Katherine awoke from her restless sleep, her heart still pounding in her chest, as the adrenaline she felt slowly started to subside. She had been plagued with nightmares ever since she was a teenager, not to anyone's surprise. Seeing her friends killed, being beaten and tortured more times than she could count...had left its mark on her. But she kept going. She had lots of reasons to. A beeping sound near her head had Katherine groaning, realising it was her alarm clock. She rolled over in bed, fumbling to turn the alarm off, seeing it was only half-five in the morning. She still hated early mornings, that was for sure.
"Morning" A familiar voice announced, as Katherine's eyes fluttered open to find Derek approaching her, a mug of hot tea in his hands.
"How long have you been up?" Katherine yawned, pushing herself up in the bed and taking the tea from his hands.
"Couple hours" Derek replied, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead, causing a smile to grow on her lips.
"You're a strange man, Mr Hale" Katherine huffed, sipping her drink.
"Guess you shouldn't have married me then" Derek teased, nudging her thigh so he could crawl into bed beside her.
"And passed up the chance to have my own personal heater? No way" Katherine grinned, as she snuggled up to his side, with Derek's arm wrapping around her shoulder.
"When does your shift end today?" Derek inquired.
"Two. Hopefully" Katherine scoffed, knowing she rarely finished work on time.
"Kids won't get back home till' gone four..." Derek trailed off, as Katherine's grin grew wider.
"I like how your mind works" Katherine stated, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips.
"...I need to brush my teeth, don't I?" Katherine laughed, knowing she would have bad breath.
"You know I love you, morning breath and all...but yes" Derek exclaimed, as Katherine slapped his arm.
"Such a flirt" She mumbled, before dragging herself out of bed.
"I'm gonna' shower before the kids get in there" Derek told her, following her out of bed.
"You want some company?" Katherine suggested, quirking an eyebrow before she opened their bedroom door.
"Too slow, lovebirds" Isaac announced, ruffling Katherine's hair as he passed them, and made a beeline for the bathroom.
"You know, I liked it more when he lived in France" Derek scoffed.
"He's only staying here for a few more months. He's trying to find his place in the world or whatever" Katherine explained, making Derek snort.
"Trying to find his next girlfriend more like" Derek stated.
"Maybe we should try to find someone for him. C'mon it could be fun. We'd be great matchmakers" Katherine insisted, as they made their way into the kitchen.
"Cause' that worked out so well for you when you tried to match me up with that guy in chemistry class" A sarcastic voice echoed through the room, as Katherine raised an eyebrow.
Her daughter was already sitting at the kitchen counter, a schoolbook laid open in front of her as she shovelled cereal into her mouth. Her sixteen-year-old daughter. How the hell did that happen? Allison seemed to have inherited all the brain cells that both Katherine and Derek had to offer and was already on track to start University a year early. She was more like her father in a lot of ways, more serious and thoughtful, but she looked like a mixture of her parents. She inherited Katherine's blue eyes but had Derek's jet-black hair. In the right light, she even looked a little like the girl she was named after.
"He was nice. And he had a lot of money. Important things to look for, Ali" Katherine teased, coming to sit next to her daughter at the counter.
"And a guy, Mom. Not exactly my type" Allison huffed, eyes still on the book in front of her.
"In my defence, your dad and I are masters at being oblivious. It's no surprise really that I didn't realise you were gay" Katherine shrugged.
"I always knew" Another voice stated, making Katherine roll her eyes.
Her brother, Ken, strolled into the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of orange juice before chugging the contents down. Derek let out a loud sigh at her brother's actions, wondering why he had agreed for her brother to live with them a couple of years ago. And it wasn't as if he could throw him out, not when...
"I am evicting this baby. You hear me, kid?" Malia groaned, patting her heavily pregnant stomach, earning a snigger from Ken.
"Does the father of said 'kid', get a say in that?" Ken questioned.
"No. Not until your ankles are swollen, you have to pee every five minutes and your boobs hurt so much they might—" Malia started, when Allison cut her off.
"So happy I'm living in the Hale halfway house by the way" Allison muttered.
"It's not a halfway house" Katherine retorted.
"It kind of is, Mom" A male voice answered this time.
