Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The unknown caused an unease like none other in in the pit of Derek’s chest. Worry was causing so much of a whirlwind of fear in his mind that he’d long ago had to shift his claws and sink them into his palms to keep his hands from shaking. The pain in his hands had only taken his mind off reality for a few seconds but at this point it would only cause more of a mess to retract his nails.

He knew he looked half mad but at this point Derek couldn’t care less if he was scaring the nurses. They kept giving him sideways glances and quietly whispering to each other in a debate about whether to call security to kick him out or not. It was taking everything in him to keep his eyes and teeth from changing. Deep breaths weren’t helping, and Derek knew he would have to do something soon because he only had so much control and it was waning quickly. The others in the waiting room weren’t paying him any attention but Derek was watching them very closely. Using them to try to keep himself grounded, focusing on the clothes they were wearing and the color of each item.

At least they weren’t looking at him in contempt. It had been a very long time since Derek had been back to Beacon Hills. ‘Two years, four months and seven days to be exact’ if you’d ask Scott. Derek had long ago stopped keeping track of the days, not having any control over how long he stayed away, until now.

To be honest, Derek wasn’t sure what he was doing here, sitting in the hospital waiting room, surrounded by Scott’s pack. The look on their faces when he’d walked into the room had been one of confusion. Scott’s pack still had no clue why Derek had left and being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure if he would ever tell them. A lot had changed since then, he wasn’t the same man he’d been before leaving.

The sound of someone sitting in the chair to his left pulled Derek from his thoughts. The Sheriff let out a loud sigh and slumped his shoulders in defeat. Derek couldn’t imagine what the man was going through right now. His own stomach in knots as they waited for news, good or bad, something, anything. The hope in his eyes every time a nurse or doctor made an appearance in the waiting room made Derek ache to take the anxiety away from the older man. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t ease the effect of emotions from the complex workings of the mind. It had been a little silly the one and only time he’d tried. He couldn’t ease his own emotions so what the hell was he thinking trying to ease someone else’s.

Derek heaved a sigh and shifted to the side, easing the ache from his sore tailbone while taking a good look at the Sheriff. The stress written clearly on his face made the man look like he’d aged ten years in the last few hours. He was pale, skinnier than Derek remembered, and the man looked exhausted. He could imagine Stiles griping at his dad for not looking after his own health.

After another hour of silence, Derek couldn’t sit still anymore. The surgery should have been finished by now and they still hadn’t heard any update. Every passing minute planted more and more worry in Derek. The fact that he couldn’t tell Stiles’ heartbeat from the hundreds of others around or smell his scent under the smell of sterilization, sickness and death, left a pit of unease in his stomach.

The pack took up half the waiting room, they’d already settled in for the long haul by the time Derek had walked in. Everyone was so distracted that they hadn’t smelled him or Isaac when they entered the building. The Sheriff was sitting away from everyone else, in a corner, with his head in his hands. When he’d cleared his throat, everyone in the room’s attention snapped to them. The shock and confusion at seeing them after so long was evident on Scotts face but the Alpha didn’t say a word. When Derek gently pushed Isaac toward the pack, the younger wolf refused, anxiety seeping from him in waves, Derek met his gaze. With one nod, Isaac put all his trust into Derek and slowly made his way across the room. After making sure the Beta was settled Derek took a seat next to the Sherriff.

Derek could hear the quiet questions being thrown at Isaac, he listened closely to make sure the Beta stayed comfortable, but it wasn’t necessary. Isaac fell into easy conversation with the pack like he’d never left after telling everyone he wanted no questions. The biggest one being where he’d been for so long and Derek knew for a fact that Isaac wasn’t ready to answer that, or if he ever would be. The second was how long they’d been in town. Forty-two minutes before they arrived at the hospital, but no one needed to know that they hadn’t had time to settle in. Or that Derek hadn’t slept for over thirty-six hours.

On their way into town Derek had called Scott out of territory respect, to let the Alpha know that they would be in the area. When he didn’t answer, Derek’s next call was to Melissa who answered in a rushed tone, she said Stiles had been in an accident and to come to the hospital. Without a second thought they stopped by the loft for only long enough to go to the bathroom and leave their bags by the door. Derek noticed that something was off but he didn’t stay long enough to think it through.

After a while all the younger wolves had gone quiet. Derek looked over to see Isaac passed out on Lydia’s shoulder. He couldn’t help but smile at how innocent and happy Isaac looked in his sleep and hoped that the nightmares didn’t come again. Isaac needed his sleep after the last few days they’d had. The poor young man had been through so much in the last two years. Derek was surprised that he was comfortable enough in such a big group to get some rest. For the first time in a long time Isaac felt safe and right at this moment he was the safest he could be.

It had taken Derek two years to find the beta. After the death of his father, Isaac decided that his best course of action was to leave Beacon Hills. He made sure to check in with Derek every Friday. The first time that he missed that call, Derek drove out of the city that night without an explanation. To the pack he just seemed to vanish into thin air. At the time Derek didn’t know why he ignored the hundreds of calls he got in the following weeks. But now, after having a lot of time to really think about it, he needed to get away for a while. With the weight of everything he’d been through in the past couple of years he was broken. Only on his journey to find Isaac did Derek finally find himself, along with a little bit of closure.

After the death of his sister Laura, Derek had planned to leave the city. He had no home, no family and nothing to really tie him down. Until he’d come across Scott and Stiles, two nosey teenagers that eventually got him arrested. Nothing came of those charges but after that Derek really set to focusing on who killed his sister. The alpha that was running wild on the city had to be stopped and the only way that could happen was with the teens help.

The death of his uncle and the unsuspected Alpha powers that came with it were a shock to his system. Derek knew that as an alpha he needed a pack and quickly found Boyd, Erica and Isaac. Once that was set in stone he couldn’t just leave at that point. The kids needed to finish school before the pack could be uprooted. Then all hell broke loose and with it came the Kanima, the Darach, the Nogitsune and finally, Kate fucking Argent and her Berserkers. Even Peter was a pain the ass and came back to life to screw things up.

After all the pain and change Derek had gone through, especially losing his Betas and Alpha powers the way he did, no one was surprised that he’d left. When Isaac had given him a reason to leave, Derek jumped in feet first and be damned with the consequences.

Isaac had been doing great on his own for a little while. Two months out there in the real-world with Allison and her father had changed him in ways he’d never known. He heard about everything happening in Beacon Hills through his short calls to Derek, but he couldn’t go back yet. He hadn’t fully found himself and to be honest he liked the freedom of not having to live in fear of his father every second of the day. They spent their time helping the locals in each area they stayed in, take care of their supernatural problems. Going by their family code they tried not to take any lives long the way.

Lilith had been a surprise. Isaac met her in the last town they’d stayed in. She was outgoing, friendly and always had a smile. With a little bit of urging from her he decided to meet the local pack. They seemed like a perfect fit at first sight. With teary eyes he sent Allison and Chris on their way. Choosing to stay had been the biggest mistake of his life.

The Rogue Creek pack had hidden layers that no one on the outside could see. They took him in quickly, treated him like family and after Chris and Allison were far enough away to their liking, they locked him in a cage. The alphas and betas took turns abusing him and six other wolves that they kept locked in the basement.

It took Derek almost two months to find Isaac after that missed call. He worked his way from pack to pack, trying to locate Isaac. He finally was able to get ahold of Chris who in turn gave him the genral location of where Isaac had been staying.

From there, it took Derek another three months to gain the trust of the pack. Rogue Creek was very much unlike any normal pack Derek had ever dealt with before. There were two female and one male Alphas who were intermated. The pack was relatively large, Derek later learned that they’d merged two full packs into one with the mating.

When he’d first come into their territory, he did it under the guise of announcing his presence to the local alpha because he would be in their town for a little while. It was out of respect, but he knew, very soon, someone would come calling at his door. When they did, there were three of them. They ambushed him in his home, tied him up and took him to the cave. They tortured him for two weeks straight. They told him that if he wanted to be a part of their pack, he had to meet certain requirements. When they felt he was strong enough to be one of their enforcers, but he had to earn it. They tested him in every way you could possibly think of and Derek met each challenge easily. At least he made it look easy when he had to help them kidnap a twenty-year-old wolf from a local family of five wolves.

When they finally felt he made the cut they gave him responsibilities around the compound. One of which was taking watch over the basement. That night they showed him everything. The dirty money they were earning, the torture rooms, six empty graves and then came the basement. He kept his face masked when they opened the cells for him to see who their prisoners were. When he saw Isaac, barely recognizable, cowered in the corner Derek gave a slight shake of his head and the young man understood. A pit formed in Derek's stomach when the large door was closed, and he couldn’t see the beta anymore.

