Chapter 9

For the second time today Stiles woke up in a stranger's bed. This time, however, he didn't remember how he had gotten there or even whose bed it was.

It said a lot about Stiles that his first thought was that he could smell fresh food instead of worrying where he was. No matter what the situation was food would always be his priority and in his opinion there was nothing wrong with that. It was only after he grew used to the smell that he began to question his surroundings. He knew he was still at the Hale house, he just had to work out whose room he was in.

The walls were bright purple and the carpet was a soft blue. It was one of those carpets that made you automatically want to stand on it bare footed to see if it felt as fluffy as it looks and Stiles had to physically stop himself from doing just that my holding on to the bed sheets. Glancing around the room it was easy to work out that this must be Anna's room (either that or Laura really was as childish as she acted.) Stiles could see several boxes of books and toys as well as a collection of stuffed animals which were sat on the floral quilt cover next to him. So far everything seemed normal, except for one thing. If this was a child's room why was it so clean? Thinking about the rest of the house Stiles realised it was also spotless but that was to be expected, most people liked to keep their houses clean, but this was unnatural. He had never seen a child's room this tidy. Even if the room had just been cleaned it usually only took a few minutes before a small collection of toys was scattered around the room. Anna definitely wasn't a normal child.

Finishing his observations Stiles tried to get out of the bed but found himself being held down by someone he hadn't noticed. Carefully rolling over in their hold Stiles fought back the sense of de ja vu as he tried not to wake the person next to him before he knew who they were. Once he was completely facing his bed mate Stiles smiled and let out a small giggle. Next to him Anna was curled around a stuffed wolf trying to wriggle closer to him now that he had moved. The little girl looked just like her brother did in his sleep. That thought made Stiles cringe as he realised he had now watched two of the Hales sleeping in only a couple of hours, even he had to admit that was a bit creepy.

After a slight struggle Stiles managed to free himself and leave the room. He walked the now somewhat familiar path back to the kitchen where he could hear people talking and pots banging. Entering the room he found all the Hales, minus Anna, he had already met with the addition of a man who seemed to be around the same age as his dad. This must be Mr Hale then he thought as he slowly made his way towards the group.

Stiles didn't want to interrupt their conversation so he tried to sneak in to the room as quietly as he could. However everyone seemed to notice him straight away and the conversation quickly died down until they were left in an uncomfortable silence.

"You must be Stiles, come and sit down." The man he assumed was Derek's father said cheerfully as he tapped the empty seat next to him. Not wanting to be rude Stiles hurried across the kitchen to site in the wooden chair. "I'm Derek's dad," he said holding out his hand to the younger boy "Please call me James. I won't accept any of that Mr Hale nonsense it just makes me feel old and makes you feel awkward." He finished with a playful smile which instantly calmed Stiles. Both of the elder Hales seemed to have a talent for calming people down and making them feel welcome.

"I thought the road was closed, how did you get home? Has the storm passed?" Stiles asked as he listened to the rain which was still beating down hard and fast on the roof of the large house.

"I'm afraid not. The road in to town is still blocked so there is no way anyone is getting down there anytime soon. The only reason I was able to get home was because I was coming in from out of town and was able to use a different road." James answered apologetically as though it was his fault.

"Oh, okay then. I'm really sorry that you're stuck with me for probably another night you can't like having a stranger staying with you. I promise I'll be out of your hair as soon as possible and you'll never have to see me again." Stiles said quickly twisting his hand together nervously. He didn't want to impose but he really didn't want to go out in the storm again. Knowing his luck he wouldn't make it home in one piece. He could feel a panic attack building when he suddenly felt a large hand gently squeezing the back of his neck. The distraction gave him enough time to calm down and get his breathing sorted before the panic attack got any worse. Holding back the blush of embarrassment that was threatening to stain his cheek Stiles looked behind him to see his saviour.

Derek quickly removed his hand as Stiles turned and started to rub his own neck instead. Stiles smiled weakly at the older boy and managed to mumble out a quick thank you before he swiftly turned back to the table and tried to hide the blush that he was no longer able to contain. He thought he may have heard a whispered reply from Derek but Laura's loud laugh succeeded in concealing any other noises in the room.

"Laura!" Alice snapped at her daughter who immediately stopped laughing and turned to face her mother "Go and wake your sister, it's almost time for dinner." She ordered and off Laura ran, the sound of her racing up the stairs echoing around the now silent room.

Mrs Hale returned to her cooking mumbling under her breath quietly. The only parts Stiles managed to pick up were 'Oh that girl,' 'like a child' and 'what's he waiting for.' Stiles guessed the first two were about Laura but the last one? That could be about anyone of the males in the house, himself included.

"Could you help Derek set the table please Stiles?" Alice asked as she began serving up the food on large plates which each held twice the amount a normal person would eat. The Hales sure seemed to eat a lot he thought with a smile. At least he wouldn't be getting odd looks for his own generous appetite like he did at school.

Once the table was set everyone sat in the same place they had this morning with the exception of Derek who was now sat next to him and James who was in Derek's old seat. Stiles raised an eyebrow in Derek's direction at the change but left it at that. He would rather sit next to Derek than James anyway.

The meal passed without any major incidents and Laura managed not to say anything she knew would wind Derek up. The family asked James about how his trip had been before catching him up on recent events. Anna decided that James needed to know everything he had missed and apparently that included a summary of Stiles life story from the night before. If he was anywhere else Stiles would have felt embarrassed at being the centre of attention two nights in a row but for some reason he didn't mind Anna repeating the story again, he felt comfortable. Maybe it was because this was the most he had heard Anna say since he arrived or it could be the way Derek would try to hide his laugh at the humiliating stories from Stiles childhood. Either way as long as he didn't have to take part in the discussion he was happy to sit back and listen. He became so lost in his own thoughts as he listened that it took Derek's not so gentle nudge for him to realise he had been asked a question.

"Sorry what did you say?" he asked James with a sheepish smile. He had never been very good at paying attention, maybe that was why Mr Harris hated him so much.

"I asked if your father was the sheriff. John Stilinski right?" Mr Hale replied with a wide smile.

"Yeah he is. Do you know him?" Stiles asked curiously, his dad had never mentioned a James Hale as far as he could remember.

"Sort of, we went to school together. I think I was a year ahead of him but Alice must have been in his year." He finished looking over at his wife for confirmation. She nodded with a sweet smile.

"Yes he was in a few of my classes but we were never really friends. However your mother and I were very close for a while, we were almost inseparable." She said with a faraway look in her eye as if she was thinking of memories from long ago. Stiles was shocked.

"Y-you knew my mother?" he asked in barely more than a whisper suddenly feeling faint. His father didn't like to talk about her and he didn't really have any other connection to her since she died. He only had faint memories of her and what she was like. Then there were the nightmares of her death that haunted him but he chose to ignore them.

"Oh yes we were very close actually I might have an old photo album somewhere upstairs if you're interested?" Alice asked hesitantly not wanting to upset the young boy. She didn't know how he felt about his mother since her death but hoped that he would want to talk with her about her old friend. Stiles only nodded as he was now too shocked to even speak.

He sat in his chair numbly as Alice gracefully left the room to find the album. They didn't have many pictures of her around the house anymore since they only reminded the sheriff of his loss. Maybe this could be a chance to learn the things about his mother he had always wanted to know but hadn't wanted to ask his dad. Maybe this could be his chance to get rid of the nightmares for good.

End Of Chapter