Stiles woke up in a jolt. He tried to sit down but the heavy arm of a werewolf was placating his chest to the mattress.
"Derek" he said pushing his sleeping mate "I thought we agreed to let my father think we don't know he knows you are sleeping in my bed by not making any noises".
"That's your phone" mumbled Derek trying to get his head under the pillow.
"I'm afraid that's yours big guy" smirked Stiles.
Derek got out of the bed murmuring under his breath about not being the one to choose 'Orange is the new black' as a ringtone.
"Allo" he answered his phone while Stiles was muttering "The animals, the animals
Trapped, trapped, trapped 'til the cage is full" *
"Derek! Where are you? Are you alright?" said a panicked voice over the phone.
"Cora? Calm down, I'm fine" answered Derek "I'm home".
"No, you are not" said Cora tracing a circle in the dust on the counter "and by the looks of it, you haven't been for weeks".
"Don't move" said Derek standing straight "we will be there in 20".
He hang up living Cora repeating "we?" by herself staring at her phone with a raised eyebrow.
5 minutes later, Derek was speeding on main street in his Camaro, Stiles by his side
"You didn't tell your sister?" yelled Stiles
Derek didn't answer, he was stopping at a red light, shock and fear written all over his face.
"You are right to be ashamed mister" blurted Stiles. His rant was cut short when he noticed Derek's face turning into an angry scowl. He followed Derek's glare to set his eyes to very pissed off Kate Argent who was marching towards them.
Derek's eyes flashed blue, he was gripping the wheel surely not far from breaking it. Kate stopped inches from the hood. Even not shifted, the werejaguar seemed monstrous… and greenish. She looked at Derek with disgust, Stiles could feel his distress through the bond, the anger, the sadness and most of all, the hurt. He forgot about his own fear , full blown anger and protectiveness over his mate taking over.
"Go to Hell you bitch" he yelled a golden ring in his eyes.
"So it is true" said Kate with an evil laugh "I had to see it to believe it. Are you sure you really want to put up with him Stiles? I'm sure there is a way to get him off your lap. Maybe I'll do it for you. It would be like old times, right Der-Bear?"
Derek gritted his teeth, the only thing in his mind was to get Stiles away from her. The Camaro's tires screeched before the car leap up running her over.
"Fuck!" muttered Stiles looking behind to see the werejaguar recovering in an instant.
"We need to get to Cora" said Derek
"I'm calling Chris" added Stiles getting his phone from his pocket.
"You're late" said Cora not expecting her brother to give her the biggest hug.
"So he says he put a silver bullet in her chest which pushed her over a cliff, he has no idea how she could have survived ; but no one knows much about werejaguars" said Stiles entering the loft. "Hi Cora" he whispered smiling at the family picture "sorry to break the welcoming party but Kate Argent is back".
"I know" simply answered Cora "Why are you here?" she asked Stiles
"HOW do you know?" cut Derek
"I caught her trace in Belize, followed through Mexico where she run in circles not leaving a too bloody trail, surprisingly enough, until she made her way straight here".
"You said you were trying to locate your old pack!" said Derek furious.
"Like you would have let me do this! Now, don't avoid the subject ; why is Stiles with you that early in the morning? Why aren't you leaving here anymore? What is going on Derek?"
Derek shoulder fell down, Cora's face was expressing her worry with what Stiles was secretly referring to as 'Hale angry face number 10'. Derek looked at Stiles who put a hand on his shoulder and said :
"You're alone with that one buddy!"
"You look like death" said a voice from the back of the room.;
"Who's there?" said the old man as firmly as he could master
"I guess the prodigal child has returned!" continued Kate advancing near the bed.
"You shouldn't be here" said Gerard.
"I need the stake" she said impatiently.
"What could YOU possibly want it for?" he asked interested.
"Where is it?" she pressed
"Why?" he asked again
"Hale's little bondmate needs to die" she said not really answering.
"And you want your werewolf to watch? Why would I encourage you to do that?" he frowned.
"You mean because of the curse? You're as good as dead and I'm dying thanks to your son" she said pulling her shirt open and revealing a bloody wound.
"Cora." said Stiles opening his door.
"Brother in law" she answered trying to be threatening but a smile was creeping on her face.
"I will need a full ceremony and a very long very peaceful honeymoon before being called that, thank you very much" he claimed.
"For what is worth I think he could have done worse" she smiled
"Really?" asked Stiles genuinely surprised
"Shall I remind you about his ex currently terrorising everything from little bunnies to full grown assholes somewhere in town?" she asked, grim.
"Please do not ever compare me to her, or to any of Derek's exes for that matter. That could be very very disturbing." said Stiles "Weren't you supposed to be with him at the loft settling down?"
