I don't own Teen Wolf.
Cut Out All the Ropes: Chapter 8
"Jackson, hang back," Derek called as the pack walked to the clearing for their training session. Jackson groaned, letting his head fall back to stare at the sky before turning back to Derek.
"Hey," Jackson says quietly, his one hand in his pocket.
"How's the wrist?" Derek asked with a raised brow, motioning at the cast around Jackson's right wrist. Jackson snorted, shrugging.
"It was healed before they even released me from the hospital but it's not like I could say 'oh, hey, my wrist is fine. I don't need this cast.' There would be way too many questions to answer so I'm just sucking it up. I can slip it off for training tough."
"Good, good," Derek said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"About…About the accident," Jackson mumbled, glancing away from Derek's piercing gaze. "I'm so sorry I put the babies in danger. I didn't see her until she was right in front of us and the steering wheel locked up and I couldn't control the car. And I didn't mean to possible hurt your pups and there was nothing I could do."
"Jackson-"
"I'll try to do better. I'll try to keep a better eye on Stiles and keep the babies safe and I'm sorry I messed up and I'll-"
"Jackson!" Derek said louder, pinching the bridge of his nose as he wondered why he had picked such unstable teens to build up his pack. Between Jackson and Isaac, Derek was beginning to wonder if maybe he should go back to school for a counseling degree. "It's okay. I know it wasn't your fault and that we're going to have to keep an eye out for the Argent's. Stiles is okay and so are the babies. It's okay."
"I'll try to keep a better eye on him…" Jackson whispered and Derek rolled his eyes.
"It's Stiles," the Alpha deadpanned. "We could wrap him from head to toe in bubble wrap and he'd still find a way to get hurt. Don't be so hard on yourself. I was just checking on you."
Jackson glanced up at Derek, his eyes guarded. He chewed on his lip, turning away to let out a shaking breath. Derek felt a pang of concern for his omega, worrying about the boy's state of mind for not the first time. Jackson finally nodded, giving Derek a small smile.
"Come on, let's get to work," Derek said and Jackson nodded again, pulling his wrist out of his cast with a little difficulty before running off to join the rest of his pack. "One down, one to go," Derek mumbled to himself, starting the pack with drills as he called Isaac over to talk to him. Isaac hesitated for a moment before shrugging and running up to his Alpha.
"What's up?" the teen asked, his teeth shrinking back to their normal length.
"Are you busy tomorrow night?" Derek asked and Isaac lifted a brow, cocking his head to the side.
"Excuse me?" he asked, his blue eyes wide.
"I said I'd make it up to you," Derek said with a shrug, not really wanting to bring up his moment of loss control that had started this whole mess. "I got Lakers tickets. Thought I'd take you to make up for being an ass."
"I, uh. Wow, yeah. That sounds great. Thanks, Derek," Isaac said, his face lighting up with a smile that Derek hadn't seen in a long time.
"Yeah, well, get back to practice," Derek said awkwardly. He hesitated while Isaac ran back to Jackson who was taking on Scott. "I can totally do this alpha thing," he mumbled to himself, shaking himself out of his own head before going to take on Boyd, Erica, and Lydia.
"You ready for this?" Derek asked two weeks later, sitting in the waiting room next to Stiles. Stiles snorted, rolling his eyes before nodding. The neck brace had been removed the week before and they were currently waiting for his jaw to be unwired.
"I just was to eat solid food. I mean, technically I'm eating for three and you can't do that well if you can't eat solid food," Stiles pointed out and Derek nodded. He let his head fall back, taking comfort in the light heartbeat of his children. "They're moving," Stiles said quietly, and Derek sat up quickly, hesitating before placing a hand on Stiles stomach.
"I can't feel anything," he said, his brow furrowed.
"Because it's too soon to feel it from the outside," Stiles said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's what it said in those books I gave you." Okay, maybe if Derek had actually read the books, it would have been to most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, this makes up for the fact that you could hear the heartbeats before I could."
Derek snorted, sitting back with his arms crossed over his chest. After another five minute wait, a nurse stuck her head out, gesturing for Stiles to follow her.
"Just need to take a couple more x-rays," she says with a small smile as she fit a heavy bib over his chest and stomach.
"What's that for?" Derek asked, having not been able to come to Stiles' last appointment.
"It protects the babies from the x-rays," Stiles said, rolling his eyes as the nurse tried to usher Derek back behind to safe wall. After she was done she pulled the bib off and gestured for Derek to sit down. Derek hesitated, glancing over at Stiles before perching on the chair, reaching out to rub a hand over Stiles stomach.
"Why are you acting so weird?" The teen asked, his head cocked to the side. "Did someone lace your breakfast with Wolfsbane?"
"What? No. I'm not acting weird," Derek said, practically snarling at Stiles who rolled his eyes.
"Well your being nice to me, so that's weird," he mumbled and Derek pursed his lips.
