Allison and Isaac are waiting for news. Melissa takes charge amd forces Scott to explain everything to the sheriff. Maybe not everything. Derek is torn between tending to Stiles and going into the woods. He knows what's in there, but decides to stay away.

Sorry guys, this chapter doesn't bring much news, but I will post the next one shortly. A juicy Sterek moment is in the making. Hang in there.

"I came in like a wrecking ball..." Isaac was singing to himself as he tidied the kitchen. When he realized that he was singing out loud, he threw a peek over his shoulder. Allison was sitting on the couch and rolled her eyes at him. "Miley!" She scoffed. "That was unexpected."

Isaac shrugged before he grabbed a rag to wipe the counter. "Who cares?! If I embarrass myself here, I will still not reach Scott's level. He screwed up big-time!" He threw the rag in the sink and turned to Allison before he – with a shrieking voice – changed the lyrics. "Scott came in like a wrecking ball... He never hit so hard before..." He could see that Allison found it amusing, although she did her best to hide it.

The two of them had no idea what happened when Stiles almost collapsed. Isaac had been in his room when he heard the commotion from the living room, and when he realized that they'd left, he snuck into the living area again. Surprised to see Allison, he questioned his own senses for a second. He hadn't been able to smell her, but then again, she was so covered in Scott's scents that her own was practically impossible to detect.

She'd been standing in the middle of the room with her eyes focused on the door when Isaac came out of his room. She turned abruptly when Isaac came up behind her. "I, I'm... you startled me." She rushed towards the door and was about to run down the stairs when Isaac shouted: "They've gone. I could hear them. Allison! They took off already."

Seconds later, she came back. "What happened?" She walked over to the couch. "They just left." Isaac wasn't even in the room when they all ran out, but still, he had a general idea. "They are going to the hospital. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Allison stared at him for a moment. "Stiles just... he just..." She stopped and slumped down on the couch. "How can you be so calm about it? It might be serious. He couldn't breathe." Isaac shrugged and cocked his head. "There's nothing I can do. Panicking is futile. We just have to wait and see."

He sat down in his previous spot on the recliner and sighed heavily. "We'll just have to wait and see." He repeated. "I'm sure Stiles will be fine. All the secrets are out, and now we'll just have to deal with it."

With a scoff, Allison looked up. "Not all the secrets. We killed a few guys." A humorless chuckle followed. "And Derek never revealed himself." She gave Isaac a tentative smile. "I just hope you're right. I hope Stiles is fine. That's the most important thing right now."

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

The moment Melissa discovered that Stiles was in the hospital, she rushed to find him. It didn't take long before she found out that he was getting a MRI, and she was at the door when he came out.

"What happened? I thought you were doing good?" She practically pushed away the nurse's assistant that was supposed to bring him back to his dad. "I'll do it. I know him." As soon as the girl had left she repeated the question, but Stiles just slumped his head down without answering.

She sighed and left Stiles for a moment to talk to the MRI technician. From her, she learned that Stiles was free to go home and wait for the results. She told Melissa that according to the doctors, there was nothing wrong with him. Nothing new anyway. "We did it to make sure, but he can go home now. The radiologist will be here tomorrow. He'll call."

"What happened?" Melissa asked again, as she pushed the wheelchair through the hall. Stiles looked up at her and blushed a little. "They said it was probably an anxiety-attack. I couldn't breathe, and it was really painful. I thought I was in big trouble." Melissa patted his shoulder and gave the boy a smile. "I see. What brought it on?"

Stiles grabbed the wheels. He held on, forcing Melissa to stop. "Dad knows. What happened at Derek's was just..." He took a deep breath as Melissa stepped in front of him. "He knows about you and Derek?" She was somewhat surprised; she'd thought they wanted to keep it a secret for a long as possible.

Stiles covered his face with his hands. "That too, but I don't know if that freaked him out as much as Scott wolfing-out in front of him." He peeked up at her. "I felt that everything fell apart. He – dad – looked like he wanted to attack Derek, but then Scott..." He swallowed hard. "I think I just... I think it was just too much for me to handle. I need to explain everything, but I don't know if I can. Up there in Derek's apartment it was like... It was a mess. How can I..."

Melissa squatted in front of Stiles and grabbed his hands. "Stop, relax." She noticed that Stiles tried to avoid her stare. "Look at me!" She demanded. He lifted his head and took a deep breath before he met her eyes. With a soft smile on her lips, she lifted her hand and stroke his cheek. "I will help you. He needed to know. I will try to explain this to him."

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

"Mr Stilinski!" Surprised to hear his mom's voice, Scott turned abruptly towards her. He was about to get up, when she walked towards the sheriff lifting her hand in a gesture that was unmistakable. She didn't want him to interfere. "Mr Stilinski, can you come with me? We need to talk."