"Well I was, but I'm not staying around him in his current state" snorted Cora
"Yeah I can feel him brooding form here, why did you leave him alone like that?" worried Stiles
"Well it is your job to put up with his tantrums now" laughed Cora "Besides he wouldn't let me call you; something about you driving there alone not being safe."
"Let's take the Jeep" Stiles said rolling his eyes.
Stiles found Derek in the corner of the loft, bear chest, sweaty and beating the crap out of a pushing ball.
"Wow, it's like diving into the past" he said "except I don't have to trick myself into thinking it's not hot".
Derek ignored him not even slowing his assault on the bag.
"Derek? Derek? Do you even hear me?" Stiles asked. "Look I know it sucks but she knows what we are and therefore that she cannot kill us".
"She is capable of much worse" Derek growled glaring at Stiles as he stopped punching.
Stiles stared at Derek, he could feel the fear and pain underneath the werewolf's mask of fury. He went to hug Derek, who fought it at first. He caressed his back with his right hand while cupping the back of his head with the left. Derek finally settled and sighted in the embrace.
"Sssh, it's okay" Stiles started murmuring in his left hear "she won't hurt you, not again, not ever."
Derek grunted, trying to get away again. Stiles tightened his embrace, surprisingly managing to keep him on check.
"She won't hurt me either" he continued in Derek's hear, "We've got Chris, a highly motivated Pack and the whole Sheriff's department after her, she won't be able to come anywhere near us."
They stayed like this for a while, Stiles gently rocking the werewolf like he would have a child. It would have been comical if it wasn't so tragic. After several minutes, Stiles' mind began wandering and he knew he had to change the mood before anxiety took over.
"Sooo… I've been speaking with Scott" he began
"Is that wise?" snorted Derek ending the hug but still gripping Stiles' hands.
"He thinks you want to eat my candy in the big apple" blurted Stiles
"You should stop speaking with Scott" said Derek matter-of-factly.
"He is my BEST friend! And YOUR alpha!" retorted Stiles "I WANT to speak with him and you HAVE to listen!"
"Not when he is not making any sense I don't" mumbled Derek under his breath
"He was speaking about next year… college…" stammered Stiles
"And what about it?" asked Derek interested.
"Do you want to go back to New York?" said Stiles timidly
"Do YOU want to go to New York?" countered Derek
"I asked first!" exclaimed Stiles
"Wherever you go, I go." Derek rolled his shoulders
"Derek!" blurted Stiles
"Seriously Stiles, I already have a degree, I can transfer, I can continue taking courses online or I could do something else. My family's insurance will keep me at float for years; not mentioning I'm currently being housed by your father. Where we live next year ; here or elsewhere, far or close, is entirely up to you." the werewolf said in a definite tone.
"Umgfff" growled Stiles
"So what do you wanna do?" asked Derek like it was nothing
"Umgfff" Stiles growled again
"Stiles?" asked Derek trying to catch his eyes.
"Well, I was kind of hoping you would have so big plans that would narrow it down for me…" hesitated the young man
"You never thought about your future?" frowned Derek
"Honestly? I've been carefully avoiding thinking about it!" said Stiles with a sour laugh.
Derek raised an eyebrow
"What do you want me to say?" Stiles began to rant "The doctors thought my ADHD would be gone by my 14th birthday. I'm almost 18. It's still there. In the light of recent events, it's likely it will remain with me as long as I am my sparky self... I'm not sure I can survive trying to focus for 3 more years in college. But it's not like I could work with my hands! I'm clumsy at best and no one would give me a job requiring mussels!"
"You're perfect" said Derek wishing Stiles would stop being that self conscious.
"Can you say that again? I want to record it." joked Stiles
"Stiles!" said Derek annoyed by the attempt to divert the topic
"See!" exclaimed Stiles hands flying at the ceiling "I would be the worse student, I'm physically weak and my social skills are so poor that I manage to annoy everyone, even the ones that love me unconditionally! I'm a lost cause! I'm sorry… I"
"You should study psychology." cut Derek "I'll help keep you focussed if necessary."
"What?"asked Stiles gaping
"You could be a therapist or a counselor" continued Derek matter-of-factly
"I'm telling you I'm physically and behaviorally unfit for adult life and you tell me I should advise others?" asked Stiles shocked.
"You are more sane and balanced that any shrink I ever met" replied Derek
"Because you, Derek Hale, are an expert in the matter!" mocked Stiles
"Laura tried… she made me…" hesitated Derek "It doesn't matter, look," he put aside the sour topic of his sister "I'm not saying I'm ready to join a Christmas Carol or that I will ever be, but you always know how to pull me back from my darkest moments and… Am I amusing you?"
