Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Stiles bolted out of the jeep as soon as Scott brought it to a halt. He ran into the Hale house, terrified of what he might find. When he’d realized that Lydia was missing from the party, he’d dragged Scott out to track her scent. He hadn’t predicted it would lead him here, but he couldn’t say he was surprised.

He was, however, surprised to find Lydia standing over a hole in the floor with an ancient book in hand and Derek crouched at her side. His three betas were circling and snarling as Lydia chanted.

“Lydia--” Stiles started, but before he could get any further, an explosion of light burst from the hole. Derek’s eyes flared red then went dark. All the air in Stiles’ lungs fled when a hand gripped the edges of the floorboards. A figure crawled out of the light, the shadows playing off it, making it impossible to see if it was covered in dirt or merely dark skin, or perhaps something more...unearthly. Derek offered his hand to help them stand. The figure’s eyes flashed red and Derek’s own echoed blue. The light in their eyes and in the pit in the floor faded, revealing a dark-haired woman.

A completely naked woman.

A completely naked woman who Stiles had last seen cut in half and extremely dead.

Stiles heard Scott growl behind him, and stumbled forward, hoping to reach Lydia and pull her to safety. Scott had claimed that Derek wanted the alpha power enough to not give a shit about any of them, but Stiles wasn’t so sure that was the reason Derek had killed Peter. Stiles didn’t know how desperately Derek wanted to be an alpha, but he knew Derek could be deadly when necessary. Stiles didn’t know Laura at all, so he couldn’t predict how she’d respond if Derek challenged her. If there was going to be another fight to the death, he wanted to be far, far away this time

He braced for Derek to attack and was shocked again when he smiled instead. Bright and happy, childishly so. Nothing at all like the fake grin he'd used at the police station to rescue Isaac.

“Good work, Derek,” Laura said. Reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder. To the group at large, she said calmly, “I’m the alpha again. In case you didn’t notice.”

Derek and the three other betas flashed their eyes in submission and Scott growled behind him again. Laura’s red gaze flicked over to them and the noise choked off.

“Hm,” she said with a bland look, then she turned back to Derek.

Derek stripped off his Henley and offered it to his sister. Instead of putting her arms through the sleeves, she let the neckline settle on her chest like a strapless dress and wrapped the sleeves around the top. She turned around and Derek tied them in a loose bow, fussing with it a moment before she said, “That’s fine. Thanks, Der.”

Stiles’ heart stuttered as Derek smiled again and ducked his head.

“Oh.” Derek dug something out of his pocket to hand to Laura.

Stiles got the brief impression of blue lace before averting his eyes so Laura could put the underwear on.

“You carry women’s underwear in your pocket?” Lydia sniped.

Derek frowned at her, but before he needed to respond, Laura said coldly, “He carries whatever the fuck I need him to.”

Lydia blinked, and Stiles held his breath. No one talked to her like that.

Laura wasn’t done. “Your assistance with this has been greatly appreciated, but my brother is my first priority. If you don’t want to play nice with Derek, leave.”

Lydia gaped at her and huffed, but didn’t go anywhere.

Laura looked her up and down, then nodded. “Well, it’s late, and that was exhausting, so I think we’ll sort out the pack details later. Derek, where are we staying?”

Derek frowned and Stiles found it disconcerting that Derek looked more upset than angry as he usually did. “Um...Well...”

Laura sighed. “Derek. Did you secure a place to live?”

“Yes,” Derek said.

Laura raised an eyebrow. “Is it habitable for normal people?”

A brief hesitation. “No,” Derek grumbled.

Laura put one hand on her hip and the other over her eyes. “Derek, we’ve talked about this.”

“I know, and I was going to go to a motel, but the guy said he didn’t want any trouble, so he wouldn't rent to me, and then I got arrested, and then Gerard came to town and I had to avoid him and the police--”

“Derek, if the authorities arrest you and then let you go ,you don’t need to continue avoiding them”, Laura said clearly exasperated.

“Yeah, I know, but someone claimed I tried to murder them in a high school.” He shot a glare at Scott. “So they wanted to arrest me again.”

Stiles thought it was interesting that he didn’t mention Stiles was the reason he'd been arrested the first time.

Laura picked up on that too. “What was the first one for?”

“Killing you,” Derek said with a shrug, like that was totally reasonable.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Laura said because clearly, they were both insane. “Okay, three priorities. A place to stay for the night, clothing, and food.” She turned to Stiles. “Suggestions?”

Stiles stuttered in surprise at her attention. “There's a hotel in the middle of town, Beacon Motel--”

“They’re the ones who turned me away,” Derek interrupted, his signature glare returning, but lacking its usual severity.

“And there’s one at the edge of town,” Stiles continued. “It gets a lot more callouts, so I don’t think it’s as picky.”

Laura narrowed her eyes. “How do you know that?”

“Stiles’ dad is the sheriff here,” Derek explained.

“Not at the moment,” Stiles muttered. Laura tilted her head, considering him.

“That’ll do for now,” she said. “Derek, were you able to keep track of my clothes?” There was no rebuke in her tone, just quiet acceptance that their life involved losing basic possessions like T-shirts and pants on a regular basis.

“Your suitcase was taken by the police as evidence,” Derek shrugged.

“It’ll take a bit to get it back. Hmm. Okay, Derek, give me your car-keys. Stiles can drive you to go get me some clothes, and food for everyone. The rest of you will come to the motel with me.”

“What? No, we can’t just--” Scott was cut off by Laura’s sharp look.

“I just came back from the dead. I don’t have the energy for pleasantries or hand holding. Come with us, or go to hell, I don’t care.” Derek passed her his keys and she swept from the room, dismissing Scott completely.

Lydia and Erica stared after her like she was exactly what they wanted to be when they grew up. Boyd shrugged and Isaac said, “Um, I’m still a fugitive…”

“Laura’s still legally dead. She’ll keep you hidden with her until everything can be sorted out,” Derek assured him. They all followed after Laura.

Scott grabbed Stiles’ arm. “You can’t just do what she says.”

“I know that.” They’d spent too much time resisting Peter to fall in blindly with a different alpha, but...Stiles shrugged. “Look, I don’t really know what the hell just happened, but so far, so good. I’d really rather be working with her than against her, so until she gives me a reason not to trust her, I’m gonna go with it.”

“Can you drive me to Wal-Mart?” Derek asked from behind him. Stiles spun around, nodded, then on further consideration, shook his head. “Which is it?” Derek said with an impatient huff.

“Um, I was at a party earlier, and I was drinking,” Stiles explained. “I feel sober now, but I think I was hallucinating before and you know how people frequently feel more clear-headed than they actually are and my dad…”

“Lydia put wolfsbane in the punch to distract you,” Derek explained. “But that’s fine, I can drive us.”

“Oh. Right, okay.” Stiles stumbled out to the jeep. He patted his pockets awkwardly then realized Scott had left the keys in the ignition.

“Stiles--” Scott said.

“Scott.” Stiles put his hand on Scott’s shoulder. “Go home or go with Laura. I’ll talk to you later.”

He got in the jeep before Scott could protest and Derek climbed into the driver's seat and took off.

They drove in awkward silence for a few minutes before Stiles finally cracked. “So...your sister’s not dead anymore.”

“Nope.”

“That’s...great,” Stiles said awkwardly. “And she’s the alpha again.”

“Yes,” Derek said, answering Stiles, though it hadn’t been a question. That was more of an interaction than Stiles would have gotten yesterday.

“Are you happy about that?” Stiles asked hesitantly.

Derek’s default frown increased in intensity. “Happy my sister’s alive? Of course. She’s my best friend.”

“Yeah, of course. I mean.” Stiles rubbed his sweating hands over his jeans. “Happy to not be the alpha.”

Derek shrugged. “I’m a beta. It’s just who I am. Who I’ve always been. Being in charge, being the one to call the shots, it's too stressful for me. I never wanted the alpha power. It’s so much. I know Scott was angry that I didn’t let him kill Peter, but I needed Laura’s power so I could bring her back. She didn’t have to take it, but we both would’ve been unhappy if it stayed with me.”

“So, you’ve been planning this the whole time?” Stiles thought over the choices Derek had made, and they became a little clearer. He hadn't thought Derek was that much of a planner.

Derek nodded. “Laura planned it before she came to Beacon Hills. She knew something was off, so she created a few different scenarios, including one in the event of her death. There were some unforeseen issues, obviously, but she’s back now, so everything’s going to be okay.” Derek flashed him that smile again, like he truly believed all his troubles were over because his big sister was here.

They arrived at Wal-Mart and Stiles trailed after Derek as he walked into the store. They grabbed a cart and Derek made a beeline for the women’s clothing section. It was strange seeing Derek do something as normal as pushing a shopping cart, but kind of nice at the same time. There was almost no one around to stare at them and Derek seemed more relaxed than Stiles had ever seen him, even though he was intensely focused on the task at hand.

