Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

YOURE LAST SO DRINKS ARE ON YOU TONIGHT!

Derek Hale grumbled at his phone as he got out of his Camaro. He rubbed his hands together as he once again growled about the bar only having additional parking in the back of the building. The winter constellations above bore witness to him huffing underneath his breath about the injustice of having to trudge through the dank alley while mentally ripping apart newly minted Lieutenant Jordan Parrish of the Beacon Hills FD instead of newly minted Lieutenant Derek Hale.

“Freaking newbie comes waltzing in and not even two years later, BAM! Fucking LT!” Derek growled. Granted, being fire proof as a fire fighter definitely gave Parrish an advantage, but Derek had put in plenty of work as well. His temper was blazing and if anyone were to look, they would have seen the crimson of his eyes shining in the dark. He kicked the ground with each step much like any petulant child would act from not getting their favorite candy from an actually disciplined parent.

What came next took Derek by surprise. It should be noted that had Derek not been so overly focused on mentally disemboweling Parrish with his own claws, he would normally have heard the quick footsteps behind him before he was unceremoniously slammed into the alley wall with something suddenly pointedly jabbing into his side where his favorite kidney was. He was rather shocked at the turn of events and let his eyes flicker off. A scratchy voice broke his momentarily stunned revelry. “No sudden moves or I stick you like a pig!” Derek felt a hand reach down into his back pocket of his jeans.

I’m getting mugged on top of all this shit?! Fuck that! Derek growled loudly before violently twisting around, knocking the hand against his body aside, apparently shocking his would be mugger with his re-ignited crimson eyes. “Oh shi-“ was all the mugger got to out before Derek slammed his hands into his chest and sent him careening through the air into the opposite alley wall a good twelve feet away. Would-be-mugger bounced off the wall and crumpled like a rag doll to the ground with something clattering to the ground beside him.

With a snort and a scowl, Derek turned and continued on his way to meeting his friends that would undoubtedly be at their booth by now. He probably should have called in to report this, but honestly, he didn’t give enough of a fuck at this point. Besides, who honestly care all that much about a hobo probably drugged up on junk.

 ~~~~~~~~~

“Dude, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?” Derek met Jackson’s raised eyebrow with his own as he walked up to the booth with his pack.

Derek let out a low growl. “Why do you ask?”

Isaac snorted as he took a sip of his ale on the other side of the booth. “Your eyes are still in Alpha mode.”

Derek looked to the bar on the opposite of the room and could see his crimson corneal rings in the mirror behind the bartender. He closed his eyes and took a very deep breath. He held it for a moment and focused on breathing out all the negative emotions from the day. Something he had learned from his last boyfriend who happened to be a yoga enthusiast. Derek became a fan of yoga as well after learning the breathing exercises to help calm him down (as well as how completely bendy his boyfriend was in bed). “I didn’t get the promotion. Parrish did.”

Scott winced. “Oh harsh man. You were really gunning for that too.”

Derek growled but kept his cool. Jackson pushed him a drink over as he removed his leather jacket and slid down into the booth next to blue-eyed wolf. After taking a long pull, Derek set the glass down with a satisfied sighed as he looked towards the different sports games playing on the three different TV’s. He listened to his younger pack mates bicker and taunt each other good-naturedly. Jackson talking about how he was going to have his dad get Scott legally banned from all the ice cream stores in Beacon Hills, Scott arguing with Isaac about the latest merits of the newest European super bike Derek had no idea how to pronounce, and Isaac morosely commenting on Jackson once again in the dog house with Lydia, no pun intended.

It was quiet moments like this that Derek was thankful for coming to Beacon Hills and finding this young pack without an Alpha. All three young men were bitten by a rogue Alpha back when they were much younger in high school while on a cross country run for their coach; said Alpha was later killed by a local Hunter so none of them ended up as the new Alpha. With the three of them together, they didn’t run the risk of becoming feral Omegas, but they had to learn how to control their shifts and impulses on their own. It amazed Derek that they had such strict control over their wolves. Apparently it was thanks to a friend that wasn’t around anymore. The three young men closed off any time their control and how they learned it was brought up. Mostly just quick, terse answers were the best Derek could get. He gave up on pushing the issue.

When Derek had made himself known to the younger wolves, they accepted him as their Alpha gratefully. They learned more about being werewolves. More on what could be a danger rather than their own capabilities.

“Derek?”

Derek was slightly startled out of his train of thoughts. “Sorry what?”

Isaac pointed to his empty glass. “Another?”

“Nah, I’m good. Not really feeling like burning through my wallet tonight.”

Jackson snickered. “Yeah, it isn’t like we can get a hang over or anything so nothing to worry about showing up to the station buzzed.”

Isaac sighed and looked at his ale. “At least these taste good. Unlike that watered down piss most humans our age go for.”

“Beacon Hills seriously needs to get a werewolf friendly bar or I may just start ordering some wolfsbane laced drinks online and crash at home from now on.” Derek surmised as he grabbed one of the last chicken wings in the middle of the table.

Scott’s eyed went wide and if he had a tail, it would be wagging furiously. “You can order those online?!”

Derek just stared at the young man while Isaac and Jackson laughed at the eager puppy that was their packmate. After calming down, Jackson pulled his phone out and slightly groaned. “Ugh, we have to go. We’ve been here for three hours as it is and I know we all gotta get up at the ass crack of dawn.”

Derek blinked. He hadn’t realized time had flown by so fast from when he got inside the bar. The feeling of pack was nice to simply get absorbed in. All four wolves began digging out cash from their wallets before Derek realized his wallet was gone. “Motherfucker! That dip shit did get my wallet!”

His three younger packmates scowled, but it was Isaac that spoke first. “Who?”

“Some hobo jumped me in the alley before I came inside.”

Scott’s head looked further confused. “What happened to him? Surely you could have gotten it back. Not like anyone can really out run any of us.”

Derek scratched the back of his head. “I may or may not have sent him flying into the wall and left him there?”

Jackson’s eyebrows flew to his hairline. “Well, explains who pissed in your cornflakes when you walked in here three hours ago.”

“Bet we could find your wallet for you outside. I doubt the hobo got very far.” Isaac added as an after thought.

After paying their tab for the night, the four wolves walked out and around the corner into the alley of the bar. Derek walked a few paces into the alley before he realized he was walking alone. He turned and found three pairs of glowing eyes. There was no anger in his packmates’ eyes, he wasn’t really sure what he saw on their faces. “Guys?” Derek waved his hands to get their attention.

Jackson whispered softly, “It can’t be….”

Isaac shivered. “Is it really…”

Scott didn’t say anything but sprinted into the alley quickly followed by Isaac and Jackson. Derek looked perplexed but followed them anyways. All three young wolves sniffed and scented everything, looking up and down, inside and out of any of the junk they came across. Isaac froze at about halfway down the alley where a dumpster was carelessly thrown open. “I smell three other wolves.”

Jackson and Scott both growled at that but Derek still just looked confused. Jackson hurried over and sniffed around as well until he jerked up. “It’s him! It’s faint, but its him! The three wolves are overpowering him.”

Scott jumped over as well and took a deep whiff. “Ugh! I can’t smell it well! Is it really him?!”

Isaac lightly chuckled. “He always said you had the worst nose evening after all that training.”

“Shut it you two! It’s the first hint we’ve had in five years! McCall, call Lydia and Allison. Tell them to get their notes from high school and kits here while the trail is still warm. I’m calling Danny to see if he can do any tech sweeps of the area to see if he can find anything.” Derek’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Lydia and Allison rarely get called in with their kits and considering that neither Isaac nor Scott even blinked at the orders showed just how serious they all were, especially Jackson it seemed. “Isaac, can you follow his scent?”

“I’ve been trying but it’s so faint and the wolves are overpowering. I’ve got to be careful or I’m going to miss it.”

“Don’t lose it!”

Derek had enough of being out of the loop. “Will one of you idiots tell me what’s going on!”

Jackson turned to Derek with a look of sad wonder in his eyes. He reverently whispered, “It’s Stiles. We may have finally found Stiles!”

Derek had a blank look on his face with a question on his lips before Jackson was turning away and already talking to his phone, “Danny! We’ve got a hint on Stiles.” Even Derek winced slightly when even he heard the shout Danny made even without his wolfy hearing as Jackson puckered his face and pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment. “You heard me! I need you to do a tech sweep of my current GPS location going back about three hours. Surveillance cameras, mics, anything that could give us any hints.” Jackson paused. “Yeah, McCall already called the girls.” Jackson looked over to Scott who held up four fingers while still speaking on the phone. “Says they’ll be here in four minutes. Isaac is making sure we don’t lose the scent but it’s faint and apparently there is another pack in town. We smelled three new wolves.” Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose but heaved a breath. “Thanks man.”

Derek huffed once more and was about to open his mouth but was cut off once more by Isaac. “Heads up, Derek.”

Derek looked up in time to see his wallet flying through the air like a drunk pigeon. Collision course set: his face. His hand flew up and caught it scant inches from his nose. He wasn’t surprised to find all the cash he had in it was gone, but he was surprised his credit cards were all still there, especially his black Amex Centurion Card. The Hale family came from old money; who knew some stupid little start up named after produce would be such a wise investment? He’d seen too many other kids from his family’s “social circle” fall into crashing piles of debris, figuratively and sadly, literally. He decided that he’d rather earn his way through life rather than being another rich kid statistic.

Jackson moved over and grabbed Derek by the shoulders in a grip that would have had a regular human whimpering in pain. “Derek! Is there anything you can tell us about the guy who tried to mug you?!”

“Not really, I was too pissed off to really get much of a look at the guy.”

“You don’t remember anything?”

Derek huffed. “He’s just a little shorter than me and dressed like a hobo. Smelled like he rolled around in the trash. That’s it.”

Jackson spun around and roared into the air in frustration, but quickly turned his head as he heard twin engines from two motorcycles coming down the alley with Scott waving them in. The new arrivals were dressed similarly. Black leather outfits with black helmets. One wore a backpack while the other had saddlebags on her bike. The one in front with the backpack propped her bike and took off her helmet to reveal her strawberry blonde hair. She hoped off and power walked towards Isaac, who was still hunched to the ground, slowly crawling along. “Anything Isaac?”

He kept his attention focused to the ground. “I keep losing and then finding the scent again, Lydia. It’s like trying to close your hand around a wisp of smoke.”

Lydia nodded, kneeling as she swung her backpack in front of her. Derek knew she kept a complete onsite forensics kit in her bag for research purposes and potential black mail. Derek learned that the hard way.

Derek looked over to Allison as she crouched next to her motorcycle’s saddlebags. She pulled out night vision goggles and what looked like a set of silver throwing daggers. As she stood and adjust the blades, she caught Derek’s eyes and his quirked eyebrow and answered with her own eyebrow raised. “Knives are easier to stash for emergencies as opposed to a arrows.”

Derek smirked. “You couldn’t just stab people like Legolas did in Fellowship?”

“You can’t parry with flimsy arrows.”

“Point.”

Scott came up to Allison. “Once Danny has a chance to do a sweep, we’ll confirm the trail with Isaac.” Allison just nodded.

Lydia’s voice carried over their heads. “Guys, I’ve got something here.”

Derek looked over and could see Lydia crouched over a spot on the alley road with her large black light shining on a fluorescent stain. Everyone gathered around as Lydia took a cloth square from her bag and gently dabbed the stain. She held it up to a normal flash light and the crimson stain showed brightly. “It’s blood.”

Jackson sniffed but frowned. “I can’t smell anything but chemicals.”

Lydia nodded with a frown. “It’s been sprayed with ammonia. There’s nothing I can get from this sample even if I wanted to get it analyzed. Ammonia completely destroys the DNA.”

Isaac growled. “And we can’t smell anything with this over lay of chemicals. That’s why the scent is so hard to track.”

“Best we can hope for is visual tracking then.” Jackson commented quietly. Everyone jumped as Jackson’s phone went off. “Danny, tell me you got something.” Jackson turned to Allison as he listened. She pulled down her goggles as he began to relay what Danny was reporting. “This is a tech dead zone apparently. Completely blind down this alley. No visuals or audio, but Danny did pick up a tripped silent alarm at the butcher’s place about three blocks away an hour ago. Deputies came but called it a false alarm although he thinks otherwise. Check it out and we’ll follow once you confirm anything.”

Allison nodded before she silently ran off almost disappearing into the night. Derek watched all the young packmates gather in hushed conversation. He crossed his arms and growled loudly. All of the others turned to him, almost startled to realize he was still around.

Derek’s deadpan would have been hilarious in other situations to them. He was a little more than pissed for being out of the loop. Clearly this was something important to the pack and yet in the four years he had been the Alpha, never once was this name brought up. The fact that no one was even attempting to catch him up on the situation was irritating as fuck. “Who the hell is Stiles?!” he roared his eyes flashing once more.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~

He couldn’t believe he was finally home. After five years after his abduction, he was finally home in Beacon Hills. Was his dad still Sheriff? Is his pack still here? How much had changed since he was gone? Would they still want him around with all that he’s been through?

A young voice brought him out of his thoughts as he took in the site from the overlook in the Preserve. “Tato?” He felt a squeeze in both his hands from the pups’ hands. He affectionately squeezed both hands in return as he turned with and a soft smile to his left from the voice that called to him first. “Tak, synu?”

“Jesteśmy już prawie na miejscu?”

"Tak, widzisz tamte światła? Jesteśmy prawie w domu"

"Jestem głodny."

His smile faltered. It had been a few days since their meager supply of food had run out and there wasn’t any kind of place he could buy more while traipsing through the wilderness, trying to avoid those damn Hunters. His pups were hungry and he didn’t have anything for them and it broke his heart. He had tried to care for them as best as he could these past five years before they escaped. Before he could stop himself, tears fell from his eyes, feeling like he was failing his pups. Blinking them away as quickly as he could, he composed himself before answering his littlest one. "Gdy znajdziemy miejsce do ukrycia, pójdę i spróbuję dostać coś do jedzenia."

His littlest one nodded as he took a glance at his older two. They gave him a soft smile and nodded in understanding. The small family made their way through the Preserve just as the winter constellations appeared overhead. A sense of nostalgia swept through him as he realized little had changed since his forced time away. Making their way through town was easy. Much of the training his boys had received played out well, better than any fake demonstrations he instructed them to do to dissuade his captors. They all moved quickly and quietly through the shadows of the night, stopping only once when a sheriff’s car passed by. He couldn’t risk exposing his boys if no one was around to protect them. If his pack and his dad were still around, they would stay. If not, he would keep moving until he found a safe haven for his little family.

Quickly finding the little Jewish butcher shop he remembered from his time before he had been taken was simple. He always chose specific places that would have very strong smells to mask their own until he could find a more suitable and defensible place. His pups might not appreciate the assault on their heightened noses, but they understood what he was doing after explaining it to them the first time. He hoped that old Mr. Feinstein hadn’t changed from his time away and still hated technology with a passion. His routes and safe points had always been with the lowest amount of technology around to avoid making it too easy to track them all. So far, there had been no sign of his former captors following them, but he was not taking any chances until he felt they were all safe. Directing his pups to stay close to the foul smelling dumpster and out of sight, he took off his backpack as all three of his boys did as well and stowed them carefully out of view.

"Ok, chcę chłopcy, żebyście tu zostali. Ja wychodzę postarać się o jedzenie dla nas. Czy mogę liczyć na was dwóch, że zaopiekujecie się młodszym bratem?"

He got two nods in return as an answer while his littlest gave him a scowl. Smiling, he carded his hand through his little one’s hair, which got him a smile and a sigh.

"Będę z powrotem w 30 minut."

Cupping a hand to each older boy’s face was all he needed to get both to close their eyes and lean into his touch before he was off.

Making his way through the dark gave him a sense of familiarity. It felt like he had done all those years back in high school. Hoping once again that things had not changed, he made his way to a particular alley where one of the better bars in Beacon Hills was. If memory served, it had been a day or so since the last trash pick up so the dumpster would be reasonably full and it should be late enough in the evening that some fresh trash should have been thrown on top and there should be some decent pickings of fresh food for him to bring to his pups without having to dumpster diving and ripping open foul smelling garbage. That’s not to say he would come out smelling like a rose, but at least it wouldn’t be as if he rolled around in the filth.

The roar of an engine halted his scavenging just as he had popped open a bag. Quickly hiding behind the shadow of the dumpster, he eyed a sleek black Camaro ease its way into the extra parking the bar had back here. The back lot in question was rarely used, another reason he had chosen to come here so this visitor was an unexpected turn of events. He suddenly felt a moment of crazy inspiration. Whoever was in that car had to be decently well off comparatively to the rest of the natives, aside from perhaps the Martin and the Whittemore families. This could be a real chance to get his boys real food for the first time in weeks that didn’t come from a dumpster. It was just on person and this alley should be completely safe for him to risk the chance exposure. Being reasonably sure he wouldn’t know the driver personally, he quickly scrambled around the ground to find a mistakenly discarded spoon.

Swiftly, following the dark haired man, he contemplated if he should do this, but remembering his littlest pup’s voice his hunger had him steeling his resolve. Rapidly shoving the man into the wall, he rasped out, “No sudden moves or I stick you like a pig!” His hand trembled as he reached into the man’s back pocket. His fingers closed on the leather billfold just as he heard a deep growl. The would-be victim quickly turned around and he saw the crimson eyes of a wolf. An Alpha. His first desperate and impulsive decision he had made in weeks had him facing an enraged Alpha werewolf.

“Oh shi-“ was all he got out before he felt a two powerful impacts to his chest and the sensation of flying through the air. Unfortunately, he felt the full impact of the brick wall behind him and blacked out before he even hit the ground.

Chapter Text

The first thing he felt as he came back to consciousness were two small hands shaking his shoulders while frantic whispers filled his ears. “Tato! Tato! Obudź się!”

A wet hacking cough erupted from his throat. The familiar taste of coppery blood filled his mouth before he spat it to the ground. This wasn’t good he knew. He would need to get medical attention or risk drowning as his lungs filled with his own blood from the pulmonary contusion. First things first though, he had to get out of here. “Syn, wrócić i dostać swoich braci. Zobacz również w mojej torbie na białym sprayem i przynieść go ze sobą. Musimy go.”

The boy quickly ran off without a word and without making a sound as his little sneakers pounded the pavement. The pain in his chest was getting worse as he felt another coughing fit take him as he spat out more blood. Time seemed to blur as he suddenly found himself being gently rolled on to his back and then carefully lifted into sitting position. His vision was slightly blurry and unfocused, but he could see his pups in front of him eyes filled with concern. “Tato… Czuję innego wilka.” his youngest whispered as he clutched the white spray bottle in his hands.

He smiled wanly as one of his boys wiped his mouth of blood. “Będę ok chłopców. Muszę wy mi pomóc się. Przykro mi, ale obie mają pomóc mi iść z powrotem.”

Carefully, his older boys lifted him up and had him supported between the two of them. He looked to his glassy eyed, youngest son. “Sprawdź okolice na wszystko z mojej krwi na nim i rozpylać. Po tym, spray na całym obszarze na pokrycie nasze zapachy.”

It was slow progress as he had to occasionally stop walking when he had a coughing fit and spat out more blood onto the ground and his youngest pup would spray it down with ammonia, but the small family made their way back to the butcher’s shop after about 15 minutes. His two oldest gently laid him against their bags by the dumpster while his youngest stashed away the spray bottle. Beckoning his boys closer to he didn’t have to speak too loud, he meekly pointed at the back door of the shop. “Jeden z was musi wyglądać w mojej torbie i znaleźć uchwyt na klucze. Poszukaj największego klucza z czerwonym pierścieniem na nim. Należy miejmy nadzieję otworzyć te drzwi. Nie mogę zostać na dworze tak.”

“Tak, Tato.” His older pup on the right went to his bag and rested his eyes. In moments, he heard the jingle of metal shortly followed by the sight swish of an open door. Seems Mr. Feinstein was still the same creature of habit and kept the old locks after all. He hadn’t wanted to break into any buildings at all as there was too much risk in being caught, but there wasn’t much choice in the matter now with him hacking up his life fluid. His two older boys hefted him back up while his little one gathered all their bags up and awkwardly hobbled in to the shop stopping just outside the shop to cough up a little more blood on to the ground.

After closing the door and having one of his boys re-locking it, he directed their way around in the dark. He could tell almost literally nothing had changed in how Mr. Feinstein kept the shop just as he had so long ago. Working in the shop for years as a young teen, allowed him to navigate his way without stumbling over anything, aside from his own two feet on occasion.   He directed his pups towards the large pantry where most of the dry goods should be stored. The door was left ajar by the tiniest sliver to let in light from the red EXIT door in. His youngest pup rummaged through his bag before pulling a large, thin blanket out while his older two propped him up against a stack of flour. The blanket was carefully wrapped around him. A soft chuckle left his lips as a small body curled up next to him while he felt two weights on his legs stretched out in front of him as his two older pups laid their heads down on him. Takie dobre szczeniaki patrząc po ich tata.”

His older pup on the left whispered. “Możesz zrobić tak wiele dla nas. Kochamy cię.”

“To prawada.” His littlest pup piped in.

“Tak.” The older pup on his right agreed with his brothers.

All three of his boys suddenly tensed up and froze. He couldn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary, but that wasn’t anything new.

His youngest one whispered. “Są ludziena zewnątrz.Mówiącoś ocichy alarm.”

Gently laying a hand on the youngsters head, he whispered, Nie martw się. To chyba tylko policja. Gdy widzą, że nie ma wpisu siłą, prawdopodobnie nazywają to fałszywy alarm i pozostawić.”

After a few tense moments, one of his older pups confirmed that his dad was right in his assumptions. A sudden growl from his own stomach made his pups jump while he blushed although it couldn’t be seen with how dark it was. Directing one of his pups, they were able to find a challah and slices of pastrami. With how freshly baked and soft the challah was, he guessed it had been baked mere hours ago while the pastrami was flavorful and delish. It had been about an hour since the deputies had departed (and only two coughing fits and blood splatter) when his boys tensed once more although this time, he could feel them shake slightly. One of his older boys whispered, “Ktoś próbuje otworzyć drzwi wykorzystaliśmy”

This sent panic rushing through him, which his pups instantly picked up on. Calming his pups as quickly as possibly was suddenly paramount. His voiced was sharp as he said, “Czuwania.”

All three boys stood and faced the door of the pantry, his two older boys moving to the sides, bracing their feet in a sprinter’s stance with their back foot braced against the sacks of flour. They gracefully balanced on the balls of their feet and had their hands in front of them in a relaxed position, neither a fist nor an open palm. His little pup had climbed high onto the pile of flour above his dad, nearly touching the ceiling, crouched on all fours ready for a pounce forward. All three were relaxed, but focused, just as he trained them.

Cursing at himself for being rash and putting himself out of commission, he felt weak and helpless as his pups stood ready to defend their small chance at freedom. The feeling of another coughing fit was coming and he desperately trying to suppress it and not give away their location. Throat clenching, abs cramping, he tried so hard to not let anything come but his body betrayed him and he brayed a cough and spat out more blood.

His pups all started growling just as the door flew open. Three pairs of golden yellow eyes framed an assortment of fangs and claws. They must be with the Alpha from before and he knows no one in his pack was an Alpha so they had to all be new wolves. There were three full-grown Beta werewolves facing off against his three pups!

~~~~~~~~

Allison moved quickly and quietly as she tracked the tiny trail of blood through the darkness. The scent of ammonia in the air helped as well. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins as the scant trail of blood eventually did lead her to Feinstein’s Foods. Forcing herself not to gag at the smell of rotting meat flowing from the dumpster, Allison stalked her way around. A preliminary sweep of the area showed nothing else out of the ordinary. A second sweep through the field of green through her night vision goggles allowed her see the small smattering of blood just outside the back door on the ground. She noted it, but did a search around the shop just in case before she went around to the back again. Pulling out her phone as she lifted her goggles, Allison fired off a text to Scott.

Trail does lead to Feinstein’s. Bring the pack and my lockpick kit.

Within a few minutes, the pack was running up to Allison. Isaac sniffed the air and immediately zeroed in on the small smattering of blood near the door. His eyes blew open and he opened his mouth but was quickly silenced as Jackson planted his hand over his mouth and had a finger over his own lips in the universal sign of SHUSH! Taking out his phone, Jackson typed out a message.

Do this carefully; we don’t know what the other wolves are doing with Stiles.

After getting nods from everyone around as Jackson showed them his phone, Allison took her lockpick kit from Lydia and began her work. It was fairly quick work as it was a simple commercial grade lock before she got it open. Jackson, Isaac and Scott slipped in followed by Derek and the girls. Jackson and Isaac carefully sniffed around as Scott kept looking around. Pausing by the kitchen sinks, Jackson tapped Isaac on the shoulder and indicated the door that was slightly ajar and held up four fingers and a raised eyebrow. Isaac nodded in confirmation of hearing the four heartbeats coming from within.

Scott, Isaac, and Jackson shifted and had their fangs and claws at the ready as Allison slid out two daggers from their sheaths. Lydia walked to the door and gently grabbed the knob. Allison stood back with Derek as the three wolves took a tight formation to swarm through as Derek crouched behind them as back up. Lydia held up a hand and was about to start counting down from five when a bad cough was heard from with in. She pulled the door open swiftly, quickly pulling the door all the way around and hiding behind it as a shield. Lydia preferred not to fight if she didn’t have too. Growling could be heard from within just as Jackson, Isaac and Scott rushed inside.

Three pairs of cool blue eyes greeted the Betas as all three let out simultaneous roars and launched themselves to attack. Jackson and Scott felt impacts to their stomachs as they were tackled to the ground while Isaac suddenly was dealing with something cling to his head and teetering him over to the ground. The shock all three felt from being taken down was quickly remedy as they grabbed their assailants and threw them off all relatively easily. Three impacts could be heard as bodies slammed into the bags of flour. Scott was the first on his feet followed by Isaac and Jackson. All three Betas let out fierce snarls, which were answered by three growls.

Derek was leery, as they still hadn’t accounted for the fourth heartbeat on the other side of the room. Was this Stiles person in there? Was he unconscious or possibly bound and gagged? He didn’t have much time to contemplate, as his Betas were just about to rush the other wolves. Derek slipped in behind his Betas and took a step to follow the rush when there was a sharp, raspy and commanding voice that filled the room. “Zamrażać!”

Derek plowed over Scott as every other wolf in the room stopped dead in their tracks. From his position on the ground, he noticed all the other wolves in the room had their eyes fixed to a figure struggling to stand. The red light coming from the EXIT sign across the way illuminating the shabby figure. The hair was matted and limp, at least the portion that could be seen from under the beanie. A scraggily beard covered most of his face, but you could still see the dark stains of blood on his lips. His clothes were indeed patched and worn as he braced himself against the pile pallet of floor bags. Derek took the moment to look into the eyes of the man and found a strong, piercing gaze as the man rasped out, “Wycofać się! Powrót!” .

The three blue-eyed wolves shifted human and scurried over to the man and two of them quickly propped the man between them, quiet whispers of concern filling the room as they three assessed the man for injuries as he gently pushed the three wolves behind him and stood in front. Getting a closer look, Derek strangled a gasp in his throat as he realized his pack had just tried to assault three pups!

Any further guilt he could muster was forgotten as Isaac, Jackson and Scott also shifted back and went slack in their postures. Scott gently rolled Derek off his back and stood up as the three Betas looked at the hobo in confused wonder. Scott took a tentative step forward. The three little wolves instantly turned from looking over the man and growled, only to be shushed with a sharp hiss. Scott brought his hands out and showed a non-aggressive stance. Closing his eyes and taking a sniff, Scott’s eyes flew open as he breathed out, “Stiles.”

The hobo seemed to stiffen and the pups’ eyes all flickered out. All four stared at Scott. The hobo squinted trying to get a better look in the darkness before the light came on and everyone inside the pantry hissed as their eyes painfully adjusted. Lydia popped in with Allison trailing behind her, daggers still out, but not at the ready. “I figured if the fighting stopped, there was no reason to be in the dark any longer.”

Rubbing his eyes as they adjusted, Derek’s would-be mugger blinked and looked at the faces in front of him once more as his eyes focused. His breath hitched as he drank in each familiar face. The raspy voice came out softly as tears welled in his eyes. “Scott? Isaac? Jackson? Lydia? Allison? Is it really all of you?”

Derek saw a few things he never expected to see happen. Allison dropped her daggers, fingers nerveless from shock. The Huntress had remarked how her father had taught her to never let a weapon go. Ever. Lydia’s jaw dropped and was utterly speechless for the first time Derek had ever known. Confidant, stoic Jackson went listless and crumpled to his knees as he tears welled up. Isaac had the biggest most ridiculous smile full of teeth, completely different to the usually reserved grin he normally used. Only Scott seemed to be normal. His eyes were wide and he had a crocked grin with a happy expression plastered on his face and if he had a real tail, you could guess it would be wagging furiously.

Further remarks were cut off as a new voice filled the room. “BEACON HILLS SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT! NO BODY MOVE!” Sheriff Stilinski had his gun raised as well as his two deputies behind him all pressed in together. The Sheriff got a look at who was inside before dropping the gun and sighing loudly. “Stand down,” he ordered his deputies, both of which were smirking as they holstered their weapons. The Sheriff turned to Scot, exasperation plastered on his face. “Scott, what the hell are you doing in here in the middle of the night? Couldn’t you just come at lunch like everyone else does for Mr. Feinstein’s Reuben?”

Before Scott could answer, a low croak broke the momentary silence. “Dad?”

The Sheriff rounded on the previously overlooked man at the back of the room being hugged by three boys. He looked into those warm, brown eyes. Something stirred within his heart. It was when he could see the smattering of moles across his face and the way that smile lit up his face that the Sheriff was able to make the connection as well. “Son?”

There was only a nod in return. His throat had closed up at finally seeing his dad after five long years. The ache in his heart was finally filled as his own father embraced him. Feelings of warmth and safety flood him and he reveled in them. Things would be ok now. His little family was finally out of danger. At least that was what he thought before a violent coughing fit overtook him.

Three young voices screamed, “Tato!” while six others cried out, “Stiles!” as he doubled over, falling onto his hands and knees as he hacked up a puddle of blood. He looked up as everyone in the room rushed to him before his vision went white.

Chapter Text

Derek watched as his pack sat around the waiting room of the Beacon Hills Hospital looking both relieved and worried at the same time. He could smell the waves of relief rolling all off them while it was also tinged with concern. It wasn’t often you seemingly have a packmate come essentionally back from the dead only to watch as they collapse again in front of you coughing up blood. Derek felt guilty about this as this was his fault as he was the one that hit Stiles in the first place. Everyone, including the Sheriff and Mama McCall, assured him it was just a misunderstanding and that it would be fine now that Stiles was just home.

Derek was filled in as Danny explained who Stiles was and how he factored into everything with the pack after he arrived and everyone waited for news from the doctors about Stiles.

Nine years ago, Jackson, Isaac and Scott had been freshmen on the lacrosse team with Stiles. The four were being forced to do a cross-country run as punishment for fighting in the lockeroom. Jackson used to be a stuck up and spoiled rotten teen with a superiority complex that could rival Napoleon Bonaparte. During their run, they were ambushed by an Alpha gone feral. It had managed to pretty much maul Isaac, Scott and Jackson before Stiles was able to finally fend it off, repeatedly stabbing it with a large sharpen branch he grabbed. Granted, Stiles was still a bloody mess, but he had only been slashed to ribbons, not used as a chew toy.

Isaac and Scott had managed to crawl behind Stiles as he began to use the moves he learned from watching seven seasons of Buffy. Jackson had fared the worst and was losing blood fast after he was knocked out after being hurtled into a tree. Making a snap decision, Stiles swung Jackson up in a fireman carry and ran as fast as he could to school. Arriving at the school bloody and battered carrying Jackson on his shoulders raised one hell of an alarm. Coach Finstock immediately jumped on the school maintenance golf cart and gunned it to where Stiles said he had to leave behind his two friends as he collapsed into the arms of the guidance counselor Ms. Morrell from sheer exhaustion and probably a little blood loss.

Emergency teams shortly arrived to whisk away Stiles and Jackson. The Sheriff was also on scene and after assuring himself his son was safe, he began relaying instructions to Victoria Argent, head of the local Hunter family. Less than an hour later, Victoria called to confirm that she took down the feral wolf.

Surviving the encounter changed all four young men, aside from the obvious bout of now living with lycanthropy. Isaac became more reserved, but much more resilient in who he was. After he was released from the hospital, he immediately went to the Sheriff and finally came forward about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. Upon investigating and finding the freezer in the basement, Mr. Lahey was sentenced to 20 years in a downstate prison.

Thanks to the bite, Scott‘s asthma was a thing of the past and he became less skittish at trying new things, not having to worry if anything will trigger his breathing problem.

The most interesting thing of all was Jackson. Despite gaining the strength and senses of a wolf, his ego had curbed exceptionally and his personality became much more open. His smile was now open and genuine, not arrogant and mocking. People found him pleasant and enjoyable to be around although he closed his circle of friends considerably. He no longer dealt with those that hovered around the edges to be associated with him. Jackson actively sought out meaningful friendships and essentially guarded his heart jealously for the few he let in.

Stiles surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, remained unfazed by the whole scenario. Someone had gotten a picture of him running into the school carrying a bloody Jackson on his shoulders while he himself looked like he lost a fight with Edward Scissorhands and sent it to many of the news outlets. His status as a hero actually annoyed him.

“Will you please all just leave me alone and let me eat my curly fries?!” Stiles howled at the mob surrounding the diner booth he and his friends. Guys and girls crooned and fawned over the hero for saving his friends from the feral Alpha and how cool he had to be to save them all. Isaac and Scott both chuckled from the opposite side of the booth as Jackson dropped his head trying to not laugh.

The blooming friendship between Jackson and Stiles had to be the biggest surprise out of this whole scenario. When Jackson had learned that it had been Stiles that had saved him, some had assumed he would have been furious at being saved by someone he had vehemently despised. On the contrary, he limped his way into Stiles’ hospital room seeing as how his new wolf healing had him up and about in a matter of days where as Stiles was going to be laid out for another week at the least.

“I thought you hated me, why did you save me?” Jackson blurted out as soon as he saw Stiles awake in his room.

Stiles for his part looked at him like he grew a second head. “Dude, what are you on? I’ve never hated you and why wouldn’t I try to save your ass?”

Jackson was utterly confused. “You aren’t jealous of me?”

Stiles actually double blinked. “No? Should I be?”

Jackson ticked his fingers off. “I’m rich, better at lacrosse, and girls like me better.”

The eyebrows on Stiles’ head scrunched together as he sat up. “A: money doesn’t make you happy. I’m perfectly fine with my life for the most part. Would be nice not to have to worry about where I’m going to get the money to go to college later, but dad always taught me to work for what I want. B: You’ve been playing since we were in grade school, I only picked it up last year because Scotty insisted I try out with him. I would certainly hope you’re better than me. C: Totally gay here dude. Vaginas, blech!”

Jackson’s eyebrows flew to his hairline. “You’re gay?”

“Yup.” Stiles popped the ‘p’ with a grin.

“Like Danny?”

“Same cloth, he just has better stitching. And outline. And accessories. And filling. My God does he have nice fillings!”

“Matt told me you were massively jealous of me and was gunning to steal Lydia from me back in junior high.”

“Dahler? I’ve never even talked to the guy! Lydia is nice and all, but I’d like say I see her more as competition than dating material. I’m gunning for top of the class if I want a chance at some of the better scholarships out there. Who else but us two do you know that’s taking molecular biology as freshmen?”

With the revelation that much of what Jackson had believe to be untrue, he became fast friends with Stiles and that meant Isaac and Scott as well. Which proved to be a boon when the three newly bitten wolves began to deal with the realities of their now altered natures. It had been Stiles who researched and then trained his three friends into better controlling the wolf within. It took about five full moons before they were all completely in control. Sophomore and Junior year was high school bliss for the four. Scott met and started dating Allison. Lydia and Jackson became a true power couple without Jackson having to fear Stiles was trying to steal Lydia away. Isaac dated Danny on and off again. There was a running bet between all the others as to how long each bout of the relationship would last. Jackson actually became fiercely protective of Stiles from the moment he learned Stiles never had any ill will towards him and didn’t need to retaliate. When someone outed Stiles (Fuck you Greenberg!), Jackson quickly squashed the tide against his friend with a ferocious declaration of his support to one of his best friends.

It wasn’t until autumn of their Senior year when their worlds came tumbling down with the sudden disappearance of Stiles after a particularly exhausting full moon. His beloved jeep was sitting at his favorite diner with a large to go order waiting but no one knew what had happened to him. For five years, Stiles’ friends anguished over their lost friend until tonight.

Derek was amazed as the story came full circle. “So this kid was the reason for Isaac, Scott and Jackson’s superb control of their wolves when I first got here?”

Danny smiled. “Yup! He’s the smartest guy I’ve ever known. Let alone the whole IQ part of him, being the Sheriff’s kid, Stiles has learned how to puzzle things out. There have been a few cases he’s unofficially helped crack for his dad over the years.”

It was rather impressive to imagine that a 14-year-old had figured out and trained three other hormonal wolves in a matter of months. Derek knew of other wolves that still to this day have trouble over controlling their shift. He wanted to ask more, but was interrupted as Mama McCall came into the waiting room. Everyone around jumped to their feet, but she stalled them all with a raised hand. “There’s no update on Stiles. Trust me, I will let you guys know the minute I know something.”

Melissa knew all too well just how much the pack missed Stiles. When she read the intake report, she nearly fainted as well. She turned to Derek. “I need your help.”

Derek’s eyebrows quirked in surprised. “You need my help?”

Melissa nodded. “I’ve got three little pups that aren’t responding to anything we say or do. We can’t look them over or anything. They just keep saying Tato over and over again. They’ve bitten and scratched at everyone that’s come into their room. I figured at least with an Alpha in the room, you can subdue them enough we can at least look them over.”

Footsteps could be heard behind him and Derek got the scent of the Sheriff before he spoke up. “Mind if I come along? I need to see if I can get some answers out of them anyways about my son.”

Melissa nodded. She and the Sheriff walked on as Derek turned to his pack. “I’ll let you guys know anything I find out, I promise.”

There was a collective groan as the others all sat down miserably again. Derek jogged to catch up. After a few twists and turns, Melissa indicated the closed door to the examination room. Derek could hear three heartbeats as well as muffled crying and soothing crooning. The three adults walked inside.

Derek got the chance to look over the pups now that they were trying to rip his packmates’ faces off. The two older boys were twins with strong jawlines and a butch cut rather than a buzz cut. Derek guessed them to be somewhere between 10-and 12-years-old. They softly crooned and whispered so low even Derek barely heard them. Between them was a boy no more than perhaps 6- or 7-years-old. Not much could be seen of his face as he cried into his hands and a whispered “Tato” could be heard over and over. It wasn’t until the Sheriff cleared his throat did all three boys look up to the adults with narrow eyes. The little one between the twins sniffed and then glared with cool blue eyes glowing. "On jest wilka poczułem w alei, gdzie tato został ranny.”

The Sheriff’s look flummoxed as the boy spoke.

Melissa tried to approach them speaking quietly, “It’s alright boys, we promise we won’t hurt you. We just want to check on how you’re doing.”

The twin on the left bared his fangs and glowing eyes at her as the twin on the right growled out, "Cofnij się lub będziemy zgrywanie swoje gardło. Z naszych zębów."

