I made a horrible horrible mistake. I skipped a whole chapter. I should never be this much ahead. Me bad. Fixed it now. But... I'm sweating and blushing from my own idiocy.

Since most of you already have read this chapter, I'm not gonna do a summary here. Go back to chapter 21 if you want to know what you missed. I'm so sorry. For those who are new to this story: Never mind. Read on and enjoy. (Note at the end)

Scott had decided to take a quick trip to Derek's place before he went home. After he and Allison snuck out from the apartment earlier, they'd spent the evening at the Argent-house. When he left in her car, it was with a promise to pick her up in the morning before school.

It was still fairly early and Scott didn't expect his mom home from work for another hour, so he didn't hesitate for a second driving towards Derek's place. He had to check on Stiles and he wondered if he was still there, or if Mr Stilinski had taken him home.

Derek's car was outside and Isaac's Toyota was parked a little further down the road. Inside the front door, he'd stopped and listened. There was music playing from upstairs. It was turned down low, but with his wolf-senses, Scott could still hear it. He could also hear faint whispers.

He knocked and waited until he heard Derek say 'come in' before he entered. The loft appeared different. All the lights were on and music was playing in the background. It had always looked gloomy before. The werewolves didn't need much light, so Derek rarely turned on more than necessary. Now it was bright and welcoming. Two new light-gray throw-rugs were covering most of the dark, worn-out wood floors. The coffee table had a white linen table cloth and the two candles, in their crystal candle holders, were flickering in the draft from the door.

The scene in front of him was surprising. Partially because of the lights, but mostly because he'd not expected to find the sheriff sitting on the couch. Stiles was propped up on one end seemingly half asleep. Derek was in the kitchen area with Isaac. They were obviously preparing some food.

"Hi Scott. What a surprise." Derek turned to him briefly before he continued with his task. The tone of his voice told Scott that he wasn't surprised at all. "You want a sandwich? We're having a late meal. Stiles slept all evening."

Totally and completely tongue-tied, Scott walked over to the two wolves. He wanted to ask all sorts of questions, but was slightly intimidated by Mr Stilinski's presence. The sheriff got up from the couch and approached them. "I have to go now. Take care of him. I'll be back in the morning." He waited until Derek turned, and then the two of them shook hands. "Of course. He's in good hands here. Come back anytime." Derek peeked over at Stiles before he again looked at the sheriff. "I'm up early, I'll have coffee ready."

It was like he'd entered an alternate universe. Scott gave Mr Stilinski a tentative smile and received a pat on the shoulder. "Hi, Scott. I guess you're here to check on Stiles? I appreciate it, but he's fine. I think we can both relax and leave this to these two fine boys." He nodded towards Derek and Isaac before he gave Scott a smile. "You should get some sleep. School-day tomorrow, you know."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Holding back the laughter was tough. Sitting there on Derek's couch, knowing that he could stay the night – with his dad's approval – was almost mind-blowing. Stiles was happy that Scott didn't come any closer. It would have been totally impossible to pretend to be woozy if Scott started questioning what was going on. He also worried that his friend would crack and accidentally reveal anything that should not be revealed.

It wasn't because Stiles didn't trust Scott. He'd trust him with his life, but it was perfectly clear that the guy was almost bursting from all the questions he had lined up in his head.

Stiles didn't feel completely alert. He was still under the influence of the medication, and he was so hungry that he was nauseous. He watched his dad leave after Scott had promised to go home soon.

The next second Scott was on the couch, throwing his hands out and rolling his eyes. "Eh, Eh, what?" He obviously had a bit of a problem forming a complete sentence, so he just stared at Stiles with disbelief.

"Well, what can I say? Allison was right. Dad has to work overtime, and can't really be there for me." Stiles drew his breath quickly and continued. "And you don't have to worry about me either. I am protected." Stiles nodded towards the kitchen where Isaac and Derek were preparing food. "You can concentrate on taking care of your mom; make sure she is safe."

Scott was still somewhat tongue-tied. He made a couple of attempts to speak, but it made him look like a fish out of water. Stiles almost started laughing. "I understand. You're so happy about this development that you can't find words." He had to chuckle a little. "Remember to thank Allison." Stiles gave Scott a wink. "She was the one coming up with this master plan."