Stiles expected Derek to go for the type of clothes he wore, dark shirts, dark jeans, dark everything. Instead, his first choice was a brightly flowered sundress. He chose three T-shirts, but they were yellow, pink, and bright blue. One of them had a butterfly on the front. The jeans he chose were a light wash with rhinestones on the back pockets. Stiles didn’t pay much attention to the pack of underwear Derek grabbed because he didn’t want to be a creeper. It was weird enough that he'd already seen Laura naked.

They finished off their clothing selections with a couple soft nightgowns and on their way to the food section, Derek veered off into the beauty section. He grabbed some shampoo, conditioner, body wash and a loofah, a hairbrush, and continued in search of something else. “What are you looking for?” Stiles asked. He caught up with Derek in front of the tampons. “Oh, shit. Do you think she...you know.”

Derek rolled his eyes in Stiles’ direction. “I’m not really sure what being dead does to someone's cycle. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Oh, right, sure,” Stiles said awkwardly. Derek turned back to the display and selected a box carefully. Stiles didn’t have sisters, had never had a girlfriend, and his mom had died when he was 11, so he didn’t really know the difference between all the different kinds and he was a bit worried he’d find himself on a wiki walk on the subject next time he was at his computer. He was kind of impressed that Derek was so casual about it, like it was no big deal instead of a giant affront to his masculinity like some guys thought.

They made quick work of grabbing food, focusing mostly on things that didn’t need to be cooked or heated. The deli was closed this late at night so they went through a drive thru and grabbed burgers for everyone on their way to the motel.

When they arrived, Derek parked around back where the jeep wouldn’t be visible from the road. He passed some of the lighter shopping bags to Stiles. “Is your dad expecting you home tonight?”

“Not really,” Stiles said. His stomach clenched with guilt and Derek frowned at him. “I told him there was a party, so he thinks I’m staying at Scott’s.”

Derek nodded and lead him to the last unit of the motel block. Stiles thought it was weird that Derek didn’t need to text anyone to find out what room they were in, until he remembered werewolf, and figured he could sniff them out.

Isaac opened the door for them and Derek sent him out to grab the rest of the bags. Erica and Boyd were sprawled over the first double bed, while Laura was sitting in the center of the second. She'd clearly showered and was braiding her long hair while wrapped in the bed sheet. Derek fished out a nightgown for her.

“Good choice.” She wrinkled her nose as she took it. “The smell will take getting used to though.”

“I could wash the rest tomorrow, if you want,” Stiles offered. He really wasn’t sure why he was getting more involved with these people, but like he'd told Scott, Laura seemed to have her shit together, and relying on Scott hadn’t worked too well for him so far. They might be best friends, and Stiles loved him like a brother, but he could see Scott wasn’t able to take charge and get them out of this mess. Laura breathed leadership like she was born for the role.

Laura smiled at him. “Thank you, Stiles, that would be so helpful.”

Isaac came back with Scott following him.

“We should go,” Scott said. Stiles was torn between sticking around to see what would happen next and going home to where he knew he would be safe.

“Don’t you want to join us for dinner?” Laura asked, she smiled up at Derek as he passed around the bags of takeout. “It smells great.”

“It’s just hamburgers, Laur,” Derek said. “Stiles ordered for you, Scott.”

“I got extra mustard,” Stiles said, shaking the bag enticingly. “You know how hard it is to eat that in the car.”

He watched Scott mentally deliberate before finally nodding. “We’ll just eat quickly and then go home.”

Stiles readily agreed, but couldn’t bring himself to rush through the meal.

Now that Laura had showered and gotten some food, she was less terrifyingly focused. She asked Erica about her lipstick and recommended other brands to feed the girl’s growing obsession. Isaac cracked a dry joke and she laughed with her whole body. She and Derek kept looking at each other fondly over their food.

Stiles was still eating when Derek and Laura had finished, and Derek settled against her side.

Laura encouraged Derek to get comfortable before she said, “Tell me all the things I missed.

Stiles had never heard Derek say so much at once. He laid out the events that had transpired since Laura’s body appeared in the woods, stopping only to answer her questions or have someone else add details. Stiles also hadn’t realized just how many people had screwed Derek over since he’d gotten to town. Peter’s betrayal was the cherry on top of a shitty situation. The motel owner had been one of many to resist having anything to do with him. Scott and Stiles hadn’t been the only ones to accuse him of murder. In fact, compared to the other people who’d hurled accusations his way, Stiles and Scott had been downright nice.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that alone Der,” Laura said. “It will be better now that I’m here and we can really become a pack again.

By the time Derek reached the situation with the kanima, Stiles had finished his food, but couldn’t fathom leaving.

The frosty demeanor returned as Derek finished. Laura ran her fingers through Derek’s hair like a villain with their favourite cat as she seethed. “It’s disgusting that someone would use a person like that. Clearly, Jackson had issues of his own to begin with or he wouldn’t have manifested this way, but now to have his body used like that? It’s despicable.”

Stiles shuddered at the thought of the mechanic. His death would be burned into Stiles’ brain for life. It would be even worse for the kanima to remember and know he’d done something like that without any control.

“On top of being vicious and cruel, this master has been downright stupid,” Laura said. “Attracting the attention of law enforcement like that. A small town like this can’t handle so many homicides. They’ll reach out for help and the FBI or some godforsaken organization will start poking at shadows.”

“Dad doesn’t usually--” Stiles cut off before explaining his dad’s tendency to try and keep things internal. It wasn’t up to his dad now. “Nevermind.”

Laura gave him a long look, then turned away. “Even if the local cops don’t call in for help, this sort of thing garners attention. We’ll be inundated with hunters, idiots out for blood who can’t tell a monster from a mouse.”

“We already have some sniffing around because of Peter and Kate,” Stiles pointed out.

“Not all of them are bad, though,” Scott insisted.

“Some can be reasoned with,” Laura conceded. “But too many can’t, like Kate, her father and their spineless followers. I’ll have to contact the brother eventually. He thinks he’s a good person and that could work in our favour. I won’t just let him off after threatening you though.” Laura hugged Derek for a moment. “He’ll pay for that.”

“It was ages ago,” Derek said. “We have more important things to focus on now.”

Laura sighed. “For the moment. We need to stop this kanima before another pack decides to come in and stop it for us.”

“Wouldn’t another pack’s help be good?” Erica asked.

Laura snorted. “You’d think, right? And help from some packs would be. But far too many of them would swoop into something like this, taking it as a sign of instability, and take the territory out from under us. They won’t care if we live through the takeover.”

Erica shivered and shifted closer to Boyd.

Laura smiled sadly. “I’m sorry. I wish it were different. Someday, I’ll introduce you to other werewolves who we can trust, but for now, we need to stick together. As long as we work as a pack, we’ll get through it just fine. We’ll deal with the kanima, establish this as our home again. There will be plenty of supernatural people who will come to Beacon Hills and some will be threats, but many of them will be wonderful beings that will make this place come to life again.”

“So there are other creatures?” Stiles asked. He’d been scouring the internet, trying to determine what was real and what was not now that the line had been blurred. “Not just werewolves?”

“Many, many others,” Laura said. “I’ll tell you about them sometime. When it’s not so late.”

“We should get home,” Scott said, abruptly standing as he remembered he’d meant to leave as soon as possible.

Stiles had no excuses this time. It was late, and he was getting tired. But it felt wrong to leave the group. What if he wasn’t allowed back into it?

“We’ll see you in the morning, Stiles,” Laura said, giving him a reassuring smile. “Betas, say goodbye to Stiles.”

Erica and Boyd waved him off from the bed. “See you tomorrow?” Isaac said, but he sounded unsure.

“Yeah,” Stiles said. He turned to go and bumped into Derek.

Derek took him by the shoulders to steady him, but instead of stepping back, he pulled Stiles into a hug. “Bye, Stiles,” he said. Stiles stood awkwardly in his grip, too stunned to react. He wasn’t even sure if his reaction should be pushing Derek away or pulling him closer. Before he made up his mind, the embrace was over and Derek rejoined Laura on the bed.

She wiggled her fingers at him and Scott tugged him out of the room.

***

Stiles had Scott drop him off at his house. He was exhausted but when he got up to his room, he couldn’t sleep. He ended up staring at the yearbooks again, trying to see the pattern he knew was there.

He was suddenly struck with the vision of Matt flailing in Lydia’s pool. Saw Jackson pull him out and he went still. He looked at the pictures again, and was filled with a bone-deep certainty that Matt was controlling the kanima. He just didn’t know how to prove it.

He only got a few hours sleep, but he dragged himself downstairs in the morning to have breakfast with his dad.

The Sheriff looked up from his paper. “Thought you’d be at Scott’s.”

Stiles shook his head. They sat in awkward silence for a moment before Stiles said, “Dad, can I show you something?”

It amazed Stiles that after all the lies he'd told, all the shit that had happened, after he laid out all the information he'd gathered, his dad was still willing to believe him.

