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It wasn’t hard to tell when Stiles was lying. The boy was extraordinarily bad at it, his over expressive face, his general flailiness didn’t help but mostly it was simply that he didn’t like deceiving people.
So generally Stiles stuck to the truth, or a version of it at least, except that just now he had faced Derek head on, looked him in the eyes, his body still and heart beat steady and lied, and if Derek hadn’t know the actual truth himself he never could have known.
Stiles was in trouble and Derek wasn’t sure what he could do about it.
It wasn’t Derek’s intention to follow Stiles, but when he hadn’t showed for yet another pack meeting and it was apparent that even his best friend Scott didn’t know what was wrong with the boy just that he seemed distant lately. It was then that Derek decided that he should go visit. He was a block away from the Stilinski house when he heard Stiles jeep start up, it was late and a school night, so naturally he followed him.
Stiles often went to visit his mum’s grave, he don’t his dad once that he was going and the look of sadness that settled into his dad features was enough for Stiles to never mention it again. He didn’t tell his friends because he thought they would want to come with him, or go there to find him when they wanted something researched or needed a ride or just generally drag him through another supernatural quagmire. But dam it, this was Stiles place, his little bit of innocence, sitting with his mom and just chatting.
It use to be a one sided conversation admittedly and that was fine, but about a month ago things changed and now it was even better. The first time he saw his mom Stiles fell into a panic attack to end all panic attacks, but his mom just sat with him, rubbed his back slowly and murmured encouragingly to him until he got his breath back under control.
He asked her why she was here, asked her to go see his dad, begged her not to leave again, but she just smiled and told him that she was only here for him, just to help him through his next challenge. It was vague and cryptic, Stiles was suspicious but he pushed that down, this was his mom, his chance to be with her and dam it he was going to take it.
He tried to visit the grave every day after that, at first there conversations were light and wonderful and only peppered with words like ‘challenges’, ‘betrayal’ and ‘mistrust’. By the end of the first week Stiles had held his mother’s hands in his own and told her that he was stronger than she might remember him, he needed to know what she wasn’t telling him. He was sorry that he asked.
The werewolves. Stiles knew in his heart that it was going to be about the werewolves in his life. The Alpha was to blame for all the sadness in Stiles life, the reason he had to lie to his dad, the cause of all the bruises on his body, the reason why his heart felt harden, ready to shatter into a million pieces. The werewolves were only interested in one thing, and that was their own survival.
His mom knew that Derek was becoming more and more important to Stiles and that perhaps Stiles was falling in love with him, but she insisted that it was all just a part of his plan. He was manipulating the boy to get what he wanted. Firstly to get Scott away from Peter Hale and into his own pack (strength in numbers) and then to help keep the Sheriff out of his business.
Stiles was heartbroken, he didn’t want to believe it but she whispered to him that deep down he must know it is true, would a man as attractive as that be interested in a boy so much younger, and a human. Show me a life turned to crap and I will show you a supernatural arsehole on a mission, he had told her.
You need to tell your father about them, and then you need to stay away. It’s for the best, your dad will know what to do, she advised. She smiled sadly at him, told him he would be fine and pulled him into a hug.
Neither noticed the flash of red eyes as the Alpha watched and listened from the edge of the grounds. Derek didn’t understand, Stiles was out in the middle of the cemetery talking to himself, no actually he seemed to be holding a conversation with no one, pausing and nodding like someone was talking back.
He wanted to go to Stiles but instinct told him wait. He needed to find out what was going on, what Stiles had gotten himself into now.
Stiles couldn’t sleep, his mothers words were haunting him, ‘well that’s appropriate thing for a ghosts words to do I guess’ he though, sighing at his own inability to focus even on something that was consuming him.
Her words hurt and there was also a little voice of doubt that wouldn’t completely leave him. When Stiles was with her it made sense, her words rang true, but once he was alone he began to doubt them, it killed him to think that Derek was just using him, they had become almost friends of late. Well Stiles loved him and he seemed to tolerate him in return, so yeah a big improvement from when they just hated each other.
He also found it hard to believe that Scott was capable of tricking Stiles into believing anything that wasn’t true? He was his best friend, and some things about Scott had changed since getting the bite, a lot of things about him just didn’t. Scott was a pussy cat, or rather a puppy dog. Plus with all the creatures and beings he had come in contact with, fought against or studied up on, he had never come across any real evidence of ghosts.
What he really needed to do was go see Derek and try and figure out the truth for himself. With this decided Stiles finally fell into a fitful sleep. Derek saved Stiles the trip as he came to him the next day after school. He just climbed in through his window as usual. Stiles yelled at him, as usual, Derek asked him why he hadn’t been at the meeting, Stiles lied, said he just had a lot of homework to do and that he hasn’t been feeling well. “I came to see you after the meeting but you weren’t here.” Derek continued, pretending not to notice the first lie.
“I was having trouble with my laptop so I went to use dad’s computer at the station.” He said calmly.
“Stiles, if you are in any sort of trouble, or if you needed help, you would tell me wouldn’t you?” Derek asked. This seemed to throw the teen, he could hear the worry in Derek’s voice, could this really be faked. Stiles was so confused, he just couldn’t deal with Derek’s being this close to him, couldn’t help the feeling that if he didn’t get away from him right now he would just throw himself at the man and beg him to make everything better. That was not going to happen.
“Look, just leave me alone will you!” He shouted instead. Derek flinched and stepped back. “I’m fine, really, I just need some space right now, please..” The werewolf just nodded before disappearing out the window.