Katherine pouted at her son, knowing he was right to some degree. It certainly wasn't easy living with seven people, but that's what you did for your family. You dealt with it, right? She couldn't imagine not having everyone in that room in her life. Especially her son.
Eli took after Katherine in so many ways. He had her sarcastic personality, awkwardness and even looks. She would often joke he was trying to grow out his hair to the same length as hers. Eli liked to hide behind humour, something he had definitely learnt from his mother. He would be turning fifteen within the week and appeared to doubt more and more whether he would ever be able to transform into a werewolf. Allison was a natural and had amazingly already learnt to control her shift. Eli, on the other hand, was a lot more unsure of himself.
"What are you doing up so early?" Katherine frowned, knowing she would rarely see her son up before seven on a school day.
"...Dad said he'd give me a lift to school" Eli shrugged, as Katherine narrowed her eyes, turning to her husband.
"Did he now?" Katherine huffed.
"He's probably just trying to make sure Eli gets to school in one piece" Ken teased.
"I'm not that bad of a driver" Katherine insisted, as silence followed her statement for a few seconds.
"Didn't you crash into the neighbour's fence like a month ago—" Malia began, but Katherine cut her off.
"I didn't crash...I swerved" Katherine corrected, earning a muffled laugh from Derek.
"Are you sure you didn't bribe your driver instructor?" Allison suggested, with a small grin.
"Rude. Who raised you?" Katherine muttered, sarcastically, making Allison giggle.
"Shower's free" Isaac announced, sauntering into the kitchen, with only a towel wrapped around his waist.
"You allergic to shirts now?" Ken scoffed, as Isaac grabbed the orange juice still in his hand, giving him one of his trademark smirks.
"I don't mind" Malia shrugged, as Ken gave her an unimpressed look.
"Your mom's being mean to me. Give her a kick, will you, kid?" Ken asked, pressing his hand against Malia's swollen belly.
"Is anyone else getting slightly concerned that they're actually gonna' name the baby 'Kid' at this point?" Katherine murmured, earning a few nods in response.
"Well, we sure as hell aren't calling them Katherine" Ken grinned at his sister, stealing a slice of toast from her plate.
"You guys really haven't thought about names yet?" Derek questioned his cousin.
"You can talk. You two called your kids Ali and Eli. Sounds like a crappy band from the nineties" Malia pointed out.
"Hey!" Both kids exclaimed at the same time.
"Well, whatever you name them...I'm gonna' spoil my new niece or nephew rotten" Katherine smiled.
"I'll put you on diaper duty then" Malia huffed.
"Sounds good to..." Katherine trailed off, something catching her eye from outside the kitchen window.
Her brow furrowed as she could swear, she saw a glimpse of black hair out of the corner of her eye. She closed her eyes for a moment, listening closely to the sounds of the outside. Birds, water trickling down from the gutter, a few cars driving past...but nothing else.
Jesus. She was too old to be losing her mind now.
Katherine let out a yawn as she slumped down on the couch in the staff room, running a hand down her face. She had been a registered nurse for almost eight years now, and what an eight years it had been. The healthcare system had never really healed after the pandemic, nor had the workers. The trauma of working through Covid, had only added to the PTSD she had gained as a teenager. No one wanted to be a nurse anymore, not that she could blame them. But it meant those who had stayed in the profession were working themselves to death just to keep their patients alive. Still, she couldn't imagine doing anything else. Helping people just felt right. It made her feel like she had a purpose. Alongside raising her kids and keeping Derek from doing anything stupid.
"So, Eli's really turning fifteen next week?" Melissa grinned, coming to sit beside Katherine.
"Don't remind me. I swear to God he was five last year" Katherine sighed.
They had been working together on the same ward for a few years now, with Melissa now a doctor. She had taught Katherine a lot, not just in nursing, but in motherhood too. Something that Katherine would always be grateful for. God knows, she needed a mother figure in her own life.
"Do you remember what you were like at that age?" Melissa teased, making Katherine snort.
"Sarcastic, mainly. With a big old crush for my husband" Katherine exclaimed.
"Well, you were a teenager. All those hormones. God, Scott even had Allison's name as his password, you know?" Melissa stated, with a sad smile.