“I’ll go down to the station, see what I can dig up on Daehler,” the Sheriff said, studying the picture of the swim team. “They may not listen anyway, and I don’t want you thinking this is your responsibility.”

“I know,” Stiles said quickly. “I just...wanted to help.”

The Sheriff left soon after, and Stiles went to take a shower. When he walked back downstairs, he jumped a foot in the air and made a very undignified noise.

“Good morning, Stiles,” Laura said cheerfully, gesturing hello with a mug. Derek appeared behind him and wrapped his arms around Stiles’ waist in a brief hug before stepping around him to join his sister at the kitchen table.

“Hi,” Stiles said with an awkward cough.

“We didn’t mean to startle you, but I didn’t want to interrupt your shower,” Laura said. “I trust the use of your laundry room is still available?”

“Yeah, sure,” Stiles said. “I could put a load in if you wanted.”

Laura rose gracefully from her seat and lifted a massive suitcase with ease. “I prefer to have control over my clothing. You can show me the quirks of your washer while Derek starts breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” Stiles said, talking to Laura was a bit like holding a conversation with a bulldozer, in that he wasn’t really sure what's happening, but it sounded like a good idea and she drove like she knew what she was doing.

She smiled sweetly. “We brought bacon.”

Why argue with that? Stiles led her down to the laundry room in the basement and showed her the proper controls. She chatted with him while she sorted her clothes into piles he didn’t really understand. He and his dad were more the ‘hot water’ or ‘cold water’ kind of people. There was no in between.

By the time they came back upstairs, Derek had bacon in the oven and was mixing up a batter on the counter.

“Oven bacon?” Stiles inquired.

“Cooks more evenly,” Derek explained.

“Derek’s a great cook. You’ll love his pancakes,” Laura said, retrieving her coffee from the table. Derek preened and Stiles nodded even though he felt like he was in another dimension. All of his interactions with Derek had been so tense, he never really pictured him doing something as mundane as flipping pancakes.

“So, this kanima situation.” Laura stared at him expectantly. When he didn’t say anything she prompted, “What are your thoughts so far?”

People didn’t often ask about Stiles’ theories. He told them to people, sure, and on occasion they listened but no one encouraged him to share his opinions. In fact, they were more likely to actively discourage him to avoid the overload of information. So he told her. He explained everything he knew about the swim team and Matt and all of Jackson’s bizarre behavior. He even told her about kidnapping Jackson, Scott and Allison being too focused on each other to notice his escape, and Stiles’ dad losing his job.

“So, your father is still unaware of the supernatural and thinks you caused his unemployment for a prank?” Laura clarified, looking deeply concerned.

“Yep,” Stiles said. He tried to sound flippant and hide how really bothered he was by that. But his father was all the family he had left, and Laura looked like she could see right through him. But the way she looked at Derek made Stiles think it might be because she understood what that felt like.

“We’ll have to be very careful about how we enlighten the legal system to my...greatly exaggerated demise,” Laura said with a wink. “We don't want any additional backlash on your father, and if we play our cards right, we could get his job back.”

Stiles smiled in return, but he wasn’t very confident that she would be able to pull that off.

“The washer just finished,” Laura said, rising from her seat.

Stiles trailed after her. “So you can hear that? How far can you hear exactly?”

Laura shrugged. “It depends on the sound, or if it’s familiar, or if I’m focusing. I can pick out Derek’s heartbeat from a crowded mall, but if I wanted to find you, I’d have to focus on scent rather than sound.”

“Cool.” Stiles followed her to the laundry room to pepper her with questions and she answered easily, seeming happy to do so. When they came back upstairs, Derek had prepared three plates piled with pancakes and bacon.

He brought them over to the the table and waited, looking at Laura expectantly. She took a bite quickly then smiled up at him, “Lovely, Der.”

Derek took his seat, digging into his own meal. Stiles wanted to ask if that was a werewolf etiquette thing or a Hale family procedure, but he didn’t want Derek to feel awkward. Laura looked at him with sparkling eyes, like she knew he was churning with questions.

They ate in silence for awhile, before Laura asked, “Stiles, do you know where we can find this Matt guy?”

Stiles stilled. He wasn’t sure what Laura would do if she found him and he wasn’t sure what he wanted her to do. “We’re not really friends. He’s got a thing for Scott’s girlfriend, but I don’t know if Scott and Allison are on speaking terms right now.”

“We’re not involving Argent,” Derek said forcefully.

Laura laid a hand on his arm and made a sympathetic noise, but her voice was rock hard when she said, “We’ll use what, and who, we need to, and they'll pay for what they’ve done.”

Her ice cold conviction did not make Stiles any less suspicious of her intentions. He tried to summon some sympathy for Matt, but his head filled with images of the mechanic he’d watched get crushed, and his muscles tensed at the thought of holding up Derek in a cold pool for hours.

“I know where his house is,” Stiles said. Laura smiled and the next thing he knew he was outside Matt Daehler’s house in the back of the Camaro. Derek was around the side of the house, out of sight. Derek had carefully unplugged something under the hood, so it made a horrible noise as Laura turned over the engine repeatedly. It didn’t take long for Matt to come investigate the noise, and when he saw a pretty, dark-haired woman having car trouble, he rushed out to come to her rescue. Idiot.

The thing about Beacon Hills was that almost everyone lived near the preserve. It wound around the town like a moat around a castle, and Matt’s house was no exception. So after he approached the car, it was mere moments before Derek had him tied to a tree out in the preserve.

Stiles noticed Laura quickly changed tactics when she found that interrogation didn’t work effectively, and she stroked Matt’s ego instead, coaxing him to talk about the murders until he explained the whole sordid tale.

“You get it, right?” Matt said. “They murdered me!”

Laura smiled sympathetically and nodded. “I understand, Matt. They hurt you. Unfortunately, you hurt something of mine. And I just can’t let that stand.” The blow to Matt’s face knocked him out.

“What are you going to do now?” Stiles asked.

Laura took out her phone and stopped the recording it was making, then wiggled it in Stiles direction. “I’m going to send this to a friend of mine, so he can get rid of all mentions of things that go bump in the night and then it’s going to make its way into the hands of the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department.”

“You think that will be enough?” Stiles asked.

“He killed someone, Stiles,” Laura said. “He used the kanima as a weapon for most of the murders, so maybe they can’t pin that to him, but he killed that poor woman all on his own. With this recording as a confession, the police will know where to look. If they can’t pin him to the crime…” Laura shrugged. “We’ll intervene again, but I’d rather we try this way first.”

“Okay,” Stiles said, relieved. Life wasn’t black and white. The grey stretched long and far in between, but Stiles’ father was a cop. He’d been raised to believe in justice.

“Now we just need to make sure the kanima isn’t under his control or it won’t go well for our dear friends at the sheriff’s office.” Laura said, leaning casually against a tree like she hadn’t just destroyed the calm Stiles had finally found.

“You can’t let the kanima anywhere near the station.” Stiles could feel his heart pounding and the sweat breaking out over his skin gave him chills.

Derek rested a hand on the center of Stiles back. “We won’t, Stiles. That’s why we're taking away Matt’s control. We won’t let him anywhere near your dad.”

“I”m sorry, Stiles, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Laura said. “We dug out some old resources this morning before coming over to see what we were really up against, and how we can fix it. We know how to sever the bond without causing too much harm to Jackson or Matt.”

Stiles took a few deep breaths through his nose. “What will happen to Jackson?”

“He’ll need a new master,” Laura said. “Someone who cares about him enough not to use him like Matt has. Once I sever the bond, he’ll be at loose ends for a little while. He should be fine until I sort things out with the person I have in mind.”

Stiles nodded. He wondered if it was a good idea to question her, and he held in as long as he could before bursting out, “What if Gerard gets to him?”

“Hmm?” Laura quirked an eyebrow at him. It was funny to see that her’s were just as expressive as Derek’s, but with much more grooming.

“That’s a good point,” Derek said. “Gerard wasn’t scared of Jackson. He was fascinated.”

Laura sighed. “That could become a concern. Stiles isn’t needed for this. We’ll take him home, then deal with Gerard.”

Since Stiles still couldn’t keep his mouth shut, he asked, “Like you dealt with Matt?” He looked over at Matt’s limp form still tied to a tree.

Laura shrugged. “Gerard is a trained hunter, not an idiotic teen. For all that they both think nothing of murdering innocent people, they’re very different. This will be more complicated, but I’ll manage.”

“Who do you think will become Jackson’s master?” Stiles inquired. “If Gerard doesn’t get to him, I mean.”

“I think Jackson has someone in mind already, he just doesn’t realize it,” Laura said. “He probably would have gone to them if Matt hadn’t interrupted. If that person doesn’t use him for nefarious purposes, I see no reason why they can’t keep him. But we won’t just leave him to his own devices. He has his own punishments to face.”

“For killing people?” Stiles asked. Jackson was an asshole, and Stiles was more than in favour of killing him if it meant saving other people, but it was clear Jackson didn’t know what he was doing and if he could be helped than Stiles would prefer that.

