Sheriff Stilinski is utterly confused and his confusion reaches a new high later that afternoon. Isaac makes a little speech that shuts everybody up for a moment. Scott screws up majorly, but manage to redeem himself somewhat. It all results in another trip to the hospital.
Mr Stilinski was slightly confused when he woke up on the couch in full uniform. A minor hangover was lurking, but it wasn't too bad. It took a couple of seconds before the events from the early morning hours caught up with him.
He sat up abruptly – which was not the best idea in the world – and panned the room. He'd half expected to find Derek Hale somewhere in there. The last thing he remembered was that the guy had taken him home and urged him to get some sleep. After days and nights with less shut-eye than a normal person needs, he'd just passed out almost instantly as he lied down on the couch.
A quick peek at the clock told him that he'd slept longer than he thought he had. It was afternoon already, and he had to be at work in a couple of hours. The flu was losing the battle at the station, so the deputies and office staff was almost back to full duty.
Stilinski had looked forward to it. He desperately needed time off. Not only because he was overworked, but he wanted to be there for his son. The body in the woods had squashed all those plans. Now he'd be lucky if he got eight hours rest between shifts.
The memories from this morning were somewhat hard to handle. For a moment, he wondered if it had just been a bad dream – a vivid whiskey induced dream – but he didn't manage to fool himself. What happened at the Hale-apartment was real. It might have been a trick, but he knew that he saw Isaac Lahey turn into something non-human.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Sheriff Stilinski decided to go back there and find out what really happened. He could call the station and tell them that he was delayed because he had to interview a couple of witnesses. It wouldn't be too far from the truth.
On the front porch he realized that his car was still outside Derek's place, and he had to go back in to get Stiles' car-keys.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Stiles felt slightly embarrassed for being so happy at the moment. Erica was dead and it was sad, but she'd never really been a friend and – in retrospect – she'd always behaved like she had dibs on Derek. Stiles hadn't taken his jealousy towards her seriously before, but now he had to admit that he must have had a crush on Derek long before he knew about it himself.
Thinking back, he realized that Derek must have known. They guy had been perched on a rooftop for several nights before they eventually hooked up. Maybe it was Erica that had triggered all of this. Maybe she – with her seductive behavior around Derek – made Stiles emit something he wasn't aware of himself?
That was now ancient history, and Stiles did not feel the need to dwell on the past. Sitting there in Derek's apartment with his friends, knowing that he was a treasured house-guest, was more than enough to keep a smile on his face. He tried to hide it though. Erica had, after all, been part of Derek's pack.
The five of them – Allison, Scott, Isaac, Derek and himself – had just eaten, and Scott volunteered to clean up. It wasn't a big job but as soon as he got up from the couch were he'd been sitting between Stiles and Allison, Derek hurried to steal his seat.
Trying to be casual about it, Derek put his left arm on the back of the couch behind Stiles' head. Stiles peeked at him before he leaned over slightly until their sides touched. Ever so slowly Derek moved his hand and rested it on Stiles' shoulder.
Stiles had to close his eyes for a moment. This felt so good. A split second later, Scott threatened to destroy the mood. "That was my seat," he said with a frown, before he with a broody expression on his face perched himself on the armrest on the other side of Stiles.
There was a quick staring-contest between him and Derek. Stiles wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want Derek to move, but he wasn't too keen on making Scott angry either. With a scoff, Derek moved slightly to the side. He pulled Stiles with him. "There's room for you too."
Scott looked at the small space between Stiles and the armrest before he forced his butt down on the couch. "Okay, I guess you're right." It was clearly uncomfortable. Stiles threw a quick peek at both of them. "Seriously guys!" He shifted a little to try to make the seating-arrangement less tight.
When Allison was about to get up from her place on Derek's right side, Derek pushed her back down. "It's fine, we'll make room." With ease he maneuvered Stiles off the couch and placed him on his lap. "Is this better, Scott? Enough room for you now?"
Stiles couldn't help giggling. He wrapped his arm around Derek's neck before he leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You're not so bad in solving problems, but I'm not sure Scott is particularly happy." He turned to Scott and gave him a wink. If a stare could kill, Stiles would be in so much trouble. Scott just scoffed and looked away. "I get it. It's just... Fuck it, I'm trying, but this is... fucked up."
There was no way Stiles could keep his mouth shut. "Sure it is... I mean... Sure I am. Sorry, didn't mean to broadcast..." He dug his face into the crock of Derek's neck. "I can't help myself. Shut me up please."
When Derek lifted Stiles' head of his shoulder and kissed him, Scott jumped off the couch. "Okay, I give in. I don't need to sit here." He took a few steps back and was obviously about to spew out some venom, when Isaac cleared his throat to get their attention.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Isaac had been sitting in the recliner watching the little drama in front of him. It was sickening. When he cleared his throat, the other four turned to him abruptly. It was like they just got aware of his presence.