Before the start of his first watch one of the guards told him, he could have a go with the pretty little brunet in the corner room. He shook his head no, when he declined, the guard entered the women's room and closed the silver lined door so no one could see in. Derek didn’t hear any noise coming from the room, but he knew what was happening. He sunk his claws into his palms and hoped for all their sakes he was able to keep up this ruse long enough to get them out.

When the first guard had left with a satisfied smirk, Derek sat in front of the camera station and watched the poor people inside the metal boxes. Some of them paced, others cried and screamed. Some begged for their lives and then there was Isaac. The only one out of six who just sat silently, staring at the wall. Derek remembered seeing that same dead look in his eyes just after his dad had died. That look hadn’t ever really gone away that Derek could think of, at least not while he was in Beacon Hills. Pictures that Allison had sent him looked like Isaac had been healing very well. Now here they were, the older wolf could only wonder at the damage this pack had caused to the already fragile man.

When everyone had settled in for the night Derek took the opportunity to stretch his cramping legs. He wasn’t used to sitting behind a desk for so long and he really needed to move around. When he walked up the stairs, a guard at the top was ready to take his place at the cameras. Without a word he went downstairs. At the top of the stairs, Alpha Eveline was in the study looking through an old tome. She told him he had ten minutes to go to the bathroom and grab a sandwich that was waiting for him in the kitchen. Derek hurried and took care of what he needed to, grabbed his food and headed back downstairs.

Cory, the wolf who was now watching the cameras started to babble on about finally getting to sleep at nighttime since Derek had taken over. He called the watch, boring and uneventful. Derek almost strangled the life out of him when he mentioned that there were only so many times, he could sexually assault each of them before he lost interest. He had to hear detail after detail of the abuse these poor wolves had encountered, and he had to act interested in the meantime. He tried to tell the other wolf that he should get some sleep, but the man was a damn chatter box and refused to leave.

When he got to the description of Isaac and how he’d been caught Derek listened intently. They used the alphas own daughter to lure the younger wolf in. Cory mentioned that Isaac was his favorite “plaything” because he never put up a fight, he just laid there and took it. When he was done explaining that much the other wolf was clearly sporting an erection and mentioned maybe “hitting that” before bed. To that Derek made a joke about how the Alphas said he could have anyone he wanted on his first night. He thought the other wolf would back off but instead he urged him to go into the cell, that he wanted to watch.

That’s how Derek wound up in the cell with Isaac. The smaller wolf wouldn’t make eye contact with him and immediately stood up and took off his pants. As he climbed into the bed, Derek looked over his shoulder at the camera and gave it a playful smirk. He looked back over at Isaac and opened his pants, lowering them slightly so it looked like he had exposed himself to the camera. The angle was bad and only showed Derek’s back. The bigger wolf climbed into the bed and settled down on top of his friend. Derek pretended to suck on the other man's neck for a few seconds as he whispered in his ear.

“I need you to fake like I am hurting you and I need to pretend to like it. I am going to do everything I can to get you out of here. We are being watched; I’m being tested so if we fail, I will be attacked and possibly killed. When I move my hips, throw your head back and groan like it hurt.”

Derek's clenched his fists again, sinking his nails in once more as the memories flooded him. His breathing pickled up and Derek was on the brink of shifting again. Sheriff Stilinski grabbed his hand and forced him to release his nails, pressing a tissue into his palm and holding it tightly. Even though Derek had healed a few seconds later, the Sheriff didn’t release his hold and Derek didn’t make him.

“Relax Derek, everything will be alright, you’ll see." Derek met the Sheriff's eyes and he could see the worry that reflected in them. Here, the eldest Stilinski was, trying to calm him down and Derek was acting like he was the only one feeling helpless right now.

"I know it will be," Derek's gaze never leaving the Sheriff's. The man was worried about his son, he had no idea what internal conflict Derek was fighting so he responded with "He's Stiles; he'll be just fine, probably come out of the sedative talking."

Sheriff Stilinski chuckled at that and they fell into a mutual silence; Derek decided not to tell the Sheriff that his hand had already healed. If the older man needed the distraction of helping someone to take his mind off Stiles, then so be it. Derek didn't let on that the weight against his palm was comforting. Not in a weird way, it was a feeling he hadn’t felt since his mom was alive. He didn't have the hots for the Sheriff but something about the man screamed pack, even though Derek no longer had one. He used to, and then he’d chosen to leave without a single word and no regrets.

The Sheriff looked down at the hold he had on Derek and sighed.

“He missed you terribly and worried every day while you were gone.” The Sheriff spoke so softly the rest of the pack couldn’t hear. Derek turned his head to look at the other man; he had a thoughtful but worried look on his face.

"He kept that stupid note you threw away. He came home after he went by the loft, you hadn’t been answering the phone, so he checked in on you. When he didn’t find you there and you refused to answer their calls, Stiles went back to your loft every day. He was there so often that the building manager thought you two were living together and Stiles kept up the ruse. He has kept it clean for the last two years, encase you decided to come home, because in the back of his mind he knew you would. Even when the rest of us doubted, Stiles knew. Even then Stiles isn’t the same person he once was. After what he went through, being controlled like that he never went back to who he was. When you left every shred of progress, he made went with you. He hasn’t smiled in two years. You were a huge part of his healing and he felt betrayed when you left, he was and probably still is very mad at you.”

Derek couldn’t meet the older man's gaze. He never realized when he decided to leave that he was that big of a part of something. That he mattered that much to even one of the packmates he left behind.

“My point is that if you plan on leaving again Derek do it before he wakes up. Don't make him suffer any more than he has.” The Sheriff's tone had changed, he'd gone from worried father to the protective man who would do anything for his son.

Would he stay? Could he even? What exactly did he have here? Would Isaac even be willing to stay here? So many questions filtered through his head at once. He had started to make a very good life here for himself, he’d grown his pack and then it all went to shit. But while he still had all of that he was happy, right? A little part of him had been not been content with the way things had turned out in his life. One thing after the next had railed him into thinking he was either cursed or meant to be unhappy for the rest of his life, but if he’d stayed would that have eventually changed? Even if they chose to stay, they probably wouldn’t be welcomed into Beacon Hills by the pack any time soon. Not with what had happened both before and after he’d left. And what if they did decide to stay, would Derek wake up one day and decide that this town wasn’t right for him?

Derek let go of the Sheriffs hand and let out a sigh, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he thought. Maybe they should just leave, get out of town before Stiles wakes up and knows that he was here. With the loft still functioning he could let Isaac claim that as his home and Derek himself could just leave town. It wouldn’t be hard to get the teen settled in with the pack by the looks of things and Isaac could easily get a job here. Derek could leave him enough money to put him through school and to survive and just walk away.

In the back of Derek’s mind, the wolf within had his chest rumbling with a quiet growl. The Sheriff had unknowingly challenged the wolf and without his usual level of control Derek couldn’t stop it from happening. Every wolf in the waiting room looked at him as he tried to wrangle himself back under control. The Sheriff didn’t comment nor did he back away from his gaze when Derek’s eyes shifted. In the back of his mind it felt wrong to think of this as a challenge. There was something about the Sheriff that told Derek that the was only trying to do what was best for his family. Derek knew very well how that felt and the helplessness that often came along with having someone close to your heart. It took a minute or two of rationalizing in his own head that the Sheriff was not a threat, he barely heard the double doors opening to his left.

With the incident quickly forgotten, everyone rose to their feet with Melissa walked into the room. Derek was hit with a wave of surprise when he saw that Melissa was wearing a doctor's coat and nametag. If it had been an appropriate time, he would have told her how happy he was that she chased her dream to where she’d wanted to be.

Shaking, Isaac walked over and stood next to Derek. The older wolf pulled him under his arm as the Doctor started to speak.

“To make a long story short and sweet in a way everyone can understand, when Stiles fell, he hit his head hard enough to cause his skill to crack. The surgery was successful, but it was rocky and for a few minutes we lost him. Thanks to the blood donations we received we were able to replenish what he’s lost. We must keep running tests on him to check his iron count and to make sure his body reacts properly to the transfusion. Stiles is very far from being out of the woods but he's alive and he's a fighter. The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours will be crucial and we will be monitoring him constantly. Now while Stiles has a brain injury it is very important to remember a couple of things.” Melissa turned her attention to the Sheriff as she spoke.

“First off, Stiles doesn’t look like himself right now. Weve had to shave his head and he is very pale. He also has dark bruising around his eyes so just looking at him might be a shock, he will look like he is for lack of a better word, dying. We have run every test on him that we can but there could be complications, even after he wakes up. Stiles may have memory loss or even brain damage. We have no clue at this point and that’s not something we can tell until he heals a little bit and wakes up. There is a chance that Stiles won’t remember who you are, or who he is in fact, so you guys need to prepare yourself for that. Once he wakes up, he will start to look like the same old Stiles, but you guys need to keep in mind that any trauma, even the slightest bit can kill him. If everything turns out okay with him mentally, it is common for there to be dizziness, nausea and even balance issues. He could get shooting pains through his head; it’s not just his skull healing it’s his brain healing too. These are just a few of the side effects that can happen and that’s if everything goes as best as it can. I know that this all seems overwhelming, but this is the best-case scenario and so far, he is showing promising signs.” Melissa had just finished speaking when the Alpha piped up.