“Those deaths weren’t his fault,” Laura said, shaking her head.

Stiles blinked. “So why are you punishing him?”

“He used Derek to get more power.” Laura’s hands tightened at her sides. “That is unacceptable.”

Stiles froze. “You’re going to kill him for not wanting to be in Derek’s pack.”

“No, of course not,” Laura said quickly, her eyes widening. “I’m going to punish him for asking for the bite as if he wanted to join the pack, then acting like an asshole. I won’t be too hard on him, since Derek didn’t handle the situation very well either, but what can I say? People aren’t his strong suit.”

“Oh,” Stiles said, and wondered what his strong suit was. Hugs, cooking, and getting his ass kicked? After an awkward moment of silence he said, “If it makes you feel better, Jackson’s always been kind of an asshole.”

Laura laughed, and Stiles could swear he heard Derek chuckle. She sent Stiles to wait in the car while she did whatever weird ritual it took to free Jackson before taking him home. They parked a block away from his house and Derek came in to retrieve the remainder of Laura’s laundry.

Stiles saw him to the back door and said, “Uh, good luck?”

“Thanks,” Derek said. And then he hugged him again. A quick goodbye like it was perfectly normal.

He stood at the back door, staring like an idiot after Derek left. “What the hell has happened to my life?” Stiles muttered after he pushed it shut.

***

Stiles spent the rest of the day doing homework. He texted his dad around dinner, but the Sheriff said he was “handling some things” at the station. Stiles wondered if that meant Laura had sent him the recording and they were out looking for Matt. As far as Stiles knew, he was still tied up in the woods.

By the time he woke up in the morning, his dad was either already gone or had never returned. He didn’t make it back until late that evening. He trudged up the stairs slowly and knocked on Stiles door.

“Hey, Dad,” Stiles said, looking up from his computer. His dad was in uniform and looked tired.

“Hey, kiddo,” the Sheriff said, but didn’t continue.

“You’re back in uniform,” Stiles pointed out, hoping to prompt his dad out of his daze.

“Yeah, yes,” the Sheriff said. “There's some things going on and they decided having a sheriff to handle them is more important than the whole restraining order thing.”

“That’s great,” Stiles said, and his dad’s frown deepened. “Um, sort of? Except for the whole...crimes part.”

“Stiles, you remember we talked the other day about Matt Daehler?” The Sheriff said.

“Yeah, of course,” Stiles said. “Did you figure anything out?’

“You could say that,” the Sheriff responded with a tilt of his head. “Stiles...Matt was arrested yesterday.”

“Oh.” Stiles knew without a doubt he was responsible for this, he just didn’t know how to feel about it. He’d lead both his father and Laura to Matt’s door, and that was the right thing to do wasn’t it? “Is he… geez, did they….”

“We have evidence that leads us to believe he was responsible for the recent rash of murders,” the Sheriff confirmed.

“So, we were right, then?” Stiles said. “He was connected to the swim team? And Mr. Lahey?”

“That’s right, but I can’t really go into it,” the Sheriff said.

“But, Dad,” Stiles protested, more for appearances than anything else. He knew more about it than his father did.

“No, Stiles,” the Sheriff said firmly. “There’s something else we need to talk about.”

Stiles froze. He tried to think of everything they'd done and how his father might have connected him to the crime.

“Allison’s grandfather…” the Sheriff started and Stiles had to fight not to sag with relief. “He was found dead yesterday. Suicide, they think.”

Or a very clever werewolf, Stiles thought. “Is she okay?”

“The family is obviously distressed,” The Sheriff said. “I know it’s spring break, but she’ll need a lot of support.”

“Okay,” Stiles said. “Sure. I’ll call Scott and Lydia, see if we can help.”

“That’s great,” The Sheriff said, placing a hand on Stiles shoulder. “Are you okay? I know this is a lot to take in.”

“Yeah, sure, fine, I mean… It’s not like I really knew them that well,” Stiles said. “Just sucks, you know? Finding out you went to school with a murderer. It’s one thing to suspect, but...”

“I get it,” his Dad said sadly. “If you need an appointment with the counselor…”

“I’m good, Dad. Really. But I’ll let you know,” Stiles said. He was no stranger to a therapist's office, and he knew that as hard as it was to get himself in the door, it really could help. “You should get some rest, you look beat.”

The Sheriff wished him goodnight, and Stiles waved him off.

He sat alone for a moment, staring at his phone. He really should talk to someone. There was so much to process, so much death and chaos. He was the one who had pointed Laura in Matt and Gerard’s directions, and while Matt had definitely gotten what he deserved, he couldn’t be so sure about Gerard. He didn’t know what the man was capable of, but it sure as hell felt like a lot. He thought Gerard had to be stopped, but should he have died? What bothered Stiles most, was how much it didn’t/ bother him that Gerard was dead.

He needed to tell someone about it, get his mind in order by putting his thoughts into words.

But he didn’t feel like he could tell Scott. They’d been best friends for so long, but there were some things Stiles couldn’t bring himself to share. He was too worried Scott would never understand, or if he did, it would change the way Scott saw the world. Stiles liked that Scott was always willing to see the best in people and he didn’t want to change that.

Who else could he tell? It’s not the kind of thing he could say to a passing acquaintance, and Stiles didn’t really have any other close friends.

He jolted as his phone buzzed on the desk. He snatched it up and was surprised to see an unknown number.

Pack meeting tomorrow at 4. Laura found a place to stay.

A second text with an address followed quickly after. Stiles looked it up online, and recognized the warehouse district. Odd, but certainly no worse than an abandoned train station.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Scott. When Scott picked up Stiles said, “Do you want a ride to the pack meeting tomorrow?”

“What meeting?” Scott asked.

“The meeting. Tomorrow. At Four.” Stiles said. “The one I got a text about.”

“We’re not part of Derek’s pack,” Scott said, with no hesitation.

“Okay, first, technically I think it’s Laura’s pack now. Hale Pack maybe. Second, I thought you said we were going to work together.” It all seemed so simple to Stiles. The Hales knew so much more about all this than they did. Why stumble in the dark alone when they could have a guide to light the way?

“Yeah, to stop Jackson,” Scott said. “That doesn’t mean I’m in their pack.”

Stiles sighed and rested his forehead on his desk. “Scott, please think carefully about your actions before you toy with these people.”

“I’m not toying with them, and Derek isn’t that scary,” Scott teased.

Stiles didn’t respond to his humour. “I don’t think it’s Derek you need to worry about.”

“It’s fine, Stiles,” Scott assured him. “You want to hang out tomorrow? I’m off work at three.”

“Scott, I just told you, there's a pack meeting,” Stiles said, exasperated.

“So?” Scott responded.

“So, I’m going,” Stiles said.

“What? Why?” Scott sounded as off balance as Stiles felt. “You have nothing to do with them.”

Stiles sighed again. “We need to know what’s going on and the best way to do that is to stay in contact with them. There’s a lot to still be dealt with.”

“Stiles, you’re not even a werewolf,” Scott said. “Why would you go to a pack meeting?”

That stung a bit. He'd gotten the text, hadn’t he? Clearly, the Hales thought he should be there. “Look, Scott, either show up at my house and I’ll drive you over, or stay out of it. I’m going to that meeting either way.” Stiles said, more harshly than he intended because of the hurt he felt that his friend couldn’t see what value he’d have to the pack. He hung up as Scott sputtered over the phone because he didn’t know what else to say and didn’t want to make it worse with more thoughtless words.

Stiles climbed into bed, and stared up at the ceiling. Everything that had happened swirled in his head, and he felt weightless, too light to fall asleep, even as his eyelids grew heavy.

***

Scott showed up at Stiles’ house right before he left for the meeting, but he clearly wasn’t happy about it. He fidgeted all the way to the warehouse, and practically growled at Isaac who had come down to lead them upstairs.

The place Laura had found was a giant industrial loft. At the moment, it didn’t look like much, but with the right attention, it could probably become an edgy, modern space.

Laura had certainly been busy in Stiles’ absence. Along with handling Gerard, she'd secured this place, acquired multiple mattresses that were laid out next to each other in the corner, and a collection of couches and chairs. Erica and Boyd had claimed the middle couch and Isaac went to join them. The other couch held, Lydia, Jackson and Danny.

Stiles raised his eyebrows at the trio. Danny gave him an awkward wave, Lydia huffed and flipped her hair. Jackson refused to meet his eyes.

“Stiles, I’m so glad you could make it,” Laura greeted. She stood in front of the line of couches in the butterfly shirt and jeans Derek had bought her. Somewhere, she'd managed to find a sparkly pink headband that glistened in her dark locks. She didn’t acknowledge Scott as she said, “Go ahead and take a seat. We’ll get started.”

Stiles made his way to the last couch. Scott sat on the end closest to Isaac, leaving Stiles at the end of their makeshift line.

