"So who is she?" Isaac asked.
"An old friend." Derek replied.
They were at Derek's loft. Stiles, Scott, Isaac, Derek and Claire.
"An old friend? What kind of old friend?" Stiles asked.
"Boys, you do know I can hear you, right?" Claire raised an eyebrow, looking up from her book. Snapping the book shut, Claire walked over to the table that everyone was gathered around. She leaned on the table, her nails tapping against the wood. Claire looked up at Stiles and smirked. "Old friend, Stiles, as in we used to roll in the grass together." She glanced up at Derek and then back at Stiles as she straightened up. "Still do, matter of fact."
She turned away from the faces of Isaac, Scott and Stiles, laughing.
The door to the loft opened and Peter walked in, Claire looked up, disdain on her face.
"Ah, Claire Danvers, here I thought you were dead."
There was an audible CRACK! and then an audible Oooh! from Stiles, Scott and Isaac. Peter held his jaw, while Claire shook her hand. "And I flunked anger management. You might want to keep that in mind."
"Good to know." Peter winced.
Scott, Stiles and Isaac looked at Derek, who held a smirk on his face. He looked over at Claire and she knew it, too, because she looked up just a moment after. A grin pulled at her lips.
The guys would never know what that was for.
But they did.
"I remember you being a brunette the last time I saw you - I don't like it black." Peter continued, looking her up and down. Claire narrowed her eyes. "And I don't like your head attached to your shoulders. Guess we can't all have what we want, huh?"
"Now I see why you two are friends." Stiles noted.
Derek gave him a deadpan look.
"He's right. She's like the female version of you."
Derek snapped his head toward Scott.
"A less hairy version of you." Isaac added.
Derek gave them a look that could have killed.
"So, where's Deucalion and how do I kill him?" Claire asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a suicide mission."
"And your point is?"
"You're not going alone."
"Who said I was alone?" Claire retorted. "I have Feliz and Duncan looking out for me."
"Feliz." Derek's eyes narrowed.
"Who's Feliz?" Isaac asked.
"He's my brother." Claire said. "Duncan is my other brother. Feliz likes to treat me like I'm the baby... even though I can kick their asses with my claws tied behind me. Derek doesn't like him."
"Okay, but why doesn't Derek like him?" Scott asked.
"Because, Laura Hale didn't like the fact that Derek and I ... well, that's another story for another time, but Laura and Feliz were the older, more protective siblings. Duncan was the one that could care less, but was still protective. Still think Laura and Feliz dated..."
"They did."
Claire raised an eyebrow at Derek. "I knew it." She looked at the rest of them. "Anyway, Derek and Feliz got into one day when ... uh..."
"When I got caught by the Argents." Derek explained, looking up at Claire, "If I remember right, you walked into a hail of gunfire and nearly died in the process."
Claire shrugged. "What's life without a little danger."
"Claire."
"Derek." Claire retorted. "You were equally just as dumb as I was for saving your ass - you and Kate should have never been together, because she played you like a game of chess."
"Kate? Kate Argent?" Scott asked.
"Mhm." Claire nodded. "You don't knock on the devil's door, unless you want him to answer. And Derek had signed his soul over to her."
Nothing is ever truly set by fate. In one blink, everything changes. Even though it should be a clear, sunny day, the softest whisper into the wind can become a hurricane that destroys everything it touches. In the blink of an eye, Derek had Claire by the throat, pinned against the wall.
"What are you going to do, Derek? We're equally matched." Claire dug her nails in his forearm.
"Derek! Let her go!" Scott yelled.
"No, let him go." She turned her eyes on Derek. "I don't despise you for what happened to me, because I would have gladly died a thousand times to save your life. I despise you because when I was released, you refused to be found and I needed you more than anything in my life. Not to mend my broken bones, Derek. I needed my best friend to mend my broken spirit."
There came a time in everyone's life when they realized that in spite of how hard they'd been running from themselves, everywhere they went, there they were: Addictions and compulsions were nothing but marching bands of distraction, masking truths that were unpleasant, but ultimately undeniable.
He was truly handicapped when it came to emotions, and falling in love hadn't changed that.
Derek released Claire and started to walk away.
Claire wasn't having it.
"This isn't over," She said. "After everything we've been through, you don't get the right to brush me off. I'm not letting you off that easily." She wasn't sure if it was a threat, her last stab at defiance, or irrational words spoken straight from her splintered heart. Anything was better than nothing. Half-full was better than empty. Ignorance was the lowest form of humiliation and suffering. A feeling of violation swayed inside her, making her feel as if she'd been shoved off a high platform without warning.
She was falling, and she feared the sensation far more than hitting bottom. There was no end; just a constant sense of gravity having its way with her. There's a disconnect between her mind and her heart, but she feels the truth. They say when people lose their vision, their hearing comes sharper. She's lost part of her memory but maybe her intuition is stronger.
His were the kind of eyes that held secrets. The kind that lied without flinching. The kind that once you looked into them, it was hard to break away. She couldn't escape him, now or ever. He'd always be there, consuming her every thought, her heart locked in his hands. She was drawn to him by forces she couldn't control, let alone escape. Right now, she had everything she could ask for. It wasn't a long list, but it was a very satisfying one, starting with the love of her life back in her arms.
Derek didn't turn around.
"Damnit, Derek! Stop!" Claire grabbed him by the arm and with her weight, spun him around to face her.
"I know you still blame yourself, but look at me, I'm still here. I'm still standing. What I did, I did on my own. Feliz is an overprotective jerk that needs to get off his high horse. Will you stop blaming yourself?"
"I can't." Derek turned and yanked his arm free before walking away.
"What was that about?"
"Six years ago, after the Hale fire, Derek was captured by Kate, tortured. I hated her guts so I tracked him down and she put about 40 mountain ash and wolfsbane laced bullets in me. Feliz blames Derek and Derek blames himself. The worst wounds, the deadliest of them, aren't the ones people see on the outside. They're the ones that make us bleed internally. It's a longer story, for another day." She left Scott, Stiles, Peter and Isaac, following where Derek went.
She found him on the roof.
"Derek..."
Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for Christ's sake, stop sending him signals that they were right for each other. He'd read that book, seen the movie, bought the soundtrack, the DVD, the T-shirt, the mug, the bobble-head, and the insider's guide. He knew every reason they could have been lock and key. But just as he was aware of all that aligned them, he was even clearer on how they were damned to be ever apart.
"Can you please talk to me?"
Her face came into view when Claire bent down in front of him.
"The last time you ever snapped on me like that, was when you buried Laura. What triggered this time?"
"I wasn't mad at you. I just have a bad habit of lashing out at those I care about. It's a piss poor excuse, I know, but I am sorry."
Claire shrugged and then moved his arms so that she could sit on his lap. Instinctively, Derek wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. Just like old times. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."
She gets a man who will love her completely and faithfully. She gets a man who will not only save her life, but lay down his own to keep her safe. He will provide for her no matter the cost, he will shelter her against all storms that come their way, he will be the one to bring a smile to her face when no one else can. She gets a friend, a lover, a mate, the only man in this world who can complete her and give her the other half of her soul.
And that person was Derek, whether he wanted it to be or not. He was stuck with her.
"Are you scared of me?" He muttered gently against her neck.
Claire shook her head, but that was a task in itself, with his hot breath against her neck.
Author's Note: ... I'm attempting to make the chapters to this story super long, so I apologize if there's a bit of a wait in between. It's a lot to write and figure out. Reviews are welcome, though! :)