"How is he? I haven't heard from him in a while" Katherine admitted, as Melissa pursed her lips.
"He's good. Still working for Deaton" Melissa replied.
"Still, no plans on coming to Beacon Hills anytime soon?" Katherine inquired.
"You know it's hard for him being here. Too many bad memories" Melissa shrugged, as Katherine quirked an eyebrow.
"I know, I know. It's just...he's our Alpha and I haven't seen him in years. I'm worried about the pack. Without our Alpha, we're weak" Katherine pointed out, as Melissa suddenly seemed very interested in staring at her shoes.
"Mel?" Katherine frowned, knowing the older woman well enough to know something was going on.
"...You should phone Scott" Melissa told her, only worrying Katherine further.
"Is he alright? Did something happen?" Katherine insisted.
"It's his eyes, Katherine. The last time I spoke to him, he said—" Melissa started, but was cut off as the door to the staff room was thrown open.
"Katherine, we have a problem" One of the new nurses on the ward announced.
"What kind of problem?" Katherine asked, pushing herself to her feet.
"Mr Clark may or may not have...got hold of a pocketknife" The nurse exclaimed, as Katherine had to rein in the impulse to face-palm.
"So, who wants to explain to me how exactly an eighty-seven-year-old with advanced dementia managed to get hold of a weapon?" Katherine announced, glaring at the group of nurses in front of her.
"His wife brought in some of his belongings—" The youngest nurse on the ward began when Katherine cut her off with a sigh.
"Including a pocketknife, I'm guessing?" Katherine groaned.
"...I probably should have checked the bag" The nurse added, as Katherine ran a hand through her hair.
She peered into the bay, glad to see the nurses had been smart enough to remove the rest of the patients from the bay. Two security guards were approaching the confused man, tasers raised in the air. With a growl, Katherine pushed through the bay doors, as every eye in the room snapped to hers.
"Unless you want to kill him, I suggest you don't taser him. His heart is barely beating as it is" Katherine warned.
"He's a danger" The security guard pointed out.
"I know. But he's also a scared man who doesn't know where he is right now" Katherine retorted, coming to stand in between the security guards and the patient.
"Get out of my way! I...I have a train to catch. I'm going to be late for work. My...my wife is gonna' be so mad at me..." The man stuttered, his gaze unfocused, as he held the knife out.
"Mr Clark, I need you to put that knife down, okay? You put it down and I'll call your wife, we can get this all sorted out" Katherine insisted, but he shook his head.
"No. No, I have a train to catch. I need to get my train" The man repeated, taking a step forward, the sharp knife still raised in the air.
"Jesus, I've had enough of this shit" The taller security guard muttered, before lunging forward to grab the knife.
What he didn't seem to realise, was how strong someone with delirium was. The old man easily managed to shove him away, and threw the pocketknife through the air, with a scared cry. Katherine managed to push the security guard out of way due to her fast reflexes, but not before she was struck by the knife. She let out a groan as she looked down to see the knife firmly planted in her shoulder.
"Well, this is gonna' lead to a fuck-tone of paperwork" She sighed, before wrenching the knife out of her shoulder.
"Holy shit. You're not gonna' die, are you?" The security guard gaped, his brow furrowing when he noticed her blood had a strange black tint to it.
"Stay away from me! Stay away!" The old man screamed, as the other guard advanced on him.
Before the situation could get more out of hand, Katherine pushed both men back and came to stand in front of the patient. She placed her hands on his shoulders, allowing her eyes to glow their golden colour, causing the man's eyes to almost pop out of his head.
"Calm down" Katherine commanded, in a deep voice, her werewolf side taking over.
"W-where...where am I? Who are you?" The man questioned, seeming to have come out of his delirious state for a moment.
"You're in the hospital, Mr Clark. We're gonna' call your wife, okay? You come sit down on your bed" Katherine told him, as the man slowly nodded.
"Why...you're bleeding...did someone hurt you?" The man stuttered, as Katherine gave him a sad look.
"I'm fine. C'mon, have a sit down" Katherine pushed, as the man did as he was told, suddenly bursting into tears.
"I don't know...where am I? Who are you?" The man asked, repeating his words once again.
"You're in the hospital, Mr Clark..." Katherine trailed off, placing her hand on his shoulder, and giving him a comforting squeeze.