The Sheriff’s breath hitched again as Derek roared out a challenge as his eyes bled crimson and sprouted fangs to get the boys to submit to him. Rather than being cowed, all three boys answered with a challenge of their own and the littlest one spoke with more edge than a child his age should have. "Nie dostaniesz nam złożyć tylko ryk i błysk kły. Tato przeszkoleni nam lepiej.”

Derek didn’t know what was said, but he could tell from the posture and tone, it was definitely a challenge. He took a step forward but was stopped by the Sheriff’s hand on his shoulder. With a quirked eyebrow as he shifted back, a silent conversation passed between the two of them. The Sheriff tentatively advanced on the boys. All three shifted their intense gazes to him, but he held his hands up in peace. "Mamy na myśli ci chłopcy nie szkodzić. Proszę nam wierzyć.“

That surprised the three boys and they all dropped their aggressive posturing. They looked at the Sheriff in awe. “Rozumiesz nas? Mówisz tak jak my? “

”Tak, weim.” The Sheriff said with a smile.

The little one launched himself at the Sheriff yelling "Dziadku! Znaleźliśmy cię!"

The Sheriff caught the little boy looking completely shocked as the twins plastered into his sides. Melissa and Derek smiled at the Sheriff as he gently lowered himself so he could pull all three boys into a group hug and pulled them tight. Melissa walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re a miracle worker, Sheriff.”

The Sheriff looked at her with wide-eyed surprised. “No, apparently I’m a grandfather.”

And that just had Melissa fainting with Derek there to catch her, shock not even close to what he was feeling.

Chapter Text

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

That was all Stiles could faintly hear from the edge of the darkness that was his own mind. The bed he was in was slightly raised and he could feel the soft bed sheets and blankets, something he had missed in his time gone. His mind was still foggy and he didn’t think he could open his eyes with how heavy they felt. His head lolled to the side before he heard a hushed voice and a rough hand enclose his own. “Stiles.” He knew that voice. That voice he so dearly missed the most. The most important person in his life along with his sons.

At the thought of his pups, he realized he didn’t know where they were. Even in his drugged up state, he had to find his boys. His hand clenched the one holding him and he began to struggle to get up. His dad’s voice spoke clear as a bell in controlled tones. “Stiles, calm down. You’re ok. You’re safe.”

Stiles struggled to sit up only to feel himself yanked in place. He felt a plastic tube wrapping around his head and fitted into his nose. Probably extra oxygen given how his chest felt. He felt a hand on his opposite shoulder from where his dad was holding his hand gently push him back down. “Easy son. Don’t get up.”

Stiles made a huge effort to lift his cement-encased eyelids and was rewarded with a blurry visage of his dad standing next to his bed as he could open them a mere fraction. His lead tongue only let him slur out, “My…sons…”

“They’re safe.”

