TW Fic: Beneath the Lies Hides the Truth
Title: Beneath the Lies Hides the Truth
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairings/Characters: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale, very brief mention of Scott McCall/Isaac Lahey, Sheriff Stilinski, Laura Hale
Rating: PG13/T
Word Count: ~6, 000
Content Notes/Warnings: Canon AU, Minor character death, Hurt/comfort, Angst, Slow build, Fluff
Summary: P.I. Stiles Stilinski noticed the weird activity in his town and decided to investigate. He never imagined that he’ll find out more about his mom or get mixed up in the supernatural world. Especially one Derek Hale.
Disclaimer: Teen Wolf and all its characters belong to their respectful owners, this fic is written for entertainment only and I don't make any profit of it.
Author's Notes: This story was written for tw_fallharvest and more specifically for phandomoftheowl
My never ending gratitude goes to Sam, Mi and Danny because this fic wouldn’t have been finished without their support, so thank you guys <3
~*~*~*~*~
Beacon Hills was a fairly peaceful town with the occasional bizarre event, but it was normal for something strange to happen once in a while, because after all every town had its peculiar incidents, and the people were used to the weirdness.
There was one person, though, who paid a little more attention to the unusual activities than anyone else in the town. Private investigator Stiles Stilinski took notes every time something out of the ordinary happened because he was sure there was a connection linking them all together and in the end everything will make sense in one way or another.
It wasn’t unusual for people to seek out Stiles’ investigating skills for out of the ordinary happenings because the police didn’t really believe it had to deal with the crazy superstitious believes people harbored. They had to focus on the real cases where there was real evidence and leads to follow. Stiles, on the other hand, had no problem dealing with the more wacky cases, he even made it a point to look for such cases sometimes because he liked the challenge they presented and it was always good to keep up with the ever changing world.
The most recent occurrence which was brought to his attention by the local ranger was some truly perplexing markings the man had stumbled upon during his patrol in the forest and some of the dead animals that were found later. Stiles took the coordinates of the so called crime scenes, even though he didn’t know what exactly had happened there yet, and packed up his supplies to take a look at them.
On his way out of the house he passed by the kitchen where his father was making sandwiches to take for lunch at the station and stole one for himself.
“Where are you going?” Steven Stilinski asked without looking up.
“I’ve got work.” Stiles mumbled through the bite he had taken while at the same time sent a quick text to Scott.
“Is it one of those cases again?” His dad inquired as he frowned down at the ham he was cutting.
“I don’t know, Dad, I still haven’t taken a look at the scene yet.” The young P.I. said while taking another bite of the sandwich.
His father sighed and turned around to look at his son. “When are you going to get serious about your job?”
Stiles tried to interrupt him because they’ve had that conversation before and he knew it wouldn’t be any different this time around but his father continued regardless.
“Look, I’ve gotten over the fact that you dropped out of the academy and I accepted that you became a P.I. but when are you going to stop wasting your time with these meaningless cases and start doing real investigative work?”
“Dad, please, can we not have this conversation again? Stiles asked tiredly and left his half-finished sandwich on the counter top. Suddenly he wasn’t all that hungry. Thankfully his phone started ringing and gave him the perfect excuse to end the talk with his dad.
“Sorry, I have to go, I’ll catch you later tonight.” The young man said quickly as he left the kitchen in a hurry but on second thought went back and snached up his snack again. He might as well finish it.
“Have fun. And be careful.” Steve called out to his son and wrapped up his lunch.
“I will! Don’t worry!” Stiles shouted out on his way out the door and took his phone to call back Scott. “Hey, Scott! You got some free time before work, right?” He asked as soon as his friend picked up.
“Not much, couple of hours at the most. Why? What’s going on?”
“I got some information that there were some strange markings in the forest and I was just getting ready to go take a look. So I wouldn’t mind some company if you want to come.” Stiles replied as he climbed up in his jeep and tried to start it one-handed. He struggled a bit but in the end succeeded.
“Aw, man, I can’t right now, Stiles. I promised Mom to go grocery shopping with her before work and help her with some other errands” Scott stammered through his explanation, fumbling around with something in the background, but Stiles knew his best friend and would always tell when he’s bluffing.
“Scott, come on! Don’t be like that. I know you don’t have anything important to do before your shift so stop playing Assassin’s Creed and be ready in 10 minutes, I’m coming to pick you up.” The P. I. said and hung up before the other could make any more excuses, but he could imagine the long suffering sigh his buddy would heave before doing as told.
Barely a second later had his phone started ringing again and against his better judgment he picked it up.
“Stiles, I really can’t come this time around. I was serious when I said I have to meet Mom and help her with some stuff.” Scott said in a hurry, afraid that his friend will hang up on him again before he could finish speaking.
“Really, Scott? For real?” Stiles whined a little petulantly. “Why today of all days? We were going to fool around like the old times, and some work of course. Like when we went to look for that dead body in the woods when we were in High School, only this time there wouldn’t be any bodies.”
“I’m sorry, man, but I’ll have to pass this time.” The vet apologized. “Though you can stop by on your way back, right?” He asked hopefully because lately there hasn’t been much work in the clinic and he was bored out of his mind most of the time.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll come by. Look, I gotta go ‘cause I’m driving and I really shouldn’t be talking on the phone right now. Dad will have my head if he finds out. You know how he is about those things.” Stiles babbled quickly as he waited on a red light.
“Oh, ok. See you later.” Scott replied and hung up.
Turning left in the opposite direction of the McCall house, Stiles turned on the radio to keep him company on the way to the first location he wanted to visit. Nickelback’s “Photograph” came up as the next song and he couldn’t help but think how everything had changed in so many little ways and not so little ways for the time he was away in the police academy. Not only was the town different, but the people as well, he himself included.
Stiles wasn’t the same hyperactive kid that used to get in all sorts of trouble all the time with his best friend. Now he was more serious and mature and even though he was still hyperactive he had learned how to channel all his energy in his work.
Taking the last turn to head off the main road and towards the Beacon Hills Reserve the P. I. glanced at his notebook to check if he was heading in the right direction. He drove for a few more minutes before stopping at the side of the road near the trail he was supposed to take and cut off the engine. After gathering all of his equipment Stiles started walking along the track and took note of the signs the ranger had told him to follow since they would take him to the first location.
He wasn’t sure how long he was walking before he reached his destination but the Sheriff’s son instantly recognized the place the ranger had described when they talked in the coffee shop once he reached it. The trees formed an almost complete circle around the small clearing and there was a mark on every single one of them. Stiles went towards the nearest one to take a better look at the symbol while getting out his camera out to snap a few pictures.
“Looks like some sort of a spiral. Drawn in blood apparently.” He mumbled to himself while going around the tree to see if there was anything else that was strange on it. He found nothing else of interest and wandered off to the next tree to take a look at it as well.
