Scott watched as Stiles' leg bounced uncontrollably. He was always moving around at the best of times, but it got really bad when he was stressed. And this was one of the more stressful situations that they'd dealt with in a while. That was saying something, with how their lives were.

They were sitting in the hospital, waiting for any word on Isaac's condition. As soon as he'd been brought in, he'd been whisked away. Apparently they weren't important enough to get any updates, since they weren't family. But they weren't going anywhere.

Scott had just gotten home from his shift when his phone rang. The number wasn't one he had saved, but he knew better than to assume it was a telemarketer or wrong number. It was a safer bet that it would end up a crisis. And he hadn't been wrong.

He knew he should've insisted that Isaac not go home. He'd had a feeling in his gut that things had been too quiet recently. Call it werewolf instincts or whatever, but he'd wanted to convince Isaac to stay with either him or Stiles, just until the feeling went away. And if it never did, then he'd never go back. It was unrealistic, but Scott didn't care. They would've had a better outcome than this.

Isaac's slurred voice on the other end of the line terrified him. He wasn't making much sense as Scott tried to get information from him, but the detail about Derek clued him in on where he could possibly be. Scott kept the line open after Isaac stopped responding, giving his mom a brief rundown of what was going on. If Isaac was really hurt, he wanted her to be there. This wasn't like when he got hurt and could tuck himself away for a while to heal. Isaac was still fragile and human.

The drive to the motel had been nerve-wracking, especially as they got closer and Scott could smell the scent of Isaac getting stronger. He distracted himself by texting Stiles about the situation, so he wouldn't wolf out in front of his mother. It was a near thing when they finally pulled into the parking lot and all Scott could smell was blood. They were in the right place, but it was worse than he thought.

Scott honestly would've thought Isaac was dead at first glance, if he couldn't hear his heartbeat. He was laying on his side on one of the beds, with a puddle of blood staining the pillow underneath his pale face. The phone he used to call Scott was laying on top of his limp hand.

His mom sprung into action immediately, letting her training take over. She gave herself one moment to look horrified and devastated, then she swallowed it all and got to work. Scott followed her instructions as she checked him over, using whatever supplies she had in the first aid kit she kept in the car for emergencies. Isaac never made a sound. When his mom felt something she didn't like on Isaac's stomach, she knew it was time to move. They had no idea how long Isaac had been like this and she wasn't willing to wait for an ambulance to show up, so they carried Isaac to the car and took him to the hospital themselves. Scott sat in the back with him, taking any pain he could while his mom was focusing on the road. She went into the treatment area with Isaac as soon as they got to the hospital and Scott hadn't seen her since.

"What's taking so long?" Stiles groaned, flopping his head over the back of his chair.

"Maybe they're just patching him up and he'll walk out here soon?" Scott offered hopefully.

"Do you really believe that?"

"No," Scott sighed, running a hand down his face. Even if his werewolf abilities hadn't told him more than he wanted to know about Isaac's condition, his mom's reaction had.

"I'm gonna hack into the computer system and see what I can find," Stiles declared, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"You don't know how to hack anything and trying will just get us kicked out of the hospital."

"I have to do something! I'm not built to sit around in waiting rooms," Stiles grumbled, gnawing on his thumb nail. Scott knew that wasn't true, since he'd just done it for Lydia. And he'd had more than enough experience to last a lifetime when his mom was sick. He never liked to let it show, but Stiles hated being in hospitals altogether.

"I think I hear my mom coming," Scott said, closing his eyes to block out his other senses. Sure enough, he heard the sound of his mother's gait as she walked down the hall toward where they were sitting. Scott rushed to the doors with Stiles hot on his heels, hovering there so they would be able to intercept her. When she finally walked in, she didn't seem surprised to see them there.

"Boys," his mom sighed, looking tired. Not completely devastated, so Isaac was probably still alive.

"How is he?" Scott asked, eager to hear some good news.

"It's confidential."

"Come on!" Stiles whined, pulling at his short hair in frustration. "You have to give us something. Isaac wouldn't mind."