“I wanted to get a better understanding of everyone as pack members. It’s been just Derek and I for a while now, so it'll take some adjustments for everyone,” Laura said cheerfully. “Bear with us while I get the details I need. Let’s start here.” She planted herself in front of Danny and Derek came to her side. “Obviously, Derek didn’t choose Danny. Jackson did. What do you think your greatest strength will be in terms of contributing to the pack?”

Danny eloquently explained his skills with technology and Laura smiled approvingly. She moved on to Jackson and he inhaled to speak, but she held up a finger to silence him.

“Derek, why did you bite Jackson?” She asked.

Good question, Stiles thought.

“He strives to succeed in everything he does and his determination is unparalleled,” Derek said without hesitation.

That wasn’t what Stiles expected. He thought maybe Derek would have talked about Jackson’s athletic prowess, but he guessed it was a bit like Captain America. The bite could make anyone strong and fast, but you need the right character to benefit the pack. Jackson must not have expected it either, because he stared at Derek like he was an alien.

Laura just nodded and moved on to Lydia. “Your unique abilities and connection to Jackson make you an obvious choice. I’m looking forward to seeing how you decide to present yourself now, and what you’ll contribute to the pack.”

Lydia nodded briskly as Laura moved on to Erica.

Erica squirmed under her gaze and said, “I had epilepsy, so…”

“I see,” Laura said. “Derek?”

Stiles felt just as nervous as Erica looked. How awful would it be to sit and listen to someone say they chose you because you seemed desperate enough to take the chance?

“She’s a fighter. She had the strength to stand independently, but the desire to belong to a collective,” Derek said. “She’s willing to use whatever she has available to her advantage, and doesn’t stop striving just because something seems out of reach.”

“Excellent,” Laura said. “And Boyd?”

“He’s composed and not easily swayed by those around him.”

Boyd looked mildly surprised, but Laura didn’t. “Isaac?”

“His loyalty is unshakeable,” Derek said, and Isaac blushed. Laura smiled at him then moved on down the line.

‘I’m not--” Scott started to protest, but Laura bypassed him completely, standing in front of Stiles.

She smiled down at him and said to Derek, “I know some of your reasons, but why don’t you tell me the others?”

“Stiles is able to make connections, form plans, then execute them quickly. He doesn’t limit himself with what people think is impossible. He will thinks it’s just as likely to be zebras as horses. As a result, he can accomplish much more,” Derek explained. “Like Isaac, he’s incredibly loyal, but he doesn’t give that loyalty easily. It has to be earned.”

“Stiles isn’t in your pack,” Scott sputtered.

The pride Stiles felt from Derek’s description popped like a bubble and he felt his face heat. “Shut up, Scott.”

Scott gaped at him. “Stiles, you are not in their pack.”

“Why not, Scott?” Stiles said. “Why aren’t we banding together for this? Derek has saved our lives multiple times. I don’t understand why you’re so adamant on staying away from them.”

“I’m not joining their pack--” Scott growled and Laura cut him off.

“No, you aren’t.” Scott looked at her wide eyed, and she elaborated. “We had a very interesting conversation with Gerard Argent yesterday.”

Scott’s shoulders hunched and Stiles looked at him in confusion. Why did Scott look guilty?

“I don’t appreciate people trying to trick my brother, especially when it involves hunters. In fact, you could probably say it’s a bit of a sore spot for me,” Laura said. “Gerard explained he told you to get close to Derek and planned to use him. I was upset to say the least.”

“I didn’t--” Scott started and cut off with a whimper as Laura’s eyes flared.

“Scott, I don’t know you, but my pack seems to think you’re a good person at heart,” Laura said. “What Peter did to you is truly terrible, and I’m sorry for that. But we've tried to help, and in return, you’ve used us and put my entire pack at risk. Be warned, hunters don’t take well to omegas and neither do we. This is my territory, and I won’t have your reckless behaviour endangering us all.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Scott asked, squirming in his seat.

“Get your shit together, Scott,” Laura said harshly. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. “Find a way to control yourself or leave Beacon Hills. I will only let you stay in this town as long as you are not a danger to anyone. Think long and hard if you want to be alone. If you want a pack, come to me and we’ll make amends. Until then, you’d best leave my den.”

Scott growled and stood from the couch, “Come on, Stiles.”

Stiles stared down at the floor. Scott was his best friend, but sitting in this room with Derek and his sister and their pack, he felt safer than he had in months. Much safer than he had with Scott, that was for sure. Scott might try, but he couldn’t back up his intentions the way Laura could.

“Stiles?” Scott called back with confusion.

“I’m gonna stick around, dude,” Stiles said with more cheerfulness than he felt.

“What?”

Stiles shrugged awkwardly. “I don’t think the meeting is over, so I’ll catch you later, okay?”

“Your dad--” Scott started.

“Don’t bring my dad into this, Scott, I mean it,” Stiles said, finally looking up at Scott. He looked hurt and confused, but still angry. Stiles sighed. “I’m not choosing between you. Don’t turn this into that. I need to be part of this, and I wish you were too. But I’m still your best friend. This is what I want. You go decide what you want.”

Scott frowned at him for a long, silent moment. “You’re really willing to accept the bite?”

Stiles shook his head. “I don’t need the bite to be part of the pack.”

Scott shook his head, then backed away. He left the loft without saying goodbye.

Lydia opened her mouth to speak, but Laura held up a hand. After a moment she lowered it. “He’s gone.”

“I don’t, right?” Stiles said immediately. Laura raised an eyebrow, so he elaborated. “I don’t have to be a werewolf to be in your pack.”

Laura smiled, all charm and sunshine again. “Of course, Stiles. You already are.”

She went on to address the group at large, explaining the importance of having a pack, and the wonders and pitfalls of being part of one. Everyone started asking questions and she answered them happily. Little pieces of werewolf lore and practices that Stiles had been dying to know.

“Derek didn’t really mention any werewolf history stuff to us before,” Erica said, tentative in her criticism.

Laura crinkled her nose. “The last time Derek opened up to someone about our culture and heritage, our whole pack was murdered. He tends to avoid it now. You know, once burned and all that.”

“Did you just make a fire joke?” Isaac said, eyes wide.

Laura smirked, and Derek rolled his eyes before prodding her into telling them about different moons.

They talked about Matt and Gerard, too. Explained that supernatural communities had their own set of rules, somewhat like the hunter code. Only hunt those who have put you or others in danger. Work within the human laws where possible, but never take the chance that a loose end could lead to exposure.

They ordered pizza and talked for hours. Around ten, Stiles’ phone went off and he stepped out into the hall to answer his dad’s call. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey, kiddo, listen, it looks like I’m not going to make it home tonight. Are you going to be alright on your own?”

“Yeah, sure, Dad. I’ll figure it out,” Stiles reassured him. He wasn’t actually sure he would be. He hated sleeping in their house when it was empty, and today especially, he felt too raw to face the echoing rooms, with Gerard’s death, Matt’s arrest, and now the tension between him and Scott.

Stiles chatted a moment longer and wished his dad goodnight before returning to the fray. No one mentioned the call until after 11 when everyone started to yawn and make noises about it being bed time.

“Stiles, if your dad won’t be home, you can stay here with us,” Laura announced.

“What?” Stiles’ sleep addled brain took a moment to process. He hadn’t slept well in what felt like a hundred years.

“You can stay here,” she repeated. “Derek, find Stiles an extra toothbrush, would you?”

Everyone was in motion, and Stiles found himself ushered toward the bathroom, taking his turn with the sink then being herded toward to island of mattresses where everyone started undressing.

“Um,” Stiles started, averting his eyes as Erica stripped down to her bra and underwear and climbed into one of the beds. Boyd and Isaac followed her, taking up the mattress nearest the corner. Stiles looked over at Jackson and Lydia, in similar states of undress, claiming the mattress on the end. Danny shrugged at Stiles, then crawled in next to them.

“Jeans won’t be very comfortable to sleep in,” Derek said from behind him.

“Right,” Stiles squeaked. He fumbled out of his jeans and overshirt and stood awkwardly again in his boxers and T-shirt.

Laura chuckled. “Stiles, if you aren’t comfortable, I can find you something of Derek’s to wear. And I’ll make up the couch for you if you want, but I like to have my pack close to me. It’s been a tough week.”

“Tough month,” Derek muttered.

Laura smiled sadly at him. “I suppose so.” It was easy to forget that to Laura, she’d been killed only a few days ago. Stiles hadn’t asked her yet about what it had been like for her while she was gone. He’d been too focused on the chaos of their side. “What will it be, Stiles?” she asked.

It was nice to know that he had the option to leave, but a little group contact sounded nice. He nodded and approached Laura, who pulled him over to the center mattress. She settled close to Jackson’s mattress, and looked at Stiles pointedly until he got himself situated in the middle of the mattress. As soon as he stopped moving, Derek turned out the last remaining light.

It took Stiles a moment to adjust to the darkness, with only the streetlights shining through the weekend. He yelped in surprise when he felt Derek suddenly at his side.