The P. I. was inspecting the bark of the third tree when he heard the barely audible crunching of twigs and leaves somewhere behind him. He turned back his head slightly to peak over his shoulder and his eyes caught movement near the bushes on his left side.
Suddenly a young slender woman appeared and Stiles startled a bit because he certainly hadn’t been expecting her to show up, maybe some animal, but definitely not her.
“You’re on the verge of my property.” Her voice was strong and commanding, tone accusing with an edge of warning to it.
“I’m really sorry, ma’am; I didn’t mean to trespass on your private property.” Stiles apologized immediately because if he was honest with himself he was a little intimidated by the woman standing not ten feet away from him, no matter how hot she looked.
And she definitely was dangerously beautiful despite the scowl she was directing Stiles’ way. A second later surprisingly enough she laughed at him and he relaxed involuntarily, letting his guard down a little bit.
“Hey, it’s alright. I usually have no problem with people passing by our grounds, but I’ve been on edge lately because of all the animal attacks that have been happening.” She explained while coming closer to her companion. “I’m Laura Hale, by the way. Sorry if I spooked you earlier.”
Stiles shook her outstretched hand and opened his mouth to introduce himself when they heard rustling somewhere around them. Laura tensed and quickly released his hand before whirling around. She crouched slightly in front of the P. I. and weirdly enough growled warningly at the bushes, making Stiles look at her wide-eyed.
A small rabbit dashed away in the opposite direction of the clearing, making Stiles release his bated breath in a noisy exhale, but his new acquaintance continued glaring after the small animal and the brown-haired man could swear he saw her eyes flash red for just a second.
“Laura, it’s just a rabbit.” He said hesitantly while putting his hand on her shoulder cautiously.
“I know.” She replied curtly before straightening up and facing him again. “You never told me your name or what exactly you’re doing so far in the forest.”
“Oh, sorry, I’m Stiles Stilinski, private investigator, and I came here to take a look at those strange markings on the trees, because some of the people around town are worried something weird is going on, but the police don’t really have time to deal with these things so they asked me to do a little investigation.” Stiles answered seemingly in one breath and flushed a bit under Laura’s gaze.
“You sure can talk fast.” She chuckled and looked off to the side for a moment before meeting his eyes and finishing softly. ”Just like your mother.”
His heart and breath stuttered in his chest for a fracture of a second. “You knew my Mom?” He whispered with wide eyes.
“Yeah, I did.” It was her turn to lay a hand on his shoulder and steady the young man because suddenly he looked very shaken up. “Do you want to go for a coffee, Stiles?” She asked and gently steered him in the direction of his car without him even noticing.
“Sure. Coffee sounds good.” He mumbled a little distractedly before shaking his head to clear it and smiled ruefully at his companion.
~*~*~*~*~
It was nearly two weeks later before Stiles went back to the forest to inspect the other crime scenes he was supposed to see because he got caught up with the one of the police’s cases. This time though he dragged Scott together with him to keep him company despite his best friend’s hesitance.
“Couldn’t we come earlier? Or tomorrow maybe? It’s gonna get dark pretty soon and we won’t be able to see anything and will just waste our time.” Scott complained as he trailed behind Stiles a couple of feet, tugging his jacket around himself tighter. The forest has always crept him out a little, especially during the late hours of the day.
“Scott, stop it. If we hadn’t had lacross we would have come earlier. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to spend the night here. We just have to take a look at two places and then we’re out of here, ok? So calm down.” Stiles was aware of his friend’s dislike of the forest after the sun no longer brightened the day and he really wasn’t planning on wasting much time here because he had research to do.
“You know, we’ll get this job done much faster if we split up. I’ll head back to the first sight I visited and you’ll go to the other one.” The P. I. took one of the camera bags he was carrying and handed it over. “Here, take some pictures if you find anything strange, like symbols or anything like that and we’ll meet here again after two hours, ok?”
Scott frowned at the bag as if he had never seen something like that in his life before sighing in resignation. “Alright, which way should I go?”
“That way, just follow the signs and they’ll take you to the next camping sight. The ranger said there were more drawings of that spiral I showed you earlier near it.” Stiles pointed southwest and gave him a compass as well. “See you in two hours.”
Without saying anything else, the Sheriff’s son spun around and headed in the opposite direction, leaving the other behind. He reached the first clearing with the trees around it but something didn’t feel right. Creeping cautiously closer to the nearest tree Stiles listened carefully for any strange sounds, but the smell of copper invaded his senses instead. He circled around the tree and saw the new spiral drawn on the bark with fresh blood and looking down he found some plant buried amongst the fallen leaves. Every other tree around the clearing was the same, with a re-drawn symbol and that strange plant at the bottom.
Just as he was taking out his second camera to snap a few photos of the new situation, there was a blood curling scream and what sounded like a howl. Stiles felt his heart stop in his chest before bolting in the direction it came from, running as fast as he could because he was sure that scream belonged to Scott.
He didn’t bother looking at the markings on the trees that would take him to the camp side, he just ran as fast as he could. “Scott!” His heart pounded in his ears, drowning out his voice and Stiles wasn’t sure if he had actually called out his friend’s name. “Scott! Where are you?”
“Stiles!” The P. I. skidded to a stop at the answer he got and strained his hearing to identify where it came from. “Over here!” Stumbling over some fallen trees and trunks, Stiles went down to where Scott had fallen and kneeled by his side.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? What the hell happened?” His voice shook in fear and it almost felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack, but he pushed back the feeling because he didn’t have time for panicking, not when Scott was hurt.
“I think I’m fine. Just got some scratches and twisted my ankle.” Scott tried to calm his frantically beating heart and took some deep breaths. “God, one minute I was taking pictures of that spiral you talked about and the next I sensed something behind me and when I turned around there was this wolf stalking towards me. I took a tiny step back and it attacked me.”
“Are you sure it was a wolf?” Stiles interrupted as he helped him stand up and supported his weight. “We don’t have wolves here in California, not for the last sixty years at least.”
“I’m sure, Stiles. I know what I saw!”
“Alright, alright. Calm down. Let’s get out of here. We’ve seen enough action for tonight.”
The two of them thought they were done with the weird happening for the night, but faith clearly didn’t agree. On the way back to the car, Stiles noticed a trail of blood leading a little ways away from the track and naturally wanted to go investigate, consequently dragging Scott with him. They found half of a body, female by the looks of it, however they couldn’t be completely sure before the coroner confirmed it.
“I gotta call my Dad.” Stiles muttered grimly as he took his phone out and turned away from the gruel sight.
Soon the police was there and securing the crime scene. Two officers took their statements and Scott smartly didn’t mention the wolf attack. If Stiles said there were no wolves in California, then it must have been some other predator that tried to kill him.
The P. I. offered to help out in the search of the other half of the body, but the Sheriff refused after taking one look at them and sent both young men home to rest.
~*~*~*~*~
It was a few days later when Stiles and Scott went back to the camp side in the reserve to look for the vet’s inhaler.