“When can I see him?” The demand in Scott’s voice was clear, he wasn’t asking his mother. Being Stiles Alpha and as hierarchy went, he could force them to let him see Stiles before even his own father got to.

Derek’s displeasure at Scott was wafting off him in waves of aggravation. Stiles father should be the first to see his son and from her response, Melissa knew that.

“You can’t go in to see him anytime soon I am afraid. Only the Sheriff will be allowed behind those doors because he is Stiles next of kin and it is hospital policy for-”

“I don’t care what policy is, Stiles is my” Scott lowered his voice to a whisper “Beta and I want to see him.”

“I will have you escorted out of this Hospital in cuffs if I have to. You are not going behind those walls; you will respect the rules of my workplace weather you like it or not.” Melissa might be a smaller woman, but she didn’t budge at the Alphas warning growl. “It could be minutes or more likely days before Stiles wakes up and until that happens, neither you nor your pack will be in to see him.”

Derek was proud of the woman for standing her ground against her son. Yet another challenge had been issued tonight but Derek knew that Scott would never enact that on his mother. Honestly understood the Alphas frustration. Out of pure selfishness he wanted to go in to see Stiles before the rest of the pack too. He would never force the issue, but his wolf was doing everything it could to try to compel him to go to Stiles.

“Now right now all I can do for you guys is call when there is an update if the Sheriff gives me permission. With that I am kicking you all out of my waiting room. Go home, get some rest so when Stiles wakes up you guys will be prepared for what you will see. I'm pretty sure none of you have eaten yet either so Scott use the money in the jar for Pizza. Puppy pile in the living room if you must, just don’t get my couch dirty.”

“When can I see him?” The Sheriff asked breaking Melissa away from the hard stare she was giving the pack.

"He will be settled into his room in a few minutes, I will come get you when they get him comfortable.” The Sheriff nodded and thanked Melissa. He took his seat again and let out a sigh of relief.

“And with that said, when I come back out to get the Sheriff, if you are still here, I will personally have security remove you and don’t think for a minute that I won’t.” She threatened Scott before swiftly walking out of the room.

“She’s right you guys need to get going.” The Sheriff said quietly. Scott looked ready to argue but he didn’t. Derek could tell at his uneasiness that Scott didn’t want to be bossed around by his mom or the Sheriff, but he eventually gave in. He might now be an adult and the Alpha, but Melissa was the authority in this hospital and her son knew not to mess with her at work. This was her territory no matter how much Scott liked to think he owned the town.

The pack begrudgingly gathered their things and slowly made their way out of the hospital one by one. Eventually it was only Derek, the Sheriff and Isaac left. The older man didn’t say anything about them staying and Derek didn’t push. They all sat together for a few minutes in silence until Derek decided to break the tension.

“You don’t want to go with them?’ Derek asked turning his gaze on the younger wolf. Isaac thought about it for a few seconds and shook his head.

“I'm not ready to be around the pack by myself yet.” Derek knew how much courage it took for Isaac to say that out loud. It had taken a lot of time for Isaac to be comfortable around Derek. Sometimes he still wasn’t but they were working through it as the issues came.

“You should take the Camaro and go back to the loft, get some sleep while you can.” Derek reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the keys to his car. He handed them to Isaac who stared at them in surprise.

"You sure? You've never let me drive it before." Isaac met Derek's gaze for only a second before turning his gaze back down. The wolf gently squeezed Isaacs hand closed around the keys and nodded.

"You’ve had your license for over a year now. Go, my bed is a lot more comfortable than the wall." Isaac yawned and nodded, he said his goodbyes and made his way out the door.

“He’s not the same kid he was two years ago.” Derek turned his attention to the Sheriff, the older man was watching the door intently.

“He’s has been through some of the most horrible things that could ever happen to a person in the last two years. I saved him and to be honest he’s not okay. It’s going to take a really long time for him to heal.” The Sheriff nodded and turned his gaze down to his lap.

“Is he the reason you left?” Derek didn’t reply immediately, he thought about his answer for a few seconds.

“Yes, I left because of Isaac was in trouble, he's the reason I’ve been gone for two years but I would have left either way.” Derek said honestly. “After everything that had happened, I needed to get away.”

“I have two questions; are you sleeping with him and are you staying?” Silence enveloped them; Derek was surprised by the first question and didn’t have an answer for the second. Before he could respond with a no to both questions Melissa came out the door. Sheriff Stilinski stood quickly, disregarding the questions he’d asked and followed her through the door.

Derek rested his head back against the wall, closing his eyes for a second. Relief washed over him; Stiles could be okay. Some part of Derek knew that human would fight his ass off to pull through this. Stiles was born a fighter and he would win this battle too.

Under the feeling of relief that washed over him Derek was starting to feel agitated. He should have come back sooner; Stiles could have died. What if he could have prevented that from happening? What if the worst happens? Would he be able to go on with his life knowing that one of the very few people who had ever understood him was gone for good? Derek shook the thought from his head and cleared his mind. His eyes grew heavy; before he knew it he'd lulled himself into a light slumber.

A gentle shake of his shoulder startled Derek from his slumber. His eyes opened and he grabbed the wrist next to his face in a hard grip. As soon as his brain caught up, he let go, realizing who it was.

“I'm sorry.” The wolf apologized quickly and righted himself in his seat. A million questions rattled around in his brain but before he could ask any one of them the Sheriff interrupted him.

"He’s in room 107. You can go back and see him if you want to, he's not awake yet so he won't know your there. If you plan to leave, make the visit quick in case he starts to come around.” Derek heard the undertone in the man’s voice; Derek could go see him, assure himself that Stiles was alive and then leave without the young man knowing he’d ever been there.

Once behind the security doors Derek slowly made his way through the hospital. The scent of alcohol and death burned his nose and the beeps made his ears sensitive. Once he was outside the right door, Stiles scent stood out from all the rest of the smells of the hospital, a comforting mix of pine and musk.

Derek smiled to himself, maybe Stiles hadn't changed as much as the Sheriff thought. Or maybe it was just the small things that couldn't be changed about Stiles that Derek remembered. Like the color of his eyes, his scent and the sound of his voice. He would never be able to forget those things about the human.

Taking a breath and steeling himself against what was on the other side, Derek slowly pushed the door open. Stiles lay in the middle of the bed, motionless. Melissa wasn’t joking when she said there were big bruises around his eyes. They took up a good portion of Stiles face. A bunch of medical gauze was wrapped around Stiles whole head. He was so still; only the slight rise and fall of his chest and the soft wisp of breath between his parted lips told Derek that the boy was still alive.

Derek smiled to himself, Stiles wasn't such a boy anymore. He'd aged a bit since the last time Derek had seen him, he looked a little taller and more muscular than he'd been before. He surely wasn't the hundred- and twenty-pound teen Derek had abandoned two years ago.

Walking up to the edge of the bed, Derek didn't know why but his wolf urged him to touch the human; the man his friend had grown up to be. Derek pressed his palm gently against Stiles chest, his eyes closed at the feeling of the rise and fall of Stiles chest. The heart under his palm was beating in time with his own. Derek breathed in deeply taking in his scent. For the first time in a very long time, Derek was lulled into a peaceful state.

Derek allowed himself a few minutes of relaxation before he started to ease Stiles pain. The veins in his arms turned black as he absorbed every bit that he could. Pain, Derek was used to. This feeling was normal for the wolf, so he did it without even thinking.

When he’d finished taking Stiles pain, Derek did a full body scan of the man. When he found nothing else wrong with the younger man, the wolf turned to leave.

He couldn’t stay, he would leave again at some point and then Stiles and the pack would be no better off than they were when he left last time. Derek didn’t want to disappoint the pack again, especially the Sheriff and Stiles. He chuckled at how one human emotion could twist him up so much.

He knew couldn’t stay, Stiles could wake up at any time and if he saw Derek and recognized him, the wolf wouldn’t be able to leave so easily. The human would eventually want answers if he did know who Derek was and if for some reason he didn’t, Derek couldn’t bring himself to think about that. His mind was made up, he had to leave town before Stiles found out he’d been back.

With one last look Derek committed every detail of Stiles into his memory. If this was the last time, he saw the other man, he would make sure he would never forget it. Just like he never forgot the silly tendencies of the Stiles he’d known before the possession took place and his laugh. Derek still smiled every time he thought of that laugh. As he was about to turn and leave, a quiet voice broke the silence.