"You guys. Erica died. Probably Boyd too," he huffed, "and you are bickering about this." He gave Allison a quick peek. "Well, not you exactly, but still." When Derek was about to say something Isaac stopped him. "Derek, come on, you behave like a brat. 'Stiles is my toy, Scott can not play with my toy.'" The pitch of his voice resembled a child's. "And you Scott... They're a couple, deal with it. We all have had to watch you and Allison, sorry Al, practically getting it on in front of us. Derek and Stiles have been very subtle up until now." He had to take a breath before he continued. "If you can't handle it, you should just leave. Personally, I think Stiles the best thing that has happened to Derek, ever."
He took a step back and slumped down on the chair again. "Can we push this aside and concentrate on serious business." His friends looked so stupefied that Isaac almost started laughing. He didn't though. He was too angry and too sad to actually find any humor in it.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The knock on the door came just in time. Derek hurried out of the couch and ran downstairs to whoever was there. Isaac had been so accurate in his description of the situation that Derek felt embarrassed.
He had a general idea of who was knocking, and as he reached the front door he could smell Stiles' dad.
"Coming." Derek tried to sound cheerful. He wanted Mr Stilinski to perceive him as nice and hospitable. "Come in. We're all here. I guess you want to..." He wasn't sure what to say. Maybe the sheriff was there to pick up his son. "Stiles is fine, and, and, Isaac is fine..."
The sheriff pushed past him and started to walk up the stairs. "I will never forgive myself for leaving my son here. What's the deal? I need to know what happened, really."
Derek hurried to catch up with him. "Stiles is safe here. Don't you worry." He tried to reach in front of the sheriff to open the door to the apartment. "Open mind, that's all we require." With his hand on the doorknob, the sheriff turned to him. "We?"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
When the door opened, Stiles got shivers down his spine. Something was off. He didn't expect his dad to come stumbling, angry and somewhat confused through the door. Derek came in right behind him, and with a pained expression on his face he stared at Stiles before he spoke. "If you don't believe... you will after tonight."
Isaac jumped out of his seat and tried to retract to his room. Derek hurried to cover the escape route. "NO! We will show him. He's unarmed." As Derek said the words, Mr Stilinski reached for his gun. When he discovered that it wasn't there, he looked up in panic. "My gun, you took my gun."
Stiles knew he had to take charge. He wasn't sure what to say but he had to come up with some explanation. "Dad. DAD!" He managed to get his dad's attention. "Derek just wanted to make sure you wouldn't shoot anybody... chances are you'd want to." He wasn't sure if Derek had actually taken the gun, but a quick glace towards his boyfriends hand confirmed it.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a second. "Let's get this over with." He turned to Allison and grabbed her hand. "Al, it's you and me, we have to stick together." He wanted to laugh. Allison and him being team-mates was so far fetched. It still made sense. They had to stick together to convince daddy Stilinski that it was okay to befriend werewolves.
After several seconds of complete silence – everybody just waiting for somebody else to speak – Scott took a step forward. "Uh, I understand that this is difficult for you. I have a hard time dealing myself." He peeked over his shoulder. Stiles tried to give him an encouraging look. Scott continued. "Since nobody else is volunteering, I'm just gonna say it... Derek and Stiles are in love with each other, and ..."
...then the whole world came crashing down. Stiles looked at his dad as the guy's eyes widened. Derek grabbed Scott's arm and pulled him towards the couch. "NO, NO, Scott..." Isaac, who was ready to escape anyway, slumped his head down and moved towards his room again. Allison was the only one who stood firm. "I thought they wanted to tell you about the werewolves." She turned to her boyfriend. "What happened. Scott! Are you out of your mind?"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The sheriff looked like he was paralyzed. Scott knew instantly that this was not what the sheriff came here for. "Uh, I, fuck..." He knew he'd screwed up, but there was nothing he could do to fix it. "Mr Stilinski, I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
Stiles moved forward – limping towards his dad. "Scott is such a joker. I, we... It's nothing. He knows nothing." He grabbed a hold of the sheriff's sleeve and tugged on it. "Dad, please." Finally the sheriff reacted. He looked at his son before he threw a quick glance at Derek. "Is THIS what this is all about?" He shook his head. "You just wanted me to give my blessing so you could live here with this guy."
Scott slumped down on the couch. It looked like Derek was holding his breath while he was listening to the sheriff. Isaac had managed to vanish, and Allison was standing in the middle of the floor rubbing her forehead vigorously. Stiles was about to say something – probably something stupid – but there was nothing he could do that would make those words unsaid.
Before anyone else managed to react, Allison stepped forward. "No, Mr Stilinski. That's not it. Stiles is in danger. He injured a werewolf and the guy is doomed to seek revenge." She didn't mention that this particular wolf was dead, but it didn't matter at the moment. "He needs protection around the clock. Derek and Isaac are the only ones that can provide that."
Both Stiles and his dad looked at Allison. Scott noticed that she seemed to shrink a little, but then she straightened herself up again. "So, maybe Derek and Stiles have a little crush on each other..." when nobody commented she continued. "Saving each others lives can do that to people."