She really fucking hated dementia.
Katherine was still rubbing at her aching shoulder as she opened the front door to the house, glad for her supernatural healing abilities. The wound had stopped bleeding pretty quickly and she was sure it wouldn't scar for very long. She just hoped no one found out about it. She dropped her bag on the kitchen counter, strolling over to the fridge to get a drink when hands were placed over her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment, before she recognised a familiar scent, melting into his touch.
"After all these years, you still love scaring the crap out of me, don't you?" Katherine huffed, feeling Derek press a kiss to her neck.
"We've got the house to ourselves" Derek exclaimed, as Katherine twisted around, linking her hands behind over the nape of his neck.
"And how did you manage that?" Katherine inquired.
"I may have bribed Malia and Ken. And I straight up paid Isaac to leave" Derek confessed, making her giggle.
"You want to fuck me that bad?" Katherine teased, feeling his hands come to rest on her waist.
"I really do" He replied, before crashing their lips together.
Katherine's heart beat quicker in her chest, as Derek pulled her close, leaving feverish kisses over her lips. She immediately helped to pull his shirt over his head, reaching up to trail a hand through his black hair, kissing him once again. Derek's hands soon found themselves on her ass, hauling her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. A moment later, she was on top of the kitchen counter, with Derek ripping open her shirt, not wanting to waste another moment unable to touch her skin. His hands were going behind her back, fumbling for the clasp of her bra when he noted the healing wound on her shoulder, his eyes darkening.
"Did you get hurt?" He frowned.
"It really doesn't matter. Back to the sex, please" Katherine insisted, leaning forward to kiss him, but he backed up a step.
"Katherine. Who hurt you?" Derek pushed, his eyes shining golden for a moment, the anger clear in his voice.
"One of my patients. They were confused, threw a knife. I'm healing. Doesn't even hurt. Seriously, Der, I'm fine" Katheirne told him, as he reached up to touch the scarred skin.
"Five times" Derek stated.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"You've been hurt five times at work, just this year" Derek informed her, the information surprising her a little.
"Nursing's a dangerous job" Katherine shrugged, as Derek gave her 'the look'.
"Only because you put yourself in danger. Kat, what happens if you get hurt in a way you can't heal from one day? What happens to me? To the kids?" Derek told her, as guilt flashed across her face.
"I'm sorry. Really. Forgive me?" Katherine exclaimed, looking up at him with a slight pout.
"I'm just worried about you" Derek admitted, dropping his head on her shoulder, nuzzling against her neck.
"I promise, I'm fine. And it...wait, are you taking my pain?!" Katherine gaped, looking down to find black veins rising up over Derek's hand, which was clutching her wrist.
"You said it didn't hurt" Derek accused, quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh, I'll give you something that hurts, Derek Hale" She muttered, jumping off from the counter and lunging at him.
She sent them both flying toward the floor, with her ending up straddling his waist, hovering just inches from his face. She leaned down to catch his bottom lip between her teeth, biting down just enough to graze his skin. Derek groaned as he reached up to grab a fistful of her hair, rolling them over so that he was on top. Katherine noticed how his hand had flattened out at the back of her head, careful to protect her as he had pushed her onto her back. Always so protective, she thought to herself.
"I love you...you idiot" Katherine smiled, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.
A big genuine smile grew on Derek's lips, before pressing kisses down her neck, enjoying the way he could hear her pulse sped up. He inhaled deeply against her skin, finding her scent as intoxicating as he had fifteen years ago. His hands trailed down her stomach, causing goosebumps to rise up over skin, as he began to unbutton the buttons of her jeans. Derek could feel how he hardened as the smell of arousal grew in the air, excitement coursing through his own veins. He reached inside his own jeans for the condom he had hidden in there that afternoon, too turned on to make it to the bedroom to fuck Katherine.
"You know I was thinking...Ali and Eli...well they're older now, might even move out in a few years and I'm thirty-three now...so maybe we should go without condoms for a while..." Katherine stuttered over her words, causing Derek's eyes to go wide.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Derek gaped, his grin growing wider.
"I know we said we better use condoms from now on since I got pregnant again at eighteen but...I think I want another kid with you, Der" Katherine confessed, biting her lip.