“It’s a miracle you haven’t needed it these days.” Stiles remarked as he looked around for the small white device.
“I know. I can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier that it was gone.” Scott replied and almost stumbled over some fallen branches. “Though lately I’ve been able to hear things painfully clear and every scent is overwhelming…”
“What are you doing here? This is private property.” A dark voice demanded suddenly from somewhere behind them, interrupting Scott and the friends whirled around in surprise.
In front of them was standing a tall, handsome man, dark hair spiked up and dressed in jeans with a black leather jacket. Even though his green-blue eyes were glaring daggers at them, Stiles couldn’t help but get a little lost in their depths.
“Sorry, we didn’t know. We were just looking for my inhaler.” Scott explained haltingly and a second later something was thrown in his direction, which he surprising caught.
“Here. Now leave.” The man said and then in the blink of an eye he was just gone.
“Awesome. Let’s go. I’ve got to get ready for my date with Isaac.” Scott inspected his inhaler and smiled happily because it didn’t seem broken which meant it wouldn’t be necessary to buy a new one.
“Dude! That was Derek Hale.” Stiles exclaimed disbelievingly but was met only with baffled confusion, making him want to pull his hair out, even though it was too short, because Scott could be so ignorant sometimes. “His whole family burned in their house like ten years ago or something.”
“Then what’s he doing back here?” Scott asked in bewilderment as he pocketed his inhaler.
“I don’t know. Maybe he came back like his sister did. I mean, if Laura’s here he’d want to come back too and be with her.” Stiles guessed with a shrug and made a mental note to call Laura. “What were you saying about your senses again?”
~*~*~*~*~
Stiles never got the chance to see Laura Hale again because the body that was found in the woods belonged to her.
“Dad, are you sure it’s Laura Hale?” He asked once again because he didn’t want to believe it was true.
“Stiles, for the millionth time, yes, I’m sure it’s Laura Hale, the tests confirmed it.” Steve answered exasperatedly. “Why are you so upset about her death? Did you know her?”
“No, I mean yeah, actually, not very well, we met a few weeks ago so I don’t know her all that well but we talked a few times and I know that her brother’s back as well. Oh, crap, did you tell Derek about her death?”
“Yeah, we did as soon as we got in contact with him.” The Sheriff replied solemnly.
Stiles groaned and thumped his head on the table a few times before looking up at his father. “What else can you tell me? Anything strange or unusual?”
The sheriff sighed tiredly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I really shouldn’t tell you anything but… the lab said they found animal hairs on her body, wolf hairs to be exact and that’s the strange thing because as far as we know we don’t have wolves here.”
The P. I. sucked in a breath sharply. Everything was slowly starting to make sense, bit by bit the pieces were falling in their rightful places. He would need to do some more research to confirm his theory, but Stiles was pretty sure he had figured it out for the most part. And most importantly if he was right he had to get to Scott and warn him about what was coming. Things weren’t looking good.
“Stiles… Stiles! Do you have any ideas about what could have happened to Laura Hale?” His father called out his name and interrupted his rapidly whirling thoughts so he shook his head to clear it.
“No, not at this point. I have to look up some stuff, so I’ll be in my room if you need me.” He said and felt guilty for lying to his father but he couldn’t say anything before he was certain he knew what was going on for real. So he bolted from the living room up the stairs to the second floor.
“Come on, come on…” He mumbled under his breath as he waited impatiently for his laptop to boot up.
Nearly three hours later Stiles sat back and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. He’s pretty sure he knows what’s going on and it was nothing good. They were in so much trouble.
“Oh crap. Tonight’s the full moon.” He muttered. “I gotta get to Scott’s place right now.”
Normally the drive down the familiar road to his best friend’s house would be comforting, but this time Stiles was too anxious to get there as quickly as he could without breaking too many laws. Growling in frustration that Scott wasn’t picking up his phone, Stiles put his foot down on the accelerator a bit more.
Taking the last turn into Scott’s street sharply the sheriff’s son hit the breaks the second he reached the house and jumped out of his Jeep even before it had fully stopped.
~*~*~*~*~
The drive to the Hale house was tense because Stiles himself was on edge after the confrontation with Scott. His hands were still shaking so he gripped the steering wheel tighter in an attempt to steady them.
It was hard to believe that the boy he had grown up with would try to hurt him, but it had nearly happened just because Scott was afraid to accept the fact that he was different now. Stiles had tried to make him see reason, tried to explain and make him believe but his efforts were futile until they had gotten their proof when Scott changed right before Stiles’ eyes, teeth getting sharp, eyes glowing golden and claws popping out. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Finally he pulled up in front of the house or rather what was left of it because the ruins barely standing together couldn’t be called a house. The sight chased a chill down his spine, which he tried to suppress.
“Derek? Derek Hale?” The P. I. called out loudly as he climbed out of his Jeep a bit unsteadily and slowly got closer to the front porch. “I’m Stiles Stilinski. I need to talk to you.”
Like before the other man just appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly standing at the open front door.
“What do you want?” He asked sharply with a glare, but Stiles did his best to hold back his fear. He refused to be intimidated, not right now.
“I need help because Scott freaked out when he realized he was no longer human and lost control. Now I don’t know where he is and I’m afraid he’s going to hurt someone or himself.” The words rushed out of his mouth in one breath and he was worried the other man hadn’t understood anything.
Derek scowled and his eyes flashed for a brief second. “I’ll find him and I’ll try to help him.” He said gruffly and turned his back on the other, apparently done talking with him.
“Hey wait! I just…” Stiles hesitated before murmuring softly. “I wanted to say I’m sorry about your sister. I wish there was something I could’ve done to prevent this because Laura was pretty awesome.”
“How did you know Laura?” Derek asked with a frown as he turned around once again to face the man.
“I uh, actually met her near your property while doing an investigation. She said she knew my Mom so we started talking and then we met a few more times.” Stiles explained and looked away from the other’s intense eyes for a second. “Look, can I just ask you a question before you go? I’m pretty sure I already know the answer otherwise I wouldn’t be here, but still... Are you a werewolf? Because after everything that has happened to Scott and Laura and the wolfsbane I found in that clearing and the howling, I’m pretty sure you’re a werewolf.”
Derek watched him for a few moments without answering, just listening to his heart as it gradually started beating faster before coming closer to Stiles. His eyes flashed blue and he bared his teeth in a snarl. “Yes, I’m a werewolf.” He expected to get overwhelmed with countless questions after his confirmation because that’s the impression he was left with so far, but it didn’t happen.
“Oh my god.” Stiles murmured shakily as he took a step back unconsciously and gaped at the dark-haired man.
“Are you scared, Stiles?” Derek asked with a growl and stalked closer still.
“Yes, I am.” Stiles admitted and his breath hitched slightly. “But I don’t have time to be afraid, not when Scott could be in trouble.” His voice trembled as he spoke but his eyes were determined to overcome the fear for his friend’s sake.