"Sorry" said Stiles smiling like an idiot "I was imagining you in a Christmas Carol. I think you should join one, I would make Christmas in Beacon Hills so much better for everyone"
"Stop changing the subject" glared Derek
"See! I'm drifting, you know I'm often am!" exclaimed Stiles. "And yet, you're the one pretending I can focus enough to help anyone."
"You can focus alright, you're just not trying when it's about you!" regretted Derek. "Take what you just did here : I went from wanting to trash the place to considering our future together. Which, in the current situation is no short of a miracle."
"I do have a cosmical line to your feelings…" tried Stiles
"You were doing it before that" replied Derek looking behind himself a very sad and cold feeling going through the bond. Stiles immediately recognised the spot where Boyd died.
"You should sell this place to a factory of stuffed puppies" Stiles muttered
"There IS a reason they call you the wolfwhisperer" mumbled Derek
"The what?" asked Stiles with round eyes.
"Scott, Malia, Liam, even Isaac, YOU all taught them to control the shift." reminded Derek "YOU guided Lydia through her abilities. All of it with shreds of half truths and only your gut. YOU have your father's observation skills, a very aware view of the world, unique experience of grief, anxiety and darkness and a feroce want to help those in need. Trust me you are already good at it and I think you would enjoy it."
Stiles was stunned. He still was surprised when receiving confirmation that Derek Hale was and always had been paying attention to him. He jumped at the werewolf's neck, wrapped his legs around his hips and pulled him in a passionate kiss.
"Yerkkk… I'm going for coffee!" yelled Cora from the kitchen
A week later, no one had caught any signs of Kate. If Gerard had not been found dead, choked in his own blood and all his stuff searched, the Sheriff would only have Derek's and Stiles' word to corroborate her being in town recently.
"We shouldn't be out on the open" grumbled Derek
"Derek, we can't stop living forever" said Stiles
"My, my…" said a voice behind them
Derek froze recognizing the voice, Stiles turned around
"Kate, how NOT nice to see you!" said Stiles challenging
"Stiles, you are gonna die and Derek here is gonna watch" laughed Kate
"Why would you do that?" asked Stiles "Cursing your family!"
"What family?" snorted Kate
"Allison's family" said Stiles quietly
"She's dead because of YOU" snapped the werejaguar "you don't deserve to breathe".
"I owe it to her to continue to 'protect those who can't protect themselves'" replied Stiles
"She was my legacy!" yelled Kate
"You're mean and cruel where she was sweet and loving!" countered Stiles
During the whole exchange Stiles could feel Derek boiling. The talk about Allison wasn't helping, bringing up the guilt about misjudging the girl for so long. Or maybe it was his own guilt over her death melting with his in the bond? The werewolf began to growl and to get in a defensive position. When Kate moved towards Stiles, he jumped at her and they both went rolling on the floor. Stiles couldn't say who was winning as they struggled until he felt the bond go numb. They weren't really in pain, everything was kind of smooth, like a dream going on in slow motion.
Before he could make a conscious decision he was on his knees in front of Derek who was in the exact same position, with a wooden stake lodged in his chest. Kate's evil laugh was resonating in his hears.
"Happy to be linked to this puppy now?" she asked triumphant. "You see my little stake is not gonna kill Derek, it's just freezing his body until someone can get it out. He can hear everything, see everything, feel everything but not do anything. And the best part is that it's affecting you too!"
Stiles and Derek connected their eyes, the golden ring present in them. At this moment they knew that no matter what happened they had each other, in this life or in the other.
When Kate cut their connection by putting herself between them, she gloated when Stiles closed his eyes.
"Do you think he will feel it when I kill you?" she asked getting her claws out and marching toward Stiles.
Derek was terrified. He couldn't move. He was terrorized his mate was gonna die in this parking lot. He knew he would mourn his lost for the rest of his life, miserable and alone, if not tortured by the worst woman he ever met.
He shouldn't had lose faith in Stiles though, because the next second, the young spark was opening his eyes again and the stake went from Derek's chest to Kate's back. She dropped on the concrete with a 'puff' as Stiles regained use of his limbs.
"Who brings a Mountain Ash weapon to a spark fight?" he mocked her while pushing her with his foot. "You're okay sourwolf?" he said giving him a hand to stand up.
"It will heal in no time" nodded Derek after recovering from the shock.
"Do you think she will dry?" asked Stiles looking at Kate
"I don't…" began Derek
"She would do a good scarecrow at the entrance of town" cut Stiles thinking. "We should really do a flyer or something so the baddies would know they shouldn't bother coming anymore."
*Regina Spektor - You've Got Time - Orange is the new black opening song
A.N. / So what do you think? Less funny than usual? Yeah, that's Kate Argent for you…