Chapter 5 – More than blood.
Derek felt the surge from the Pack and he focused it into Drew, urging it to help heal him and change him. Damion felt the call from Derek as well and funnelled as much of his strength as he could to him, at the same time he was removing the toxins from Drew molecule by molecule and pushing the mystical carrier of the Werewolf gift as much as he could to turbo charge the effect.
Around dawn the metal tears had stopped flowing from Drew's eyes and the raging fever had broken. Damion slumped against his swords as he focussed to try and not pass out; Derek was holding Drew's hand gently whispering to the boy, he looked at Damion and saw the exhaustion plain on his face "When will we know if it worked?"
Damion pushed himself upright and looked at the boy "It could be any time, but the fever has broken and he is stable." He took a breath to strengthen his resources and repeated the same incantation that had showed the poisoning. Drew glowed red but there were no bright spots. "The metals are gone, leached from his system. If he wakes up soon then I would say it was a success. Though accelerating the change like that and funnelling the Packs strength through one little boy, a little boy who has just been bitten there may be fallout. It's never been done before."
Derek looked down at Drew with a worried expression and brushed the hair out of his small face. "I hope we did the right thing."
Damion looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Given the options how could we not? He's going to sleep some more and then when he's awake we should head back as soon as we can. Even getting into Cell distance so we can let the Pack know what happened. I wouldn't be surprised if they were on their way here." Derek nodded at that. Damion stood up slowly "I'm going to make sure this never happens to anyone else." His eyes flared black his swords in hand and Derek let him go, in the meantime he returned to keeping an eye on Drew.
Damion was furious, he was beyond angry now that he could be now that the cold dread of finding Drew dying was passed. Anger rolled off of him in waves and black lightning crackled and buzzed over his skin. He reached the clearing and examined the contents looking for clues. There were enough batteries here to signify a largish operation. Probably with access to the lake from one of the town further down the coast. Then he saw it wedged into the bottom of the crate forgotten and overlooked by the dumpers, a scrap of paper. He used magic to extract it and remove the seeping toxins that threatened to destroy it. It was a shipping invoice to a boat yard for a shipment of batteries, the same type of marine batteries that had been dumped. Taking his phone he started taking pictures of the dump site, and then he took the address and folded it into his pocket. Taking his swords in his hands, he turned them so they were crossed and lying horizontal, he let them go and they remained floating in the air. Damion ran his hand over the surface of the blades and there was a residual charge left crackling up them. Concentrating the rolling energies that surrounded him through the blades he began to scour the area with crackling leaping bolts of black lightning, purging the venomous toxins from the land.
To an outsider it would look like black fire and lightning scorching the earth, and Derek, even from the campsite, had a prime view of the results as the cold flames seared and fused the ground. When Damion was finished it looked like someone had gouged a great scoop in the earth leaving a smooth hollow that was a half sphere in shape, the sides of which had been fused to a glass like finish. Water from the upper part of the stream began to trickle into the hollow, in time it would fill it making a new drinking pond for the wild life in the area. Damion returned to the camp and Derek gave him a worried look at the level of destructive power he had used.
A few hours later Drew slowly woke up, he was groggy and somewhat confused but seemed to be ok. He was upset that the Camping trip was being cut short getting quite worked up about it, without warning he began to shift into Beta form a howl of shock escaping his now fanged mouthed. "I don't want to go, I'm kay now, don't wanna, don't wanna, don't WANNA! DON'T WANNAWwooooOOOooooOOOooooh!" There was a shocked look on his face as his features distorted and his claws extended, his eyes flashing blue so much like Derek's, he looked to his Daddies for help. Derek ran to him and embraced him, joined moments later by Damion
"It's ok Drew, don't fight it, and let it happen. You had an accident with some bad food. It was hurting you we had to make you like us so that you would be OK." Derek said to the boy as he rubbed his back and tried to sooth him through the transition. When his shift had finished Derek carefully sat down with the Werewolf Pup that Drew now was in his lap.