"Well I figured I'd be nice while you were hurt. Don't worry, I'll stop." After that the two parents to be glared at fixed points in the wall, not talking even when the doctor asked questions. Stiles still didn't say anything when Derek pulled into the Stilinski's driveway. He simply hauled himself out of the low seats and marched into the house, giving Derek the finger as he slammed the door shut.
"Shit," Derek mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he backed out of the drive way.
"Arby's?" Steve asked, glancing at Stiles in the passenger seat.
"Makes me puke," Stiles grumbled, staring out of the window.
"Subway?"
"Makes me puke,"
"Chipotle?"
"Gives me heartburn."
Steve sighed, pulling into the Chipotle parking lot. Stiles had been moping around lately, which was nothing new around Christmas time. Stiles' mother had died around Christmas time when the boy was twelve and the holidays always made him sad.
"Everything either makes you puke or gives you heartburn right now," Steve said sternly.
"Not peanut-"
"No," Steve said, pointing a finger at Stiles across the gearshift. "Now that your jaw is unwired, you're not living off of god damn peanut butter and banana milkshakes. Now get your ass out of the car and get in line."
Stiles huffed, pulling himself slowly to his feet and kept his eyes on the ground as he walked inside.
"What's up with you?" Steve asked, throwing his arm around Stiles' shoulders as they stood in the short line. Stiles shrugged, glancing away. Once they had ordered and paid for their food ("Can we get it to go? That lady over there keeps staring at my stomach…") Stiles glanced back at his dad.
"Do you think she'd be disappointed in me?" He said quietly, glancing back out the window so he wouldn't meet the Sheriff's eyes.
"Your mom? Why would she be disappointed in you?" Steve asked, concern filling his voice.
"Because I'm pregnant at seventeen? I mean… I don't know what I mean. I just don't think she'd be happy about it if she was still here. I just…I'd never wanted to disappoint her…" Steve sighed, reaching over and squeezing Stiles' knee as he pulled into their driveway.
"Listen to me," Steve said quietly, shaking Stiles' leg a little to get the boy to look at him. "Your mother loved you so, so much. And she would never be disappointed in you. Unless, of course, if you were a murder. She might be a bit disappointed then." Stiles snorted, giving his dad a small smile as Steve kept talking. "So maybe these kids weren't planned, and maybe you are only seventeen. But she would have been here with you every step of the way, okay? Because she loved you, just as much as I do, and she would have loved these grandkids and spoiled them rotten. Don't you ever doubt that, okay?"
"I miss her," Stiles said, his eyes filling with tears as Steve bit his lip, nodding.
"I miss her, too," he whispered back. "How 'bout we go see her on Christmas? You can tell her about the babies and everything else going on, okay?"
"Thanks, Dad," Stiles whispered, glancing up at Steve through his eyelashes.
"How about we get inside and eat before our food gets cold. Then I'll listen to you complain for a couple hours about heartburn. Sound like a plan?"
"If I eat it will you buy me a milkshake?" Stiles asked, giving his dad the most pitiful look he could come up with.
"How about if you eat it I'll make you a milkshake," Steve said, opening his car door.
"It's not the same!" Stiles called after him, following his dad with a sigh.
A couple days after Christmas, the pack was all together at Jackson's house. They had done their own little Christmas, having done Secret Santa for presents. Stiles had complained, loudly, that his present was technically for the baby.
"It's not fair!" He said, crossing his arms awkwardly over his chest as he pouted. "It's bad enough that I had to buy something for Erica, who doesn't like me by the way. But now I don't even really get to use my Christmas present because it's all baby stuff."
"What he really means is thank you, Allison," Scott said, grinning at his girlfriend who snorted as Stiles sorted through the assorted diapers, baby books and clothes.
"This is for you, too, Stiles," Allison said, handing him a homemade coupon book filled with coupons for feet massages or back rubs, babysitting sessions, "daddy breaks," and other help for the rest of his pregnancy and once the babies were born. Each coupon had a different pack member associated with it. "We figured you'd like some free help. We can give you a little support so you don't go crazy."
"Wow. I'm sorry for being an ass," Stiles said, reaching over to hug Allison who grinned. "And I'm so cashing this one in tonight!" Stiles pulled out a coupon from the book and handing it to Isaac.
"Free foot rub. Really?" Isaac said, rolling his eyes.
"I guess I can wait until after dinner, but you're so rubbing my feet, wolf boy."
After a dinner of pizza and a game of Apples to Apples that Stiles was pretty sure everyone let him win, the pack gathered around the large flat screen in the basement to watch movies.
"Haha, we're not watching knocked up!" Stiles called from where he was laying on the coach, his feet in Isaac's lap as Allison slipped Bridesmaid's into the DVD player. "Oh my God, you're so good at that!" Stiles moaned as Isaac worked at his tired feet.
"Derek's not going to try to kill me for touching you again, is he?" Isaac asked warily as Stiles let his eyes fall shut.
"Hey, the rest of us didn't get to go to the Lakers game, so he obviously likes you best," Scott said, sitting on the other couch with a bowl of popcorn.