"Derek," His eyes widened in surprise as he looked down and met the soft brown eyes that peering up at him. They were hazy and a bit confused “Please come home, I miss you.”

Stiles closed his eyes and fell back into his deep slumber. A pang of guilt and sadness washed over the wolf. Stiles had missed him so damn much that the words he uttered had a tang of sadness with them.

Derek could turn and leave right now. Stiles was so out of it; he would likely think he’d just imagined Derek being there and the older man could leave without the guilt and heart ache of his friend knowing he left again.

Derek let out a heart wrenching sigh and walked out of the room without looking back.

Chapter Text

When Stiles finally woke up, he was groggy, his vision was bleary, and his mouth felt like he’d been eating chalk. It took a few minutes for his dad to realize he was awake but the second he did, the Sheriff was on his feet and offering him water.

The first bit of water had shocked his system, it was so cold, but Stiles couldn’t stop drinking. The relief he felt after a few minutes soon turned in to a dull ache all over his body. He felt truly broken from head to toe.

“I need to call Melissa.” His dad said when he finally stopped drinking and closed his eyes. He pressed the nurse's button on the remote and told them to get Dr. McCall up here as soon as possible. They had been given instructions by the Doctor herself to call whenever Stiles woke.

It only took her a few minutes but when she came into the room, disappointment and confusion were evident on her face. The Sheriff was ecstatic and confused by her reaction until he looked back down to his son. Stiles had fallen back to sleep.

“He woke up for a minute, he drank a lot of water and fell back to sleep.” The smile could be heard in his voice, along with relief.

“Good! I’m very glad to hear that. Did he say anything to you or do anything notable?” The Sheriff quickly shook his head and met her gaze.

“Should he have?” Worry tinged his words.

“No. It is actually uncommon for someone who was put into a medically induced coma to speak this soon.” Melissa came over and checked Stiles vitals. She looked over at the Sheriff and really took in his appearance.

“You know, when he does fully wake up, if he sees you like that Stiles is going to be furious with you.” The Sheriff looked himself over quickly and met her gaze.

“What’s wrong with how I look?” Melissa smiled at him and walked around the bed, he met her on the other side, and they shared a brief hug.

“You look amazing, but you smell awful.” She kissed his cheek quickly and backed away. “Go home, get some real rest, take a shower and for god’s sake eat something.”

“He’s woken up once, I can't leave now. What if he wakes up again in a little bit?” The Sheriff took a seat in the chair beside the bed and grabbed ahold of his sons' hand.

“In that case I’m sending Scott over to your house to get you some clothes. I’ll have him stop for some half decent lunch on the way here. At least take a short shower while you can.” With that said she left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

-

The second time Stiles woke up the Sheriff was handling reports on his laptop. The injured man was only able to stay awake for a few minutes before passing back out. Melissa had warned him that this could potentially happen but seeing it still hurt his heart.

The door cracked open quietly and Scotts messy head of hair popped around the corner. The Sheriff motioned him to come in the room. He closed the door behind him and took a few tentative steps towards the bed, never breaking his eyes off his best friend.

“He looks-”

“Dead?” The Sheriff knew exactly how to finish his sentence, when he’d first seen Stiles in the bed, he thought his son was gone forever. It took time for him to get comfortable seeing him like this but now he knew that Stiles was progressing at least.

“Yeah,” Scott couldn’t form a sentence to save his life and the Sheriff took pity on the young man.

“Melissa says that everything is going according to plan since they took him out of the medically induced coma. He has already started to wake up a couple of times, he's not awake long and I can’t assess his mental state until he starts talking but at least he’s making progress.”

“Is there still a chance he could die?” Scott sounded like a scared kid, not an alpha that has gone against and won every battle thrown his way.

“Yes, with something so serious as this there is a risk for a long time after. He could potentially be released from the hospital and just a little knock to the head could be life threatening.” The Sheriff grabbed the bag off the end of the bed. “Would you like to stay with him while I get cleaned up?”

“Yeah, take your time.” Scott sat down on the cushioned window seat and opened up the food bag he’d brought with him.

-

The third time Stiles woke up that day he was able to stay awake for longer than a few minutes. He still hadn’t said anything yet, but the doctors were able to come in and ask a few yes or no questions that Stiles answered with his hands. He had a basic understanding of who he was, but he couldn’t remember his accident. They couldn’t ask him if he remembers much of the past without telling him the details of the memories. The doctor told them that it would be best if he could retell them himself instead of being told about them.

When Melissa told Stiles that they would give him something for his pain he gestured with one finger to tell her no. She was surprised and double checked with Stiles, he was an adult and he could make the decision of if he wanted pain medicine or not. Now that he was lucid enough to say no, he could make that choice instead of the Sheriff.

With that little bit of interaction, Stiles got worn out enough to fall asleep again. This time he stayed asleep for nearly twelve hours, allowing the Sheriff to get some much-needed rest of his own.

Derek’s footsteps were silent that night; he winced when the door quietly creaked as he opened it. He stopped to listen for a second. When he was sure that the two sets of breathing hadn’t changed and their heartbeats were even, Derek barley poked his head around the door. The Sheriff was asleep on the long couch like bench under the window. Stiles was laid back on the bed, propped up on a stack of pillows. His head was craned so far to the side that his neck was bound to hurt when he woke up.

Closing the door quietly, Derek made his way to Stiles bedside. Derek knew it was borderline creepy but for hours at a time he sat outside Stiles window behind the bushes. If anyone knew he was there, they never let on. The wolf just sat out there with a book every day and waited for something to change. Derek knew what he had to do when he heard that Stiles was refusing pain medication.

Walking closer to the bed Derek held his breath; some irrational part of him of him believed that Stiles would wake up at the sound of him breathing. Derek’s fingers reached out and barely pressed against Stiles’ warm skin. He could feel the strong heartbeat under his palm as black lines streaked up his arm. Derek’s eyes flashed colors and his teeth elongated as he absorbed all of the other man’s pain.

Derek didn’t linger too long; he gave himself a few seconds to check that Stiles was okay and made his exit as quietly as he’d come.

Stiles woke momentarily at the sound of the door closing, he felt better than he had since he first woke up in the uncomfortable hospital bed. Stiles looked at the clock on the wall, he’d already been asleep for six hours but looking at those numbers lulled him back to sleep.

-

The next day Stiles was able say his first word again. No. When he was asked if he wanted anything for the pain. Quickly followed by Go when the Sheriff got a pressing call on his cell phone from work. He promised that the call would be quick and, on his way, out of the room, he ran into Scott.

“Hey Mr. Stilinski. My mom asked me to stop by the house and bring Stiles some of his stuff if that’s okay with you.” The Sheriff put the phone to his shoulder.

“You got lucky, he’s awake for right now but be quiet when you go in.” With his phone pressed back to his ear he walked down the hall.

Scott poked his head around the door slowly. Stiles was leaned back on the bed with his eyes closed. The Alpha thought he’d missed him being awake but when the door squeaked quietly, Stiles eyes opened quickly.

“Scott.” The word was raspy from an unused voice. Scott gave his friend a beaming smile. At least Stiles remembered who he is.

“Hey buddy! My mom sent me to get you a few things. She said you would want some clothes and some entertainment. I brought your Switch and some books for you to read if you feel like it. I got a couple I've read before encase you wanted me to read them to you, you know if your head hurts or something.” Scott babbled as he pulled one thing out of the bag after another, setting them on the table next to Stiles. He thought better of it as he was removing the items and began putting them back in the bag. “Sorry, I’ll just leave these in here.”

“So, my mom says you are making great progress,” One of the good things about Scott is that he’s a talker. It is also one of his bad qualities at times but for now it worked. Stiles didn’t really want to push himself to talk and Scott easily filled that void.

“She says if you heal up properly you could be back to normal soon.” Scott was looking around at everything in the room as he took a seat on the bench. For the first time in a long time an awkwardness washed over the room. “Sooooo do you want to watch a movie?”

Twenty minutes through Hary Potter, Stiles passed out cold.

-

Two days later Stiles was able to answer questions about his past. He could remember almost everything in his past except for the accident itself. Melissa was pleased at the progress he’d already made in such a short time. The Doctor had even talked the Sheriff into going home and getting some sleep in his own bed for a night. It took a lot of poking and prodding for him to agree but Stiles told him he would spend that time resting anyway so he should go home. Stiles needed the time away from his dad for at least one night.

The Sheriff had been giving everyone hell since Stiles had woken up. He needs more pillows; he will get dehydrated if he doesn’t drink enough. Have you been giving him his ADHD medication; it really doesn’t seem like it. The Sheriff had been driving Stiles and the nurses mad since the moment he’d woken up.