"Mom, please," Scott whispered, using the best puppy dog eyes he could muster. "We don't need to know everything, we just need to know if he's going to be okay." His mom still looked hesitant, but after a few more seconds of internal deliberation, she motioned for them to follow her into a quieter corner of the room.

"He's in surgery."

"Oh my God."

"There was a small tear in his spleen, but the doctors are confident they can repair it."

"That bastard!" Stiles hissed, balling his fists.

"I'm assuming you know who did this? And that it's the same person I'm thinking of as well?" his mom asked, her face going dark. Isaac hadn't been around long, but that didn't matter. Scott's mom wouldn't accept any kid getting hurt on her watch.

"His dad," Scott confirmed, not worrying about protecting Isaac's privacy anymore. If Isaac couldn't take care of himself, they would for him.

"And he told you that for sure?"

"Not about this time, but we know about other things."

"Stay here. I'm going to go make some phone calls. And if there is any news on Isaac's condition, I'll let you know." She hugged both of them before walking off to the nurse's station. Scott wished he'd told her sooner, instead of listening to Isaac. Maybe they wouldn't have been in this mess.

"I'm gonna make a phone call too," Stiles growled, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and jabbing at the buttons angrily.

"Your dad?" Scott asked, even though he knew that wasn't the answer.

"I'm not stopping until you pick up, asshole," Stiles ground out, hitting the button over and over after his call kept getting rejected. The fact that the number was still in service and Stiles wasn't blocked had to mean something. If Derek truly wanted to disappear, he would've.

"What do you want, Stiles?" Derek growled, finally answering.

"Hey Derek, how's it going? Just wanted to know how the weather is where you are. Oh, by the way, Isaac's in the hospital."

"What? I thought I told you to keep an eye on him!" Derek snapped.

"You are not putting the blame on us! It's not like we could hold him against his will. That's your move." Scott had to wince at that. It was kind of a low blow. He could hear Derek breathing heavily on the other end of the phone. As much as he liked to pretend that he didn't care about anything, Derek still seemed to care about Isaac.

"How is he? Is he going to be okay?" Derek asked, without the anger from before.

"You'll have to come and find out for yourself," Stiles replied, before ending the call.

"Dude."

"I'm not gonna let Derek weasel his way out of this one. He started all this and if he wants to end it, he's gonna have to show up."

"But he left town. Do you think he's gonna come back for this? He could be on the other side of the country by now."

"Then he better start driving."

Derek didn't really have to drive far. Even though he told Stiles that he was leaving town and planned to, he barely got outside of Beacon Hills before his conscience stopped him. He pulled over on the side of the road and mentally listed every reason he should leave the town that caused him so much pain.

It was the place his family was murdered, years ago and recently. It was where Paige died in his arms. It was crawling with Argents, which meant people who wanted him dead as well. Anywhere else on the planet could be a fresh start for him, away from all the pain and chaos. But his mind always shifted back to Isaac.

Was it because he was an Alpha now? Was he hardwired to want to protect and lead? Peter sure hadn't been that way with Scott, but his mom had with her pack. And even though Isaac wasn't his Beta and wasn't technically in his pack, Derek still felt that protectiveness over him. He sent Isaac away because he needed to save him, not because he hadn't wanted him anymore. It felt like there was an empty pit in his stomach now that he was gone.

But Derek also knew that Isaac didn't want to see him. He'd done the exact thing he'd promised not to do. He gave Isaac hope, then ripped it away. He promised him safety, then sent him back into danger. There was never a life with Derek that would be without risk, but at least they would've been together. And Derek would've thrown himself in the line of fire to protect his pack.

That thought was why Derek found another abandoned building to squat in just outside of town. When he knew he could get away with it, he went into town to check on Isaac. It was harder to do now that Scott was hanging around him more often. It would be just his luck that Scott would start using his abilities and sniff him out.

Isaac was looking better as time went on. The bruises faded and no new ones took their place. Derek started to think that maybe Isaac's dad had been scared into turning over a new leaf or just decided that abusing his son wasn't worth the risk to himself. He'd just seen Isaac the day before and he was fine. But of course people didn't change. Neither did Derek, deep down. So he was going to handle this like the old Derek.