Stiles collapsed back in relief before exhaustion took him. The adrenaline rush to protect his pups wiping out what little energy he had built up.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

~~~~~

Jackson’s head fell forward and the sensation woke him up with a start. He hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep. He pressed his palms to his eyes before he looked to the clock on the wall. 6’o clock. “Damn it,” he whispered as he pulled out his phone. He looked to see a missed call from his dad an hour ago. He must have been exhausted if he actually slept through a phone call sitting in his pocket. Punching the redial for his dad as he yawned, he tried to wake himself up sufficiently to have a decent conversation.

A soft voice greeted him. “Hey mom.”

“Jackson.” She wearily answered him. “You’re dad’s tied up in that call you were supposed to handle this morning. Why didn’t you come home?”

“Tell dad I’m sorry when he’s done. I’ve been at the hospital all night.”

“Did something happen to someone in the pack? Is everyone ok.”

“Yeah everything’s going to be ok.” Jackson took a deep breath and let out a shaky laugh. “We found Stiles.”

“What?!” His mother gasped.

Jackson began to laugh quietly. “Yeah mom, we found Stiles. We’ve been waiting for the doctor’s report for a while now since we brought him in.”

“Oh my God! Where’s he been? How is he? What’s happened to him!”

“Woah, woah, slow down mom. He hasn’t had much a chance to tell us much. We brought him to the ER as soon as we found him since he collapsed and actually, I think I see the doctor coming so I’m going to let you go.”

Jackson ended the call before his mom had a chance to respond. The whole pack stood as the doctor came in with the Sheriff in tow. Scott was the first one to the Sheriff. “Is he ok? How is he?”

The Sheriff had a small smile on his face as he patted Scott’s shoulder. “He’s alright. Currently out cold for now. Doctor wants to keep him under for a little to let his body recover. Derek really laid into him.” There was an involuntary growl from the pack before Lydia sharply shushed them all. “They’ve got a feeding tube going right now. He’s pretty thin, but not completely malnourished. He should be fine in a few days provided there are no complications.”

Isaac groaned. “I hate that word…’complications’ never has good connotation. Something bad is going to happen.”

The Sheriff’s eyes darkened in cold anger and the pack tensed. “I am posting one of my deputies here until he is out of here. I am warning you guys now: Stiles has been through hell judging by the scars the doctor briefed me on.”

Three pairs of glowing yellow eyes and three pairs of normal eyes snapped to the doctor who just sighed. “I won’t go into detail as I can only guess, but the MRI I had done for Stiles showed numerous past breaks to his ribs and his arms. He also has numerous scars ranging from burns to cuts. I can’t begin how to even catalogue them all.”

Growling rose as Isaac, Jackson and Scott shifted in fury. Their packmate had been taken from them and apparently tortured for five years. There was not enough vengeance they could exact before rage would be satisfied. The Sheriff’s sharp voice cut through the anger. “Enough! Stiles is here and he is safe. Focus on helping him for now.”

The three wolves took deep breaths and let out the rage, much like the yoga breathing that Derek had showed them. It took a few tries before Isaac and Jackson had calmed down and shifted back. Scott hadn’t calmed down enough yet. His rage was his brother in all but name and blood. Someone had dare to lay hands on the one person that stood with him through all his life. Scott’s breaths were short and had he still been human, he would have had to worry about his asthma acting up. He felt hands on his shoulders and looked up into Allison’s face. “Scott! Snap out of it! Stiles is alive and he is home! If you can’t calm down, as a Hunter I’ll have to escort you out of the hospital.”

“Go ahead and do that Ally.” The Sheriff said “I know this boy enough that he needs some fresh air and maybe a good roar to clear that noggin of his. I bet he barely heard you just now.”

Allison looked at Scott and she realized he was right. Scott was looking right through her. She grabbed his arms and pulled Scott away. Once they were gone, Lydia turned to the Sheriff and the doctor. “What’s going to happen now?”

“I’m keeping Stiles here for a few days before I’m even thinking its ok to release him to the Sheriff. That pulmonary contusion should be nothing, but I’m not risking anything right now when I know at least six wolves will tear me apart if something happens to him.”

Danny looked confused. “Six?”

“Six.” Said a new voice.

The pack looked over the shoulders of the Sheriff and the doctor to see Derek, Melissa and, surprisingly, Chris Argent with three boys from before in tow. Lydia squeaked at how cute they were now that she could get a good look at them. Derek was carrying the littlest one while the twins had a hand each with Melissa as they walked up. Catching sight of the Sheriff, the littlest one wiggled and got to the ground before hoping over to the Sheriff and tugged on his arm. "Do góry, dziadku!" The Sheriff laughed as he picked up the littlest wolf who immediately cuddled into his neck and took a deep breath. "Pachniesz jak tato. "The twins came over and pressed into the Sheriff while eyeing the pack wearily.

Danny squatted down to eye level with the twins. “Hi, my name is Danny. What’s your name?”

The twins squinted at Danny. The one on the left groused. Nic ci nie powiemy, nieważne kim jesteś

The Sheriff chuckled while everyone else looked confused. Seeing the unspoken question, he explained, “He said he isn’t telling you anything whoever you are.”

Danny frowned and made a face before looking at the Sheriff. “How do you know what he said?”

Jackson was the one that actually answered. “Stiles taught them to speak Polish. The Sheriff speaks Polish still.”

Isaac nodded in agreement while Danny and Lydia looked lost. Chris smirked before he asked, “And just how do you two know that?”

Isaac shrugged. “Stiles taught us too. He did it for our werewolf training. Something about police dogs being taught Czech. Stiles used some commands last night and it was like we were back in high school again. If we ever have to fight other packs, we can communicate with little chance of them knowing what we are talking about. Granted he only taught us some basic words, not full on conversational Polish.”

The Sheriff chuckled. “Well my son has plenty of time to explain later on, but first we have to figure out what to do with these pups here.”

Chris stepped forward at this point. “That’s why I’m here. The doctor called me in when he learned about the new wolves in the territory.”

“What are you going to do with them?” Jackson asked.

Chris rubbed his neck. “Actually, I have to put them with Derek and he has already agreed to be the boys’ temporary guardian. Since they are under-aged Betas, they need to be in the custody of the local Alpha.”

All eyes turned to Derek who crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve already talked with Captain Kira. I’m taking a paternal leave of absences for a while. We’ve got enough hands at the station that things should be covered without me. My main priority is the pups at this point. They need to be protected and safe and I expect you three-“ Derek stopped. “Where’s Scott?”

Jackson hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “He went out for a breath of air to calm down. The Sheriff and the doc were giving us an update on Stiles just before you got here and it was a bit too much for him. Scotty will most likely be back soon. He let rip a big howl just a bit ago.”

Derek blinked. “Ok, well, I expect all three of you to help me with the boys. Pack pups are always guarded and raised essentially in a community.”

Lydia quoted, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

“Exactly.”

Isaac’s eyebrows scrunched together. “How are we going to do this with the language barrier here?”

The Sheriff jumped in. “The boys are bilingual. They know English, they just won’t use it until their Tato gives them ok it’s safe to do so. Apparently Stiles taught them to use it like a secret code.”

“Tato?” Danny asked.

“Their dad.” The Sheriff said easily.

“WHAT?!”

Everyone heard a distant thud and turned to look down the hall to find Scott on the ground with Allison cradling his head in her lap, fanning his face while she looked up confused considering she didn’t have super hearing like Scott. Like mother, like son it seems.

Chapter Text

What the hell was he doing? He didn’t know anything about taking care of a pup, let alone three! While he had played it cool with the pack and the humans around, inside his own mind Derek was freaking the fuck out while talking about the pups at the hospital. Derek steeled his nerves and let the tension ease out of him. He didn’t want the pups sleeping in the back of his Camaro to wake up to an angst-scent filled car interior (with just a hint of evergreen pine). It had taken a lot of persuading and many promises of visits from the Sheriff, but the pups, eventually, agreed to stay with Derek until Stiles was out of the hospital. That was of course after they visited Stiles in his room and that was an experience in of itself.

Melissa looked down to the little boys just outside of Stiles’ room. She could visibly see them vibrating in anticipation. Once she had their attention, she placed a finger to her lips and held it there for a moment. All three boys nodded after a moment, understanding the need to be silent as Melissa opened the door. The Sheriff and Derek gently ushered in the boys as Melissa followed in and closed the door.

Derek listened to the rising staccato tempo of the boys’ heartbeats as they got a look inside and saw Stiles’ sleeping body being bathed in the late morning sun. Instead of stomping over and causing a general ruckus trying to get to their dad, the adults were mildly surprised by the swift, but silent movements of the boys as they made their way to the sides of the bed. Stiles’ head lolled to one side but his breathing was even. The twins got to one side of his bed and gently laid a hand to Stiles’ arm while the little one got into the chair that was on the opposite side of the bed where the Sheriff had been sitting earlier. A tiny hand gently brushed the hair out of Stiles’ face. Derek heard the faint whispers of Tato as he watched the pure, unfiltered looks of love brighten the previously suspicious and stoic faces of the boys. The scents of anxiety faded and contentment filled the room. It was amazing to see this transformation on the pups as they almost reverently caressed their dad’s arm and face when an hour ago, they were apparently threatening to rip out Melissa’s throat their teeth as the Sheriff translated for his benefit. Seriously, who uses that as a threat?

Derek looked at Stiles a bit more closely now that there was decent lighting. The messy mop of brown hair on his head seemed to be clean compared to last night. A small sniff confirmed the scent of shampoo lingered in the room. His beard was still rather scraggily but no longer gnarled or untamed. It looked as if there was some uneven cuts around the edges. The nurses probably cut some away to make it more manageable. It amazed him that this young man had such an impact and influence on six wolves and he was only human. A sense of admiration bloomed in his chest and trickle of awe mingled in as the twins came over to the side of the bed with the chair. Starting with the littlest wolf, they each took a turn nuzzling Stiles’ face before walking over to Derek. It was the first time he saw the boys dropping all defensive manners and tension. Before him stood not three wolves, but three little boys that wanted their dad to wake up.

Derek crouched to eye level with the boys before whispering gently, “Are you guys ready to go now?”

Three nods were all he got before the little one walked up to him and startled Derek as he threw his little arms around Derek’s neck and buried his tiny face in the crook of Derek’s neck. Derek tentatively wrapped his arms gently around the boy and lifted him up. A squeak had him giving a side-glance at Melissa with an eyebrow raised in a silent question. She shook her head but with a smile.

A small sigh brought him back to the Camaro as he stole a quick glance in the rear view mirror to see one of the twins waking up. He smiled when their eyes met briefly before his eyes went back to the road. “Good afternoon, did you enjoy your nap?”

Derek took another glance to the mirror in time to see a small nod, but an expressionless face. The prospect of dealing with little boys that spoke Polish had been initially daunting but he breathed a sigh of relief when the Sheriff confirmed the boys understood English. It was getting them to speak that would be difficult. At least they would answer with a nod or shake at this point so it shouldn’t be hopeless.

The squeal of an empty stomach had Derek flickering his eyes up to the mirror again to the wide-eyed boy. Derek gave him a toothy smile. “Do you want something to eat?”

Excited eyes met his in the mirror. “Zhájiàngmiàn?”

Derek blinked. That didn’t sound Polish. At all. “I’m sorry but I don’t know what that is.”

The boy thought for a moment. “Chāshāo?”

Derek looked slightly upset. “I’m sorry pup, I don’t know that either.”

The boy rolled his eyes and sighed before he said softly, “Zhōu?”

Derek grimaced. He had no clue what any of these foods the boy was asking for and it niggled him in the worst way. The feeling to provide for the pups was not being fulfilled. A sense of panic began to rise until he saw the sign for the pack’s favorite diner. Derek made a quick decision and began to pull into the parking lot. The slight bump into the parking lot jostled the other two sleeping pups and roused them from their naps. Derek parked and turned around in his seat to face the pups, directing himself to the twin that had been awake longest. “I’m sorry pup but I’m not familiar with the food you were mentioning. Let me take you in here. My pack loves coming here and they have really great food. Would that be ok?”

The littlest pup stretched his arms up and rubbed his eyes before looking at the twin. “Co się dzieje, starszego brata?”

With a nod towards Derek, the twin said, “Chce się nam jedzenie, ale najwyraźniej nie wie, co zhájiàngmiàn, chāshāo lub zhōu są.”

The little wolf frowned and asked, “Czy on wie, co zòngzǐ jest?”

“Wątpię w to.” The twin answered shaking his head.

Derek cut in. “I promise, this place has good food. My pack eats here all the time. Will you guys please try it?”

He had three wary glares before he had three nodding heads. It was odd to see the synchronicity of the three pups. It was more like a set of triplets than a pair of twins plus one. Derek smiled nonetheless and got out of the Camaro and pulled his seat forward so the pups could climb out.

The four wolves walked into the diner and Derek was hit with the familiar scent of burgers, grease, and soapy water with the chatter of other diners around. The man behind the register greeted them with smiled and a raised eyebrow at the four walk ins. “Hey there, Derek. I know I joke about you having a young pack, but isn’t this a bit much?”

Derek gave a small laugh. “Hey Doug, I’m only a temporary guardian of these three pups for the time. Their dad is in the hospital and the Argents placed these three in my care as I’m the local Alpha.”

Doug’s eyebrows shot up and he whistled low. “Well I’ll be. I was only joking about them being pack. They all actually wolves?”

“Yup, right boys?” Three slight nods were all Derek was going to get. “Sorry Doug, they don’t really talk much.”

"S’alright, I was pretty closed mouth ‘round strangers when I was young too. Why don’t you guys take a seat and I’ll get you four orders of your usual? Maybe kid sizes for the pups.”

“Actually, go ahead and give them full sizes. I think they’ve got a big appetite right now.”

“Got it. MILLIE! FOUR ORDERS HALE PACK PLATES!” A loud groan came from the back. “Stop whining! At least it’s not a full-moon order! ”

Derek snickered as he ushered the boys over to a dining booth getting curious glances from some of the other patrons. He could just imagine the rumor mill beginning to spin. Beacon Hills was a small community after all. The arrival of three unknown three little boys, let alone three new wolf pups, was sure to cause a stir. Derek sat on one side of the booth as the pups all squeezed into the other side together. “One of you could sit next me if you want.” He proposed. His was answered with a triple dose of an ‘Are you serious?’ stare. Derek smiled but shook his head in amusement.

Doug brought over a glass of water for Derek and three kid cups with bendy straws. Grabbing his glass and bringing it to his lips, Derek stopped before the water reached the edge of the glass. All three boys were staring at their cups with confused frowns. “Did you guys want something else to drink?”

The littlest wolf turned his gaze to Derek and poked at the straw. The twins were looking at the straws with equal measures of distrust and confusion. Derek wasn’t sure what was wrong with the drinks. Perhaps the pups smelled something funny in the drinks. He grabbed the drink from the little one and took a sip on the straw to confirm what was in it. Unsurprisingly, it was just water. When Derek placed the cup back in front of the boy, a look of pure wonder was on the pup’s face. The boy pulled the straw out of the lid to look through it while the twins watched with curiosity. It finally struck Derek that these little pups had no idea what a straw was! What could these boys possibly have lived through that they had never seen a straw before? The sheer obscenity of the thought had Derek growling low.

Instantly, he had three growls answering him, blue eyes flashing cool at him. He hadn’t realized his own eyes had involuntarily shifted red. That was something else that made his temper simmer, but he pushed it away for now. The pups should have golden yellow eyes, not cool blue. The dark conclusion his mind kept edging towards had him angry and nauseous at the same time. Realizing he still had three wolves trained on to him, he let out an explosive breath. The boys all flinched with a tightening of shoulders, but nothing else. “I’m sorry, pups. I didn’t mean-I’m just angry. About what happened to you.”

Eyes shifting back, the pups looked at him confused instead of being on guard and weary. Derek waved it off with his hand swaying in the air. “Never you mind. If I’m right, I think our food is coming.” Derek pointed as Doug came walking over carrying a large tray of food on his shoulder.

“Four Hale Pack Plates!” Doug said happily as he placed the food in front of the boys and lastly Derek. The plates were overflowing with food and from the looks of the boys’ faces, they clearly were shocked by the sheer amount in front of them. A double cheeseburger almost as big as the little wolf’s head sat nestled in a nest made of curly fries piled high with a big helping of fruit salad sitting off to the side. The boys looked at him, pointed to the food and then to themselves. This couldn’t possibly be for them all. Derek chuckled and waved his hand to them. The boys, in perfect sync once again, bowed their heads and Derek could hear muttering of some sort before they looked up. He guessed they may have just said a prayer before their meal.

The twin on the left tentatively reached for the curly fries, the other twin carefully picking up the burger sniffing the monstrous sandwich, as the little one tried to grab some slippery pieces of fruit with his hand. It had to be the most adorable thing Derek had seen in a long time. The little pup had a little pink tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth as he concentrated on trying to pick up an especially elusive piece of banana. Derek smiled as he took a bite of his own burger.

The twins had been examining their food before they both took a sampling. The twin with the curly fry groaned through closed lips and munched with wild abandon while the twin that had taken a bite of the burger stopped mid-chew and looked to have achieved a state of pure bliss. The little pup grunted before he finally flipped three of his fingers out and popped his claws out effortlessly and stabbed the elusive fruit. Derek’s eyebrows rose. That was excellent control for a child.

The pups exchanged excited chatter about the food. They kept pointing to each and talking over each other. He couldn’t hear a word any of them could get in edge wise. The little one actually popped his fangs out in order to sufficiently bite into his burger. In a matter of minutes, his wide eyes took in the three empty plates in front of Derek and he still had half his fries and fruit salad to deal with.  All three pups looked mildly sated and smiled for the first time since he had seen them.

“Wow, I did not actually expect them to physically cram all that food into their little tummies,” Doug laughed as he cleared away the three empty plates.

Derek chuckled. “No kidding.” Derek turned a look at the boys and asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow, “Perhaps they have room for a shake?”

Once again, the boys look confused and Derek had to force the smile to stay. Seriously, what kind of special serving of hell did the boys get served in life? He turned to Doug and just nodded holding up three fingers. Doug nodded and walked back to the register. “Millie! Three brownie batter milkshakes!”

“I just cleaned the mixer!”

“You put hot water in a cup and let the thing blend! ITS NOT THAT HARD!”

Derek smiled around a bite of his burger. The pups were slouching in an oncoming food coma. An impulsive, overwhelming sense to grab his three pups and stash them away into a cozy, secure den had Derek twitch in his seat and blinking. His pups? Where did that come from?

“ Dziękuję.” The little wolf said softly with a small smile and a nod Derek. Derek wondered what the little one had said, but the twins echoed and mimicked their little brother. Derek guessed he was being thanked and a sense of fulfillment rocked him to the core. All his life, he’d never had this kind of feeling before. It was wonderful and slightly disconcerting.

The last of his fruit salad disappeared just as Doug came back with three tall glasses topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Doug placed one in front of each boy. “Here you go pups! Make sure you drink those slow or you’ll give yourself an ice cream headache.”

The twin to Derek’s right titled his head to the side. “Ice cream?”

Doug gave Derek a sharp look, who returned a discreet shake. It seemed that Doug was starting to pick up on some things as well. The two men looked back to the boys as the pups made excited squeals after their first sips of the rich, chocolate concoctions. Joyous smiles around the pups straws had Derek all warm and fuzzy on the inside as well as extremely pissed off.

<~~~~~>

Isaac was sitting next to Stiles’ bed as his friend slept in the evening darkness. It still felt surreal having Stiles back after five years of searching. Those first months of searching had been maddening. Neither he, Scott or Jackson functioned normally. All three were twitchy and clingy to everyone in their life. Ms. Morrell, the school guidance counselor, had said they were suffering from hyper vigilance, constantly on alert so as not to lose anyone else. Stiles had been a firm foundation in their lives and to have that suddenly ripped away, especially for wolves, left them all suffering from some PTSD. But now Stiles was back and that’s what was important.

The scent of the Sheriff preceded a soft knock had him turning around in his seat to see the door opening slowly. “Evening Sheriff.”

A soft smile touched the old man’s face. “I take it you’ve been here all day?”

Isaac chuckled. “Actually only just got here an hour ago. Jackson had been here most of the day, but he had to go home. Scott was will be here later tonight.”

“I suppose that Jackson was the reason my deputy contacted me to ask why he was even here when there are wolves at the door to my son’s room?”

Isaac shrugged with a smile in an act of guilt and innocence. A weak groan from Stiles had Isaac turning back and slipping a hand into Stiles’ shirt. Black veins appeared on Isaac’s forearm and Stiles eventually settled into another restful bout of sleep. The curly haired wolf twiddled his fingers at the Sheriff. “Better than morphine.”

The Sheriff chuckled as he made his way around the bed to card his fingers through his son’s hair. He couldn’t get enough physically touching his son. All day at the station, his mind constantly bounced to this room in the hospital as opposed to the files sitting on his desk. Most of the deputies had learned by lunch about the sudden re-appearance of the Sheriff’s son and there was a certain lightness that prevailed the station now. That cold case had been a bitter pill to swallow as many of the deputies had seen Stiles literally grow up around the station. The lack of progress had left many angry. Many of the Beacon Hills residents had noticed a cold shift in their interactions with the deputies. The deputy that had been on duty at the hospital had been a new recruit in the time Stiles had been gone and didn’t bother fighting to stay. When the greenhorn got back he had been inundated by questions about Stiles. His baby boy was finally home and apparently came with some babies of his own. “Derek called earlier. Had an interesting experience when he took the pups to the diner. Apparently they polished off a whole Hale Plate by themselves.”

Isaac’s eyebrow rose as he whistled low. “That’s pretty impressive.”

The Sheriff laughed. “Not as impressive as Derek herding them through Wal-Mart getting them some essentials and new clothes.” Isaac tilted his head to the side. “I was going through all the bags the four of them had last night. The boys all had some supplies and some personal effects. Blankets, flashlights and batteries, rain tarps amongst things you’d find in an emergency grab bag. I expect there was probably some hard, travel rations in them too at some point. Stiles’ bag was different. He had a first aid kit, bottles of what look like different herbs and a couple of spray bottles. I haven’t had forensics try to identify things yet. I’d rather just ask Stiles. Don’t want people thinking I’m treating him as a suspect in anything.”

“Understandable.”

“Oh I forgot about his sword.”

Isaac blinked in shock. “I’m sorry, did you say he had a sword?”

“Yep.” The Sheriff popped the ‘p’ and it brought a smile to both of them.

 “There’s probably an interesting story to it.”

“No doubt.”

“There is.” The Sheriff and Isaac both snapped their gazes to Stiles. His weary eyes were still hooded, but he was clearly more alert than he had been before. A small smile danced as he closed his eyes and leaned into his dad’s touch as the rough and calloused hand was still in his hair. “Missed you dad.”

“Missed you too Stiles.”

Stiles turned to Isaac and gently lifted his hand from the bed ever so slightly. Isaac took it eagerly, but gently. Stiles’ gripped the wolf’s hand tightly. “Hey there curly pup.”

Isaac’s eyes watered as he smiled. “Hey spaz. It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back.” Stiles smile softened as he looked to his Dad.

His dad smiled. “Derek is really sorry about hitting you so hard, but it technically was self defense since you were trying to assault him.”

Stiles frowned and this time turned to Isaac. “Where’d he come from? He wasn’t around before I was gone. I would’ve remembered him.”

“He actually came a year after you-“ Isaac swallowed, “-after you disappeared. Derek came in looking for a job. It fit perfectly with him being our Alpha. His family is an old werewolf clan and he had to leave after killing an Alpha in a dispute against his family so as not to disrupt things for his mom, the current Alpha of their pack.”

At the word ‘pack’, Stiles face paled. “Where are my boys?”

Isaac smiled. “The Argents had them placed with the local Alpha, Derek. He’s agreed to be their temporary guardian until things are sorted out.”

Stiles began to sit up and throw off the blankets, which had Isaac and the Sheriff immediately trying push him back down. Stiles let out a harsh breath, “Let me up, I need to see my pups!”

“Son, calm down!”

“My pups!”

“Stiles, they’re fine! Derek’s a good Alpha to me, he’ll take care of them.”

Stiles turned wild eyes at Isaac. “My pups have never been away from me at night in the last five years! They need me!”

Isaac was forced to stand and used his wolf strength to pin Stiles to the bed. His golden yellow eyes peered into Stiles’ bourbon eyes, unfocused in blind panic. He could smell the panic rolling off Stiles and made a snap decision. Isaac let his fangs appear and roared into Stiles’ face. Shock froze Stiles’ face, finally noticing Isaac right in front of him. Once Isaac got his attention, he shifted back and spoke softly, “Stiles, Derek will take care of your pups. Don’t worry. He’s a good Alpha; he can handle Scott, Jackson, and me. Rest.”

“Isaac…my boys…my pups…”

Isaac cradled Stiles head to his chest careful as Stiles sobbed softly. The Sheriff watched as his son slowly wrapped his arms around Isaac’s waist before his sobs were muffled into Isaac’s shirt. He hoped Derek wasn’t going to be dealing with this kind of separation anxiety with the boys tonight.

Chapter Text

It was a cold, crisp, clear California morning as the Sheriff’s patrol car pulled up to the Derek’s building just as Jackson was pulling something out of the passenger side of his Porsche. “Morning Jackson, what are you doing here so early and whacha got in there?”

Jackson hefted four large boxes of what looked like doughnuts from the bakery in town. “Derek called and asked me to get some breakfast for him and the pups before I head over to the hospital and take my turn with Stiles for the day.”

The Sheriff opened the door to the building and held the way open for Jackson with his arms full. “I hope Scott will have good news when you get there.”

Jackson peered over the boxes. “What do you mean?”

“Stiles had a pretty big freak out when he woke up yesterday evening about being away from his pups. I think he said they hadn’t been away from each other in the whole five years?”

“How is that even possible?”

“I’m not sure but the separation anxiety? Yeah it was bad. Isaac actually had to wolf out a bit to pin him to the bed or he probably would have stormed out of the hospital.”

Jackson’s eyes widen as the elevator arrived. He and the Sheriff walked in and once the elevator was rising, he turned to the Sheriff. “I know Stiles wears his heart on his sleeve so I’m assuming he either broke down or went full fury.”

“He imploded like a building demo. Isaac held him until he went to sleep again.” The Sheriff heard a soft whine and turned to see Jackson looking pensive facing the doors as the elevator opened. Said pensive look immediately dissipated when the doors parted and Jackson stiffened, concern flashing across his face. The Sheriff recognized that face. “What is it Jackson?”

Jackson tilted his head as if to listen more carefully and walked out of the elevator just as the door was closing, the Sheriff following him. “I think I know why Derek asked me to get breakfast now.”

“Do I want to know?”

“Probably best if you hold these and let me open that giant door.”

Walking closer to the massive metal, the Sheriff could hear muted growling coming from within. Jackson gently pushed him behind and suddenly threw the door open. The Sheriff held back the gasp that almost escaped his lips. The main room to the loft looked like a veritable battlefield even with how little furniture there was to begin with. Derek kept things pretty Spartan in style; he wasn’t very flashy with his money.

What he was flashing right now was his crimson red eyes. His white shirt and jeans looked ripped to ribbons and there were bloodstains smeared into the cloth but the wounds were healed. Standing on the balls of his feet, claws at the ready by his side, fangs on full display, Derek was facing on against three little pups backed into one corner of the loft. What was surprising was that the boys had very interesting postures, not at all what Jackson or the Sheriff would have expected.

One of the twins was crouched forward with his left leg bent forward and his right extended back in an almost sprinters stance with his little clawed fingers spread open in front of him, left hand slightly farther forward compared to the left. The littlest pup stood just to the left of the twin with what seemed a more defensive posture. He was almost squatting back on his rear right leg with his left foot extended forward with little clawed fingers spread open as well but held protectively in front of his chest. The other twin was standing much straighter. He was leaning back on his back left leg, but his front right leg was bent and was standing on his toes and the ball of his foot. His left open fingered claw, just like his brothers, was raised above his head where the right was extended low but in front of him, hovering parallel to his right leg. The pups all had their eyes set in a vicious glare, glowing cool blue and fangs bared, but they were eerily silent. The boys had on different clothes from what they were wearing last night so it must have been some new clothes Derek had bought them, but they also had lots of rips and tears.

“Wow, did not expect to walk into a Mexican stand off.” Jackson remarked.

Four sets of eyes snapped to him and Jackson felt his hackles rises, but before he could shift, the pups spotted the walking pile of boxes next to him. They could just see the Sheriff’s blue eyes. The pups took a sniff realized who was behind the tower of boxes. “Dziadku!”The boys rushed to the Sheriff and Jackson, realizing he was about to be plowed over by puppies, grabbed the boxes out of his hands and set them on the floor beside him. The Sheriff suddenly felt stupidly vulnerable, as if the tower of fried goodness had provided some semblance of protection. Bracing for impact, the Sheriff cringed and closed his eyes only to hear a big roar right in front of him, greeted by three challenging growls.

Peaking through one eye, he found Derek standing in front of him, shielding the Sheriff. The pups had dropped back into their previous postures when Derek addressed the boys. “Enough! Calm down now before you hurt him!”

The littlest wolf snapped back,“Nigdy nie zaszkodzi, dziadku! Tatas nauczył nas lepiej!”

“Don’t argue with me! You’re children! You could kill someone if you aren’t careful!”

“Did you actually understand what he just said?” Jackson asked.

“No, but I can tell he was being snarky. Body language and scent are pretty universal.”

The Sheriff was about to jump in when he was cut off as one of the twins glared at Derek. “Zabiliśmy wcześniej. Wiemy, czego nie robić.” Derek and Jackson both flicked their gazes to the Sheriff as they heard his heart stop for a moment and smelled the fear that spiked from him. The little pups looked at the Sheriff as well, but they didn’t know what they were hearing or smelling. Stiles, not being a wolf, would never have been able to explain the different smells.

Putting a hand on Derek’s shoulder, he pulled the Alpha back and behind before crouching down to the pups. They were still in their defensive positions but had shifted back to human. The Sheriff’s voice was soft as he asked, “Co masz na myśli? Kogo zabiłeś?”

The two older wolves heard the rapid rise of the three little pups’ heartbeats and smell the sheer panic flooding the room, which was horrifying considering how open aired the loft is. The littlest wolf was wide eyed as his bottom lip quivered but he spoke as softly as the Sheriff had. “Stary Smok ostrzegł nas, że nigdy nie powiedzieć lub zraniłby tato ponownie.”

One of the twins spoke up with a strain in his voice. “ Musimy mieć tata bezpieczny, ponieważ on jest człowiekiem i jesteśmy wilki. Prawie stracił ojca, gdy ... nie będziemy ryzykować ponownie.”

The other twin hitched his voice as well. “Nawet jeśli tata wie, jak walczyć, nie lubimy go też.”

Jackson threw his hands in the air. “Ok, we really need to know what’s going on. They smell like they’re about to bolt any second and they are tense as all hell. Sheriff?”

The Sheriff didn’t answer at first. He reached out and pulled the pups into a tight embrace. At first the boys were stiff, but soon melted into his arms. Once the boys were softly sighing in his grasp, he looked over his shoulder at the men behind him. “They know how to fight, their dad taught them a lot of control.”

Jackson snorted crossing his arms. “Not surprising. This is Stiles we’re talking about training them.”

“They’ve already killed before as well.”

That had Derek and Jackson both stiffening in shock and fear. Factually, both men knew. The moment they saw those cool blue eyes, they knew. That darkness that they had refused to acknowledge. Intellectually, to hear confirmation of that horrible truth was especially disconcerting to Derek as he connected all this to what he saw at the diner yesterday to the way the three fought him with ease. Ice filled his stomach as it clenched tightly in response. He could smell the wanton fury coming from the other wolf. “Jackson, we need to calm down. Let’s not get them on the defensive again.”

Jackson turned his glowing eyes to his Alpha. “Stiles’ sons have just told us they have killed before and you think I should be calm?!”

“They aren’t threats!” Derek hissed.

Jackson scoffed and growled at his Alpha as he took a step towards Derek. “I don’t think they’re threats, I’m pissed at what’s happened to them! These are Stiles’ pups! HIS PUPS! My best friend’s sons have had to kill! I wasn’t around to help! And for what?! What could have possibly happened where two 10-year-olds and a 7-year-old all had to have blood on their hands!? It should never have happened!”

“That’s enough Jackson!” The Sheriff snapped.

Jackson rounded on the Sheriff, who still had the pups in his arms. Three cool blue eyes glared at him and he deflated. There was no way he could he could settle with their eyes leering with suspicion.

The littlest pup turned to the Sheriff, "Dlaczegoon jestzepsuty?"

The Sheriff laughed. “He wants to know why you’re cranky.”

Jackson let out an exaggerated huff. “I’m not cranky. I don’t like that I couldn’t help you and your dad.” The pups all exchanged glances and looked at Jackson suspiciously once more as he continued. “Your dad is my best friend. He saved me from dying once and helped me with my wolf. When he was gone, I really missed him.”

Softness filled the eyes of the pups. A quiet understanding passed between the pups and the wolf. A shared sense of love for the same man that had cared about and for them. Granted, the pups still don’t trust him. It’s just a mutual idea of sharing Stiles. Derek for his part could sense a shift between the wolves. The pups were starting to bond with him and his pack, forging first with Jackson. That terrified him. He was taking on three new wolves. His pack had literally doubled in size, even if temporary.

But did it have to be temporary? Maybe he could convince Stiles to release them to him. After all, he was only a human anyways. He can’t really handle being in charge of wolves like this for too much longer. The best situation would be for the pups to stay with Derek as their Alpha and grow up in the protection of the pack and Stiles could go back to just being human without having to worry or concern himself with them.

The Sheriff derailed Derek’s train of thought. “By the way Derek, what the hell happened this morning? Why are you all shredded to ribbons?”

“The pups realized their dad wasn’t going to be around as I was trying to put them to bed and began to flip out. They kept saying Tato and making a break for the door. I tried to explain that they couldn’t go to the hospital and visit right now but they weren’t having it. Then they started to out right attack me.” Derek cross his arms and looked at Jackson. “Let me tell you, that you three do not stand a chance against those pups.”

Jackson gave him a very unimpressed look. “You can’t be serious.”

Derek shook his head. “Don’t believe me then, but it’s not just their skill; it’s their level of teamwork and being in sync with each other. I sometimes feel like I’m deal with triplets, not a pair of twins and their little brother.”

“I bet Stiles had that ingrained in them.” The Sheriff said as he sat on the ground with the pups. He reached over to one of the boxes of doughnuts and opened it up to the pups. An assortment of veritable calorie laden sugary concoctions glistened before the pups. They sniffed around and recognized the smell of chocolate on some of the doughnuts from their first encounter with the milkshakes from yesterday before diving in. It quickly became apparent that Jackson had assessed their appetites wisely with the four boxes in total. There was nothing left once everyone started eating, the pups eating a good 87% of the pastries as the older men snagged a few here in there, whenever they felt like it was worth risking a finger.

“This was probably a mistake!” Jackson yelled to Derek as he covered his ears. The three pups were running around the loft screaming at the top of their lungs in an excited shrill.

“Too much sugar?” Derek yelled back.

“Yes!” The Sheriff answered. “Stiles probably didn’t let them have much sugar!”

“I can see why!” Jackson’s eyes were unfocused from trying to block out the pups. “Derek! Do you think you can get them to the Preserve and let them burn it all off?! There is no way we can take them to the hospital like this!”

“Probably! Might be hard to get them in my car though!”

“Then good luck! I’m going to see Stiles!” Jackson hightailed it out of the loft, abandoning Derek and the Sheriff to the mercy of three sugar-high pups.

<~~~~~>

“Stiles?”

“Oh my God! I’ve only been in here for like five minutes! Keep your pants on Scott!”

“Do you need help with yours?”

“I’m buck ass naked under this hospital gown. My clothes are gone. Stolen by elves most likely. I blame you as a poor excuse of a watch dog.”

Scott smiled. The empty space left by Stiles’ absence had finally been filled after all these years. He had never given up hope on Stiles coming back to them. His best friend, his brother, was home.

In actuality to Stiles’ remark, Scott and his fellow packmates were being exceptionally vigilant with their found friend. The hospital staff had learned to never just barge into the Stiles’ room without a knock and announcement of who had come with their intent or they would be answered by a lot of growling and fangs. The only one that didn’t fear was of course Melissa. If anything she was more protective than her pup of a son. As such, a knock on the door preceded a call behind the door for permission to enter.

“Come on in Allison.”

“HI ALLISON! I’LL BE OUT SOON!”

Allison laughed as she closed the door behind her and adjusted her bag. “I’m surprised you’re still here Scott. I thought Jackson would be here already.”

“Derek called him to stop by the loft so he’s running a little late. No big deal to me.” Scott shrugged but grinned.

“Uh huh. So it has nothing with you being allowed to stay longer than your time share of Stiles?” Scott’s head dipped but he smiled still. He’d been relishing his time with great fervor.

The door to the bathroom clicked and Stiles walked out, hands behind his back. He walked sideways to his bed while giving a nervous glance to Allison. Allison for her part was confused at Stiles’ behavior. “Are you ok Stiles?”

“Fine! Just fine! Nothing to see here!”

Scott was confused for a moment before he broke into a ridiculous grin. Stiles could see the wheels turning in his head and snapped at Scott, finger almost spearing his best friend. “NOT A WORD SCOTT!!”

“Stiles, what ever could you mean?”

Stiles squinted slightly. “Are you mocking me? You Scott? You don’t mock.” Scott had a twinkle in his eye and Stiles squinted harder. “You are, aren’t you! Et tu Scotty?! That’s Jackson and my thing!”

Scott shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, keep your pants on Stiles.”

Stiles made a move to snark, but his eyes widened and his jaw clamped shut. He turned pink before swiftly getting back into bed and under the covers. Allison kept bouncing from Scott to Stiles during the entire conversation and was still lost. She threw her hands in the air before she pulled a chair over to Stiles’ bedside. “How are you feeling today Stiles?”

After getting his blush under control, Stiles addressed the Huntress. “I’m better today, thank you Allison. A drug induced sleep and some kick ass meds have been amazing. Especially when it’s all at home at last.”

Scott tensed, Allison put a hand on his forearm and he relaxed again.   “We’re glad your back bro.” Scott whispered as he reached for Stiles’ hand. An answering squeeze and a sad smile from Stiles conveyed so much.

For two souls that were as close as theirs it was easy to know. They both mourned the lost time, the lost opportunities, the lost memories that could have been made.   There was time now, new opportunities to look forward too. Scott cried again, but he had in under control this time. He turned to Allison and they put their foreheads together with grins on their faces. Stiles smiled brightly as well. “It’s awesome that I come back and you two are still as lovey dovey as ever.”

“I’m always cuddly with my big puppy of a husband.”

“WHAT?!”

Scott and Allison both hold up their left hands. Identical glints of silver flash at Stiles and he is left completely thunderstruck for only a moment. “When did this happen?!”

Scott’s smile faded slightly. “It was three years after you were gone. We’ve been married for two years now.”

Stiles began to cry but his smile grew. “I am so freaking happy for you guys! Oh my god, do you guys have little hunters or pups?! I want to be Uncle Stiles and spoil them rotten A.S.A.P!”

Allison shook her head with a grin. “Not yet although we’ve only been trying the last six months.”

“You are going to be an amazing mom, Ally.” Stiles smiled as Allison blushed furiously and ducked her head. He turned to Scott. “You’re going to be an awesome dad, brother.” Scott beamed and choked up.

After fighting the knot in his throat, Scott squeezed Stiles hand. “Not as good as you though right?”

Stiles’ smile fell and Scott felt his hand being crushed along with his heart. “When will I get to see my pups?”

Allison opened her mouth, but stopped when Scott looked to the door. A knock, the door opened and Jackson came in. He had a smile on his face. “Your pups will be here this afternoon Stiles.”

The sheer look of relief was accompanied by the scent of utter contentment from Stiles. His body completely relaxed and he felt like he could breath again. “Thank God…I need to see my pups. I-I couldn’t sleep well last night.”

“You did after my mom was paged in to knock you out.”

“Drugs are a wonderful thing.”

“Stiles!” Allison squeaked.

Jackson walked over and stood at the foot of the bed with his hands in his pockets. “It’s good to see you awake man.”

“It’s good to see you all.”

“Derek and your dad are taking the pups to the Preserve to burn off some excess energy before they arrive later.”

“Excess energy?” Stiles cocked his head.

Jackson shrugged but looked sheepish. “We may have induced one helluva a sugar rush with how many doughnuts they had this morning.”

Stiles eyes blew wide. “I hardly ever give them any sugar.”

Jackson laughed. “Well that explains that. They polished off at least three boxes of doughnuts from Lenny’s bakery.”

Stiles’ eyes were still blown wide but then narrowed. “When I take my pups back-“

Allison reflexively spoke. “You won’t be getting them back.”

Chapter Text

The drive back from the Preserve was a lot simpler and quieter than the drive there. It took half an hour for Derek and the Sheriff (mostly the Sheriff) to herd the sugar hyper pups into the back of his cruiser. It was safer having the pups in the back of the cruiser…with a cage between them and the driver. Once they were out in the relative emptiness of the wilderness with Derek pulling up just behind him in the Camaro, the Sheriff let the pups loose. What ensued was 90 minutes of chaotic howling, running, and climbing for the pups and Derek constantly chasing the three balls of lightening to ensure their safety. Eventually, the boys began to simmer down to more manageable levels of chatter and energy.

“Thank the moon…” Derek wheezed on the ground with his forearm thrown over his eyes as the pups all sat on the ground, legs folded underneath them, quaintly drinking bottles of water the Sheriff provided. He couldn’t imagine just how the pups would behave on the full moon coming up next week. Derek shuddered.

The Sheriff noticed the movement. “Y’all right there, Mr. Big Alpha?”

“I have so much more respect for single parents and a new healthy caution of sugar. Never again. Never…”

The Sheriff chuckled. “Well that you learned that now. Stiles was worse than they were. His ADHD compounded with sugar? Made that mistake once when he was four. Claudia and I purged the house of anything remotely with sugar. Kid was lucky to find Skittle lodged in the couch cushions after we were done.”

Derek moved his arm, just enough that an eyebrow was visible to the Sheriff as he cocked it in wonder. “How could your son possibly have been worse than three wolf pups?”

The littlest wolf huffed in indignation but the Sheriff chuckled. “My son was exceptionally advanced for his age. He was reading at a Fifth Grade level at the age of four. He somehow got his hands on Hatchet and next thing I know, he’s talking to me about contingency plans and survival essentials. Claudia took him to the library where he got field guides for different kinds of plants and their uses, edible or medicinal to memorize. Now, imagine him trying to run around the backyard while trying to build a shelter out of everything he can get his hands as he is listing all the plants that can be found natively in California and it’s uses. Without seeming to take a breath.”

“Wow.”

“Exactly. Speaking of my son, I think we need to get him his pups to see him about now.”

“We should probably get them showered and some clean clothes.”

“Let’s stop by my house. It’s on the way to the hospital compared to the loft and I bet I can find some of Stiles’ old clothes in the storeroom for the pups. Might need a little airing out, but they will be clean. Claudia was a pack rat and we’ve never bothered to clean it out what she stashed away.”

“Works for me.” With a groan Derek sat up from the ground and brushed the debris out of his hair.

An hour later, Derek was pulling up to the hospital with visibly vibrating clean pups waiting to be unleashed. He chuckled as the pups hopped out and almost made a break for the hospital. “Freeze!”

Three pups all stopped in mid stride as they turned to look at Derek with frustrated expressions. Again, he was impressed with their level of training that they responded so well to commands. Derek’s fascination with their mysterious history with Stiles deepened.

“You can’t just run in. Too much noise and ruckus is bad for the other patients.” One of the twins frowned and was about to reply, but Derek cut him off. “I know, your dad trained you guys well, but you still need to respect this place. Remember that a lot of patients are human and need as much peace and quiet as possible.”

Understanding dawned in the eyes of the pups and as one, they all nodded. Derek held out his hands and was rewarded with the littlest pup and one of the twins grabbing hold, with the other twin on the other side of the littlest pup.

The four of them walked through the halls and were waiting for the elevator when they heard a voice from behind. “Derek!”

The Alpha turned and saw Victoria and Chris Argent jogging up to them, both looking slightly frazzled. “Thank God you finally got our messages.”

Derek’s eyes furrowed. “Messages?”

Chris’s eyes blew open as Victoria blanched. She looked at the pups before her eyes darted back to Derek. “You didn’t bring the pups because someone got in touch with you?”

“No, the Sheriff and I were thinking that it would be good for them to see their dad. The Sheriff mentioned how Stiles basically had to be sedated last night and the pups put up a helluva fight trying to get here last night too. Better to bring them together.”

Victoria palmed his face while Chris ran his hands through his hair before addressing Derek. “Our daughter accidentally let slip something we were going to discuss with you today with Stiles. It didn’t end well…”

Derek sensed their hesitation. “What happened?”

“Jackson called Victoria and I to explain what happened. Your pack and we have been trying to get a hold of you for the last two hours. I believe that Allison and Scott are both still out cold.”

Derek’s eyebrows shot up. The elevator dinged opened and the excited pups dragged him inside with the Hunters following. When the doors opened once more, he could see Lydia, Jackson, Isaac and Danny gathered together at the end of the hall. Jackson and Isaac both instantly whipped their eyes to him followed by Lydia and Danny. As Derek stepped out, the pack surrounded him. Lydia smacked his arm, hard. “Why the hell didn’t you answer us and where the crap have you been?!?”

Derek looked at Jackson. “You know we went to the Preserve.”