The younger man was getting tired of hiding that on that his head felt like it was going to split in two and all he’d wanted to do for the last few days was sleep. The pack wasn’t willing to leave him alone. All he really wanted to do was rest but he felt an obligation to try to act like everything was normal when people were around. The only one he really let his guard down around was his dad and that was because he had to tell someone what was going on.

“I’m fine, go.” Stiles mumbled when his dad asked for the tenth time in half as many minutes if Stiles needed anything.

"I don’t feel right leaving you here alone all night.” The Sheriff stated, taking it as a bad sign when Stiles closed his eyes tightly and rested his head back on the pillow. “Are you alright?”

“I’m tired of acting alright and I would like one night of rest without someone watching over me while I sleep.” That was the longest sentence he’d said at this point and the Sheriff wasn’t even upset at being shooed away when he came to that realization. “I love you, but you are hovering.”

“I’m just trying to make sure you are alright son.” The Sheriff looked a little confused at his sons' statement.

“I appreciate everything you do but I need some time alone.” The Sheriff nodded at his son, really listening to what he was saying and trying not to take offense.

“Okay son, if you feel like you need anything, and I mean anything, you give me a call. Your cell phone is right here.” The Sheriff placed the cell on Stiles knee and gave him a gentle kiss on the head. It took a few minutes for him to gather his things and leave but once he had Stiles let out a deep sigh. For the first time in days he didn’t feel pressured to act alright, when in all reality he was so far from aright he didn’t even know what that word meant anymore.

It was kind of nice to sit in the quiet for a few minutes. Stiles eyes started to get heavier and he hadn’t realized that they’d been burning until he closed them. Total relief and relaxation washed over him, even with the massive pain in the back of his head Stiles felt at ease as his body gave in to sleep.

Stiles was so out of it that night he didn’t even hear his room door opening multiple times. His bad dreams eased into nothing as his pain disappeared.

-

The next morning after Melissa had been by, the door creaked open and Stiles was relieved to see it was Scott and not his dad.

“Good morning.” Scott said in a singsong voice that made Stiles head throb. “I brought you some clothes, your own showering supplies for later use, a toothbrush, I know the ones in the hospital suck and a little treat I had to smuggle past my mom.”

“Thanks Scott.” Stiles grabbed the bag when his friend set it on the end of the bed. His eyes widened when a scent wafted up to his nose. “You didn’t.”

Stiles slowly opened the duffle bag and peered inside. There was a to-go container on top and when stiles opened it, his eyes widened.

“I’m not even going to complain that they put mushrooms on the whole pizza.” Stiles grabbed a piece and took a big bite. He let out a low moan at the taste. It had been so long since he’d had any good food. “Scott, I think I’m in love with you.”

“Dude, don’t make this weird.” Scott laughed, taking a piece of pizza for himself. “You just love me for the food I bring you when you’ve only been given tasteless garbage for days.”

“Yeah sounds about right.” Stiles joked back; he fished out a second piece of pizza and ate it just as quickly as the first one. Between him and Scott, they finished the pizza in record time while watching an episode of Family Guy.

“What did Derek want?” Scott asked as he finished his last bite of crust. He quickly looked over at his friend and realized he’d made a mistake by mentioning it. Did Stiles even know Derek was camping outside his window? By the look of shock on his face, Scott would guess not.

“What do you mean?” Stiles looked at Scott with a little bit of surprise and curiosity.

“Nothing,” Scott took the pizza container off Stiles bed. “Better throw this away before your dad or my mom kills me over it.”

Scott hurried out of the room and Stiles used that opportunity to sit up and cross his legs the best he could to get comfortable. Scott took his sweet time coming back into the room and immediately turned on a movie while pretending Stiles wasn’t staring at him.

“What did you mean when you asked what Derek wanted?” Stiles held up his hand when Scott went to protest. “Before you even try don’t lie to me. You know that I know that you can’t lie to me and get away with it.”

Scott sighed and plopped down into the chair next to Stiles bed. A look of defeat passed across his face as he stared at his hands. The doctors said no stress and that was exactly what Scott was about to do but if he didn’t answer Stiles would stress even more than he would if he knew. With one last sigh he gave in.

“Derek was here, I smelled him faintly in your room when I walked in.” Scott looked his friend in the eye as he spoke.

“He was here? In my room?” Stiles looked around as if the older man was hiding behind some small piece of furniture.

“Yes. He’s been camping outside your window for quite a few days. I didn’t say anything because I figured he wasn’t hurting anything but it's getting creepy. Especially since he was in your room and you didn’t know it.” Scott sat on the edge of his best friends' bed, ready to console him if he needed it. Scott knew what it had done to his best friend when the older wolf had left. At a point when Stiles was mentally at his lowest one of his best friends just picked up and left. Scott could smell that his friend was agitated, and a little bit hurt at what he’d just learned.

"It makes sense now why I haven’t been feeling any pain while I’m sleeping. He’s been taking it.” Stiles gaze was thoughtful while the realization fully sunk in. It also explained why he felt so much better a few minutes ago and now he had shooting pains going through his skull. He glanced over at the window, somewhat expecting to see Derek through it.

“Derek and Isaac showed up the night if your accident and they’ve been staying in the loft.” Scott hoped the information he was giving his best friend wouldn’t stress him out any more than he was.

Stiles was stuck in his thoughts for a minute. If Derek had really been here and hadn’t woken Stiles, it was because he didn’t want to talk to him.

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Stiles wondered, his anger rising by the second at the actions of the older wolf.

“Stiles I don’t think he wanted to upset you. I don’t think I should have told you any of this because I can see that it’s stressing out and my mom told me that is dangerous for your right now.” Scott rambled.

“You’re damn right it would upset me. He abandoned us Scott, over two years ago. Yeah, I now know it was to go find Isaac but still he left us with nothing but a note that I was lucky to have found in the garbage. He’d thrown it away and ran like a coward. He said it was time for him to move on anyway. He left us and never planned to come back Scott. Derek can go screw himself if he thinks I want him around because I don’t.” Stiles knew that if the older wolf was listening Derek had to hear his voice hitch a little bit and his heart beating unevenly from the lie.

“Maybe you should hear him out.” Stiles turned his head toward Scott, giving him an annoyed stare. “Just listen okay. Derek came back and brought Isaac home. Something bad happened to him, it was bad-bad Stiles. He’s messed up even more than he was before, and I don’t know how to explain it, but he doesn’t trust any of us, but he feels safe here. Derek brought him back and set him up so he could stay, and Derek could leave. But for some reason he hasn’t yet, and I think it has something to do with you because he's been camping here. As much as I am annoyed at it, your dad let him in to see you right after surgery. He’s been here in secret ever since and I’m sure that would have continued until I just messed it up.”

“When where you going to tell me Scott, when Derek skipped town again, or maybe never?” Stiles was mad, beyond mad and his head hurt so bad that his eyesight was flashing white. “I want you to leave.”

Scott looked hurt but Stiles couldn’t stand to be around him right now. The pain in his head was getting worse and Stiles really couldn’t handle it right now. Derek was back and the wolf was ignoring him. A part of Stiles wanted to get out of the bed and track him down, make him answer for everything he’d done. Another part of Stiles wanted to pull him into a hug and not let his friend go ever again.

“Look my head really hurts right now, your mom said it would be expected so don’t look at me all worried like that. Just go home; I would like to be alone.” Scott looked like a kicked puppy when he walked out but he listened to Stiles wishes and went home.

“I know you can hear me.” Stiles felt all too foolish talking to the curtain, but he continued.

“You left and everything went to shit Derek. Stuff started to attack Beacon Hills full force and when we needed you, you weren’t here. I know you were off saving Isaac but a part of me resents you for that, for leaving us the way you did. I get why you left though but to be honest if Isaac hadn’t needed your help you would have left anyway.” The sadness in his voice was evident and Stiles felt like crying.

“Were we not good enough for you Derek? Did you need something from us that we weren’t giving you? I don’t understand why you couldn’t have called and checked in occasionally. Let us know you were safe. Instead I couldn’t sleep at night not knowing if you were alive or dead. I hoped for months that you would just give us a sign that you were okay, but you never did. That right there told me that you really weren’t a part of Scotts pack anymore. You broke all ties with us.”

“You broke my trust Derek. I told you stuff that I haven’t even said to Scott. I know I was just some annoying teenager that you could live without. But to me you were more than that. You were my friend, the one person I could turn to when I couldn’t anyone else.” Stiles knew his eyes were pooling with tears that were about to spill over. “Maybe my reasons are selfish, but I learned a while back that sometimes I need to be selfish like everybody else. Why are you here right now Derek? If you didn’t want me to know that you were here, then why stick around? Scott would have kept your secret if you’d just gone like you planned.”