Scott stared at her, but decided to stay away. He had an idea about what she wanted with Stiles' dad, but was disappointed that she didn't tell them all what was wrong with Stiles. He tried to think of her as a professional instead of his mom, and realized she was right. Derek was staring at her too, but didn't move. The sheriff threw a quick glance at them before he followed her.

Derek and Scott looked at each other. Scott didn't know if they were supposed to wait, or if this was it. Everything that happened in the loft could change a lot of things in their lives. Mr Stilinski could easily decide that Scott was not welcome at their house anymore. The little slip about the relationship between Stiles and Derek, could result in Stiles being locked up in his room.

"This is so fucked up. I screwed up. How can I possibly fix this?" He looked at Derek. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... Now it can take a while before you can see him again – before we can see him again."

With a huff, Derek got up from his seat and started pacing. "Don't worry about it. We'll find a way." He turned to Scott. "Isaac already showed him. Isaac turned in front of the sheriff this morning." Scott furrowed his brows. "So he already knew about the werewolves? Why didn't you tell me?"

Derek took a breath before he slumped back down on the couch. "I don't think he believed his own eyes. He, he shot Isaac, and then I got him drunk." Flabbergasted by the news, Scott couldn't do anything but stare at Derek. It took several seconds before he was able to form a sentence.

"What? We hung out together for hours and you didn't tell us. Stiles didn't tell us. What?" Surprise and disappointment fought for control over Scott. "I think I'm pretty pissed off right now." He was about to get up when his mom came towards them. She was alone.

"I'll get Stiles." She gestured for them to wait before she hurried away. Only seconds later, she was back with Stiles in a wheelchair. "Derek, take him home." Derek jumped out of his seat and rushed over to Stiles. "Are you okay?" He lifted his head to look at Melissa. "To his home?" She shook her head. "No. He's safer with you. Take him to your place."

Stiles hadn't managed to get a word in, and Scott could see that the guy was annoyed by it. "I'm fine, Derek." He huffed. "I can talk, I could have told him." He turned to Scott. "And I forgive you. We'll deal."

When Scott got up to join Derek and Stiles, his mom stopped him. "No, not you. You come with me." He stared at her before he turned to Stiles again. "Uh, thanks. I guess I have to stay." He was about to walk over to his mom, when Derek grabbed his sleeve. "If everything works out, you can come later. I'll explain why we didn't say anything."

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

It was a warm summer evening. The wind was rustling the leaves. A few bats were searching for food, and people with good ears could probably hear their high-pitch sounds. A few other nocturnal creatures started to emerge from their hiding places to search for something eatable.

Even if the forest was crawling with life, it still would be perceived as quiet and tranquil. A half moon was hanging on the dark sky, shedding some light over the seemingly blissful scenery.

A fox was preparing to leap for a unsuspecting mouse, when a new sound made her flick her ears and sniff into the air. Shortly after, she abandoned her mission and took off.

They didn't make much noise. For two men, they were surprisingly light-footed, but they were carrying a load that made it impossible to sneak through the woods undetected. They pushed through some bushes that lined the most trafficked path, before they stopped and assessed the area.

After a short deliberation, they dumped their load. One of them picked a piece of paper out of his pocket and bent down. The facial features of the dead body lying on the forest floor was almost impossible to see. His dark complexion didn't reflect much of the moonlight. His clothes were frayed and torn, but by rearranging them somewhat it was still possible to pin the note to the front of his shirt.

A faint hum from an engine made both men look up and sniff into the air. After throwing a quick peek at the dead guy, they both took off in the same direction they came from.

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

Derek helped Stiles get comfortable, before he rounded the car and got into the driver's seat. With no idea what went on in the hospital at the moment, he decided to try to not think about it. Protecting Stiles was the most important thing on the to-do-list, and at least it seemed like Melissa was on the same page.

Stiles looked at him curiously when Derek decided to take a detour. "Where are we going, thought we were heading home?" He smiled shyly. "I mean to your home." A giggle followed. "Sorry." Derek turned into the dirt-road leading to the Hale-house. "I'm gonna get something from the house. It'll only take a minute." He patted Stiles' thigh. "After that you're going straight to bed."

He parked as close as he could to the house and jumped out of the car. Stiles didn't make any move to suggest that he wanted to join him. Derek thought about it for a second before he opened the door on the passenger side. "Come on. It's safer for you to stick with me."

Stiles struggled to get out of the car, and Derek reached his hand out to help him while he panned the area in front of the house. As Stiles put both feet on the ground, Derek took a deep breath through his nose. The scent he caught a whiff of, made him change his plans. "Get back in. We're leaving. They're here."

With a sigh, Stiles slumped back down on the seat. "Okay, just push me around. I can handle it." He didn't seem scared, just slightly annoyed. Derek slammed the door shut and ran to the other side of the Camaro. Now, when he was aware of it, it was impossible not to smell them. Another scent hit him too, and he knew he had to make a call.