“Dude, even if you were out there, why the hell didn’t you answer us?!” Jackson practically squealed.

“My phone is still in the loft. I didn’t grab it on the way to getting the pups to the Preserve. What’s so important?”

Isaac ignored Derek. He grabbed the little paws in Derek’s hands and pulled the pups over to him and down the hall with Danny and the Argents quickly following in tow. Derek glanced at Lydia who sighed and shook her head. “Things have been seriously tense here. We’ve been trying to defuse things, but so far nothing has worked.”

“Defuse what?”

“Stiles.”

“And he needs defusing why? Isn’t he still pretty much laid out?”

“Apparently not. Given that after what Allison said, he laid her out in a matter of seconds. Jackson says Scott reflexively growled and flashed his eyes and fangs. Understandable really, it is his wife. Well, that didn’t matter as Stiles laid him out pretty fast too. Jackson was smart enough to jump away from the bed before Stiles could reach him too.”

“Ok, I’ll ask: how the hell did skinny, defenseless Stiles knock out a Huntress and a werewolf?”

Jackson shook his head. “I honestly have no idea. It happened in the blink of an eye and I mean that. I literally didn’t see what he did right in front of me. It was too fast for me.”

Derek scowled. “Ok, but you guys are still dancing around what actually happened. What did Allison say to him?”

Jackson looked away and scratched the back of his head nervously. “Stiles won’t be getting his pups back?”

Derek’s jaw dropped, eyes blown wide open. “What the hell?! Are you kidding me?!? I don’t know how this Stiles’ normally is, but I can tell you after just a day with the pups, they would rip people apart to get back to Stiles and seriously?? Who tells a parent they won’t be getting their kids back after all the shit they’ve been through?”

Lydia tilted her head to the side and a look of curiosity flit across her face. “You know what happened?”

Derek shook his head, but cross his arms. “I don’t but I can guess it was some heavy shit that’s for sure. We got a little tidbit this morning that is still making me simmer inside.” He looked at Jackson who clenched his jaw hard but nodded in affirmation. Derek turned back to Lydia. “Who the hell would forcefully break up a family? An incredibly tight knit one from what little I’ve already seen. That’s just sick.”

Lydia squirmed a little. “There’s actually a good reason for all this.”

Derek gave her a very unimpressed glare. “Oh I bet there is.”

“Why don’t we go in and see the Argents…”

Derek raised an eyebrow while still glaring but moved ahead of his packmates regardless. He could hear the murmuring coming from the room, but it was all in Polish so he didn’t really bother to pay attention. As Derek walked into the hospital room, he noticed a few things that struck him funny and stopped in at the door. The bed was strangely empty, the Argents, Danny and Isaac were all standing near one corner of the room near the door while in the opposite corner, he could see the pups in the arms of a kneeling Stiles.

Derek’s heart seized a moment and his stomach curled as he could hear the soft mewling from the pups and soft crooning from Stiles. The twins had their arms wrapped around his shoulders as their faces pressed into the crook of Stiles’ neck while the little one encircled his waist and buried his nose into Stiles’ chest. Stiles eyes were tightly shut and his arms clutched at the twins. He kept rubbing his cheek into the twins’ hair as he spoke soft in loving whispers and stopping every few moment to kiss the top of the little one’s head. An occasional whimper and sob confirmed that he did smell tears coming from the pups. The little family, this little pack, had such a deep love for each other. Derek’s anger simmered. A fierce protectiveness bloomed within for Stiles and his sons. He wasn’t aware of it, but his eyes flashed crimson.

Jackson and Lydia pushed him into the room so they could close the door behind them. The soft click of the door had four pairs of eyes landing on the new arrivals, three cool blue, one warm whiskey, all zeroed in on him. Stiles hugged his pups tighter, but glared at the Alpha. “So you’re the bastard Alpha that wants to take my pups from me.”

Derek’s red eyes flickered out immediately. “Whoa, wait, no! Not doing that and not my idea!”

Underneath those long bangs and bird nest of a beard, Derek saw the hard squint and the tight lips. The pups had him surrounded, watching the other group from the other side of the room carefully.

Chris took a tentative step forward. “I’m sorry Stiles, Allison shouldn’t have just blurted that you wouldn’t be getting your pups back like that. Under-aged Betas have to stay in the custody of the local Alpha. They are a danger and Hunters have to ensure the public safety.”

Stiles eyes hardened. “So the fact they have been with me for five years means nothing? That I’m their dad doesn’t mean squat to Hunters?”

Victoria stepped forward at this point. “No, it means we have to just ensure the public safety. If a guardian steps forward to claim under-aged Betas like your boys that isn’t an Alpha, they have to demonstrate they can care for and control them. We document this and keep it on record. It ensures the public stay safe and it also keeps the pups from being at risk.”

It made stupid, logical sense as Lydia had said it would, but it still didn’t mean Derek had to like it or that he wanted to be part of it.

Stiles glared harder at the Argents, if that seemed possible. “Again, five years mean nothing?”

Victoria shook her head sadly. “Your word only. Do you have anyone that can collaborate or vouch for you for that time frame?”

Stiles’ growl was so wolf-like in that moment, Isaac, Jackson and Derek felt their hackles rise and had to bite back the growl on their own lips. “The Old Dragon could, but that’s not going to happen.” At the words “Old Dragon” the pups tensed and clutched at their dad while growling quietly.

Chris shook his head as well. “Then I’m sorry Stiles, but the pups have to stay in the custody of the Alpha. At least until we can get you assessed and interviewed as a proper guardian.”

Stiles squinted while tilting his head to the side. Derek heard the rising heartbeats and could see the tensing shoulders of his packmates. He smelled panic from Danny and Lydia, anxiety from Jackson and Isaac. They were all afraid of Stiles and apparently if he can lay out the McCalls in a matter of moments, then he understands why. The terrifying man in question broke his silence in a strangled voice. “What do I have to do to get assessed?”

Victoria visibly relaxed and let her shoulders drop. “Thank you Stiles. I’m sorry it has to be this way, but we are just doing are duties as the Hunters of Beacon Hills. It will only take a few weeks at the most.”

The littlest wolf looked up to Stiles from where he was pressed into his chest. “Dad? Does this mean they’re taking us from you?” Derek’s eyes widened in shock. English. Perfectly normal sounding, honest to goodness English. He looked to Jackson who was slack jawed.

Stiles bent to kiss his pup’s nose. “Yes Liam, you have to stay with the Alpha for now.”

One of the twins whined. “Dad, we miss you!”

Stiles rubbed his cheek into the pup’s head. “I know Aiden, I miss you too.”

Another muffled whined came from the other shoulder. “We could leave and keep walking Dad. Just like we have been and no one can take us from you.”

Stiles switched his cheek to the other twin’s head. “Ethan, this is my home and I want it to be yours too. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe. We’ll only be separated for a little.”

Derek had been watching the interplay from the little family. It was obvious Stiles and his pups had probably escaped a bad situation and now coming back to his childhood home only to have people trying to rip away his sons from him? This was horrible and he hated being part of this situation. Derek’s stomach clenched and heaved.

Jackson cleared his throat and Stiles whipped his gaze to him and his voice was rough. “Can’t you see I’m trying to comfort my pups before I won’t get to see them again for who knows how long?”

The wolf held out his hands in a peaceful gesture. “Easy Stiles, I just wanted to point out that there may be a solution to all this that is staring at everyone in the face.”

An angry snort escaped from Stiles. “I’m not the optimist you all knew in high school. I’ve been shafted too many times over the past few years.”

Isaac, Lydia, and Danny had tears glistening in their eyes. Jackson nodded sadly before he turned to the Argents. “Technically, the under-aged Betas have to stay in the custody of the Alpha, correct?”

Victoria nodded. “Yes.”

“And stays in his custody until you guys can do an official assessment correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“There are no other regulations in this case?”

Chris stared thoughtfully at him for a moment. “Correct. The Alpha has custody of them as he can keep them inline. Otherwise, there is a risk they could fall to Omegas or even become feral.”

Jackson turned a smile to Stiles and suddenly Derek didn’t like that look on his face. “Then Stiles should just move in with Derek!”

Derek felt his stomach drop to his feet. Stiles blinked. Clearly, he had not been expecting that. “Say what now?”

“The Hunters only have to assign the pups to Derek’s custody. You just assumed that the pups being with Derek meant that you couldn’t come visit or something. There was never anything said about you not being allowed around. So just move in with Derek and just let him be seen as the “intimidating” guardian even if we all know it’s going to be you.“ Jackson smirked.

Derek stared at Jackson for a moment. The idea was brilliant in all honesty. Isaac and Danny beamed as they held hands while Lydia was looking at Jackson with a smug look of possessiveness and approval. The Argents smiled before Chris turned to Stiles and the pups. “That is perfectly fine with us. There is nothing in the Code that says you couldn’t stay with the Alpha in the mean time, Stiles.”

Stiles looked shocked. Derek could hear the rapid beat of all four hearts from the little family. The pups all looked wide-eyed but hopeful.

Ethan/Aiden turned to Stiles (Derek was glad he could finally put names to the pups, but he wasn’t sure which twin is which). “Alfa jest ładne i może nas chronić i możemy zostać razem.”

Aiden/Ethan/the other twin buried his face into Stiles neck again. “Nie chcę cię stracić jak wtedy, gdy Stary Smok próbował kiedyś.”

Liam found his Stiles eyes. “Tato, proszę?”

Stiles turned slowly to Derek and he could feel the heavy stare calculating and weighing so many things. There were questions in his eyes and a silent conversation was passing between them. Would Derek be okay with this? Would he allow Stiles to be with his pups? Derek for his part had his own questions. Would Stiles be ok around the Alpha? Be alright with him being his pups’ Alpha without his consent?

Derek could feel the weight of Stiles’ gaze, but a mutual understanding could be seen in his eyes. With a slight nod, he non-verbally assured Stiles. Assured him that he would try to help keep his little family together. That Stiles was welcome to come and live with him until this was all resolved. Stiles for his part nodded back. He would respect the Alpha and understood it wasn’t his decision. The gratitude in his gaze and the contentment Derek could smell flooding the room told him all he needed to know about what Stiles had decided.

Stiles eyes softened before dropping to the floor and bowed his head. “Thank you, Alpha.”

Chapter Text

It shouldn’t be a big deal. It really shouldn’t. Derek was only just rearranging the loft’s spare bedroom again for the fourth time today. The space wasn’t really a separate room as it was a storage area that overlooked the loft, situated at the top of the rarely used spiral staircase. Cleaning out the unused junk and the dust had only taken a few hours of an afternoon, especially with the pups helping. Airing the space out, dusting, and wiping down the dirt was surprisingly time consuming as it turns out that Ethan and Aiden were both exceptionally meticulous with making sure it was all clean.

“This will be the first place dad has been able to have all on his own if he wants. He always stayed with us, but he doesn’t have to here. It has to be perfect!” Ethan explained as he took a toothbrush (Derek would later realize with horror that it was HIS toothbrush) and scrubbed the bannister.

“Exactly! Dad can finally have bed again!” Liam squeaked as he kept trying to brush out the fringes on the unruly rug.

Derek had paused his sweeping. “What do you mean ‘again’?”

Aiden came up the staircase carrying some empty trash bags. “Dad slept on the floor when Ethan, Liam and I grew too big for all of us to fit on the mattress.”

Ethan and Liam stopped their ministrations for a moment before they went back to their jobs as Aiden began collecting more garbage and some of the dirty paper towels. Again, the shadow of their past hung over the pups and Stiles only fueling Derek’s curiosity.

A crash from below brought him back to the present and had him leaning over the bannister to look down at Liam and Aiden in the kitchen area. “Boys, I’m pretty sure I told you that you can’t be in the kitchen without me.”

Liam popped up from behind the island counter. “But Derek! We gots to make sure everything is clean! Dad doesn’t like things dirty and un-organizeded.”

“That’s ‘disorganized’, Li-Li. Not ‘un-organizeded’.” Aiden followed standing up resting a hand on his little brother’s head.

“Yeah that.”

Derek leaned on his forearms. “Your dad has been in the hospital for nearly five days, I doubt he cares there is a bit of a mess in a place he’s never been in.”

Ethan came wandering in from elsewhere, but judging from the blue bucket and brush he was carrying with the yellow rubber gloves hanging from the bucket lip (When did Derek buy those?), he probably had been cleaning the bathroom. “Doesn’t matter. Keeping things clean has always one of our chores. No matter where we were. Like those two weeks we slept in the park, we still picked up garbage and stuff.”

Derek’s heart lurched once again. The hints and pieces he kept getting thrown about their past kept his wolf on edge. He wanted to know, he wanted to help, he wanted to comfort, he wanted revenge. During one of their visits, Derek helped Stiles out of bed to get to the bathroom and got a glimpse at some of the scars on Stiles’ back. The flash had been enough to raise his hackles and his throat tighten until Isaac grabbed his shoulder and looked at him hard shaking his head to say nothing.

“Derek, do you know when Uncle Scott and Aunt Ally will bring dad?” Derek blinked and once again was brought back to the present moment. The pups were looking up at him from the kitchen waiting for an answer.

Grabbing his phone out of his pocket and double-checking the text, Derek looked back to the pups. “They should be here in about five minutes or so.”

“WHAT?!” Liam squeaked. Ethan and Aiden both clapped their hands to their ears in a flinch. Liam began pulling things out and trying to stack them in some sort of manner that made sense to the pup although it was just chaos to everyone else.

“Li-Li! Calm down!” Ethan grabbed the pup in a hug.

“Has-perfect-Dad-need-lost!” Liam gasped and tried to squirm out of his big brother’s grip.

Derek could hear Liam’s rapidly rising heart beat and knew he was on the verge of have a panic attack. He was halfway down the staircase before Aiden joined in the group hug, completely encasing Liam in the twins’ arms. Both twins had their lips to Liam’s ears and Derek could hear their whispered litany. “Force…Knowledge…Discipline…Force…Knowledge…Discipline… Force…Knowledge…” Slowly, Liam’s heart rate slowed and his breathing evened out as he joined his brothers’ chanting. The twins relaxed their hold on Liam slowly. The little pup had his head bent as the twins lowered him to the floor against the kitchen cabinets. Derek was in front of the littlest pup eyeing him carefully as his brothers had him resting his head between his knees. “Will he be alright?”

Aiden stood to get a cup from the cupboard and got a little water. Liam drank slowly, letting the water trickle down his throat. “Yeah, Li-Li gets panic attacks sometimes. Dad taught us to recite the Pillars to help us focus when we need it like when we get angry or anxious.” Ethan said as he sat back on his heels.

“Pillars?” Derek questioned.

Ethan didn’t answer but instead snapped his attention to the door, followed by the other three wolves in the loft. Three new heartbeats could suddenly be heard as the elevator had just opened in the hall. Derek stood as the door slide open to reveal the McCalls and someone else Derek didn’t recognize. He had a lean, almost elfish look to his features with a few moles across his face and a cute, slightly upturned nose. Derek’s heart fluttered at the handsome man standing in jeans, a t-shirt and plaid over shirt. A large backpack with a long, black stick poking out of the side was thrown over his left shoulder. His narrowed bourbon eyes scanned the room, seemingly taking in all the details as fast as he could. Those same eyes finally landed on Derek. There was a weighty stare and there was a pulse of something between them before he realized this was Stiles. Derek’s heart stuttered causing Scott to incredulously stare at him. Further observation was cut short by the littlest pups excited squeal. “DAD!”

A smile rose on Stiles’ face and Derek felt his stomach bottoming out and twisting in knots. The warmth and love that appeared was awe inspiring to say the least. Stiles’ dropped his bag and caught Liam in his arms, throwing him into the air. Liam laughed before landing in his dad’s arms again and hugging him tight around the neck. The twins had only been a step behind their little brother and plastered themselves to Stiles’ side. Derek noticed that the McCalls had some bags on their shoulders as well, two for Scott and one for Allison. She shut the door behind them as she and Scott walked over to Derek. He crossed his arms across his chest as he smirked at them both. “Glad to see you both up and about.”

Scott glared at Derek while Allison flushed and tucked her chin to her chest. “I could have handled that a bit better. My mom and dad ripped me a new one for messing up like that. I wasn’t suppose to mention anything until you both were around.”

Derek shook his head with smile. “I would have paid good money to see the infamous McCalls being laid out in a matter of seconds.”

Scott growled as Allison blushed. Stiles and the boys had walked over by then to join the conversation, Liam still in his arms. “You’ll probably see what I can do at some point. I understand that my combat capabilities are going to be part of the Assessment amongst other things.”

Allison nodded but didn’t say anything otherwise, not looking at Stiles in the face. Stiles sighed and pulled her into a one-arm side hug, “Ally, I know you feel bad for what you said and I’ve apologized for knocking the both of you out. Just let it go, it’s in the past. I have my pups now. Things will be fine.”

A wane smile crept up on her face as she shifted the bag on her shoulder. Liam seemed to finally notice the bags Scott and Allison had brought in. “Aunt Ally, is that my bag?”

Derek was bowled over by the smell of affection coming from Allison and Scott. The grin on both their faces was small compared to what Stiles had on his. Aiden had told him one night after a visit to the hospital that Stiles had always referred to his friends as Aunt and Uncle to the pups over the years. They had heard many stories of the things Stiles and his friends had done over the course of school, it seemed natural for the pups to call them their Aunts and Uncles. Isaac positively beamed the first time Liam asked his Uncle Isaac if he could sit in his lap and Lydia had a smile on her face Derek had never seen when the twins began asking Aunt Lyds if all the crazy stories their dad had told them were true.

The scent of peace and contentment radiated from Stiles as Allison passed the bag over to Liam and the little pup literally stuck his head inside to exam its contents. Derek felt warmth grow in his heart as he watched. Watching all this interplay was having a strange effect on him.

Becoming the Alpha of Beacon Hills had been one of the best things in his life. A very unexpected, but still wonderful thing. His sense of pack had stitched together easily with the three Betas he met as well as their human counter parts. He was forever grateful that Scott, Isaac and Jackson accepted him so easily. Derek knew that it could have been a rocky and arduous process of building pack bonds. His mother had told him stories of Alphas that had to force forge the bonds with some of their packmates which lead to weakened packs. Stiles slipping into his place of the pack felt like a missing gear had finally been slotted into place and the gears began to turn in full force. It felt amazing.

Scott had handed the two bags he had to the twins, who promptly switched with each other (“Really Scotty? There is a duct tape ‘E’ and ‘A’ on the outside of the bags.” “I can’t tell the difference between your pups yet!”), and also poked their heads inside their bags. Derek chuckled. Stiles turned to the Alpha and all the warmth he felt from the man was suddenly cut off which was disconcerting. The pups seemed to flinch a moment while Scott stared at Stiles with concern. Stiles bowed to Derek and spoke with a cold, formal tone that almost had Derek shivering. “Thank you again for caring for my pups, Alpha. I cannot express my gratitude.”

Derek could smell suspicion and could see the weary expression in Stiles eyes. He steeled himself from within as he stiffly nodded back. “It’s fine Stiles. If you want, the pups and I have cleared out a space for you to rest.”

“Oh yeah! Dad, you got to see how well we cleaned everything up!” Liam exclaimed in his arms.

Stiles smiled at his pup and the warmth began seeping into the air again. “You did? Well, why don’t you pups show me and we can probably stash our bags there too.”

Three excited pups began corralling their dad up the spiral staircase. Once Stiles was upstairs, Derek let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Scott came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry Derek.”

“It’s ok. I just don’t understand why he’s being so cold with me.”

Allison looked up and could see Stiles being shown around the makeshift room by the pups. “Stiles used to be much more open and accepting of new people. He was always the first person to try to be friends with anyone new to school. Seeing him like this is…weird.”

Scott nodded. “We literally grew up with each as toddlers and I’ve never seen him this closed off in my life.”

Derek shrugged. “He’s perfectly fine with you guys though so I don’t think its anything to be do with be emotionally shut down. It might be that he has issues forming new bonds at this point.”

Allison put a finger to her lips and then pointed to where Stiles and his pups were coming down the stairs talking quietly amongst each other. Derek watched the smooth gait and stride of Stiles. Every twist and step was economical, moving efficiently with little wasted movement. Derek felt Stiles flowed from place to place rather than walked. The wolf within Derek was on alert. It recognized the predator that was Stiles and it really liked it.

Stiles and the pups walked up. “Did your pack have anything specifically planned for the full moon tomorrow?”

Scott excitedly grabbed at Stiles’ arm and shook him. “Stiles, Stiles, Stiles!”

Stiles was wide eyed. “Oh-my-god-let-go-Scott-bad-puppy!”

“We can do a full moon picnic like we did back in high school!”

Allison squealed causing all three pups to cover their ears while giving her a crazy and confused look. “Stiles! Can you make your special moon cookies???!!!?”

Derek looked at his packmates like they’d gone insane. “What are you two talking about?”

Scott rounded on Derek and the Alpha took a step back away from the overly excited Beta. “When we were in high school, Stiles always made these giant picnic feasts for us after a night of running around howling at the moon.”

“They were the best! Stiles was the best cook even in school! My mom and dad always tried to get the secret recipe for the cookies he made up for all of us he called moon cookies. He only ever made them on the full moon so they were a BIG deal! Greatest things I’ve ever eaten!” Allison hopped in her excitement.

Stiles for his part finally freed himself of the crazy pup clutches that was Scott McCall but smiled and his cheeks tinged pink. “They weren’t that big of a deal.” Scott and Allison were horrified at the insinuation. They both pulled out their phones. Scott’s call went through first. “Jackson! You’re on speaker. Is Lydia with you?”

“Yeah she’s here. What do you need, Scott?”

“Tell Stiles to make his moon cookies for tomorrow!”

“WHAT!? Moon cookies!?”

An umph was heard followed by a shuffle before Lydia came on. “Scott McCall, you better not be joking about moon cookies!”

“I’m not! Stiles was asking about tomorrow!”

Allison apparently got through to her call as well. “Mom! Tell Stiles we want his moon cookies!”

“Oh my god, Stiles, please for the love of all that is holy, please make your moon cookies!” Victoria’s voice joined in.

A distant What could be heard in Victoria’s call before Chris also could be heard.

“Stiles! Are you making moon cookies?!” Chris yelled from the phone.

Derek and the pups zeroed in on a slightly embarrassed Stiles. He looked at his feet with a smile but nodded. Scott and Allison both yelled into their phones. “HE’S MAKING MOON COOKIES!”

Unholy shouts of glee could be heard from the phones. Tomorrow was going to be very interesting it seemed.

<~~~~~>

The building was non-descript. Nothing remarkable about the building could have made it special of any sort. It was square and brown with a few windows. Within it’s walls, a man walked down the hallway up to a pale brown door. Two guards stood on the outside. But the man was unperturbed in the least. “I need to deliver some news.”

One guard turned and knocked on the door before a slight Enter was heard. The guard opened the door and allowed the young man to walk in. He bowed to the man seated behind the large mahogany desk. “We’ve received word from the Hunter we worked with before. Our strays have finally been found.”

Chapter Text

Most of yesterday evening had been spent shopping at the grocery store for the full moon picnic. It took three shopping carts worth of food to get everything Stiles had needed for it all. It had been an adventure to say the least with the pups darting around grabbing everything Stiles kept ticking off on his intimidating shopping lost. Considering the addition of Derek and the three pups, Stiles was making sure he had enough to feed an army (seven werewolves and three humans would certainly eat enough for at least a legion). Back in high school, the Whittemore’s often hoofed the bill for the shopping considering back then the wolves had all just been teenagers, but Derek insisted on paying as this was for his pack after all. There was an icy moment between Derek and Stiles for a moment before Stiles gave him a curt nod. The pups had wisely not brought attention to the tension between their dad and their Alpha.

Stiles had all the food delivered to his house just after the Sheriff had left for work in the morning. Derek had been expelled from the kitchen as soon as he brought in the last of the food. What ensued was a literal whirlwind of cooking. Ethan and Aiden helped him with cutting vegetables he needed for various dishes while Liam had kept things organized by packing finished dishes out of the kitchen and into the dining room. Derek heard all the chatter and laughing while watching whatever was currently playing on ESPN in the living room. He could feel the smiles on Stiles’ face as he spoke fondly as Ethan shredded cabbage with his claws for coleslaw, as Aiden squawked after squeezing a lime too hard for the mint limeade, or as Liam precariously balanced himself as he carried another tray of food to the ever-growing pile on the dining room table.

Derek fidgeted. The wolf inside kept urging him to go to the kitchen and be part of the bonding time Stiles and the pups were having. It took a lot of self-control not to go bounding into the kitchen with his imaginary tail wagging. It was some time in the evening when the pups came into the living room and plopped on to the floor.

“Never again.” Ethan moaned into the rug.

“Dad is going to do that alone next time.” Liam huffed into Aiden’s back where he had plopped. Aiden for his part just snorted into the floorboards.

Derek chuckled. “You survived, that’s the important thing.”

All three pups opened one eye at him and gave him the stink-eye before going back to being mindless blobs on the floor that only kids seem to be able to achieve. He laughed heartily. In the week they’d been in his custody, the pups had begun to worm their way into his heart. Everything felt wonderful for him. When he had called his parents to let them know what was happening, his mother made such a prolonged high-pitched noise of excitement, his father had to clamp his hand over her mouth for a solid minute lest it burst both their eardrums. There had been no mentions of it, but he knew his mother was thinking GRANDPUPS. Derek did his best to explain that it was only a temporary situation and “No mom, you aren’t going to convince me to let them visit you. It’s not like that.”

A new smell began to waft into the air, something sweet and entirely enticing. It seemed to revitalize the pups as well as all three popped up with their noses in the air. Liam took an especially deep sniff and sighed. “Dad must be making his moon cookies.”

Derek sniffed the air and could pick out some of the ingredients, but others he had never smelled before. “Is that why you guys are in here with me and not with him?”

Ethan nodded. “Dad thinks we’ll eat them as soon as he turns his back.”

“Given what I remember with the doughnuts from last week, I’d say that is probably accurate.” Derek got three huffs and pouts directed at him.

Further conversation was cut off by Stiles’ voice filtering from the kitchen. “Ethan, Aiden, could you go ahead and start loading trays of food from the beef satay to the coleslaw into the Camaro? Liam, everything between the eggrolls to the sausage stuff jalapenos will go with me in the Jeep.”

The pups moaned in annoyance as they pushed themselves up. Derek couldn’t help but feel antsy. He could help, it wouldn’t be a problem at all. There was this need to provide and prove himself to Stiles although he didn’t understand why. He decided to risk it and went into the kitchen, bypassing the pups as they walked out with their loads of food to the drive way.

For the amount of food produced, the kitchen was remarkably clean, although given that the pups had told him that Stiles kept things in order wherever they were, he wasn’t surprised. Stiles was peeling saran wrap over trays of what he assumed were the moon cookies before he cleared his throat. “Is there anything I can help with?”

Stiles’ eyes flicked up for a moment before he went back to his ministration of obnoxious cling wrap. “You can drive out to the Preserve with what you have now. My pups and I will be following you shortly, Alpha.”

Derek cringed inwardly at the emotionless tone and the blatant dismissal. “Right, I guess I’ll see you there?”

“Yes Alpha. Leave your keys at the car and we will be able to unload the food when we arrive while you join the rest of the pack in the Preserve. I’ll send the pups to you once I’m finished.”

Derek waited a beat before he turned and grabbed his leather jacket. He ran into Liam as Derek walked out the front door. “Bye Derek! We’ll see you in the woods tonight!”

With a small smile and ruffle to the pup’s hair, Derek made his way to the Camaro and drove off feeling fulfilled and torn at the same moment.

<~~~~~>

He caught the scent even with how far into the Preserve he had been. Isaac was in shock. The moon hung low in the night sky but its pull still had his blood singing so he took advantage of the extra energy and stalked the scent to its source. It took him only a few minutes to reach the familiar clearing and find the object of his dreams.

Mothering fucking moon cookies! The beautiful confections were laid amidst an exhaustive spread of one of Stiles’ full moon picnics. Four queen sized blankets had been placed together in the clearing where all the food had been organized. It snapped him back to high school all over again as he was living with the Stilinski’s after his father had been hauled off after he came forward about the abuse he had suffered. “MOON COOKIES!”

From his kneeling position on the blankets, Stiles turned in time to see Isaac flying through the air right at him from where he had been placing the tray of chicken tenders and let out a terrified squeak as he was suddenly pinned on the ground being inappropriately snuggled by his curly haired pup. Isaac squeezed Stiles hard. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Zac-lung!” Stiles wheezed.

A moment later, Stiles took in a shuddering breath as his chest was allowed to expand once again. Isaac looked at him sheepishly, but completely unapologetic. Stiles heard a trio of chuckles. He popped his head up from the ground and looked where Isaac had come into the clearing to see Danny, Allison and Lydia walking in to the clearing. The humans of the pack always meet up around 2-3AM on the nights of the full moon while their wolfy counter parts ran amok in the woods.

Stiles, for his part, was feeling antsy. His pups were spending their first full moon away from him with a full wolf pack for the first time. He recognized the importance and necessity of letting his pups run with real wolves for once, but he didn’t have to like it. Stiles was thankful that he knew Jackson and Scott would keep his pups safe. He had also believed the same for Isaac as well, but that didn’t really hold water at the moment considering Isaac was here smothering him. “Danny, I would appreciate it if you would come get your over excited puppy before he piddles on me.”

The three humans laughed raucously as Isaac climbed off Stiles with a blush. Stiles smiled and held out a hand before the blond wolf hauled him to his feet. Stiles immediately grabbed Isaac in a bear hug. “I missed you so much, brother.”

Isaac’s throat closed as he gently squeezed Stiles. The years living as the Sheriff’s fosterling had been the best years for Isaac. Having Stiles as his foster brother brought together so many childhood dreams of having a caring family to life. The days following Stiles going missing had almost been maddening if it wasn’t for the Sheriff.

“He’s human, has high cholesterol, and a high stress job. We have to take care of dad, Isaac. It’s our jobs as his sons. Now, finish tearing up that kale for his salad.” Stiles had told him one lazy Saturday during their sophomore year. Isaac knew at the time Sheriff would be the one hit worst and made sure to care for the Sheriff how Stiles always did. He had even gone to all the restaurants and stores in Beacon Hills and threatened to rip throats out after he caught the Sheriff hiding a box of cookies in his office.

Six howls in the night had Isaac and Stiles breaking apart. Isaac howled back and in a few minutes Jackson, Scott, Derek and the pups were in the clearing. Isaac turned to Scott and Jackson. “You! You both knew Stiles was making moon cookies didn’t you!”

The two wolves in question had some serious shit eating grins going. Jackson gave him a playful frown, spreading his hands wide. “What ever could you mean Isaac?”

“Traitor!” Isaac retorted.

“Is not!” Liam vehemently yelled out, his eyes glowing blue, claws out. “Uncle Jacks is not a TRAITOR!!”

Stiles snapped to his little pup and grabbed his shoulders looking him in the eye. “Liam, Pillars now!”

“Dad…” Liam growled out with his fangs dropping.

“Pillars!”

The entire clearing was tense all eyes set on Liam as he kept his eyes on his dad as he huffed. “Force…Knowledge…Discipline…Force…Knowledge…Discipline…”

Liam’s fangs receded and his eyes faded as he continued his chant for another minute. Stiles hugged Liam. “Good pup.”

Everyone let out a breath. Isaac made a move to apologize, but Stiles shook his head and with a finger making a small slice in the air silenced Isaac. Derek watched in awe as Stiles took control as his pup nearly went feral on a full moon and to watch Isaac defer to Stiles. Once again, Derek was amazed at this human that had tamed wolves. The strength of will and character within this frail looking human endeared itself to his wolf and he could feel a whine almost escape his throat.

A very loud growl did end up breaking the tension in the clearing. Lydia placed a hand over her stomach when everyone in the clearing turned to her. “Stiles was cooking, I was saving my appetite since lunch!”

Stiles laughed loud into the night. “Dig in then! And no cookies until you all finish the rest of the food first damn it!”

The wolves descended on the food with vigor while the humans ate a more sedate pace. Derek in particular enjoyed the Scotch Eggs while pups were having a free for all on everything, sampling all kinds of things they had apparently never had before. The rest of the pack seemed to gravitate to certain dishes and Derek had no doubt Stiles had cooked everything remembering all of their particular quirks in taste even years later.

A quick whosh followed by a smack preceded a squawk from Scott and a reprimand from Stiles who brandished a large stick in his hand, currently pointed at Scott’s nose. “Bad Scott! I said no cookies till after all the food is gone!”

Scott was cross-eyed for a moment watching what was in front of his nose before his eyes looked to his best friend. “But Stiles! If I eat anymore then I wont have room for cookies.”

“Oh please, you’re a wolf! You can eat like three times your body weight and still look like you step out of a GQ layout.”

“Stiiilllleeeesssss!”

“AH! Stop being a bad example for my pups!”

“I am a totally awesome influence on the pups.”

Said pups in question had been watching as if they were at a tennis match while munching on food. Currently, they were waiting for Stiles to deliver his next sally. However, it never came. Stiles had turned around and was facing off into the woods in the direction behind him. Everyone else stopped eating and looked at him. Derek was curious what he was doing, but Danny asked first. “Stiles, what is it?”

Stiles held up a finger and squinted into the darkness outside of the light of the lanterns he had brought along. A heartbeat later he turned back to the group. “I think we're being observed.”

Derek looked at him incredulously. “We would know something was out there. Jackson would have heard them or Isaac would have smelled them by now.”

The wolves in question however did not share his sentiment. In fact the entire pack had stilled and held baited breath. Scott turned to Derek and whispered. “Stiles has always had a kind of sixth sense when it came to danger or something. It’s never been wrong. It’s one reason why we all survived the attack from the feral Alpha as freshman. He had stopped just before it pounced on us. Stiles was in a better position to fight it off. Every time we’ve had something supernatural occur in Beacon Hills, he knew first. It’s also one reason we all freaked out when he went missing. It’s almost impossible to get the jump on him.”

Derek wondered when he would stop learning things about Stiles that kept teasing his wolf. That kind of perception would be invaluable for the pack’s safety and that strength within forged from the desire to protect his pack was truly impressive. Danny watched out of the corner of his eye as Derek smiled wider than he had ever seen it. A smile that was directed at Stiles. It was at this moment that he realized that Derek was falling for Stiles and probably didn’t realize it yet. He made a mental note to consult with Lydia and Allison later because honestly, how could he even remotely consider Jackson’s, Isaac’s or especially Scott’s opinion on the Alpha’s love life?

After a moment, Stiles shook his head. “Never mind. It’s my first full moon home, I’ve prepared a huge feast for us all, and I am going to enjoy my time with my pups being with my friends for the first time altogether.”

A hearty cheer rang out from all assembled as everyone began to eat with vigor again. The resounding SMACK echoed into the night once more. “Jackson what did I just get done telling Scott!”

“I’m sorry!”

“You better be!”

Another SMACK was heard before Isaac cried out, “I didn’t do it!”

“You were totally just thinking you could be sneakier than those two and you know it! Preemptive correction!” Stiles made a show of things, but he kept his awareness out in the woods. That sense of being observed never went away.

Chapter Text

A few days had passed since the full moon. Life in the loft with Stiles and the pups had fallen into a simple routine. Each morning, Derek awoke ready for his morning jog only to find Stiles already up. Although awake is something he wasn’t really sure he would qualify it. Stiles sat on top of the table in front of the giant bay windows facing the morning sun, legs crossed, eyes closed, hands folded in his lap, back straight. The first morning Derek had come across Stiles’ meditating, Stiles turned to him slightly. “Please excuse me Alpha, I did not think you would be up so early. I can get off the table.”

“No, its fine.” Derek rushed out. “I’m actually just going for a jog. Please don’t mind me.”

Stiles only nodded and went back to his meditation. It intrigued Derek to say the least. He knew of meditation as he recalled his visit with the Buddhist werewolves that had past through Beacon Hills. Satomi, the leader of the pack, had explained it could help with keeping centered and in a way, it helped humans focus on their own anchors. Derek never wanted to interrupt Stiles after that. He’d quietly make his way out of the loft (as quiet as it could be with the grating metal door) and by the time he’d come back an hour or so later, Derek could smell breakfast being cooked for the pups. It was interesting to see some of the dishes. One morning Stiles had made something called rice congee, a flavorful and savory rice porridge with pieces of shredded chicken in it. The pups were ecstatic when the three woke up and a big pot waiting for them. Derek had to admit that he enjoyed the light but filling bowls. Another morning Stiles had made steamed buns that were moist, fluffy, and filled with a delicious meat filling Derek could only begin to guess was in it.

After breakfast, Stiles would request (Derek inwardly cringed every time Stiles used that formal dialogue with him) to take his pups to the local playground. At first, Derek had assumed it was to play, but was once again surprised by what Stiles had planned. The pups were put through an exhaustive street workout using much of the different playground equipment. Free-movement training through the playground, body weight exercises and holds on the swings, balance drills on the teeter totters, joint range and flexibility conditioning in the jungle gym, Derek watched in amazement as the pups followed Stiles through the workouts. Stiles could even hold a human flag position for close to a minute. Obviously the pups could hold the position longer, but they had wolf strength. Ethan and Aiden had amazing senses of balance and strength as he watched them both perform pistol squats on top of the parallel bars facing away from each other. Given his smaller stature, Liam was surprisingly fast with his movement training and easily matched his big brothers.

Even in the cool California winter morning, they were all sweating profusely by the end of their workouts. Steam rose off in curls from all of them as if they exuded power, especially Stiles. The pups performed under his critical eye, but his tongue was never hard. Sharp and remanding, but never cruel or uncaring. Derek wondered if this was how Stiles had trained Jackson, Isaac and Scott back in high school. The opportunity to see actually came about during a lunch with Isaac and Danny after one morning workout at the diner.

Danny had grabbed a few paper towels from the bathroom and was wiping down Liam’s face. “My goodness pup, you are sweating a lot aren’t you?”

“Yeah Uncle Danny,” Aiden said while Danny grinned. “Dad’s pretty relentless.”

“Oh trust me, I know. I remember watching your other uncles dropping like flies when he trained them when we were in high school.”

Ethan turned to Isaac. “Dad trained you too?”

“Oh yeah, he really worked us hard when we were young back in the day. I can still remember just passing out in the woods.” Isaac groaned.

Stiles, who had been watching Liam color on the kid’s menu, seemed to pick up on certain undertones Isaac wasn’t saying and zeroed in on him. “Isaac.” The blond wolf suddenly sat up straighter. Derek almost laughed out loud, but was able to bite his tongue. “You said ‘back in the day’ just now. Did you three slack off while I’ve been gone?” Isaac looked at Derek and his silent eyes pleaded with his Alpha who only smirked and did the barest shake of his head. Isaac looked so betrayed.

When Derek had arrived to Beacon Hills and been accepted as the Alpha, he had brought his own training regiment with him his family had designed and used for generations. Despite the pummeling his Betas endured they never complained in all the years he had been throwing them into trees. He now knew why. It was of course at this moment that Doug came by with all the food. Instead of Hale Pack Plates, Stiles had chosen the chicken tenders, baked potato and green beans almondine for his pups and turkey club with curly fries for himself. Derek and Isaac had Hale Pack Plates. Danny had a Ceaser salad.

There were a few moments of silence as everyone ate and sated the curb of hunger before Stiles addressed Derek. “Alpha, may the pups and I come to your afternoon training session with the rest of your pack?”

Isaac stopped mid-bite and once again silent eyes pleaded with his Alpha. Derek had a grin that Danny recognized as being utterly mischievous. “Yes, in fact, I would like to invite you and the pups to train with us if you want. You’ve always been pack even if you’ve been gone. I’ve heard enough from them all to almost feel like I know you.”

Danny hid a smile by taking a big bite of his salad while Isaac nervously flicked his eyes to Derek and Stiles and back again. Silent communication passed between the two once more. Stiles agreed to again defer to the Alpha while Derek was making the effort to include Stiles and the pups in normal pack activities. Derek marveled at how easy it was to read Stiles and apparently it was for Stiles to read him. If only Stiles wasn’t always so formal and distant things would be perfect in the pack.

<~~~~~~>

“Danny, what could possibly be so important that you had to interrupt my scheduled dissertation research?” Lydia cross her arms and had her leg over her knee.

Danny and Allison were nursing warm cups of coffee as the trio lounged in the coffee shop. He smiled but took a sip before he eased back into the armchair. “I believe our Alpha has his sights set on Stiles.”

Lydia raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow while Allison smiled. She put down her coffee on the table in front of the sofa she and Lydia had claimed. “I’m betting that you wanted to pow wow because our esteemed Alpha probably doesn’t realize he’s falling for him.”

Danny snapped his fingers and pointed to Allison. “Got it in one.”

Lydia sighed and let her head drop. “Normally I wouldn’t concern myself with something as trivial as this, but there is one problem with this scenario. Stiles is not very fond of Derek is he?”

“See that doesn’t make sense to me.” Danny sat forward. “Derek is hawt stuff. He’s buff, that hair, his eyes, leather jacket and aviators? It screams like Stiles’ fantasies all rolled up. He should be throwing himself at Derek! I was only buff and awesome hair and Stiles practically jumped me after Lacrosse until I got with Isaac.”

Allison pondered it for a moment. “Could it be something related to the Assessment? Giving Derek the cold shoulder because he has custody of the pups?”

“Its possible. Isaac and I had lunch with them all just a little bit ago before they head to training tonight and its amazing watching them dote on the pups.”

Lydia was curious. “Them?”

Danny chuckled. “It was crazy how seamless they are doing this not-co-parenting thing. Stiles and Derek were trying to coax Liam to eat his green beans and it wasn’t until they both ate one did Liam eat them. Stiles was being his cold self to Derek, but Derek was just smiling.”

“I hope things progress smoothly. Maybe once Stiles officially has his pups in his custody again things will thaw.” Allison took a sip of her coffee.

“Let’s hope so.” Lydia said as she nursed her tea.

“Do you think we should help things along the way?” Danny asked.

“We might need to. Our Alpha is rather emotionally naïve for the most part. I mean, he did basically punch Stiles into a wall and laid him out for a few days into the hospital after getting the jump on Derek. I can’t imagine his wolf within particularly likes that part of Stiles.” Allison pointed out as she set her coffee on the table again. “We’re going to have to help this along the way.”

Lydia had a look that crossed her face that caught Danny’s attention. “Lyds?”

The strawberry blonde was quiet for a beat. “We may need to consider this could be related to whatever happened to him during his time from us.”

Danny scowled. The thought hadn’t occurred to him. “How so?”

Lydia shook her head. “Do I look like I know?”

Allison jumped in. “We should tread lightly for a while until we learn what’s happened to Stiles. He didn’t hesitate to lay me and Scott out.”

“Yeah but he didn’t hesitate to fight off the Alpha as a freshman either. Stiles has an almost primal need to protect “his” people. I think it probably comes from losing his mom so young…” Lydia trailed off.

<~~~~~~>

“Wha-wait! Stiles! What are yo-you doing here?!” Jackson stuttered.

Stiles for his part was simply sitting on a stump in his meditation pose. Derek wasn’t exactly sure how Stiles was actually doing that on such a small thing, but he didn’t question it. The pups were playing around in the leaves as Scott, Jackson, Isaac, and Derek stood off to the side of the same clearing they had their picnic a few night ago. Jackson had a look of apprehension on his face while Scott just looked plain terrified. Isaac kept staring at the ground, but Derek could see his wide eyes even from this angle. The scent of weariness of anxiety rolled off his Betas. Derek was enjoying this immensely. “I invited Stiles and the pups to see our training session after watching them doing theirs in the morning enough times. Isaac mentioned how Stiles had trained you guys in high school too.”

Jackson and Scott turned betrayed faces to their packmate. Guilt wafted off Isaac. Stiles however captured their attention. “I am just wondering how much you all have improved in my time gone. After all, I did devise those training regiments to work on your weak points and enhance the stronger ones.”

The stiff posture of the three Betas had Derek knowing that they were really worried and decided to just throw them into the deep end. “Stiles?”

“Yes Alpha?”

Derek cringed slightly but continued. “Why don’t you go ahead and run them through your training regiment?”

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I would not want to disrupt any training progression you may have set.”

Two vigorous nods from Jackson and Scott were being directed at Derek. Isaac just sighed, knowing what Derek had already decided. “No go ahead. This will be an interesting way to mix things up from our normal training.”

Stiles nodded to Derek but turned a small squint and an evil grin to his friends, as he slowly got to his feet in a smooth fluid motion, cracking his fingers and his neck. Jackson whimpered.

Two hours later, Derek watched his three Betas stagger into the clearing, Stiles just as cool and collected as before leading the way. Derek had been teaching the pups about stalking and tracking through the woods, identifying different smells and sounds to get them familiar with what was routine and what wasn’t. Jackson crumbled to the ground, Scott propped himself against a tree, Isaac sat on the stump Stiles was on before slumped over. Stiles tsk’ed. “I am grossly disappointed in all of you.” Stiles eyed his three friends before turning his sights on Derek. “Especially you.”

Derek felt his hackles suddenly rise and his eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Your training is lacking. They all used to be able to handle that training program without collapsing. You’ve made my wolves soft. My pups could take them on now.”

A flash of crimson had Derek almost nose to nose with Stiles. “My pack is doing just fine.”

Stiles squinted at Derek and actually stepped in closer. “Fine isn’t good enough. They need to be in peak condition in case of anything.”

Derek growled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Whimpers and hisses rounded the clearing. Stiles glared back. “I know exactly what I’m talking about. My pups and I could take down you and the wolves right now.”

Derek’s growl was deep in his chest and the wolf within was rousing for a fight. “Then bring it on! Let’s see how well you can defend your pups for your Assessment!”