"...Unless you're like totally against the idea—" Katherine was cut off as Derek crashed their lips together, looking the happiest she had seen him in a while.
"So, just to clarify, you do want us to have another baby?" Katherine asked, knowing they weren't the best at communicating.
"Of course, I do. I've wanted that for years. I just didn't realise you did" Derek confessed, making her laugh.
"God, we're so stupid, aren't we?" She teased.
"We make the perfect pair" Derek murmured, throwing the condom behind him, and pulling Katherine close to him.
"Oh, wow. This is super awkward" A familiar voice announced, as Katherine and Derek twisted around in shock.
Katherine's mouth went slack as she found none other than Stiles standing by their front door, rubbing at his cheek, where the condom Derek had thrown, had hit him. She was racing toward him without a second thought, all but lunging at him as she embraced him in a tight hug.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Katherine grinned, as he wrapped his arms around her back.
"It's Eli's birthday in a few days. As if I'd miss it" Stiles replied, as Katherine pulled away.
"Well, you are his favourite sort of Uncle" Katherine smiled, as Derek grabbed his shirt from where it had been thrown onto the floor.
"Still with the abs, huh, Sourwolf?" Stiles teased, as Derek rolled his eyes.
"Still interrupting me, Stilinski?" Derek scoffed, coming to stand by Katherine's side.
"God, I've missed you, asshole" Stiles admitted, wrapping his arms around Derek's shirtless form, to the married couple's surprise.
"Me too. I guess" Derek replied, patting Stiles on the back, a little awkwardly.
"So, where is my boy?" Stiles asked, looking around the room as if he was expecting Eli to pop out of nowhere.
"At school. He's gonna' lose his mind when he hears your back" Katherine grinned, knowing how fond her son was of Stiles.
"He sure is" Derek mumbled, a little bitterly, as Katherine left the room to grab a new shirt, seeing how Derek had ruined the one she had been wearing.
Eli loved Stiles. He idolised him. In a way, he never had with Derek.
Which was fine.
Derek certainly wasn't going to be jealous of the relationship his friend had with his son. Because that would be stupid, right? Even if Eli did dress exactly like Stiles, steal his jeep every other week, and constantly ask when they were going to see him again. Jesus, sometimes Derek even debated whether Stiles was really Eli's father. He was sure Eli would prefer it...
"Still not much of a conversationalist, huh?" Stiles snorted, as Derek realised he hadn't said anything for over a minute.
"How's Lydia?" Derek asked, finding it was the first thing that came to mind.
"Lydia. My strawberry blonde fiancé. Love of my life...she's great. We're great. Sooo great" Stiles told him, his heart skipping a beat more than once.
"You sure about that?" Derek frowned, finding Stiles' reaction strange.
What was even more strange was the way that Stiles suddenly burst into tears, leaving Derek freaking out. Katherine gaped as she entered the room to find her friend sobbing, sending her husband a glare.
"What the fuck did you do?" Katherine hissed, hitting his arm.
"Nothing! He just started crying!" Derek insisted.
"Uh-huh. And I guess he threw himself into a wall all those other times too?" Katherine scoffed.
"...Alright. Those times it was me. But I really do anything. I just asked about Lydia..." Derek trailed off, as Stiles let out a particularly pathetic whimper at the sound of her name.
"Do something" Derek exclaimed, ushering Katherine forward, who gave him a glare.
"There, there, buddy. Let it out" Katherine soothed, somewhat awkwardly, patting his shoulder.
"She freaking left me, Kat. We're done. It's over" Stiles admitted, through his sobs.
"Are you sure?" Derek inquired, knowing how loved up the pair had been for the last fifteen years.
"I'm pretty sure I would know if my fiancé ended it with me, Derek" Stiles retorted.
"But why? And why the hell wouldn't she tell me if you guys were having problems?" Katherine grumbled, as Stiles threw his hands up in the air.
"I have no clue, alright? She just woke up one morning and that was it. Packed up her stuff and left. Seventeen days ago" Stiles sobbed.
"You've been counting the days?" Derek cringed, as Stiles shot him a glare.
"I've been counting the hours, douchebag" Stiles muttered.
