"He's alive, but he won't- I can't-" Scott stammered, shaking his best friend by the shoulders. Stiles' head lolled with the movement, but he showed no signs of waking up. Derek stomped over, shoving Scott to the side before taking his place. He pulled Stiles up by the collar before slapping him across the face. Stiles' eyes sprang open and he lashed out, punching Derek in the jaw.
"Stiles!" Derek shouted, grabbing his flailing hands before they could hit him again.
"What? What's going on? What happened?" Stiles panted in confusion.
"Stiles, where's Isaac?" Derek demanded. Stiles' eyes went wide when clarity finally caught up with him. If there was any hope that Isaac was tucked away safely somewhere, it was gone now.
"The witch," Stiles whispered, shoving Derek away and staggering to his feet. He stumbled over to the bed, raking his hands through his hair as he stared at it in anguish. "She took him."
"What happened?" Scott asked, setting his hand on Stiles' shoulder. Stiles wrenched away from him, wrapping his arms around his stomach.
"I was downstairs when I heard a noise. I thought Isaac woke up, so I went to check on him. When I came in here, she was just standing there," Stiles ground out, shaking his head as he spoke. "I ran at her, but she threw me across the room like it was nothing. I kept trying, trying to get to Isaac, but she was just playing with me. Then there was a bright light and I don't remember anything until you got here."
"Magic," Derek spat. Stiles never stood a chance. It was a courtesy that she didn't kill him, since it wouldn't have taken much effort.
"Derek, I'm sorry," Stiles choked out, pressing his lips together as his chin trembled. "You trusted me to take care of Isaac and I failed."
"It's not your fault. It's mine," Derek replied, mentally berating himself. He never should've left Isaac's side. If he'd accepted the new circumstances as they were and learned to live with them, Isaac would be safe in his bed and Derek wouldn't be wondering if he'd ever be able to breathe without guilt again.
"Can we track her? She can't have gone far," Scott said, trying to catch a scent.
"She's too smart for that," Derek sighed, feeling completely defeated. Instead of raring for a fight, he just felt numb. He turned his head to the side, catching sight of something partially covered by a blanket. He picked it up, holding Isaac's stuffed wolf in hands he was careful not to let shake. Stiles broke down when he saw it, sobbing as he crumpled into a heap.
Derek stared at the toy, letting Scott's voice as he tried to pull Stiles out of his panic attack fall into the background. Was Isaac gone for good? What did the witch want with him? How powerful was she? There were so many questions and he probably wouldn't get an answer to any of them. But he didn't need answers, he just needed Isaac.
He was probably so scared right now. They'd just gotten Isaac to a point where he was coming out of his shell, only for this to happen. Had he been forced to watch Stiles get battered by the witch? Had she hurt him too? Derek felt sick at the thought of Isaac being subjected to something he'd already been forced to live through at his young age. Derek was supposed to protect him and make sure what Isaac's father did to him never happened again, but now he could be going through something so much worse.
Derek's phone ringing in his pocket made them all jump in surprise. He pulled it out, staring at the unknown number on the screen. There wasn't a long list of people who would call him and it was too early for telemarketers. Even though he couldn't know for sure, he had a good idea of who this would be.
"Where is he?" Derek asked firmly, holding his breath as he waited for a reply on the other line.
"Skipping the pleasantries?" Derek almost dropped his phone as relief washed over him. There was still no guarantee that he would get Isaac back, but this was more than they had before. Scott caught onto what was going on and signaled to Stiles to be quiet. He sucked in a shuddering breath, before shuffling over to try to listen to what was being said.
"Where's Isaac?" Derek demanded. He wasn't willing to play her games until he knew Isaac was okay.
"He's with me. He's really very cute, isn't he? Much better than the version I saw when we first met," the witch commented casually.
"Is he okay?"
"He's fine. For now, at least. I was never the parenting type. Not quite sure what to do with him, but a little trial and error never hurt anyone. Much."
"Give him back to me!" Derek snapped.
"Right, you and your pack. So important for you to have your power," the witch scoffed. Derek ignored how much that stung, because at the beginning, that was true. He created a pack not just for protection and bonding, but to make himself stronger. But it wasn't about that anymore. And he needed the chance to prove that was true.
"Tell me what you want and I'll do it. All I want is Isaac." Derek wasn't the begging type, but he was willing to lower himself to that level to get Isaac back.
"This little experiment has probably reached its climax, so why put it off any longer? Meet me where we first met and we can settle this once and for all. But come alone. If I catch anyone trying to sneak up on me, I'll kill the boy first, understood?"
"No deal until I have proof that Isaac is okay. Let me talk to him," Derek requested. He was going either way, but he needed to hear from Isaac for his peace of mind. If he knew there was still a chance, it would stop him from being as reckless as he was aching to be.