The scent of fury rolled off Stiles in wave and he took a step back. He looked over Derek’s shoulder to his pups. Ethan and Aiden were apprehensive while Liam looked annoyed. Derek turned his eyes to his Betas and was met with three pairs of golden yellow. Anger rolled off his betas and their postures were stiff. Derek fixed his eyes at Stiles as the man in front of him bent down in very low stance with his hands palms out in front of him.

A lot of the tension Derek had been feeling in the last few weeks with Stiles had finally boiled over. The times he was amazed at the man, the times he was frustrated by the man, the times he wanted to take this man into his arms, the times he wanted to grab and shake him. Breaking point. Derek let his fangs drop and claws flipped out as he rushed Stiles with his right arm back for a rake of his claws.

Stiles leaned back incredibly far and let the furious swipe sail over his chest before he whipped himself back up looking non-pulsed and coldly calculating. Furious he missed, Derek took two quick swipes from the left only to have Stiles sway out of the way once more. Derek roared in frustration and began to just wildly slash. The scent of Allison, Danny, and Lydia were now in the clearing and now the need to conquer was imperative.

Stiles had stopped swaying and was now intercepting Derek’s attacks and subtly moving them out of the way with smooth but strong movements of his hands. He watched Derek with a cold indifference, waiting for something.  The Alpha knew Stiles could do more than this given that he waylaid the McCalls sitting in a hospital bed and it was in the breath of a moment that it happened.

Derek had tried a double overhead slash only to have Stiles parry both arms so they slide just outside his personal space as he stepped into Derek’s space. Derek felt three fierce strikes to his neck, one to his sternum and two to each shoulder. His shoulder’s suddenly felt like lead and dropped to his sides. Derek was stunned, not feeling his arms at all. He looked up to see Stiles had stepped back in to a low stance with his weight back on his rear leg. Stiles had his hands poised with one hand next to his ear the other extended in front of him with a hard squint. “Next time, I won’t slow down for you to keep up.”

Derek’s eyes widen as Stiles lunged towards his face. He heard a brief “Stiles, stop!” before everything went black.

Chapter Text

The Sheriff and Victoria were seated across from Stiles in the Stilinski’s living room. Two cups of coffee and one glass of water sat on the table next to a plate of completely ignored tea cookies. Tension was high in the air. Victoria had called to arrange this meeting with Stiles’ dad in hopes that it would keep things from going out of control after the other day’s incident with Derek in the Preserve.

“Stiles, you know as the Hunters in charge of the Beacon Hills jurisdiction, I have to write up a report for the offices in DC about what happened yesterday as it did involve a human and supernatural element.”

Stiles nodded. “I understand Victoria. Please ask what you need. I have nothing to hide.”

The Sheriff stared at his son. “Nothing to hide?”

Stiles scratched the back of his head. “Um, nothing to hide about yesterday?”

The Sheriff sighed and put the heels of his palm to his eyes and rubbed them tiredly. “Kid, you are going to have to be less mysterious and more forth coming that you’ve been letting on. The Stiles I had raised would not have been able to knock out an Alpha with his bare hands.”

“Not even most federally trained Hunters can do that, you know.” Victoria interjected.

Stiles tensed but the Sheriff kept on rolling. “Son, I’ve given you almost three weeks of space, but you can’t just show up after being missing for five years and expect all of us to not wonder where the hell have you been.”

Stiles turned a hard stare at Victoria and she realized her daughter’s observation of this Stiles was indeed different from child she new of before. “He’s colder and more calculating, mom. Sure he can be just as goofy and hyper like he used to be, but there are times when it’s like this stone mask drops and there’s nothing there. It’s creepy in a way.”

Victoria suppressed a shudder before addressing the young man. “Stiles, I’m going to go ahead and do part of your Assessment today.”

“What do you mean?” Stiles tilted his head to the side.

“Part of the questions I have for the incident I can use for answers in the Interview aspect to the Assessment, namely Character, History, and what you voluntarily give us as Skills and Capabilities. It’ll save us some time on this whole process.”

Stiles gave her a chilly glare. “Yes because its so taxing for you when YOU took MY pups away and gave them to someone else until YOU can deem me fit to care for them, as I have been for the last five years!”

Victoria gave him an equally jagged glare. “Yes because werewolves can turn feral if not in the right structural conditions and might accidentally attack and/or kill people.” She had a look as if a thought just struck her. “Huh, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure you KNOW that since you and your friends had been attacked by one back when you were in high school!”

“That Alpha was already feral when it attacked us!”

“And I’m making sure those pups don’t end up feral either so I don’t get called in to put them down later!”

Stiles slumped back in his chair with his arms crossed. “Ask your damn questions then and kindly fuck off.”

The Sheriff leaned back against the couch as Victoria opened the file she had in her lap. “Do you have any proficiency and/or training in un-armed combat?”

“My dad’s the sheriff, of course I know the basics of self defense. In the time I’ve…been away from Beacon Hills, I learned Shéquán and Hei hu quan.”

The Sheriff perked up. “You learned what?”

“Snake Fist and Black Tiger Fist.”

“Where did you learn that?”

Stiles doesn’t answer his father. He instead stares at Victoria, with a look that almost pleads for her to continue her questioning and she catches on. “Are there any types of weapons that you are proficient at to be considered deadly force?”

“Dad has had me learning to shoot since I was young. I’m a fairly decent shot with most pistols and rifles civilians have access too. I am still pretty awesome when it comes to a good ol’ Louisville slugger and I have my sword now.”

Victoria calmly wrote things down as the Sheriff looked at his son. That sword he had found in his son’s bag was a bit of a surprise to be sure. Wasn’t one he had ever seen before, but that didn’t account for much. With how much Stiles used to read and watch along with his research capabilities, he’s pretty sure what Stiles knew paled in comparison to what the Sheriff didn’t. He regarded his son and actually had to consider his martial capabilities at this point as well at this point.

“Do you want to give your testimony of what happened yesterday?”

Stiles shrugged nonchalantly. “The Alpha of Beacon Hills had given permission and then watched as I took my pups out to a local park to do their training regiment I had designed for them. Afterwards, we met up with Danny and Isaac for lunch at the diner we always go to. Ethan questioned about how I had trained Jackson, Isaac and Scott back in high school and the Alpha invited us to sit in on an afternoon training session. At the said training session, he then invited me to run my friends through their old training regiment, which they failed abysmally at. I informed the Alpha that the wolves were lacking in training and that the Alpha’s regiment was obviously too lenient. He took offense and the challenged me to a fight. I won.”

“So you provoked this fight by demeaning Derek in front of his pack and challenging his status as Alpha.”

Stiles snorted. “The Alpha can’t take criticsm and took his hurt feelings out on me.”

Victoria glared at Stiles. “Your training is lacking. They all used to be able to handle that training program without collapsing. You’ve made my wolves soft. My pups could take them on now. Those were your EXACT words as I have it recorded from eyewitness accounts. Not only did you insult Derek, you made a claim over his pack and then even issued a challenge.”

The Sheriff groaned and fell against the couch. “Stiles…”

Stiles did actually look guilty at this point. “Ok so when you put it that way, you make me sound like a dick.”

Victoria continued to write, but did speak to Stiles with her eyes glued to the papers. “I am merely getting the fact. Derek has been a good Alpha and his record is clean. He doesn’t deserve to have a rap sheet.” She finally looked up at Stiles. “Now, is there anything else I should be made aware of concerning your strengths and capabilities?”

“Would you need to know about my magic?”

“YOUR WHAT?!?!” The Sheriff shouted while Victoria looked non-pulsed but did raise an eyebrow at Stiles.

<~~~~~>

Stiles arrived back at the loft after Victoria was done with him after the interview. He saw the cars from all of the pack in front of the loft so he surmised that he was walking into a den of wolves, quite literally it seems. The elevator ride up was quiet even in his mind. He breathed smoothly; trying to center himself for what he knew was going to be an emotional and draining evening.

He came up to the metal door only to have it open on the accord of three pups who all jumped at him and wrapped their arms him. There was no loud cries, no excited yipping or nipping. Liam, Ethan and Aiden simply clung to Stiles, breathing in his comforting scent and shivering at times. Stiles looked up and found the rest of the pack sitting around the main room of the loft, silence filling the room as they watched Stiles cuddling his pups.

Herding his pups inside, Stiles closed the metal door behind him and then took a seat on the steps right in front of the door. Ethan and Aiden pressed themselves into his sides hugging an arm each as Liam wrapped his arms around him from behind, leaning on his back and burying his face into Stiles’ neck.

Stiles looked around the room and found a fondness in the eyes of his friends. His gaze settled on Derek, leaning against the table in the middle of the room framed by the huge bay windows and the twilight of the oncoming night. His arms were crossed and he had an apprehensive look to it. Almost a guilty look, which Stiles wasn’t sure he understood. Their eyes locked together before Derek looked to the side and sighed. “Stiles-“

“I’m sorry.”

Derek startled. “What?”

Stiles hung his head, no longer willing to look the Derek in the eye. “I’m sorry for the way I acted and for my actions yesterday. I didn’t mean to undermine your authority as the Alpha or demean you in any way. I acted like a pompous jackass when I’m not even part of this pack.”

“Shut the fuck up Stiles!” Stiles and Derek both snapped their attention to Scott. His eyes were glowing as he started stalking towards Stiles. Jackson and Isaac jumped to grab Scott in place as Scott surged forward. “Don’t you ever say that again! You don’t get it! We were so lost without you! Isaac and I both lost our brother and Jackson his best friend! Do you know how often Jackson drove over to your place forgetting you weren’t there anymore? I kept hitting your speed dial and it hit me like a punch in the gut every time I remembered that you weren’t there! YOU ARE PACK!”

The silence rang out at Scott’s declaration as he huffed against Jackson and Isaac. He finally wrenched them off only to return to Allison’s side. Derek rubbed the back of his neck before he looked at Stiles. “I’m sorry as well, for what I said at the clearing. I said you were pack and invited you to the training at lunch only to turn around and then say you had no idea about what was going on and even insinuate you weren’t part of all this. You’re not some random human, you’ve been in this mess for a long time.”

Stiles shook his head. “I was still disrespectful to you, Alpha.”

“Then let me say I accept your apology and let us just put it behind us. Pack forgives each other for being stupid shits.” Derek smiled.

Stiles didn’t smile, but he did relax. “Yes Alpha.”

Lydia chose that moment to jump in. “Excellent! As penance, Stiles I demand you make your three meat and cheese lasagna for dinner tonight. For all of us.”

Stiles groaned and let his head drop causing Liam to giggle sweetly in his ear. “I need to go to the store then and pick up a shit load of ingredients now if we’re gonna eat a reasonable hour.”

A sharp elbow from Lydia into his side had Jackson jumping. “Right! Why don’t we take you and get what you need from the grocers. Isaac, Scott, why don’t you come with us?”

Stiles stared at his friends in a subtle You are not fooling me for a minute manner before he just sighed. He kissed his pups and gently extricated himself from the twins. Liam however clung to him and laughed as he stood up, careful to grab Stiles’ shoulders and not his neck. Stiles made a show of looking around and swinging his littlest pup around. “Has anyone seen Liam?”

Liam for his part giggled into Stiles’ back as Allison walked up with a smile. “Have you looked everywhere, Stiles?”

“I think so!” Stiles said with another spin and another laugh.

Allison plucked the littlest werewolf off Stiles’ back. “Is this who you were looking for?”

“Aunt Ally!” Liam squealed with a smile.

“Liam! There you are!”

Stiles had arms full of pup before he let them down. “You behave for the pack while I go get some dinner ok?”

“Yes dad!” Stiles looked to Ethan and Aiden with a raised eyebrow. The twins were on the cusp of pre-teen I’m too cool for feelings as they rolled their eyes but nodded at their dad.

“Was there anything I should get from the store while I’m out, Alpha?”

Derek slightly flinched but shook his head. Jackson scowled as Stiles was herded out of the loft and found himself riding shotgun with his wolves. He could tell this entire scenario was classic Lydia Martin setup so he waited for one of the wolves to crack. He had been sure Scott would have cracked first, but surprisingly, it was Jackson. “Stiles, why don’t you ever call Derek by his name?”

That was not what he was expecting. At all. He suddenly felt nervous and he was sure that the wolves in the car picked up on the scent. Isaac touched his shoulder from his seat in the back. “Stiles?”

Stiles swallowed the lump in his throat and looked out the window of the Porsche as his stony exterior cracked ever so slightly. “I’ve learned…its-its easier to not-to not fall in l-love with someone if you don’t-you don’t use their name…”

<~~~~~>

Derek did not like the situation. Allison held Liam in her arms as Lydia had her hands on Ethan while Aiden stood next to Danny. The pups looked innocent enough but the humans all looked mischievous and that had him worried.

“So, Derek!” Service to Ms. Martin it would seem. “The three of us would like to know what you think of Stiles.”

Derek’s eyes went wide and he was instantly on the defensive. “Why?”

Danny shrugged. “Just wondering how you’ve been dealing with Stiles is all. We’ve known him most of our lives, but this has to be new for you. Can’t be easy living with some guy you barely know.”

A wary glance to Allison and Lydia confirmed his suspicions that something was going on. Their attention and focus was way too intense for this to be something casual. “Stiles is an amazing man. His control and discipline is something to admire especially coming from a wolf’s perception of things. He’s perceptive, cunning and nurturing. Stiles being here feels like a large piece of the pack is now in place and things are turning perfectly. “

Allison smirks as she hefts Liam a little. “That’s all?”

Derek rubbed his shoulders in phantom pain. “He’s strong as hell too. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that.” He looks to the pups at this point. “I’ve never seen anyone fight like you pups either.”

“Dad taught us!” Ethan puffed proudly.

Derek chuckled. “I don’t doubt that.”

Lydia stared at Derek for a long enough time that he started to squirm. “Nothing else about Stiles stands out?”

Derek groaned and ran both his hands through his hair. “What more do you want me to say?! He’s strong, smart, nurturing, perceptive, calm, cut-CUNNING! Very cunning!” He hadn’t meant for that to slip out but he got three identical cat and canary grins from Lydia, Allison and Danny. Derek sighed and flopped backwards onto the table spread eagle.

He basked in the darkness of twilight before he heard Ethan. “Aunt Lyds, does Derek think dad is cute?” Derek and his wolf both huffed.

“Why yes he does!” Derek could hear the ridiculous grin on Lydia’s face.

Liam let out a soft sigh. “Oh.”

Allison’s voice drifted to Derek. “Liam, what’s wrong? Why do you look so sad?” Derek popped back up at that and looked in concern.

Aiden fiddled next to Danny, who knelt down next to the pup. “What is it Aiden?”

Aiden looked at Ethan and Liam who both nodded after a moment. “Dad…dad doesn’t like people like that…”

Danny’s brows creased where Derek outright frowned. “What do you mean?”

Aiden gave him a small shrug, but wouldn’t look Danny in the eye. “Dad doesn’t like falling in love anymore.”

Chapter Text

Chris was browsing the seemingly endless selection of different wines Victoria had sent him to look through. Different kinds, from different countries with different recipes, it was enough to miss his days where he had to study the bestiary with his overbearing zealot of a father. His mission was to pick one for dinner when a shadow came across the label he had been reading. Looking up, he met a face he was not expecting to see in Beacon Hills.

“Rafael?”

“Evening Chris.”

“What are you doing back in Beacon Hills?”

Rafael McCall shifted his basket in his arm before scratching his shoulder with his free hand. “Just stopping by to see the family, of course.”

Chris heard the words coming from Rafael’s mouth but he was listening to the subtle hand code Hunters had as part of their standard procedures. Rafael had learned it from the Argents after Scott had been turned in high school. I’m here on official FBI business.

With a smile, Chris looked at the basket in Rafael’s hand while he began returning the hand signs. “I take it Melissa is making you cook tonight?” How serious is it?

Rafael laughed out loud. “Yeah, just because I’m gone from home a lot doesn’t mean I get a break from dinner duty.” Very big. Interpol involved as well.

“I take it Scott and Allison are coming to dinner?” Is there any danger coming?

“Them and I’m glad that I ran into you. I wanted to invite you and Victoria to dinner as well.” Already here. We need to collaborate and coordinate immediately.

Chris cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure? That sounds like a lot of for you to handle.” Are you saying there is supernatural involvement in your case?”

Rafael smiled wide. “It’s fine, I wouldn’t want to divide Scott and Allison’s attention like that.” Potentially. It does involve a Code Breaker, that has been confirmed.

Chris’ smile was dangerous and didn’t reach his eyes in his carefully masked fury. “We’ll be there tonight. I suppose I should buy two of these for dinner. I’m sure Victoria will love to come and catch up.”

<~~~~~>

Jackson frowned; two of the chairs were empty.   He had called everyone to his family’s house for this meeting. They sat comfortably in the dining room. “Where are the McCalls?”

Lydia crossed her arms across her chest, hugging herself. “Scott’s dad is in town so he and Allison are having dinner with his folks. You know how rare his dad’s work brings him home so they are going to take advantage of his short visit here.”

Dinner the night before at the loft held an uneasy tension for all in attendance. Even the pups could sense the strange feeling in the air as everyone savored Stiles’ lasagna. Stiles was as cold and distant as he had been to Derek from the start, but now Derek seemed to fumble more than before and was almost skittish around Stiles. If things of been bad before, things were horrible now.

“Then we can fill them in later. We need to discuss something that Stiles told us while on the way to the store last night.” Isaac sighed.

Danny nodded. “We also need to tell you about something the pups told us while you guys were gone that may be relevant to how those two have been acting with each other.”

Jackson took a deep breath and let out a big sigh. “I asked Stiles why he never called Derek by name. Was not expecting the answer he gave us.”

Lydia cocked an eyebrow. “And that would be?”

“I quote, ‘It’s easier not to fall in love with someone if you never use their name.’ Unquote.”

Lidia moaned and let her head fall backwards. “Which just seems to reinforce what the pups told us last night. Stiles doesn’t like to fall in love anymore.”

Isaac shook his head. “Something happened to him in the past five years and we really need to know what that was. He was never guarded with his heart before.”

“Call it a gut feeling but when we find out what happened to Stiles, we’re all going to be out for blood, I’m sure of it.” Jackson growled.

Lydia gently smacked him on the shoulder. “Down boy. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Find out what happened to Stiles first and then plan the bloodbath.”

“Just to clarify: we have confirmed that Derek does like Stiles and that Stiles seems to be fighting his feelings for Derek. Does everyone agree with that?” Danny inquired. The others around the table nodded in agreement.

Jackson leaned forward on his forearms. “Do we have a game plan in mind then?”

Lydia pondered for a moment before she answered. “We need to get Stiles to open up about what happened to him if we are to make any leeway with all the shenanigans.”

They sat in silence as each tried to come up with a plan. Somehow, trying to figure out how to get those two knuckleheads to see what’s right in front of them and bring some semblance of balance to the pack seemed incredibly daunting. Derek for his part being a born wolf as always trusted his instincts and never had to communicate his feelings and intentions, especially to a human. This was all new territory to the Alpha and frankly the pack was not very optimistic when it came to Derek understanding feeling all too well. Stiles, on the other hand, was something of a conundrum. Expressing his feelings have not been a problem for the old Stiles that they all knew. This current Stiles is incredibly closed off and defensive around Derek. Given that shadow over his abduction still lingered over him it is not surprising to see the aftereffects plaguing him.

Isaac tapped a finger to his chin. “Well, if there’s one thing that they seem to communicate well about, and frequently at that, it’s the boys.”

Danny incredulously stared at his boyfriend. “Are you seriously somehow plotting a plan that would involve the pups?”

“Nothing major. We all saw how easily Stiles could handle Derek in a fight, I can’t imagine what sort of retribution Tato would try to exact on our furry asses. Especially with that sword of his.”

Jackson perked up. “Say what now?”

Curiosity flickered across Lydia’s face as Isaac shrugged. “The Sheriff had mentioned that amongst the things Stiles had brought back with him, there was a sword. Given what little we know about the past five years, don’t you think that it’s quite possible that he learned how to use that sword as well as he learned how to fight?”

Jackson nodded. “Definitely. Stiles would probably stab and flay us alive in the same amount of time it would take us to blink.”

Danny waved an impatient hand. “We’re getting sidetracked here. Do you chuckleheads actually have anything constructive to add to this discussion on how we get Stiles to talk?

“Oh, right!” Isaac squeaked. “We could just ask the boys to talk to their dad to tell us about what happened to the all.”

“Do you really think that’s all that we need to do? Get the pups to ask?”

“Stiles always said the best plans are usually pretty simple.”

<~~~~~~>

Stiles woke up with a gasp and he heaved in air as his heart thrummed within his chest. The early morning sun had only begun its advance upon the darkness of the night as Stiles realized he’d woken from another nightmare. Even weeks home, he still had not had a full nights sleep. Stiles shook off the ghostly memory of Shui’s hands as he got up slipping on some socks before he made his way down to the table in the main area of the loft. The rising sun was something he used to greet with a fondness and joy of the start of a new day and a fresh start. Now, it was tainted by bitter memories of what turned out to be nothing but a game with his heart and his head.

The cold hardwood of the table helped center him as he closed his eyes and focused on bring himself to inner peace. The warmth of light bathed his face as the sun slowly climbed higher into the sky as his heart began to come to a slower pace and his breathing steadied out relaxed and even.

Stiles let his memory crawl back to the start of his abduction. He could remember making his way to the diner to pick up a particularly large take out order for him and the wolves when he felt someone watching him. Scanning The parking lot was useless as it was void of anyone else before he felt a sharp sting in his neck. Slapping his neck on reflex, he felt something foreign in his hand. Pulling it away, he found a tranquilizer dart.

“Oh shit.” Stiles took one step towards the diner before he was already going under. That had been the start to his nightmare of a life.

“Tato?”

Stiles looked around to see Aiden awake and rubbing his eyes of sleep. He smiled and beckoned his pup forward.“Co robisz tak wcześnie?” Aiden said nothing but climbed into his lap and snuggled his head under Stiles’ chin as Stiles wrapped his arms around his pup.

“Miałem zły sen.”

“Chcesz o tym porozmawiać?”

Aiden sighed and burrowed into his dad for warmth. ”Byliśmy z powrotem do świątyni i-i nie znaleźliśmy was w czasie ...” Aiden’s voice trailed off as he felt a sob rise in his chest. A moment more and Aiden began to cry.

Stiles hugged Aiden tighter and crooned soft words to his pup. “Hej, hej, to jest OK. Żyję. Chłopcy zapisane.”

Aiden shook his head and cried “Stary Smok prawie cię zabił wtedy. Prawie straciłem!”

“Ale uratował mnie i to, co jest ważne.”

Stiles felt a shaky arm snake around his sides as Aiden turned his body to fully embrace him. He could feel the tension in Aiden’s back. “Ethan, Liam i ja byliśmy sami na tak długo, zanim przyszedł. Kochamy Cię tak bardzo, tato.”

Stiles didn’t answer Aiden, he just held him closer and pressed kisses into his temple as he rocked Aiden gently back and forth. The sobs began to quiet down and soon Aiden’s breathing was slow and even asleep.

If there was anything redeeming about his whole abduction, it was his pups. No matter what kind of shit his memories and emotions would spin at any given time of day, Stiles anchored himself in knowing that his pups needed him. Stiles carefully maneuvered himself around to find Derek standing in his usual jogging gear, but this morning, he also wore concern across his face, eyes darting to Aiden. Stiles understood and nodded to the sleeping pup in his arms and silently mouthed. “He had a nightmare.”

Derek nodded and held out his arms. “Do you want me to put him with his brothers? You can go back to your meditating.”

Stiles smiled and shook his head. Derek’s breath halted and his heart stopped for a moment. Stiles had directed a smile at HIM for the first time in the month they’d been living together. Derek had seen the smile directed at everyone else and knew how it light Stiles face up. He had not expected to be on the receiving end of said smile ever. “Thank you but no. Go ahead and go for your jog. I’m going to lie down with the pups until they all wake up.”

Derek nodded as Stiles gracefully let his legs drop from the table to the floor as he moved to where the pups’ bed was. Derek made his way to the door and once Stiles and Aiden were clear, carefully opened the door and slipped out. His heart was already pounding and it had nothing with his jog. It had everything to do with those bourbon eyes and that smile he had finally been able to receive. His jog was more vigorous than normal. Derek found himself finding his energy and muscles simply would not wane and propelled him farther than he normally would pace himself. Today, he felt no limits. Aside from the growl in his stomach.

Upon opening the elevator, Derek could smell the breakfast Stiles had made and his mouth watered. The heavenly scent of cinnamon washed over him as he opened the metal door. Four heads at the table directed their gaze to him. “Derek!”

Before he realized what he was doing, Derek had his arms full of a little pup. “Good morning Liam. What’s got you so excited?”

“Dad made cinnspin waffles!”

“That’s cinnamon, Li-Li.” Ethan drawled.

“S’what I said!” Liam huffed indignantly.

Derek chuckled as he closed the door behind him and walked towards the table with Liam still in his arms. It didn’t occur to him until he was setting Liam down did he feel Stiles’ intense gaze on him. Derek felt his pulse rise in nervousness and arousal. Liam’s nose scrunched up. “Derek you smell funny and your heart is going thump really fast.”

Stiles tilted his head to the side to study Derek, which just had his nerves flying through the roof. Ethan and Aiden both made faces. “Whew! You weren’t kidding, Li-Li.”

Surprisingly, it was Stiles that saved Derek. “Alpha has just come in from his jog, pups. He’ll be fine after a shower I’m sure.”

The pups seemed to accept this and went back to their breakfast. Derek silently thanked whoever was out there. He nodded to Stiles before he practically ran for a cold shower. Ten minute later, Derek came back to the table much more calm and collected, not being betrayed by his body. He is thankful for the fact the pups had no idea what arousal smelled like.

The pups were cleaning up the kitchen as Stiles sat at the table drinking jasmine tea. Stiles used his eyes to direct Derek to a plate with five giant cinnamon waffles with glazed walnuts, dripping with icing and a large cup of blissful black coffee. Derek took a bite and moaned in pure, unadulterated ecstasy. “Oh God, thank you so much for this, Stiles!”

Stiles for his part looked non-pulsed as he merely nodded before he answered in a tight voice, “You are welcome Alpha.”

The faint scent of arousal distracted Derek. He had been sure he had taken care of things in the shower. Derek hoped it would dissipate before the pups were done in the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Jackson waved as Derek and Stiles drove off. Isaac was holding Liam in his arms while Scott had his hand on Ethan and Aiden by his side. Today was the final part of Stiles’ Assessment and it was the one everyone had been tense about the most: the Combat Assessment. Aside from Derek being called in, the Argents requested Kira and Jordan from the firehouse to come out as well. This was going to be one heck of a show down at the OK Coral. As such, the pack was minding the pups for a few hours. All three wolves assured Stiles that the pups would be fine and Derek had to drag him out of the house.

The pups were a bit subdued from their usually rambunctious natures. Isaac noticed Liam rest his head onto his shoulder and sighed. “What’s up little pup?”

Liam was quiet for moment. “I miss dad.”

Isaac cuddled into his hair. “He’ll be back soon.”

“We know,” Ethan sighed. “We just don’t like being away from him…”

Scott rubbed Ethan’s head gently. “It’s ok, you’ve got your awesome uncles to look out for you!”

Aiden stared at Scott deadpan. “Uncle Scott, you’re nice and all, but you’re still not dad.”

Jackson chuckled. “True. There is only one Stiles.”

Three identical little nods from the pups was all that he got before everyone was being ushered into the Whittemore home. Aside from being very plush, the house was also much more defensible compared to the Sheriff’s or the McCall’s house. It was just one more factor that was used to argue that the wolves would be able to care for the pups without worry.

The six of them walked down to the entertainment center where Jackson had a large projector set up with every imaginable gaming system available. He turned to the pups with a smile, “So what game do you guys want to play first?”

The pups for their part looked completely lost and confused. Ethan looked around the room. “We’ve never played anything like this before.”

Scott cocked his eyebrow. “Stiles never let you guys play video games? Doesn’t sound like the Stiles I grew up with. He had every single game he could get his hands on and we played for hours on end.”

Liam spoke quietly, “Dad had other things to worry about compared to games for us.”

Isaac hugged the little pup. “We’re sorry for what happened to you. Do you think that you could convince your dad to tell us what happened? We want to know how you guys became a family and if there’s anything that we can help with.”

Ethan, Aiden, and Liam shook their heads in sync. “Dad doesn’t like talking about what happened. It hurt him a lot.”

Jackson knelt in front of Ethan and looked him in the eye. “That’s why we want to know what happened. Your dad is holding onto the hurt inside him and it’s not letting him get better. We want to help heal his heart.”

Ethan was quiet for a minute. Jackson could see the gears turning his head. “Do you think you can really help his heart?”

Jackson shook his head. “We can’t be sure but we still want to at least try.”

A silent communication passed between the pups before Ethan answered. “We’ll try. No promises though.”

Jackson smiled. “Good that’s all we can ask. Now! Let me introduce you to something we call Super Smash Bros!”

“I GOT PEACH!” Scott yelled.

<~~~~~>

“Stiles, for the last time, I’m sure the pups will be fine away from you and Derek for a few hours. The pack should be able to handle them for that long. You know how important this part of the Assessment is especially with how things are different now.” Victoria palmed her face before rubbing her eyes of some dust as the wind picked up. This particular clearing was deeper in the Preserve and shouldn’t be accidentally walked upon for what was most likely going to happen.

Derek for his part looked up from where he was sitting with his fellow fire fighters, Cpt. Kira Yukimura and Lt. Jordan Parrish. All three were dressed similarly: tight black tanks with gray form fighting workout shorts and yellow trail running shoes. Despite the cool winter air, all three fire fighters didn’t look the least bit perturbed by the nipping of Jack Frost. Stiles had chosen loose black yoga pants, a thin blue linen shirt with a hood and a pair of black Tom’s shoes. He held something close to his side that was planted in the ground. Stiles looked around nervously. Kira was looking every bit the calm, cool, and collected Captain of one of the rowdiest firehouses this side of the Rockies. Despite her young age, Kira had volunteered as a teenager and even for her size, she was strong and could whoop the asses of every one of her men in the Fireman games by the time she got of age. She too had a hand resting on top of something she had planted in the ground like Stiles. Jordan had his hands behind him as he leaned against a tree. He smiled at Stiles who blushed and looked away embarrassed. Derek felt his hackles rise but quickly bit the feeling in the butt. He couldn’t, shouldn’t be feeling jealous right now.

The Sheriff, Victoria, and Chris stood a little off to the side with Stiles. Chris and Victoria both had clipboards while the Sheriff held a clear riot shield to his side at the moment. Derek knew that they were officially here for the Combat Assessment. Given his own personal ‘experience’ with Stiles, he was glad that Kira and Jordan were here. The Assessment needed to prove that Stiles could handle his own in a fight with supernatural elements. The greater the variety, the more weight the Assessment would hold. Derek being an Alpha Werewolf would certainly carry weight in this fight. With Kira and Jordan here, it could also be considered iron clad. Stiles wasn’t told what Kira and Jordan were to add the element of surprise to the fight as well as seeing how he could adapt and see how he does under the pressure of the unknown.

Stiles sighed. “I know, I know. Just give me a break ok? New parent letting someone else babysitting anxiety, right?”

Chris smiled and nodded. “Understandable. Shall we get this started?”

“Agreed.” The Sheriff said as he hoisted the shield up and standing in front of Victoria and Chris. “Who did you want to go first Stiles?”

Stiles bent his head and shuffled his feet. “Um, I was thinking that all three should try rushing me?”

Chris startled. “That sounds incredibly reckless Stiles.”

Victoria apparently did not think so. “Sounds fine to me. Why don’t the three of us also move a little up away from this area. Perhaps near those large oaks?”

The Sheriff nodded. “We don’t want to be caught up in any of what will be going on.”

Chris looked at his wife and the Sheriff confused, but acquiesced. Kira and Jordan both looked surprised, Derek took it with a grain of salt as he got up from sitting against the tree as Kira and Jordan joined him. They both were probably thinking Stiles was just human and thinking the caution was unwarranted. For all the times Stiles has surprised him over the last six weeks, he was going to be giving this fight a big dose of health caution.

The three fire fighters stood together and Stiles was apprehensive. There was sense of fluidity between Derek, Kira and Jordan. Considering their profession, he knew they would be well trained to work together in many high stress and dangerous situation.

Jordan smiled once more and cracked his fingers in front of him. “It’s nice to finally meet you Stiles. I’ve heard plenty of you from everyone in town.”

Stiles was wide-eyed again and he did his best to not let his blush get anymore out of control. Why was everyone he kept meeting ridiculously breath taking and built like Greek Gods? “It’s nice to meet you as well, Lt. Parrish.”

Jordan just smiled brighter. “You can just call me Jordan. Maybe we could meet up some other time after we’re done with this?”

Kira glanced at Jordan but caught the look on Derek’s face. His nostrils were flared, clenched jaw and shoulders tense. Oh Lord. “Would you please stop flirting, you hornball?” Kira turned her attention to Stiles and smiled with a bow. “Hello Stiles. I hope to do you honor to help get your pups back.”

Stiles gracefully returned the bow and his small smile was warm. “Thank you, Cpt. Yukimura.”

“Kira, please.”

Stiles nodded. He then glanced at Derek and noticed the stiff and angry posture of the werewolf. Stiles tilted his head confused. Further observations were cut off with Victoria’s proclamation. “Thirty seconds to start! Stiles, you can use two only!”

Stiles scowled but nodded. Jordan step onto the balls of his feet, hands at the ready in a boxer pose. Kira brought up what she had at her side and Stiles could see it was a katana. He raised an eyebrow at her as she unsheathed it and tossed the scabbard to the side. Derek dropped down into a defensive crouch and eyed him warily.

Stiles picked up the thing he had planted in the ground in his left hand and Derek saw that it was a sword as well. It was much thinner than he had ever seen, with almost no hilt at all. A black, red, and white stone could be seen in the bronze colored hilt. The scabbard was wooden with the same bronze looking metal running up and down the entire length as well. Derek felt his hackles suddenly rise. The man before him had easily taken him with his bare hands. Now, he was suddenly armed. Derek could feel the wolf wanting to rise from within. To meet this strong predator head on.

A gunshot was heard as Stiles had his left foot extended forward as he put the entirety of his weight on his back leg in a squat crouching low. He had both hands behind his back with the sword sticking out behind him. Kira and Jordan sprung into action and charged Stiles, but Derek held back.

Derek could hear Stiles quietly say “Wǒ de zhùshǒu, Wǔ Shǒu Gēqǔ de Xīnzàng,” just as Kira opened with a single vertical slash of her katana. A hiss of metal preceded a clash as Stiles whipped his sword up and parried katana before swiftly shifting his body into a lunge to her face without moving his feet from position. Kira shifted her body as the Stiles’ sword sailed harmless over her shoulder only to leap back as Stiles yanked the sword back and tried to slice her in half.

Just as Kira leapt back, Jordan jumped into the fight trying to cold cock Stiles from the side. Stiles for his part only turned his eyes to Jordan before Stiles’ parried the blow with his left hand and lunged the same hand into Jordan’s unprotected right armpit. Pain bloomed through Jordan’s shoulder and into his chest at the seemingly iron hard strike making contact. He had a moment to wince when he looked down to see Stiles’ open palm was slightly in front of him. Jordan had another moment to realize that there was suddenly a fireball growing against Stiles’ palm. Jordan’s eyes went wide as he looked at Stiles in awe. “You have mag-“ was all he could get out before he felt the impact of the fireball exploding and sending him careening back towards Derek, who caught him and set him down.

Kira glared at Stiles before she brought up her katana and pointed it at him. It happened in a moment. Kira unleashed a flash of lightening only for Stiles to slash his sword into the ground and a wall of stone appeared in front of him, effectively guarding him. Stiles looked at Jordan with a raised eyebrow, noting the scorched hole in his shirt but completely unharmed skin underneath before turning to Kira after letting the stonewall crumble. He blithely said, “Never fought a kitsune or salamander before.”

Kira and Jordan openly stared at the human in front of them where Derek was busy trying to calculate a solid battle plan. He’d almost given up on being surprised by Stiles at this point. Not only does the man have amazing fighting skills, he’s got magic too. Derek heard Victoria yell out, “Fire and Earth are officially being record Stiles!” This was probably related to what she said earlier about only getting to use two of something. Of course Stiles would have more magic at his disposal.

Derek plotted quickly. “Kira! You’re going to have to fight with your lightening if you want to get in his guard! Don’t underestimate how fast he is, you’re the only one that can match him with his sword.” Kira nodded and soon she had lightening crackling around her. Stiles for his part looked annoyed as he countered by swinging his sword around him and creating a hovering ring of fire the moved and intercepted the crackles of lightening. She smiled before lunging at him and the epic sword fight began.

Kira kept both hands on her katana as she tried to overwhelm Stiles with power where as Stiles kept switching from one to both hands as he danced with each step. Every so often, a spark of lightening would make it past Stiles’ ring of fire and shock him for a second and it was in that moment, Kira would try to catch him off guard. Stiles would block her at the last possible moment and attempt to retaliate with a burst of fire only for Kira to slash through the blaze and dissipate it with the sheer air pressure of her sword swing.

Derek tried to rush Stiles in a zig zag approach but Stiles seemed to notice the charge as his left hand that was free at the moment waved up and down briefly before the ground to his side erupted and nine large stones hovered to his side. With an open palm thrust, Stiles sent the stones shooting towards Derek. Jumping back and rolling around, Derek was able to dodge all the stones, but he could see nine new craters in the ground. Stiles cried out as Kira penetrated his guard and there was a red gash on Stiles’ shoulder.

Derek turned to Jordan. “We have to try and get him from his blind spots, but be careful. Stiles apparently has a sixth sense for danger so we may still not catch him by surprise and don’t try to get to close, he can paralyze your arms if he hits you in the right way.” Jordan stared at him in horror before looking back at Kira and Stiles locked in battle. Derek clapped him on the back. “Take care of his fire and we should be able to get him. Remember, you are fire proof after all!”

“I’m definitely not metal proof though.”

“Suck it up Lieutenant.”

Derek crouched and roared. Stiles stole a glance at Derek but quickly focused on Kira again as she tried to stab him in the stomach. Derek leapt high into the air and tried to come down on Stiles. Jordan had made his way behind Stiles and was able to inhale the ring of fire into his own body, only to barely dodge as Stiles suddenly bent over backwards, letting Kira’s sword slide right above his belly button harmlessly while also trying to stab at Jordan from behind as well. Derek was coming down and almost had Stiles when Stiles instead fell to the ground flat on his back and a slab of stone erupting up at his feet at an angle and formed a very solid ramp. Derek landed painfully on the stone and bounced off right towards Kira. She let out a squeak as she was bowled over by the werewolf. Jordan tried to move, but ended up on his back as Stiles kicked his legs out from him. Before he knew what hit him, Stiles had rolled on top of Jordan and had the sword to his neck.

“That’s enough.”

Stiles turned to see his dad and the Argents walking over still behind the riot shield. Climbing off Jordan, Stiles retrieved his scabbard before whispering, “Xièxiè nǐ, Wǔ Shǒu Gēqǔ de Xīnzàng" and slide his sword into place. The Argents were helping the dazed werewolf and kitsune up as his dad helped the salamander to his feet.

Victoria steadied Kira on her feet before she address Stiles with a smile. “I think that is more than enough to complete the Assessment and for our file on you now. Our reports should be finished by tomorrow morning and I can say you will officially have your pups back in custody by tomorrow afternoon.”

Stiles smiled. “Good I can’t wait to take my pups home with me.”

Derek shook his head a moment still shaking the gears into place. Once the nuts and bolts were in place, it took a moment for what Stiles said to register with him. “Take them home?”

“Of course. You have been very generous to us and I do not want to impede on your hospitality any more than I should. I will bring them back to live with my father. You have been a gracious host these six weeks, Alpha.” Stiles bowed to him.

Derek bowed as well, but he felt his insides clench at the thought of the pups and Stiles not being in his loft anymore.

Chapter Text

Ethan looked around the kitchen and he felt the warm fuzzies again. Uncle Jacks and Aunt Lyds were by the sink peeling potatoes, Uncle Isaac and Uncle Danny had their hands up a few chickens cleaning out the guts, Uncle Scott and Aunt Ally had been ordered to snap green beans clean after being shown how to do it correctly by dad (“Scott, how did you make a green bean explode just by snapping the ends off?” “I swear they’re demon green beans!”), and dad was stirring a big bowl filled with something sweet and chocolate smelling while Liam and Aiden peered over the sides and were mesmerized. He had said he was making brownies but Ethan wasn’t sure what that was. Given how excited his Aunts and Uncles were, it had to be good. Derek mentioned that if we liked the cold drinks he gave the pups the first time they went to the diner, they would love this more.

Ethan frowned at the thought. He noticed that Derek wasn’t in the kitchen with the rest of the pack. Tilting his head to better focus on his hearing, Ethan tried to find Derek. He had been practicing listening for heartbeats like Derek had taught him and Ethan found Derek was in the other room alone. Traipsing through the hall, he found Derek standing quietly looking out the window as soft music was playing from the stereo. Derek turned and smiled at Ethan as the pup came in. “What are you doing in here pup?”

“You’re in here alone. I didn’t want you to be alone, Derek.”

Derek smiled but it wasn’t a happy smile. Ethan could tell the difference; his dad had showed him. The pup walked over to Derek and apparently surprised him by hugging him. Ethan felt Derek’s hands shake as he gently wrapped his arms around the pup. “What’s wrong Ethan?”

“You have a smoke smile.” Ethan peered up at Derek.

“A what?” Derek’s eyebrows furrowed.

Ethan buried his face in Derek’s stomach. “Dad calls it a smoke smile. It’s a smile that isn’t warm and breaks apart if you touch it cause its not really there. Real smiles are hard to get rid of and make you feel warm inside.”

Derek bent down and picked up the pup who let his arms go for a moment from Derek’s waist only to latch onto his neck. Derek felt his breath catch, but started breathing again as he made his way to the couch and maneuvered his way into a comfortable seat with Ethan still plastered to his front. “Why are you sad Derek?”

The Alpha huffed a laugh and shook his head. “I’m not sad, pup.”

Ethan looked up from his chest. “I heard your heart go ba-ba-bump. Dad says that us wolves can tell if someone lies by listening to peoples hearts doing that.”

Derek stopped smiling and had a pensive look to his eyes. “Tonight is your last night at the loft with me. Your dad and you pups will be going home to your grandpa’s house.”

“You don’t want us to leave?”

Derek hesitated for a moment. “No, I don’t want you to leave. I like having you guys there.”

“And you like dad.”

Derek’s eyes widened slightly and blushed before he got himself under control. “Um, yes, I really like your dad.”

Ethan hummed a moment as he rested his head on the Alpha’s chest. Derek hugged the pup and felt extremely content, as Ethan was quiet for a moment. “Dad said we should be careful on who we tell about us, but I think you are ok.” Derek didn’t say anything. He knew Ethan was building up to something big. “Aiden and me were sold by our mom to Old Dragon when we were three.”

Derek’s arms stiffened and he had to brace himself so as to not crush Ethan in his arms. His wolf inside was growling fiercely, hackles flying, and braced legs planted ready to fly off the handle. SOLD?! What kind of sick and twisted person would sell her own children?! He shivered and tried to breath in evenly to calm himself but it took Ethan nuzzling into his chest that calmed him down. “It’s ok. Dad was angry when he found out too. Our mom liked to gamble and got into trouble when she kept borrowing money. She had us by accident and didn’t know our father was a wolf cause he wasn’t ever around.”

Ethan shuffled a little bit and repositioned himself. Derek let him go until the pup settled again and wrapped his arms tightly by gently around him before Ethan continued. “Mom found out that there were people that…bought born pups like us. She got a lot of money for us I guess because we were with these strange men all of a sudden. I remember the building they took us was big and brown. Once Aiden and me were inside, we never saw the outside again. They kept us locked inside a room for a long time without much to do.”

Derek snuggled Ethan’s head until he sighed. “We were there for a year before some men brought in Liam. We heard that a Hunter was paid to take Liam from his pack. He was just a baby and they told us that we had to take care of him or they’d stop feeding us. We barely got any food so we were always weak to begin with. They’d throw bottles and diapers at us for Liam but we didn’t really know what we were doing. By the time Aiden and me were five and Liam was I guess two, the men brought dad in and threw him at us. Said he had to take care of us then.”

Derek could smell tears but he felt Ethan smile into his chest. “It was the best day of our lives. Dad started taking care of us from then. He watched over us, made sure we got more food and everything. Aiden and me never had anyone really that loved us or took care of us. Liam pretty much has only known Dad for most of his life. He’d make sure to protect us from getting hurt even when he wouldn’t do what they wanted him to do.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on Derek’s face. He could just see Stiles defying his captors to protect his pups. The scars he had certainly attested to that. Derek’s train of thought halted at that. “What did they want him to do with you?”

Ethan tensed up and he could smell the rise of anxiety. The little pup turned his face to Derek in a hard glare, cool blue eyes glowing at him. “They wanted dad to train us as attack animals.”

The bottom of his stomach dropped out as Derek took in this tidbit of information before a growl escaped and his eyes flashed crimson red. Savages, that’s who took the pups and Stiles! Trying to turn little boys into on command living weapons. It was this kind of treatment where Derek question who was the animal and who was human.

Ethan rested his head on Derek again before he whispered. “Dad spent the next five years trying to escape with us and get us home. We finally made it away from them, but dad said we couldn’t go straight home cause they’d try to follow us. He took us a long way round to get here so no one would know we were home.”

Derek wasn’t sure why Ethan had told him all this. He felt an even deeper need to want to protect the pups and just hide them away from everything else. It all felt like too much. Ethan sat up in Derek’s lap. “We like it here. It’s the first time we feel safe and loved. Everyone’s been so nice to us even if we aren’t dad’s real pups and-”

