Chapter 15

Stiles let the air out of his lungs slowly, puffing his cheeks out and pacing while he thought about his choices. I don't want it to end this way, shishkebabed by a bloody demon at sixteen. I want to be able to live life, to go to college, to lose my virginity! To have a family! I want to grow old and I want my dad to grow old too.

He looked at Derek, saw the endless possibilities open in front of him. There are so many things I planned to do. I don't want to not do them.

He looked at his mother. I will see her again, and we can still be a family. I can be strong for her until then.

:I've made my decision: he said, eyes trained on Derek's form. :I love you, and I miss you so much. But I don't think it's my time yet, there are so many people who are depending on me. I choose –:

Stiles saw the flash of silver a second before it was driven into Derek's stomach.

:DEREK: he screamed, as the man released Kate's throat and dropped to his knees clutching the knife. :DEREK, NO!:

The moon was completely covered by the eclipse and in the darkness that surrounded them all the electric blue of Derek's eyes flashed briefly before fading and he slowly slipped to the ground. Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth and he went still.

:How do I save him?!: Stiles begged, frantically grabbing his mother by the elbows. :I need to go back, he can't die too!:

:Are you sure this your choice Stiles?: his mother asked, cupping his face in her hands. :Remember, there will always be a cost:

:YES: he sobbed. :I don't care what the cost is, I need to save him Mom:

:Very well: she said, placing a kiss on his forehead. The clearing started to dim and fade away around him. The last thing he saw was his mother's face. :I love you, and I'm so proud of you:

/

Dying is a lot colder than I thought it would be, Derek thought with a shiver. He looked down at the knife protruding from his stomach with a sort of detachment, like it was happening to someone else. He saw movement around him, Scott grabbing his shoulder and shouting in his face, but he couldn't hear anything. It's so quiet. Kinda peaceful. Being a werewolf, he had never been this cold before in his life, and he shivered again trying to draw his arms in closer to hold in what was left of his body heat but found that he didn't have the energy to move them. I'm so tired.

He managed to turn his head enough that he could see Stiles' body. At least I will get to see Stiles again soon, he thought before a bright, blinding light filled the clearing and he knew no more.

/

Stiles felt the life return to his body all at once, rushing and tingling to the tips of his fingers and toes. He gasped for air and sat straight up, blinking colours and things he shouldn't be able to see out of his vision.

"Derek!" he croaked, his voice hoarse and desperate. He felt a sense of urgency but couldn't remember why. Stiles turned his head and saw a group clustered around Derek's body at the edge of the clearing.

Suddenly memories of the past 12 hours slammed into his mind, and he retched as he pictured the knife driving into Derek's stomach all over again. He struggled to get up, stumbling a little as his limbs lost their stiffness.

"Derek!" he shouted again, gaining volume. I have to get to him. I have to save him. He can't die, I won't let him. The tingling in his limbs flooded back, hot and dizzy energy swirling and he steadied himself against the tree stump in the centre of the clearing. He blinked his eyes a few times but the whirling runes on its surface didn't disappear. They glowed brightly in the moonless night.

Stiles took another step towards Derek, and then another. He pushed past the man in the trenchcoat and dropped to his knees beside Derek's body. The sight of his lifeless eyes made him want to throw up. He reached out to close them with a shaking hand, but paused when he realized the tips of his fingers were glowing the same colour as the runes on the stump.

Scott gasped, and even Sam and Dean were shocked at seeing Stiles alive again.

"Stiles! But how? You were dead!" his dad exclaimed, choking on the last word a little and wrapping him into a tight embrace. Stiles wanted to melt back into his arms and forget everything that had happened in the past two days but he couldn't; all he could see was Derek's glassy eyes. He bit back a sob himself and felt a rushing heat filling him up, swirling and pulsing in time with his heartbeat.

"Sheriff, you might want to step back a bit," the man in the trenchcoat said, hauling his dad back by his shoulders. Scott, Dean and Sam also took a step back, confusion on all their faces.

The swirling feeling inside him was building up pressure and Stiles just wanted to scream. "What's happening to me?!" he yelled.

From somewhere nearby, there was a light slowly increasing in brightness, illuminating the dark clearing. Stiles saw Kate limping her way across the clearing, forgotten in all the commotion. He felt the anger well up inside of him and his vision went red. I want her dead, he seethed inside his mind. I want to tear her limb from limb for what she did to Derek. I want her destroyed.

The power welling up inside of him answered. He reached out his hand towards her, and in a flash of light there was nothing left of her but the scorch mark of her shadow burnt into a tree trunk.

Stiles felt the rage within him recede but the power kept building. Save him it seemed to say. He placed his hands on either side of Derek's face. Small sparks leapt from his fingers at the contact.

Leaning over, he placed a kiss upon Derek's forehead. A jolt of electricity passed between them and Stiles felt the power rising up in him flow into Derek. Live, he commanded. Come back to me. I love you.

Derek's eyes flew open, hazel colour dancing from neon yellow to electric blue and settling, surprisingly, on a clear, bright red. He took a deep breath and Stiles broke off contact.

The pressure continued to build inside him, swirling and churning, making Stiles' entire body feel like it was connected to a live wire. Ok, he thought. That's enough. The answer he got in return felt a lot like the power was laughing at him, and the pressure increased. Enough!

"Stiles?" Scott sounded concerned and placed his hand on Stiles' shoulder. Lightning crackled and Scott was thrown through the air as the energy building within Stiles flexed and surged.

