Author's Note: This takes place in the season 2 premiere, with a few things changed. Jackson was never bitten, so no kanima. And I'm not sure if I'll include Gerard in this, but I'm leaning toward no. I'm also planning on having a bit more humor in this story, since the last two were more about Isaac working through his trauma and finding his place in a new family. I love a bit of Derek and Isaac snark.

Derek rolled his eyes as he scared away the grave robbing Omega. Honestly, what was the point of all that? He'd warned Scott about the dangers of being a lone wolf, but that was just ridiculous. Just because you didn't have a pack, didn't mean you couldn't have a normal life. Derek was alone, but he wasn't going around eating dead bodies like some sort of monster. And maybe he wasn't going to be alone for much longer.

He'd noticed the kid a few days earlier, when he was walking around town at night. Derek wasn't being creepy by walking in a cemetery in the dark, it was just a good place to be alone to get his thoughts together. And if he wanted to scope out Kate's grave to piss on later, that was his business.

Derek was no stranger to odd jobs, having worked several during his time in New York, but it was a bit strange to see a teenager working a literal graveyard shift. He watched him from the trees a bit, taking note of how he did his work, while pausing every now and again to grab a book from his backpack and jot down some words. It wasn't really the best way to do homework, but the kid seemed to be making it work.

Derek hadn't even been considering offering him the bite, since he wasn't looking to babysit, but his thoughts shifted a bit when the boy's father showed up that night. He could tell they were related, thanks to their similar scents, but their emotions were wildly different. The older man was giving off nothing but anger and aggression. And Derek's teeth were set on edge by the amount of fear pumping out of the boy. He wasn't really the bleeding heart, savior type, but Derek couldn't stand back and do nothing.

The Omega showing up had actually helped him, since it gave Derek the opportunity to be the hero. After he scared the werewolf away, he lifted the machinery covering the hole and stood at the edge in confident triumph. The boy was staring up at him in shock, huddled in the corner of the hole.

"Need a hand?" Derek asked, letting a bit of cockiness slip through. He needed to make becoming like him look as appealing as possible. Who wouldn't want this kind of power? There had to be more people out there like him, not like Scott McCall. Derek didn't wait long for a response, reaching his hand down for the kid to take. His fear of being stuck in a hole must've been stronger than the wariness of him, because he hesitantly grabbed him and Derek pulled him out with little effort. He flinched back so violently when his feet touched the grass that he almost fell right back into the hole, but Derek turned and steadied him before he could.

"What- who- what's going on?" he whispered, trying to put a few feet of distance between them.

"Isaac-"

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things," Derek shrugged. He probably shouldn't have let his name slip out at this point, but it was too late now. "I'm Derek."

"And I'm sixteen. I'm not sure what you want, but you don't want it from me," Isaac insisted, tucking his jacket tighter around his body.

"Actually, I'm here to offer you something." That sounded worse.

"I don't want it."

"You don't even know what it is," Derek sighed. Maybe this was a bad idea. He would never bite someone against their will, like his uncle, but maybe he was looking in the wrong spot for a new pack. Derek could always find werewolves without an Alpha, but sometimes it was harder to build that camaraderie if they were used to serving another master. He sure wasn't going to follow after that Omega and ask him to join.

"Please, just let me go. I don't have any money to give you. I have a cell phone," Isaac offered, pulling it out of his pocket and frowning down at the screen. "I'm sorry, it's broken. Shit, now you know that I can't call for help."

"I'm not here to take anything from you. I'm here to give you something. A gift. Something that can help you."

"No one helps other people for nothing," Isaac muttered, glancing away.

"And who taught you that? The person who gave you that black eye?" Derek challenged. Isaac flinched, immediately bringing his hand up to touch the bruise.

"I got this at lacrosse," Isaac murmured, the lie rolling easily off his tongue. But Derek could hear the lie in his heartbeat. And anyone who paid attention to Isaac and his father would be able to see the truth. A lot of things seemed to fly under the radar in Beacon Hills though.

"What if I told you I could help you protect yourself, whether it be from an elbow during lacrosse or something else?" Derek asked. "What if I could give you a power that you'd never even dreamed of?"

"If you're offering me drugs, I don't want them." Derek really needed to work on his pitch before he ever attempted this again. He was almost ready to give up.

"Are you always this stubborn?" Derek sighed.

"Do you always go up to random strangers in a cemetery in the middle of the night?" Isaac shot back. Derek was glad to see there was at least a little bit of fight in this kid.

"No, but aren't you glad I was here? Where would you be if I hadn't saved you from the thing that dropped you in that hole?"

"How do I know that wasn't you in the first place? You tipped- and then you lifted- but that's impossible! Are you on steroids? Or bath salts?" Isaac stammered, backing up a few steps. This was getting Derek nowhere. He had to get this over with.

"Not quite," Derek shrugged, letting his eyes shift red. Isaac stumbled back in shock, tripping over his feet and landing on his butt.

"This isn't real," Isaac whispered, clenching his eyes shut and shaking his head in denial. "I need to wake up."

"It would be easier if you could just accept what you're seeing."

"Accept super strength and glowing eyes? Like you're some sort of robot?"

"A werewolf actually," Derek replied. Isaac looked up at him again and Derek slowly let his claws out, holding them up for him to see in the dim light. "What would you say if I told you that you could be one as well?"

"No."

"No?" Derek repeated in surprise. Maybe he should've given in and bitten Jackson, although being stuck with that kid sounded like a nightmare.

"I don't- I don't want it." Derek could hear the little bit of doubt he was trying to hide though. There was a part of him that was at least interested.

"And why not? Are you happy with your life the way it is now?" Derek challenged. Isaac sucked in a sharp breath, but didn't respond. "Sometimes life deals you a bad hand and it feels like you're gonna be stuck forever. But what if you didn't have to be? This isn't just strength, it's confidence. It's having people you can depend on. It's family."

"I already have a family. And just because you made assumptions about it doesn't mean it isn't good enough," Isaac argued, finally climbing back up to his feet. "I'm saying no and that's final." Derek raised his hands in defeat, nodding his acceptance.

"I can respect your decision, but know this," Derek started, letting his voice lower into a growl, "if I find out you told anyone about what I told you tonight, it won't end well for you." Too many people in this town knew about werewolves as it was.

"I know how to keep my mouth shut," Isaac muttered and Derek flicked his eyes at the bruise on his face again. "I have to go to the office to call this in. It would probably be best if you weren't here when the cops show up."

"Remember what I said," Derek warned, crossing his arms over his chest. "It would probably be best if you forget you ever met me."

"Easier said than done, but okay," Isaac murmured, turning to head off toward the building in the distance. He paused before he got too far, tilting his head to the side to face him again. "Thank you for helping me earlier. And not doing whatever it was that you wanted to do." Derek shrugged him off, jerking his chin to tell him to get going.

This attempt had been a bust and the smart thing to do would be to hold off on trying again until he came up with a real plan. Or leave town and start somewhere new. But as Derek stomped off into the trees, he knew that wasn't what he was going to do. This kid was stuck in his head now and there was no getting him out. Maybe he would watch him for a bit longer, just to make sure that he really kept quiet about everything. That's what he could tell himself to make this less personal. Derek wasn't worried about some kid he'd just met. And in a few days, they'd probably never cross paths again.

He was so wrong.