Derek shushed him immediately. “Hey no, trust me you are definitely Stiles’ pups. No one here will argue that. Don’t ever think that. You are family no matter what. Family can be anyone that loves you.”

“Really?”

“Yes really.”

“Can you be our family too?”

Derek’s heart stopped. “What?”

Ethan tilted his head to the side. “Can you be our family too? We all like you a lot. Dad especially likes you.”

Derek’s still heart suddenly came to life beating a mile a minute. “Your dad doesn’t like me pup.”

Ethan shook his head. “We know dad likes you a lot. He just doesn’t want to get hurt again. He’s trying to…” Ethan frowned in frustration. “Dad’s heart isn’t healed like the rest of him. Our uncles are trying to get us to help heal his heart.”

Derek smiled a real smile. “Well, I hope it works. I’d really like to love your dad.”

“Like you love me?”

Derek nodded before he pulled Ethan into a warm hug. The overwhelming feeling of protecting his pup flooded him.

In the kitchen, Danny and Allison distracted Stiles while Jackson, Isaac and Scott tried to wipe their tears away on to their sleeves as they clenched their jaws tight.

<~~~~~>

Dinner was a happy but subdued affair. The pack was noticeably less rambunctious than normal although Stiles didn’t comment on it. Once he, Derek and the pups were out of the house and on their way back to the loft, the rest of the pack flopped into the living room. Danny was comforting Isaac while Scott had his head hung as Allison rubbed his back. Jackson however paced the floor as Lydia followed his progress before she broke his concentration. “Are you three going to tell us what you heard now?”

Jackson stopped pacing only to run his hands through his hair vigorously before he dropped his hands. “I’m not sure I can say. What Ethan told Derek was really personal. Us three shouldn’t have heard it.”

“Personal as in?” Lydia prodded.

“As in, how they came to be with Stiles.”

“Then we need to know!” Lydia snapped.

Jackson surprisingly did not snap back. He just sadly shook his head. “Lyds, I have to tell you that right now, things are super delicate. If the cat gets out of the back, Stiles may flip out on Derek, which we do NOT want to happen.”

Lydia’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Stiles would flip out on Derek?”

Scott was the one that answered her. “Yeah. Ethan laid out some heavy shit Stiles has told him he isn’t really supposed to tell.”

Allison rubbed his back more. “What kind of things are we talking about? Can you at least give us a litmus level we can work with.”

Scott looked at his wife before using subtle hand signs. Allison gasped.

<~~~~~>

Derek had carried the sleeping twins up from the Camaro as Stiles held onto a noodle limp Liam. Together the two of them put them to bed. Stiles and Derek were in the kitchen as the light of the waning moon hung in the sky. Stiles had a cup of jasmine tea in his hands as he was leaning on the island counter with Derek propped on the counter near the sink. Derek decided to address the elephant in the room. “So tonight is your last night here.”

Stiles nodded but kept staring at his cup of tea. “Yeah, it will be nice to be back home.”

“It must have been hard living here with me.” Derek’s voice was tight.

Stiles shook his head. “It’s been fine, but…I just think it would be better at home.”

Derek huffed, angry and hurt. He was losing his pups after all. “I think it would be fine if you and the pups stayed here.”

Stiles looked up to Derek with a cold glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Derek growled as he felt his resentment rise. “Why can’t you and the pups just live with me?! Nothing has to change! You still see your dad often enough since you’ve been here. The pups are happy here, I’m happy with them here, why can’t you be happy with us!?”

Stiles snapped back. “Why I’m not happy with all this is none of your business, Alpha!”

Derek got off the counter and strode over to Stiles. “Like hell it isn’t my business! I love the pups a hell of a lot, I have every right!”

“What rights?! You’ve only had custody of them because the Hunters placed them in your care because they didn’t see me “fit” as a parent! You’re not their real dad!”

“Well neither are you!”

The moment those words left his lips, Derek knew he’d made a mistake and the ice settled in his stomach.  Had he not just hours ago explained to Ethan that he was undoubtedly Stiles' pup?  That it takes love to be a family?  Now he let his own hurt feelings throw it all back into Stiles' face. This hadn’t been what he meant to do. Not what he had meant to say. Not what he wanted to tell Stiles. The mug in Stiles hand shattered in his grasp as he seethed. Derek could smell the absolute fury rolling off of Stiles in like a thick fog. He took a step back. “Stiles, I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to say-“

“Yes you did! You’re just like everyone else we’ve ever met. The pathetic human couldn’t possibly be responsible for those three pups. No one ever thinks I can handle this! Your just like Shui and that’s all the more reason I should leave!”

Derek tried to back pedal. “Who’s Shui and what does that have to relate with this?”

“He’s the last person I fell in love with and the last person that tried to steal my pups from me! JUST LIKE YOU’RE TRYING TO DO NOW!” Stiles hissed as he threw the remaining pieces of the mug in his hands on to the counter where his blood splattered across the counter. Stiles stomped over to the metal door and managed to wrench it open before Derek snapped out of his stunned stupor.

Derek ran up to Stiles and grabbed his arm. “Stiles, wait!”

Stiles easily escaped the hold and Derek felt two strikes to his chest, two to his neck and a final strike to his forehead before he was knocked out.

Chapter Text

The cold winter wind stung at his face, but Stiles continued walking down the night street. Tears fell from his face as he furiously tried to wipe them away. Damn Derek! So many memories he had suppressed came roaring to the surface fresh as if he just lived them yesterday thanks to that-that-that SOURWOLF! Stiles felt his mind fly to the very moment he woke up from the drugged dart years ago.

<~~~~>

Stiles woke up some time later, bound and gagged in the back of an SUV. The rumble and bumps of the road kept jostling him around. He tried to struggle before he heard the click of a gun and a smooth voice, “Stop moving.” Stiles went limp and began to cry. What was going? Where was he? What did these men want? Was this related to something with his dad?

Hours passed before Stiles found himself being blindfolded inside the vehicle before he was dragged out of the back and hauled up onto his feet. He was manhandled but heard a series of doors open as his captors kept taking him left and right. Eventually, they stopped and his gag and blindfold were removed and he took in a ragged breath while blinking as his eyes adjusted.

Looking around, Stiles found the room to be dusty and filled with boxes, possibly an old storage closet. The kind of room you’d expect to find in a warehouse where you had to store temperature sensitive products. Off to the side, a large, bare mattress and a pile of blankets and pillows lay about. In a distant corner, he could see a bucket and mentally cringed at what he automatically assumed was its disgusting and unsanitary purpose. The room was windowless and there was no other door he could see aside from the one behind him he had walked in. A discreet cough had him turning his gaze to the middle of the room.

A slightly elderly looking Asian man stood leaning on a bamboo cane, waiting next to a table with two little boys sitting heads down on the smooth mahogany while a toddler sat quietly in a high chair although from the red cheeks, upturned lip and watery eyes, it was clear the little one had been crying recently. Stiles looked at the old man wearily. “What the hell?! You can’t just kidnap people like this! It’s against the law!”

The old man chuckled. “Much of what I do is against the law so that’s nothing new to me.”

A sinking feeling began to pool within Stiles’ stomach. “Then what do you want with me? I’m just a high school senior!”

The old man was about to say something when a low growl could be heard from the table. Quick as a snake, the old man whipped the cane up and over to lash one of the boys at the table while yelling, “SILENCE!” The meaty smack landed across the boy’s shoulders and only a small cry came out.

“WOAH! The fuck dude! You can’t hit kids like that!”

A sneer appeared on the old man’s face. “I will do what I want with my property.”

“Property?!” Stiles screeched. “Kids are not property!”

“Kids? Please, these are all just insolent pups.” The old man sneered at Stiles as another careless smack to the child soared through the air seemingly out of spite. The little boy’s head turned slightly and he could see a glowing golden yellow eye glaring at the old man.

“Stop that’s enough! He hasn’t done anything!” Stiles tried to launch himself forward only to forget he was still bound and landed on the ground. Stiles struggled a moment before he looked up and saw the cane had been raised again into the air. The old man turned slightly and looked at the toddler. The little baby seemed to know what was coming as that upturned bottom lip began to quiver and silent tears welled in his little eyes. Stiles felt his heart stop. “DON’T!”

The cane came crashing down with a resounding CRACK right across the baby’s high chair. The toddler flinched and began to cry out in fear. Stiles struggled as he cursed the old man in Polish as he inched his way towards the boys with tears of anger and frustration falling to the floor.

The old man hobbled over and carefully crouched down on creaky knees to where Stiles stopped in futility. “Good, you are already protective of them. They are now your charges. See that they stay inline or we will punish you. Do not fail me.”

The old man hobbled off laughing, leaving Stiles confused as to what just happened and what he was to do. His bounds were finally cut and after recovering from getting a swift kick to the stomach, he made his way over to the table with the boys. He found the two at the table were most likely twins and were bound as well. Tentatively, Stiles undid the bindings hoping that the boys wouldn’t attack him once they were free. Surprisingly, the boys fell back and stayed away as far as they could from him. A small sigh left his lips as he went over to the toddler. The little one looked at him with fear, but didn’t fight him as he unstrapped child and carefully held him to his chest. A tiny sniffle was all he heard at first before little hiccups and whimpers began as the toddler rubbed his face into Stiles’ soft plaid shirt drying his tears as tiny fists grabbed little bunches of cloth.

In due course, Stiles began to understand just whom he was dealing with in regards to the old man and what he was supposed to be doing with the boys. Learning all three little boys were werewolves had him understanding the situation better. As young as they were, he guessed they were born wolves rather than bitten. Given that there were werewolves involved, he knew this had to be pack related. The Argents back home had told him the rumor mill within the supernatural world had painted him as the werewolf version of Cesar Millan as he had worked hard with his friends to help them control their wolves. Most likely scenario was that he was just kidnapped by an Asian crime family as their new werewolf trainer.

Little Liam took to him almost immediately but it took almost four months before the twins, he eventually learned to be named Ethan and Aiden, began to remotely trust him. It had begun simply with making sure they could shift their forms individually. Just a hand, a finger, fangs; simple things. The twins had been progressing decently well. Ethan had better control with individual fingers and claws where as Aiden could set his fangs on command. It was one of these days that the old man came back to what Stiles dubbed as “home” seeing as they were never allowed to leave the small building.

“How much progress have you made with the twins?” The old man asked as he hobbled over flanked by four guards.

Stiles looked at him wearily and snarked at the old man. “Considering I’m not even sure what I’m doing here after all these months still? They’ll be leaping skyscrapers in a single bound in no time.”

It was unexpected and faster than he gave the old man credit for. The bamboo cane whipped through the air, slashing across his face and sending him to the ground clutching his cheek. He looked up to see the tip of the cane right in front of his face. “Do not sass me boy. Show me what these pups have learned so far.”

The twins had been seated at the table but now stood and carefully walked over to stand in front of the old man. Stiles stood slowly as well and still held a hand to his swollen and soon to be bruising check. He spoke softly to the boys although they eyed him suspiciously even after being stuck with him for the past few months. “Show him your fangs and then do your finger drills.”

Both boys glared at the old man before giving him a big smile although the smiles never reached their eyes. Not a moment later, their fangs descended and suddenly the smile went from cute to predatory in a moment. They opened their mouths where the fangs could clearly be defined before they disappeared once more. Aiden demonstrated he could rapidly pop his fangs out where Ethan just closed his mouth. Next the boys held up their hands in front of them, palms face towards their faces. They flexed the fingers and curled them to show the human flesh. Closing their hands into a fist, they let all their claws go out and in to their fingers. Aiden dropped his hands to his sides as Ethan began to do individual fingers as well as different number of fingers on the hands at the same time. A moment later he also put his hands to his side.

Stiles smiled and said, “Good job boys!” only to have the bamboo cane come flying at him once again from the other direction sending him hurtling to the floor, both sides of his face throbbing in pain now.

The old man looked displeased if the frown on his face was any indication. “I want ferocious beasts, not house pets! Stop pandering them!”

“They’re little boys! That’s how you’re supposed to raise them!” Stiles snapped from the ground as he braced himself up on one hand while clutching his new stinging cheek.

The old man snapped his finger and one of the guards walked over and kicked Stiles in the stomach. He collapsed clutching his stomach, gasping for breath. The old man pointed his cane at Stiles’ writhing form on the floor. “I don’t want to hear another ‘nice’ word out of your mouth again or you will learn of how un-nice I can be.”

Stiles gasped for breath but he still remarked, “Un-nice? Didn’t you learn English when you got off the boat?”

Another snap of fingers and another kick to the stomach. Stiles groaned and snarked at the old man in Polish. The twins regarded him with something almost akin to interest or at least something different from distrust they usually did. The old man walked away with his guards trailing behind. The twins regarded Stiles for a moment before they picked him up and carefully brought him to one of the chairs at the table. “Thank you boys.” Stiles whispered.

“You’re welcome,” the twins answered in stereo. There was a pause before they asked, “What were you saying to the Old Dragon earlier? It sounded all messed up.”

Stiles chuckled to himself. “I was saying some very ‘un-nice’ things but in a way I knew he wouldn’t understand.”

The twins looked at him with awe and Stiles had a chance to think about things. He knew that at this age, children responded better to encouragement and he also knew from past experiences, wolves in general do NOT respond well to threats unless it comes from an Alpha. It was while rubbing his cheeks did he suddenly have an idea. “Boys, would you like to learn my secret code so that they would never know what we were saying?”

The twins went wide-eyed at the idea. It had been a long time since they had something they could count as their own. A secret code. Something the Lau Family couldn’t ever take from them. The idea was exciting and caused little butterflies to come alive in the stomach for the first time in years. A shared look and a silent conversation passed between the twins. Ethan looked at Stiles and asked quietly, “Can we teach Liam too?”

Stiles nodded with a smile, “Yes, as he gets older I can teach him our secret code as he learns to speak normally too. He has to learn both or the Old Dragon will know about our secret code. Only one other person besides us will know the code, ok? Maybe you’ll meet him someday. He’s the one that taught it too me first.” Stiles held out his hands to the twins. Ethan grabbed his left hand and Aiden grabbed his right and the deal was struck. Stiles began to teach the boys Polish.

<~~~~>

A cold bluster woke Stiles up from his daydream and he had to shake the dregs of his lost focus. He noticed that he had mindlessly wandered to the high school’s sports field. Other memories of his younger years started to flood him, before he suddenly felt eyes on him. His eyes searched the surrounding area before his eyes feel on to the lone figure on the bleachers. The elderly man smiled at him. “Mr. Stilinski, it’s been a long time.”

“Mr. Argent? What are you doing here?” Stiles walked over to the man.

Gerard chuckled. “I’m supposed to meet up with Chris and Victoria in the morning to go over your file before they submit it to the suits in DC. They wanted me to look things over to make sure things were in order.”

Gerard indicated the seat next to him. Stiles sat down before he turned to the old man. “Thank you. I appreciate the help. I just want to get my pups and get on with my life.”

A chuckle escaped the old man’s throat before Stiles felt a hand fall on his shoulder. “Boy, you make life difficult it seems all the time huh?”

Stiles looked genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”

Gerard chuckled as he squeezed Stiles’ shoulder. “First you save your friends from the feral alpha I let loose years back and then instead of having four new feral wolves to hunt down the road, I got stupid stacks of paperwork dealing with perfectly calm pups!”

Stiles eyes went wide as he realized what Gerard had just admitted. He made a move to get away only to feel a slight prick to his neck. His muscles already betraying him, Stiles felt himself slumping over. “Did you just hit me with a gom jabbar?”

Gerard chuckled again as he flashed the needle on his finger. “Not only do you mess up my potential new hunts, you screw over my client by stealing his paid-for little pup! Do you know how hard it is to find a born baby wolf like Liam? Let alone having to kill off his parents to get him!”

Stiles’ heart raced. This was insane! Gerard had been the Hunter that had kidnapped Liam from his pack and had set loose a feral on him and his friends in hopes of making more wolves to hunt. How was he related to the rest of the Argents when he was this off kilter??

Gerard sighed as if things were just depressing as an afternoon rain. “But no, you had to even screw up my arrangement about finding the Lau Family a perfect werewolf trainer. They had such high hopes for you. I mean after observing you for all these weeks since you got back, I realize I should have doubled my price for your head when I delivered you to them the first time. I’ll be lucky to get a decent price on any mutts I can sell them later at this point.”

Stiles tried to crawl away, but his body began to numb. He had one small chance. Using a little magic, Stiles gently caused rocks to rise out in the middle of the lacrosse field, away from where they were. Hopefully it was enough.

Gerard laughed as he stepped on Stiles’ back. “Old Dragon was happy to get my call about his strays being found! After all, you did train them well. We just got to wean them from you is all. Once you’re gone, the little mutts should be easy to break.”

Stiles fought to stay conscious, but the drug began to completely take him under now. He amended his previous remark back at the hospital. Drugs are crap.

Chapter Text

“Papa!”

Derek turned to see Liam running over to him, arms outstretched. Opening his arms, Derek grabbed the little pup and swung him up in a hug. “Hi little one, where are your brothers and dad?”

“Dad is coming up with the basket. Ethan and Aiden are carrying the cooler.”

Derek smiled as he wiped a bit of sunscreen off Liam’s nose. He had grabbed a great spot near the edge of the water where the waves of the ocean were only a few feet away. Derek had the towels spread, chairs unfolded and the umbrella up in prime vacation location and he was rather proud of himself.

“Li-Li!” Derek turned to see Stiles and the twins making slower progress across the hot sand. Putting Liam under the shade of the umbrella, Derek walked over to the twins and grabbed the cooler from them. They both grunted, “Thanks Papa.”

Derek turned to see Stiles smiling at him still totting a large picnic basket. “What, no help for little old me?”

Derek rolled his eyes fondly. “Please, you’re so not as helpless as the pups.”

“Hey!” Came three indignant huffs.

Stiles chuckled. “Well then, let see if you can handle this Derek!”

Stiles tossed the basket at Derek. Derek stumbled and backed up, trying to catch the basket on top of the cooler.

“Papa, watch out!”

Derek turned to see he was falling backwards into the waves and came up, sputtering water and gasping for air. Scrambling around he bowled over Scott. Scott was wide eyed and staring at him after Derek froze lying on top of the other wolf. “Nice to see you too Derek.”

Derek sat on his heels, dripping wet as he looked around. The loft, not the beach. Fuck. The rest of the pack was giving him confused and curious looks except for Lydia who had an empty glass in her hand and a scowl on her brow. Derek could guess that she had just dumped water on him. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We figured we’d come to help get things taken care of for Stiles and the pups moving on out. Any reason we found you passed out in front of the door?” Jackson said with a grin.

The memories of the previous night flashed to him as his head throbbed. “Fuck, Stiles!”

Smirks and grins fell from the rest of the pack’s faces. Scott grabbed Derek. “What happened to Stiles!”

Derek shook Scott off and looked away, guilt welling up within. “We had a fight and he stormed out of here…after he knocked me out. Again.”

“FUCK! When did he leave!?” Scott growled as he grabbed Derek again in a much harder hold.

“I don’t know! It was a little after we just got home from dinner.”

Isaac cursed. “Shit, you guys left around 9:30PM so he’s probably been gone since like 10PM at least!”

Lydia stepped in, pointing at the wolves and Allison. “You four, get on his trail now! We are not going to lose him again! MOVE IT!”

Jackson, Allison, Scott, and Isaac bounded out of the loft. Lydia turned to Danny who just nodded to her while taping away at his smart phone. “Already on it Lyds.”

The petite woman sharply nodded before she rounded on Derek. “You, you are going to tell me what happened now!”

A small voice interrupted Derek before he could respond. “Where’s dad?”

Danny, Lydia and Derek whipped their heads to see Ethan rubbing his eyes of sleep. “Is dad getting breakfast or something?”

Danny and Lydia glared at Derek. A pit feeling began to form in his stomach as he gulped. Derek turned to the pup and beckoned him closer. Ethan sleepily stumbled over to Derek and face planted into his shirt, only to jump back and squeal wiping his face. “You’re wet!”

“Sorry buddy, Lydia poured water on me to wake me up.”

“Oh.”

“Pup, do you remember how we talked about how I wanted you pups and your dad to stay?”

Ethan realized something must have happened as he pulled back. “Yeah?”

Derek sighed. “Your dad and I got into a fight last night.”

“You what?” Ethan gasped.

“We had a fight.” Derek whispered. “I didn’t want you to leave and he did. We yelled at each other.”

Ethan took a step back from Derek and there was a fear written on his little face. Derek felt a cold hand crush his heart when he realized Ethan was afraid of him. He tried to reach out, “Pup…”

Ethan stumbled back but got into a defensive stance. “No! You were so nice to us! You were nice to dad, you said you wanted to love him and then you yelled at him and had a fight with him! Did you try to take us from dad too?”

Danny and Lydia picked up on the ‘too’ but Derek ignored it. “No, I wasn’t trying to take you from him. I just…I just didn’t want you all to leave me.”

Ethan actually scrambled away, his blue eyes flashing. “You! You’re just like Shui! Dad was right! You’re trying to hurt his heart and take us away!”

Ethan turned and ran. Derek got up and chased after Ethan, closely followed by Danny and Lydia. “Liam! Aiden! Obudź się! Musimy działać! Musimy znaleźć tatę!”

Liam and Aiden sat up, trying to rub the sand from their eyes. “Ethan, why are you yelling?”

““Tato brakuje! Musimy już iść! ” Ethan jumped as he grabbed some clothes out for his brothers. Liam and Aiden flew out of their bed and quickly put on their clothes. The pups were dressed and turned to see Derek, Lydia, and Danny blocking their way. All three pups got into defensive stances, blue eyes glowing, fangs falling and claws extended. Aiden stared at Derek. “Get out of our way.”

Derek tried to keep calm and soothing as best as he could. “Boys, calm down. I’m sure your dad is going to be fine.”

Ethan actually scoffed. “The last time we couldn’t find dad, he almost died! We are NOT going to risk it again.”

Little Liam surprisingly had a very hard edge to his voice. “Move or we will make you.”

Derek let his eyes flash crimson. “You are not leaving here until we find your dad. What happens if he comes back and finds you missing?”

Ethan squinted at Derek as if seeing something he had not previously noticed. “Shui said that once and Old Dragon almost killed dad before we found him.”

Liam and Aiden tensed at the name. Lydia took a step forward. “Shui?”

Aiden roared, a pretty deep one at that coming from someone so young, and she jumped back before he spat out, “The last man dad fell in love with. It was all a lie, to steal us from him. You all just want to sell us again, don’t you?!”

Derek clenched his jaw as Danny paled. Lydia gasped, “Sell you? What do you mean sell you?!”

Ethan glared at Derek, but launched himself at Danny instead. Derek reacted and batted Ethan out of the air on to the ground as Danny flinched backwards into the wall. Liam and Aiden had watched closely. After Ethan stood back up, he looked at his brothers. “Wiatr po drugiej stronie ulicy?”

Two returning nods and the pups were in their stances again. Derek noticed the coordinated movement and the fact the boys had switched to Polish again. “Oh shit…”

Aiden and Ethan charged and leapt at Derek with Liam just a step behind but hugging the ground. Derek met the twins with two raised hands to catch them but he didn’t make contact. He had taken his eyes off Liam for just a moment and felt his knees being kicked out from underneath him. His stance broken, he lost the power from his posture and the twins drove forward, claws sinking into his shoulders only to vault over him and push him forward. Liam rolled out from underneath him in a smooth roll as well as Derek toppled onto his face. The pups didn’t even look back as they sprinted away.

Derek was down for only a moment before he rolled over and back onto his feet. Lydia and Danny were both plastered against the walls. They couldn’t have handled three pups normally, certainly not ones Stiles had trained. Derek went after the pups only to find the door to the balcony open. He scrambled outside, Danny and Lydia trailing behind. There was no sign of the pups. Lydia worriedly screeched, “Liam! Ethan! Aiden! Where are you?!”

Trying to sniff the pups out had Derek’s heart clenched. He ran to the edge and saw the pups scaling down the side of the building swiftly. Derek could recognize many of the same movements from their training at the park and saw their backpacks along with Stiles’ sword sticking out of Aiden’s bag.

“Oh my god!”

Derek turned to see Lydia next to him peering down and face white as a sheet. This must be her first time seeing the pups in action. Derek snorted. “This is nothing trust me.”

“Guys.”

Derek and Lydia turned to Danny who had his phone out again. “I’ve been doing sweeps from last night all through town and I got some facial recognition hits from some traffic cams of Stiles last night.”

Lydia grabbed the phone and looked things over. “He went to the high school?”

“That’s not the problem. He’s not alone.”

Derek grabbed at the phone, “Who is it!” Of course what he saw was nothing he could make out and he looked confused at the graphical data and computer nonsense.

Danny sighed as he pulled the phone out of Derek’s hands. “I can’t tell. There aren’t any cameras near the field to see, but you can see that he is leaving with Stiles thrown over his shoulder.”

“Fuck! Not again!” Lydia cried.

“No, not like last time. You’ve got six wolves out hunting for him this time, not just three, and all of them are much more experienced.” Derek stated.

“You think the pups will be good enough?” Lydia babbled.

“I know they will be. Don’t forget who trained them.”

Danny shook his head. “Not going to depend on just your noses this time before the trail gets too cold for the Sheriff. I’m calling in the Hunters too. They need to know about this I’m sure.” A push of the screen and Danny’s phone rang three times before it was answered. “Victoria, we have a problem.”

“Well good morning too you to Danny.” Victoria sniped.

“Seriously, big issue right now. Stiles’ is missing.”

“Stiles is missing?!” Victoria’s cracked over the phone. Derek could hear a faint ‘Stiles is missing?’ in the background. “Not now Gerard, we’ll deal with the his file later. Danny tell me everything you know.”

<~~~~~>

“Ok Lydia, we’ll both go check high school. Jackson and Isaac are still focusing around the Preserve for the time. Call of us if you find anything else.” Allison hung up her phone and slipped it into her pack.

Scott turned to his wife. “What’s going on?”

Allison palmed her face. “We’ve got three kung fu pups on the loose looking for their dad, Derek trying to see if he can utilize anything from the firehouse to make up for royally screwing up and let’s just throw in my parents and grandfather into the mix and we’ve got ourselves a big old pot of ‘What the Fuck?!’ Beacon Hills stew.”

Scott groaned and double palmed his face. Things had been going so well since Stiles came back. The pure bliss that his brother from another mother essentially coming back from he dead had lifted their spirits immensely. Life felt whole, complete, for the first time in many years. “Why did Lydia want us to check the high school?”

“Danny was able to get a video feed with Stiles in it. He can’t make out who was with him so he wants us to check it out.”

Scott nodded. “Between the two of us, we should be able to find some sort of clue about what happened to Stiles.”

They reached the high school in a matter of minutes and made their way to lacrosse field. Allison looked around. “Danny said we should look near the bleachers as that was the last place that they saw Stiles moving around consciously.”

The McCalls scrimped and scoured the whole area, until they came to a small smatter of blood near the edge of the grass and the bleachers. Allison bent down and tried to carefully examine it. “Scott, can you tell whose blood this is?”

Scott shook his head. “I can’t, I don’t smell anything.”

“You can’t make out? I mean I know you have the worst nose between Jackson and Isaac but-“

“No I mean that all the scents have been like completely masked. I don’t smell anything around the bleachers at all. You can’t tell but it’s like the entire area has been dosed basically with Febreeze I guess is the best way to put it. Most of the natural smells are making their way back, like the grass, dirt and such, but there is nothing else lingering from things that may have been here before.”

Allison turned her head towards Scott slowly. “Just like the first time Stiles was taken.”

Scott nodded grimly, his jaw muscles popping from his grinding his teeth. He turned his face away to hide how pissed off he was only for something to catch his eye. Curiosity sparked, Scott made his way out to the middle of the field. Allison noticed his sudden departure. “Scott?”

Her husband ignored her as he could see what had caught his attention. On the ground, white stones could be seen to create two words. “Ally, I think we’ve got our clue. A big old neon flashing light worth of a clue.”

Allison was by his side in a moment. When she saw the two words, she paled and then swore under her breath. “Shit, this just got a whole lot more complicated.” She took a picture with her phone before she kicked the stones around and scattered the message.

Scott nodded as he pulled out his phone. “I’m calling my dad.”

<~~~~~>

SMACK! Stiles woke with a groan as he felt pain throb in his left cheek. He tried to moan only to find he had been gaged. There was something round and hard in his mouth stretching his jaw achingly wide as a large clothe held it in place and wrapped around his head. His hands and feet were bound together behind him making him bend like a bow backwards. Lights blinded him as he blinked slowly open to find he was in the abandoned train depot.

“Oh good, you’re finally awake, Syaoran. Always did tend to sleep in didn’t you?”

Stiles felt the blood in his veins freeze. Staring down at him from a squat in front of him were the same dark green eyes, that thick black hair, and that stupid scruffy beard Stiles had fallen in love with and ultimately ran away from in Hong Kong. Stiles mind went into overdrive. Shui was alive!

The man in front of him chuckled as he ran a finger through Stiles’ hair, who jerked back, away from the man. “I found you again. Wasn’t really hard actually since you didn’t know we actually had someone here watching and waiting for you. Supremely easily to just wait for you to show up. I mean really, how often did you tell me your whole goal was to go home when we were in bed?”

Stiles shook his head and he could feels tears running down. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He and the pups had escaped! They were finally free! They were finally home! They were finally with his pack! The Lau Family shouldn’t have been able to find him. Not after nearly eight months and thousands of miles traveling in the most obscure path imaginable.

An all too familiar rhythm reached his ears. Step, step-click, step, step-click. Stiles almost whimpered around his gag as he realized who was coming. Shui stood up and moved out of Stiles’ face only to be reacquainted with another familiar face. A face that caused his cheeks to throb in remembered phantom pain. Creaky knees and a bamboo cane preceded the amused look on Old Dragon’s face. “You have some things of mine I want back.”

Chapter Text

Ethan, Aiden and Liam melted to each shadow as they made their way around town, sniffing and tracking the way Derek had been teaching them the last few weeks. The way they had lived for years in the back alleys of Hong Kong had made traipsing the back roads of Beacon Hills a cakewalk. Their four years (ok, three years and seven months) in Hong Kong had been a difficult, but happy time, until the end that is.

<~~~~~>

It had been a year since Stiles had come to live with them and the pups couldn’t imagine their lives without him. Stiles had started by getting them more food than they had before and in better types compared to the bowl of rice they had before successfully arguing (nagging) that the pups needed more and better nutrition if they were supposed to grow up bigger and stronger. They had started to get meat and vegetables for the first time in a long time. The pups noticed that Stiles never ate much of the food he had managed to procure for them. The twins would try to offer him some of their food, but Stiles would only shake his head. “You pups need it more than I do.” Stiles said with a smile as he ate his rice quietly.

The pups also endured fewer beatings and, while they were thankful for the respite, they had to watch in horror as Stiles kept taking the physical beatings meant for their failures. Whenever the guards left, they would snuggle with Stiles, wishing they could take his pain away or do something to help him. He would only smile and hug the pups to him as gently as he could without causing any flare ups in pain.

During this year, aside from getting their shifts under control and mastered even in the full moon, Stiles had created an exercise and training program for them all, except for the toddler, of course. “Liam is too young to do what you guys can do. Once he can walk and run a bit better, then he can do the same as we do.” Stiles had said sagely as Liam proceeded to fling mashed bean paste at Stiles face. Ethan and Aiden watched Stiles squint and stare at the toddler wearily. Stiles grabbed the little one’s face and then proceeded to rub the mush all over Liam’s face, eliciting squeals from the toddler and smiles from the twins.

It was also a year filled with learning for all three pups. Stiles taught them their numbers and letters. Since Ethan and Aiden had never had anyone teach them, they were taught at the same pace and level as Liam. It wasn’t long before the pups were decently literate and could do their sums easily enough. It was also during this time that Stiles had been planning their escape.

After figuring out just how young the pups were, he realized that they wouldn’t be of much help until they had better control and could take direction better. Stiles taught the pups to help them grow and hopefully, they could escape together. Unfortunately, fate seemed to throw him one massive curve ball in due course.

Dinner had just been served and it wasn’t until they had all take a few bites did he realize something was wrong. His vision was going black around the edges as the pups scrambled over to him before he fell over. He could hear them shouting before he went under. Some unknown time later, he woke up to find the four of them in some metal crate filled with cushioning and blankets, the glow from a camping lantern the only source of light. Stiles sat up and groaned. “The fuck happened?”

He was being gently held up by one of the twins as the other held him by the shoulders. Little Liam curled into his lap. “Stiles, got sick! Didn’t know to do! Called men and they said you was sick and dying! We gots to take you to super doctor to help you!”

Stiles shook his head a bit more. “But where are we? Why are we in a box?”

Ethan spoke from behind. “The doctor is far away so we have to fly there.”

Stiles felt his stomach drop out. “Did they say where we’re going?”

“Hong Kong, wherever that is.”

Stiles felt his heart race. They were being sent to China! Damn that Old Dragon! “Pups, listen to me carefully. Actually, can you tell me is anyone around us?”

Aiden listened for a moment. “No one around.”

Stiles breathed a sigh of relief. “Ok, boys listen to me. I’m not sick. They lied to you so you wouldn’t fight us going to Hong Kong.”

“Why?” Ethan asked, pressed to Stiles’ back.

“Because its on the other side of the world.”

The pups were silent as they processed what Stiles just told them. Aiden finally broke the silence with a whisper. “We’re not going home, are we?”

Stiles pulled the pups to him. “I’ll think of something. This may actually be our best chance to get away actually. You boys just have to let me think about what our next move is.”

It was for this reason that after the plane touched down and finally stopped, the pups started raising unholy hell from inside the box once they could hear new heartbeats outside. The Lau Family men that came to retrieve the box, amongst other things, could hear shrill screaming. “STILES! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!! STILES! STILES! HE STILL WONT WAKE UP!”

The men cursed their luck and yanked open the box without thinking. The pups were temporarily blinded from the burst of sunlight before they were pulled out of the way. “Move you brats!” The men could see Stiles’ still form. One man cursed under his breath. “Shit.” The pups were standing outside the edge of the box as the three men lifted Stiles out and laid him on the ground. One man placed a hand near Stiles’ mouth and nose. “I don’t feel a breath.” Another man placed his head to Stiles’ chest and heard the rapid heart beat before he whispered, “Son of a bitch.”

Stiles opened his eyes and cold cocked the man near his chest as he kicked at the other man standing at his feet in the balls. The man near his head that had checked for his breath was pounced upon by the pups and quickly subdued. After a minute of wrangling, the men were stuffed into the metal box that specifically had “DO NOT OPEN IN UNSECURE LOCATION” plastered on it and slammed in. Stiles snorted as he looked around and could see that the cargo hold of the plane was not as large as he had assumed. Many of the items looked to be very large and expensive objects, but a small parcel hanging in some cargo nets along the wall caught Stiles’ attention. It was a long and slender black bag, that seemed to draw him in. Stiles decided to grab it on the chance they would need it. If it was in the cargo hold, it had to be worth something.

“Ok pups, we have to get out of here. Follow my lead.”

The four of them made their way out of seemingly private hanger. Stiles could see the towering skyline of Hong Kong. In due time, Stiles and the pups had made their way away from the airport and towards one of the busiest cities in the world.

Life was tough to put it frankly. Being homeless foreigners in such a different city from what any of them had been used to certainly made it a challenge just to get the pups the necessities. Stiles had them moving every few weeks from different hiding locations so as never to attract attention. A young, clearly American boy herding around three children in a huge crowd that literally stood taller than most of the population would most certainly arouse suspicion. Many times, he was looked on with suspicion to begin with. His unkempt clothes and his mannerisms had most people leery whenever he was around.

Stiles had learned a few words of Chinese in his year of being abducted and he was able to usually communicate what he wanted eventually. It helped that there were enough business done in Hong Kong that there was plenty of English speaking natives. He took any odd job he could to procure a little money. Sweeping the streets, cleaning out kitchens, mucking bathrooms, anything people wouldn’t look twice at him for.

Stiles hid the pups relatively close by to him wherever he was working and would get them food once he had enough. Often times, it was some simple Zhōu, the simple rice congee porridge with some shredded meat and vegetables in it at little food stall. If he had been lucky or if someone was generous, he could spend a little more on some other foods he learned the pups learned to enjoy such as Zhájiàngmiàn, Zòngzǐ or Chāshāo.

<~~~~~>

The pups were prowling around near the older part of Beacon Hills when the littlest pup suddenly stopped and tensed, sniffing the air vigorously. Liam turned out to be the most skilled when it came to scenting between the pups and it was he that was leading the way. He spoke quietly as he instructed his brothers down a different alley.

“It’s important to remember other pack scents.” Derek had instructed them one afternoon in the Preserve while in the distance their three uncles could be heard moaning from their training session with Stiles.

“Why?” Liam asked.

“Because you can tell a lot from scent that normal humans cant. Emotions almost always create a unique scent so you can tell if someone is happy or afraid or other things.”

“That’s not that important.”

Derek chuckled. “You’ll change your tune when you get older. Anyways, the second and more important thing about scenting can tell you where someone is. Like if someone is walking into the loft, you can scent them before you see them and know who it is. You also will be able to find someone better with your nose, than your other senses.”

The pups relished in this notion. If they had known about how to scent and tracking properly, things wouldn’t have been as difficult for them before in trying to find Stiles the first time by ear alone.

<~~~~~>

Stiles eventually came across a small Shaolin school that hired him to clean the property and didn’t ask any other questions of whom he was. The monks were polite to him and they never belittled him (The same could not be said about some of their students from the neighborhood around). The opportunity had been too fortuitous to pass up and it provided a small but steady income for Stiles and his pups that he was ever grateful for. During his time at the school, Stiles was able to watch the students being taught as he made his way around the grounds. Of the many things that they taught, it was the Hei hu quan and Shéquán that intrigued him the most.

Black Tiger Fist looked very much like a fighting style that the pups could use effectively given the hand position and pace reflected werewolves almost perfectly. Snake Fist seemed like a good counter to the Tiger, with it’s more calculated strikes and strategic style. He never practiced at the school, but at night when he was with his little family, he would practice and instruct his pups on Tiger Style while he practiced with Snake Style.

One kindly monk eventually took notice of Stiles’ watchful attentiveness and approached him. It was this monk that eventually learned the truth of Stiles’ situation. The monks extended the little they could in ways of shelter to him and his pups and for the first time in a long time, Stiles and his pups had a roof over their heads. It wasn’t much, but it was infinitely better than what they had been living with for the last few months. The pups began to help around the school as well out of a desire to repay the kindly monks. This gave Stiles a little freedom, freedom he had not had in a long time.

Learning that he could trust the monks, Stiles brought them the sword he had taken from the Lau Family. He presented it to them as a gift, hoping it would repay them for their hospitality and help his little family had received. He was greatly surprised when the monks declined and told him they could not take his sword for their humble little school was not worthy of housing Wǔ Shǒu Gēqǔ de Xīnzàng, Five Songs of the Heart.

“But Shifu, why can’t you take the sword? You’ve given me and my sons so much.”

The elderly Chinese monk smiled, “My boy, I cannot take something tied to you own heart.”

Stiles blinked. “Excuse me?”

The monk chuckled. “Wǔ Shǒu Gēqǔ de Xīnzàng has already begun to tap into your latent Qi. I should have you learn Wŭ Xíng so you can utilize your potential to the fullest.”

It didn’t take long for Stiles to throw himself into his study of Qi and his potential mastery of the Five Elements. His pups were excited about their dad learning magic with their kung fu. Many of the students that used to mock Stiles and the pups soon learned that they were much more dedicated and disciplined in their pursuit of kung fu. Many of the more advanced students even trained with Stiles, learning that his speed was uncanny and that with his control of Qi, could disrupt the nerves and functions of the body. Not to mention the fluid and natural way he could wield his sword. Eventually, none but the monks could handle weapon sparring with Stiles.

It had been three year of living on the streets of Hong Kong and being at the Shaolin school when Stiles eventually meet Shui, the man who would offer Stiles love for the first time as a man in his life and ultimately break his heart.

The pups never warmed up to Shui. Granted, they were never hostile to him, the pups never wanted to be near him without Stiles, who had grown to love the man. Stiles meet the man on his way home from work and eventually offer his companionship for the night. Stiles fell in love with the dark haired man with the rare green eyes. He offered Stiles money when he really needed it for his pups as they were all hitting growth spurts and the tattered clothes he could scrounge from the school were just not holding out long enough as well as being able to provide better food. More importantly, he offered Stiles comfort from being alone. The burdens of trying to be a single father was daunting and being with Shui eased the tension for Stiles just a little. His heart felt lighter being with Shui than it had ever felt in years.

In times of sweet whispers and shared secrets, Shui learned of Stiles’ home and how he was trying to get back home with his sons, saving a little from what he earned. He hoped to get enough to sneak away without alerting to the Lau Family of their presences. Shui’s eyes glittered dangerously at the mention of the Lau Family, but Stiles didn’t notice as he had his head laid upon Shui’s muscled chest, arm thrown to the side.

One of the greatest fears the pups had developed was the absence of their dad. They had come to depend and crave Stiles’ love and attention, especially Ethan and Aiden as they remembered life before their dad came into their lives. Little Liam had only really ever known one parent: Stiles. Their worst nightmare came to life one evening. Stiles had not come back to the school yet and his pups began to worry when no word came after it got dark. After gaining (nagging) the permission of the monks, they made their way to Shui’s apartment even if it was the middle of the night.

“Is our dad here?” Liam asked after Shui answered their late night knocking.

Shui frowned. “No, he left some time ago. Why don’t you stay here so that way he doesn’t come looking for you and find you gone as well?”

All three pups didn’t like the smell of Shui at the time, but they relented that it was probably a good idea to not go anywhere else this late. They were seated on the coach when Shui’s phone went off and he frowned. “Excuse me, I’ve got to take this business call.”

Shui stepped out of the living room and spoke in hushed tones, but the pups could still hear him. Stiles had never told Shui of his’ pups’ special talents. “Yes?”

“Will you have any trouble getting them later?”

“Oh, no sir. Actually, they’re here.”

“You already took them into custody?”

“No, they came to me looking for Syaoran.”

“Who?”

“Oh, it’s their dad. I always just called him Little Wolf. Seven months and I still don’t even know his name.” Shui laughed quietly.

“Then we can get rid of this man without having to beat the location for the strays out of him. We’ll finish things here at the temple and come by our place, after we’ve had a little fun of course.” A slight thud and loud, familiar groan could be heard in the background of the call. “We’ll pay you the finders fee from the Lau Family in exchange for boys once we get there.”

Shui laughed again as he clicked off the phone and walked in to the living room to find three little boys with glowing yellow eyes, claws and fangs. He actually stumbled back into the wall. “What the hell?!”

Three low growls answered him, “We’re actually the little wolves.” As one, the three pups attacked and shredded him. The pups left Shui a bloody mess; his chest torn to shreds, now intent on finding whichever temple their dad was at and hoping it wasn’t too late.

Chapter Text

The sheriff’s station was a buzz of activity as deputies scramble around organizing different maps, leads and other possible pieces of information for different crimes and activities throughout the city. The Sheriff himself was at a table crouched over looking at a map of Beacon Hills with Chris, Victoria, and Gerard off to one side away from everyone else.

“The pack has cleared this part of the map already. Isaac and Jackson and moved on to this point where as Scott and Allison have moved on to this point. Lydia and Danny are still searching for any clues electronically although officially I have no idea what they’re doing.” The Sheriff sighed.

Gerard addressed the Sheriff. “We have determined that Stiles is only missing, correct? He hasn’t been abducted like it was last time.”

The sheriff rubbed his tired eyes. “I haven’t ruled it out but there’s no sign of it abduction this time. He’s just been out of touch lately especially after the fight with Derek. Which is why I have not involved any of the deputies at this point in time. He has been missing for less than twenty four hours so I can’t officially start missing persons investigation yet.”

“Which is why you’ve asked us to come in?” Gerard asked with an eyebrow cocked.

“That and this does involve a little of the supernatural which does fall under your jurisdiction as Hunters of Beacon Hills.”

Gerard chuckled. “Well being retired was getting rather boring. A little search and rescue would do well for my weary bones.”

The Sheriff looked at the old man incredulously. “I would’ve thought a little R&R would be more appropriate for weary bones.”

“My weary bones are the ones that miss my claymore.” Gerard patted his shoulder and cackled. Chris and Victoria looked leery at the old man. They knew that he kept up to his old standards for many of his training marks. The only things that have diminished were related to the simple passage of time such as slower reaction times, recovery rate, and pure physical strength. Though it should be noted that Gerard had kept his mind as sharp as ever.

