek's abs mimicked the worm. Stiles was forced into shallow breathes as the waves grew in force, and Derek thrusted harder and harder. Stiles felt the familiar feeling building up inside him again.

"I'm! Ahh!"

Derek wrapped his hand around Stiles dick and jerked it in sync with his trusts. Stiles felt it build up till it was painful and then climaxed on himself.

"FUCK! YES!"

Derek matched his thrusting with Stiles pulsing dick. Derek moaned louder and pulled out, jerking his dick over Stiles. Derek came on Stiles, and Stiles reveled in the warmth that was spreading down his hips. Derek locked lips with Stiles in an endless exchange of passionate kissing and heavy breathing. They made their way into the shower together, a mix of soap and kisses between them. Stiles got dressed and then realized he didn't have any clothes that would fit Derek, recalling the time Derek tried borrowing a shirt from him in front of Danny. Derek picked up on what Stiles was thinking about and smirked,

"Don't worry."

Derek reached under Stiles bed and revealed a bag with Derek's clothes inside.

"Wait you planned on us… doing that?"

Derek drew his pants up, "Yeah."

"Derek Hale!"

Derek shot straight up hearing his name called as if he was in trouble. He frowned at Stiles waiting to hear him elaborate or apologize. Stiles covered his mouth in shock, but fumed the same. Stiles collected himself,

"Is that why you came over here?"

Derek shook his head, "No, I came because it was lonely being in that loft. I'm used to you being there…"

Stiles squinted but decided to trust him. He was slightly flattered by the thought of Derek wanting to come by just for sex though.

"Ok. Good."

Derek nodded, glad that misinterpretation was over. Stiles threw his hands together as Derek threw on his shirt,

"OK! So what are we doing for breakfast because I'm super hungry."

Derek shrugged, "Want to just go out? I've been craving the Waffle House for a while."

Stiles blushed, "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Derek squinted, "No. But if you want to come with me you better get your ass in the car."

Stiles frowned, "Fine. Have fun eating by yourself."

Derek scuffed and walked towards Stiles, when he was an inch away from his face, Derek picked Stiles up and threw him over his shoulder.

"Let's go. I'm hungry too."

Stiles huffed and puffed all the way to the car, Derek silently laughing. Stiles buckled his seatbelt,

"Oh wait! Let me check up on everyone really quick."

Derek shifted back in his seat and waited for Stiles to finish casting his spell. Stiles screamed and covered his mouth, staring at Derek in horror.

"What is it Stiles? Is someone in trouble?"

Derek threw his car in reverse and bolted out of Stiles driveway. Stiles shook his head,

"No no no no no no."

"Stiles? What did you see?"

Stiles let out a light laugh through his interlocked fingers.

"Everyone is fine. I… I just saw Scott and Kira… like, what we were doing just a bit ago."

Derek sighed in relief and made his way towards the Waffle House. Derek didn't ask for details, he really didn't want to know.

They drove to the Waffle House, helped themselves to a table and ordered their breakfast. Stiles suddenly gassed.

"Are you ok?" Derek's eyebrows shot up inquisitively.

"I just had a bad thought, what if they can feel when I'm looking through their eyes? Do you think Scott knows?"

Derek shrugged, "Why don't you try it on me and I'll see if I can feel it."

Stiles nodded and closed his eyes to hide the purple. Stiles channeled his energy into the mantra and focused on Derek. Soon Derek's vision was his own and he looked at himself, which felt very weird. He stopped channeling and opened his eyes.

"Anything?"

Derek shook his head, "Nope."

Stiles sighed, "Good."

Their waiter came and handed out the food, leaving after asking if there was anything else. Stiles looked up from his plate, some pain in his voice.

"So, have you thought about what we're going to do when Braeden and Malia get back?"

Derek gave it some thought, furrowing his eyebrows.

"What else can we do? I plan on telling her we're together."

Stiles felt a wave of heat on his face, Derek raised an eyebrow.

"Why is your heart beating faster?"

Stiles felt a lump in his throat and couldn't really speak. He took a sip of his water. He felt flushed and tried quickly explained himself.

"I didn't think you'd want to be with me when she returned, or that we were already together."

"You want to be together, right?"

Stiles slowly nodded his head. Derek smiled,

"Ok. So that's that then."

Stiles smiled, happily surprised by Derek's response. He was honestly expecting something very different. Derek finished his plate and decided to change topics,

"What are we going to do about the next wave of Crusaders?"

Stiles shrugged, mouth full of pancakes. Derek chuckled and opened up his phone. He started making calls to everyone, telling the pack to meet back at his house at 8:00 pm. Stiles signaled he was finished after slurping his cup of water.

"You need to train."

Stiles looked confused and a little hurt by that remark.

"I think it's a little late to go to a gym."

Derek shook his head, "No, we need to work out your power. We're going to my family's house."

Derek put a twenty dollar bill on the table and motioned to follow. They got back in the car and parked outside the Hale house.