Someone snickered, and was quickly shushed. Derek seemed unperturbed by Stiles’ outburst. He just shifted closer and wrapped his arms around Stiles so he was pressed between Derek’s chest and Laura’s side. Laura readjusted so she was facing him as well and laid her arm across him alongside Derek’s.

“This isn’t strange, Stiles.” Laura murmured softly. “It’s just a way for werewolves to comfort each other. I’d like if you stayed, but you don’t have to. We can move so you’re not in the middle if it would make you feel comfortable.”

“I’m good,” Stiles said into the darkness. He let the tension leave his body. This didn’t have to be weird if he didn’t want it to be. He could let it be a comfort for him too. He relaxed into their grip and absorbed the feeling of their body heat and the sound of everyone breathing around him.

He didn’t feel so empty and weightless with Derek and Laura holding him down. Didn’t feel so alone when surrounded by people who needed somewhere to belong just as much as he did.

***

Stiles woke up slowly, feeling more rested than he had in weeks. He stretched languidly, then froze when he felt someone in front of him. Like, right in front of him, completely pressed against him. He remembered immediately being put to sleep between Laura and Derek. If it was Laura* she would probably laugh goodnaturedly and send him along. If it was Derek, he would probably kill him.

It really didn't feel like Laura.

Maybe Derek was still asleep and Stiles could slip away without incurring his wrath. He slid back slowly to see his face and froze again as soon as he saw Derek, wide awake and staring back at him.

“Hi,” Stiles croaked. “Uh, sorry.”

“For what?” Derek asked with an eyebrow quirked.

Stiles stuttered a bit before giving up on words and freeing his hand to gesture to their current state.

Derek frowned at him. “You make no sense. You’re probably still tired, go back to sleep.” Apparently, Derek thought the best way to help Stiles accomplish this was to roll them so Stiles was tucked half under him.

“Um,” Stiles started, and Derek rumbled. It was likely a growl, but it was almost closer to a purr, and Stiles could feel the vibration between them.

And because Stiles’ life could never be easy, it went straight to his dick.

Stiles had accepted long ago that morning wood was just a part of his life. It was a natural occurrence and he could either take advantage of it or ignore it, but it was going to happen regardless.

He wasn’t feeling so zen about it when there was 200 pounds of hot werewolf on top of him. If Derek moved much farther on top of him, he’d probably feel it pressing into his hip. Even if he wasn’t going to kill Stiles for waking up tangled with him, it was highly unlikely he’d let him live he came in contact with Stiles’ boner.

“Shower’s free,” Erica called.

“Derek, yes or no?” Laura asked from the living room

“No,” Derek muttered into Stiles’ neck.

“Stiles, do you want to shower?” Laura asked.

“Yes!” Stiles barked. He ignored Derek’s protesting grumble as he wormed his way out from under him and made a beeline for the bathroom. He could hear Laura’s laughter following him but he didn’t want to think about why.

***

When Stiles came out of the shower, most of the pack was settled on the couch with plates. Derek was in the kitchen, dishing up food. Stiles hurried over to retrieve his clothes and Laura threw a pair of pants at him.

“Wear these instead,” she called. A pair of boxers and a t-shirt followed. “Those, too.”

“I could just go home and get my own clothes,” Stiles said.

“You could, but I have plans for today,” Laura said. “We have a meeting with the Argents that I would like your company for, and then I think we’ll drop by the station.”

“The station?” Isaac said with his mouth full. Laura gave him a very pointed look and he swallowed sheepishly.

“Being dead is annoying, so I need to rectify that. Also, you and Derek need to be cleared, and Jackson needs to drop his restraining order against Stiles,” Laura told them.

Stiles raised an eyebrow at Jackson, who shrugged. Stiles elected not to push the point and returned to the bathroom to get dressed.

When he came back out, Derek pushed a plate of scrambled eggs into his hands and ushered him over to the small table. Derek took the seat across from him and their legs bumped under the table.

“This is really good,” Stiles said, gesturing with his fork. Derek smirked at him and didn’t say anything. So Stiles launched into a monologue about egg white omelets, and how they don’t taste the same but he can’t buy normal eggs because of his dad’s heart.

“If you added spinach, it would counteract some of the cholesterol,” Derek said. “The egg white cartons you get from the store have added salt anyway.”

“Oh,” Stiles said. “Good point.”

Laura suggested Erica and Isaac do the dishes while she explained the plan for meeting the Argents. They mounted up shortly after that and drove to the Preserve, where the betas spread out through the trees. Jackson stayed back from the clearing with Danny and Lydia beside him. Laura looped her arms through Stiles’ and Derek’s and walked toward the clearing like they were on a pleasant morning stroll, instead of meeting with a hostile group of hunters.

When the Argents came roaring into the clearing on four wheelers, she stepped forward, leaving Stiles and Derek to flank her. Stiles eyes flicked over to Derek. He was perfectly still except for the flex of his right hand, and Stiles was sure he could leap into action the second Laura said the word.

Chris stepped forward to mirror Laura’s position, and smiled at her. “Ms. Hale.”

“Don’t fuck around, Argent, I know who’s in charge and I’ll speak with them directly,” Laura countered.

Chris held up his hands in a placating gesture and said, “Laura, there’s no need--”

“Come on, Vicky, come play with me,” Laura called with a flirtatious swish of her hips, completely dismissing Chris. “We can sort this out one matriarch to another.”

Allison’s mother removed her helmet and came forward, nudging her husband aside. “Alright, little girl,” she sneered, “but if you're talking to me, shouldn’t I talk to your leader?” She flicked her gaze to Derek.

“Derek, isn’t the alpha, he was just…” Laura shrugged. “Holding on to the power for me. So glad to see you’re recovering nicely.”

“If he'd turned me--” Victoria started.

“It would have been in defence of himself and the beta you tried to kill with no provocation,” Laura said.

“What?” Allison said, eyes wide with shock.

“Derek is a beta, through and through. He uses his teeth in a fight, just like you use your knives and guns. I can understand your distress at having been bitten while he was in possession of the alpha power, but it wasn’t the end of the world. You’ll heal just fine. I’ll forgive your attack on Scott as a gesture of goodwill between us.”

“Mom?” Allison said and Chris shushed her.

Victoria tilted her head and crossed her arms. “I don’t need your good will. You are going to leave Beacon Hills or we are going to kill your little budding pack.”

“No,” Laura said calmly. “You will be leaving us alone. I’m willing to negotiate a truce, because I understand your family has suffered losses recently. But this is my territory, and you will not scare me away from it.”

Victoria laughed. “You think you can scare us off? We nearly defeated your brother, we’ll have you put down in no time.”

Laura tilted her head. “You think Derek was a challenge?”

Victoria blinked at her. “There were damages, and he was more… evasive than we expected, but it was only a matter of time.”

Laura giggled. Honest to god, laughed like what Mrs. Argent said was adorable. “Oh, honey. Derek is a fucking teddy bear compared to me.”

Stiles did everything he could to keep a straight face. Last week, he probably would have considered Derek one of the top five most terrifying people he'd ever meet. Now? Teddy bear sounded kind of accurate. Cuddly teddy bear who cooked and bought his sister dresses with flowers and gave her his shirt.

Laura and Victoria were locked in a stare-down and no one was saying a word.

“The damages to the school,” Victoria finally said.

“Unfortunate, but the result of an unexpected event. We will make a donation to the school to help cover repairs and there will be no further incidents involving my pack,” Laura said.

“There are humans that frequent these woods,” Mrs. Argent continued.

Laura nodded. “We want to avoid them as much as they want to avoid us. Most of this land is Hale property and we will reclaim it. We will be running in this forest, but we will endeavour to make it safer for everyone.”

Back and forth they went, proposing details and settling on terms. Stiles focused on every word but he didn’t say anything. He wasn’t really sure why Laura had wanted him here since his input wasn’t needed, but he appreciated being up close where he could hear everything rather than back with Danny and Lydia straining for details.

“What about him?” Victoria said, nodding to Stiles.

“He’s mine,” Laura said simply.

“And McCall?” Victoria halted Allison before her protest could even start.

“He’s not,” Laura said with a shrug. “Leave him be unless he hurts someone. I want nothing to do with your daughter’s little love story, but I will remind you, no one in your family seemed to have a problem when Kate dated a werewolf. Different results, though, I suppose.”

“Those were completely different situations,” Victoria argued.

“Oh, you don’t want to murder Scott?” Laura drawled. “That’s not what I was gathering.”

Victoria’s jaw clenched. “Allison is not a danger to McCall.”

“Scott is not a danger to Allison. She’s his anchor. If you know anything about werewolves, you know that he would never put her in danger voluntarily,” Laura pointed out. “But really, it’s none of my concern.”

“Are we done here?” Victoria asked.

“I’ll be sending you a written contract in the next few days,” Laura said offering her hand.