The Lahey house was quiet when he pulled up to it. It was dark outside and the street was empty, but it wouldn't have mattered either way. There could've been a parade out front, but it wouldn't have changed what Derek was about to do. He got out of the car and walked up to the door, not bothering to knock before opening it up. It was unlocked, so at least he didn't have to rip it off the hinges.

"Isaac?" Derek followed the sound of the voice, finding Isaac's father sitting in a chair in his living room. There was a half empty bottle of whiskey on the table next to him and a few bottles of beer scattered around. Derek felt a little pang of disappointment that the man wouldn't be sober for this. He didn't want any alcohol to dull his senses. "Who the hell are you?"

Derek ignored the question, walking around the room. When he'd been in the house before, he'd been so focused on finding Isaac that he hadn't paid attention to many of the details. Derek's opinion on living situations should probably be taken with a grain of salt due to how he was living now, but he'd grown up in a real, loving home. This wasn't one. There was nothing personal. Probably because things were broken often enough that it would be a waste of money to replace things often.

"So, you're the man who likes to beat on his son," Derek said, turning to face Isaac's father. He'd stood up from his chair, but was obviously favoring one leg. Derek felt a pang of satisfaction at the sight.

"Excuse me? How dare you come into my house and accuse me of such things?" he snapped, full of indignation. The audacity of it all was too much. It only took two strides before Derek was in front of him and he punched him right across the jaw. He didn't use his full power, since that would've killed the man immediately. That was too easy. Isaac's dad fell back into his chair, clutching the side of his face in shock.

"Not so fun being on the other side of it, right?" Derek asked, hovering over him. He wanted to make Isaac's father feel as small as possible, just to give him a taste of what it felt like to be picked on by someone with more power.

"I'm going to call the police," he groaned, patting his pockets for his phone.

"Go ahead. I'm sure they'd love to hear what's been going on in this house."

"You have no proof. No one would believe you!" he spat, trying and failing to look cocky from his position.

"You might be right. I could tell all the right people and you could still get off scot-free," Derek conceded. He waited for Isaac's father to look triumphant at that idea, before he leaned down closer to him. "I guess I'll have to deliver justice myself." Derek picked up Isaac's father by the collar and tossed him down to the floor. He cowered as he waited for another punch or kick, but Derek paused again. He was going to drag this out as long as he wanted.

"Don't do this!"

"Did asking you to stop ever work for Isaac?" Derek wondered, circling him slowly and deliberately. Every flinch bolstered Derek's actions. "When he begged you to stop hurting him? Your own son."

"I didn't-"

"Stop lying!" Derek shouted, kicking him in the stomach. He let out a pitiful wheeze and curled around himself. "I know what you are and what you've done. You can't talk your way out of this."

"Please-"

"Please," Derek mocked, kicking him in the back. He wrapped his arms around his head to protect it. Derek pictured Isaac doing the same and felt a new level of rage take over. Derek knelt down and wrenched one of his hands away from his body, inspecting it. "Are these the hands you use to inflict pain on your son? Or should I say, used to?" Derek forced it flat against the floor and started punching it, slamming his fists down over and over until he could feel the bones being crushed.

"Stop! Help!" Isaac's father shrieked, but Derek wasn't deterred. As soon as he was finished with the first hand, he moved onto the second.

"Sorry to disappoint you about your neighbors. They don't seem to be the type to give a shit when they hear someone being hurt," Derek ground out, leaning back and staring at his work in satisfaction. Isaac's father's hands were already turning black from the blood pooling under his skin. All of his fingers were bent unnaturally and there probably wasn't a single bone intact. His hands would probably never function properly again. It still didn't feel like enough.

"You won't get away with this," Isaac's father wept, shaking from the pain as he tucked his ruined hands against his chest. "You're going to prison." Derek barked out a laugh, leaning close to the man so his face would be all he could see.