Drew sat looking at his hands which had little claws on the end, and feeling his new fangs. He traced the little points on his ears and his distended brow. The shock at the shift happening slowly wore off and the panic attack that Drew was having slowly subsided. "I'm like Daddy Derek and Daddy Damion now. I'm like Pack?" He asked.
Damion nodded to the little boy. "That's right, we would have let you choose if you wanted to be when you were older, but as Daddy Derek said you got really sick, really, really fast and we had to change you so that we could help you get better."
"I have my own wolf now, fangs part of me now?" He looked at Derek and Damion.
Derek nodded and added "That's right pup you have your own wolf inside of you now like us, and it will protect you. You really are our pup now no matter what else happens."
Drew looked awed at that. "I'm really, really your Pup now?"
Damion ruffled his hair. "Uh-huh even though you were already our pup, this means that we have a very special bond now that makes us even more of a family that before."
Drew look rapturous at this idea that even though he knew they loved him before and he was their adopted son, they were now linked together bonded like a proper family. "I'm really your Pup now" he nuzzled into both of them, a growl of affection coming from his fanged mouth. They broke the embrace and Drew wanted to see himself, so while he looked at his fangs and eyes in a reflective surface Derek and Damion started to break camp.
It took a bit of work to get Drew shifted back, his youth and anxiety at being able to do it, made it hard, but after Derek and Damion had worked with him calming him down and getting him to focus he soon looked like his normal self in.
He managed to keep it that way until four Betas came barrelling through the underbrush and scared him into reacting again.
Derek looked like he would strangle the Betas that skidded to a halt in front of them; Damion sighed and threw his hands up into the air. The rest of the Pack, all in Beta form, and all shocked to see a five year old Beta Werewolf growling defensively at them.
"Really I know that we called on the Pack last night and good Job on getting here so quickly, but really a more sedate approach to the camp would have been a better idea..." Damion said to Scott, Jackson, Stiles and Danny.
The Betas had the good sense to look somewhat abashed at this while Derek called them. "Dumb Asses" and started to calm Drew down again.
Scott was the first one to break the silence. "We all felt the call last night and at first light we drove here when we couldn't get you on the cell phones. We knew Drew was in trouble and had to come."
Damion sighed and placed a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Guys we appreciate it. Look Drew got poisoned and wasn't going to make the trip back for help. The only thing that we could do was to give him the bite and accelerate it as much as we could so that it could begin to heal the damage which we could also bolster once he was part of the Pack. We didn't think that this place would have no cell coverage; otherwise we would have gotten a satellite phone. In the mean time would you guys help break camp while we get Drew calmed down again and we can head back. We'll go shifted to speed things up." The others nodded and went to get the rest of the camping stuff packed.
Jackson went over to Drew and hunkered down. "Hey little wolf Pup, I guess we really are proper brothers now huh, seems we both have Wolfs now and everything" Drew looked delighted by this and smiled af smile at Jackson who returned a fanged smile back at him. "Don't worry I'll help you get used to this Ok" he said. Drew hugged Jackson and as he did so he slowly shifted back.
Damion having taken some pictures of the scene looked at Derek and said "I don't know about you but I want to have a cry about now." Derek punched him in the shoulder as the others smiled.
Once Drew was calm enough to travel and the camp supplies packed up Derek shifted into his alpha form and Damion arranged a harness that would keep Drew safely on his back, much to Drew's delight at getting to run with his Dad. Damion and the others shifted as well and the others shouldered the camp supplies. Running as a Pack was always special, more so when it was for a distance. The Betas drew strength for the Alpha's and shared their strength with each other, the Alpha's supported the Beta's and boosted their abilities. They ran like the wind through the trees, Drew's squeals of delight echoed in around them as he experienced the full thrill and bond of being Pack.
..oo00OO00oo..
They stopped just before they got to the Parking lot and Derek and Damion shifted back. Drew was sleepily draped over Jackson's back in the piggy back hold. He looked so content and happy. Derek smiled at the site and nodded to Damion who smiled as well. "I've never heard of a five year old Lycan that could shift." He said.
Damion nodded "It's not something that would happen to born Lycan, and if someone had even bitten a five year old I doubt they would have survived the transformation. This is something no one could have expected."
