Spell of Forthcoming's Spent

Chapter 7: To Kill Someone

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, or the Characters.

Note: I can't believe the reaction of all my readers. It's amazing, and very flattering to say the least. I have people reviewing to me in Spanish even! Which is neat and I have to translate… I like the challenge, and since it's been years since I have taken a Spanish class I was a little rusty. I just wanted to take the time to say thank you. To all of you and that I really appreciate the feedback.

With All My Love,

Snake Eyes.

Peter looked into the study once more, checking to see if the boys were getting along. It had been a couple of months and while the rest of the Hale children were in school, Derek had been once again kept at home. He still didn't socialize well with others that weren't family.

Except for Stiles.

For reasons only Talia and Peter could fathom, Derek listened to everything the boys said with heavy intensity. Derek himself couldn't pin down exactly what was happening to him.

So when on the second week of school Peter caught John one night hunched over on the coach near tears and still unsure of how to handle his little boy, Peter asked what it was that John needed.

"I need for him to be able to be himself and not get constantly punished or picked on for it." John said warily.

Peter offered to become Stiles teacher then. They had talked about it before, homeschooling… but John wanted to try one more time at the public school. Stiles' friend Scott was in his class and John wasn't keen to separate them. Or to give up the support system he had in Melissa. But this teacher seemed to have it out for Stiles.

"I talked to the councilor at the school to go over what Stiles would need to keep on track, and she seemed open enough." John said looking at Peter, "You know extended time on tests in a quiet environment, and how to keep him busy, like after a lesson quiz him to make sure he knows the material and then let him study something that has cought his interest… like anatomy. She thought I was kidding but when I brought Stiles in and asked him about human musculature groups, she was amazed. He told her all about them, and then went on to tell her about how a dogs musculature is different. Then we brought his teacher in, and she just… wasn't receptive. She didn't care Peter." John looked heart broken. "She said she would do as asked to the best of her ability and then I hear three days later from my crying seven year old that she made him sit in the corner all day for being a dunce. Who does that?"

"He should be homeschooled John, let me handle his education like I do for Derek." Peter asked quietly.

John nodded, tired and frustrated.

Stiles was pulled from school after that and he was already on fifth grade learning.

"See Derek the problem is Y+19 = 25. And you have to solve for Y." Stiles said. "What was the first step?"

"Getting Y alone." Derek grumbled. He hated math. Peter smiled at him. With Stiles here it was getting easier for him to teach Derek math. Where he was advanced in a lot of his studies he was severly behind in mathematics, but with Stiles he was fast catching up, even if the boy was only seven.

"And to do that?" Stiles prompted.

"You have to subtract 19."

"And what's the rule?" Stiles prompted again, which meant Stiles was getting frustrated with Derek and his non-compliance. That was a good sign.

"What you do to one side you have to do to the other. So 25 – 19 = 6, which means Y = 6," Derek quickly finished up. He didn't like it when Stiles was annoyed with him. He hated it in fact. Peter grinned from behind them.

"Good," Stiles huffed. "Now I'm going to finish my worksheet. I want to be done with school now, and I don't want to take forever to finish. You don't need my help. Finish on your own."

Peter watched as they went back to work, Stiles on his own sheet and Derek huffily on his own sheet. It only took three minutes for the older boy to break.

"Sorry Stiles." Derek mumbled.

Stiles looked up at him shrewdly, "Its okay. But I know you know how to do this stuff. Please don't act like you don't."

"I-" Derek gulped. "I like it when you talk to me."

Stiles peered up at him again. Then cocked his head. Peter could see the cogs spinning in his overactive brain, and he had to say that the rest of Derek's life was going to be hilarious. Stiles nodded, "Okay, but wait until I'm done, and don't act stupid. I don't like stupid people."

Derek nodded quickly.

Peter pulled his head out of the room, and covered his laugh. Oh yes, interesting indeed.

Peter rushed up the stairs and into the station. He was running so late. John had called forty minutes ago asking for him to come and get Stiles, but Peter had been in the town over getting a few things for Talia. All he knew was that something was wrong. Terribly and horribly wrong.