“I’m in a lot of pain otherwise I would be out of this bed kicking your werewolf ass right now for creeping outside my window all this time.” Stiles imagined Derek chuckling which made him give a sad smile to an empty room. “Yeah laugh at me all you want but next time actually announce yourself yeah? You’re here to check on me and you are by far the last person I want to see right now, well besides Nurse Molly. She always pinches my cheeks and keeps insisting I need a sponge bath. Which I probably do but there’s something in her eyes that is borderline cougar and I don’t want to jump off that ship just yet. I need to see you, to know that you’re here and I'm not going crazy. You get to hear, feel and see that I’m alive but I don’t have your wolfy superpowers okay. My only superpower is being able to tell when my dad isn’t eating right. My point is, I need assurances too.”

If Derek wasn’t listening Stiles would feel like an utter fool. After a few minutes of no response in any way, Stiles gave up hope that the Sour-Wolf was even listening or anywhere near for that matter.

After thirty minutes of silence Stiles door creaked open and Melissa stuck her head in.

“Hey Kiddo, how are you feeling?” She asked fully stepping into the room and leaving the door cracked behind her.

“I feel like I’ve been kicked in the head by a camel. Or you know, like I fell off a bridge.” Stiles tried to joke but failed miserably as he winced in pain.

“Did you ask Scott to draw out the pain?” Stiles shook his head no, “It might not be a bad idea at this point. You refuse to take the pain medication and I don’t want to force it in your IV but I am literally thinking about sneaking it in when you’re not looking.”

“I’m always looking.” Stiles lolled his head to the side and closed his eyes.

“I know you are.” She placed her palm on his forehead. “I called your dad and convinced him to sleep in his own bed again tonight. He said he would be in for a short visit in a few hours. I let him know that you got good rest last night so I think he feels better about letting you have sometime to yourself.”

“You must be a miracle worker.” Melissa chuckled and did a few more basic tests on him. When she was done Stiles felt even more drained and like there was something stabbing him through the eye. She explained why that was happening and told him besides Scott drawing the pain she couldn’t do anything for him unless he took the medicine, he refused. She left a few minutes later promising to check on him in the morning and a quick reminder to not abuse the nurses call button unless he really needed something. She knew him too well.

The pain in Stiles eyes came on even worse a few minutes later and this time it was so severe that he couldn’t open his eyes. He didn’t care that the door had opened again, it was probably just a nurse coming to check on him because some silent alarm was going off.

A warm hand pressed into his forehead and the pain eased immediately. Scott had to have come back at his mom's insistence. Stiles would have bet that his friend was waiting for his mom’s return from his room before coming back in to help him.

“Thanks Sc-” If he wouldn’t have been in severe pain a few seconds before, Stiles eyes bulging out of his head would have been comical. “Derek.”

Stiles wanted to kick himself by how breathy the wolfs name came out. His eyes scanned over Derek, almost nothing had changed about the man, especially his style of clothes. Derek looked worn out, he had dark circles around his eyes, those same eyes aimed the look of a lost puppy right at Stiles. The young man watched as the black lines disappeared up Derek’s arm for a few seconds and then met the wolf’s gaze.

“Lay back and I’ll take more of the pain.” Derek said as he urged Stiles to lay back and relax. He walked over and closed the blackout curtains Melissa had made them put up and shut off the light.

“It hurts you.” Stiles said lamely as he lowered down to his back from his elbows.

“Not as much as it hurts you.” Derek rested his hand on Stiles shoulder and drew more of the pain. Both men closed their eyes, one in total relaxation and the other in an attempt to hide the feeling of pain. To Stiles it had felt like forever since he’d had this kind of relief.

“You took the pain earlier.” Stiles didn’t ask because he already knew. “That’s why when Scott got here, I was okay to sit up and function slightly normal. I have so many questions”

“Yes.” Derek met his eyes once more, he watched Stiles face for any indication of pain; the young man opened his mouth, no doubt about to let the levy of questions break. “I will answer all of your questions when you heal more Stiles, until then, the doctor said no stress.”

“How do you-” Stiles eyes widen. “Scott wasn’t kidding when he said you went Creeper-wolf and sat outside my window was he?”

Derek didn’t answer; he didn’t have to because Stiles knew the answer. Stiles took a deep breath, Derek was right. The last thing he needed was to think that this feeling of relief would last for very long. Stiles scooted toward the side of the bed and got comfortable.

“You want me to calm down and relax, get in the bed.” He pleaded with his eyes for the wolf not to ask questions and hoped, that for just this once, Derek would comply without question.

Derek took his time slowly slipping off his jacket and tossing it over the back of a chair, next were his boots. Stiles scooted over a little more and rolled face Derek. The wolf gently climbed in the bed, trying not to rock Stiles around too much.

When Derek finally settled, Stiles moved in closer to him. The wolf raised his arm and wrapped it around Stiles; the young man's head came to rest on his chest. Derek could feel the rise and fall of Stiles chest against his side, oddly enough he found it relaxing.

“Say anything about this to anyone and I will kill you” Stiles whispered; he knew that Derek wouldn’t take their closeness the wrong way. It was in a wolf’s nature to be close to pack. But Stiles wasn’t a wolf and Derek wasn’t pack anymore. Stiles stupid brain didn’t quite register that thought because right now, with him pressed against Derek like this, the older man felt more like pack than he ever had before.

Chapter Text

Sheriff Stilinski stood up the second he saw Stiles first jolt from the bed, never in his life had he seen anyone having a seizure but he was positive that was what was happening to his son. Alarms sounded in both Stiles room and at the nurse's station and seconds later his nightly nurse came rushing into the room. She immediately pulled out her work phone and called for backup as she rushed to Stiles side. Seconds later a team of nurses came rushing into the room, followed by Melissa. They got to work quickly; the sheriff couldn’t see much of what they were doing between the nurses that surrounded Stiles. He watched as seconds later; his son was rushed out of the room.

-

Stiles eyes opened and he was surrounded by nothing but white light. He spun in place a few times and took a tentative step forward. There was nothing around him, no sounds, no color, nothing but emptiness in the fog.

“Am I dead?” Stiles whispered to himself, he looked down and he was wearing the suit he typically wore to work. He had his badge around his neck and his gun at his side. His hands and shoes were covered in dirt and he was soaking wet. The water was dripping off him, but it didn’t pool at his feet, instead it disappeared when it reached the fog.

Something appeared in front of him, Stiles couldn’t tell how far away it was because he had nothing to compare it too, but it was square and the size of a Rubik's Cube. As he walked closer the cube got bigger, it had felt like he’d only taken two steps, but the item had grown slightly. Stiles reached out to grab at it but there was nothing there to grab. He continued forward and the further he walked the larger the item got until it no longer looked like a toy, it was as large as a room. But it wasn’t a room, it was the forest and it kept getting bigger and bigger as he got closer to it. Until finally with one last step, there was a crunch under his shoe.

Stiles was no longer surrounded by nothing. Under his feet was cold, wet dirt covered in leaves. He turned around, trying to figure out where he was and spotted a beautiful house a couple hundred feet away.

Confusion laced his thoughts; he had no clue where he was or what the hell had happened. This had to be another supernatural instance, but Stiles couldn’t figure out why. Maybe someone inside the house could tell him where he was and why.

As stiles approached the house, he could see a lot of children playing out front. Picnic tables appeared, covered in tablecloths and were packed with food. There was a man at the grill, pulling off what appeared to be the last of the burgers. He turned around with a plate piled high in his hands, his eyes caught Stiles and he smiled wide.

“Welcome, fellow soul.” The man stated loud enough to catch everyone’s attention, all heads turned towards Stiles. He recognized three faces immediately and couldn’t stop himself from quietly gasping.

Peter had been rolling around on the ground, getting muddy with two children whose little eyes had widened and changed color as soon as they saw him. Wolves, Stiles came to realize. His eyes drifted away and found Cora among the group. She had been sitting at a table, choking down a burger and glaring at her brother before turning her attention to him. Derek sat across from her with a cheeky grin on his face, it fell the second he saw that there was an outsider around his pack. They all looked way younger than Stiles remembered any of them.

“That's because this happened long before you met any of them.” Stiles startled and turned to his right, there was a woman with long black hair standing next to him. She was looking at the family in front of her with adoration.

“How did I get here?” There were a million questions in his head when realization finally hit him. This was the whole Hale family, their home and pack land. It all made sense now but not how any of this was happening. This couldn’t be real; the Hale estate had burned to the ground and the pack land had been taken over by the humans trying to control the pack after they’d found out that the things that go bump in the night, really do exist. Not to mention that there were only three members of the Hale family that were alive to this day. Four if you count Peters daughter Malia.

