A/N.
Hallo again. So I want to know if you want me to post a side story from the days after Scott and Peter came to the Hale pack and/or before they did.
Other than that, thank you so much to GFM, and oh, so much grief in this chapter so beware.
A little note, I'm introducing an OC, he will show up in next chapter if everything goes my way.

Chapter eighteen.
In Crimson We Stand Tall, Part one.

"My life was like a candle
in a storm, burning bright for a second
before perishing in the wind." –Scott.

"For he today sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother." –William Shakespeare.

Peter POV.

He shook his head when he walked away from the sleeping beta. Derek's face held no emotion as he starred into the air but Peter could smell his grief, he knew that his own wasn't any better.

"I'll come back later, I have something to do," he said before turning around, stopping at the door. His nephew didn't react other than blink once and when the younger Alpha spoke, his voice was hoarse from disuse.

"Where?"

"To say goodbye." Was all he said and closed the door behind him, cutting off the fresh wave of grief and pain coming from his nephew.

He put on his jacket before walking out in the cold. The wind had picked up to a chilly and biting cold.

As soon as he was away from human eyes, Peter picked up speed, animals running away and for a very brief moment he remembered taking Scott out to hunt for the first time, the sheer happiness that he could still remember seeing on his son's face, made his steps falter and his speed slow to a brisk walk.

As he walked towards the place where they buried Scott, he made himself believe the tears in his face was water, that it was raining even through the ground he stood on was dry, and tried to ignore the urge to itch and rub his eyes, almost like he was a child.

He huffed and swallowed, pushing every memory he had of his son away, at least until he could fall to his knees in front of the grave, until he could finally allow himself to grieve, to be weak. Until he didn't have to pretend anymore.

He ignored the way his breath hitched, his wolf itching to be let out, to howl its loss of a pack mate to the white of the moon hidden behind the trees.

He finally came to a stop and fell down on his knees, bowing forward and kissing the wet soil.

The flowers that had been laid on top of it, was already dead, dry like crisp and they fell apart when Peter removed them, adding to the pain in his chest.

"I'm sorry, pup. I know that no words can right this wrong but I can't pretend anymore." He sighed and finally let go of the tears that had already been dripping down his cheeks and chin, flow to a waterfall.

"I can't pretend that I don't care anymore. I'm done pretending that I'm the bad guy…"

He made a face and tried to breathe past the tightness in his chest.

"I just wanted to say goodbye," he began again and smile a little, "And to say all the things that I didn't get to say to your face. I'm proud of whom you grew up to be and I know that you think you failed the people around you but I dare to say that you didn't. If anyone failed it was me, I-I-I…" He took a deep breath and ignored the hitch in it.

"I tried my best but in the end it wasn't good enough," he broke off in a sob, the dam finally breaking and he screamed and cursed the sky for taking his son before his time, for not giving him one last chance at having a family.

Derek POV.

He weakly lifted his head when a howl cut through the night, before hiding it in his hands again.

Isaac had cried himself to sleep, again, and it made Derek feel even more helpless than he had felt before, because he didn't know how to help his pack. He tried so hard and yet he failed, yet it wasn't good enough and he had lost yet another precious member of his pack to the fire that took his entire family away from him.

He growled lowly when a firm knock sounded from the outside door and he moved to open it, the growl turned to a snarl when he saw who it was.

Chris and Victoria Argent.

"Can we talk to you?" the woman asked.

Derek took a deep breath and scented the air for traces of wolfs bane and gunpowder but to his disappointment, he found none.

With his jaw clenched tightly, he stepped to the side and let the two adults enter the room.

"What do you want? Kill us to? We're not all here," he asked in a toneless voice, a question coming to mind when Chris' scent turned to grief and regret but most surprising was the strongest one, shame.

"We know who made the bomb and we know who triggered it." Victoria looked him in the eyes, not backing down, even when they began to glow crimson. "I cannot live with the life of an innocent on my conscience, werewolf or not, Scott didn't deserve it."

Derek snorted and shook his head in disgust. "So you tortured him because…" he trailed off and let his expression tell the rest of what he thought.

Argent shook his head, "I was under the influence of my father. He can be very persuasive when he needs to be, hiding his real intentions behind lies and pretty words, just look at Allison." He looked sick.

Derek's head snapped towards the man and the fading crimson of his eyes blew up again, "What!?" he snarled.

The scent of shame turned even sourer as Chris answered, "Allison is the one that triggered the bomb."

He didn't know how to react to that, so he didn't move, he didn't even think he breathed. The only thing that he knew how to react to was to not stop Peter when the older man decided to kill the teenager. He wouldn't stop Isaac either, the teen deserved at least to get revenge for his mate and he had no doubt that Peter would think the same.

He took a deep breath and turned his back to them, stopping briefly before he entered another room, "Leave and never come back."

Peter POV.

He finally sat up straight again when it felt like something gently stroked his back. The touch was so soft that it made new tears roll down his cheeks, his eyes burning with the effort.

His eyes darted around, trying to catch sight of whatever had touched him but he found none and shook his head, it had felt so real, so…

He shook his head and tried to take a deep breath and got up on his legs again. He threw a necklace on top of the grave and stood up. He bit his lower lip and shook his head before turning to walk away, he had no intentions of ever returning, there was nothing left for him to protect and he knew that Derek was thinking of leaving too, even if the younger Hale hadn't said it.

As he walked away, a sharp screech cut through the night air, causing the man to halt before he began walking again, dismissing the sound to a hunting bird finding its prey.

Scott POV.

He sighed as he watched his father walk away but there was nothing he could do when he was still low on strength.

He didn't know who had brought him back but he knew it wasn't anyone from his pack; they had been and was still- blinded by grief.

He squeezed his eyes shut when his thoughts drifted to Isaac. He couldn't imagine the pain and misery that the younger wolf was in. he was suffering himself and wanted nothing more than to cuddle up to his mate and never leave his arms, to let the younger wolf soothe his pains and worries like he had been so good at, but he couldn't, not when it would bring so many more questions than he was ready to answer, not when he couldn't explain why his eyes flashed crimson.

There wasn't room for yet another Alpha in Beacon Hills.

He kneeled on the ground and let his fingers stroke over the necklace on the ground

He looked up at the sky and spread his arms wide to feel the soft wind that blew through the forest. He had missed being alive.

Swallowing he looked down at his bare arms, the scars of the burns he had suffered from the explosion where still visible and would be for a long time, maybe even longer than his fathers had been. His right hand stroke over his left arm with a gentle movement and Scott pressed the tears that welled up back down. He had a dept. to settle, power like the one he had been given, did not come for free.

He looked up as a shadow stepped out of the shadows, his mouth widening in a smile and was answered by a equally bright smile.

"Let's wreck some havoc brother."

A/N.
Sorry for the short chapter but I have a really important question to ask. I feel that I'm neglecting a really good story by only updating once or twice a month so I want to ask if you want me to set The Forsaken on hiatus and then concentrate on this?
Pros; longer and better chapters, updates will be at least three times a week.
Cons; It will be the only story I will update until it's finished.

Review, I really like them.