"...Can I stay with you guys for a while? Just until I get her back?" Stiles asked, with his big brown eyes.
"Sure. Sure...but you might have to share a room" Katherine admitted.
"With who?" Stiles queried, as a hand suddenly clasped Stiles' shoulder, making him flinch.
"With me" Isaac grinned, walking through the door with Eli and Ali following close behind.
"This is some horrible nightmare. I'm in hell. This is definitely hell" Stiles groaned, dropping his face into his hands.
"I've missed you too, mate" Isaac smirked.
"God, and you're still wearing the scarves? Unbelievable" Stiles huffed, making Isaac roll his eyes.
"Uncle Stiles!" Eli's excited voice cried, as the younger boy all but threw himself against his hero.
"Hey, man. How've you been?" Stiles chuckled, hugging the teenager back.
"Alright. Oh. Oh! Have you seen the trailer for the new Star Wars film? It came out like a couple of hours ago. I gotta' show you" Eli exclaimed, grabbing Stiles' arm and hauling him off toward his bedroom.
"Nice to see you too, Ali!" Stiles called back, giving the other teenager a wave.
"Their bromance is still going strong I see" Ali mumbled, her arms crossed.
"...Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Isaac questioned, before quickly putting two and two together.
"Gross" Ali grimaced, turning a little green.
That night, Derek and Katherine were laying against each other in bed, with Derek's hand slowly brushing against her hair, soothing her to sleep. Stiles had begrudgingly agreed to take the spare room with Isaac after Katherine pointed out Derek wouldn't let him sleep on the floor in their room.
"Eight. We have eight people living under one roof now" Derek stated, as Katherine cringed at the thought.
"Der, c'mon. It's not like..." She trailed off, finding he had a small smile on his face.
"You're not pissed about Stiles staying here? I know you can get a little...jealous where he's concerned" Katherine pointed out, as Derek shrugged.
"Twenty years ago I thought I'd been on my own forever. It might be a little crowded round here...but it's better than the alternative" Derek told her, as she quirked an eyebrow.
"...Then you'll probably be glad to hear I told Peter he can crash on the couch this week" Katherine informed him, as Derek's smile fell.
"Kat" Derek groaned, running a hand over his face.
"He and Malia have barely spoken in the past few years. He's about to be a grandad. He needs to up his game. I'm just giving him a little nudge" Katherine explained, as Derek rolled over to face her.
"A shove, you mean. Your ridiculous" Derek told her, in a fond voice.
"And you love me for it. Right, I'm gonna' grab my retainers then we can cuddle" Katherine announced, throwing the covers off, making Derek snort.
"Try not to invite anyone else to live with us on the way" Derek called out, as she stuck her tongue out at him.
The floorboards were cold even with her sock-clad feet as she made her way through the corridor, stopping for a moment at the pictures on the wall. Her 'depressing shrine' as Ali liked to call it. The wall was littered with pictures of all the people they lost.
Laura. Talia. Boyd. Allison. Aiden.
"Night, guys" She mumbled, as she always did.
It was dark in the kitchen, but her werewolf sight made it easier to find what she was looking for. Running water over her retainers, she slotted them into her mouth, before grabbing a glass of water. She then turned around to carry the drink back to her bedroom, when her heart stopped. Not just faltered. Stopped.
Katherine.
A ghostly voice echoed through the kitchen. But even that wasn't as terrifying as the figure that stood a few metres away from her. The shadows in the room made the person hard to see, but their scent was unmistakable. Impossible as well, but still she knew who it was in front of her.
"Allison?" Katherine gasped, as the glass of water dropped from her hand, smashing against the floor.
What the hell was happening?
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Well, here it is, the first chapter I've written for Teen Wolf in like seven years. Hopefully, the characters don't seem OOC. What did you guys think of this chapter, is there anything you want to see in the following updates? Please leave a review:)
AfricanApple: Thank you! I hope you like this update:)
Guest: Aw, thank you so much:) I have thought about posting this story on AO3 but I know it would be a lot of work importing the chapters...who knows, if people like the story on here, I might transfer it. Thanks for reviewing!
Guest: Another season would have definitely worked better, I agree. And killing off Derek was one of the worst decisions they've ever made.