Victoria glared at it before she shook it, then she turned and signaled her group to move out. The fourwheelers roared to life and disappeared through the trees.

“That’s it?” Stiles whispered.

Laura smiled over her shoulder sadly. “They aren’t bad people. Their family members are a different story, but Chris and Victoria are simply firmly entrenched in their ways. They think what they do is for the greater good. It’s not always true, but you can’t blame them for trying.” She sighed and took Derek’s hand. “Come on, Teddy Der, we have things to do.”

Stiles gaped after them. “Did you just say--” Derek glared over his shoulder and Stiles said, “Nevermind, just wanted to check.”

***

The trip to the police station was a bit surreal. Laura marched them all in the door and started issuing orders. She didn’t stop until everyone was cleared, and the police were under the impression that there had been a massive misunderstanding regarding a Jane Doe, who had unfortunately been cremated in Laura’s place.

When they walked out, she had Isaac placed in her care, the Sheriff looked like a genius surrounded by incompetent fools, and no one had a police record of any kind.

Stiles wasn’t exactly sure how she'd done it, but he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“I think we need celebratory ice cream,” Laura proclaimed. And so ice cream it was.

Regardless of Laura tying up a series of loose ends, the Sheriff’s department was still extremely busy, so Stiles ended up spending the night at the loft again, nestled between Laura and Derek.

In fact, he spent the rest of spring break there. Assisting with research, training, and a trip to city hall to file paperwork, (because apparently there were forms for becoming not dead.) It was the best spring break he'd ever had.

He met with Scott a few times through the week. He’d been expecting his friend to be upset with him, but after some discussion, they’d decided to agree to disagree on the subject of the Hale pack. They meant too much to each other to let it ruin their friendship. It probably helped that Allison’s parents had lifted the ban on their relationship, and Scott was too happy to care where Stiles was spending his time.

The Sunday before school started back up, Stiles’ dad texted him to get his butt home. They'd been in touch briefly over the week, but the Sheriff was busy and still trying to wrap his head around Stiles appearing at the station with the Hale siblings and a gaggle of teenagers.

Stiles went through his night time routine, slowly. He even made himself some tea that was supposed to be relaxing but when he crawled into his bed it felt...empty. In fact, he felt empty. Hollow and drifting, like he had been after Matt’s arrest. He wanted to hear Erica snoring, and Isaac muttering. He wanted Laura’s soft presence beside him and Lydia, huffing nearby until Jackson held her close.

Mostly, he wanted Derek. He wanted a solid wall of Derek next to him, and a firm arm holding him down so he wouldn’t float away.

He was lying in bed working himself into a panic that he would never get to sleep when the window slid open. Stiles sat up quickly and relaxed when he recognized Derek’s dark form. “Oh, hey, long time no see,” Stiles joked.

Derek grunted in response and started to strip. Stiles was torn between relief and nerves. This was exactly what he’d wanted, but would it be weird without the rest of the pack?

“I thought you’d be with the others.” Stiles said.

“Lydia and Danny are staying with Jackson. Erica snuck out to go back to the loft, and Boyd’s parents don’t care,” Derek said. He tossed his pants on Stiles desk chair and crawled into the bed.

“Great information, but it doesn’t answer why you’re here instead of with them,” Stiles pointed out.

“You’re pack,” Derek said shrugging like it was obvious why he’d climbed in Stiles’ window. “You shouldn’t be by yourself.”

Stiles turned onto his side and tentatively put his arms around Derek’s waist. When Derek didn’t push him away or growl he tightened his grip, and sighed when the weight of Derek’s arm pressed down across his torso.

It did feel different without the rest of the pact. More intimate, and significantly more sexual to feel Derek’s hot breath against his cheek when there was no one else in the room.

Stiles felt jittery and half-asleep at the same time, like Derek was a drug slowly leaking energy from his system. He wiggled a bit and Derek shifted to pin him down. “Sleep, Stiles.”

Stiles pushed his head up and pecked a kiss somewhere on Derek’s face. “Night, Teddy Der.” He passed out before his head hit the pillow.

***

Stiles alarm went off bright and early and he groaned. He snuggled deeper into his pillow and squeezed his eyes closed.

“Stiles.”

Pillows are not supposed to talk.

Stiles’ brain clicked on and he realized his pillow was, in fact, Derek’s chest and he really should get up and go to school. But he really, really didn’t want to.

“Stiles,” Derek said again.

“Nooooooo,” Stiles whimpered.

“You have to go to school,” Derek said, and Stiles could swear he sounded fond.

“Here’s a thought: how about I don’t and we just stay here instead?” Stiles said, still refusing to lift his head, even when he felt Derek chuckle underneath him.

“Some other time,” Derek said, and Stiles held himself perfectly still.

“Yeah?” Stiles asked.

“Mmhmm,” Derek rubbed his hand over Stiles’ back. “But not today.” He rolled over, taking Stiles with him. He pushed up onto his forearms and Stiles gasped when their hips pressed together, Derek smirked down at him and dropped a kiss on the end of Stiles’ nose, then rolled off of him. “Go shower, I’ll make you breakfast.”

Stiles groaned and forced himself out of bed. “Please don’t get shot my by father in your pursuit of delicious breakfasts for all pack members.”

***

Stiles was glad he’d made the effort to get up and go to class. School was a lot more fun when he had more people than just Scott willing to talk to him. He hadn’t realized just how many classes he shared with pack members, but it seemed there was always someone to talk to. Even Jackson sank into the seat beside him for their shared English class. He didn’t say anything at first, so Stiles assumed he wanted to ignore him, and treated him in kind.

Stiles wasn’t sure if they would have continued like that for the rest of the class, but the teacher decided that it would be a brilliant idea to finish off the debate section of their class by playing an extremely graphic ad from Britain about distracted driving. Jackson turned away as soon as the car started to roll and grabbed Stiles arm. He stared at him, just stared straight into his eyes for the rest of the video. Stiles found himself quietly saying, “We’re okay. We’re good. We’re gonna be okay.”

The whole class was shaken and mildly nauseated when the video ended and the lights were flicked back on.

“Hey,” Stiles said softly. “You think your dad might want to sue her for traumatizing an entire group of teenagers with no notice?”

Jackson gave him a shaky smile. “My father will definitely hear about this.”

Stiles narrowed his eyes. “Jackson, did you just quote Draco Malfoy?”

“Shut up,” Jackson said, rolling his eyes. Stiles badgered him under his breath for the rest of the lesson, asking what house he thought their different packmates would be. “I think Derek might be a hufflepuff, isn’t that crazy?”

Jackson didn’t respond often, but he looked considerably less pale when they walked to the cafeteria after class. He only pushed Stiles into one locker on the way which was a considerable improvement to any past hallway interaction.

“Why did you do that?” Stiles asked, rubbing his shoulder.

“Appearances,” Jackson said with a smirk. “People will ask questions if we’re suddenly friends.”

“But we are friends?” Stiles asked quietly, the big open cafeteria filled with moving people with judging eyes made his confidence falter.

“We’re pack,” Jackson said, and nothing more was really needed. It was okay that Jackson left to sit at his usual table where Lydia, Danny, and some other lacrosse players were already waiting.

Stiles considered following, but he caught sight of the other betas at Boyd’s usually empty table. He could feel Scott watching him as he went to sit with them, but stood by his decision.

“Pop quizzes are the worst,” Erica growled when he sat down. “Wasn’t that the worst? If Mr. Jenkins wanted to test my history knowledge, he should have said so before the break and I would have studied. That was stupid.”

“He’s old as dirt,” Stiles said, shoving some soggy mac and cheese into his mouth. “No one does those anymore because they realize it's a stupid way to test knowledge. If it’s not in the course outline, it shouldn't count.”

“Stiles.” Scott sat down next to him, despite Erica’s cold stare.

“Hey, buddy,” Stiles said. “How’s it going?”

Scott shrugged. “I haven’t seen you much.”

“Yeah,” Stiles said. “We’ve both been pretty busy.”

Scott nodded. “So, good news! Allison’s parents said that we can date. She has a curfew, and her dad threatened to shoot me like three times, and her mom said she’d cut my balls off if I snuck into the house, but like, no sneaking around.”

“That’s great,” Stiles said. He refrained from pointing out that their change of opinion was most likely thanks to Laura, but he shared a look with Isaac that let him know he wasn’t the only one that made the connection.

Scott nodded smiling over his shoulder at where Allison sat. “Yeah, it’s awesome.” It took him a moment to refocus on Stiles, and he tried to take that in stride. Laura had explained more about using people as an anchor and how it could absorb someone's attention, especially when they were still learning control. “So, are you not gonna come and sit with us?” Scott asked.

Stiles considered his options. There was a point not long ago that he would have jumped at the chance to sit at a table with Lydia and the other social leaders of their school. In fact, he had jumped at the chance. Now, he didn’t really care. “It doesn’t look like there’s room for all for of us, so I think I’ll stay here today.” He knew he’d made the right decision when he saw the faces of his pack members. Erica was beaming, and even Boyd looked quietly pleased.