"So what spells take the most energy?"

Stiles referenced his book.

"This spell right here is hard to maintain. It's a levitation spell. I found it a few days ago but I haven't been able to try and use it with all the other spells combined."

Derek nodded and showed Stiles a path behind the house that led into the woods.

"Start levitating, and try to keep up with me. Ok?"

Stiles nodded and looked down at his book again. The spell was tricky because he had to stay focused on channeling the levitation spell. He closed the book and focused on his body. He forced his energy into his feet and started to shoot it out towards the ground. With nothing happening he forced more energy out and shot his legs right out from under him, falling on his back.

"Whoa!"

Stiles rubbed his back, and getting a laugh from Derek instead of a helping hand, he got back up and shook out his body. Stiles focused again and sent out a steady stream of energy. Slowly increasing it until he felt like the ground was slippery. That was the minimum he could expend. He kept it up until he felt comfortable, and then pushed more energy. He lifted himself off the ground, a few feet into the air and reduced his energy back to that minimum. Stiles balanced a little and then nodded to Derek.

"Ok. Here we go."

Derek started walking towards the woods, and Stiles followed. It felt weird only hearing one set of footsteps on the leaf littered trail. Derek started jogging, and Stiles leaned a little more forward to gain enough momentum to keep up. Stiles started laughing as he got the hang of it. He pulled ahead of Derek, which was a mistake. Stiles saw a flash of Derek go by and in seconds he was all the way down the path, gaining distance. Stiles cupped his hands together and yelled,

"You're on!"

Stiles leaned as far down as he could and put more energy into his feet, gaining a burst of speed. He flew forward, almost enough to match Derek's inhuman speed, but he wasn't fast enough to match him let alone catch up to him. Stiles pushed more energy into his feet, feeling the strain he was putting on himself increasing. Stiles started breezing through tree after tree, and slowly started creeping up on unsuspecting Derek. After a few more seconds Stiles was a few feet away from Derek. Stiles drew as much power as he had left to push himself in front but his body was at his limit, and the additional strain resulted in his graceless face plant into the dirt at werewolf speeds. Stiles held onto his forehead trying to muffle the forming headache as he got back onto his feet. Stiles vision faded and then came back into focus. Derek was already making his way back over to him.

"Are you ok?"

Stiles nodded, "Just a headache."

Derek was breathing heavily, and he looked around trying to get his bearings.

"Ok let's take a break. This way."

Derek led Stiles through a thick portion of the forest which opened into a secluded spring.

"This is where I go after training."

"Wow, this is awesome. I had no idea this was here."

Stiles looked around, taking in the scenery. He wasn't much for nature but even he could appreciate how beautiful nature could be. Stiles heard a splash and looked back, finding Derek's head bobbing in the spring. Stiles looked down and found Derek's clothes in a heap on the dirt, which included his underwear at the top of the pile. Stiles felt flushed and looked back at Derek.

"Are you skinny dipping?"

Derek smiled, "Don't worry, no one else has ever gotten close to here before."

Stiles blushed, "Is that an invitation?"

Derek shrugged and smirked.

Stiles took off his shirt quickly, but took his time with his pants and underwear, making sure Derek's eyes were only on him. He felt dirty, but actually started to like it. Stiles walked into the spring. The water was just body temperature and clear, but the shade from the trees made it hard to see through the water. Stiles dived into the water to get his hair wet, emerging a few feet farther form Derek than before. Derek took a deep breath and vanished into the water. Stiles waited for him to come back up but he was taking longer than Stiles expected. Stiles felt the water moving under him and then felt hands running slowly up the sides of his legs, producing goose bumps all over his body. Derek continued up Stiles waist until Derek's head was out of the water and he was hugging Stiles from behind. Derek's semi-hard penis rested in the crevice of Stiles butt, sending hot waves through his body. Derek kissed Stiles neck and shoulder, and turned him around. They locked lips and shared a few passionate kisses. Derek released Stiles and inched away. Stiles felt safe around Derek, and that was hard to come by in his experience. He loved Derek, and Derek him. It was still hard to fathom, Derek was everything he wasn't, and yet Derek still wanted to be with him? The though brought a smile to Stiles face.

"What is it?"

Stiles shrugged, "I'm just happy."

"Me too."

They spent a bit more time in the spring, touching each other and sharing kisses all over their bodies. Once Stiles was rested enough, they got out and used their shirts to dry off. Derek led Stiles through another path, more traveled than the one they used to get to the spring. They went through more thick forest before another section of the woods opened up into a plain. It looked like a perfect rectangle, about three lacrosse fields long, or so Stiles thought. Their were a few trees in the center that had scratch marks and dent's on them.

"This is where I used to go to train when I lived here."

Stiles touched the trees, the cut marks were wide enough for him to fit a finger in, and they ran deep into the trees.

"Whoa."

Derek chuckled, "Yeah I had some anger issues."

Stiles raised his eyebrows at the usage of had, still facing the tree so Derek wouldn't see.