With a huff, Scott leaned back on the couch and rubbed his eyes before he sighed heavily. "Even on drugs, you can manage to speak a mile a minute." He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe this. Was your dad here the whole evening?" He shook his head. "I can't believe this."

Stiles cocked his head and patted his friend's shoulder. "Oh, believe! Please! And no, he came back about a half hour ago." With a big smile on his face, he looked over to the kitchen area. "I'm being pampered here."

Scott tuned and watched Isaac coming towards them with a plate of food. "Don't get too used to it. I'm moving out. Derek will have to spoil you on his own." He put the tray down on the table and handed Stiles the plate. Both Stiles and Scott looked at him curiously. He shrugged. "Temporarily. I'm moving out temporarily. "

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek knew perfectly well that this was a temporary solution. When Stiles was well enough, he would have to go back home. This whole scenario was created to convince the sheriff that Stiles needed care around the clock because he was sick. Derek wondered about how long they could keep up this charade.

Mr Stilinski didn't know anything about the threats to his son's life, and Derek contemplated on telling him the whole truth. He felt like the guy deserved it. Going behind his back felt so wrong. After meeting him and getting to know him, somewhat, Derek felt bad about the secrecy.

It wasn't only the secrecy about the werewolves he felt the need to reveal. Derek wanted to walk up to Mr Stilinski and tell him that his son was spoken for; that he was... his mate.

He knew perfectly well that it wasn't an option at the moment – or anytime soon – but it was still a thought that he played with ever so often.

As soon as Scott had left and Isaac had withdrawn to his room, Derek helped Stiles to bed and made sure he was comfortable. Stiles was much better, and had almost managed to get to the bedroom on his own feet. After promising to be back shortly, Derek cleaned up the kitchen before he sat down on the couch with a drink.

The concussion was obviously still bothering Stiles. He tried to hide it, but Derek had noticed that he – with a pained expression on his face – constantly rubbed his forehead as to push the headache away. The fractured ribs only caused minimum pain, but Stiles was urged to take painkillers to ensure that he drew his breath properly. The collapsed lung seemed to be healing by itself, and the sprained ankle wasn't even swollen anymore.

It would probably only take a few days before Stiles was up and about. It would eventually be impossible for the guy to fake it anymore. Stiles was way too hyper to stay in bed and pretend to be incapacitated.

Derek suddenly realized that having Stiles there was a bad idea. In his own home, away from Derek, the wolf-scent could have been covered up. Now he would be reeking. It would be impossible to hide him from the Alphas.

Until the rest of the Alpha pack was killed or chased away for good, Stiles would be in more danger now than he'd ever been. As long as he was in the loft he was somewhat safe, but as soon as he set foot outside he'd be like bait for those who wanted revenge.

Not knowing if or when they'd come made it hard to plan anything. Derek and Isaac had searched the woods and tried to sniff them out, but so far there were no signs of them.

With a sigh, Derek got up from the couch and got ready for bed. Inside his room, he watched Stiles for a moment. The boy was curled up like a little ball as if he was cold. The second Derek eased himself under the covers behind Stiles and wrapped his arm over the sleeping body, Stiles scooted backwards into the embrace.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The rumor reached Scott and Allison the moment they set foot on the stairs of the school. Scott, with his keen sense of hearing, could hear the whispers from the hallway before they even opened the door.

A dead person had been discovered in the woods late last evening. Angelica – a sophomore they barely knew – had been walking her dog with her dad when they found a partially decomposed body in the middle of the path. The girl herself didn't come to school – she'd been seriously shaken by the discovery – but she'd managed to call all her friends before a doctor had forced her to take some tranquilizers.

The body was not formally identified yet, but as far as Scott could make out, it was a girl with long, blond, and wavy hair. The description made him believe it could be Erica and before he and Allison entered the classroom, he made a call to his mom.

Scott knew that Derek and Isaac had trailed the woods in search of the Alphas without catching the scent of her, so he was pretty sure that the body must have been placed there recently.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It had been the best sleep in days. Stiles could feel Derek's breath on his neck and the strong arms around him. He had no idea what time it was, but had a feeling it was still fairly early; at least early enough to stay in bed for a while longer. It wasn't that he and Derek had the whole day planned out and needed to be anywhere.

