Chapter Two

The ambulance pulled out of the yard of the McCall residence blaring its siren into the night. Stiles sat next to the gurney looking at Derek's stretched out body, his eyes red and puffy from crying. Scott sat next to him, eyes unreadable, not saying anything.

"He has to live," Stiles whispered. "Right Scott? Please say something."

"I don't know Stiles. He's breathing, and that's a good sign."

Stiles sniffed loudly, wiping at his eyes with his hand.

"All this time," he said. "He actually did care."

"What about you?" Scott questioned him. "Do you care?"

"Of course I do," Stiles replied in a low voice. "That could be me lying there, except I wouldn't heal. He's probably alive because of his healing abilities. God, why did I..."

He cut off, his face crumpling, and Scott placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"I should have let him," Stiles went on. "I should have taken it, but I'm stubborn and stupid. The truth is I secretly want it, but that's just it."

"Do you?" Scott asked him, his tone questioning. "Want it?"

Stiles looked at him with a curious expression. What was his best friend saying?

"Well," Scott said. "Derek said it himself, didn't he? I'm the alpha of my own pack. How about it Stiles? If I change anyone, I'd want it to be you."

His best friend kept looking at him in slight surprise. Did he want Scott to change him? What about Derek? He wanted Derek to do it. It was suddenly important to him that he be the one to do it.

"Can I wait?" Stiles asked. "To see..."

"Its okay," Scott said with a nod. "I understand."

"Thank you," Stiles whispered.

His eyes returned to Derek and he wanted to cry again. The alpha looked so peaceful he might be asleep, except he wasn't. Stiles surprised himself by reaching out and taking the Sourwolf's hand. He couldn't explain this feeling inside of him. This time he couldn't help, couldn't save him. A fresh tear streaked down his face. Derek couldn't die, he just couldn't.

"I need you Sourwolf," he whispered, still holding the alpha's hand. "You can't leave me."

ooOoo

Jackson stared at the hospital ceiling, the events of previous weeks playing through his mind again. His eyes moved to Lydia, sleeping faithfully at his bedside in a hospital chair. He knew now that she truly loved him, and he felt even worse about those hurtful things he'd said before. Gerard had used him. Jackson felt a surge of anger. He'd been manipulated, controlled, yet it was his own fault. It just proved how weak he really was. The bite had taken, but did he deserve to be a werewolf? He really didn't want to be here, but they'd insisted, considering the state he'd been in after trying to kill himself. He'd wanted to kill himself. Gerard had ordered him to do it, but he obeyed because he had actually wanted to. He was tired of being used, of being alone. Yet he wasn't alone. He looked sidelong at Lydia and a gentle smile appeared on his face. She yawned and her eyes fluttered open, taking him in. She smiled back.

ooOoo

The pack gathered around the bed. The hospital had processed Derek quickly. He was comatose, and they didn't know when or if he'd come out of it. The poison had been counteracted with an anti-venom. It was rare- Peruvian Mountain Centipede. It was up to Derek now to pull out of it. Stiles sat in one of the hospital chairs, arms folded. He never took his eyes off of Derek. Boyd and Isaac were standing in a corner talking. Scott was off somewhere with his mom. Erica seemed to be aware of the state he was in. She approached him, her features surprisingly gentle, taking the chair next to his.

"He'll pull through," she told him gently. "He's Derek."

Stiles smiled a little. He hoped she was right. Knowing Derek, he'd never give up.

"How are you doing?" she asked, eying him with a soft look.

"Honestly I don't know," he said in a deadpan sort of voice, his eyes still on the alpha. "I'm feeling things that I never realized I felt."

She eyed him, thinking she understood.

"For him?" she pressed.

Stiles sighed, his eyes widening slightly, but he wasn't afraid.

"Yes," he whispered, and suddenly Erica understood.

Stiles liked guys. How had she never guessed it? It was pouring off of him in waves now. She could feel it...his love for Derek, and his confusion.

ooOoo

Jackson and Lydia looked toward the door, surprised to see Scott and Mrs. McCall there.

"Scott?" Jackson asked him curiously. "Why are you here at two in the morning?

"Because something's happened," Scott replied. "Its Derek. Stiles was bitten by some rare centipede. We suspect it was Gerard's doing. Derek used his werewolf abilities to draw the poison out of Stiles. It saved him, but Derek's body absorbed the poison. He's in a coma."

Jackson looked surprised, while Lydia's face was absolute shock. Stiles had almost died? Her chest tightened painfully, an emotion she'd never felt for the boy before.

ooOoo

"Derek Hale is in critical condition at Beacon Hills Medical Center," the news reporter announced. "Apparently the venom was a rare Peruvian type of centipede."

Gerard laughed to himself and clicked off the TV. He'd set his sights on a bird and gotten an eagle. Derek Hale was in critical condition! He thought of Kate immediately, burning with satisfaction.