“You’re dreaming Stiles.” The womans voice caressed him and calmed him like nothing else ever had in his life. It consumed him for a second and calmed his racing thoughts.

“I don’t understand, how can I be dreaming about things I have never seen before?” He looked around and the scene changed. His vision went darker and for a second. He couldn’t see anything through the haze until he really focused. Once he did Stiles realized that he was in a room and that haze was smoke. He could hear multiple people coughing and some were screaming, others were crying or growling. Adults clawed at the blocked entrances, trying to get their loved ones out.

Stiles stood frozen, the woman was still next to him, watching as things played out. He realized that he needed to help them. When he made to step forward her hand reached out and pulled him back.

“These are my memories, no matter how much you want to change what is happening, there is nothing that any of us can do.” She said solemnly. She watched the scene play for a few more moments and all the sudden the scene changed again. They were back outside at the barbeque and everyone was back to doing what they had been before he arrived.

Peter shifted into his wolf form and the two pups climbed up on his back and held on. He took off running on two legs around the house. Cora threw a roll at Derek’s head, but he caught it, he snatched it right out of the air and took a big bite. She flipped him off and rolled her eyes.

“Cora don’t be rude.” The older man who had welcomed him earlier reprimanded his daughter.

“Tell Derek not to make jokes about my hair then.” She snapped back, showing off her bratty little attitude.

“Both of you be nice, you need to stop fighting all the time, you’re giving me grays.” An elderly woman came out of the house carrying what looked to be a painting in her hands. She held it up for the family to see. “I introduce to you, Peace.”

She was so proud about her art that Stiles couldn’t help but smile at her antics. The piece was a beautiful view from the edge of a cliff, there was a forest down below and the prettiest sunset he’d ever seen before.

“Nan loved her art.” Talia spoke fondly of the elderly woman, “She would sometimes spend a full day down in her art room. Every time she would come back out there would be a new masterpiece of some sort in her hands.”

“This is amazing,” Awe laced Stiles's voice as he looked at the scene playing before him. “But I still don’t understand, how am I here?”

“When you died your soul passed into Purgatory; you were granted the ability to see all that that exists in this realm. Those of us who have struggled to release our souls to the cosmos reside here, in a world not much different than your own. It is exactly like your own in fact, because it mimics the living world. Everything that you see around you right now is exactly how I remember my last memory of my family before the fire. But you know all about the fire don’t you.” It wasn’t a question, but Stiles nodded to her anyway.

“So, I am dead then.” Stiles confirmed in a solemn tone. There was no way he could be here and alive at the same time. This is the afterlife that Stiles never believed existed before his death.

“No, you are only dreaming.” The memory shifted to a park plaza; they were surrounded by trees and four picnic tables sat on the brick red- and cement-colored squares in the center of the space. There was a fire pit in the middle and multiple families were around, sitting at the tables and sharing stories. Kids were off in the distance playing on the playground equipment and the adults were keeping a close eye on them and enjoying each other's presence.

“You said I died,” Confusion laced his words and Stiles took a seat at one of the tables. Everything around them continued as if they weren’t there. Talia took a seat across from him and gave him a sympathetic look. “And can’t these people see us?”

Stiles had so many questions and very little time for answers. He could tell that his dream was starting to slip somewhat but he fought the feeling. He wasn’t sure exactly how he knew what to do, it came instinctively to him.

“You did die for a very short time Stiles. Fortunately, the doctors were able to bring you back to life but once you have been touched by death, that kind of impression never goes away.” Stiles knew what it was like to be touched by death, the Nogitsune had been exactly that. Death, torture and it left him feeling empty inside. Void of any feelings for a long time, Stiles just recently had started to go back to normal in the last year or so, but he still had a far distance to go.

“When your soul entered Purgatory, it allowed you to see the afterlife for lack of a better term. You can see those of us who are not able to pass on. Since you have entered our realm but are now living you can return to it but only in your sleep. Here you can access any memories of those you hold dear. Typically, you could look for their memories and be able to connect with them here, but I was able to seek you out when my son contacted you. You have a connection to Derek, so I was able to seek you out.”

“Does that mean I can find my mom here?” Stiles asked, for the first time he felt a little spark of hope in his stomach. Maybe he could talk to his mother, what would her world look like and how could he find it?

“You essentially could, it might take you some time to get the hang of traveling in this realm but once you understand it, all you have to do is use your imagination.” Stiles couldn’t help but feel like Talia was leaving something very important out, but he didn’t know how to approach the subject. If she was anything like Derek, she would probably rip his throat out for doubting her.

“Why did you come to me, why didn’t my mom?” Maybe she wasn’t in this realm. It didn’t seem very hard for Talia to seek him out so maybe his mom was no longer here. What if she’d found peace, before he was able to come to the afterlife and he’d missed her?

“I came to you because I need your help. My son needs your help, Stiles.” The seriousness in her voice seeped through and chilled him to his core. The scene changed and all the sudden he was butt first on the ground, surrounded my nothing but trees. The sky was so gray and dark that everything became eerie.

A guy in jeans leaned against a tree stump in what appeared to be a cellar. An older woman pressed up against him, holding him in place. He could hear kissing but from this angle he couldn’t see much of anything except for the womans back and the man's legs. Stiles felt a very deep sense of arousal pulse through his entire body. He wasn’t turned on physically, but he could feel the sexual hunger as if he were the one pressed against the tree.

The woman kissed down the guy's neck and Stiles caught a look of his face. His stomach dropped when he realized it was a younger Derek. His eyes were closed, and his head was thrown back as she worked her way down his naked torso.

Stiles couldn’t watch this; he knew exactly who the woman was, and he didn’t even need to see her face to verify it. Kate Argent, the one who had sexually abused Derek, used him and killed his family.

Stiles wanted to rip her off him, but Talia had told him that he couldn’t change what happened in these memories. Stiles heard Kate let out a frustrated groan as if she was being put out a second before she pulled away.

“I would really like to continue this, but I need to get going.” She kissed him again, teasing him with her hands for a few seconds. She gave him a sensual smirk and a raised brow. “You would like to continue this, right?”

Derek could only nod in affirmation. Stiles could feel the disappointment and arousal still coursing through him as Derek tried to calm himself.

“So, tell me then, what is your family’s schedule like?” Kate ran her nails down his abdomen, her eyes set on watching his stomach contract from the contact. “I would like to come back when no one else is around, so if you tell me when they come and go, I can work around that. Then next time, we can take this the rest of the way again. You want that don’t you?”

“We go out for a run as a pack every Saturday night. Otherwise, there is always usually one or two people around. It's rare that no one is home.” Derek sounded disappointed and Stiles felt his stomach plummet at his next words.

“Well, the less people there are, the smaller chance we have of being caught.” She kissed her way to his neck again and bit down gently. “So how about you tell me the time when the most people are home so I can avoid showing up then.”

Stiles listened as Derek spilled his family's secrets, a knot in his stomach twisting so tightly that he felt like he was going to be sick. The scene changed again and this time they were in a cellar, there were loud bangs all around them as the family huddled together.

Stiles watched as the bars in the cellar were closed and flaming bottles were thrown into the room. Everything ignited quickly, screams rang out in the room and Stiles closed his eyes as tightly as he could, he couldn’t watch this.

“This is my last memory. I watched my family burn to death and then I burned myself. I am very thankful that some of my family members weren’t home, or the loss would have been even greater. Derek lives with the misery and memories that he got his family killed. He’s not wrong, he did play a part in our deaths, but he didn’t cause them.” When Stiles opened his eyes, they were in a park standing next to a small waterfall.

“Why are you showing me all this?” Stiles took a seat on the rocks near the base of the water. Talia took a seat next to him and picked up a rock.

“My son is in danger and I can’t do anything to stop it.” The rock in Talia's hand crumbled to the ground in a fine powder. Stiles eyes widened, watching it sprinkle to the ground in awe. “I need you to help him, Stiles. You are the only one who can. He is going to be in grave danger.”

“How can I help him? You do know I am human right?” Stiles hated to admit it but there was a whole pack of wolves around here, why would she come to him?

“I can’t tell you anything more. Just remember that when Derek offers you the bite, take it.” Talia's voice was far away and the memory shifted to a blank white space.

Stiles was shaking. He didn’t want to become a wolf but by the sound of it if he did become one, he would save Derek’s life. Speaking of doing just that, what the actual fuck? How could she just leave like that without giving him any information? How was he supposed to save Derek? Even more important, when?

Stiles was still thinking about it when everything around him turned pitch black. Everything disappeared and then all the sudden a blinding light had him squeezing his eyes shut.

-

“Stiles? Stiles can you hear me?” He could hear an angelic voice in his head. Stiles smiled and opened his eyes. For a split second through the blur in his eyes, he could swear he saw his mother's face. He blinked a couple of times and Melissas face came into sight. “Hey sleepy head.”

