Chapter Twelve: Lockdown

Author's note: thank you to the guest you let me know the last chapter had been published in code instead of words. I don't know how that happened but its better now. Anyway, happy reading and please review, i love hearing from all of you!

Stiles woke slowly, with shallow pained pants coming from his mouth and sounding loud in his ears. He could hear three other heartbeats and breathing patterns in the room. He didn't want to open his eyes, trying to focus on each ache and pain and cataloguing the feelings. His back, neck, face and shoulders were achingly tight and even the air across the skin was uncomfortable. His chest was also itchy around the bullet hole but that was about it. He finally took a deeper breath and his eyes fluttered open. He looked around the horribly white room he was in, then found Melissa looking down at him with a gentle smile on her face, he kept searching the room finding Scott and Alison standing with Talia and his father on the other side of a bay of windows but he kept moving and found Ricky and Derek on another bed shifting and waking slowly as well.

Then he flashed back to the reason he was in the hospital to begin with, there was an attack on the Hale house, and they were trapped by Mountain Ash. At that, Stiles' eyes went back to his dad who looked like he was okay as well as Talia. He turned back to Melissa, "Everyone okay?"

"Of course Stiles," she said with a smile. "You were the one hurt the worst, most of the pack is either at my place or your father's house while the Hale house is getting worked on."

Stiles nodded then turned back to his mates again, "Ricky? Derek?"

"Stiles, you okay?" Derek whispered.

"What happened?" Ricky husked at the same time.

"We kept all three of you asleep for a little while so Stiles could heal without interference and a hellish amount of pain. You guys can get up, get dressed and we'll get your discharge papers for you." With that, Melissa leaned down and in a very unprofessional manner pressed a kiss to Stiles' forehead and walked out. Stiles pushed himself up and watched as Derek and Ricky stumbled off their bed, dressed in scrubs and bare feet, Stiles loved their bare feet and that was weird but oh well.

He smiled when they surrounded his bed and took each of his hands and then he was leaning against Derek's side and his other hand was pulling Ricky up next to him on the bed. "Hey guys," he whispered and scented Derek's neck gently, trying to get past the hospital smell but they'd been here for too long. Stiles suddenly wanted out so they could rub their scent all over each other and get rid of the awful antiseptic and cleanliness and he hated it.

"Can we go home please?" Stiles whispered.

Derek chuckled and pressed a kiss into the side of Stiles' head and Ricky did the same thing. Then they were helping him stand, slipping an open-backed shirt onto his shoulders while leaving it down to keep the shoulders open to the air. Derek held him up while Ricky helped him into some hospital pants and shoes that were clearly from his luggage. Both his mates were slipping on shoes and coats as well.

They got out of the room and Stiles got short and loose hugs with Talia, his dad and Scott before Melissa was back to shove him gently into a wheelchair before they wheeled them out to the front. Stiles gratefully signed himself out and everyone and they piled into cars and Stiles curled up in the back of his own jeep with Scott and Alison in the front while Ricky and Derek bookended him with their arms wrapped around him and their noses in his throat but not pressing painfully into his skin. It was a short trip to the Stilinski house and Stiles was pleased when he and his mates wandered slowly up stairs and he found his bedroom with all their stuff in the closet and the bed already made. He was surprised to find a larger bed that dwarfed the bedroom now but it would be good for sleeping with Derek and Ricky. Stiles decided it was time for a nap so he flopped down on the bed, on top of the blankets and allowed Derek and Ricky to care for him. He didn't understand why he was so tired but he was pretty sure he didn't care as long as he could curl into his mates' arms and not move for at least a little while.

"Sleep with me please, I know its been to long," Stiles whispered and both of the Weres followed him into the bed and the omega allowed himself to be pulled under. It felt good to be here and sleeping naturally with his mates.

The next time Stiles woke it was to Derek and Ricky talking to each other, ignoring the omega on the bed. He didn't know how much time had passed but he knew his mates were angry about something; it was in their scent and in their tones as they spoke. Not to mention they hadn't noticed the change in his breathing or heartbeat when he woke.

"Do you really imagine that will work?" Derek was saying.