A little puff off air against his ear and a nibble on the earlobe told him that Derek was awake also. It all gave Stiles an arousal that made him hitch his breath. This felt so good, and he wished that he could wake up like this every morning.

When he scooted backwards a little, Stiles could feel that Derek was on the same page. He wasn't sure if he was ready to have sex yet, though. The pain in his chest was still bothering him, but just lying there, knowing that they were together was really good enough at the moment.

When Derek's hand eased itself under the waistband of his pajama-pants and wrapped around Stiles' boner, he almost cummed instantly. Derek gave him a few gentle strokes before the guy, suddenly and without warning, jumped out of bed and hurried towards the door.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was half way through the living-room when the heard the banging on the front door. The moment he became aware of the fact that someone was trying to get in, he'd suspected that it was the Alphas. Now he was not so sure anymore. They would never make so much noise and alert everybody inside about their presence.

Isaac was up too, and as soon as he'd wiped the sleep out of his eyes he looked at Derek. "Who is it?" He took a few steps forward and tilted his head to the side as to listen more carefully. Derek was busy getting his pants on properly as he walked slowly towards the door. "Don't know. I can guess, but I really don't know."

He opened the door to the apartment and waited on the landing outside until he heard the pounding on the front door again. "OPEN UP! MR HALE! DEREK!" Sheriff Stilinski's voice reached him loud and clear from downstairs. Derek ran barefoot down the stairs and unlocked the door.

As soon as he pulled it open, Stiles' dad stumbled towards him. The sheriff managed to get his balance back and stopped for a moment to stare at Derek. "I need to talk to you... and Isaac. Consider yourselves witnesses."

Derek didn't know what to think, but he stepped aside and gestured for Mr Stilinski to ascend the stairs. The man looked tired and distressed, but the stare he gave Derek was unnerving. With a shrug, he turned away and put a foot on the first step. "Sorry! Is Stiles' alright?" With a sigh, he threw a glance over his shoulder as he slowly climbed the stairs.

Derek nodded, but realized that Mr Stilinski wasn't looking at him anymore. "Yeah, sure. Stiles is fine. He slept like a baby." He followed the sheriff tentatively. "What's up? That is not the reason you came."

Not another word was uttered until they were inside the apartment. Mr Stilinski panned the place with his eyes and let his them linger on Isaac for a moment. The boy was still standing in the doorway to his room with a curious look on his face.

"Mr Stilinski. I didn't expect you this early. I would have had coffee ready." Derek tried to be friendly and welcoming. The sheriff gave him a piercing look before he sat down on the couch. "This is not a social call." He shook his head and huffed. For a few seconds, he just sat there before he turned to Derek again. "Coffee would help."

It was five o'clock in the morning and Derek hurried to get the coffeemaker going. Isaac was still standing just outside his room and it seemed like he was about to turn to go back in, when Mr Stilinski looked up. "This concerns you too. Isaac, right? Isaac Lahey?" He paused for a second. "We found a body in the woods." Stiles' dad turned slowly towards Derek. "She isn't formally identified yet, but we think it's Erica Reyes." He threw his hands out. "Did you know her?"

Derek looked down for a second. He'd suspected that the girl was dead, but the confirmation was saddening. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, sort of." He could see that Isaac got a pained expression on his face, but the boy managed to cover it up before the sheriff noticed.

Derek could hardly wait until the coffee was ready. He picked two cups out of the cupboard and stared at the coffeemaker, as if urging it to go faster. Eventually, he just grabbed the pot and poured coffee into the cups. It was probably going to be too strong to be drinkable, but he served it regardless.

The expression on the sheriff's face when he took a sip was clear evidence to the fact. The guy recovered quickly,, and sighed heavily before he looked up. "Erica – if it is Erica – had a note attached to her shirt." Stilinski looked at both wolves. "I don't know what to think."

He pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket, and threw it on the table. Through the clear plastic, they could see that it was a piece of paper with some kind of list printed on. It was crumbled and dirty, but the words – or rather names – that were typed on it was easily readable.

Reyes

Boyd

Hale

McCall

Lahey

Next to the first two names, someone had drawn a symbol with a ballpoint pen. It was partially smudged but it could resemble a cross.

