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Chapter Text

Claudia came from a long line of proud selkies. Her parents and siblings never felt the urge to shed their skins and go on land, but Claudia craved the feeling of sand between her toes and the feeling of the moonlight on her skin.

It was on one of these nights that she snuck away to land that she saw a human up close for the first time. A young man stepped out from behind some nearby rock, startling her. She ran for her skin and dove back into the waves. She had heard the stories of the cruelty of Man- how they would steal a woman’s skin if given the chance and turn her into a docile slave. She loved the land, but was too strong willed and free spirited to risk ending up like that.

It was a few months before she tried going on land again. This time instead of dancing around, she just sat on the beach- seeing her home the way the humans did. It was beautiful.

Soon, someone sat down next to her, “Um, hi.”

Claudia looked at the strange man and recognized him as the same man she ran from before. Her skin was sitting between them, but he made no move to grab it.

“Hello.”

It was awkward at first- he didn’t know what to say and she couldn’t wrap her mind around how he was so different from the horror stories she had grown up with.

She went back to that beach as often as she could to meet up with the man, Noah. He introduced her to all things human and in return she told him about selkies.

Claudia loved her family, but she also loved Noah. When her family found out about the human, they forbade her from returning to land. She knew she had to make a choice and it hurt more than she could bear. She went to the beach one final time.

“I want you to have this.” Claudia handed Noah what looked like a red sweatshirt- her skin.

“I can’t accept this,” Noah responded, “I know what it means, what it will do to you and I can’t.”

“It only has that effect if it is stolen,” Claudia explained, “However, if it is freely given, then it is only a sign of my love and commitment to you. Similar to how you humans use rings. Please Noah, I love you.”

They were married shortly thereafter and soon they had a child who was just as wild and free as Claudia- the only sign of his heritage was the webbing between his fingers and toes. The doctors explained it away as a birth defect and offered to cut it so he wouldn’t be so odd, but they refused. Their son was who he was and they loved him no matter what. And even if Claudia had no intention of returning to the sea, she wanted her son to have the option when he was older.

She gave him a name in her native tongue, but no one could pronounce it, so they gave him the same nickname as his paternal grandfather, Stiles. She would tell him tales from under the sea and he would listen with his eyes wide- it was the only time he was ever quiet.

It had been about five years since Claudia had any contact with the sea. Her skin was becoming dry and her muscles were weakening. She was laying in bed, Stiles playing in the other room and Noah was sitting next to her, holding her hand.

“You have to go back, Claud. It’s for your own good.” Noah said.

“I will never leave you. If I go back, my family will not allow my return and I will never see either of you again.”

“Then take Stiles with you. Let him see where he comes from and then you’ll have at least one of us with you.”

Claudia shook her head, “I could never take him from you. This is what’s best for everyone. I love you,” She looked over at where Stiles was listening at the door, “I love both of you.”

She died a few days later.

Noah was having trouble coping with the loss. A friend would frequently take Stiles for play dates with her son and Noah would use this time to drink.

He drank and he drank and he drank. Even when Stiles was home, he would leave the kid alone and go out to drink.

He was kicked out of bars on more than one occasion for not being able to pay his bill. He had a running tab at every bar in town, and the time came for them to collect.

Noah sat in his office staring at the bills from the various bars, a glass of whisky in his hand. He was just so frustrated! Why couldn’t he stop? This wasn’t the life he wanted. Stiles deserved more- Claudia deserved more. With all these debts, he wouldn’t be able to feed his son, but he still couldn’t put down the bottle because then he would have to feel all of it, and after avoiding it for so long, he knew the grief would kill him.

“Dad, are you okay?” Stiles asked from the doorway. And Noah just couldn’t take it. He threw the glass and it hit the door frame right next to Stiles’ head. When he saw the fear and the tears in his son’s eyes, that’s when he knew something needed to change.

He made a deal with a prominent family who lived in the next town over. They would take Stiles in and he would work for them and instead of a wage, the money he would make would pay off Noah’s debts. He was assured Stiles would be well taken care of and treated like family, even though he would technically be a servant. Since he was so young, his first few years there would just be playing with the master of the house's granddaughter, and he would probably be back for Stiles before any of the real work began. Noah breathed a sigh of relief after dropping his son off with Gerard Argent and finally had the strength and will to get help with his addiction and his grief.