"Where's Jackson and Danny?" Lydia asked, looking around. The wolves froze after a minute, Scott's cheeks turning red.
"Well apparently they've made up," Scott said awkwardly, not meeting Allison's eyes.
"It's weird that you know they're getting it on from four rooms over," Stiles said, his eyes shut. "Wait, does that mean you could hear me and Derek the night these two were made?"
"Ew, no," Lydia said, rolling her eyes. "There was a party going on, remember? We couldn't hear you."
"Oh, good," Stiles said, letting out another moan as Isaac pressed at his arches. The rest of the pack stayed quiet, laughing sometimes at the movie. About twenty minutes later, however, there was a scream loud enough that even the humans in the room could hear it.
"That didn't sound like a sex scream," Erica said, glancing around the room. That was when Jackson ran in the room, blood on his hands.
"Someone call Derek," He said, and Stiles could see that his hands were shaking.
"Jackson what happened?" The pregnant teen asked, sitting up carefully.
"Someone call Derek now!" Jackson yelled again, pulling at his hair, causing his locks to be blood stained. "I fucked up. I think Danny's dying." With that he ran out of the room again, his chest heaving.
"Scott, call Derek," Stiles said, following closely behind Jackson. He gasped as he walked in the room, one hand covering his mouth as the other went to his stomach. Deep gashes ran down Danny's chest and stomach, blood pouring out of the wounds and pooling under the teen. "Jackson what did you do?" Jackson growled slightly before shaking his head and pulling himself together.
"I didn't mean to," he whispered, taking Danny's hand as the goalie gasped for breath. "I don't what happened. I just lost control."
"Stiles," Danny gasped, his face pale.
"Hey Danny. Dan-o. Daniel. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. Derek's on his way." Stiles ducked into the bathroom next door and came back with a towel. He approached the bed slowly, jumping slightly when Jackson growled at him. "Stop. I'm trying to help him. It's not going to do any good if he bleeds out before Derek gets here, okay?" Stiles gently placed the towel over the claw marks on Danny's stomach, pressing down slightly.
"It's hurts," Danny cries and Stiles grabbed his flailing hand.
"I know," he whispered, squeezing the digits to try and keep Danny awake. "I know it does."
"Derek's on his way," Scott said from the door and Stiles nodded, gently pressing at the wounds. Derek appeared less than five minutes later and Stiles was sure that he had broken every speed limit on the way there.
"Watch out," he growled, but it wasn't lost on Stiles that Derek gently pushed him into the chair in the corner of the room. Stiles huffed, placing his hand on his stomach and flinching when he realized it was covered in Danny's blood.
"You've got to do something," Jackson whimpered, his hand still latched onto Danny's. "I didn't mean to hurt him. I just lost control."
"Jackson, be quiet," Derek said, wincing as he pulled the towel off of Danny's chest.
"I don't want to die," the teen moaned under Derek and Stiles whimpered where he was sitting.
"You have to bite him. Please, you can't let him die," Jackson cried, staring at Derek with wide eyes.
"You have to say it," Derek said quietly to Danny, his eyes hooded. "Tell me you want the bite."
"Bite me," Danny gasped, his breathing coming in gasps. "Please, I don't want to die."
Stiles watched as Derek shifted into his wolf paint and he couldn't help but to gasp. He was going to watch Derek bite someone. This wasn't something he'd ever wanted to see, and Derek apparently picked up on that.
"Stiles," the alpha said quietly. "You don't have to stay for this. I'd rather you didn't."
"Yeah, good plan and everything," Stiles said, his voice high pitched. "But there's no way my pregnant ass can get out of this chair by myself."
Derek glanced back, groaning when he saw how low Stiles was sitting in the plush chair, his swollen stomach sitting up much further than normal while his butt was sunk low. He shook his head before turning back to Danny, ripping the boys shirt away. Stiles closed his eyes, trying not to watch. Before he knew what was going on, two hands touched his stomach, causing his eyes to fly open wide. Jackson stood in front of him, his eyes filled with tears, blocking his stomach's view of what was going on on the bed.
"I don't want them to see or hear this," Jackson whispered, flinching when Derek quietly counted to three before sinking his teeth into Danny's shoulder. Stiles screwed his eyes shut as Danny screamed, the sound bringing goose bumps to his skin until the boy passed out. Stiles could feel Jackson's teardrops soaking through his shirt as the boy sobbed, his hands shaking as they tried to block the sound from entering Stiles' stomach.
"I'm going to take him to my place," Derek said quietly, crouching to pick up Danny's unconscious form. "Just to keep an eye on him until the bite takes. Everything will be okay."
With that, Derek was gone and Jackson collapsed in front of Stiles, his body shaking with sobs.
"It's okay," Stiles whispered, carding his hand through Jackson's hair, thanking God that the teens parents were out of town. "Everything's going to be okay." Stiles only hoped he wasn't lying.
AN: I hope you liked it. Please review.