Okay, so Derek finally makes an appearance. When I first thought of this chapter I had planned some light bantering and maybe even some flirting that will start the Sterek train but that is definitely not what happened. This chapter ended up being heavier than the Scott/Stiles confrontation feeling wise. It will get better though. I think part A will be ten chapters and then part B will be another ten chapters…more or less so anyway. I'm already on chapter 5 of part A and I still have things I want to get to so we'll see how my plan works out, if it does at all.
Part A-Chapter 5
Stiles doesn't know how long he's been out but when he slowly blinks his eyes open he's still inside the auditorium and all of his new friends are gathered around him watching him closely so he can't have been out long.
His face must be questioning because Lydia says, "You've only been out for a few minutes. You were breathing too hard and you passed out from trying to breathe. The good news is that the panic attack has passed."
Stiles nods his head and slowly sits up from laying on the large stage of the auditorium. "Sorry and thanks." He says to Danny when he realizes he was using his thigh as a pillow.
Danny snorts and shakes his head. "Don't worry about it Stiles. Ethan does the same thing when we watch movies. I will accept your apology though if you tell me everything that's going on and not just the vague shit that everyone else has been telling me for the last five minutes." He answers.
Stiles chuckles and rubs the back of his neck before nodding. "Alright. I was going to wait until Saturday to tell you but I guess since we're all here we better just get it out of the way. At least here you can't make a huge scene."
Danny's eyebrows shoot up into his forehead. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asks.
Stiles and Lydia scoot away from Danny slightly and then Stiles nods at Ethan and Jackson to shift in front of Danny. Danny cries out and scrambled backwards. "What the fuck was that?" he yells as soon as Ethan and Jackson are back in their human form.
"That would be Ethan and Jackson shifting to their werewolf form and then back again." he answers cautiously.
Danny's head snaps around to stare at him before he looks back at his best friend and boyfriend. "Werewolf forms?" he breathes.
Both Ethan and Jackson nod. "Yeah. That's what's been going on around here the last few months. Scott was the first to be bitten and then Jackson and then Isaac, Erica and Boyd. Scott was bitten by the rogue 'animal' that was going around killing people about seven months ago. Then Jackson was bitten by Derek Hale and turned into a lizard like creature that was then controlled by Matt who was forcing Jackson to kill people from the swim team a few years ago. Derek then bit Isaac, Erica and Boyd to help them become better people and to heal them from themselves. Matt was killed and Jackson was able to transform the rest of the way into a werewolf." Stiles tries to sum it up.
Apparently he doesn't do too well of a job because Danny just blinks at him. Stiles sighs and then does what he did for his dad, he starts from the very very beginning and tells Danny everything in detail, letting Jackson, Lydia and Ethan through in things here and there from their point of view just to make it a little bit easier for Danny to understand.
When everything is out on the table and laid bare the four of them sit quietly and wait while Danny seems to process everything. The good news is that Danny doesn't look disgusted or scared so so far so good.
After about twenty minutes of complete silence, which is definitely hard for Stiles, Danny finally takes a deep breath and turns to look at everyone. "I'm a little freaked out about all the new information but I'm glad to finally be in the loop and happy that you guys can trust me with this stuff now. It really hurt to always see you guys working together but never asking me for help." He admits.
All at once the four of them move in together and job on Danny; they press him into the floor of the stage and cling to him within an inch of his life. Danny laughs breathlessly and all of the tension leaves his body in a rush.
When the puppy pile breaks up some minutes later Danny brushes the dirt off of his back and says something that shocks the other four. "So does that make Stiles our Alpha of sorts?" he asks.
The four of them freeze and stare at Danny. "What?" Lydia asks.
Danny nods, unfazed by their staring. "Well yeah, you explained about Peter and Derek and Deucalion. I know Stiles isn't evil like Deucalion is and Peter was or a hardass like Derek but he does sound like an Alpha. Think about it, you put this entire plan together by yourself and you even convinced Ethan to rethink Deucalion and join us. And instead of just writing of Aiden you're giving him a chance too to join us and take down the real bad guys. Plus you were the main one to talk when explaining everything and when you guys did talk it wasn't until after Stiles was finished and nodded at you to go ahead. From everything you said that sounds like an Alpha taking the lead and his Betas following because they know he knows what he's doing." Danny explains.
Lydia squeals. "Oh my god. I never noticed until now. It's totally true. You may be human but Ethan and Jackson's wolf recognizes you as the more powerful being in the group. Plus, you're smarter than me and Danny and so we look to you on what to do next. You are the Alpha in our little pack. That may also explain why Scott kept flinching like you were hitting him when you were yelling at him." She adds as an afterthought.