Chapter Text

Stiles was eight years old when his dad left him with a family of strangers. He watched from the window as his dad disappeared down the long driveway. He placed his hand on the window as if that would bring his dad closer- make him come back.

“Father, come look at this.” The young woman- Kate- said. If Stiles had to guess, he would say she had only just reached adulthood.

Her father, Gerard, made his way over to them. Kate took his hand off the window and presented it to her father.

“This is exactly why we agreed to take him in,” Gerard said, “We must teach him how to be human. Thankfully he’s only part monster, so we should be able to cut that part out of him. Would you like to take the first step?”

Stiles was confused as to what was happening, but Kate’s face lit up, “I would be honored! Is the room ready?”

Gerard just smiled and started walking down the hall. Kate still had Stiles’ arm in a vice grip and she dragged him behind her father. They went through the kitchens and down another dark hallway that led to a set of stairs.

The room at the bottom of the stairs was probably supposed to be a wine cellar, but instead it was lined with various types of weapons and books. In the middle of the room was a chair with straps on the arms and legs.

Kate shoved Stiles into the chair and she and Gerard made quick work of securing him to it.

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

Kate gave him an unsettling smile as she caressed his cheek, “Aw, sweetie, we’re helping you. You can’t see it now, but there’s a sickness in you, and we’re going to cure you.”

“A sickness?” Stiles asked quietly.

Kate’s thumb ran across his cheekbone and she nodded.

“Is it the same sickness my mom died from?”

“It is. But we won’t let that happen to you.” Kate said.

Stiles could feel himself start to cry, but he tried to hold back his tears. He didn’t like what was happening, but he didn’t want to fade away like his mom did. He didn’t want his dad to hurt like that again.

“Pick your tool, honey.” Gerard said.

Kate looked over the knives that were laid out on one of the tables and picked a small, serrated one. She moved over to Stiles, “This is going to hurt, sweetie, but it’s for your own good.”

Stiles nodded and tried to brace himself for the pain, but he still didn’t fully know what was going on and nothing could prepare him for this.

The feeling of tearing flesh was all consuming. He started to scream, but Gerard shoved a rag in his mouth, blocking the sound from getting too far.

“That’s good, but you can still see some of the remaining webbing,” Gerard said as he examined Kate’s work, “What you need to do is cut off the normal, human skin that the webbing is connected to. That way there will be no leftovers from the monster within.”

“Thank you for the tip, Daddy.”

She went back to the fingers she had already cut and placed new, deeper cuts over the old, but still fresh ones. He couldn’t tell if it hurt more, but it definitely hurt a lot. He kept screaming, but they didn’t seem to care. She moved on to the rest of his webbing, cutting it away with bits of human skin as well. Soon, his hands were both bloody messes and he had screamed his voice hoarse.

Kate and Gerard took the time to bandage his hands, but didn’t bother with any antiseptic. He was so tired he didn’t even bother to point that out.

He was given a small room (closet) and a straw mattress and then he was left alone for the night. He fell asleep from pure exhaustion with tears streaking down his face.

He wasn’t able to start working for another week or so because his wounds became infected and he ran a high fever. The charge for the doctor visit and medicine was added to his father’s tab.

Ten years later Stiles had no memory of the atrocities of that first night- the fever that followed convinced him it had been a strange and horrible dream and the scars were remnants from one of his father’s alcoholic rages.

He was tasked with preparing the manor for the ball that night. It was Allison’s birthday party, but Kate was going to use it as an opportunity to introduce her fiance to their acquaintances. No one had met him yet- he hadn’t even arrived at the manor yet- but apparently he and Kate have been exchanging letters for years. Anytime a new letter would come, she would happily read it aloud to everyone present and then bring it into town to share with her friends. However the letters never had a name. It was simply signed “Yours.” It was disgusting and sketchy as fuck. Ambiguous as to whether or not this man even existed. Stiles was the one to receive the mail at the door every day and he never recalled getting these letters for Kate, but it wasn’t his place to ask questions or doubt his masters.

He checked in with the chefs to make sure they had the right menu and saw to it that the maids were cleaning the ballroom. The gardeners were putting the final touches on the topiaries so guests could wander around outside if they so desired and have something beautiful to look at.