"You know I have the power of faking his voice, right?" the witch laughed.
"Please, just let me have a minute." The witch let out an amused sigh, before Derek heard shuffling on the line.
"Derek?"
"Isaac! Are you okay?" Derek exclaimed, tilting his phone so Stiles could hear better. He knew Stiles needed this just as much as he did.
"I'm scared. I want to come home," Isaac sniffled.
"I know you do, Pup. I'm gonna come get you, alright? I promise, everything is gonna be okay."
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," the witch warned. Stiles leaned back, pressing his hand over his mouth as his tears started flowing again. "Better get going. I don't like waiting." Derek didn't pull the phone away from his ear until he heard the call disconnect.
"She's back where you first saw her? I checked that place a dozen times!" Scott grumbled, shaking his head in disgust.
"It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that she's there now. It's gonna end where it started, one way or another," Derek said in determination, setting the stuffed wolf aside. He stood up, pulling Stiles up alongside him. "We're taking your jeep."
"What? Why?" Stiles asked in confusion, wiping his wet face.
"Because if this goes the way I think it's going to, I need you to take Isaac and get out of there."
"You don't think you're gonna survive this," Stiles said solemnly, not bothering to make it a question. "Derek."
"Stiles, if Isaac makes it back to you and he's still a kid, I want you to take care of him. I don't know what you're gonna have to tell your dad, but I'm trusting you to do what you have to do for him. Isaac deserves it," Derek said seriously. It was insane to think that two weeks ago, Derek wouldn't have trusted Stiles to watch his car, let alone transfer custody of his now child-sized Beta to him. But things had changed and Derek could begrudgingly appreciate Stiles' better qualities. "And if he comes back as a teenager, I need you both to keep an eye out for him. With Boyd and Erica gone, he doesn't have anyone else."
"We'll look out for him," Scott agreed, although his role would be the easier of the two. Derek looked to Stiles, watching to see if there was any hesitation. Realistically, Isaac could be fine with a new family, taken far away from this mess of werewolves and magic. Anything strange he saw could be explained away by an overactive imagination, with a dash of trauma. But Derek wanted Isaac in a place he knew he'd be loved, and that was with Stiles.
"I'll do it," Stiles confirmed, nodding decisively.
"Then let's go."
The mood in the jeep was somber as Stiles drove toward the meeting spot. Derek had pulled any pain from him that he could, but there was surprisingly little. The witch had mostly toyed with him, leaving him with some bruises, but not much else. And the knockout blow hadn't done any lasting damage.
Scott was fidgeting in the backseat, opening his mouth to say something every few minutes, before closing it in silence. Derek was glad, since he didn't want to talk. He was preparing himself for the inevitable fight that he probably wasn't going to be walking away from. There had been times before that he was certain he was going to die and honestly, he hadn't minded much. He still fought with everything he had, since he wasn't a quitter, but he hadn't had much to live for. Now, he had a little boy depending on him. And while he was still completely willing to die for him, he also wanted to be able to live for him.
Stiles' hands were twisting around the steering wheel as he drove. Derek knew he would hate being attacked, then not be able to get some sort of retribution. But Stiles had a more important role in this. Some people were meant to take the beatings and right now, Derek fit that bill.
"Stop here," Derek directed, pointing to the side of the road. They still had some time before the sun came up, so they probably wouldn't be bothered. Derek wanted them to be as close as possible, without putting themselves in danger. The wolf in him hated going into something like this on his own, since pack mentality was so ingrained in him, but he couldn't risk it. And if the witch got away and decided she needed to do more damage, Scott and Stiles had a better chance of surviving if they were together. "Stay in the car. Unless you see Isaac, anything could be a trap."
"We will," Scott agreed. Derek had to hope that for once, Scott would be able to say no to any harebrained scheme Stiles cooked up.
"And if you get the chance, take Isaac and go. Don't wait for me, don't come back for me," Derek commanded. If they squandered their opportunity by trying to save him, he'd stop at nothing to come back and throttle them. Even if he had to come back from the dead to do it.
"Come here."
"What?"
"Give me a damn hug!" Stiles grumbled, grabbing Derek by the front of his shirt and jerking him forward. Derek was stiff as Stiles squeezed him around his shoulders. This wasn't as awkward as the times he'd been paralyzed by Jackson, but it was still something he wouldn't choose for himself.
"I gotta go," Derek muttered, easing himself away in a gentler manner than he was used to. These last few days really had changed him.
"Bring him back," Stiles said, nodding in determination. Derek returned it, slipping out of the jeep and taking off into the preserve. He'd made this trip twice before, once with Isaac trailing after him and once with him in his arms. Derek was either going to be leaving with him again, or he wouldn't be leaving at all. This ended now.