Stiles pulled the blanket up to his chin and looked around the room. They were alone, the blackout curtain was open and one of his dad's puzzle books was on the table next to his bed. Confusion hit him like a freight train. Had he dreamed his conversation with Scott and had Derek not been here? There was absolutely no sign that suggested what he’d thought had happened, really had. Sadness sent a pang through his chest for a split second until Melissa used her pen light to burn out his eyeball.

“Ouch.” He complained and tried to turn his head away. A wave of nausea hit him and had him groaning, closing his eyes.

“Welcome back, Stiles.” He could feel her taking his vitals, she only paused long enough to address the other person in the room. "A nurse will be in here shortly to draw his blood; we need to make sure the infection isn't going to come back.”

Stiles body hurt in a way it never had before and there was a sharp pain thrilling through his head. He would have liked to hear more of the conversation but he couldn’t stop himself from closing his eyes and falling asleep.

-

Pain pierced through Stiles’s skull when he cracked open his eyes just slightly. His body hurt all over, his mouth was dry and his stomach felt like it was doing doughnuts. A bright light shown in his eyes, he closed them tightly.

"Stiles open them back up or I'm going to open them for you." Stiles tried to open his eyes again and let out a loud whine when the pain shot through his head. A second later a flashlight flickered off and he felt a cool cloth on his forehead.

"I feel like death.” Stiles voice sounded croaky and he had a bad case of cotton mouth.

"Hang on, don't speak." Stiles heard Melissa say just before he felt a straw being pressed to his lips; the cool liquid felt like heaven as he took sip after sip of water.

"What happened?" Stiles rasped out; his voice sounded like it hadn’t been used in months.

"Do you know who you are?” Stiles nodded and felt around his sides for the remote to lift the bed. He slowly started to sit it up as he answered her question.

"I'm Stiles, why are you asking me this?” Stiles was confused and the further he sat up in the bed the more pressure went right to his head, but he didn’t want to lay down and sleep anymore.

"We put you into a medical induced coma after you had a seizure. It was caused by a high fever that spiked in you very quickly. We think the fever was caused by an infection from your surgery suture site and we couldn’t tell from the outside that it was infected. We had to recut into your incision to drain the infection that had started to build up. The infection was so bad we knew it would take some time to completely get rid of it and we were worried about more seizures and the possibility of a stroke so we had to put you on medicine. It was extremely hard on your body but it was necessary to keep you alive. We decided to put you into a medically induced coma until we were sure you were in the clear because of how much of a tole it was taking on your body. We were afraid your heart may give out. You were under for almost two weeks.” She sat down on the foot of his bed and waited to see if he had any questions.

"Two weeks?" Stiles was having trouble wrapping his head around the idea of being in a coma in the first place. It didn’t feel like it had been two weeks, leaving Stiles to wonder what had happened in the time he was out of it.

“Yes, its been a while but your body needed time to heal Stiles, you were having a really rough go of it before the coma. With that said if things keep progressing in the direction they have been going, you will be out of here by the end of the week.” She paused to listen to his lungs. She seemed satisfied with the result and stood from the edge of the bed, smiling at Stiles.

“Everyone is excited to see you. They’ve been over to my house almost every night this week and all I hear about is ‘when Stiles gets out.’ It seems like the more they talk about it, the more excited they get over the idea of you being out of here.” Melissa input his stats into the computer next to his bed side. “I think your dad and Derek should be done with dinner before too long, in the meantime if you feel anything off, even in the slightest I want you to hit that nurses call button, okay? You still aren't out of the woods yet but you’re getting there.”

Stiles wasn’t surprised his dad was here, but he was shocked to hear that Derek was still around. It had been two weeks since he had seen the man, that had given him plenty of time to tuck his tail between his legs and run again. Just that thought was almost as disturbing as Stiles contemplating how many burgers and fries his dad had eaten in the last two weeks. When he got out of here the Sheriff surely would be in for a shock because Stiles was going to cut down on the amount of red meat in the house and if his dad fought him on it, Stiles could now use the ‘I just had brain surgery and you eating red meat is stressing me out.’ Stiles contemplated if that would actually work on his dad or if it would forever be a lost cause.

Stiles was so lost in his own head he didn’t hear the hospital door open. He only noticed that someone was standing in the doorway when a shadow moved in the corner of his eye. Derek walked into the room, carrying a cup of coffee. Stiles couldn’t help but notice he was wearing tight as sin jeans, black boots and a white sleeveless shirt. If he was feeling a bit better the filled in but short and neatly kept beard would have had him drooling. There was no denying the man was handsome before, but now he had this rugged wolf look about him that, on a typical day, would damn near paralyze Stiles because all the blood was rushing south.

Derek sat down in the chair next to Stiles bed, putting his coffee on the edge of the table and watching the other man closely. He could tell he was being scrutinized from head to toe and there was a part of him that preened from the attention, until Stiles opened his mouth.

"I like the beard." Stiles stated simply. Derek knew there was a barb coming and grinned when Stiles finally let it fly. "It makes you look like you live on a mountain, alone. Far away from civilization and any romantic possibilities."

"I see you haven't lost your sense of humor." Derek leaned over and grabbed the remote connected to Stiles bed, he turned on the tv for some background noise.

"Nah, just my pride." Jokes came easy to stiles, especially when they helped cover up some pretty twisted up emotions that he didn't even want to think about.

"Melissa says you're doing better and that you may be able to go home soon.” Derek handed Stiles the remote and watched as the younger man flipped through the channels. He finally paused on a news station.

“News reports have been coming to us over the last couple of hours, Charlie would you like to elaborate for us?”

“Police have confirmed six bodies were recovered from Beacon Hills National Forest late last night after a hiker and his dog stumbled across a burial ground. Police said that it looked like the bodies had been there for quite some time but until they confirm the identities of the deceased, they can’t elaborate any further. Chief-” Derek had quickly grabbed the remote and changed the station to something else. Stiles turned his attention to the man and Derek was pretending to be absorbed into the sitcom he’d turned on.

“So, what was that about?” Stiles questioned. Derek shook his head and Stiles thought he was going to completely ignore him for a minute. Derek finally turned his attention to the other man and let out a deep sigh.

"You are not getting involved Stiles." Derek stated. Stiles could tell there was no question about it he meant it as an end of story but he still had to try to get information from the other man.

"I just want to know what's happening." Stiles nearly whined; he had missed out on something important and it was going to eat at him until he found out what it was.

“No,” The word was growled out in a warning. Stiles startled slightly at the other man’s loss of composure. It had been a very long time since he had seen Derek let the wolf seep out into his human side. “You aren’t getting involved in this, or anything supernatural until you are good and healed.”

“Regardless of what you and my dad believe, you can’t keep me away from this if I want to be involved in it. I am an adult and neither of you can stop me.” The growl that filled the room sent thrills down Stiles spine. Derek wasn’t happy and oh boy was he making a good show of it. A part of Stiles wanted to stand down and agree to stay away from whatever was going on. Another part of him wanted to push Derek’s buttons and be defiant. Stiles looked down at the gown he wore and fidgeted with the edge of it.

The chair made a loud sound as it scooted across the floor. A second later Derek was in Stiles’s face, seated just barely on the edge of the bed. Derek quickly reached over and lifted Stiles gaze to his own, he held steady for a moment before speaking.

“You have no idea how easily something so simple could kill you right now.” Stiles wanted to tear his gaze away but he couldn’t make himself do it. The look Derek was giving him was raw, and scared, something Stiles had rarely ever seen come from the other man. “I'm not trying to control you; I am only trying to keep you safe. On a normal day, I would have already asked for your opinion on what is going on but right now, for your safety, you have to stay away from all of this. Scott can handle it without you just this once, okay?”

Stiles felt Derek’s hand slide down to the side of his neck and his hand came to rest just above his pulse point. Stiles closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bed, he could feel the pain seeping out of him and finally being able to fully feel relaxed was making him sleepy.

"There's something you have to understand. We have all been worried sick about you; we thought we were going to lose you Stiles and we almost did, twice now. You may not think it is dangerous for you to get involved with the supernatural aspect right now but it is. When Melissa had a conversation with the group, she said that until your brain fully heals, you could die from just a simple bump to the head and no one wants to take any risks or chances with you, so we collectively have all made the decision to keep you out of this. None of us want to lose you.” The emotion behind Derek’s words hit home for Stiles and he found himself nodding to the wolf.

“M-kay” He murmured tiredly; Stiles knew he wasn’t in any condition to be helping with anything supernatural anyway.

“Promise me, Stiles.” Derek’s thumb was drawing lazy shapes against Stiles's neck. It both tickled and relaxed him more than he could have ever thought possible.

“Promise,” Stiles barely got out a split second before he fell into a deep slumber.