"So this is where you'll do your last bit of training. Pull out all the stops when it starts."

Derek's eyes glowed blue.

"Wait, what are we doing? Derek?"

Derek howled, the sound echoed through the trees. Stiles looked around, and saw some movement from one of the bushes. A pack of four wolves sprinted out, and flocked around Derek.

"Put your spell on them, and then step back. Treat them as if they were the pack and I'm the Crusader, and don't worry, they will stop before it's too much. You need to practice expending as much energy as possible. So use your levitation spell, and try to help them. I'm the enemy. That means you go for blood or don't bother helping. Ok?"

"Well that doesn't seem very fair, their just normal wolves… did they even agree with this?"

Derek rolled his eyes at Stiles question,

"Your spell is very powerful. It should be a roughly even match."

Before Stiles could say anything else Derek transformed into a wolf and took of few steps back from the pile of clothes he shed. Stiles took a deep breath,

"Fine. But I'm not going easy on your Sour Wolf butt."

Stiles gripped the book in his right hand and focused. He got so used to the spells he never had to reference his book, but that didn't stop him from keeping it with him. It was always either in his hand or somewhere next to him.

"With what served my master well, I now instill to you. Strength."

Stiles focused the energy on the four wolves. Stiles then pushed energy into his feet and rose off the ground. Derek started growling, apparently initiating the match as the wolves responded by gathering around Stiles and forming a line of defense. Stiles hovered a few feet above the wolves to try and get a good vantage point. The first wolf charged at Derek, claws bared. Derek jumped back and shot forward teeth flashing by. Stiles teleported the wolf back to avoid the attack. Another wolf joined in and bashed his skull into Derek's side. Surprisingly it knocked Derek back a few feet.

"Holy shit!"

Stiles was surprised by how powerful the spell actually was, which made him think about how powerful the Crusaders must be. Derek jumped back up, and returned the headbutt. The wolf flew back and hit a nearby tree. The wolf stood back up and made his way to Stiles and sat down. Stiles fought the urge to say good boy. He felt relieved that none of them were going to push it with Derek. The wolf who originally attacked clawed at Derek's face, and Derek bit at the wolf's arm. Stiles teleported the wolf above Derek, and the wolf bit down on Derek's back. Stiles teleported the other two wolves in Derek's blind spot. The two attacked simultaneously, grabbing hold of Derek's two back legs. Derek whipped his head back and bit the neck of the wolf holding his right leg, and pulled his left from the other one's mouth. Derek threw the wolf to the left with a motion of his head, and kicked up, sending the wolf on his back off him. Just when Stiles thought he was winning, Derek flew forward and pounced on the wolf that was on his back. A confusing transaction of claws and teeth ensued. Before Stiles could react, Derek laid off the wolf and charged towards the other two. The injured wolf joined Stiles side when he got up. Stiles thought about how if this was a real fight those two would be dead, and two of his friends. The thought of Derek lying in a bloody puddle, motionless, brought chills and fear to Stiles mind once again. Stiles had to finish the Crusader, or all his friends would be dead.

"I'm sorry Derek,"

Derek reacted to that by backing away from the two wolves, which was a good idea, but not enough for what Stiles had in mind. Stiles built up energy, condensed it, and focused on the both of his remaining friends. Stiles fell forward as some of the energy from his feet was dissipating. Stiles evened out the energy and continued condensing the rest into the wolves. Stiles vision started blacking out, but he continued unfazed.

"but I can't let them die."

Before Derek could react Stiles poured all he had into them,

"Shadows,"

The wolves disappeared from sight and Derek jumped back and looked around, finding no trace.

"Go for blood right?"

Derek nodded, and moved into a readied stance.

"Appear!"

The wolves appeared ten stories above Derek, and as they fell they generated speed, which was Stiles plan, luckily he wasn't that bad at physics. When they were about to come into contact with Derek, they disappeared again and formed on both sides of Derek. One headbutted Derek on his right shoulder and one on his left leg, sending him spinning up in the air. They disappeared again and formed above Derek. They flew into Derek sending him towards the ground. The two were then phased back to the ground and slowed from a run. Derek hit the ground with a yelp. Stiles ended the strength spell on all for of the wolves and lowered himself to the ground, regaining his energy back.

"Are you ok?"

Derek transformed back, naked as ever. Something Stiles was never going to get use to. Derek sat up rubbing his shoulder.

"Yeah… good job."

Stiles blushed at Derek's approval and grabbed his underwear and pants.

"Here."

Derek stood, "Right. Thanks."

Derek put on his underwear and pants while trying to catch his breath.

"What was that thing you did?"

Derek didn't bother to try and hide his shock.

"I just charged up the spell and used some gravity."

Derek winced at the reminder, "Some?"

Stiles let out a dry laugh, "Sorry. I just remembered what happened last time and kinda lost my cool."

Derek put his hand on Stiles shoulder, "Don't apologize, it was a good move. We should use it next time."