"We can't let him out of the house by himself, Kate is still out there and she's gunning for him. He should be protected and its our job to do so," Ricky was saying and Stiles frowned.

"Have you met Stiles, do you honestly believe that he's going to be okay with that? Gari please don't do this."

Ricky growled and Stiles did everything he could not to transmit to them he was awake. "Derek, he's going to get killed! I can't survive without him!"

He could hear Derek pulling Ricky close and his voice was muffled and Stiles figured he was talking into Ricky's throat, "We're not going to lose him Garrick, we'll do what we must to protect him."

Stiles rolled his eyes but he thought about it, he was the omega and he was in danger right now in this place. The safest thing he could do was listen to his mates and stop fooling himself into believing he could be the Joan of Arc in the omega revolution. So he stayed in bed, curled in on himself and sighed sadly. He knew when his mates heard the noise and redirected course to climb back into bed. Stiles was pleased that the pain had sunk even farther away, so when Derek pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, it didn't twinge. Ricky just wrapped himself around Stiles.

"How are you feeling?" Ricky whispered.

Stiles shrugged, "I'm doing better. I am a little hungry though, did you maybe think you could get me some food?" his voice was so much smaller than he'd ever heard himself say and he didn't really like it though he figured if he was going to do everything to become the omega that could stay alive and say what he needed to say. For now, that meant allowing his mates to care for him and not leaving the premises without Derek or Ricky. He was going to do whatever it took to make sure his mates were happy and they weren't put in this position again.

Derek and Ricky were obnoxiously happy to leave the room to get some food for Stiles and he just waited for them to return and didn't even get up to find out the time, or the day or anything of any consequence. He didn't even really know what kind of life he could truly have in a town that he'd splashed his Caste all over the Internet and town. He was happy to accept the sandwiches Derek and Ricky brought back as well as the cup of milk and chips. They had some food for themselves and ate the meal in bed. There was nothing else he could say, so they sat in silence and ate. The beauty of the bond was that he found comfort in the silence between them but he knew his mates were waiting for him to say something, anything. Nothing came, Stiles stayed silent and thought about the world he lived in, the fear he should and was starting to feel about everything. Kate was able to get into their home, be on their land all without them smelling her until it was too late. He didn't know how Carmen was handling this, he didn't know what it was like for Isaac either but he knew the pain in Ricky and Derek, the rage they shared when Stiles got hurt and there was nothing but him to stop it from happening again.

"Stiles? Why so quiet? Its kind of freaking me out," Ricky spoke and the laugh he emitted was unsure and forced.

Stiles just shrugged quietly and continued eating. Ricky dropped it for now and Derek was watching both of them curiously. Stiles didn't want to talk about anything, he just wanted to do what he must so they could make it back to campus and reclaim some sort of normalcy, as much as they could have when they were in a werewolf society.

"When we heading home? When does school start back up?" he asked quietly.

Derek frowned at his tone but said nothing as Ricky answered, the Beta's voice was calm but unsure to Stiles' sensitive ears, "Classes are beginning again in a week."

"Maybe we should go back now, make sure we're settled and have everything for class?" Stiles asked, didn't demand and didn't tell. There was nothing in his tone except submission and Derek shook his shoulders and rolled his head as if he could get the strange sensation away from him. Stiles knew the alpha had given up everything at a very young age for Stiles to be the kind of werewolf he wanted to do instead of what his Caste made him to be but Stiles was done costing his mates too much pain.

"I think you should rest a few more days before we head back, this house is bursting at the seams with Hale pack so you won't be alone and it will be safe. You should be at full strength before we head home."

Stiles nodded at his alpha's words and he finished his meal before claiming exhaustion before he laid back down and closed his eyes, listening to them as they picked up after the shared meal and headed back out of the room. Stiles' heart hurt a little that they were leaving him here alone but before he could give some kind of whimpering, simpering omega noise they were back and curling around his skinny body and Stiles sighed and let the sleep take him once more. He may not have been so exhausted he needed instant sleep but it was a close second and as long as Derek and Ricky were there to keep him safe and warm then sleep was no hard feat to accomplish.