Speeding through the bumpy road, he threw his phone to Stiles. "Call Scott; put him on speaker." Stiles fumbled a little with the phone before he found Scott's number. He dialed and it rang for a long time before Scott eventually picked up. "Hi, sorry, I can't..." Derek didn't let him finish. "Are you with the sheriff? They're back."

They heard Scott draw his breath. "Uh, yeah. They're back? The Alphas?" Derek swerved through a curve, and Stiles grabbed on to the door-handle. "Of course, but there's more." he managed to get control over the car again. "I have to stay with Stiles. Go with the sheriff. You'll find a dead body near my house. The Hale-house." He sighed. "I think it's Boyd."

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

When his mom pulled Scott down the hall, she hurried to explain what she'd told the sheriff. "Stiles gave me a quick recap of what they wanted him to know so I explained as good as I could. Now he wants to see you." She stopped in front of a door to a small examination-room. "He doesn't know about the dead wolves, or about the Argent's involvement. I think we'll keep it at that."

She opened the door and pushed Scott in front of her into the room. Mr Stilinski looked at him with a pained expression on his face. "So it is true? You're a werewolf? This is..." He threw his hands out.

Melissa shrugged. "You can ask him about it; he's still Scott. He is still the boy you've known since he was little."

Scott did his best to answer the questions Mr Stilinski had lined up for him. He explained how he got bitten and how Stiles had helped him through the initial phases of the transformation. Scott told him about their powers and their ability to heal themselves.

After almost a half hour with something that resembled a third-degree, Stiles' dad leaned back in his seat. "How many are there? Who are they?" Scott looked at his mom and noticed that she gave him a almost invisible head-shake. "Well, we don't know how many in all, but around here there are only a few."

The sheriff scoffed. "But you know who they are, obviously." Scott's phone rang before he got a chance to comment. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to pick up, but whoever called didn't hang up, so eventually he just answered.

After the short conversation with Derek, Scott turned to Mr Stilinski. "We have to go. There's another body in the woods."

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

When Derek and Stiles had explained the recent events, Isaac and Allison were politely asked to leave. Even if they both seemed eager to get out, they still offered to stay with Stiles if Derek wanted to join Scott and the sheriff, but Derek declined. "No, I'm staying. If you want to help, call Scott."

Stiles knew that Derek was torn between the two options, and with a shrug, he looked at the three of them. "Derek, if you want to go..." He didn't want Derek to leave, but under the circumstances, he could understand why Derek wanted to check it out. Boyd had, after all, been a part of his pack.

"I said no!" Derek grabbed Stiles' hand and pulled him into an embrace. "They can handle it. You need protection." He peeked over at Isaac and Allison. "It's not like I don't trust them, but your dad left you in my care. I can't go."

When Stiles was about to protest, "It was really Melissa..." Derek chuckled and gave him a lopsided smile. "I'm sure your dad is perfectly aware of what Melissa told me to do. I'm sure she made him understand that you're safest here, with me."

"But what about Isaac, he lives here?" Stiles felt sorry for the guy. "I, you know, it's not like I... okay, it's probably better if he leaves. Oh, I don't mean..." He could feel a blush coming on. "I'm gonna shut up now."

A couple of minutes later, they were alone in the apartment. Isaac had promised him that he'd find a place to crash, and that Stiles wouldn't have to worry about that. "We'll call when we have news." Allison came over and gave Stiles a quick hug before they left. "I'm happy you're okay. See you tomorrow, maybe?"

It was actually a little awkward to suddenly be alone with Derek again. They were still standing in the middle of the room in a tight embrace. It felt like ages ago since they'd been in this situation. That it was less than a week ago since the fight was almost surreal. "Derek?" Stiles said with a soft voice. "Yeah?" The reply came as huff, before Stiles continued. "My foot is almost healed, my shoulder, yeah, no pain, but my ribs are still bothering me, so if you wouldn't hold me so tight it would be good."

Derek let go instantly and stepped back. "Sorry, I'm sorry." He chuckled a little nervously. "I didn't make it worse, did I?" Stiles cocked his head. "Oh, please. I didn't want you to let go completely. I just... oh, what the hell, give me some painkillers and bring it on." He practically leaped into Derek's arms again. "I distinctly remember that you said I had to go straight to bed as soon as we got here."

It actually took Derek several seconds to catch on. The surprised look on his face was almost hilarious. Stiles reached up and pinched his cheek. "I'm under your protection now, but we don't know for how long." He cocked his head and winked. "Stiles needs some TLC, don't make me beg."

With a grunt, Derek lifted him up and brushed his lips against Stiles' forehead. "TLC? I'll have to look that up." Moving towards the stairs, he nibbled a little on Stiles' earlobe. "A quick shower before bed, okay?"