Stiles smiled back, and looked back at the wolves that were now flocking around Derek, as if they completely forgot the fight.

Derek and Stiles made their way back to Derek's car and went back to the loft. On the way Derek ordered some pizza for delivery. They met the pizza guy on the way up the elevator. Derek crashed on the couch with the pizza box in hand, and Stiles grabbed some sodas, joining Derek in the usual position. They watched some Netflix and devoured that box of pizza with no shame. Stiles loved how warm Derek felt and couldn't get close enough to him. Stiles nuzzled his face into Derek's neck, the smell of him filling Stiles nose. Derek rested his head on Stiles, and they laid that way for some time. Eventually the exhaustion took over and Stiles drifted off into a deep sleep.

Stiles found himself back in the spring with Derek. Stiles dived into the water to get his hair wet, emerging a few feet farther form Derek than before. Derek took a deep breath and vanished into the water. Déjà vu. Stiles smiled in anticipation for what was to come, remembering Derek touching him. Stiles felt the water moving under him and then felt hands running slowly up the sides of his legs. Stiles waited for the goose bumps, but felt none.

"Derek?"

Stiles barely got his name out before he was ripped under the water. Stiles gasped, filling his lungs with ice cold water, nothing like the warm spring he was feeling moments ago. The water cleared and whatever was holding Stiles down released it's grasp. Stiles jetted to the surface, and emerged. But the trees were gone, and the Vatican's massive walls surrounded him. The four Crusaders surrounded the fountain Stiles found himself in. The Pope's steps echoed through the hall and appeared before Stiles.

"You don't have long left my child. We shall put you out of your misery and return you to the Lord to be judged."

The Pope stepped closer to Stiles. Stiles tried to back up, but his feet were being held in place. He leaned over and cupped Stiles face delicately. Stiles felt a wave of concern and vulnerability take over him, panic soon following. He fixed Stiles messy hair with his other hand and smiled. Stiles splashed around, trying to get out of his grasp, but something was holding him there.

"There is no point in trying to run, you'll leave when I wish."

He made the sign of the cross over Stiles forehead and then backed away.

"This next part may hurt a little, but try and go quietly."

The Pope turned and nodded towards one of the Crusaders. All four of them surrounded Stiles, blocking out the Pope. Stiles flailed as best he could, but only surmounted to making a few waves, that splashed against the wall and dissipated pathetically. Stiles felt fear grip onto him, deep within. A few tears formed and his mouth started to quiver. A Crusader pulled out what looked like a ceremonial nail and seized Stiles wrist. Stiles tried to pull away but his body wasn't responding.

"N-No… No!"

The man placed the nail right in the center of Stiles palm, and pressed on it with his other hand. Slowly adding pressure.

"No no no no no! Please! Stop!"

The nail pierced Stiles palm and a pool of blood started flowing from his hand.

"NAAAAAHHH!"

Stiles screamed louder than he ever thought possible. Tears started running down his face. Another Crusader put his hand over Stiles mouth and muffled all his sound. Stiles continued to cry over the pain, but only heard the dripping of his blood into the crystal clear water. The man let go of Stiles hand and it fall to his side. The man pulled out another nail and showed it to Stiles. Stiles cried out but couldn't produce any audible sound. All he could do was watch as his hand was taken from him and the nail was driven into his palm. Stiles vision started to blur as the tears flowed, but he didn't need to see what was happening. The man shoved the nail into his palm and another overwhelming wave of pain shot through his body. He felt his heartbeat in his head, the pressure growing more intense. He looked down at his hand, and the sight of a nail coming out of both sides made him nauseous. The man let go of Stiles hand and it too fell to his side. The pain intensified, so much that he thought he would pass out at any second. The man then pulled out a box of matches. He lit one and showed Stiles. Stiles watched it burn out. The man dropped it in the blood soaked water, and drew another one. He took Stiles hand and held it out so Stiles would be forced to watch. Stiles shook his head, eyes full of tears. The man put the nail over the fire. Stiles felt warmth drive through his hand. The man kept the flame their for a few more seconds and then it hit Stiles. The nail felt like it was boiling into his blood stream. The intense burning started moving up the right side of his arm. The nail dissolved around his hand and the excess liquid traveled down his fingers, cooking his skin. Stiles screamed so loudly he heard a faint whisper escape from the Crusaders air tight hand. Stiles kept trying to tear away from them, but his body was refusing to move. Stiles shut his eyes and felt the boiling liquid filling up his chest. He felt it fill up his heart,

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Stiles hands shot up to his chest, and he felt himself fall over onto the tile of the Vatican floor. He curled into a ball and cried, screaming as the burning continued to spread through his entire body.

"Stiles!? What's wrong?"

Stiles felt his surroundings change, and he was being shaken. Stiles opened his eyes, and made out a familiar face through his tears.

"Derek?"

Stiles cried as the pain continued to grow,

"Derek? It hurts!"