Scott was listening and asked "So Sam won't wolf out for a while?"
Derek nodded "Yeah born Wolves tend to have their first shift about puberty. I was eleven when mine happened. I think the earliest was maybe ten and half the oldest by fourteen."
Scott looked a bit relieved by that "That's a bit of a relief to hear, I had visions of wolf based temper tantrums."
Stiles snorted "Yeah yours were bad enough." Scott shot him a look and Danny and Jackson chuckled, Derek added an amused snort.
They walked through to the waiting cars and Damion hung back for a few moments, he looked at the sleepy Drew getting buckled in by Jackson and then looked at Derek. "You head back with Drew. I have something I need to take care of."
Derek looked at him and frowned, then narrowed his eyes "You know who did it, don't you?"
Damion returned his look and the Betas came over. "Yes I do, I have an invoice of the company that did the dumping. Our little boy was almost killed, any other little boy would have been. They need to learn that the cost of doing this will greatly exceed any hint of a benefit they think they will get." The cold fury in his eyes caused the Betas, who had heard this, to step back.
Derek looked at him and sized up the situation, he placed a hand on Damion's arm "Just don't become a killer because of them, be better than that." With that he turned and headed towards the cars.
Stiles and Danny hung back, and Derek looked at them "We'll stay and help if we can." Danny said.
Derek nodded and quietly to Danny said "Don't get in his way, I've only seen him this angry twice and it wasn't good either time. Just make sure he doesn't kill anyone, he wouldn't forgive himself if he did." Danny nodded, and stiles swallowed, Scott and Jackson exchanged nervous looks. Damion stood at the edge of the parking lot the shadows licking and curling around him. Derek shot Damion one last look then got into the Camaro and headed back with Jackson and Scott.
..oo00OO00oo..
The ride down the lake was in silence, Stiles had tried to strike up a conversation a couple of times but it hadn't gone anywhere. He and Danny kept giving worried looks at Damion as they came to a reasonable sized town; he pulled the car over and then turned to the two Betas'. "When I've gone head out of town just as if you were passing through. I'll meet you down the road about ten miles, there's a rest stop near a waterfall." He passed the map with the rest stop marked Danny.
Danny took it and looked at him. "I promised Derek we would stay with you."
Stiles nodded in agreement, Damion looked at both of them. "Nice idea, but what I'm about to do it would be best if you weren't in town. I won't kill any one you have my word, but I won't endanger the Pack for this."
Stiles and Danny exchanged worried looks, Stiles said. "Yeah but Derek's our Alpha and that kind of makes it an order."
Damion looked at him his eyes had already become black orbs. "That wasn't a request Stiles. You've come this far with me; you have my word not to kill. Now go and wait for me down the road."
Stiles gulped and nodded as did Danny. Damion got out the car and walked into town and towards the harbour, the Shadows curling around him and his wings began to appear.
Danny slide over and started the car "I always thought it was Derek that had the temper. But this, this is beyond anything I've ever seen."
Stiles slipped over into the front and said "I've seen hints at it; it's easy to forget that he's not like the rest of us, and I mean that as a Werewolf. There are depths to him that we never see, and after tonight I hope we never will." Danny made a noise of agreement and drove the car towards the rest stop.
Damion walked towards the docks like an avenging angel, it was lucky that as day turned to night most people were home or heading that way. The shadows hid him anyway from all but the most ardent viewer. Reaching the docks he saw his target, with an almost idle gesture the locks snapped of the side gate and he went in. No one was in the yard or the area, between his Werewolf senses and his magic he was sure of that. He wouldn't be a killer because of them, he had promised Derek that, but they would pay for what they had done. A cursory investigation showed more waste getting ready to be dumped, it sickened him. Instead of being responsible for their waste, they would dump it and save themselves a recycling charge. Well the charge would be met out in total. A gesture and a surge in the electrical system blew all the security and alarms. Then he let out the cold flaming rage and horror that had sat in the pit of his stomach since he hadn't been able to rouse Drew.