Derek was impressed by the other’s strength and loyalty because a lesser man would have run away by now. Stepping back with a smirk while turning away once again, the werewolf began walking away. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of your friend.”
“Thank you.” His words were nothing more than a whisper, but Derek heard them loud and clear.
~*~*~*~*~
Stiles stumbled home in the wee hours of the morning and was glad that his father was away at the station for his night shift. After his talk with Derek, the P. I. had rushed off to get to Isaac’s place because there was a possibility that Scott could have gone there. Isaac had been so confused to see an out of breath Stiles asking if he had noticed anything weird around his house. Thankfully, Scott hadn’t shown up to scare the hell out of his soon-to-be boyfriend, but on the other hand that made Stiles worry even more about where he could be. The sheriff’s son could only hope that Derek had found him before the recently turned werewolf had done anything stupid and had helped him like he said he would.
Trudging up the stairs tiredly, Stiles finally let himself think about everything that was going on and almost felt overwhelmed by the knowledge that werewolves really existed and the fact that his best friend was one of them now. Staggering inside his room, the brown-haired man flipped the light on and nearly had a heart attack.
“Oh my god! What the hell are you doing here?!” He squeaked out at the sight of Derek standing by the window like a total creeper.
“I came to tell you that I found Scott in the woods. He had a rough night, but he’s going to be fine.” Derek said gruffly while crossing his arms over his ruined shirt.
Breathing a sigh of relieve Stiles let himself collapse in an exhausted heap upon his bed regardless of his companion. “Thank god.”
Derek watched as the tension gradually eased in the other’s shoulders and slowly ran his eyes over his body, listening as his heart beat finally calmed down.
“How did you find me?”
The question was mumbled into the pillow, but Derek heard it nevertheless and chose to ignore it for the moment. “It’s not going to be easy, but I can help Scott learn how to control his wolf.”
“I’ll do my best to convince him that it’ll be better for him to be in your pack and you didn’t answer my question.” Stile said with a hint of annoyance and curiosity in his voice as he sat up.
The werewolf was surprised for a minute that the other had knowledge about his kind, but then again he had figured out what was going on and Laura had mentioned in her letter, which Derek found during his fight with Scott in the Hale house, that he was too smart for his own good.
“I followed your scent.” He replied finally and Stiles hummed thoughtfully. “I wasn’t the one that bit Scott if you were wondering. Only an Alpha can turn a human into a werewolf.” Derek fell silent and wondered if he really could trust the man before him, then he remembered his sister’s words. “Scott and I are Betas, Laura was an Alpha as well and she came back looking for the Alpha that is here now.”
“So that means Scott is actually part of his pack, not yours.” The P. I. concluded with a frown. “We have to find the Alpha before he forces Scott to do something against his will.”
“Yes. That’s the only way we can really help him.” Derek confirmed.
A jaw-breaking yawn interrupted anything else Stiles might have said and he flopped back in his bed. “It’ll have to wait for tomorrow. I need to get some sleep if I want to function at all.” With his eyes closed he added as an afterthought, “I’m sure you can show yourself out the window again.”
Derek didn’t say anything; instead he took off his jacket and lay in bed besides the other man.
“The hell do you think you’re doing?” Stiles asked incredulously while staring with wide eyes at the werewolf.
“I’m too tired to go back to my house.”
With a resigned sigh Stiles shifted around a bit until the both of them were comfortable, pressed closely together.
“This had better not become a habit of yours.” He warned, but the exhaustion was finally claiming him and his words came out slurred.
~*~*~*~*~
They went through so much trouble and obstacles, people were hurt in the process, but a few months later they found out who the Alpha was. No one had really expected it to be Peter Hale, least of all Derek, and the fact that Peter had killed Laura was the most rattling revelation.
Stiles could only imagine the betrayal the other man had felt when he learned that his own uncle had killed his sister. It was something Derek couldn’t ever forgive Peter, so he had avenged his sister despite the consequences that came with his decision.
Scott was furious that Derek had stolen his chance to be normal again, but Stiles suspected that killing the Alpha wouldn’t have made a difference. Scott would have simply taken on his role, and for heaven’s sake that would have been a terrible disaster. On the other hand, that meant that all his previous efforts in convincing Scott to be part of Derek’s pack had been shot to hell and he would have to start all over again.
It was a few nights later after things had calmed down a little that he saw Derek again. Stiles was coming home late after helping his father with a case that had been unsolved for way too long and when he entered his room the werewolf was standing by the window just like after the first full moon.
“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to use the front door.” He remarked off-handedly while taking off his ruined hoodie. It’s a shame because it had been one of his favorites, but the fact that they had caught the bastard who had raped three young girls was more than worth it. “Oh, wait. I forgot that it’s werewolf thing to climb up people’s windows.” The sarcasm was clear in his words.
Derek growled in annoyance at his behavior and slammed him into the wall, crowding in his personal space and inspecting the bruises on the side of his face.
“You’re hurt.” He rumbled angrily with a snarl.
“It’s worth it.” Stiles countered with grim satisfaction.
“You’re pack too, you know.”
“I don’t want the bite.” Yet. Stiles said firmly as he stared defiantly in Derek’s glowing red eyes.
“You don’t have to be a werewolf to be in the pack.” Derek murmured, the crimson slowly fading away to be replaced with the blue-green of his eyes and looked off to the side. “Not everyone in my family was a werewolf, but they were pack as well.”
“Oh.” Stiles breathed softly.
“I should have told you earlier… Laura had left a letter in our house and I found it when I helped Scott that first full moon.” He trailed off for a moment. “She said that I could trust you and she was right.”
The younger man watched him silently, patiently waiting for him to speak and not wanting to interrupt him because he knew all to well how talkative Derek was.
“She also told me about your Mom. How she had helped our family countless times with her extensive knowledge about herbs. I don’t really remember her, but I remember that we were all crushed when we learned that she was dying from cancer and there was nothing we could do to help her.”
Stiles felt his chest tighten painfully at the memories of his mother and Derek’s words. “Mom was an incredible woman. She always helped everyone around her.” His voice was thick with his effort to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
Derek’s heart broke at the pain he had caused by talking about this, but he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. Stiles had the right to know more about his mother. Gathering him in his arms Derek carefully steered them towards the bed and lay down with Stiles curled up against him.
“She would have been so proud of you.” He murmured softly and placed a tender kiss on Stiles’ forehead after hesitating for barely a second.
Stiles sighed shakily and pressed even closer to him, just holding on and anchoring himself to Derek's strong presence. He didn't say anything for several long moments, only smiled ruefully before leaning down to press a warm kiss to Derek's lips.
“Thank you, Derek.” He whispered in gratitude, with tears making his eyes wet, but he knew he didn't have to hide them anymore.
Derek craddled his face gently between his hands and kissed him again before murmuring lowly. “No, thank you, Stiles, for everything.”