Stiles felt his tears running down his face and down his neck.

"What's hurting?... Stiles?"

Stiles felt Derek's hands feeling for what the problem was.

"Stiles what is it?"

Stiles couldn't handle the pain, but it kept growing.

"My heart, my arms, my hands. They're torturing me!"

Stiles felt Derek's hands grasp his.

"Stiles, your heart is fine. You were having a nightmare."

Stiles hands stopped burning, being replaced by a warmth that felt healing. Stiles looked down and saw how Derek was holding onto him. Stiles assessed his body, no nails, no burning, no blood. The pain vanished. Stiles teared again, in relief this time. He grabbed onto Derek and cried in his shoulder.

"They… tortured me! They put nails in my palms, and melted them! It was burning my whole body, and I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything… and now they're coming."

Stiles dug his head into Derek's chest and cried for a few minutes. Derek just wrapped his arms around Stiles and rubbed his back.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Their was a knock on the door. Stiles grabbed Derek's arm and took in a deep breath.

"It's just Scott and Kira. I heard his bike."

Stiles looked into Derek's eyes. Stiles released his grip and Derek got up to answer the door. Stiles grabbed the blanket they were sharing and hid himself in it. Stiles heard Scott and Kira come in but didn't bother saying hello or making a gesture, he was stuck replaying the pain over and over again. A solitary tear ran down Stiles face and into the blanket.

"What's up with Stiles?"

Derek stole a glance at Stiles before addressing Scott.

"He had a really bad nightmare. He just has to work through this one."

Scott tried to approach Stiles but was pulled back by Derek.

"He needs some space, he's been through more than you or I could imagine."

Scott nodded and sat down at the table with Kira. Lydia and Liam showed up a little later and the five of them sat around the table. After Derek explained what little Stiles told him about the nightmare Lydia shined some light on the Crusader theory she'd been cooking up.

"Do you guys remember the first Crusader we fought, and how badly we lost? Well, I figured if I could record the next fight I could try and find some weaknesses. Since we were going to be staying here until the next fight I installed a camera while everyone was sleeping."

Lydia pointed to the empty ceiling and cherished the face Derek made, only giving a sly smile back to him.

"I took it before we left yesterday."

Derek opened his mouth, clearly angry, but Lydia held a finger up.

"I found something useful, you can thank me later. Do you remember how the first Crusader was holding onto his cross? Well I thought that was weird, so I looked into that during the second fight. Now none of them grabbed their crosses during the battle, however," Lydia looked at Kira, "You destroyed your Crusader by cutting of his necklace and allowing Scott to snap his neck. Do you remember that?"

Scott nodded, "Yeah, that last second I thought to myself he seemed weaker than before."

Lydia nodded. "Exactly. That cross Kira cut off is the source of their power. When Derek was about to finish the last Crusader, he grabbed onto his necklace and chanted something, destroying his necklace. I wondered why that would happen if the necklace made him more powerful. But it makes sense because the Crusader was already hurt from Derek and Stiles, so badly that he had to recover in order to continue. So he sacrificed his strength in order to replenish himself which led to his defeat."

Lydia paused, waiting for everyone to cheer or something, but she only got silence.

"Meaning! If you cut off their necklace at the beginning of the fight, they will be easily killed! They won't be as strong, and they won't be able to use it to replenish!"

"Oh!" Everyone expressed.

"Nice Lydia!" Scott high-fived Lydia, and Lydia smiled back.

"And how do we do that?" Liam spoke up from his side of the table.

"Oh yeah," Lydia pointed at Stiles, "Stiles will teleport Kira to each of them. If you're up to it?"

Kira nodded, "Totally, but what about Stiles? He doesn't look like he's doing too good."

Derek shook his head, "He'll do it."

Scott squinted, "How do you know?"

Stiles was still lying on the couch and he could hear all of this, but he just wanted to take a second for himself, something Derek somehow knew.

Derek smiled, "He's gotten a lot stronger. We trained today, and he beat me in a fight."

Everyone gasped; obviously surprised that Derek could even be beaten. Stiles blushed, and noticed how Derek left out the four wolves helping him.

"So trust me, he's ready."

Lydia nodded, "So now all we do is wait?"

"We need to relocate." Stiles spoke into his blanket.

Derek's hand appeared on his shoulder, "How are you doing?"

Stiles nodded, "Better. Thank you."

Derek squeezed Stiles shoulder reassuringly, "Why move?"

Stiles sniffled, "Less countertops."

Derek groaned, "You have a point."

Kira leaned back in her chair, "Where would we go?"

Derek shrugged, "Stiles?"

"Where we trained. It will be open, and if we get there soon we can build some bonfires for visibility."

"Alright, let's go." Derek put his hand out, and Stiles grabbed onto it, getting a boost up from the couch.

"Meet up at my family's house."

Everyone left and got into their own means of transportations. Stiles got into Derek's car and buckled up. Derek got in and started the car, looking over at Stiles.