Black flames consume the yard in an inferno of absolute cold. He turned and in the slagged concrete that was burning he inscribed his message to the owners. Spreading his wings he shot into the air and head headed towards the rendezvous point.
..oo00OO00oo..
Stiles and Danny dropped Damion off and headed towards the Wolf Lair; Damion headed up the steps and entered the Hale mansion. It was a little after three a.m. he could hear four heart beats inside, three sleeping one in the Kitchen. He headed there and saw Derek sitting at the table eating ice-cream from the tub. He slid a tub towards Damion "Someone once told me that Ice-cream was better than alcohol."
Damion slid out a chair and collapsed into it, he picked up a spoon and took several mouthfuls. "I was so scared; I saw Drew and I knew I couldn't lose him." He said after a few minutes.
Derek nodded "I was scared I was going to lose him as well, and then I was scared tonight I was going to lose you to that rage."
Damion looked at Derek and placed a hand on his "I'm sorry for scaring you, I'm sorry for the way I acted tonight, but I'm not sorry for what I did."
Derek nodded "Drew was worried when you didn't come back with us. Jackson is sleeping over with him, you should see the pair of them in Drew's bed it's funny, Drew shared Fang with him as Storm, Jacks's wolf, was at the Lair."
Damion smiled sadly "I guess Jacks really wanted a little brother. I shouldn't have worried Drew any more that he already was. It was just there after the shock and rush to save Drew, the rage was there is was wild and full of fire and Ice. Part of me loved setting it free, it revelled in it."
Derek laced his fingers into Damion's. "I know something of what that can be like; we all do to an extent. But you carry in you a great burden to keep your abilities in check. That's what I'm here for to help you shoulder that burden, to be there to hold you when you are scared." He stood up and Damion followed, Derek pulled him into an embrace "I don't want to lose you either." He said to Damion "Come one lets head up to bed."
They climbed the stairs slowly and looked in on the sleeping pair, both looking like pups tucked in. Derek whispered to Damion "That's who you live for." And then kissed him, they headed to bed.
In the morning it was reported that an unknown person or group had burned to the ground a marine repair yard the strange thing is that no other buildings around it were damaged or heat warped. Even stranger was a message inscribed into the concrete foundations that seemed to have been done when they were molten? The message read 'Dumping your crap almost took a boy's life, so in response I'm taking your living.' Photos of the dumped crates and the invoice scrap were left at the local Sheriff's office who was investigating the claims.
..oo00OO00oo..
Drew was slowly getting to grips with his new wolf, with the rest of the Pack to help and guide him he making progress. To be on the safe side Derek and Damion kept him out of school for a couple of months till he was better able to stop the surprise shifts. The no biting rule was repeated and re-enforced as much as possible. His first full moon he had a mini hunt and play with the Pack then fell asleep in Melissa's lap while still in Beta form, she later said that she had started to scratch him behind the ears and he had nuzzled into it letting out little growls of delight in his sleep.
The surrogate plan was in and working and two months after Drew's change Damion reported that the pregnancy was proceeding nicely. The first trimester of the pregnancy went well and Melissa commented that she was feeling surprisingly well considering she had been hit badly with morning sickness when she had Scott.
During the start of the second trimester she began to feel unwell, it started like a flu that carried on for weeks. Then one night she was woken with cramps and a feeling that something was deeply wrong. "Derek! Damion!" She called and in seconds the pair was at the door to her room, followed by a sleepy Drew.
Derek scooped him up into his arms as Damion rushed to Melissa's side and began to check. Melissa gritted her teeth as another cramp shook her body. "Something is very wrong here." She said to him as she gripped his hand.
Damion threw Derek a deeply worried look. "We need to get her to the Lair, there's equipment there we need."
Derek's face was set as he nodded and went to get things organised. Damion helped Melissa up and carried her to the Car. Drew was already in the back and Damion put Melissa in the front.
