Stiles scoured his cupboards, grabbing anything that looked like it would be useful for someone sick. A lot of options weren't feasible, thanks to the pathetic motel room, but anything that didn't have to be cooked was fair game. The microwave would help, but it wasn't enough.

He'd dropped Scott off at his house to round up whatever he had and was going to pick him up when they were done. It was better to stay separated, in case they ran into any parents. The two of them together would raise suspicion, since they were kind of known for shenanigans. Once they joined back together and did an inventory of what they gathered, they'd head back to Derek's motel.

Stiles had to admit that what they'd found there was pretty surprising. Derek wasn't the kind of guy who saved people. Jumping into a fight maybe, but helping people in that way was probably just a happy accident. The thirst for violence was most likely the biggest draw. But seeing him pet the head of a sick teenager, who according to Derek he barely even knew, was shocking. Stiles still wasn't convinced that there wasn't something else going on, but he'd leave it alone. He really didn't want the details.

Stiles' bag was filled with sports drinks, crackers, some of his dad's healthy snacks that had probably been in the kitchen for a couple years past the pull date, and a couple extras for Derek. Maybe if he plied the man with sugar he would start to mellow out a little. If he even ate anything with sugar. Stiles could see him purposefully hunting down the cutest forest creatures for sustenance.

"What are you doing?"

"Gah!" Stiles shouted, almost dropping his bag as he whirled around in surprise. His dad was standing next to the table behind him, eyeing him suspiciously. "Don't do that."

"The only way I ever know what you're doing is if I catch you in the act. So again, what are you doing?" his dad asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nothing?"

"Why are you filling that bag with food? Planning on running away again?"

"Again? When did I run away before?" Stiles asked in confusion.

"You were four and highly offended that you couldn't have ice cream for dinner."

"Apparently bad food choices run in the family."

"So you put all of your stuffed animals and the TV remote for some reason in a little backpack and announced you were leaving. Walked right out the front door."

"How far did I get?"

"Didn't even make it out of the yard. You got distracted by your mom working in the garden and made mud pies next to her for the rest of the afternoon," his dad replied with a soft smile.

"I don't remember that," Stiles said wistfully. He wished he could remember every good moment he shared with his mother, but it was unrealistic. At least he had some, unlike the kid Derek had stashed in a motel.

"It was a long time ago. Feels even longer after the past few days I've had," he sighed, sitting heavily in one of the dining chairs. Stiles perked up at that. Not because he was happy his dad sounded so tired, but because he was the one to bring up work. It would be easier to get information out of him if he started the conversation.

"How are things going down at the station?" Stiles asked, trying to keep his tone concerned, instead of interested. He didn't want his dad to think he was up to something. He was, obviously, but that was beside the point.

"As good as you can expect when you have another missing kid in town," his dad replied, running a hand down his face.

"Yeah," Stiles grimaced. He wished he could assuage his dad's worries and tell him the truth about what was going on, but he couldn't. If what Derek told him was true, Stiles couldn't be the one to put a kid back into a bad situation. "Any leads?" If his dad said something about them going door to door at local establishments, Stiles was going to have to warn Derek.

"All I've got is a bad feeling."

"What do you mean?"

"I actually met Isaac a few days before he disappeared. There was a call at the cemetery where he worked. Seemed like a nice enough kid, but something was off."

"Off how?" Stiles prodded.

"He had a bruise. Blamed it on lacrosse, but I didn't really believe it."

"Then where do you think he got it from?"

"Not lacrosse," his dad replied darkly. "And with these state police guys in town taking over, there isn't much I can do."

"What happens if you find him?"

"If a crime has been committed, we deal with it. If one hasn't, he goes back home," he sighed, sounding like he knew that neither of those were good outcomes. "Do you know him? He plays lacrosse with you."

"Playing isn't really the term I'd use when it comes to my place on the team, but no. I'd never even heard his name before today," Stiles scoffed.

"He's gone to the same school as you for years, Stiles."

"That doesn't mean I know everyone! Scott's been like, my only friend since before this year. Everyone else is just a background character."

"You know, for someone who likes to be involved in things that aren't your business, I'm surprised," his dad huffed.

"Excuse me? I- what even? You- that's… no," Stiles stammered, shaking his head in denial.

"Derek Hale ring any bells?" Stiles froze. His dad didn't know that he was still in contact with him, right? This wasn't just some long, drawn out way to let him know that he was onto them, right? Stiles had to play this cool.

"Who's Derek Hale?" He was such an idiot.

"Stiles."

"That was different! I was trying to investigate a crime. If I thought someone on the lacrosse team was up to something, I might've noticed. You can't compare the scenarios," Stiles argued.

"Sure," his dad chuckled, before tiredly pulling himself out of his seat. "I'm going to try to catch a couple hours of shut-eye before I have to get back to the station. Try not to get into any trouble. I'm too busy to deal with it right now."

"Deal," Stiles agreed, as if he wasn't an accomplice to hiding a runaway. He watched as his dad shuffled out of the room, going over the information he'd gotten. Nothing he'd heard made him think that they were close to finding Derek, which was good. But the state police aspect made things tricky, since Stiles was used to his dad being the final boss when it came to legal things. He needed to get Scott and go back to Derek, so they could figure out what to do next.

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long and is so short, but hopefully the next chapter won't be so slow. I finally figured out how the rest of this story is going to go as I was writing this chapter, so fingers crossed. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me!