Underneath, two more names were added. They were also written in pen and partially covered in dirt. It made them hard to read since the paper obviously had been out there in the rain, pinned to a decomposed body. For the three of them, it was still as clear as if it had been written moments ago. The name 'Argent' had it's 't' partially torn off. The other name was slightly misspelled but there were no doubt what it said. 'Stlinsky' could only mean one thing.

The sheriff leaned back on the couch and took another sip from the cup of undrinkable coffee. "Why?" he said as his eyes met Derek's, "why is my name on this list?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Or is it my son?" He hesitated for a moment, but not long enough for Derek to get a word in. "Is this a hit-list?"

Derek knew exactly what the list meant. It was a warning. It was, in fact, a hit-list. Seeing Stiles' name on it made Derek shiver a little. He'd been so sure that the Alphas didn't know about him. "Uh, I, I don't know. What do you think?" Throwing the question back wasn't the best idea, but he couldn't come up with a plausible lie at the moment.

"Your name is next. Does it worry you?" The sheriff scrunched his face as he lifted the cup to his lips. Derek drew his breath and gave it a quick thought. "Uh, I, I don't know. I'm not the only Hale in the county." He knew instantly that the sheriff wouldn't get thrown off by this statement. They both knew for sure that the name on the list referred to Derek.

Stilinski looked up and huffed. "Sure, but..." Derek cut him off. "I know. It's me. I don't know how I feel. I can take care of myself. I..." He paused. He knew perfectly well that him taking care of Stiles would be affected by this. "This place is safe. Stiles is safe here. Safer than in his own room."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When she got the call from her son, Melissa was just out of the shower. If what he said was true, a lot of things were going to change. She got dressed and headed for the hospital. It was still a few hours till she had to be at work, but curiosity got the better of her.

She was good friends with one of the morgue technicians, and had her mind set on finding out what had gone down.

Not knowing if Susan was at work at the moment, Melissa decided to play it by ear. After she'd parked outside, she headed straight to the basement of the hospital where the morgue was located.

It was suspiciously quiet down there. Melissa would have expected to meet law enforcement officials and other personnel in the hall, but the basement seemed abandoned. She headed for the office and found a lone secretary behind a desk.

"Uh, I... Is Susan Hanson here?" Melissa didn't know the girl and held up her badge to show that she actually worked at the hospital. The girls threw a quick glance at it and pointed to the a door behind her. "She just got off shift. You'll catch her if you hurry."

Melissa continued through the office, and found Susan as she was about to leave the building. "Hey, Sue!" she yelled as she ran to catch up with her. After a rather awkward silence, Melissa decided to just get to the point. "Sorry to bother you, but I heard the news about the girl they found. I think it's one of my son's friend. What do you know?"

Susan rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Sorry, I'm tired. This was a long night." She shrugged a little before she continued. "I don't know much. We had to send the body to the medical examiner's office."

Melissa sighed in disappointment. "So, she wasn't even here? Or..." She paused when Susan nodded. "She was here. And you're right. She was one of Scott's classmates. The identification isn't formal yet, but I know her."

Susan had previously worked in the neurology department, and knew Erica from that time. She'd been treated for her epilepsy. Melissa also learned that the girl had been shot dead execution-style more than two weeks ago. "The body was moved from another location and placed in the woods for someone to find." Susan looked sad. "The worst part is that nobody reported her missing. Everybody thought she'd taken off with her boyfriend."

The body had been in the hospital morgue for less than four hours, but the pathologist had discovered a few things that were very disturbing. "Matt was present when the medical examiner came. He prepared the body for transportation."

When they reached Susan's car, Melissa gave her friend a hug before they parted ways. "Thank you, Sue. I'm sorry."

There had been scars on the body that were partially healed, and the pathologist suspected that Erica had been held captive for an extended period of time before she got killed. Melissa wasn't so sure. If the girl was a werewolf she could heal instantly. The injuries could have been sustained only minutes before she was shot.

With the recent events in mind, Melissa suspected that the rogue Alpha pack was to blame. There was only one puzzling part to this: Why did they shoot her? They could easily have killed her with their bare hands, or claws.

I'll be very happy if someone could convince me that I'm not an idiot after all, but I guess it's a long shot. Blushing.