Derek said "I've phoned ahead Stiles is getting the place ready. You go with Melissa; I'll get Scott and Allison"
Melissa nodded her thanks to Derek. The ride over to the Run was fraught with silent worries. Drew worried his lower lip and kept shooting Melissa worried looks. Melissa was bracing herself against the dashboard and trying her best to not panic. Pulling into the drive Danny and Jackson were waiting by the front door, as they got out Jackson said. "Lydia and Stiles are getting things running, we'll get Drew Ok?"
Damion looked at Drew, who nodded that was Ok, and mouthed thank you to the Betas. Helping Melissa out the car he carried her again down to the Under Lair. Stiles had gotten the medical equipment and healing items ready while Lydia ensured the area was sterile with various incantations. Melissa was helped up to the table and Damion started to scan her with the others help.
The rest of the Pack gathered in the waiting area, shortly joined by Derek, Scott and Allison with a sleeping Sam in her arms. Scott went up to the access arch but stayed there knowing that the best people were there. "Has Dr Deacon been called?" He asked to no one in particular.
Stiles replied in the affirmative "Yeah he is on his way."
Deacon soon arrived and was soon helping the others.
After half an hour a stunned looking Damion came to the arch followed by Deacon. "Given the circumstances of the pregnancy I've never seen anything quite like this. It looks like the protection that was to stop Melissa being turned failed and her body is rejecting the pregnancy as it tries to fight of what it sees as an infection to her system. As she was human when the pregnancy started the barrier was to stop that happening." Damion said.
Scott looked stunned and looked at Damion "I thought you said this barrier would protect her, but it's failed and now she and the Baby are in danger." He said, claws and fur started appearing as his anger rose.
Stiles had joined them and tried to defuse the situation "Dude, he was on the money. I saw the protection barrier that he designed and wove it was perfect."
Scott growled "No it wasn't if it failed!"
Damion looked at him and Derek who was also looking for answers. "No it was working. The barrier was designed to protect her from a baby that was carrying the wolf genome, a baby. It was designed for a baby."
"Well it didn't, did it? She's having a baby and it failed!" Scott chewed out. Allison placed a hand on his shoulder to try and clam Scott down.
Damion shook his head and look at them "You don't get it; it was working when she's carrying A baby. When the foetuses' reached a certain point past which they were definable as separate life's the barrier spell was overloaded. It failed because she's having Twins!"
Scott looked stunned and Derek sank to the floor "Twins?" He asked unbelieving.
Damion nodded "We need to find a way to make this condition stable."
Danny asked "Can you put in a new Barrier?"
Deacon shook his head and said "No, its past that point the Lycan transformation is slowly working through her system now, but it's taking too long and her body is fighting it. Were trying to work out how best to support her system till she stabilises and stop the rejection"
Scott looked at Damion "Drew!"
Damion stared blankly at him and then he got what Scott meant. "Oh my god Scotty boy you are a genius!" He grabbed Derek and Scott by the hand and dragged them into the clean area.
Drew looked at Jackson who was holding his hand and asked "I did something?"
Jackson returned a puzzled look "Not sure Pup, but maybe you have."
Damion came up to Melissa's side "Your boy is a Genius Melissa!" Melissa smiled painfully "Ok... Ok we've got two roads open to us, if we terminate the pregnancy now the likely hood is that your body will fight of the change and you'll be human."
Melissa shook her head violently "I won't lose these babies, do what you have too."
Damion grabbed her hand "Melissa you have to understand the only other way to do that is to turn you, to make you a Wolf like us. We would need to force the change so that the healing factor would reverse what has happened and save the pregnancy."
Melissa looked at him, determination written on her face "I won't lose these babies do it, and do it now."
Damion nodded. "Ok this is how we do it; both Derek and Scott need to bite you." He told the pair
Scott piped up nervously. "Me?"
Damion nodded "Derek's Alpha bite is stronger and will be the dominate force, Scott you carry the same DNA as your Mum, you will act like a donor or transfusion medium. You'll stop her from rejecting it. Meanwhile Doc Deacon and I will do our best to ease the transition and the Pack can add their strength to the change and healing like they did with Drew. Lydia can you monitor her vitals and do what you can to mitigate any pain." Lydia nodded and collected a few items.