Stiles waited for his dad to come home, they had dinner together then his dad left for work. Night shifts were Stiles’ best friend and his worse enemy. As soon as his dad’s car was out of sight Stiles jumped into his jeep and headed back to the cemetery. He didn’t have to wait for long before his mom appeared.
“What’s troubling you my boy.” She said softly running a hand over his bent head.
“Mom, why did you come back now?” He asked the woman standing behind him.
“I told you my love, I came to help you through this challenge.”
“Yes.” He spun around to face her. “But why now? Why not warn me before I got tangled up in all this.” He groaned. “Why wait for me to be so … so invested before you come and pull the rug out from under me.” He heard his voice raising in anger, he wanted to stay calm, to erase the look of hurt on his mothers face, but as usual his mouth just kept on going. “I mean it would have been great if you could have I don’t know, drop in on dad when he started crawling into a bottle of Jim Beam every night, or I don’t know, give us a heads up that Scott was going to be attacked by that crazy Peter Hale, or maybe stop me from ..”
Stiles’ words fell short as the cold and strong fingers closed around his throat. The face in front of him shuddered, shifting into a twisted parody of his beloved mom. “How did you become such a pathetic piece of shit?” She spat, her face settling back into his mom’s features, his mom’s snarling features. “I tell you to stay away and that is what you will do.” Stiles was pushed back then, falling on his arse, looking up at the women as she loomed over him.
“Mom?” Stiles cried. “I’m sorry, please.” Stiles struggled to his feet as he watched his mother regained her peaceful appearance and smile at him. Encouraged he tried again. “I only wanted to you to understand… I just don’t think Derek would..” The screech was deafening as his mum’s hand flew through the air to strike at Stiles, he jumped back, tripping over his own feet and falling back on his arse, just narrowly escaping her slashing nails.
The woman came at him again, her hand raised ready to strike as Stiles crab walked backwards desperate to escape this latest nightmare. Suddenly his mom was gone, rolling along the ground in a tangle of black fur, red eyes and snarling fangs. Derek.
The Alpha had followed the teen again, watching as Stiles went through the routine of finding his mother’s grave, kneeling, waiting then talking to the air around him. At first Derek thought Stiles was alone, but suddenly there was a shimmer and a faint image of a woman appeared. As Stiles words grew louder in anger so did the women’s image become clearer.
When she struck out at Stiles, Derek shifted, his wolf taking over in a flash of rage, by the time the bitch raised its hand the second time the wolf was racing across the field and ploughing into her. The woman was pinned to the ground by Derek in his full Alpha form but she managed to hold his snapping jaws at bay.
The wolf whined as the women’s face below him shifted, no longer a stranger, the woman was his sister Laura, Derek shook in rage knowing it wasn’t right, this beast did not have his sister’s scent. The wolf lunged again but the woman rolled suddenly, throwing the wolf off her as she sprung to her feet and ran towards Stiles.
Derek gave chase, calling to Stiles to run but she easily caught the teen and held him up, holding her clawed hand to the boys throat while using him to shield herself against the werewolf. Derek stopped, watching the woman as her face shifted again. “Derek.” The face of his own mother spoke to him. “Derek it’s me, I’m only here to help you, to save you from this trickster of a boy.” She smiled his mother’s smile at him. “He’s working with the Argents, they are all plotting to burn the house down again, with you in it this time.” She warned.
Derek looked into his mother’s eyes, he could smell the fear coming off the teen in waves, he could even smell the small amount of blood that was trickling down his face, but he could smell nothing from the woman but black rage. He sprung. With one arm wrapping around the front of the teen, the other reached behind the woman, claws digging in and hooking around its spine and yanking it free from the flesh.
Stiles scrambled away as the creature slumped to the ground in a pool of blood, its face devoid of features except for its large dead eyes. Derek turned away from the lifeless beast to find Stiles huddled in a ball, his entire body trembling. As the wolf receded the man remaining rushed to the teen pulling him to his feet and wiping away the blood and gore in a search for injuries. “You’re Ok, you’re ok.” He assured the boy, and himself, finding only a little bruising. “It’s not your blood.”
The boy just look horrified, latching onto the front of Derek’s tee with one hand, the other arm snaked awkwardly under and around his broad shoulder. “I’m so sorry, all my fault, so sorry, what have I done..” Stiles wailed hysterically,
“It’s all right Stiles, just breathe for me.” Derek soothed, holding the teen against him. With his face drained of colour and his heart beating like a jack rabbit, Derek knew the teen was about to slip into a full on panic attack. He had to get him out of here, the creature was dead but he couldn’t be sure that there wouldn’t be more of them.
“I need to get you out of here, can you walk?” Derek asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Yes I think so, but I can’t seem to let go of you.” The teen whimpered.
Derek held the boy closer, whispering in his ear. “That’s OK, I don’t want to let go of you either.”
“I don’t understand, she was my mom, and then … Derek, God, you must hate me for forcing you to … to… your Mother.” The teen groaned as he recalled the sound of Derek’s claws ripping through flesh.
The werewolf gripped the teens face, forcing him to make eye contact. “That was not your mother or my mother.” He said forcefully.
“I know, but she looked …”
“Stiles, listen to me.” Derek wrapped both arms around the teen then and burying his face into his neck before he could continue. “My family died a long time ago, and it hurts still but I have accepted that there is nothing I can do about it. I’ve already lost them, but I am not willing to lose you too.”
“You mean your pack”
“No. You. I love you.” Derek pulled back a little to look at the boy in his arms, a little afraid at what he might see after such a confession. Stiles face was unreadable but the kiss he was pressing into Derek’s lips said all he needed to know.