Scott looked at the group like he hadn’t considered them at all. He likely hadn’t. “Oh. Right. Maybe tomorrow then?”

“Sure, maybe,” Stiles said, and sent Scott back over to Allison with a pat on his back.

“Thanks for staying,” Isaac said softly.

“I like it here,” Stiles said. The loud jumble of the cafeteria was more manageable with people he knew cared for him nearby. It kept his mind from running too fast, or dwelling too long on things he couldn’t change.

***

That night, he wasn’t surprised when Derek climbed in through his window and into his bed. Unsurprised, but still pleased. There would come a day when he needed to face sleep alone, but he was happy it wasn’t today. Stiles was already tucked into bed with a book, and Derek stripped quickly before taking the book from him and turning out the light.

Unfortunately, it was earlier than the night before and Stiles couldn’t get his brain to turn off despite the comfort of Derek’s presence.

“Derek?” Stiles said into the darkness.

“Hmm?”

Stiles picked at a loose thread on his blanket. “Is this still a pack thing?”

“Yes,” Derek said.

Stiles shoved down his disappointment. There was no reason for Derek to feel anything more for him than he did for Erica, or Jackson, but Stiles had thought there was a small chance that he did. Sometimes Derek looked at him and he felt so damn...important. He felt wanted and necessary. In all their sleepovers, he always slept next to Derek, even on the nights where Laura moved to be closer to a pack member who needed a little extra support. He’d hoped that meant something.

Stiles started to move away from him, and Derek grabbed his shoulder. “This isn’t though,” he added, and rolled Stiles underneath him and took his breath away with a hot, wet kiss. He left Stiles gasping for air as he moved to nip and kiss Stiles’ neck.

Stiles moaned, jerking his hips up against Derek.

“Shhh, don’t wake your father,” Derek cautioned, but directly after he latched onto Stiles’ collarbone hard enough to make him cry out. Derek cupped Stiles’ jaw and slid his thumb into Stiles’ mouth to muffle the sound.

Stiles sucked instinctively and worried the pad of Derek’s thumb with his teeth. Derek gave a low rumble, slid a hand between them and cupped Stiles’ dick through his boxers.

Stiles shivered as Derek’s breath ghosted against his ear. “I could blow you, but you’ll have to be very, very quiet.”

Stiles nodded frantically and Derek’s sharp smile glinted in the darkness. His eyes flashed blue before he took his thumb from Stiles’ mouth and disappeared under the covers. Stiles held his breath in anticipation as Derek tugged down his boxers and wrapped a hand around his shaft.

When Derek’s mouth covered the tip of Stiles’ dick he bit down on his own knuckle to muffle the sound he made.

He whimpered as Derek mouthed along the underside of his cock, then engulfed him in wet heat. He moaned when he hit the back of Derek’s throat and panted when Derek swirled his tongue around the head, then delved into the slit.

He forgot to be quiet when a finger pressed lightly against his entrance and shouted as he came in Derek’s mouth.

He slapped a hand over his mouth, muffled his litany of, “Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

Derek replaced Stiles’ boxers and emerged from under the blanket to place his hand over Stiles’ mouth and say, “Shh.”

Stiles kept perfectly still and silent until Derek relaxed against him. “We’re fine.”

“Sorry, I forgot to warn you,” Stiles whispered.

“I don’t mind,” Derek said.

Stiles rubbed his thumbs along Derek’s hip bones. “Do you want me to...do something?”

“If you’d like,” Derek said. “You don’t have to.”

“I’d like to, I just,” Stiles hesitated. “I don’t have much experience.”

Derek nuzzled against Stiles’ neck. He guided Stiles’ hand into his briefs. “You have experience with this. I’ve smelled it on you before.” Stiles flushed but Derek didn’t say it like it was a bad thing. “Show me what you like,” Derek encouraged.

The angle was different, and Derek’s cock was different from his, thicker, and uncut, but the principle was still the same. Stiles started off slow and gradually increased his speed, teasing with his thumb and tracing his fingers lightly over Derek’s cock before returning to a firmer grip.

Derek was much better at keeping quiet, biting into Stiles’ neck as he came into his hand.

Derek kissed Stiles gently and tucked him against his chest. “Sleep now,” he mumbled.

***

Laura called a meeting after school for the next day. She’d placed an armchair in front of the row of couches a few days ago and took great pleasure in curling up in it to answer questions or ask her own. She was already seated there now, with a mug of tea in her hands and a plate of cookies at her elbow.

As soon as Stiles walked in, she looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. “Hello there.”

“Hi,” Stiles said, with an awkward salute. He dropped his backpack next to his usual spot on the third couch and slunk into the kitchen, feeling like Laura’s eyes were boring into him. “Need any help?” Stiles asked Derek.

“Not really,” Derek said. He was transfering still warm cookies from the baking sheet onto plates. Derek never made small batches unless absolutely necessary, so there was enough to feed an army and still more to go into the oven.

“Are you sure?” he asked stepping a little closer. He didn’t really want to go sit and be stared at knowingly by Laura until the others arrived.

Derek looked at him questioningly, but Stiles just shook his head.

“Here.” Derek took one of the cookies and held it to Stiles’ mouth.

“Thanks,” Stiles said, and tried to take it from him. Derek refused to let go. “It’s gonna break and fall.”

“Not if you eat it,” Derek pointed out, and held it up again. He felt a little silly eating out of Derek’s hand, but it was worth it when he watched the way Derek’s eye’s followed Stiles tongue as it ducked out to lick chocolate off his lip.

“They’re good,” Stiles said.

Derek smiled. “How was school?”

He continued dealing with the cookies while Stiles talked and the rest of the pack arrived. They didn’t leave the kitchen until Laura called for everyone to start the meeting.

“We have a really wonderful learning opportunity today,” Laura said, smiling brightly at the group. “Something has changed with two of our pack members, and I want you to tell me who and what.”

Everyone looked at each other, confused, except Derek, who just sat watching his sister. Isaac was the first to come to a realization, exclaiming, “Oh!” before going bright red.

“Wait,” Jackson said, sniffing the air before he looked right at Stiles. “Is that--? Oh my god, gross!”

Erica scoffed. “It’s hardly fair to call that gross, you smell like it all the time.

“Um, I don’t have a werewolf or kanima nose,” Danny said. “Could someone clue me in?”

Laura laughed. “Isaac, you seem to have picked it up first, would you like to tell us what you think?”

Isaac was still completely red as he stammered an answer. “Stiles and Derek. They...well…”

“They’re banging,” Jackson said bluntly.

Stiles wanted to be eaten by the couch. If he didn’t exist, he wouldn’t have to deal with everyone staring at him.

“That’s right, though that’s not how I’d phrase it,” Laura agreed. “Now, this is a scent that is important to be able to distinguish, because it helps us understand the connections and motivations of the people we meet, be it hunters attacking, or another pack we’re negotiating with. Well done finding it so quickly when you didn’t know what you were looking for.”

“I showered,” Stiles muttered under his breath.

“Yes, quite thoroughly, which made it even harder to find,” Laura said. Her bright smile faded as she watched him. “I’m sorry, I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

Stiles shrugged. It was true but he didn’t want to say so.

“Werewolves are less private than people because we can so easily smell things,” Derek said, taking Stiles’ hand. “It’s less taboo.”

“I’m sorry, Stiles, I should have considered that,” Laura said. Setting her mug on the ground. “I was overly excited about the practical lesson opportunity and forgot that you might not want to discuss it. We’ll move on to something else, but first I will say, I was also very excited because I like this turn of events. I want my pack to be happy, and I think you two will strengthen each other. That can only help us grow.”

“What if we don’t?” Stiles asked. He’d been thinking about it all day. He wanted to be with Derek, but he was afraid that if it didn’t work out or Derek got tired of him, he’d lose the pack.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this,” Derek said. “I didn’t mean to rush.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Stiles assured him. “I just mean with the pack. This is us, but we know it will affect everyone.”

“If the two of you don’t work out as I’d hoped, then I hope you know you’ll still have a place in this pack,” Laura said. “And if you decide it’s too much for you to stay, I’ll be upset but I won’t stop you from leaving. I care about both of you, and I want you to be happy.”

Stiles looked to Derek.

“You make me happy,” Derek said. “I trust you.”

“Me too,” Stiles said. He wasn’t sure how long this would last, but he was excited to see.

“Now,” Laura said, picking her mug back up and settling into her chair. “There are some loose ends we need to clear up.”

***

Stiles glanced at the newspaper while finishing his breakfast. An article caught his eye. He smirked as he read about a water pipe bursting at the motel in the middle of town. The same one that had refused to rent to Derek when he’d first gotten to town. The one Laura had referred to just recently as a ‘loose end’. They’d be hard pressed to make up for all the bookings they had to turn away. Perhaps in the future they wouldn’t be so picky.

Or at least they wouldn’t mess with the Hales.

**************