~*~*~*~*~
The End.
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairings/Characters: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale, very brief mention of Scott McCall/Isaac Lahey, Sheriff Stilinski, Laura Hale
Rating: PG13/T
Word Count: ~6, 000
Content Notes/Warnings: Canon AU, Minor character death, Hurt/comfort, Angst, Slow build, Fluff
Summary: P.I. Stiles Stilinski noticed the weird activity in his town and decided to investigate. He never imagined that he’ll find out more about his mom or get mixed up in the supernatural world. Especially one Derek Hale.
Disclaimer: Teen Wolf and all its characters belong to their respectful owners, this fic is written for entertainment only and I don't make any profit of it.
Author's Notes: This story was written for tw_fallharvest and more specifically for phandomoftheowl
My never ending gratitude goes to Sam, Mi and Danny because this fic wouldn’t have been finished without their support, so thank you guys <3
~*~*~*~*~
Beacon Hills was a fairly peaceful town with the occasional bizarre event, but it was normal for something strange to happen once in a while, because after all every town had its peculiar incidents, and the people were used to the weirdness.
There was one person, though, who paid a little more attention to the unusual activities than anyone else in the town. Private investigator Stiles Stilinski took notes every time something out of the ordinary happened because he was sure there was a connection linking them all together and in the end everything will make sense in one way or another.
It wasn’t unusual for people to seek out Stiles’ investigating skills for out of the ordinary happenings because the police didn’t really believe it had to deal with the crazy superstitious believes people harbored. They had to focus on the real cases where there was real evidence and leads to follow. Stiles, on the other hand, had no problem dealing with the more wacky cases, he even made it a point to look for such cases sometimes because he liked the challenge they presented and it was always good to keep up with the ever changing world.
The most recent occurrence which was brought to his attention by the local ranger was some truly perplexing markings the man had stumbled upon during his patrol in the forest and some of the dead animals that were found later. Stiles took the coordinates of the so called crime scenes, even though he didn’t know what exactly had happened there yet, and packed up his supplies to take a look at them.
On his way out of the house he passed by the kitchen where his father was making sandwiches to take for lunch at the station and stole one for himself.
“Where are you going?” Steven Stilinski asked without looking up.
“I’ve got work.” Stiles mumbled through the bite he had taken while at the same time sent a quick text to Scott.
“Is it one of those cases again?” His dad inquired as he frowned down at the ham he was cutting.
“I don’t know, Dad, I still haven’t taken a look at the scene yet.” The young P.I. said while taking another bite of the sandwich.
His father sighed and turned around to look at his son. “When are you going to get serious about your job?”
Stiles tried to interrupt him because they’ve had that conversation before and he knew it wouldn’t be any different this time around but his father continued regardless.
“Look, I’ve gotten over the fact that you dropped out of the academy and I accepted that you became a P.I. but when are you going to stop wasting your time with these meaningless cases and start doing real investigative work?”
“Dad, please, can we not have this conversation again? Stiles asked tiredly and left his half-finished sandwich on the counter top. Suddenly he wasn’t all that hungry. Thankfully his phone started ringing and gave him the perfect excuse to end the talk with his dad.
“Sorry, I have to go, I’ll catch you later tonight.” The young man said quickly as he left the kitchen in a hurry but on second thought went back and snached up his snack again. He might as well finish it.
“Have fun. And be careful.” Steve called out to his son and wrapped up his lunch.
“I will! Don’t worry!” Stiles shouted out on his way out the door and took his phone to call back Scott. “Hey, Scott! You got some free time before work, right?” He asked as soon as his friend picked up.
“Not much, couple of hours at the most. Why? What’s going on?”
“I got some information that there were some strange markings in the forest and I was just getting ready to go take a look. So I wouldn’t mind some company if you want to come.” Stiles replied as he climbed up in his jeep and tried to start it one-handed. He struggled a bit but in the end succeeded.
“Aw, man, I can’t right now, Stiles. I promised Mom to go grocery shopping with her before work and help her with some other errands” Scott stammered through his explanation, fumbling around with something in the background, but Stiles knew his best friend and would always tell when he’s bluffing.
“Scott, come on! Don’t be like that. I know you don’t have anything important to do before your shift so stop playing Assassin’s Creed and be ready in 10 minutes, I’m coming to pick you up.” The P. I. said and hung up before the other could make any more excuses, but he could imagine the long suffering sigh his buddy would heave before doing as told.
Barely a second later had his phone started ringing again and against his better judgment he picked it up.
“Stiles, I really can’t come this time around. I was serious when I said I have to meet Mom and help her with some stuff.” Scott said in a hurry, afraid that his friend will hang up on him again before he could finish speaking.
“Really, Scott? For real?” Stiles whined a little petulantly. “Why today of all days? We were going to fool around like the old times, and some work of course. Like when we went to look for that dead body in the woods when we were in High School, only this time there wouldn’t be any bodies.”
“I’m sorry, man, but I’ll have to pass this time.” The vet apologized. “Though you can stop by on your way back, right?” He asked hopefully because lately there hasn’t been much work in the clinic and he was bored out of his mind most of the time.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll come by. Look, I gotta go ‘cause I’m driving and I really shouldn’t be talking on the phone right now. Dad will have my head if he finds out. You know how he is about those things.” Stiles babbled quickly as he waited on a red light.
“Oh, ok. See you later.” Scott replied and hung up.
Turning left in the opposite direction of the McCall house, Stiles turned on the radio to keep him company on the way to the first location he wanted to visit. Nickelback’s “Photograph” came up as the next song and he couldn’t help but think how everything had changed in so many little ways and not so little ways for the time he was away in the police academy. Not only was the town different, but the people as well, he himself included.
Stiles wasn’t the same hyperactive kid that used to get in all sorts of trouble all the time with his best friend. Now he was more serious and mature and even though he was still hyperactive he had learned how to channel all his energy in his work.
Taking the last turn to head off the main road and towards the Beacon Hills Reserve the P. I. glanced at his notebook to check if he was heading in the right direction. He drove for a few more minutes before stopping at the side of the road near the trail he was supposed to take and cut off the engine. After gathering all of his equipment Stiles started walking along the track and took note of the signs the ranger had told him to follow since they would take him to the first location.
He wasn’t sure how long he was walking before he reached his destination but the Sheriff’s son instantly recognized the place the ranger had described when they talked in the coffee shop once he reached it. The trees formed an almost complete circle around the small clearing and there was a mark on every single one of them. Stiles went towards the nearest one to take a better look at the symbol while getting out his camera out to snap a few pictures.
“Looks like some sort of a spiral. Drawn in blood apparently.” He mumbled to himself while going around the tree to see if there was anything else that was strange on it. He found nothing else of interest and wandered off to the next tree to take a look at it as well.
The P. I. was inspecting the bark of the third tree when he heard the barely audible crunching of twigs and leaves somewhere behind him. He turned back his head slightly to peak over his shoulder and his eyes caught movement near the bushes on his left side.