"When you're ready, I'm here."

Stiles looked over at Derek, and a single tear cascaded down his rose cheek. Derek reached over and delicately wiped it off his face. Stiles smiled and looked down to the floor, closing his eyes. Derek started driving and Stiles told him about his dream, how it started out great but ended horrible. He gave Derek every detail he could muster. Stiles finished as they were pulling into the woods. Derek put the car in park and looked at Stiles,

"I can't change what you experienced, and I can't take those memories from you. But I promise I will return the favor to them," Derek's eyes flickered blue and he let out a low intimidating growl, "ten fold."

Stiles smiled and gave an awkward hug, "Thank you."

Everyone pulled in and collected in the front of the burned down house.

Lydia pointed out a flaw in the plan. "So how are we going to make these bonfires?"

Derek pointed to a stack of fire wood on the side of the house.

"I guess we'll just have to make a few trips."

Stiles shook his head, and turned to the wood. Waving a hand Stiles wrapped the logs in energy and lifted them up. Stiles could feel everyone's surprise, and it felt flattering. Derek led the way to the field followed by Stiles, the others, and a bunch of floating logs. When they reached the field Stiles set up a few bon fires around the field. Derek took some matches when he was leaving the loft and started the fires. Lydia tried listening to a sign of the Crusaders while everyone else prepared for the fight.

Kira looked over at Stiles, "Are you ok with the plan?"

Stiles nodded, "Yeah. Are you?"

Kira smiled. Scott patted Stiles shoulder, "Glad you're back dude. I'm always here if you need to talk."

Stiles smiled, "Thanks man."

Lydia quickly turned to everyone, "They're here."

The four Crusaders appeared on the opposite side of the field, and started walking towards the pack. Stiles levitated up and flew towards the Crusaders, giving the group about 2/3 worth of space.

"Ready?"

Kira got into an attack stance, "Ready!"

"Shadows, appear!"

Kira materialized behind the first Crusader and slashed down his back, cutting the necklace lose. The Crusader turned around but Kira had already vanished. Stiles placed her above the second one, and she materialized in a front flip, katana shinning the fire's light towards them. The light burst from the second Crusaders cross. The first Crusader charged at Kira. Stiles focused his energy and teleported Kira back under him.

"You ok?"

"Yeah," Kira laughed, "get me back in there." Kira sounded like she was having fun, which Stiles thought was weird, but not harmful, so he didn't address it.

"Ok, get ready."

Stiles teleported Kira forward, launching her toward the third Crusader, who readied himself. Kira charged at him, trying to stab at the cross, but the Crusader dodged the attack and was about to return a punch. Stiles teleported her back and then behind the third. Kira quickly sliced the cross off and jumped back. Stiles teleported her above the fourth, but he knew it was coming and met Kira with a kick. Kira was sent flying back, and Stiles teleported her back to the pack.

"Kira!" Scott helped her to her feet.

"I'm ok. I don't think we can get the last one."

Lydia waved her hand, "We don't have time anyway. Scott and Kira take the first and second, Liam and I will take the third. Derek and Stiles take the fourth."

Stiles nodded.

"With what served my master well, I now instill to you. Strength."

Stiles felt the energy move into all five of them, and he took in a deep breath to pace himself.

"Hear from the shadows your master's call, join me in battle my eternal Thrall."

Derek growled and got into an attacking stance. Stiles levitated to the middle to get a better view of everyone. Scott was the first to engage, and landed a powerful punch. Kira assaulted her Crusader with a barrage of slices and spins, quickly overwhelming her enemy. Liam opened up with a claw across the chest, and Lydia pulled out a bat she brought from her car and swung at the Crusaders head. The third caught it and sent a jab towards Lydia, but Stiles saw it coming and teleported her behind him. Lydia spun and launched the bat towards the mans head. A metal crack echoed across the field and the first of the Crusaders fell with a bright burst of light. Stiles felt confident that the four of them could handle the other two and reduced his distance till his feet were on the floor. Derek charged the fourth and faked a punch, landing a kick. The Crusader shifted his weight and quickly recovered with a punch to Derek's gut. Derek flew back, and Stiles teleported him to his feet. Derek waited for the Crusader to charge him, and dodged a punch, returning it to the Crusaders side. Stiles teleported Derek behind the Crusader, and Derek clawed at his neck, but the Crusader blocked his neck with his hand. Stiles teleported Derek above and then right when the Crusader was about to react, Stiles sent Derek in front of him. Derek landed a punch on the Crusaders face, and another in the Crusaders gut. Derek growled and clawed at the Crusaders face in a frenzy. Stiles saw the Crusader winding up for a kick, and sent Derek back to him. Stiles stole a glance back at the others. Kira had the first Crusader impaled to the ground, and Scott was on top of him. Liam and Lydia had the second Crusader on the defensive. Derek charged in again and slid, kicking the Crusaders knee out of place with a confirmed pop. Derek shot up and clawed again at the back of the Crusaders neck. The Crusader spun around and landed a punch in Derek's side, sending him into one of the practice trees in the center of the field. The Crusader tried to get on top of Derek but Derek sent him back with an uppercut. Stiles teleported Derek above where the Crusader would land. Derek dropkicked him in the chest and back flipped off, getting into an attack stance when he landed. The Crusader crashed into the ground and remained their for a few moments, breathing heavily. Stiles looked and found all three Crusaders gone, and everyone gathered behind Stiles and Derek. Liam looked hesitantly at the last Crusader,

"Is that one dead?"