Scott and Derek each took hold of an arm, while Deacon and Damion went to the feet and head respectively and focused their powers on Melissa. Damion said "Now". Both Wolves shifted to Beta form and bit into Melissa's arms. She grimaced but Lydia managed to block the worst of it. After a minute both wolfs released and then joined there energy to the Packs and focused it on Melissa and the unborn twins inside her.
Again in minutes and hours instead of hours and days the transformation took its course, all the while Lydia monitored the babies and Melissa's health. After a time the cramping stopped and her vitals started to stabilise, then returned to normal, at the same time the babies stats became stronger and more pronounced.
Looking at her arms for the bite marks Scott and Derek had left, Melissa saw that they had healed already, she looked over at Scott who still had a worried look on his face and smiled "I guess I'm part of the club now, though if you're teaching me it better not be like when I taught you to drive."
Scott half whined "Mum, I wasn't that bad! We only lost the wing mirror once and I got it back, you lost it totally."
Derek and Damion smiled and came over to Damion took her hand and look at her apologetically "Melissa I am so sorry about this. When we came up with this idea, it never occurred to me that twins were possible. We would never have... never have asked you to do this if we thought there was a risk."
Derek rested a hand on her shoulder "Damion's right you agreed to do us an incredible honour, we would never have suggested it if we thought there was a risk to you."
Melissa took Derek's hand and placed it on top of hers and Damion's "It wasn't what any of us thought would happen, but I stand by my decision. I want to help you and I also wanted another baby, it just turns out we're having two, and this time I'll have the stamina to deal with it. Also I got to hear someone call my son a Genius and mean it. That was worth anything." She smiled.
Scott whined "MOM!" as the rest of the Pack and Emile Deacon laughed.
She looked at Emile and said "Thank you for helping us tonight, when you first gave Scott a job I bet you never thought that it would end up like this."
Emile smiled and patted her hand reassuringly "It certainly keeps life interesting, Scott good thinking there."
Scott rubbed the back of his head self consciously. Drew came up from the waiting area with Jackson, he ran up to Melissa and nuzzled up to her where she stroked his head "You kay Mummy Lissa?" He asked half sniffing about to cry again.
Melissa rubbed his back and made calming sounds "It's ok honey, its ok. Mummy Lissa is Ok really."
Damion came round and lifted Drew up so that he could he could see her better and when she patted the area next to her he put him on the table and he nuzzled in again, the tactile response of the Wolves had been magnified in him because of his age and his own insecurities, in every way but form, he was truly a Pup now.
Jackson smiled wickedly and said "Scott you do realise that your Mum is effectively the real Alpha Female now, don't you?" Scott shot Jackson a look and tried to punch him.
Lydia cleared her throat. "So, do you want to know?"
Derek looked at Lydia, questioningly. "Know what?"
Lydia smiled with a predatory glint, having the low down before anyone else. "The sexes."
Damion frowned as did Derek. Damion asked. "Don't you mean sex, especially if their identical."
Lydia shook her head. "Nope." Then she genuinely smiled.
Derek stood there and stared at her. "Boy... and a... Girl." He stuttered.
Lydia nodded.
Derek looked thunder struck and Damion wasn't that far behind in it.
Scott looked at his Melissa and she was as shocked as the Alpha's. "Wow, a brother and a sister, on top of Drew and Jackson, that's one hell of a family explosion there mom."
Melissa gave him a stunned looked, and then smiled. "I guess it is."
Jackson was smiling as well, but added. "I don't mind being Drew's brother, but does that mean I have to share my toys with Scott?" He joked, giving Scott a brotherly shove.
Scott grinned back at him.
When Deacon was happy with her stats and the Babies, he left her with instruction to take it easy and to try not to change too often. After the day everyone had had no one made it to work, the Pack called in and took emergency leave no one wanting to leave each other. The emergency day off eventually stretched to a full week, Melissa also got to re-experience the Pack method of group sleeping with no one wanting to go too far, especially Drew who was almost a constant companion to her. Derek or Damion were always with her as well, as was Scott and Allison and little Sam.