Stiles' eyes widen. "What? Scott was flinching?"
Jackson nods. "Yeah man. Every time you opened your mouth and let Scott have it he would flinch like you were psychically hitting him instead of just yelling at him. You were protecting me in a way, keeping Scott from giving me hell about being back. Doing what an Alpha would do for their Beta by standing up for them and putting anyone down who wanted to hurt them. You're a true Alpha just in human form." He agrees.
Stiles is stunned. He can't believe it. When he decided to step up and do what no one else was doing he didn't do it because he wanted to be Alpha, he did it because he wanted to keep his family and friends safe. They deserve to be able to wake up every morning and not have to worry about being the next one to die.
Apparently he said this all out loud because he was the next one to be tackled to the ground and hugged. "We know you're not doing this for power or anything like that Stiles, it's just not who you are. Being an Alpha doesn't always mean you want power or fame over others. Being an Alpha is about protecting the people you love and stepping up to do the things others may be too afraid to do themselves. That is what it means to be an Alpha. Me and my brother lost sight of that when Deucalion came into our lives but you've helped me see the truth and I've changed. With yours and our new packs help I know we can get through to my brother and take out kali and Deucalion. We can't do this without you leading us." Ethan says.
Stiles tries to wrap his arms around all of them and squeeze them back just as hard. "Thank you guys." He whispers to them.
They spend the rest of their free period draped around each other just breathing each other in and talking softly about anything and everything.
~! #$%& !~
Stiles parks his jeep his driveway and grabs his and Jackson's bags as he hopes out. Stiles is alone because Jackson asked if he could hang at Danny's for a while to catch up because they haven't really talked in the last few months. They invited Ethan and Stiles along but Stiles wants some time to think about everything Danny and Ethan said to him and Ethan wants to talk to his brother some more and try to get through to him. Stiles changed things up a bit. Instead of meeting up on Saturday for Danny they are going to meet the Sheriff at the gun range so he and Stiles can teach Danny and Lydia how to shoot and Ethan and Jackson how to dodge and anticipate when a bullet is coming towards them. Stile knows the Alpha pack uses claws but with Allison acting off again lately and Chris showing back up in the picture they need to be ready for not only claws but bullets as well.
Stiles tosses Jackson's bag on his bed in the old guest room turned his room and heads to his own room for some time to think. He has just enough time to shut the door before he's being slammed back into it.
It doesn't register in Stiles' mind that the only person to ever slam him into anything was always Derek so without thinking Stiles lashes out. He closes his eyes slams his head forward and connects solidly with his attackers head. In his attackers moment of weakness he grabs one of the man's arms, twists it around his head and flips the man onto his back on the floor. He immediately straddles the attacker and holds his pocket knife right against the man's jugular.
He and his attacker are breathing heavy by this point. Stiles looks down at the chest of the man he's sitting on and his eyes widen then snap up to the man's face.
Derek Hale's face.
Derek's eyes are just as wide as Stiles' are. There is shock, angry and something Stiles can't name swimming in the depths of Derek's eyes. Stiles curses and scrambles off of Derek. He backs up until he hits his computer desk and tosses his pocket knife onto the surface. "What the hell Derek? I thought we were past all of this slamming me around bullshit. You go missing for a fucking week, everyone thinks you're dead, and then you just randomly show up in my bedroom after school to slam me into my own door!" Stiles shouts.
Derek slowly stands up and Stiles braces himself for an attack. Derek is known for getting angry quickly but he doesn't know that Stiles has been training and fighting all summer long with some of the best fighters in MMA. There was a fighter's tour this past summer and Stiles took an interest because he was sick and tired of being the first to get a beating when things got rough. He decided to learn how to not only defend himself but to actually fight back. He got so good that he was actually offered a position in the tour but he turned it down because of everything going on in Beacon Hills.
When Derek makes no move to attack Stiles or slam him into anything else Stiles lets himself relax slightly. "Uh…sorry. Didn't mean to shout. Had kind of a long sucky day and just didn't expect to be slammed into anything in my own home. Did you need anything?"
Derek continues to stare at him for a moment longer. "I came over to ask you what Jackson was doing back in town and why you have been hanging around Ethan when you know he is a part of the Alpha pack."