He looked frantically around the office and at all the deputies that were rushing about like their heads weren't attached to their bodies. He couldn't see them anywhere.

Where were they?

"John!?" Peter called.

John's head shot out of an interrogation room. He had a look on his face; one of anger, hostility, and gut-wrenching fear.

"Peter," he called.

"John? What's going on? What's happened?" Peter rushed over to the man. "Where's Stiles?" Where's my baby!?

"Petah!" Peter's head whipped around to the heartbreaking sob from his baby boy. They boy flew passed his father and at Peter so fast the werewolf almost didn't have time to crouch down and envelope him in a solid hug. Stiles was shaking and crying and Peter looked up at John.

"John?"

John lifted Peter to his feet, and directed them to his office. Peter noticed that the station had quieted to a hush. John had them sit down on the sofa, sitting down next to them and putting his arms around them as Peter still held Stiles.

"I got here as fast as I could John," Peter spoke, "I was over in Ginsburg picking things up for Talia. I think one of your speed traps at the edge of the city caught me coming into town, but after a moment of chasing me with lights they stopped and pulled back."

"I put out a notice for your car," John's voice was heavy. "They knew you were coming."

"What happened John?" Peter asked. He put his hand to John's cheek. "What's going on?"

"I was at the park, with Stiles. You know how he has that mini lacrosse league on Wednesdays," Peter nodded. "I looked away for a second Peter, not even that, and when I turned around some man had Stiles and was pulling him into his black SUV." John was shaking, and Peter was surprised to realize that he was shaking too. "I didn't even think, I just pulled out my gun and knee-capped him. There was another one, he got away, ran the moment his accomplice went down."

"Oh-oh god," suddenly it was hard for Peter to breath. He clutched Stiles closer and looked down at the still crying boy. If something were to happen to Stiles… he'd go crazier than he had when his other mate and family died in the fire in his first life. Stiles was his everything. He noticed blood smeared at the corners of Stiles' mouth. Like it had been hastily wiped away.

"He bit the man when he put his hand over his mouth." John said, noticing Peter wiping away the rest of the blood that Stiles had at the creases of his mouth. "You should see his hand, it's torn to pieces, my brave brave boy." John put his hand atop Stiles' head, and the boy quieted some finally.

"The other man?" Peter asked.

"He got away," John growled.

Peter looked into John's eyes, and hoped that this man would understand. "If he ever comes near Stiles again John, I'll kill him." He looked down at Stiles then and wiped the tears away, "If anyone tries to hurt my—hurt Stiles again, I'll kill them. No one can, no one will harm him, no one." Peter finished in a whisper.

John just held them closer.

It had been a couple of hours since the scene in the office. Peter was still there with them, and Stiles had just finished his statement to social services with Peter there in witness. It looked like the man was going to go away for a very long time, and John grimaced that it wouldn't be forever.

Stiles was now coloring with the highlighters on Deputy Cheryl's desk, and singing a song he had learned a few days ago, and Peter stood beside him. It was like neither of them could take their eyes from him for to long, lest he disappear. John knew he had gotten lucky today, it could have turned out totally different.

John turned to Peter, to look at him.

This man… John didn't even know.

"Peter," John spoke softly.

Peter tilted his head in John's direction, indicating that he was listening, but his eyes never left Stiles.

"You love him," John spoke again.

"I-" Peter faltered, "So much." John could hear the strain in the man's voice.

"Like he's your own." Peter nodded, eyes still never leaving Stiles.

"I love you," John's voice was thick. Peter finally turned to look at him.

"I love you too," Peter spoke voice just as thick and just as soft, "I didn't know how much until today. I knew that I did, that I did love you. But today… after the prospect of losing either of you…"

"Will you move in with me?"

"I-" Peter looked at John, and then back at Stiles, "Yes."

John smiled.

He knew that Peter was hiding something. Peter was always hiding something. But John didn't care. Because this man loved him, and he loved his son. Loved them enough to protect them, and to be protected by them. To fight for them, and cry for them. To kill for them. He had seen as much in the man's face today.

Being the Sheriff most would think that John followed the law to a T, and he did. He always would. But for his son… he'd break all the rules, and cross every line. And he had found a man that would cross it with him.