Suddenly a young slender woman appeared and Stiles startled a bit because he certainly hadn’t been expecting her to show up, maybe some animal, but definitely not her.
“You’re on the verge of my property.” Her voice was strong and commanding, tone accusing with an edge of warning to it.
“I’m really sorry, ma’am; I didn’t mean to trespass on your private property.” Stiles apologized immediately because if he was honest with himself he was a little intimidated by the woman standing not ten feet away from him, no matter how hot she looked.
And she definitely was dangerously beautiful despite the scowl she was directing Stiles’ way. A second later surprisingly enough she laughed at him and he relaxed involuntarily, letting his guard down a little bit.
“Hey, it’s alright. I usually have no problem with people passing by our grounds, but I’ve been on edge lately because of all the animal attacks that have been happening.” She explained while coming closer to her companion. “I’m Laura Hale, by the way. Sorry if I spooked you earlier.”
Stiles shook her outstretched hand and opened his mouth to introduce himself when they heard rustling somewhere around them. Laura tensed and quickly released his hand before whirling around. She crouched slightly in front of the P. I. and weirdly enough growled warningly at the bushes, making Stiles look at her wide-eyed.
A small rabbit dashed away in the opposite direction of the clearing, making Stiles release his bated breath in a noisy exhale, but his new acquaintance continued glaring after the small animal and the brown-haired man could swear he saw her eyes flash red for just a second.
“Laura, it’s just a rabbit.” He said hesitantly while putting his hand on her shoulder cautiously.
“I know.” She replied curtly before straightening up and facing him again. “You never told me your name or what exactly you’re doing so far in the forest.”
“Oh, sorry, I’m Stiles Stilinski, private investigator, and I came here to take a look at those strange markings on the trees, because some of the people around town are worried something weird is going on, but the police don’t really have time to deal with these things so they asked me to do a little investigation.” Stiles answered seemingly in one breath and flushed a bit under Laura’s gaze.
“You sure can talk fast.” She chuckled and looked off to the side for a moment before meeting his eyes and finishing softly. ”Just like your mother.”
His heart and breath stuttered in his chest for a fracture of a second. “You knew my Mom?” He whispered with wide eyes.
“Yeah, I did.” It was her turn to lay a hand on his shoulder and steady the young man because suddenly he looked very shaken up. “Do you want to go for a coffee, Stiles?” She asked and gently steered him in the direction of his car without him even noticing.
“Sure. Coffee sounds good.” He mumbled a little distractedly before shaking his head to clear it and smiled ruefully at his companion.
~*~*~*~*~
It was nearly two weeks later before Stiles went back to the forest to inspect the other crime scenes he was supposed to see because he got caught up with the one of the police’s cases. This time though he dragged Scott together with him to keep him company despite his best friend’s hesitance.
“Couldn’t we come earlier? Or tomorrow maybe? It’s gonna get dark pretty soon and we won’t be able to see anything and will just waste our time.” Scott complained as he trailed behind Stiles a couple of feet, tugging his jacket around himself tighter. The forest has always crept him out a little, especially during the late hours of the day.
“Scott, stop it. If we hadn’t had lacross we would have come earlier. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to spend the night here. We just have to take a look at two places and then we’re out of here, ok? So calm down.” Stiles was aware of his friend’s dislike of the forest after the sun no longer brightened the day and he really wasn’t planning on wasting much time here because he had research to do.
“You know, we’ll get this job done much faster if we split up. I’ll head back to the first sight I visited and you’ll go to the other one.” The P. I. took one of the camera bags he was carrying and handed it over. “Here, take some pictures if you find anything strange, like symbols or anything like that and we’ll meet here again after two hours, ok?”
Scott frowned at the bag as if he had never seen something like that in his life before sighing in resignation. “Alright, which way should I go?”
“That way, just follow the signs and they’ll take you to the next camping sight. The ranger said there were more drawings of that spiral I showed you earlier near it.” Stiles pointed southwest and gave him a compass as well. “See you in two hours.”
Without saying anything else, the Sheriff’s son spun around and headed in the opposite direction, leaving the other behind. He reached the first clearing with the trees around it but something didn’t feel right. Creeping cautiously closer to the nearest tree Stiles listened carefully for any strange sounds, but the smell of copper invaded his senses instead. He circled around the tree and saw the new spiral drawn on the bark with fresh blood and looking down he found some plant buried amongst the fallen leaves. Every other tree around the clearing was the same, with a re-drawn symbol and that strange plant at the bottom.
Just as he was taking out his second camera to snap a few photos of the new situation, there was a blood curling scream and what sounded like a howl. Stiles felt his heart stop in his chest before bolting in the direction it came from, running as fast as he could because he was sure that scream belonged to Scott.
He didn’t bother looking at the markings on the trees that would take him to the camp side, he just ran as fast as he could. “Scott!” His heart pounded in his ears, drowning out his voice and Stiles wasn’t sure if he had actually called out his friend’s name. “Scott! Where are you?”
“Stiles!” The P. I. skidded to a stop at the answer he got and strained his hearing to identify where it came from. “Over here!” Stumbling over some fallen trees and trunks, Stiles went down to where Scott had fallen and kneeled by his side.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? What the hell happened?” His voice shook in fear and it almost felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack, but he pushed back the feeling because he didn’t have time for panicking, not when Scott was hurt.
“I think I’m fine. Just got some scratches and twisted my ankle.” Scott tried to calm his frantically beating heart and took some deep breaths. “God, one minute I was taking pictures of that spiral you talked about and the next I sensed something behind me and when I turned around there was this wolf stalking towards me. I took a tiny step back and it attacked me.”
“Are you sure it was a wolf?” Stiles interrupted as he helped him stand up and supported his weight. “We don’t have wolves here in California, not for the last sixty years at least.”
“I’m sure, Stiles. I know what I saw!”
“Alright, alright. Calm down. Let’s get out of here. We’ve seen enough action for tonight.”
The two of them thought they were done with the weird happening for the night, but faith clearly didn’t agree. On the way back to the car, Stiles noticed a trail of blood leading a little ways away from the track and naturally wanted to go investigate, consequently dragging Scott with him. They found half of a body, female by the looks of it, however they couldn’t be completely sure before the coroner confirmed it.
“I gotta call my Dad.” Stiles muttered grimly as he took his phone out and turned away from the gruel sight.
Soon the police was there and securing the crime scene. Two officers took their statements and Scott smartly didn’t mention the wolf attack. If Stiles said there were no wolves in California, then it must have been some other predator that tried to kill him.
The P. I. offered to help out in the search of the other half of the body, but the Sheriff refused after taking one look at them and sent both young men home to rest.
~*~*~*~*~
It was a few days later when Stiles and Scott went back to the camp side in the reserve to look for the vet’s inhaler.