Stiles rolls his eyes because he's already been through this with Scott. "Jackson is back to finish school with his friends and to learn to be an even better werewolf so that the Kanima incident doesn't ever happen again. And Ethan hangs with us because Danny does and Ethan has to keep up appearance during school hours at least. He can't go around killing anyone with a whole bunch of teenagers and teachers running around now can he? He needs to make Danny believe he's good or Danny could find everything out, wouldn't want that now would we Derek?" Stiles slightly mocks.
Derek once again studies him and Stiles can't help but squirm under his close eye. "You've changed." Derek states without a doubt.
Stiles doesn't bother denying it so he just nods. "I have. I got tired of being the human punching bag to werewolves and old grandpas alike so I did something about it. I decided to stop following Scott around just because he's a werewolf and became a leader myself. I won't step on your toes if you don't step on mine." He says boldly.
Derek raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow but does not comment otherwise. Stiles rolls his eyes again and waves a hand towards the window. "You asked your questions and I answered them so if you don't mind I have some things I want to take care of tonight and none of them involve you."
"What do you have planned Stiles?" Derek asks instead.
Stiles pauses in his search of finding his phone charger and turns to face Derek. "What do you mean?" he asks calmly and calculating.
Derek takes one step towards Stiles. "I'm talking about the plan you have inside your head right now. The plan that may or may not already be in the works. I want to know what that plan is."
Stiles shakes his head with a dry chuckle. "What makes you think I have a secret plan? And what makes you think I would tell you that plan if I had one? You think I would trust someone who goes into hiding every time something bad happens around here? You think I would tell you anything when every time someone tries to come to you with an idea or a plan you completely shut them do and do everything in your power to make sure you get your way? Why would I do that Derek? Why would I put the people that count on me and trust me in danger by telling you my so called plan?"
Stiles keeps him calm the whole times he stares Derek down. As much as he really does trust Derek this is the one thing he can't count on Derek knowing.
Derek sighs after a minute or so and steps back. "I thought we trusted each other Stiles?" Derek finally settles on saying.
Stiles shakes his head. "I do trust you Derek. I trust you with my life. But do I trust you with my knowledge? No, not yet. You can't trust someone with that kind of thing when all they've ever done is run away from the truth. How am I supposed to trust that you'll step back and let me lead if I tell you what I know?"
Derek opens his mouth but then closes it again. "I'm the Alpha. The Alpha is the one that's supposed to lead. Alphas do not follow. If I follow you then I will lose the respect of my pack."
Stiles shakes his head kind of sadly. "You have it all wrong Derek. Your pack would respect you a whole lot more if you got off of this power trip shit and actually taught them something about werewolf dynamics. Your pack is filled up with nothing but a bunch of teenagers. Teenagers that don't have father figures to count on. You could be that for them. Fathers don't always have to lead, they can follow too. Fathers can ask for advice or help when they need it. You need to get over what happened to you and move on. You push your pack away and scare them into obeying because you're afraid that if you get close to them, maybe even as close as your family was, then you could lose them just like before. You need to pull the pack closer instead of pushing them away. When you do that maybe I'll trust you with the knowledge that I hold."
Derek is truly stunned. No one has ever talked to him that way. Not even Scott when the boy is disobeying him on purpose. Not even Peter who, as far as Derek knows, is the only one who actually knows what happened all those years ago. No one has stood in front of him and just told him like it was. Everyone has always been afraid too. Even Laura opted for silence instead of talking to him about it.
"You don't understand what you're saying." He tries to reason.
"I understand that when you were fifteen years old a woman twice your age used you to get information on your family and then took everything and everyone from you in the most despicable way imaginable. I understand that you haven't let go of the past because you believe it was your fault and that you all but lit the match because you should have seen what she was doing from the beginning. I understand that you believe you have to be strong and powerful at all times because you're secretly afraid that everyone you love and care about will be taken away from you sooner or later and your just trying to hold off as long as you can."
Stiles stops talking and gently moves over to where Derek has moved towards the window. He sets his hands on Derek's arms and squeezes gently. "It wasn't your fault Derek, none of it was. You were a fifteen year old kid who thought he was in love. Whatever happened back then was not your fault. You did not light the match or imprison your family in your own home. I am so sorry that you lost most of your family that day but if you don't let go of the past and move on you are going to lose your new one. And this time…it will be your fault."
Stiles lets go of Derek and walks out of his room without another word. He feels sick to his stomach for saying what he said and for no doubt making Derek feel like shit but it needed to be said. Derek needs to move on. He needs to let go of the past or he's never going to have a future. Stiles can only hope that his words got through to Derek and that Derek will change for the better. If Peter, a once complete psycho, can wake up from the dead a changed man then Derek can certainly do it too.