Stiles shook his head, "Not yet. But we can't get his cross off."

The Crusader shot up and charged at Stiles, catching him off guard. Derek intercepted the Crusader and knocked him off his warpath with a headbutt. Derek recovered and took a few steps back, addressing Stiles but keeping his gaze on the Crusader.

"This guy is tougher than the others. Even with the cross they shouldn't be this strong. I've broken a few bones already just hitting him."

Derek rolled his knuckles, "You know what I'm thinking right?"

"Yeah. But I'll need as much energy as I can. Give me ten seconds."

The Crusader charged at Derek, who planted his foot and sent a kick at the mans side. The Crusader seemed unfazed by the kick and ran Derek into the tree, wrapping a hand around Derek's throat. Stiles teleported Derek and the Crusader a few yards away from everyone, and separated the two even more. Stiles took back the energy the four were using and they all fell to the floor in exhaustion.

"Stay here."

Not expecting a response seeing as they all collapsed. Stiles left the pack in a heap of exhaustion and joined Derek, levitating above him. Stiles forced all his energy into Derek, thinking about the teleportation spell. Derek looked at his palms,

"Is that you?"

"Yeah, I…"

Stiles suddenly fell to the ground, landing on his face. Stiles eyes blurred and he felt like he was going to throw up.

"Stiles?!" Derek ran to Stiles and rolled him over,

"Stiles? Are you ok?"

Stiles felt like he was looking outside a window at another world. He tried to roll himself back and onto all fours. Then he noticed his energy was being pulled away from him, and towards the Crusader.

Stiles managed to force out a few words in between breathes.

"He's. Taking my energy."

Derek looked back at the Crusader, who held his cross out in front of him.

"It's coming form that cross, but I can't get it off him without you."

Stiles fell back to the floor and looked up at Derek.

"This will be all I can do. Get ready."

Derek transformed into his wolf form, and growled at the Crusader. Stiles felt the last bit of energy leave him. He inhaled,

"Shadows."

Derek's growl got cut off and he vanished. The Crusader started to charge at Stiles, a few yards separated them.

"Appear!"

Derek materialized in the sky, shooting down like a comet. Stiles didn't expect for Derek to fall quite so quickly and had to rush the next teleportation spell. Derek was about to hit the floor when he vanished and appeared right in front of Stiles. Derek flew forward, headbutting the Crusader in the chest, right where the cross was. There was a bright light, and the cross disappeared. Derek vanished again and came up from below the Crusader, sending him flying into the sky. Derek appeared again above the Crusader, and locked his jaw around his throat. Derek twisted and threw the Crusader down with the same speed Derek was traveling with. Stiles then teleported Derek a few yards behind himself, and Derek came to a running stop just past Stiles. The Crusader hit the floor with a hollow bang. There was a bright flash and then the man was gone. Stiles eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. Derek ran back to Stiles and licked his cheek, which Stiles interpreted as a kiss. Stiles heard the others running towards him and then the world turned black.

Stiles woke up to a blinding light. He lifted his hand over his eyes. After they adjusted he withdrew his hand and was looking out the loft window. It was morning. Stiles looked over at the other side of the bed he found himself in. He found a piece of paper on top of a still warm pillow. Stiles picked it up,

"We defeated all the Crusaders. You passed out after we killed the last one. Everyone came back here with you. After we got you into bed they all left. I made sure they texted me when they got home, so everyone's safe, and I grabbed your book before we left. I went out to clear my head."

Stiles put the note back on Derek's pillow and rolled over to his side, soaking up the warmth he left. He channeled his energy into tracking Derek and looked through his eyes. Stiles saw nothing but darkness, with a few rays of light coming from above him. After a few seconds Derek turned his head and Stiles saw a familiar altar. Stiles canceled the spell and got out of bed. He grabbed The Shade which was resting in it's usual place, underneath Stiles pillow.

"Why back there Derek?"

Stiles sighed and made his way out of Derek's room, accompanied by a sudden sinking feeling.

"I have no car!"

Stiles rubbed his head and tried thinking how he was going to get there. He could take a cab, but he doesn't have any money on him. He could summon Derek to him, but he didn't want to tear Derek away from whatever he was doing. Stiles had a though and figured he would try it. He thought about the Hale House, how the entrance looked. He focused his energy on himself and teleported. He appeared at the entrance of the Hale House. After a burst of excitement realizing he could teleport himself, he entered and navigated through to the house, book in hand. His body reminded him of the familiar chill that was so foreign to him just a few days ago.