The four of them were interrupted by Victoria’s phone going off. She answered the phone without looking at the caller ID. “This is Argent.” She listened for just a moment. “Understood. Touch base later when you have a chance.” Victoria stashed her phone back in to her pocket. “Alison and Scott said they didn’t find anything at the school and have moved on.”

Gerard just nodded. “We should probably join in the search and see if we can cover more ground that way.”

“We might as well. There’s not much else to do here at the moment. We can try searching over by the old gold mines and refineries. Did you want to join us dad?” Chris asked his father.

“You two go ahead here while I search this older area of Beacon Hills here. I’m old enough to remember some of the other structures that used to be in the area, I should be able to handle that on my own.”

The sheriff nodded. “I’ll stay here if Stiles comes back or at least touch touches base with someone in the pack.”

Without another word, all three Argents left the station Victoria and Chris climbing into their car while Gerard popped into his own.   Chris had been driving for a few minutes before he addressed Victoria. “So who actually called us at the station considering our daughter texted me five minutes before she ‘called’ about a potential lead at the school?”

<~~~~~>

“FUCK!” Jackson yelled as he hung up the phone with Danny. Isaac turned his head to look over his shoulder and raise an eyebrow at Jackson, who ran a hand over his face before answering the curly blond wolf. “The pups have freaked out and are on the loose trying to find Stiles.”

“That doesn’t sound like a terrible thing.”

“Isaac, that means we have to try finding Stiles as well as trying to find his pups as well and who knows what could happen to them in the mean time AND I AM NOT LOSING MY BEST FRIEND AGAIN!” Jackson bellows eyes blazing gold.

Isaac immediately put his hands out in a placating motion. “Hey woah! Calm down! Don’t go bonkers now when we need to be focused! Focus on just finding Stiles for now, he’s the unknown at this point and that’s what we-“

Jackson’s eyes stopped glowing as Isaac started sniffing the air. “What is it? Have you picked up on Stiles’ scent?!”

Isaac focused a moment and took in a deep breath. “I am picking up Stiles’ scent, but it’s mingled with Derek’s and the pups. I think it’s actually the pups.”

Jackson looked around. They were in the older part of town where much of the town’s founding had taken place, back in the day when this used the be the end of the line for much of the Gold Rush. One of the reasons Beacon Hills fared so well compared to many of the other oldwest towns is because the gold deposits lasted well into the early 1900s. The town literally became a beacon of hope within the hills for many of the despondent that came from the east looking for their fortune. As the years went on, Beacon Hills became a travel hub for many the other towns around. “Do you think we should follow them or try continuing to look for Stiles?”

“Personally, I think it be better if we went after the pups. Finding Stiles and telling him that we don’t have his pups does not sound like a good idea. He might just knock everyone out into next week if he knew we had not been watching out for them.” Isaac said as he shuddered and hugged himself.

Jackson’s brow furrowed. “You’re right. Enraged-pack-mom Stiles is scary-stay –the-hell-away-from Stiles.” An involuntary shudder passed through Jackson as well.

The two wolves began following the scent of the pups and soon we’re able to locate them. Thankfully, they were downwind and the pups never knew they were being followed. That wasn’t to say that stalking said pups was that easy.

“Dammit, we lost sight of them again.” Isaac complained.

Jackson held up a finger for silence before he closed his eyes. “Their footsteps are pretty light…” He opened his eyes and pointed. “That way.”

The two wolves were hard-pressed to keep up with the pups. They were exceptionally light on their feet and very swift. Isaac marveled at the way they moved. “They’re amazing. The pups are just amazing. When I was that age, I was an uncoordinated klutz. The pups are moving like spies or something!” Isaac harshly whispered.

Jackson chuckled quietly to make sure the pups weren’t alerted of their presences. “Can you imagine what life has been like for them? Five years with Stiles not only feeding them and taking care of them, but also teaching them and training them. I’m surprised they’re not ninjas.”

Isaac smiled at the thought and was about to respond when he noticed the pups had abruptly stopped. Jackson and Isaac watched carefully as Liam sniffed diligently. Both wolves heard him speaking quietly in Polish to his brothers. Normally, Jackson and Isaac wouldn’t have known what was said except they picked up one word. One word they had learned in the past six weeks and knew its ingrained significance to the pups. Tato. Isaac grabbed Jackson’s arm painfully. “They found Stiles?”

Jackson smacked Isaac’s hand off his arm. “Use your nose you idiot! You have the better sniffer between the two of us.”

Isaac blinked owlishly before he took a deep breath through his nose. His eyes snapped open, glowing golden yellow. “It’s him.”

Jackson whipped out his phone and hit Danny’s speed dial.

<~~~~~>

Stiles eyes were filled with tears and horror. The very face that haunted his nightmares leered at him in the flesh once more. Old Dragon smiled as he stood up on creaky knees. Once up right, he snapped his fingers. Shui walked over and soundly kicked Stiles in the stomach. Stiles breath exploded out of him, but with the gag in place, it all came out his nose. His snot dribbled down his gag and made breathing difficult. “Just a reminder of what you’ve been missing the last few months since I last saw you at the temple.” The Old Dragon smirked.

As he tried to gain his breath again, Stiles looked around. The abandoned train depot was in a decrepit state. Old train cars long abandoned sat dirty and cracked amidst decades worth of dust. Rusted junk lay about in piles as the sunbeams came through the discolored windows, illuminating everything with a butter yellow haze to it all. Stiles counted at least fifteen men stationed all around the depot. Old Dragon and Shui the only ones that weren’t actively letting their gaze wander. In fact, their gaze was firmly locked on him. Shui crouched down again as tears and snot ran down Stiles’ face. “Ya know, you and your mutts almost cost me is there a pretty penny from the Old Dragon here.”

Old Dragon chuckled from his vantage is step behind Shui. “Almost cost you your life as well.”

Shui looked over your shoulder and shrugged with a damn smug look on his face. “I’m not dead thanks to you so I know where my priorities are. I’ll be set for life once we get you your property back.” Stiles stopped struggling and crying only to stare at Shui. “What? You didn’t think I was here for you, did you?”

Bellowing laughter filled depot as Shui stood up. Of course that wasn’t what was running through Stiles’ is mind. No the first thoughts that came to mind for the faces of Ethan, Aiden, and Liam. All the fear and anxiety he had been feeling since he had woken up was suddenly gone, replaced with righteous fury. Stiles started to struggle again, cursing out and threatening two men through his gag.

Shui stilled for a moment before he turned to Old Dragon. “Someone’s here.”

A call from one of the guards distracted Old Dragon. The guard made subtle hand signs to which Old Dragon waved his hand. A moment later, heavy footsteps could be heard walking into the depot. Stiles couldn’t see he was coming from behind him, but clearly it was not a surprise too Old Dragon. “Has there been any word about the location of my property?”

A chuckle had the hairs on the back of Stiles neck standing. “We’ll find them soon enough. All the wolves and all the hunters are currently looking for this piece of trash. Getting your strays will be a simple matter.”

Old Dragon huffed. “Will we have to deal with any of the law-enforcement in town? Supernatural or mundane?”

A few footsteps preceded Gerard Argent walking into Stiles’ field of vision. He was clad in the familiar attire of a Hunter with a large claymore on his back. “I sent my family hunting off in a different direction while I looked at this old part of town because I’m old enough to remember what it was before. No one really knows about this old abandoned depot, which is why I suggested it as your base of operations for your short business trip in town.”

Old Dragon scowled. “As long as I get my property back I can deal with this hovel for the moment.”

Gérard turn to the old man with an eyebrow raised. “I am still getting my finders fee, am I not? Trust me I will ensure you get your mutts.”

Shui grumbled. “It should be my finders fee not his.”

Old Dragon waved off the remark. “You have been compensated far better than you could possibly have hoped for already.”

Fury and frustration boiled within Stiles as he watched the three converse amongst themselves well he was trussed up like a pig for a luau. After all the careful planning and executing he had done to try to ensure his little family’s safety, it seems it was all for not. His heart ached as he remembered his many nights in Shui’s warm embrace, letting down his guard and letting the strains of having to always be strong go. Those nights that ultimately betrayed him.

The man of his memories stiffened again before he turned to Gerard and Old Dragon. “Your property seems to have found us and there is company with them.”

Gerard glanced at the man. “How could you possibly know that?”

Shui turned and Stiles’ heart froze at the sight of the cool blue glow in his eyes and the smirk on his face. “Trust me, I know.”

<~~~~~>

Liam, Ethan and Aiden made their way through this older part of town. They weren’t familiar with it as dad and the rest of the pack didn’t live around this area, but it wasn’t hard for them to move about. Not only was the area more sparsely populated, many of the alleyways were connected and built with a more haphazard method compared to the meticulously planned neighborhoods and business of the more modern Beacon Hills. The pups were making their way to what looked like an old warehouse with train tracks when Ethan and Aiden stopped in their tracks and grabbed Liam by the shoulders to stop him, holding up his finger to his lips in silence.

Aiden looked at Ethan, touched his ear, and held up two fingers and then pointed behind them. Ethan nodded but then also touched his ear and held up three fingers and pointed above them. Liam and Aiden both scowled. All three pups took deep breathes through their noses before glaring at each other in annoyance. Ethan turned his head up to the sky. “We know you’re up on the roof.”

Aiden looked down the alleyway. “And you guys behind us as well.”

Scott and Allison descended from the roof, Scott simply jumping down while Allison did some rather impressive parkour going from window to window, as Jackson and Isaac came up from behind the pups. Ethan sighed. “I heard three heartbeats on the roof, ya know.” A moment later, Derek landed in the midst of the pack as well.

“You pups should not have gone off alone.” Derek growled, his crimson eyes glowing.

“And you shouldn’t have tried to trick us and dad!”

Scott hissed softly, “Hey let’s stop arguing for a moment and focus on what’s important right now and that’s rescuing Stiles!”

The pups tensed. Aiden snapped his attention Scott. “What do you mean ‘rescuing’ dad? He’s just missing after running from this traitor.” He jerked his finger at Derek who narrowed his eyes and growled.

Allison pulled out her phone. “There is only one traitor here and it’s not Derek.” She brought up a picture and showed the pups. The picture looked like a lot of grass but looking closely, they could see the words GERARD TRAITOR made up of white stones.

The pups looked wary, but unconvinced. “So who’s Gerard and what does he have to do with all this?”

Scott addressed the question. “We’re not sure just yet, but we know this message is from your dad so we don’t question its validity. We believe Gerard has taken Stiles by force last night, that’s why he never came home.”

Three pairs of cool blue eyes flashed along with two golden yellow and one crimson red accompanied by a symphony of growls, snarls, and a hiss through the teeth. Little Liam turned to Derek. “Do you swear that you weren’t trying to take us from dad?”

With utter solemnity not usually used with a seven year old, Derek met Liam’s gaze. “Yes, I swear I only wanted you all to stay with me, not take you from Stiles.”

Ethan and Aiden both had their heads tilted as they listened to Derek’s heart. The twins heard the steady, albeit fast, rhythm of Derek’s heart. Ethan still eyed Derek with caution. “We’ve tracked dad’s scent to there.”

The rest of the pack followed Ethan’s finger towards the old train depot. Jackson and Isaac both closed their eyes with Jackson tilting his head and Isaac taking a deep breath. Jackson opened his eyes first. “I hear a hell of a lot of heartbeats in there. There must be at least twenty.”

Isaac opened his eyes next, but his still held their golden yellow glow and his fangs dropped as he growled. “I smell a foreign wolf in there.”

Allison unslung her massive longbow as she ghosted towards the depot, gently turning her head over her shoulder. “It’s time we got our Stiles back.”

Seven wolfish grins answered her as they bounded in the wake of the Huntress.

Chapter Text

The pack stalked around the building, looking for an undetectable way in, but sadly a guard manned every window and door. Derek had to grab the twins and Scott grabbed Liam from outright just rushing one of the entrances and just storming the place. “We can’t risk them hurting Stiles. They are definitely not Code Breakers, probably just common criminals.”

Liam turned a suspicious glare to Derek. “What’s a Code Breaker?”

Allison answered, steel in her eyes and her voice. “Hunters that have gone against The Code. Long ago, it was “We hunt those that would hunt us” from a more dark age time, but The Code today is “We protect those that cannot protect themselves.” The difference is that the attitude we Hunters have is that we do what we can to protect the normal public from potentially dangerous supernatural sources instead of actively going out and killing. Since we have special training and weapons, The Code is taken very seriously because of what we can potentially do as well. They are normally very rare occurrences because we stamp them out quickly.”

Ethan and Aiden both snorted and snarked in synced stereo. “Obviously.”

Jackson huffed. “We’re getting sided tracked. How are we supposed to get in?”

Isaac held up a hand. “We could try and draw away some of the guards and get in that way.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “And exactly how should we do that? Get them to chase one of us? Those guards will probably hunker down, not leave their posts. This isn’t some bad TV show, you know. ”

Isaac deadpanned Jackson before turning back to the rest of the pack. “What I was thinking was having Allison trying to shoot a few of them enough that they would pursue her. They are clearly expecting someone coming so we might as well as just draw away as many as we can and just go in through the front. Easiest way in and out.”

Scott growled. “Because using my wife as bait makes sense.”

Isaac deadpanned Scott as well. “You’re wife that happens to be a highly skilled and deadly Huntress. Yeah, I am so expecting her to be taken easily.”

Allison blushed at the compliment, but moved on. “I could do it. Shouldn’t be a problem.” A growl from Scott was interrupted as Allison gently smacked his nose. “Bad Scott. Focus on helping Stiles.”

Scott glared at his wife for a moment before he sighed and slumped his shoulders. A few minutes later had Allison standing at the gate of the train depot’s abandoned lines. Her dark clothes concealed in the shadow she stood in for a moment as she drew back her arrow. The black arrow soared and struck one of the guards in the shoulder at the main entrance sending him flying back into the wall. His companion was stunned and pressed at his coat-clipped radio to call for help before an arrow stuck him in the leg and he crumpled to the ground. Allison smiled. “Too easy.”

Which she should not really have said as eight guards, four from each side of the building appeared and charged her. Allison stopped smiling and started running. “Not so easy!”

From their vantage point hidden around the bend of a different alley, Ethan whistled. “Wow, Aunt Ally’s fast.” The four older wolves smiled but kept silent. Taking advantage of the distraction, the pack made it’s way to the front door.

Derek held up at hand for quiet. Closing his eyes he tilted his head and talk a deep breath through his nose. “There are fourteen heartbeats inside one which has to be Stiles, one is Gerard and one is the other wolf. That means we have at least eleven normal humans inside we need to keep the bloodshed to a minimum but don’t go easy on them.”

Six heads nodded in silent agreement. Derek held his hand out and began counting down from five. As the last finger closed in, the whole pack surged through the door. They vaulted over the railing of the stairs and into the depot only to be stopped when they ran into what felt like a brick wall and rebounded backwards. All seven wolves were back on their feet after a moment and tried to search forward once more only to meet the resistance again.

“You mongrels should just relax because you aren’t getting through that mountain ash barrier.”

All the wolves looked up to see Gerard standing at the forefront. Behind him stood an older Asian man leaning on a bamboo cane with another sharply dressed younger Asian male who also was holding up on a gagged Stiles. Ten thugs stood behind and had their guns trained on the wolves.

At the sight of Stiles’ tear stained, snot covered, battered and bruised face all seven wolves had there hackles standing on end. Derek growled out first. “Let him go and we won’t kill you all.”

Gerard chuckled. “Empty threat you mutt. Can’t do shit behind that barrier and there’s nothing you can do to break it. How about this: we’ll do a trade. You agree to send over the pups and I’ll send over Stiles.”

“You think I would give up part of my pack? Old age has made you senile.” Derek eyes flashed crimson.

The old man stepped forward. “I just want my property back. I don’t care about this useless pest. He has been far more trouble than he was worth.” He turned to Gerard. “ I expect a full refund for him.”

Gerard made a supplicating gesture with his hands. “Now, now, let’s not be hasty here. I believe we can attest to the fact that the pest was indeed a wise investment. After all he did train the little mutts rather well. That demonstration at the temple you told me about sounded impressive.”

Stiles whimpered at the mention of the temple before the younger Asian man holding him up punched him in the stomach. The four older wolves could smell a sudden spike in fury coming from the three little wolves. Ethan glared at the old man with his cool blue eyes glowing. “Old Dragon.”

Aiden did likewise to be young man holding Stiles. “Shui.”

Liam’s eyes glared at Gerard. “Give us back our dad. Now!”

Old Dragon out right laughed at the pups. “You think you can order me around? As if I’d do what you said? How about we do this: let’s have a repeat of what you did last time you stood before me at the temple but this time you have to kill the Alpha.”

Jackson growled. “What does that mean?”

Old Dragon chuckled. “I have learned enough about wolves that you should be asking this: why are the little mongrels’ eyes blue?”

<~~~~~>

It took the pups little over an hour to finally locate the temple where their dad could be heard from within. The pups raced inside to find their dad being held up by two of the Lau Family goons while another continued to pummel him and the Old Dragon stood off to the side clearly amused. “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you three anytime soon.”

The two nine year olds and the six year old glared at the old man, Ethan and Aiden both feeling the sting of his cane on their shoulders still. “Let dad go!”

Old Dragon huffed a chuckle. “Oh why yes, why don’t we do just that.” With a look, the two holding Stiles’ up unceremoniously dropped him to the stone floor. Stiles, who had been barely conscious, landed on his face and broke his nose. His cry of pain was slightly muffled as he brought his hands to his face. A quick snap of Old Dragon’s fingers had Stiles moaning as he grabbed his just kicked midsection. Stiles’ breath was gurgling as the blood ran freely from his nose.

Vicious growls, glowing golden eyes, fangs and claws preceded the pups as they try to rush to Stiles only to stop when one of the thugs stepped hard on Stiles’ neck as he lay on the ground. “Don’t move.” The thug commanded. “Or I may just decide to actually finish taking this step on to his neck completely.”

The pups all glared and had to restrain themselves from trying to launch themselves at the thug, but they couldn’t risk Stiles’ life. Old Dragon chuckled as he leaned on his cane. “That’s better. You little monsters do as I say and we might actually let him live!” Old Dragon threw his head back in a deep laugh before he waved a hand to his side.

Two more thugs came in, dragging a gagged and blindfolded man. The unknown man was pushed on to his knees before being cold cocked from the side. He slumped forward unconscious. Old Dragon looked to the pups. “To prove yourselves to me and so you understand your situation listen closely: Someone is going to die tonight! Either its that pest on the ground with Xin standing on his neck or it’s that unconscious man over there. The choice is yours.”

Stiles flicked his hazy gaze to the Old Dragon. “Whad?!” Stiles choked out through the blood running down his face.

“Either the little mongrels kill that man or Xin kills you. Quite simple really.”

Stiles struggled a moment and rasped out a stuffed up and blubbery, “DOH! DON’ DO ID!” before a swift quick to the stomach silenced him once more.

Old Dragon laughed and turned to the frozen pups. “I’ll give you thirty seconds to decide. Thirty, twenty nine, twenty eight…”

The pups were paralyzed with indecision. They had never killed before and Stiles had taught them that because of their abilities and powers, they had to make sure to never hurt anyone that wasn’t hurting them. He had drilled that into their heads with the way of the Light Side. But they knew Old Dragon, he would really kill Stiles if they didn’t do as he said. Stiles couldn’t shield them from this and they couldn’t imagine their lives without him. Disobey and disappoint Stiles breaking his trust or live up to all he had been teaching them and make him proud but losing Stiles forever?

“Ten…nine…eight…” Stiles cried out as more pressure was applied to his neck. The pups reacted instinctively.

“Seven…six…five…” The pups lunged for the unconscious man. The two thugs holding him stepped away.

“Four…three…two…” Stiles’ cries echoed in the temple, as the other man lay dead at the feet of the pups, claws dripping with his blood. Stiles watched in profound sorrow as the glow in his pups’ eyes flashed from golden yellow to cool blue.

“One. Well done you little monsters! You’ll be perfect for my needs soon enough.” Old Dragon laughed.

Stiles felt the pressure on his neck ease off slightly. He also noted that everyone’s attention was focused on the pups. They had one shot. Stiles clenched his mouth shut, grabbed his nose and realigned it with a quick snap. After the blinding white pain cleared and he was able to snort out a blob of blood from his nose, Stiles cried out, “Trzy strzałki na słońce!”

The pups moved instantly. Liam drove straight for Old Dragon’s face, arms crossed and gaze unwavering. Ethan and Aiden targeted the two thugs that were on either side of Stiles and went for their faces as well. All three intended targets stumbled backwards at the unexpected attack to their faces and fell to the ground. The pups all sailed over their targets, landed, and regrouped around Stiles. The thug that had been standing on Stiles’ neck quickly backed away when Liam growled at him, letting his fangs dropped and attempted to bite his leg.

Ethan and Aiden helped Stiles to his feet. He leaned heavily on Ethan as Aiden took a stance as did Liam. Stiles glared at Old Dragon who for the first time he could remember had fear written across his face. Stiles had a bloody smile as he pointed at Old Dragon. “Ptaki wybrać na wiśni!”

Liam and Aiden grinned viciously as they rushed at Old Dragon. The old man scrambled and shrieked. “Kill them all! Get me out of here!”

The two thugs that had brought in the unknown man quickly grabbed Old Dragon and made a mad dash out of the temple as the three that had been torturing Stiles nervously formed a barrier between the pups and their prey. Liam and Aiden both jumped into the air and let lose flying kicks right into the surprised faces of two of the thugs. Who knew kids that small could get that much air?

Liam and Aiden both connected and knocked out their intended targets. Liam immediately rounded on the last standing thug in fury. The thug wasn’t fast enough to get away and had an enraged pup on his chest, systematically ripping his chest to shreds.

Liam had tears running down his face. They tried to kill his dad! They tried to kill his dad! KILL HIS DAD!! HIS DAD!! His anger began to cloud his mind and his vision. He almost lost his dad! He was going to be alone again! Alone without dad! ALONE! NO DAD! He swiped his claws relentlessly until he felt arms wrap around him, pinning his arms to his side and plastering his face to a soft, plaid, blood stained shirt. “Liam! Pillars! Now!”

That voice. He knew that voice. He also knew the smell in his nose. It was the smell of home. It was the smell of safety. It was the sweet smell of love. Stiles. Through his chanting of Force…Knowledge…Discipline, the rage abetted and he could soon see once more. He looked up to his dad’s bloody and battered face that smiled softly down at him. Tears came to his eyes as he buried his face into his dad’s chest.

<~~~~~>

Jackson growled and snarled viciously. “It doesn’t matter! What’s done is done but right now you are going to give us back Stiles and we’ll let you live!”

Gerard laughed as he pulled out a Colt. 45 from inside his jacket and in a smooth, effortless motion, shot Jackson in the chest. Stiles’ eyes went wide and his scream was muffled at Jackson’s stunned expression. He looked at the bullet wound and could smell why he was starting to stagger on his feet. “Wolfs…bane.”

Jackson would have fallen had Isaac and Scott not caught him. The pups surrounded Jackson and whipped their bags off their backs. Derek stood in front, shielding the Betas and the pups. Stiles struggled and thanks to the adrenaline in his system actually ignored Shui’s punch the gut. Gerard holstered his gun with a chuckle. “That should shut him up.”

Ethan and Aiden rummaged in their bags quickly pulling things out, but Old Dragon was focused on Derek. “You see? You monsters are powerless against us. Turn over my property and you may yet save your mongrel.” Old Dragon laughed.

Derek could smell the burning wolfsbane behind him and the hiss from Jackson, instinctively knowing Stiles must have packed and taught the pups proper technique for wolfsbane poisoning. Derek locked eyes with Stiles. As had been over the last six weeks, silent understanding passed between them. Derek would not give up the pups, no matter what happened. Stiles would fight back and give them the chance they needed. They would work together.

Stiles squinted at the line of mountain ash at Derek’s feet as Derek addressed Old Dragon and Gerard, Isaac and Scott standing at his side, snarling and growling, the pups still administering to Jackson. “You call us monsters and yet who buys and beats children? Who takes people from their families without ever giving them any sense of closure? We’re not the monsters, you both are!”

A crack appeared in the stone, breaking the line of mountain ash. Isaac, Scott and Derek all charged forward. Old Dragon faltered and fell back. “Stop them!”

Gerard whipped out his Colt again, but he didn’t get a shot off. An arrow slammed the gun out of his hand and he watched it skid off. Gerard looked up with a menacing scowl to see Allison standing above them, already nocking another arrow. “Not this time Grandfather.” Her smile never reached her eyes.

“Wretch! You’d betray your own flesh and blood?!”

“I’m not related to you, you monstrous, evil menace!” Allison suddenly shifted her aim and let lose an arrow as it sailed into one of the ten gunmen at the back. “Don’t even try it!” The other nine gunmen lowered their weapons.

Derek lunged at Shui, who promptly dropped Stiles in an effort to avoid the Alpha’s claws. Isaac caught Stiles before he fell to the ground, as Scott tried to engage Gerard, but the old man had brought out his giant claymore and was effectively keeping the Beta at bay. Stiles felt the gag finally loosening and could spit out the damn ball in his mouth. “Thank you, Isaac.”

Isaac said nothing as he ripped apart Stiles’ bindings at his arms and feet, but watched the fight between Shui and Derek. It was uncanny with how similar in appearance Shui was to Derek. Isaac suddenly understood part of why Stiles kept Derek at bay if this man was the one that hurt him so badly. Aside from the shape of their eyes, Derek and Shui could have been clones.

Shui danced away from Derek’s swipe again only to try and retaliate. They both traded blows, with Shui getting in more shots than Derek. More of his punches and kicks connected as he continued to scratch up Derek’s shirt. “You can’t beat me! I’m so much better than you! This isn’t even a challenge!” Shui smiled as he side stepped another of Derek’s attacks. “You’re just trying to claw me like an animal! You have no technique at all! Just give up, Syaoran is a good lay, but he isn’t worth all this, Big Boy.”

“Stiles!” Stiles whipped his head in Derek’s direction, but he wasn’t looking at Stiles. He was snarling at Shui still. “His name is Stiles and you know what?” Derek’s eyes flashed crimson red, his fangs dropped, claws extended and his face completely shifted to his beta form. “I’M THE ALPHA OF BEACON HILLS!” Derek’s roar threw Shui back into an old train car and before he could recover, Derek had his hand at Shui’s throat.

Shui gasped as he tried to get a breath in the iron grip of the Alpha. “You will shut your damn mouth before I permanently shut-“ BANG! Derek stopped at the gunshot. He turned to see Old Dragon had managed to get Gerard’s Colt and it was currently pointed at him. Old Dragon squeezed the trigger two more times and Derek felt himself crumbling to the ground. His body was going numb. Derek toppled over, with Shui still standing coughing and hacking for breath.

Stiles turned to Scott’s cry as Scott held a bloody shoulder on the ground where Gerard had him pinned to the ground, claymore at his throat. Stiles turned back to Derek to see the Alpha’s eyes half shut where as Shui’s eyes glowed murderous blue with a raised claw. He could see Derek’s neck completely exposed and Shui would soon be an Alpha. Stiles uselessly reached out a hand. “DEREK!”

“DAD!” Liam cried.

Stiles whipped his head around in time to see something long and glinting sailing at him. He caught Wǔ Shǒu Gēqǔ de Xīnzàng out of the air. The moment the sword was in his hand, Stiles’ eyes flashed white. Isaac let go of Stiles as the man stood up and his voice thundered in the depot causing everyone to freeze. “No more!”

Jackson weakly laughed as the pups continued to administer his wound. “Too-da-loo motherfuckers! You're about to meet mama-wolf Stiles and he's pissed!”

Chapter Text

The air stilled, reverently quiet in the wake of the furious call of Stiles. He white-knuckled his sword in his hands as his eyes continued to glow in an ethereal white. No one dared draw a breath, lest they offended him. The slow slither of metal was deafening in the silence. Stiles held his sword in his right hand as he clutched the scabbard in his left.

His eyes found Gerard, who stared back in amazement. Dropping down into his preferred low stance, Stiles beckoned, his sword above his head pointed to the old man with the scabbard held behind his back. “Come you forgotten remnant of another age. Let us see how you fair against someone in a head on fight instead of relying on cheap tricks.”

Gerard saw red as he hefted his claymore away from Scott’s neck and bull charged Stiles. Momentarily distracted as he watched Scott scrambling backwards and Isaac’s timely arrival to help him get away, Stiles deflected Gerard’s first opening double overhand stroke. The giant claymore scraped along Stiles’ blade and landed uselessly on the ground next to him, strike a decent dent into the cement. Stiles whipped his sword around his head to slash at Gerard’s throat. The old man was wily and simply brought his claymore up to stand in front of him. Stiles’ stroke was stopped with a clang. Gerard had a cocky grin on his face for a moment, before he was suddenly winded and bending over. Stiles had flipped the scabbard in his hand and jabbed the old man in his unprotected midsection.

The Code Breaker growled and tried to heave his claymore up a vicious upward stroke in an attempt to lop off Stiles’ right arm at the shoulder. For his part, Stiles planted his scabbard in the ground on his left side and cart wheeled over it, following Gerard’s stroke letting it pass in the space between his limbs as he landed in another low crouch. The stroke had too much force in it and overbalanced Gerard. The moment spun him around before he could regain control of his claymore.

Out of the corner of his eye, Stiles found Shui with his clawed hand up once more above the barely conscious Derek. Keeping his sword pointed at Gerard, Stiles tapped the scabbard on the ground three times before making his own upward stroke. Shui’s lunge at Derek was met with three stone pillars erupting from the ground around Derek’s head, punching him backwards a good fifteen away before retracting back into the ground.

Stiles’ voice rolled like the ocean through the depot. “Szczeniaki, opieka medyczna dla Derek.” The pups left Jackson and scampered to Derek, examining the bullet wounds. Liam popped his claws out and began to use his little paws to pull out the wolfsbane-laced bullets. Derek could feel his little fingers digging into his sides.

Stiles turned his full attention back to Gerard who was no longer raging furious, but cold and calculating. He had forgotten that this whelp knew some elemental magic according to the report he had briefly skimmed through earlier. Earth and Fire. He had to be cautious if he didn’t want to end up burned or crushed. An amused look cracked through Stiles’ stony demeanor. “Scared all of a sudden Gerard? Of little old me?” Stiles pouted, which was eerie given his glowing ethereal white eyes.

Squinting, Gerard raised his claymore above his head in a defensive stance as Stiles advanced on him, sword arm extended forward in an advanced stance allowing for offense and defense respectfully. With mere inches of space between the blade points, Gerard took the initiative and tried to skewer Stiles, only to have his claymore to slide effortlessly along Stiles’ sword. The old Hunter pressed forward and rammed his hilt into Stiles sword in an effort to bulldoze him, but Stiles’ low stance anchored him in place. Stiles smiled at Gerard as they stood corps de corps before Stiles suddenly bent backwards and allowed Gerard to overbalance once again. Gerard lurched forward, the resistance holding him up suddenly gone, only to sidle up on top of Stiles’s arched body, both hands planted on the ground. It took him a moment to register that Stiles’ feet were against his stomach, only for him to realize that Stiles was flipping his body up once again. Gerard was unceremoniously thrown to the ground as Stiles landed back onto his feet, sword and scabbard still clutched in each hand.

A quick glance to the side, Stiles looked to see a groggy Derek sitting up with the help of Liam holding him as Ethan and Aiden stood in front of him, guarding the Alpha from Shui who was growling at the pups.

His eyes flicking in the other direction, Stiles could see Jackson standing with a hand on Isaac’s shoulder to steady him while Scott no longer clutched at his bloody shoulder. All three wolves were glaring at the nine standing thugs in the back, daring one of them to move. Wisely, the nine didn’t make a move.

Gerard was on his feet again, panting and huffing. Stiles grinned and dropped his scabbard. “I’m done waiting for you. Time I make the first move.”

Derek’s vision had cleared considerably now that wolfsbane was no longer a problem. Stiles’ training of the pups clearly shamed what he taught his betas. He was supremely thankful that the pups were standing between him and Shui. In all likelihood, there would have been a new Alpha to deal with had they not stood guard. The cacophony of metal stinging metal drew his eyes to the duel between Gerard and Stiles.

Having witnessed Stiles’ fight with Kira, he knew the man was supremely fast, deadly, and accurate with the sword, but this fight. This fight made Derek realize just how much Stiles had been holding back when he had been fighting Kira. When Stiles had fought the Kitsune, he had been apparently making sure he didn’t risk cutting or stabbing her unnecessarily. Stiles was a relentless flash of steel as easily broke into Gerard’s guard leaving red gashes everywhere. Gerard’s body was covered in dozens of small red marks. It was amazing to behold the sheer speed at which Stiles moved. Derek had an inkling that this is what he had meant so long ago before when he and Stiles first fought after the debacle of inviting Stiles to their training weeks ago.

Derek watched as Gerard heaved for breath as his claymore hung in his grasp, the point dragging on the floor. With a smirk, Stiles advanced again as Gerard swung his claymore again but this time, Stiles kicked his left leg up and knocked the giant blade out of Gerard’s hands. Derek watched as the claymore skittered across the depot. The old man found a sword point at his throat as he stilled, glaring and breathing through clenched teeth.

Stiles smirked. “You really are just a big blowhard aren’t you? You actually can’t do shit. You’re just a big windbag that-“ BANG! A shot rang out once more and all the wolves trained their eyes at Old Dragon who still had the gun in his hand pointed at Stiles this time. Derek panicked. “Stiles!”

A moment later, an arrow soared and slammed into Old Dragon’s shoulder making him drop the gun in pain. “Let’s see you try that again!” Allison cried out.

Everyone’s eyes flickered back to Stiles. Even if wolfsbane wouldn't do anything to him, the force of the bullet would still cause damage.   Jackson, Isaac, and Scott had a better view of Stiles’ arm hovering at his side seemingly pointing at something to the side. It wasn’t until Stiles brought up his finger to the left side of his head could Gerard actually see. The bullet Old Dragon had fired at him was hovering, spinning in place, right at Stiles’ fingertip. Gerard’s eyes were blown open.

Stiles glared. “You seem surprised.”

Gerard huffed. “Your power over Earth shouldn’t let you manipulate metals of any kind!”

Stiles smiled in genuine amusement. “Bet you didn’t know I could do this too.” A jerk of his head sent the mountain ash scattered about in the depot flying through the air to land perfectly in a circle around Shui who panicked at suddenly being surrounded by the barrier. The pups and Derek startled as Shui began to pound at the invisible force. Ethan and Aiden relaxed a moment and tried to help Derek stand. The Alpha was pretty steady on his feet.

Gerard hissed and tried to move but felt the sword point at his throat press in and a little warmth trickled down his collar. “Impossible!”

“Wrong! My magic is tied to Wŭ Xíng, I know how to tap in and manipulate Qi of all Five Elements! Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Metal! All of them are at my command but you know what? My sword was forged with the all Five worked into it so my control magic is a thousand times more potent when hold it.” Derek could smell the utter dissonance and fury seeping into the air. Stiles eyes began to glow with an even more intense light, Gerard having to squint at just to barely see in front of him. Stiles’ voice was rising in power, rolling waves of the ocean to an avalanche. “And you! The very reason I know how to do all this is because of YOU!”

Gerard stumbled back at the sheer concussive blow Stiles’ voice. Derek watched as Stiles kept his sword pointed at Gerard, but he didn’t move from his spot. However, Derek noticed everything in the depot was beginning to vibrate as Stiles’ eyes burned into quasars of intensity. “If you hadn’t set that feral alpha on me and my friends in some stupid hope of getting new werewolves to hunt later on, I wouldn’t have learned all I had to help protect them!” Derek heard four heartbeats still for a moment as he looked over to see Scott, Jackson, Isaac and Allison looking pale but Stiles it seemed was on a roll. “I wouldn’t have earned that stupid rumor of being a werewolf trainer as a teenager and I wouldn’t have been KIDNAPPED!”

Piles of the rusted metal suddenly floated in the air and began vibrating. Random chunks of stone erupted from the ground and began to spin in place. Timbers could be heard cracking and being pulled from various places floating ominously as jagged spears. Water erupted from the sprinkling system and whipped into a dark cloud hovering overhead. Little flames began winking into life all around the depot, blazing fireflies slowly drifting at the slightest breeze. Derek watched in terrifying awe as Stiles’ voice boomed through the depot. “Five years! Five years I was beaten and starved! Five years where I was ripped from my family! Five years spent trying to protect innocent children from being turned into nothing more than beasts! FIVE YEARS YOU ALL STOLE FROM ME!”

By now, Gerard, Old Dragon and Shui realized just how much shit they were really in. Gerard kept trying to scramble backwards away from Stiles as Old Dragon tried to get up and make a run for it although he couldn’t since Allison had hit the side he used the cane with. Shui just kept pounding at the barrier, whimpering like a trapped animal. The thugs had long ago thrown their guns down and now huddled together cowering against the wall.

“If you think you can do whatever you want with no consequences just because you have money, then SCREW YOU! I am going to show you what real power can do!” Stiles roared as he pulled his sword up and pointed it to the ceiling.

All the debris in the air began to move in a current. Slowly but surely, the speed began to pick up and started concentrating around three specific targets. Whirlwinds of rusty scraps, boiling steam, shattered cement, ancient splinters and glowing embers began closing in and soon moans and shrieks began to rise from Stiles’ intended victims.

Derek herded the pups over to his Betas and yelled over the cacophony. “Protect them!” He could make out three nods. Derek looked up and could see Allison had crouched down to not get blown away from the zephyr whipping through the depot.

Derek turned and forced his way towards the headwind generated by Stiles. “Stiles!”

Stiles’ attention was solely focused on the men in front of him painfully screaming horse as they were cut, burned, battered, stabbed and suffocated. Derek shielded his face as he reached Stiles and grabbed his shoulder. “Stiles! Stop!”

With a thrum of force, Derek was pushed back slightly but thanks to his Alpha strength, he held his own, braced against the force of nature that was Stiles, who’s shout could be heard even over the roar of everything else. “No! They deserve this! All the shit I’ve had to deal with! All the time I’ve lost! The memories I wasn’t part of with my family and friends! I’m not getting those back!”

Derek had to roar just so his voice would carry over the din. “Then make new ones! Make new ones with all of us now!”

Stiles turned his head and Derek had to look away from the glaring nova that was Stiles’ eye he could see. “It’s not the same!”

Derek blinked the spots out of his eyes. “No it’s not, but they can be better!”

Stiles turned away again and the velocity around shifted a higher grade. The Screams became shrills. “They deserve to die!”

Derek reached Stiles and grabbed him again. “You’re not a murderer!”

Stiles’ shoulder was tense under his fingers. “Deserve to die! Deserve to die! Deserve to die! DESERVE TO DIE!”

Before Derek could say anything else, his ears picked up on a sharp squeak behind him. Derek turned and his eyes locked on the Liam’s. They were red from crying and he could see his mouth moving. Derek focused on trying to read the littlest wolf’s lips. PILLARS!

Understanding dawned. Derek squeezed Stiles’ shoulder hard enough to get his attention. “Stiles! What are the Pillars?!”

Apparently, that caught Stiles off-guard, as there was just the slightest falter in the speed of Stiles’ humming bird heart. “What?!”

“The pups know the Pillars! What are the Pillars!?”

The intensity of Stiles’ eyes faded from blinding supernovas to blazing suns. “Force, Knowledge, Discipline. The Pillars of the Jedi Order. The Way of the Light Side.”

Derek took a chance. “Stiles! Pillars! Now!”

At first Stiles only stared at Derek. Slowly, but surely, Stiles began mouthing each word, repeating the mantra. As Stiles found his normal voice with the mantra, the cataclysm that had been brooding within the depot began to settle. Gently, the sword began to lower to Stiles’ side. The floating embers winked out, the dark cloud dissipated, the stones, scraps and splinters settled to the ground.

Stillness encompassed depot, but not silence. Pitiful cries and groans could be heard from Stiles’ victims. Once the very dust settled, his pups leapt to Stiles, the pack just a step behind. Stiles knelt down and grabbed his sons and held them tight, all four had tears quietly flowing down their cheeks. The pack soon had them all in a group hug. Eventually, Stiles began to whisper. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t-”

Scott huffed. “Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

Chapter Text

Stiles was the first to stand up and effectively broke the group hug as everyone stood up as well. He looked around to the disfigured piles of flesh that was Gerard and Old Dragon. Shui on the other hand looked to be halfway healed but still writhed in pain. “What should we do about all these yahoos?” Styles gestured with his sword listlessly.

Allison perked up. “Leave that to me.” She reached back behind her, opening a small pouch on the side of her quiver. She pulled out her phone and tap screen a few times before bringing it up to her ear. “Advance, but stand down. Suspects in custody.”

Everyone but Scott was confused. Isaac broke the momentary silence. “Ally, who exactly did you just call?”

Scott walked over to Allison and put his arm over her shoulder. “Give it a moment.”

In the span of a breath, fifteen men in dark riot gear, Kevlar vests, earpieces wired to their coats stormed the depot. Five men came through the main entrance while another five stormed in from the side entrances each man had a weapon drawn and was sweeping the area. After a moment, one many of the main entrance at the top of the stairs turned around and yelled, “Clear!”

All fifteen men advanced into the depot weapons trained on Gerard, Shui, Old Dragon, and the thugs still huddled in a quivering mass near the wall. The Sheriff, Victoria, and Rafael came running in from the main entrance, all three had weapons drawn as well Victoria with a very wicked looking crossbow, the sheriff with two silver pistols in each hand, and Raphael some serious firepower tucked under his arm. All three parents rushed over to the pack. The Sheriff stashed his pistols into his holsters before he grabbed Stiles in a bear hug. “Thank God you’re okay.”

Stiles returned the embrace, making sure to keep his sword away from poking his dad in the back. Victoria and Rafael stowed their weapons and grabbed their own children in an embrace. Rafael let go of Scott, but kept his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Kid, could you have given me a bit more warning to what the hell is happening?”

Scott’s face dropped like a kicked puppy. “Dad, I called you just a few hours ago when Allison sent that pic.”

Rafael dropped his head while gripping his son’s shoulders and spoke to the ground. “Scott, you called me two hours ago. I have to run through a helluva lot of red tape to get my team mobilized and I basically ditched my Interpol partner just now to get you guys back up. Months of work for this case almost went down the drain here.”

Victoria’s gazed locked on the bloody mess that was her father-in-law over Allison’s shoulder. “I seriously doubt we would have been much assistance, Agent McCall.”

“Clearly.” Rafael snorted.

Jackson jumped in. “What are you guys talking about?”

Victoria let her daughter go and brought the crossbow back into her grip. “Agent McCall has been back in town for a case.”

Jackson nodded. “Right, we figured that.”

Victoria waved the remark away. “I’m sure, but it directly involved Stiles and the pups.”

Three pups and their dad squeaked in surprise. “What?”

Rafael let his son go and addressed the pack. “I have been part of an international investigation involving the FBI and Interpol on the illegal activities of the Lau Family, a powerful crime syndicate with ties in many countries, originating from Shanghai, China. In the past few years, there has been evidence of human trafficking.”

Victoria added, “Specifically, there has been a large amount of supernatural disturbances and targets due to a Code Breaker. We weren’t sure who it was but we had suspicions…” Everyone’s eyes turned to the still moaning and bleeding Gerard. “Anyways, Agent McCall came back to Beacon Hills because a ranking member of the Lau Family flew back into California and made his way here.”

Stiles looked incredulously at the Hunter and Agent. “Old Dragon?”

Rafael nodded. “He may be old, but he does have a lot of pull within the Lau Family.”

Isaac looked confused. “But why would he have come here of all places? It’s not like anyone outside of Beacon Hills would have known about Stiles and the pups being home.”

“Ah but you see, Old Dragon had someone that been keeping tabs on Beacon Hills ever since Stiles and the pups escaped in Hong Kong.” The Sheriff pointed to Gerard. “Old Dragon knew Stiles would try to come home and simply had Gerard inform him once they were.”

Derek was pensive. “I bet Stiles had been sensing Gerard this whole time. Remember back at the full moon picnic? Stiles felt someone observing us even though Jackson and Isaac couldn’t sense them.”

Allison grimaced. “Being a Hunter, he would know how to mask his heartbeat and neutralize his scent to be undetectable.”

“Agent McCall has had us Hunters in the loop as soon as he got into town as he went over old case files to see if there was any correlation to his investigations. We let Scott and Allison know in case something happened.”

Derek turned to Scott. “That’s why you guys weren’t at dinner a few weeks ago with the rest of the pack?”

“Yeah, dad told us how super hush-hush this was so we couldn’t tell you. We’re sorry we kept it a secret.” Scott had full sad puppy eyes in effect.

Derek looked non-pulsed as he bopped Scott in the nose and then Allison. “You both at least could have said something was up even without going into specifics.”

“Sorry Derek.” Scott and Allison intoned.

Stiles had been hugging his pups to him eyeing Victoria and Rafael wearily. “What’s going to happen now?”

The pups sensed their dad’s distress and began to growl at the Hunter and Agent, both of who immediately put up hands in placating gesture. Rafael shifted his gun up to his shoulder. “Easy, easy there. Nothing is going to happen with you guys.”

Victoria nodded. “Stiles’ your Assessment is done and all I need to do is submit it. You officially have your pups in custody again. I’m sure Agent McCall could move some bureaucratic gears along.”

Rafael smiled. “Definitely.”

Stiles posture relaxed. “Oh thank goodness.”

Victoria smiled. “Don’t worry about anything on that end Stiles. On a side note, I’m glad you held back and didn’t actually kill anyone.” She vaguely gestured towards the moaning piles of human flesh.

Stiles blushed and looked shamed face. “I almost did. I was so close to just out right killed-”

Derek cut him off. “But you didn’t and that’s what’s important.”

“Thanks to you, for reminding me of my own lessons for my pups. I could have done-”

Derek waved away Stiles’ words. “You’re going to drive yourself crazy with the ‘what ifs’.”

“But-“

The Sheriff placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Derek’s right son. Just let it go.”

The pups hugged their dad as he let out a shuddering breath. “Okay. Okay, I got it…”

Jackson gripped his other shoulder. “I think you were just venting back there Stiles. It sounded like you’ve been holding in a lot of shit for a while.”