“It’s a miracle you haven’t needed it these days.” Stiles remarked as he looked around for the small white device.
“I know. I can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier that it was gone.” Scott replied and almost stumbled over some fallen branches. “Though lately I’ve been able to hear things painfully clear and every scent is overwhelming…”
“What are you doing here? This is private property.” A dark voice demanded suddenly from somewhere behind them, interrupting Scott and the friends whirled around in surprise.
In front of them was standing a tall, handsome man, dark hair spiked up and dressed in jeans with a black leather jacket. Even though his green-blue eyes were glaring daggers at them, Stiles couldn’t help but get a little lost in their depths.
“Sorry, we didn’t know. We were just looking for my inhaler.” Scott explained haltingly and a second later something was thrown in his direction, which he surprising caught.
“Here. Now leave.” The man said and then in the blink of an eye he was just gone.
“Awesome. Let’s go. I’ve got to get ready for my date with Isaac.” Scott inspected his inhaler and smiled happily because it didn’t seem broken which meant it wouldn’t be necessary to buy a new one.
“Dude! That was Derek Hale.” Stiles exclaimed disbelievingly but was met only with baffled confusion, making him want to pull his hair out, even though it was too short, because Scott could be so ignorant sometimes. “His whole family burned in their house like ten years ago or something.”
“Then what’s he doing back here?” Scott asked in bewilderment as he pocketed his inhaler.
“I don’t know. Maybe he came back like his sister did. I mean, if Laura’s here he’d want to come back too and be with her.” Stiles guessed with a shrug and made a mental note to call Laura. “What were you saying about your senses again?”
~*~*~*~*~
Stiles never got the chance to see Laura Hale again because the body that was found in the woods belonged to her.
“Dad, are you sure it’s Laura Hale?” He asked once again because he didn’t want to believe it was true.
“Stiles, for the millionth time, yes, I’m sure it’s Laura Hale, the tests confirmed it.” Steve answered exasperatedly. “Why are you so upset about her death? Did you know her?”
“No, I mean yeah, actually, not very well, we met a few weeks ago so I don’t know her all that well but we talked a few times and I know that her brother’s back as well. Oh, crap, did you tell Derek about her death?”
“Yeah, we did as soon as we got in contact with him.” The Sheriff replied solemnly.
Stiles groaned and thumped his head on the table a few times before looking up at his father. “What else can you tell me? Anything strange or unusual?”
The sheriff sighed tiredly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I really shouldn’t tell you anything but… the lab said they found animal hairs on her body, wolf hairs to be exact and that’s the strange thing because as far as we know we don’t have wolves here.”
The P. I. sucked in a breath sharply. Everything was slowly starting to make sense, bit by bit the pieces were falling in their rightful places. He would need to do some more research to confirm his theory, but Stiles was pretty sure he had figured it out for the most part. And most importantly if he was right he had to get to Scott and warn him about what was coming. Things weren’t looking good.
“Stiles… Stiles! Do you have any ideas about what could have happened to Laura Hale?” His father called out his name and interrupted his rapidly whirling thoughts so he shook his head to clear it.
“No, not at this point. I have to look up some stuff, so I’ll be in my room if you need me.” He said and felt guilty for lying to his father but he couldn’t say anything before he was certain he knew what was going on for real. So he bolted from the living room up the stairs to the second floor.
“Come on, come on…” He mumbled under his breath as he waited impatiently for his laptop to boot up.
Nearly three hours later Stiles sat back and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. He’s pretty sure he knows what’s going on and it was nothing good. They were in so much trouble.
“Oh crap. Tonight’s the full moon.” He muttered. “I gotta get to Scott’s place right now.”
Normally the drive down the familiar road to his best friend’s house would be comforting, but this time Stiles was too anxious to get there as quickly as he could without breaking too many laws. Growling in frustration that Scott wasn’t picking up his phone, Stiles put his foot down on the accelerator a bit more.
Taking the last turn into Scott’s street sharply the sheriff’s son hit the breaks the second he reached the house and jumped out of his Jeep even before it had fully stopped.
~*~*~*~*~
The drive to the Hale house was tense because Stiles himself was on edge after the confrontation with Scott. His hands were still shaking so he gripped the steering wheel tighter in an attempt to steady them.
It was hard to believe that the boy he had grown up with would try to hurt him, but it had nearly happened just because Scott was afraid to accept the fact that he was different now. Stiles had tried to make him see reason, tried to explain and make him believe but his efforts were futile until they had gotten their proof when Scott changed right before Stiles’ eyes, teeth getting sharp, eyes glowing golden and claws popping out. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Finally he pulled up in front of the house or rather what was left of it because the ruins barely standing together couldn’t be called a house. The sight chased a chill down his spine, which he tried to suppress.
“Derek? Derek Hale?” The P. I. called out loudly as he climbed out of his Jeep a bit unsteadily and slowly got closer to the front porch. “I’m Stiles Stilinski. I need to talk to you.”
Like before the other man just appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly standing at the open front door.
“What do you want?” He asked sharply with a glare, but Stiles did his best to hold back his fear. He refused to be intimidated, not right now.
“I need help because Scott freaked out when he realized he was no longer human and lost control. Now I don’t know where he is and I’m afraid he’s going to hurt someone or himself.” The words rushed out of his mouth in one breath and he was worried the other man hadn’t understood anything.
Derek scowled and his eyes flashed for a brief second. “I’ll find him and I’ll try to help him.” He said gruffly and turned his back on the other, apparently done talking with him.
“Hey wait! I just…” Stiles hesitated before murmuring softly. “I wanted to say I’m sorry about your sister. I wish there was something I could’ve done to prevent this because Laura was pretty awesome.”
“How did you know Laura?” Derek asked with a frown as he turned around once again to face the man.
“I uh, actually met her near your property while doing an investigation. She said she knew my Mom so we started talking and then we met a few more times.” Stiles explained and looked away from the other’s intense eyes for a second. “Look, can I just ask you a question before you go? I’m pretty sure I already know the answer otherwise I wouldn’t be here, but still... Are you a werewolf? Because after everything that has happened to Scott and Laura and the wolfsbane I found in that clearing and the howling, I’m pretty sure you’re a werewolf.”
Derek watched him for a few moments without answering, just listening to his heart as it gradually started beating faster before coming closer to Stiles. His eyes flashed blue and he bared his teeth in a snarl. “Yes, I’m a werewolf.” He expected to get overwhelmed with countless questions after his confirmation because that’s the impression he was left with so far, but it didn’t happen.
“Oh my god.” Stiles murmured shakily as he took a step back unconsciously and gaped at the dark-haired man.
“Are you scared, Stiles?” Derek asked with a growl and stalked closer still.
“Yes, I am.” Stiles admitted and his breath hitched slightly. “But I don’t have time to be afraid, not when Scott could be in trouble.” His voice trembled as he spoke but his eyes were determined to overcome the fear for his friend’s sake.