"Hey."

Derek's voice came from the cellar. Stiles made his way into the dark hole in the wall.

"Why are you here?"

Derek turned and looked up at Stiles,

"This is where it all began."

Stiles looked around the dark cellar and felt the deep freeze seep from his bones.

"So why would you come back here?"

Stiles could tell Derek was in deep thought, and obviously upset. Stiles sat on the floor by Derek's feet and looked up. Derek sighed and locked eyes with Stiles reluctantly.

"I keep thinking about when you were laying on this floor right there, and I couldn't get to you. No matter how much I tried, I wasn't strong enough."

Derek shifted his gaze to the book Stiles had in his lap.

"And I almost lost you that day. You were inches away from me and I couldn't do anything. Then I remembered the only other time I've felt that helpless is when my family all burned in the fire. But with you, I felt lost, like there wouldn't be a reason for me to stay here if you..."

Derek took in a deep breath. Stiles didn't realize how much weight Derek was carrying over the book he had resting in his lap.

"De-"

"And then when you told me about the Crusaders? I felt like I had a purpose. To protect you. I thought I had the strength, but after I... died?"

Derek frowned at the word, it's permanence, and his voice started to shake.

"You saved me. I took away your life, and you gave me one. How is that fair?"

Stiles could feel the tears starting to roll down his eyes. He never expected all of this from Derek. He was his rock, a simple guy, and now all of this comes out. Stiles grabbed Derek's leg, looking down at the floor to disguise his tears.

"Stop. You can't do that!"

Stiles surprised himself. And after a second to recollect his thoughts he continued in a low voice, trying his best to calm the quiver in his voice,

"You're not allowed to do that. The only way I've been getting through all of this is because you always are dependable. You keep me from getting cold and scared, and when you say these things..."

Stiles felt his words choke up, and his body started to shiver as the icy tears found their way down his neck. Stiles squeezed Derek's leg tighter,

"Did you know this was going to happen to me? Even the slightest idea?"

Derek pulled Stiles face up with his finger and forced their eyes to meet,

"No, I had no idea!"

"If you did know, would you have done it anyway?"

Without skipping a beat Derek returned,

"Never! I didn't want any of this to happen."

Stiles frown relaxed,

"So then stop blaming yourself. I don't, you shouldn't either. If you would have known you wouldn't have done it. Besides, I was the one who went up to that alter, you tried to stop me."

They shared a long hour or so of silence. Stiles rested his head on Derek's legs, and Derek ran his fingers through Stiles hair. Suddenly Stiles stomach growled and broke the defying silence.

"Did you not eat yet?"

Stiles scratched his head trying to remember,

"I don't think so. I was worried for you so I came right when I woke up."

Derek let out a sad chuckle,

"Well I'm starving too, let's go get something to eat."

Stiles nodded and smiled, hearing Derek laugh made him feel warm. Derek helped Stiles up and picked up his book from where it had been resting. He stared at it for a few seconds, inspecting the edges and the skin. He looked toward Stiles,

"You don't blame me for this?"

Stiles sighed, upset that Derek wasn't believing him.

"Hold the book out in front of you with one hand."

Derek frowned but did it without complaint.

"How heavy is that book right now?"

Derek shrugged, "It's nothing."

Stiles nodded. "Now what if I told you to hold that book there for an hour? How heavy would it be then?"

Derek looked puzzled. "The weight wouldn't change..."

Stiles smiled. "Exactly. But your arm would hurt?"

Derek shrugged, not wanting to admit a book could ever be too heavy for him.

"I guess."

"That's what you're doing right now. That book represents your guilt. At first you could carry it no problem, otherwise you would've told me you were feeling this way from the beginning. But after a while that guilt gets heavier. Not because the guilt changed, but because it slowly drained your strength, just like this book is doing. But the only one forcing you to carry that guilt, that book, is you. You could easily drop the book, but you don't for some reason, and so it became this overpowering feeling. So just drop the book Derek."

Derek looked surprised by the metaphor Stiles used. He looked at the book,

"That would be selfish of me."

Stiles walked up to Derek and locked eyes with him,

"How's your arm now?"

"It hurts."

Stiles wrapped his hand underneath Derek's and pushed up slightly,

"And now?"

Derek rested his arm on Stiles, and the burning that formed in his arm vanished.

"Better."

Stiles eyes gleamed as a ray of light shined on his face, his brown eyes pierced Derek's heart.

"So if you can't drop it in fear that you'd be selfish,"

Stiles moved closer to Derek,

"Then selflessly let me carry half of it for you."

They locked lips, a mix of sadness and relief washed over them. Stiles took the book from Derek's hand and buried his face in Derek's chest.

"Promise me that you will."

Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles,

"I promise."

Stiles kissed Derek on the lips and they stood smiling at each other. Stiles released Derek's waist,

"Good. Now let's eat. I'm starving."