"Do you think I'm scared of going to jail? I'll happily spend the rest of my life there, satisfied in the knowledge that I wiped the stain that is you off the face of this earth. But know this," Derek said, pausing to show just how serious he was. To clue him in on the pain that was coming his way. "If I go to prison, it's going to be for murder."

Scott tapped the side of the vending machine as he waited for it to finish pouring the coffee he bought. He was getting one for his mom, while he and Stiles were sticking to hot chocolate. They definitely didn't need the burst to caffeine to make them even more restless.

It had only been an hour or so since they found out Isaac was in surgery, but it felt like so much longer. They hadn't gotten any other updates, but hopefully no news was good news. Scott's mom had been at the nurse's station making phone calls the whole time, talking to a lot of different people. He heard the words "protective services" said a few times, so he knew that his mom wasn't planning on letting Isaac slip through the cracks this time. Scott didn't know if Isaac would be happy to hear about everything when he woke up, but there was no going back now. His father had made the decision for all of them.

"Do you think if I put on a pair of scrubs that I could pass as a doctor and sneak into the emergency room?" Stiles wondered as they made their way back to the emergency room.

"Probably not. You're more likely to get yourself banned from the hospital."

"Well, that's not fair," Stiles scoffed. They walked up to the desk just as Scott's mom was hanging up the phone. She looked a bit frazzled, but not upset, so Scott took it as a good sign.

"I brought you this," Scott said, passing over the steaming cup.

"Thank you, sweetie," she replied, blowing into it before taking a small sip.

"Any updates?" Scott asked, hopefully.

"Not yet, but that's nothing to be concerned about. These things take time," she assured them. Scott wondered how many times in her career she'd had to deliver bad news to people who were waiting to hear about the people they loved. The thought of it only made him appreciate his mom more.

"And with the phone calls?"

"Those things also take time."

"But will Isaac have to go back to his dad?"

"Scott-"

"Holy shit," Stiles said suddenly, staring past Scott in shock. Scott followed his gaze, feeling his mouth drop open. "I don't think we have to worry about that anymore." Isaac's dad was being pushed into the waiting room in a wheelchair by Derek Hale.

The man was barely recognizable. It looked like every inch of him was covered in either bruises or blood, or a combination of both. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his cheek looked sunken in. Scott almost gagged at the sight of his hands that were laying limply in his lap. He couldn't even start to imagine what was hidden under his clothes. If Scott thought Isaac looked bad in that motel room, it was nothing compared to this.

"I need to speak to the sheriff," Mr. Lahey said as soon as Derek parked him in front of the desk. His voice was slurred and Scott thought he might've seen a few of his teeth were missing. His mom's eyes flicked between the two of them in shock, before she slipped back into her professional mode. All the other staff seemed happy enough to let her handle it for now.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"I had an accident."

"And what do you need to talk to the sheriff about?" Scott hadn't seen Derek's expression change since he walked into the room and now was no different. He looked completely calm.

"I need to report a crime." Scott looked at Derek again, but he still didn't look worried. It was pretty obvious he was the cause of this. A good samaritan story probably wouldn't fly with Derek's recent history in the town. All Mr. Lahey needed to do was point a finger at him. Well, maybe not a finger. "I need to confess to a crime."

"Oh."

"He's on his way," Stiles said quietly, slipping his phone back into his pocket. His mom nodded, pressing a button behind the desk. A few seconds later, two big orderlies came out from the back. Even Scott was intimidated by them, regardless of his enhanced strength.

"Could you accompany Mr. Lahey to a treatment room? He's waiting to speak with Sheriff Stilinski," his mom requested, giving them a look that told them more than her words needed to. They nodded in understanding, moving to wheel the man away. Scott watched him go, wincing at the trail of blood he was leaving behind. He turned back when he heard Derek moving behind him, expecting to see the man disappearing out of the hospital. Instead, he walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, crossing his arms as he settled in to wait. Scott glanced back at Stiles who just shrugged and went to join Derek. He had a million questions, but Scott figured this wasn't the time or place for them. And while this wasn't the way he would've chosen to deal with Isaac's home situation, it seemed the problem had already been solved. Now Isaac had to wake up so they could tell him.