Scott watched as the sheriff ripped himself loose from Stiles' grip and walk towards Derek. He completely ignored Allison and just pushed past her. "Stay away from my son. I dare you to even touch him." He gave Derek a push causing the wolf to take a step back. "I don't want to hear another word about this werewolf bullshit."
Watching Stiles pained face as his dad spoke, made Scott realize that he had to try to fix the damage he'd caused. He sighed heavily before he approached the sheriff. "Mr Stilinski," He said with a firm voice, "look at me." He took a deep breath and forced himself to turn. When he growled loudly and bared his teeth, Mr Stilinski almost fell backwards, but Derek managed to grab him and hold him up.
"Scott! Stop!" Stiles was leaning on the wall, clenching his chest. "I can't breathe. Help me." Scott looked at his friend as the guy struggled to keep himself upright. He was almost hyperventilating. With werewolf speed, Scott rushed to catch Stiles before he fell to the floor.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Stiles opened his eyes and stared into the ceiling. After a thorough examination, the doctor was pretty sure he was okay. Everything was healing at a satisfactory rate, and even if he was still somewhat in pain, it seemed to be expected, all things considered.
After he collapsed in Scott's arms, his friend had picked him up and carried him downstairs. His dad and Derek followed and were actually bickering about who would take him to the hospital. Stiles had almost passed out when Scott just shoved him into the nearest car – which was the jeep – and gestured for Mr Stilinski to get in the driver's seat.
Stiles could hear Derek protesting this, but Scott just pulled him away as he turned to the sheriff. "We're following in Derek's car." In a blur, Stiles watched them run towards the Camaro before his dad pulled away from the curb and took off.
The trip to the hospital went quickly, and Stiles didn't remember much of it. The rest of the journey through the hospital was also somewhat hazy. He'd been rushed through the halls in a wheelchair, while his dad was left behind in the waiting area.
At the moment, he was more alert and felt slightly embarrassed for the commotion he'd caused. The only reason he was still there was because they wanted to x-ray him to make sure that everything was fine.
The pain in his chest had subsided to the dull ache he'd gotten used to over the past few days. His breathing was almost back to normal also. Up in Derek's apartment he'd been sure that his lung had collapsed again, but the doctor was pretty sure that that hadn't happened.
He wanted his dad to be there; he wanted to explain everything to him. When a nurse came to check on him he asked her to get him, but she just shook her head. "No time, I'm taking you to MRI in a bit." She pulled the wheelchair closer to the bed. "Can you manage to get in it on your own?" Stiles nodded and eased himself out of the bed. The nurse waited patiently until he was seated before she gave him a lopsided smile. "It'll be okay, you know. You'll be out of here in no time."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The sheriff was pacing. As soon as Stiles was out of sight, Derek and Scott had come stumbling through the door of the emergency room. They both looked scared as they moved towards him. Mr Stilinski lifted his hand and turned away. "I can't deal... Don't talk to me. I... there's nothing," he huffed audibly, "my son is injured because of you, I can't even begin to..."
Everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours was taking a toll on him. He threw a quick peek at Scott. The boy had been in and out of their house since he was a toddler. Mr Stilinski couldn't understand how he could not have known. The fact that werewolves existed in the first place was hard enough to wrap his mind around, but that Scott was one was just mind-blowing.
A part of him wanted to sit Scott down and pick his mind. He wanted explanations. He wanted to learn as much as possible, but he was still too freaked out to form a coherent sentence.
His son almost got killed because of his fraternization with these people – animals – Mr Stilinski didn't even know what to call it. He just knew that it had to end. Stiles was obviously in danger because of all this, and protecting him would be hard. He didn't even know what kind of powers the werewolves had. The lore, the myths could be over-exaggerating. Maybe they were just normal guys who happened to have a secret.
Somehow he doubted that. The injuries Stiles had sustained were serious. Another issue was that he'd noticed how easily Scott had picked up Stiles and carried him to the car. He was obviously stronger than a normal teen. The guy didn't even break a sweat down the stairs.
Derek and Scott were now seated on the small couch in the waiting area. The sheriff stopped pacing for a moment and looked at them. It wouldn't surprise him if the Hale boy was a werewolf too, but then again, anybody around him could be one. If Scott had managed to cover this up – maybe for years – anybody else could have too.
He watched as Derek pressed his knuckles into his eyes, as if he wanted to prevent himself from crying. Scott huffed and frowned a little, but then he gave the guy and encouraging pat on the back. The scene made him remember what had triggered the whole drama. According to Scott, Derek and Stiles were in love. The way Derek behaved at the moment could surely be a confirmation of the fact. At least the guy cared a lot about Stiles.
Mr Stilinski closed his eyes and tried to calm down. He made a quick decision. As soon as he could see Stiles, he'd demand and explanation. He'd try to keep an open mind, but he was adamant about getting the truth. He wanted the whole truth and nothing but the truth.