Stiles snorted as he ran his hands through Ethan and Aiden’s hair. “You can say that again. I guess I’ve just been focusing on my pups all this time, I never let myself really process things.”

A tug at his shirt had Stiles meeting Liam’s sad puppy eyes. “We’re sorry dad. We didn’t mean it.”

Stiles dropped his sword as he swooped his boys in a massive hug. “No, no, you boys are the best things that have happened to me out of all this. Don’t ever-”

Seven wolves all suddenly stiffened and eyes flashing. Jackson looked up cautiously. “Please tell me I’m not hearing that.”

Rafael looed confused. “Hearing what?”

As if Murphy’s Law decided to answer before the wolves, a large cracking snap was heard before a large section of the roof crashed and fell right to the main entrance. Everyone shielded their faces as the flying cloud of debris and dust rolled over them. Stiles looked up. “Shit! The building couldn’t handle my magic!”

The sounds of breaking glass, creaking wood, the rumble of rolling stones and the hiss of spurting water filled the cavernous depot. One of the FBI men yelled out, “The whole place is coming down!”

The Sheriff began barking orders. “Grab a body and move! We have to get out through the side entrances!”

Stone and timber began to fall in pieces all over the depot as the ground began to quake. Each FBI man grabbed a thug, one broke the mountain ash line and apprehended Shui while two men each hefted Old Dragon and Gerard between them. The pack all stumbled towards the doors, dodging falling debris. They were halfway across the depot before a section of the wall crumbled and folded in onto the door. Derek roared above the din of the collapsing building. “Other way!”

The mob of people tried desperately to maneuver over the obstacles while trying to escape. The pups whined as they tried to not panic as their uncles held the three of them. Allison made it the door but crashed into it. “It won’t open!”

Derek charged the door and dent the metal, but the door still didn’t budge. “Shit! There must be too much debris on the otherside!”

Victoria screeched, “What do we do?!”

Stiles looked around and his eyes landed on the old train cars. His eyes followed the tracks to the barricaded entrances and had an idea. “Get in the train cars!”

“Are you insane?! We’ll be trapped!” One of the FBI men bellowed.

Stiles snapped at the man. “I have a plan! Get inside the big metal structure now!”

The pack didn’t question Stiles and began to traipse their way to the train cars. More debris kept falling with a few near misses of the party being crushed. Derek made it to the train car first and wrenched open the groaning doors and started ushering people in. “Move it, move it, move it!”

A huge groan accompanied the screech of twisting metal, snapping timbers and crumbling stone as the roof caved in completely. Rafael whispered, “Shit.”

At that moment, stone pillars erupted from the ground and met up to hold the collapsing ceiling. A scream towards the middle of the depot drew everyone’s attention. Stiles had both hands up, his sword laying flat against his palm, eyes glowing white and teeth gritting and frothing. Liam, Aiden and Ethan almost jumped out of their uncles’ arms. “TATO!”

“GET IN THE CARS!” Stiles bellowed.

Rafael started shoving everyone in. “Stop dawdling and move it!”

“But what about Stiles?!” Allison almost leapt to Stiles but Victoria grabbed her arm.

“He’s buying us time! Don’t waste it!” The elder Huntress screeched.

Derek leapt to the middle of the depot and tried to get closer to Stiles but was stopped as some ceiling dropped in front of him. “Stiles!”

“I can’t hold this up much longer! Get in the car!” Stiles hissed out.

Derek gestured with his hands. “Get over here then!”

“I. CAN’T!” Stiles began to bend at the waist.

“Why not!?”

“My magic is tied to my will to manipulate the elements! The pillars aren’t strong enough without my will in it! I let go, it all comes crashing down!”

Derek blanched. “What!? Then why did you tell us to get into the train cars!?”

“NO TIME!”

“Then what’s the plan?!”

Stiles was bending on his knees now as Derek finally made his way to him. Stiles was breathing heavy as he looked at Derek. “Fine, here’s your part of my plan: Take care of my pups, Derek.”

Derek’s eyes furrowed. “That makes no sense.”

“Yes it will!” Stiles slammed the ground and another stone pillar punched Derek and sent him flying.

The Alpha crashed through a window of the train car and landed on a pair of thugs and FBI. The Sheriff got to the dazed werewolf first. “Derek, where’s my son?!”

Derek shook his head as everyone heard a vicious crack and looked to see a huge crack appear in the middle of the barricade door on the tracks accompanied by a bellow from Stiles in the middle of the depot. The pack pressed their faces to the windows as the pillars around Stiles began to crack and break apart. With one hand still above his head holding his sword, Stiles braced himself up heaving and sweating profusely. All seven werewolves could hear him say, “I’m sorry for this.”

Stiles used his free hand and, with a bellow and straining muscles, made a clawing motion, slamming the rusted train forward with his magic. Everyone lurched as they hurtled towards the broken door in their path. A resounding crash accompanied by bellows and screams. The train car tipped over the side and slide on it’s side about fifty feet before it finally came to a stop. Derek punched the door open and scrambled out of the train car. He had taken four steps before the entire building imploded, folding in on itself. The wrenching low rumble preceded the mushroom cloud of dust that appeared as the rubble settled.

“Stiles!” Derek bellowed. His cry was matched by three howls and three screams of Tato!

Chapter Text

Capt. Kira Yukimura arrived with the rest of the emergency response team to the site of the collapsed train depot to find four werewolves and three pups desperately trying to dig through tons and tons of rubble. She tried to take in the sight before her. There were no dry eyes amongst the pack as they shifted through the twisted metal and crumbling stone. There was no howling, no gnashing of teeth, no broken sobs, only odd silence briefly interrupted by the shifting of a broken building’s remains. They must have been at it for at least an hour before she got there given the state of their hands. Kira began issuing orders as she made her way towards the humans that have been standing in the background. Victoria and Rafael were kneeling beside the sheriff who had his hands covering his face.

“Do you need any medical attention? I can get an EMT here.” Kira said she knelt down in front of the sheriff.

The Sheriff turned puffy red eyes to her. “You can’t fix a broken heart…”

Kira followed his gaze towards the wreckage of the building and understood. Turning back with a sad smile, she reached out placed her hand on his forearm. “We’ll find him. Your deputies brought the search and rescue unit and I’ve already called in and equipment to move the wreckage so we can get to Stiles once we located him.”

The Sheriff didn’t say a word as he turned his gaze from Kira back to the collapsed depot. Rafael stood up and looked at Victoria the question in his gaze. The Huntress nodded that she would stay with the Sheriff. Rafael beckoned Kira to follow him. “We have two in custody that require medical attention immediately. They need to be stabilized quickly or they could die and all of this would be for nothing.”

Karen nodded and flagged over to the EMTs that accompanied her. Both EMTs blanched at the site of the unconscious bloody messes that were Old Dragon and Gerard. One EMT turned to Kira. “There is little we can work on for these two here. We have to take them to the hospital immediately.”

“Do it and send back another EMT unit as well so they can be on stand by.”

“Why?” The second EMT asked as she got out her gloves.

Kira pointed to the destroyed building. “I’m sure we’ll need it for when we dig out Stiles out of the rubble.”

The first EMT shrugged as he pulled out his med kit. “We could just wait until they actually find his body to take to the morgue.”

Kira was about to respond but was cut off. Seven wolves had stopped and turned around from digging through the rubble. Three golden yellow, three cool blue, and one crimson red pairs of eyes bore into the first EMT and growls suddenly broke the silence. The EMT paled as Kira raised an eyebrow at him. “Sure, you can tell the seven almost feral werewolves currently digging for their packmate, that just saved everyone else’s life, that you didn’t think you could send back a replacement once you leave. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind that. At. All.”

Seven snarls answered before the EMT was on his radio asking for a replacement to be sent out. The sound of digging could be heard once more. Kira snickered to herself before she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Rafael looking weary. “Kira, can you talk to the pack? The excavation team won’t be able to remove most of the rubble with them defending it. Even Victoria and I can’t get near it now. We’re wasting time with them blocking everyone from coming closer.”

“And how do you think I should do that?”

Rafael scratched the back of his head. “I figured you could hose them to get their attention and them talk them back down?”

Kira’s face was deadpan. “A wet wolf is an annoying wolf. You really want seven annoying wolves to deal with?”

Rafael noted the absent sound of claws on stone and cleared his throat. “I see your point.” The sounds of claws striking stone resumed.

Victoria walked over to Kira and whispered into her ear so the wolves wouldn’t be able to hear. “You’re going to have to shock them with some lightening. It’s the only way. We’re losing precious time for Stiles if he is still alive under all that.”

Kira glared at Victoria who held up her finger and thumb holding them the barest space apart. The kitsune groaned but dropped her head as she moved forward towards the rubble. She trudged over towards the wolves before she looked over her shoulder once more. Rafael and Victoria both gave her double-thumbs up and grinned. Parents. Kira steeled her resolve. It took her only a moment to gather a small lightening charge before she shocked all seven wolves. Needless to say, there was a lot of stunned reactions and growling. There is also a lot of hair standing on end and clothes being static clingy in really awkward places so Kira actually has to stop mid-snort before she hurt her abs holding in a laugh.

Derek leapt to her first. “Kira!”

“Derek.” Kira tries desperately to keep a straight face.

“The fuck was the shock for?!”

“To get you guys out of the way,” Kira finally getting herself under control.

Derek’s eyes flashed crimson. “We have to find Stiles!”

Kira’s eyes flashed amber orange. “How astute. Did you plan to dig him out yourselves?” The kitsune let her eyes wander to the rest of the wolves standing behind Derek all poised for a fight.

“Yes!” Derek snarled.

“And when did you think’d you be done? Early next week?”

“Kira…”

“DEREK!” Kira shouted and followed up with a bit more of a static shock that sent the Alpha flying into the arms of Jackson and Scott. All the wolves lost their fierce countenance and were standing with their jaws hanging loose. “Think! We have a full excavating team coming to dig Stiles out, but you mutt-heads aren’t letting anyone near it! They will get him out faster than you can!”

Derek stood on slightly twitchy legs, “We can take care of our pack!”

Kira let her lightening build up around her as she took a step forward, as the other wolves behind Derek took a step back. “Derek, you are emotionally too close to this. Step back and let the pros handle this.”

“I am not!” Derek growled, feeling the snapping sting as some of Kira’s lightening jumped at him.

“Yes you are and we are losing time! Time that Stiles might not have!”

Derek growled at Kira but stopped when he heard it. A little whimper behind him had Derek spinning in his spot. Ethan and Aiden were holding up Liam, all three covered is dust as was evident by the tear tracks cleaning their faces. Liam’s lower lip trembled as he looked at Derek with glassy eyes. “Tato…”

In that moment, the Alpha’s resolve shattered. Derek dropped to his knees and grabbed the pups in his arms. They didn’t grab on to Derek, but they melted into his embrace. All the fight in Derek was gone. He had only one thing in mind at this point.

Stiles was bending on his knees now as Derek finally made his way to him. Stiles was breathing heavy as he looked at Derek. “Fine, here’s your part of my plan: Take care of my pups, Derek.”

Derek’s eyes furrowed. “That makes no sense.”

“Yes it will!”

It made sense. Stiles entrusted Derek with his pups and right now, he had three exhausted little boys who just had to suffer through a traumatic experience of meeting up with the man who had tortured them and then watch their dad be lost under a collapsing building after saving them all. He looked at Kira. “You’re right, Kira.”

Kira had let her lightening go when Derek had knelt to the ground and now offered a sad smile. “That’s why I’m Captain and you’re not, Hale. Go home, rest. We’ll call you if-when something comes up. You all have been through enough and we’ll be here for a few hours till we get any where close to where Stiles is probably buried.”

At the mention of Stiles being buried, there was no rising hackles or fierce growling this time. Faint whimpering, mournful sighs and hitched breaths answered Kira. Liam looked up at Derek, who returned his gaze. “It’s time I take you boys home.”

Ethan and Aiden whimpered in stereo. “But-“

Derek gently placed fingers on the twins’ mouths. “They can look for your dad faster than we can and your dad told me to take care of you. Let’s go.”

Three lower lips began to quiver at the thought of leaving. Derek sighed and had to address his Betas. “You three are worse than the pups.” Ethan and Aiden let out watery laughs but Liam didn’t so much as grin.

Scott blubbered while wiping his arm across his eyes and nose. “We are not!”

Allison and Kira shared a look. Men.

Derek stood, the pups standing near. “I think a good feeding and rest is in order. We’ll come back in a few hours and help with the search and rescue once they’ve had a chance to clear most of the debris away and we’ve had a chance to get some rest.”

Jackson blinked away some tears before scrubbing his forearm across his face. “Head to the diner and then my place to crash?”

Derek nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

Isaac snorted. “Millie is going to love us.”

<~~~~~>

The stillness was what stood out the most to his mind. The stillness and the darkness. The darkness invaded his senses as well as his thoughts. Aside from the overwhelming sense of being literally buried alive, his thoughts wandered into the shadows to find hidden demons. Demons that had vicious talons in the deep recesses of his mind and his heart. The battle with Gerard showing just how deep some of the scars had gone.

He realized sadly then he had too much anger and resentment within him. His loss of control over his emotions led to his current predicament as it was. Buried alive under who knows how many tons of rubble in a coffin of his own making. Incessant fears kept plaguing his mind. Would he die here alone? Would they ever find him? What would become of his dad? Or his pups?

In those quiet moments when his mind reached out to his sons, his heart rate slowed and his breath deepened. If there was one thing that he did not fear, it was the fact that his pack would be able to watch over Ethan, Aiden, and Liam. Isaac, Jackson, Scott, and Derek would ensure that they were safe from any harm. To give the pups chance to grow up into strong, confident men. That was his one consolation as he gripped his sword in hand and fought to stay conscious. Not that he could tell if he was actually awake or not.

The stillness stood around his mind. The stillness and the darkness. The darkness lulled him to peace.

<~~~~~~>

Outside in the garden, Derek watched the last signs of the sun begin to creep away beyond the horizon. He huffed when the daylight vanished completely, leaving only the peace of night. The entire pack met up at the diner, Lydia and Danny already seated waiting for everyone else. The meal was more subdue than normal even with Doug and Millie’s attempted banter to lighten things up. Everyone picked at their food and ended up taking half of their meal with them back to Jackson’s house. Mr. and Mrs. Whittemore greeted everyone with sad smiles and ushered everyone into the den. Soon enough, everyone was snuggling into the coaches and drifted off to exhaustive sleep.

Derek ran a tired hand over his face. Little more than twenty-four hours had passed since Stiles had announced his intentions of taking his pups and moving home to his father’s house. Less than twenty-four hours when they fought. Less than twelve hours when the shit hit the fan all at once, which ended up with Stiles buried (alive?) and Derek almost having what he had wanted. The pups were still with him but the man he had been falling for wasn’t.

The smell of coffee preceded the arrival of Mr. Whittemore as he came walking up to the stone bench Derek was sitting on. He held out an extra mug to Derek. “I thought you might need a cup.”

“Thank you.” Derek accepted the cup gratefully.

They sat in companionable silence as the winter constellations above began to show signs of the spring stars making their way round once more. Mr. Whittemore broke the silence. “Jackson used to be an incredibly spoiled and downright horrible child when he was growing up. I suppose it’s our fault that we showered him with anything and everything in a way trying to buy his love when we first adopted him.”

Derek watched a star shimmer, but didn’t say anything so Mr. Whittemore continued. “When we got the call that Jackson had been attacked and bitten by a feral Alpha, my heart stopped. This child that I had so long tried to love me was suddenly on the brink of death. We arrived at the hospital and the Bite had not taken yet so he was still this bloody, bruised, battered, and broken body just lying there. His mother and I just broke apart then and there. We kept telling him we love him and that he has to get better or we wouldn’t know what to do with out him. He was our son.”

Derek could smell the tears that were falling from the older man’s eyes, but his heartbeat was steady as he continued with this unexplained story. “Apparently, the Bite took just about then and Jackson heard most of what we had been saying. Turns out that he was never really sure we really wanted him or not as our son, not some glorified show piece. It was a big turning point for our family.”

Mr. Whittemore took a drink of his coffee and let out a small sigh. “I found out that Stiles was that one that saved him. I mean really, could you imagine a skinny fourteen-year-old boy fireman-carrying another at least five miles cross-country completely cut up and bleeding himself? My wife and I couldn’t find his hospital room fast enough. We got there just as Stiles and his dad were having an argument. Stiles was refusing some sort of medical treatment while his dad was pushing for it. We were about to leave when Stiles said something that made my heart clench.”

“Dad, you can’t afford it! I manage the bills and budget, remember? We’re still behind on the mortgage and the hospital visit from when you got shot on duty last year!”

“Stiles, you’ll never use your hands again normally without the surgery!”

“I can learn to write with my feet. It wouldn’t be hard.”

Derek turned to Mr. Whittemore when he chuckled bitterly. “That damn boy was willing to sacrifice the use of his hands just so he wouldn’t burden his dad with more debt! What’s wrong with him?! Get the damn surgery!”

“I’m guessing you paid for it?” Derek pondered.

“I made sure the Stilinski’s never so much as saw a stamp that came from the hospital. I arranged it all with his dad and the doctor. They put Stiles under and did the surgery so he’s fine of course.” Mr. Whittemore shook his head. “You know, Stiles hobbled to our house on crutches shortly after being released demanding to know how much he needed to pay me back. Jackson let slip about what we had done when he had gone to confront Stiles about why he had saved him.”

Imagining Stiles crutching his way to the house had Derek grinning for a moment before Mr. Whittemore continued. “I tried to give some vague amount, but that damn kid seemed to know the exact cost for every medical procedure there is out there. He just didn’t know what his entire hospital visit entailed and his dad wasn’t telling so he came to me. I actually had to sick Jackson on Stiles to get him out of my office, who by the way freaked out when he found out Stiles had gotten to our house alone on foot. Jackson apparently caveman carried him back to his house, Stiles complaining the entire time. My whole point is this: Stiles is selfless and works for what he wants or gets. It’s against his nature to just “get” something for nothing.”

Derek was quiet for a moment before he spoke up. “You mean like his relationships with people?”

“In a way. Scott and Isaac were his friends being the misfits of their age group; Lydia and Danny are his friends as the three are the very smartest people you can imagine in different ways. Allison and Jackson are the best people to talk to when it comes to trying to forge a relationship with Stiles of any sort from the outside.”

Derek looked into the nearly empty cup of coffee in his hands before looking up at the older man. “Why are you telling me all this?”

Mr. Whittemore patted his shoulder. “I know a love struck man when I see one and who else would you be falling for but Stiles? That young man has the greatest ability of Love I have ever seen. It’s hard to resist.”

Without another word, Mr. Whittemore took the mug from Derek’s listless fingers leaving Derek with shock written all over his face. Was it really love that Derek had been feeling? Sure, Derek knew he had been smitten with Stiles when he first arrived at the loft not looking like a hobo and of course, learning about just how amazing of a man Stiles was certainly had Derek admiring the man. Derek’s wolf certainly found the man impressive.

Further musing was cut off as his phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered in a daze, “This is Hale.”

<~~~~~>

Lydia’s legs were tucked under her leaning her head on Jackson’s shoulder as she surveyed the pack all around the room. Scott and Allison were smooshed together on the loveseat, both heads thrown back and drooling. Isaac was in Danny’s lap as he sat in the armchair, despite being the taller of the two, both of them wrapping arms around each other. Ethan and Aiden had Liam sandwiched between the two of them as they clung to each other in roll of blankets on the floor in the middle of the room. She sighed heavily.

“Lyds?” Jackson’s groggy voice had her turning to him. “You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking.”

Popping could be heard as Jackson’s arms stretched above his head. “What about?”

“All of us. All of what’s happened. Stiles…”

Lydia felt Jackson nuzzling into her neck, but it wasn’t playful. Jackson took in a deep breath, letting her scent calm him down. She reached up and held the back of his head. “It’s ok Jacks.”

“No it’s not.” Jackson whimpered.

“They’ll find him.” She soothed.

“They shouldn’t have to. We’re his pack and we should have been the ones to rescue him.”

“Jacks, it would have taken you all too long to dig through it all.”

Jackson didn’t answer. She could feel his tears falling on his neck. His voice broke as he found breath. “Why does he have to be the one that is always saving me? I don’t deserve him as a friend.”

Lydia scrunched up her eyebrows, but held his head tighter to her neck. “You don’t deserve Stiles as a friend?” Jackson barely nodded into her neck. “Why would you say that? He cares so much for you. You know that.”

“Lydia, he’s saved my life twice and I’ve let him down twice. How can I be such an awful friend to him? He’s only human and I’m the wolf. I should be able to do more.”

Lydia finally pulled him away from her neck gently. Jackson’s eyes were watery and red. “Stiles of all people would kick your ass if he heard you say that. You’re his friend; there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for you.”

Jackson was about to say something but was cut off as a small body pushed its way between Lydia and Jackson. Aiden, bed head and bleary eyed, snuggled up to Jackson, who awkwardly wrapped his arms around him in surprise. Lydia looked around and saw Liam was with Isaac and Danny while Ethan crawled on top of Scott and Allison, all of whom were awake and apparently listening in on the conversation. Judging by Scott’s and Isaac’s faces, they were feeling the same way as Jackson.

Aiden wrapped his arms around Jackson’s neck before he looked his uncle in the eyes. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

Jackson felt his heart stop a moment. “What?”

Aiden fixed his eyes to Ethan who looked into Scott’s eyes. “Dad taught us. He read it from someone named Lao something. He said that Love makes people strong and Love makes people do crazy things.”

Scott sputtered but Ethan turned to Liam who now had his little hands gently on the sides of Isaac’s face. “Dad loves us all so much he can do anything and he knows we all love him so dad is never afraid to do anything.”

Isaac let his tears fall but Liam turned back to Aiden who leaned forward to touch his forehead to Jackson’s, his glowing blue eyes igniting Jackson’s yellow eyes. “Don’t ask why he saved you when you know the reason.”

With that, the careful mask of control of Jackson’s face crumbled as he wrapped his arms around Aiden and buried his face into the child’s chest. Isaac and Scott followed suit in a fraction of a second after. Lydia, Danny and Allison wanly smiled and comforted their other halves while the pups just nuzzled the top of their uncles’ heads for a few quiet minutes.

The sound of grieving was only penetrated by a thunderous roar from outside in the garden that shook the very windowpanes. The pack tried to untangle themselves and investigate, but Derek came crashing into the den. “They found Stiles! HE’S ALIVE!”

Chapter Text

Mama McCall and the Sheriff were speaking quietly when they heard it. The distinct sound of multiple pairs of feet hitting the ground in rapid succession. They turned to see an entire pack of wolves careening down the hospital hallway. The Sheriff winced at the impending collision, but Mama McCall stepped right into the middle of the corridor arms crossed, clipboard dangling in her hand. “Hold it!” She hissed with a fierce scowl.

Scott and Derek, who had been leading the charge, came to a sliding halt, causing a pile up of bodies to crash into them in rapid succession. The rest of the pack fanned out behind them, except for the pups who stalked by and ran up to the Sheriff. The smile on the Sheriff’s face was offset by his red-rimmed eyes. Mama McCall pointed a pen at Derek’s nose, who went cross-eyed keeping the offending writing implement in view. “You are NOT stampeding down these halls like a herd of wildebeest! Calm down and, MAYBE, then I will allow you guys to see Stiles.”

“Mooooom!” Mama McCall just looked at her dopey, puppy-eyed son before she smacked him on the head with the clipboard. “What was that for!?”

“You should know better!”

Scott hung his head. “Yes mom.” Whispering drew his attention as the pups had the Sheriff’s ear. Not that he understood much of what was being said considering he didn’t speak Polish, but the Sheriff was smiling as the pups giggled while looking at Scott. He squinted at them with a frown, which apparently just had the pups giggling more.

Danny stepped forward. “Can you at least tell us his condition?”

Mama McCall pulled up the clipboard and read it a moment before speaking. “Blunt force trauma to his midsection, probably from being punched and kicked there multiple times, bruising at his wrist and ankles from being tied up, not much else. He’s out cold right now though.”

Lydia’s eyebrows scrunched. “Are you keeping him under?”

Mama McCall shook her head. “Pure exhaustion by the looks of it. Physical stimulus response is fine. Actually, he gets a bit snarky and snappy when the nurses keep waking him up.”

The Sheriff and the pups laughed. “That sounds like my son, for sure.”

Melissa smiled. “I remember. We’re going to keep Stiles for observation for another twenty-four hours just in case anything comes up that we might have missed, but he should be good to go home tomorrow.”

Isaac had his eager puppy face on. “Can we see him?”

Mama McCall just laughed. “Yes, you can. Just keep it down.”

“Hey! How come you don’t smack Isaac when he asked about Stiles.” Scott complained.

“We all know he’s my favorite.” Mama McCall quipped.

Isaac beamed while Scott scowled at his packmate.

Everyone walked down the hall at a more sedate pace. Derek slowed his pass some and eventually, gently took hold of Allison and Jackson’s arm. Both turned to Derek with a question on their face. Derek whispered, “I’d like to talk to you two. Before we see Stiles.”

Jackson still looked confused, but nodded. Allison’s face cleared in understanding and Derek suddenly was worried. Derek waved off Scott and Lydia when they turned back to see why their other halves were no longer by their side before he turned to Jackson and Allison. “I have a question for you two.”

Jackson nodded. “Ok shoot.”

Derek hesitated a moment. “How did you two become friends with Stiles?”

Jackson’s eyebrows flew up. “What do you mean?”

Allison on the other hand gave him a knowing smile as she crossed her arms. “Well, I got to know Scott first. When I met Stiles the first time, Scott was acting super nervous while Stiles was eyeing me with that squint of his before he smiled. I don’t know what he saw, but Scott relaxed a lot once Stiles started talking to me. I honestly think Scott was more worried about me meeting Stiles than he did when I met his mom.” Derek nodded but stayed silent. “I started to hang out with Stiles and Scott. They would want to go to the movies, a walk through the Preserve, just little things but they all piled up and soon I couldn’t imagine not being around Stiles. He has this air that is so open. It let’s you breath deep.”

Jackson nodded. “After the Alpha attack, I wanted to spend time with Stiles too, especially after some dick outed him to the whole school. I wasn’t going to let him be the butt of everyone’s jokes. My entire view of him changed up when we had a heart to heart at the hospital. A lot of things I thought were just plain wrong. He invited me to come with him, Scott and Isaac to the diner once shortly after the Alpha attack. It was awkward because Scott and Isaac weren’t warming up to me cause I was a big douchebag to them just the other week.” Derek snorted. “Yeah I know, hard to imagine right? Stiles though, he kept included in a lot of the conversation. It was going fine until someone recognized him from the news and suddenly we were surrounded by all these people making googly eyes at him, asking him what it was like to be a hero. He got so pissed that he couldn’t eat his lunch in peace.”

Derek could imagine Stiles being annoyed by the whole situation. Jackson rubbed the back of his neck before he continued on. “Before the Alpha attack, I would have been obsessed with trying to get everyone’s attention from Stiles to me. It made me feel real, alive. After everything though? I couldn’t stand them all. I thought about it. Stiles was this kid I had tormented for years and then he literally carries my bloody beaten ass out of the woods! All those other people I used to surround myself with would never have done that. Might have called for help after they ran away, but Stiles? He dragged my ass to safety when we didn’t even know if the Alpha was still around.”

There was a moment of silence before Derek broke it. “That still doesn’t tell me how you actually became friends with him. It sounds like he invited you into his life and cemented it from there.”

Allison snorted. “Oh no, that’s not how it was at all. Yeah, I spent more time with him and everything and eventually it cemented together, but for a while, he was constantly testing me, pushing my buttons and while not objecting to me being around Scott, he would try to drive me away at the same time.”

Jackson shook his head. “Same. He invited me to hang out with him with Scott and Isaac, but it felt like I was there to be the punching bag for them at times. Everyone in school told me how much of an asshole he was. Most couldn’t stand being around him, that’s why he had so few friends at school, but he saved my freaking life! He can’t be an asshole like that, not really.”

Confusion still was written all over Derek’s face. “So Stiles is an asshole that lets people in to kick them around?”

Allison pondered a moment. “Yes and no. Do you remember the first day we brought Stiles to the loft after his stay at the hospital? You asked us why he is so cold to you? I guess we should have explained better. Yes, we’ve never seen Stiles kick someone around like he does with you and treat so cold, but no, it’s not out of the ordinary with him.”

“Seriously, you are making less sense than before.” Derek rubbed his face.

Jackson put a hand on his shoulder. “Stiles is testing you; he’s trying to push you away to see if you will come back. People that genuinely want to be his friend or be with him will fight their way back to him.” The Beta’s eyes softened. “Stiles doesn’t love people if they are going to disappear on him. It hurts him too much. Like when he lost his mom. Scott and Isaac told me how he used to be before she passed away. Of course, we know what happened with that Shui douchebag...” Jackson’s face hardened into a scowl at the thought of the Chinese Beta.

Allison picked up the conversation thread. “Derek, think about the last few weeks with him. How often have you spent time with him?”

Derek thought back. Much of the past few weeks, Derek remembered being around Stiles and the pups at the loft, but never actually joining in with them. Like the full moon picnic just weeks ago. Once they were done shopping, Stiles and the pups went to the kitchen and started cooking and having a great, if not exhausting, time from the sounds of it. Derek had stayed in the living room away from the little family so as not to intrude on Stiles’ time with his pups, but oh, how he had wanted to jump in and bond with them all.

Training sessions were interesting too. He was ever the quiet and respectful observer when Stiles and the pups had their street workouts. Whenever there was a meal with the other pack members, Derek would make sure that the pups were tended to so that Stiles can enjoy the company of his friends. The time he had invited them to this training session, he allowed Stiles to take over the training alone once again in deference to Stiles.

The first morning waking up to find Stiles meditating on the table and their extremely brief dialogue which lead to not a word said between them in the following mornings after. Derek would just quietly slip past, not saying or even acknowledging Stiles’ presence every day. He had not wanted to disturb Stiles after all and he was being respectful. There was also breakfast usually after he got home too, although he mostly grabbed the food and then went to the couch, again to not intrude on Stiles’ family time with the pups. The only time he had eaten with Stiles was the other day when Stiles had made the cinnamon waffles just two days ago. That morning when Stiles had smiled at him for the first time ever. The morning when Liam ran up to him after his run and Derek came over to the family for breakfast and was almost completely embarrassed that the pups noticed his arousal but thankfully were ignorant of what the smell was.

It was in that moment of replaying the memory did Derek realized something. “Oh my God…”

Allison smiled. “Getting it now?”

Derek looked at Jackson and Allison in wonder. “Stiles likes me! He really likes me! The other morning after my jog at breakfast, I smelled his arousal after I took a cold shower to get rid of mine! It was him, not me! He likes me!”

Jackson’s face puckered. “Please stop.” The scent of elation rolling off Derek in waves came to an abrupt stop as his face fell. “Whoa, Derek, I didn’t really mean it!”

Derek shook his head sadly. “It’s not that. I just realized that we had our huge fight the next night right after that breakfast. I was angry and hurt that Stiles and the pups were leaving me and I lashed out at him. Then all this crap happened.”

Allison put her hand on Derek’s other shoulder. “Derek, if you really want to be part of Stiles’ life, you’re going to have to fight for it. Yeah its hard, but it is so worth it. Stiles is one of the greatest people I know to have your back and that was before he was this bad ass!”

Derek chuckled as he grabbed them both in a hug. “Alright, I got it. Let’s go see if Stiles is awake or not.”

As it turned out, Stiles was in fact awake. Buried once again, but this time only by his pups, not an entire building. Ethan and Aiden lay on his sides tucked under each arm while Liam lay plastered to his chest. Stiles was sitting up but bleary eyed and a wane smile. The pack was standing a respectful distance from the bed. Derek, Allison and Jackson walked in as the pups were softly mewling while snuggling into Stiles.

Stiles was awake but from the looks of the bags under his eyes, still exhausted. The smoke smile that had been on his face vanished when his eyes met Derek’s. Before, Derek would have been worried. Did he offend Stiles some way? Were the pups not being cared for properly? Now, he understood. No more walking on egg shells around Stiles. He didn’t freak out or worry, Derek just smiled brightly back at Stiles. “It’s good to see you awake, Stiles.”

Stiles’ eyes widened marginally, clearly not expecting that reaction. “It’s good to not have a building smothering me that’s for sure.”

Derek chuckled and shook his head. “And whose fault is it that the thing came down when he went full Avatar on us? I think you said Wood was one of the elements you can tap into so you probably grabbed some support beams in your little elemental hurricane.” Stiles blushed, looking embarrassed, but Derek smirked. “Glad you seriously held back during your Assessment. Kira, Jordan and I would have been toasted and flayed!”

Scott looked betrayed. “You knew Stiles had magic and you didn’t tell us?!”

Derek deadpanned. “Scott, I almost ate nine rocks he shot at me WHILE he had a ring of fire floating around him to ward off Kira’s lightening as the two of them had an epic sword fight all of which he did after Stiles shot a fireball at Jordan that sent him flying at least fifteen feet through the air. Like I was going to say anything first without him saying something first!”

Stiles was starting at the top of Liam’s noggin while blushing to the very roots of his hair. “It wasn’t that impressive…”

Derek snorted. “Says the guy that didn’t even break a sweat doing all that.”

Stiles looked at him owl eyed. “You make me sound like I’m important or something.”

Derek held Stiles gaze. “Of course you’re important.”

The rest of the pack that had not been present to Derek’s talk with Allison and Jackson were stunned. This was the liveliest conversation they had witnessed between their Alpha and Stiles, ever! Jackson smirked as he made his way over to Lydia whereas Allison walked over to her husband and gently closed his dropped jaw. Derek chuckled again and Stiles just stared at him for a moment. “I think this is the most times I’ve actually heard you laugh in the weeks I have known you, Alpha.”

Derek’s stomach clenched a moment. He remembers the two times Stiles had called him by name and suddenly he was back to being address by title. He relaxed a moment and gave Stiles a sly look, “Says the Sourpatch kid moping around my loft.”

Stiles puckered his lip but scrunched his eyebrows and went slightly cross eyed. “I have not been moping!”

Liam looked up indignantly from his spot on his dad. “Yeah! Ethan does that!”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Li-Li, I do the mopping, not the moping. Not the same thing.”

“Oh. Does dad do the moping thing Derek said?”

“Oh yeah.” Aiden chirped.

“Hey! Stop ganging up on me!” Stiles huffed.

Derek doubled over in a laugh and held his stomach with his right arm while bracing his left on his knee. The rest of the pack laughed as well until Stiles deadpanned. “See if I make you lot any more moon cookies.”

Apologies were frantically flung at Stiles from everyone in the room.

Chapter Text

The Sheriff sipped his coffee, thankful it was one of the few things he was allowed to keep in the house. Stiles had purged the house of anything he deemed contraband, the pups sniffing and searching out anything and everything the Sheriff had tried to hide. He was lucky to find an M&M in his coat pocket the next morning on his way to the station.

It had been three days since Stiles had been released from the hospital with orders for plenty of bed rest in the mean time. True to his word, Stiles had brought his pups home to the Stilinski house. Stiles opted to take his old room, but after discussing it with his dad, Stiles let the pups have the rooms in the finished basement. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture, but each pup was awestruck at the notion of having a bed of his own for the first time.

Not that having their own bed actually meant anything. Stiles would more often than not wake up and find his pups all in a single bed cuddling together. Years of sleeping together out of necessity had become an ingrain sense of security. After all, the pups did only have each other for years.

The pups were settling in nicely and beginning to really set roots. For the first time in their lives, they had a true sense of home.   No wandering, no scavenging, no separations, just being with their dad and grandpa. The pack was also around and visited frequently. Jackson and Lydia taking them out to buy the pups things for their rooms, Isaac and Danny taking them around town and showing them the important places to remember (and to sneak in brownie batter milkshakes with Doug and Millie), Scott and Allison introducing them to everyone around town, and Derek always coming over to hang out and bond.

That was the one thing they wished was different. The pups missed Derek. His constant presence had been a safety line for them at first but now, they just missed the man and the wolf. After all was said and done, he took on the role of Guardian, however unlikely, and truly cared for them. It was for this reason that the Stilinski living room currently played host to Danny, Lydia, Allison and the Sheriff. Stiles was currently with the wolves for an afternoon of training. The abject horror that the Betas gave Derek was worth the punishment he would be feeling later on considering Stiles was going to start using his magic in their training regiment.

Danny and Allison sat on the loveseat while Lydia and the Sheriff took the armchairs. The pups were sitting together on the couch. Lydia held her cup of tea in her hands as she eyed the pups with a curious expression on her face. “You want to do what now?”

Ethan met her eyes. “We want dad to fall in love with Derek.”

“We miss him. He comes over lots, but it’s not the same like when we lived together.” Liam pouted.

Aiden nodded. “Dad likes to think he can hide things from us still. We’re big! We know stuff!”

Danny smiled and shook his head. “Well, you certainly know your stuff don’t you? I noticed you didn’t mention anything about making Derek fall in love with your dad.”

The pups gave Danny that perfect duh! look that only kids can pull off. “Uncle Danny, we figured it out after we all went to sleep at Uncle Jackson’s house. Uncle Scott smelled like something really weird all the time next to Aunt Allison. We smelled it once from Derek when he was around dad and he had smelled better once he took a cold shower.”

Allison blushed furiously as Lydia barely stopped herself from doing a spit take with her tea where as Danny and the Sheriff guffawed and grabbed their sides to keep from splitting. The pups just looked confused and scowled. “What’s so funny?” Liam huffed crossing his arms, the twins following suit.

The Sheriff was wiping the tears from his eyes. “Oh God, that was…that was something else. We’re sorry Liam, we didn’t mean to laugh. Please go ahead.”

The pups squinted and pursed their lips. Lydia held back the impulse to whip out her phone to get a picture of the three adorably indignant pups. Aiden sighed first and let his arms go. “Anyways, we just have to make dad do that smell too and we’ll know he’s in love with Derek too.”

Danny and the Sheriff both made faces as they held in a burst of laughter. Allison finally got control of her blush and was giving Danny and the Sheriff a glare to shut up. Lydia had long set her cup of tea down and tried to look as poised and cool as ever before she addressed the pups. “It doesn’t quite work like that. Your dad has to have uh, certain feelings towards Derek for that to happen and I don’t think that he does. We can’t force your dad to have these feelings.”

Allison cleared her throat drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Actually that’s not entirely true.”

Danny look surprised. “What do you mean?” Allison smirked and Danny narrowed his eyes. “Better yet, what do you know?”

“I happen to know that Stiles does in fact like Derek!”

“What?!” Everyone else in the room shouted.

Allison leaned back and looked smug. Lydia glared at her. That was her thing! The Huntress shrugged. “Derek was talking to me and Jackson back at the hospital about how we became friends with Stiles. Came to the realization he smelled the same thing the pups did, but this time it came from Stiles not him.”

Ethan and Aiden flinched. “Ew, you mean we smelled dad?!”

“No, that was after Derek’s shower. At least that’s what Derek said.”

Lydia jumped into the conversation. “So we do actually have something to work with. We just have to figure out how to cultivate this properly.”

The Sheriff, who had been quiet for the most part, put up his hands for standing up. “Hey now I don’t want any part of my son’s love life. I don’t need a repeat of awkward situations like back in high school.” With that said, the Sheriff waltzed out of living room.

Danny smirked before he turned to Lydia. “I believe that’s Stiles and Derek need a little time by themselves. If you think about it, those two have not been alone with each other. There’s always either the pack or the pups around, no offense to you boys. There wouldn’t be much chance to for them to come together.”

“They should go on a date!” Liam squealed.

“We can make it super awesome and dad is sure to fall in love with Derek.” Aiden reasoned.

Ethan looked contemplative. “We could try and make it dinner and a movie at home. Dad has all those movies he’s still catching up on.”

Liam yelled out, “Grandpa! If we make the date for dad and Derek here, can you take us out for dinner?!”

“I’m officially not part of all this plotting but yes, I’ll take you out to dinner some time!” The Sheriff yelled back from somewhere upstairs.

“Thank you!”

“You’re welcome Liam!”

Allison side-glanced at Lydia. “Are we really about to Parent Trap Stiles and Derek?”

“Oh yes.” The strawberry blonde smirked.

<~~~~~~>

“Fuck you, Stiles!” Jackson groaned on his back.

Isaac and Scott moaned in agreement next to him. They felt the cool ground leeching away the excess body heat radiating from their tired limbs as the sweat poured off their bodies. The man that was the object of their ire sat quietly on a seemingly too small tree stump in a meditation pose with his sword lying across his lap smirking. “Why Jackson, it sounds like you can still keep going! Do you want another chance? I promise to make you guys moon cookies if you can push me over still.”

For the last two hours, the Betas had been coming at Stiles in an attempt to earn the delicious confectionaries. Derek had suggested that Stiles only use Earth magic for this exercise and Scott had thought that this would be a golden chance. Jackson and Isaac had been more leery remembering what Stiles had done last week at the depot and let Scott go first. After his first failed charge, where Stiles simply opened a small hole for Scott to trip in, Scott took a more cautious stance on the whole thing. With that, the Betas began to try and coordinate an offensive.

Derek smiled from his spot in the nearby tree branch where he could see everything from above. Watching as Jackson dodging rocks being shot at him on Stiles’ left, Isaac weaving around the stone walls that kept popping up in front of him as he tried a charge at Stiles’ right, and Scott trying to escape a dust devil he was being trapped in had Derek once again vastly impressed. Which lead to the current state where his three Betas were on the ground, exhausted and probably in desperate need of a feeding. “Hey Sourpatch, I’m coming down!”

“Hey Sourwolf, you don’t have to tell me what you are doing all the time!”

“Last time I dropped in on you, a stone ramp popped out of nowhere and I was sent careening at Kira!”

“Not my fault.”

“It’s your magic!”

“Natural reflex.”

Derek snorted before he landed on the ground next to Stiles. He felt good for just a moment before the ground collapsed underneath him and Derek was suddenly eye level with the roots of the stump. Derek glared at Stiles. “Jerk.”

Stiles snorted, not even turning to look at Derek but still smirking. “Bitch.”

After a little maneuvering, Derek was able to haul himself out of the hole. Jackson, Isaac and Scott were still basically down for the count as Stiles stood next to Derek. Stiles shook his head. “You three are in such horrible shape.”

Derek nodded. “If I had known they had a higher standard, I would have increased the work load.”

Stiles turned to Derek. “Would you want to collaborate on training for the Betas and the pups? I could work on improving theirs while you can show me what little wolves would need.”

“That could work.” Derek mused as he heard the Betas whine. “Let’s just head back for now. Head back to your house?” Derek’s voice hitched slightly.

Stiles noticed, but didn’t say anything. “Yup!” Stiles popped the ‘p’ with a smile. “Did you want to drag two carcasses while I grabbed the leftover?” Derek shrugged indifferently. He hauled Scott and Isaac onto his shoulders while Jackson was once again hauled onto Stiles’ shoulders. “Ugh, Jackson, I’m telling Lydia to put you on a diet you fatty.”

“Stillllesss I still got abs though.” Jackson whined.

“We all have abs, you can just see some better.” Stiles huffed.

Forty minutes later had the Jeep and Camaro pulling up to the Stilinski house. Danny, Lydia and Allison all stood outside on the lawn with smiles on their faces. Derek felt his hackles rise. This was a trap. He just knew it. The humans of the pack came over to the cars and coaxed their wolfy other halves out of the cars. Lydia turned to Stiles and Derek. “Stiles, your dad took the pups out for dinner.”

Stiles crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “Where?”

“He took them to that Turkish place you hate.”

Stiles eyebrow flew to his hairline. “Why? I’d bet anything my pups will hate it too.”

Lydia shrugged her shoulders innocently as she attempted to hold up a wet noodle called Jackson. “Your dad said he left some dinner out for you and Derek. He should be back in two hours or so. We’re all going to go home for a quiet night in. We’ve been having a bit of a crazy last few weeks.”

Derek went wide-eyed and slightly paled. He was gonna be alone with Stiles? ALONE. WITH. STILES?! Danny and Allison apparently noticed where his mind went because they smirked at him before hauling off their wolf to their respective cars. Stiles huffed. “Welp, would you like to come in? I know you want to see the pups before you go home.”

“S-sure.” Derek followed Stiles before he turned around to give Lydia the evil eye as she got into the driver side of the Porsche and drove off. Derek was never more thankful that Stiles was not a wolf right now as he knew the house was probably filled with the smell of anxiety and a little arousal. His wolf within was absolutely salivating at the notion of being alone with Stiles. That is until he and Stiles walked into the living room and his stomach dropped to his feet.

The room was lit with large white and red candles with the curtains drawn. Two large pizza boxes and a large bottle of something were sitting on the coffee table and the newest Marvel movie was currently cued on the TV (thank you Danny, you little pirate). Derek felt a little antsy when he heard the rapid rise of Stiles’ heart beat.  Stiles turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. “I think we just got Parent Trapped.”

Derek swallowed the knot in his throat. “I don’t mind, if you don’t…”

Stiles squinted hard at Derek. Derek’s own heart fluttered while the wolf within froze in anticipation. Slowly, a smile spread across Stiles’ face. He reached out and took Derek’s hand. The sheer elation Derek and his wolf felt almost had them both buckling to the ground before they both braced their legs from falling over. A small smile appeared on Derek's face. Stiles gently squeezed his hand before pulling him to the couch. “I don’t mind at all. Maybe I can get to know you better, Derek.”

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