"Help me!" he yelled, voice distorted and crackling from the rising power. How do I make it stop, Mom? A memory floated to the surface of his mind, pushing past all the panic and confusion. "Remember Stiles, everything has a price."

Stiles felt his blood run cold, despite the energy filling him to the breaking point. So that's it? I gave up my second chance at life to save him? Your gift for me, Mom, exchanged for his life?

He paused for a moment, locking eyes with a disbelieving Derek, who was watching him, frozen in place. He shifted his view to his Dad, to Scott, to the Winchesters. All of them watching with concern and confusion.

Fine, he thought. So be it. I would gladly give this gift to Derek, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I won't regret saving him. I love him.

A picture of the wide tree stump from the centre of the clearing, covered in runes, came to the forefront of his mind unbidden. The Nematon. Stiles blinked at the answer given to him, and in the time that it took him to think the words, he found himself standing in the centre of it.

Shouts and exclamations came from behind him, but he paid no heed as he dropped to his knees, placed both of his hands flat on the surface and pushed. He pushed the energy welling up inside of him, channelling it through himself and into stump. He felt the roots of the tree greedily drinking up the energy pouring into it, and it demanded more. So Stiles opened himself up, letting every last ounce of power drain out of him and into the tree.

Just as suddenly as it began, the energy inside him was gone and Stiles swayed for a moment, trying to regain his bearings. He felt sick and cold, limbs shaking from exertion and head spinning. He heard his name being called, and he turned towards the sound. Blearily, he made out a figure rushing towards him but then everything went suddenly, blissfully dark.

/

Stiles was jostled back to consciousness and found himself overheated and confined, like he was wrapped too tightly in a comforter. He struggled to move his arms but couldn't. He tilted his head back and saw two Alpha-red eyes fixed on his face and noticed that the rest of the werewolf was wrapped around him protectively, growl emanating lowly from his chest.

"Easy there, Sourwolf," he said weakly, finally freeing an arm and reaching up to touch Derek's forehead. "I still don't understand where your eyebrows go, by the way. Scott's don't disappear."

A crease formed between where Derek's eyebrows were normally. The growl reverberating through Stiles' body slowed to a stop and Derek's features melted back to human.

"That's better," Stiles said. He looked around. They were in the back of his father's cruiser together, with Sam driving and his dad anxiously hanging on to the dashboard as he pointed directions.

"I – We thought we'd lost you," Derek said finally, voice barely above a whisper. He wouldn't meet Stiles' eyes. That's ok, Stiles thought. We have time to figure this whole thing out. No need to rush.

Stiles hummed a non-committal sound as he burrowed deeper against Derek's chest, revelling in the warmth now that he was awake and able to take stock in how his body felt. Mostly sore and cold.

"I thought the same," he said finally. "About you."

Derek opened his mouth but was interrupted when the Sheriff turned around and saw that Stiles was awake.

"Hey there kiddo," he said softly. "Glad to see you're awake. How are you doing back there?"

"Hey dad," Stiles replied with a yawn. "Not bad, all things considered."

The Sheriff winced a little. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, ok?" he said fiercely. Derek whined in agreement, low in his chest for only Stiles to hear.

Stiles wished he could give his dad a hug right now, to reassure them both that he was there and alive and breathing but the mesh divider of the police cruiser separated them so all that Stiles could do was reach towards his dad and brush his fingers against the metal.

"Okay dad," Stiles said. "Mom says hi and that she misses you, by the way."

The Sheriff's eyes filled with tears and he wiped surreptitiously at his eyes with the cuff of his jacket. He smiled a little before turning back to the front to keep track of their progress towards their destination.

Stiles yawned again and shifted to a more comfortable position in Derek's arms. "Where's Scott?"

"Scott's riding with Dean in the Impala, along with the Angel, Castiel," Derek said with a sigh. "We didn't all fit back here, and your dad figured it would be best for Scott to ride with Dean because he's relatively harmless and it would be a good introduction to friendly supernatural beings for Dean, considering Scott is barely a werewolf right now. I'm not sure where Peter disappeared off to, honestly."

Stiles snorted. "That's fair. So Sam and Dean are Hunters? That's wild. And trenchcoat guy is an Angel? I guess that makes sense because he could definitely see me and he shouldn't have been able to," Stiles said, stifling another yawn. "Looks more like an accountant though. And Peter? As in your uncle Peter? He's looking well for someone who was supposed to be in a coma."

He looked up questioningly at Derek, who opened his mouth to respond, but was once again interrupted.

"I think we're almost there," Sam said from the driver's side.

"Where's 'there'?" Stiles asked, shifting around a little to sit up a bit.

"Deaton's," said Derek. "I figured that would be the best place to get answers."

"We're getting answers at the vet clinic?" Stiles said incredulously. "You know what? Nevermind, that's the least weird thing that's happened all day."

Derek laughed, low and throaty and Stiles rested his head on his shoulder, feeling peaceful. There's a long road ahead to getting answers and figuring this whole mess out, he thought. But whatever happens, I'm sure we'll get through it. Together.

As the cruiser and the Impala pulled into the veterinarian's parking lot, a warm wind wound its way through the trees, stirring up leaves and flower petals along its path. If Stiles had looked over his shoulder as he crossed the sturdy oak threshold of the vet's office, he would have sworn that he saw the outline of a woman in the leaves blowing across the edge of the forest, or that he caught the scent of lilacs and wisteria one last time.

He didn't look back but he still felt a wave of love and pride wash over him, and the figure melted back into the shadows of the trees.

The End