Derek was impressed by the other’s strength and loyalty because a lesser man would have run away by now. Stepping back with a smirk while turning away once again, the werewolf began walking away. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of your friend.”
“Thank you.” His words were nothing more than a whisper, but Derek heard them loud and clear.
~*~*~*~*~
Stiles stumbled home in the wee hours of the morning and was glad that his father was away at the station for his night shift. After his talk with Derek, the P. I. had rushed off to get to Isaac’s place because there was a possibility that Scott could have gone there. Isaac had been so confused to see an out of breath Stiles asking if he had noticed anything weird around his house. Thankfully, Scott hadn’t shown up to scare the hell out of his soon-to-be boyfriend, but on the other hand that made Stiles worry even more about where he could be. The sheriff’s son could only hope that Derek had found him before the recently turned werewolf had done anything stupid and had helped him like he said he would.
Trudging up the stairs tiredly, Stiles finally let himself think about everything that was going on and almost felt overwhelmed by the knowledge that werewolves really existed and the fact that his best friend was one of them now. Staggering inside his room, the brown-haired man flipped the light on and nearly had a heart attack.
“Oh my god! What the hell are you doing here?!” He squeaked out at the sight of Derek standing by the window like a total creeper.
“I came to tell you that I found Scott in the woods. He had a rough night, but he’s going to be fine.” Derek said gruffly while crossing his arms over his ruined shirt.
Breathing a sigh of relieve Stiles let himself collapse in an exhausted heap upon his bed regardless of his companion. “Thank god.”
Derek watched as the tension gradually eased in the other’s shoulders and slowly ran his eyes over his body, listening as his heart beat finally calmed down.
“How did you find me?”
The question was mumbled into the pillow, but Derek heard it nevertheless and chose to ignore it for the moment. “It’s not going to be easy, but I can help Scott learn how to control his wolf.”
“I’ll do my best to convince him that it’ll be better for him to be in your pack and you didn’t answer my question.” Stile said with a hint of annoyance and curiosity in his voice as he sat up.
The werewolf was surprised for a minute that the other had knowledge about his kind, but then again he had figured out what was going on and Laura had mentioned in her letter, which Derek found during his fight with Scott in the Hale house, that he was too smart for his own good.
“I followed your scent.” He replied finally and Stiles hummed thoughtfully. “I wasn’t the one that bit Scott if you were wondering. Only an Alpha can turn a human into a werewolf.” Derek fell silent and wondered if he really could trust the man before him, then he remembered his sister’s words. “Scott and I are Betas, Laura was an Alpha as well and she came back looking for the Alpha that is here now.”
“So that means Scott is actually part of his pack, not yours.” The P. I. concluded with a frown. “We have to find the Alpha before he forces Scott to do something against his will.”
“Yes. That’s the only way we can really help him.” Derek confirmed.
A jaw-breaking yawn interrupted anything else Stiles might have said and he flopped back in his bed. “It’ll have to wait for tomorrow. I need to get some sleep if I want to function at all.” With his eyes closed he added as an afterthought, “I’m sure you can show yourself out the window again.”
Derek didn’t say anything; instead he took off his jacket and lay in bed besides the other man.
“The hell do you think you’re doing?” Stiles asked incredulously while staring with wide eyes at the werewolf.
“I’m too tired to go back to my house.”
With a resigned sigh Stiles shifted around a bit until the both of them were comfortable, pressed closely together.
“This had better not become a habit of yours.” He warned, but the exhaustion was finally claiming him and his words came out slurred.
~*~*~*~*~
They went through so much trouble and obstacles, people were hurt in the process, but a few months later they found out who the Alpha was. No one had really expected it to be Peter Hale, least of all Derek, and the fact that Peter had killed Laura was the most rattling revelation.
Stiles could only imagine the betrayal the other man had felt when he learned that his own uncle had killed his sister. It was something Derek couldn’t ever forgive Peter, so he had avenged his sister despite the consequences that came with his decision.
Scott was furious that Derek had stolen his chance to be normal again, but Stiles suspected that killing the Alpha wouldn’t have made a difference. Scott would have simply taken on his role, and for heaven’s sake that would have been a terrible disaster. On the other hand, that meant that all his previous efforts in convincing Scott to be part of Derek’s pack had been shot to hell and he would have to start all over again.
It was a few nights later after things had calmed down a little that he saw Derek again. Stiles was coming home late after helping his father with a case that had been unsolved for way too long and when he entered his room the werewolf was standing by the window just like after the first full moon.
“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to use the front door.” He remarked off-handedly while taking off his ruined hoodie. It’s a shame because it had been one of his favorites, but the fact that they had caught the bastard who had raped three young girls was more than worth it. “Oh, wait. I forgot that it’s werewolf thing to climb up people’s windows.” The sarcasm was clear in his words.
Derek growled in annoyance at his behavior and slammed him into the wall, crowding in his personal space and inspecting the bruises on the side of his face.
“You’re hurt.” He rumbled angrily with a snarl.
“It’s worth it.” Stiles countered with grim satisfaction.
“You’re pack too, you know.”
“I don’t want the bite.” Yet. Stiles said firmly as he stared defiantly in Derek’s glowing red eyes.
“You don’t have to be a werewolf to be in the pack.” Derek murmured, the crimson slowly fading away to be replaced with the blue-green of his eyes and looked off to the side. “Not everyone in my family was a werewolf, but they were pack as well.”
“Oh.” Stiles breathed softly.
“I should have told you earlier… Laura had left a letter in our house and I found it when I helped Scott that first full moon.” He trailed off for a moment. “She said that I could trust you and she was right.”
The younger man watched him silently, patiently waiting for him to speak and not wanting to interrupt him because he knew all to well how talkative Derek was.
“She also told me about your Mom. How she had helped our family countless times with her extensive knowledge about herbs. I don’t really remember her, but I remember that we were all crushed when we learned that she was dying from cancer and there was nothing we could do to help her.”
Stiles felt his chest tighten painfully at the memories of his mother and Derek’s words. “Mom was an incredible woman. She always helped everyone around her.” His voice was thick with his effort to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
Derek’s heart broke at the pain he had caused by talking about this, but he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. Stiles had the right to know more about his mother. Gathering him in his arms Derek carefully steered them towards the bed and lay down with Stiles curled up against him.
“She would have been so proud of you.” He murmured softly and placed a tender kiss on Stiles’ forehead after hesitating for barely a second.
Stiles sighed shakily and pressed even closer to him, just holding on and anchoring himself to Derek's strong presence. He didn't say anything for several long moments, only smiled ruefully before leaning down to press a warm kiss to Derek's lips.
“Thank you, Derek.” He whispered in gratitude, with tears making his eyes wet, but he knew he didn't have to hide them anymore.
Derek craddled his face gently between his hands and kissed him again before murmuring lowly. “No, thank you, Stiles, for everything.”
~*~*~*~*~
The End.