Stiles made his way back to the kitchens- they had been the farthest behind out of everyone, so he was going to offer them some extra assistance. 

However, when he got there he noticed a door that was usually blocked off was slightly ajar. He never really paid attention to that door before. Whenever he looked at it a pit formed in his stomach. He moved closer to it as if in a trance. However, he soon heard the echoes of screams followed by what sounded like sobbing. Stiles stopped in his tracks- his heart pounding. He closed the door and then went back to his duties.

By the time the party started, he had completely forgotten about the door in the kitchen. He was standing near the servants’ entrance to the ballroom, making sure everything ran smoothly. His butler’s suit was fitting uncomfortably, but he didn’t dare say anything about it- this one was added to his father’s debts and he didn’t want to cause any more financial strain. 

Everyone was dancing and having a good time. He saw Allison making her rounds and greeting all her guests. Then, the music changed and Kate was making her grand entrance down the stairs (just like her to make her niece’s day all about her). She was wearing a black evening gown with a plunging neckline. And she wasn’t alone. On her arm was the most handsome man Stiles had ever seen. He had dark hair and a perfectly groomed beard. It was clear he was well built under that tuxedo.

It was kind of a shock that this man was real- all this time he had assumed Kate had faked the letters because no real man was able to put up with her. (Damn he really needed to stop thinking about his mistress this way).

Kate had a smirk on her lips and she noticed all the women- and some men- in the room check out her man. She paraded him around before they took to the center of the dance floor.

Stiles frowned before turning and heading back to the kitchens. They could probably use a tray of canapes or champagne or something. When he got there, he noticed the mystery door was open again. He walked up to it slowly, debating whether or not to go down the stairs. But he just shook his head and closed the door again. There was nothing down there. Besides, he couldn’t even hear any phantom sounds this time.

The rest of the night passed rather quickly. The man was introduced as Derek Hale and he came from a land beyond the sea. He sounded equal parts mysterious and well established. He also seemed to be completely wrapped around Kate’s finger. He got her a drink or some food any time she asked him to- never arguing or asking for anything in return. It was weird, but Stiles was determined to mind his own business.

Over the next few weeks, Kate was busy with wedding planning and Chris, Victoria, and Allison went back to their home in the city. Gerard seemed tense, but that wasn’t anything new for the man. And Derek was often found in the library at the window seat that overlooked the sea.

“Do you miss your family?” Stiles asked one day when he went in to clean the library and found Derek looking longingly out the window yet again.

Derek just stared back at him, not saying anything.

“I mean, of course you miss your family. I miss my family. But, um, are they going to be sailing over for the wedding? I’m sure they wouldn’t want to miss that.”

Derek’s eyebrows twitched and the corners of his mouth moved to a slight frown before he went back to gazing out the window. Stiles huffed, but got to work cleaning the room and then moved onto the next.

After that, Stiles would try to start conversation with Derek anytime they were in the library together, but Derek would either outright ignore him or just stare.

“Are you reading these?” He asked Derek about a stack of books next to him on the window seat.

Derek looked down at the books and shook his head. And wow, that was the most interaction he had ever gotten from the man. Stiles reached for the books, but Derek grabbed his wrists.

“Your hands,” he said, “What happened to them?”

Stiles looked at his hands and saw the scars he had on each finder, “Um, I’m not sure. I don’t really remember. I think it might have been when I was cleaning the glass from one of my dad’s broken whisky bottles? It could have been something else, though. I was young. I actually had a fever dream that it was Kate.”

Stiles tried to laugh at that, but Derek didn’t laugh with him- his eyebrows were drawn into a serious expression. (Although he didn’t really seem to have another type of expression.)

“Just, be careful.” And then Derek went back to staring out the window.

Stiles finished tidying the library before moving on to the bedrooms. On his way he ran into Kate.

“Oh, Stiles, just the cutie I wanted to see.”

“Miss Argent, what can I do for you?” Stiles asked.

“Well, it’s soon to be Mrs. Hale, you know, so you’d better get used to that,” She gave him a smile that seemed to have too many teeth, “And speaking of the wedding, we only have one month to do and I need you to oversee the gardeners as they prepare for it.”

She handed him a large binder, “This has every type of flower I want as well as their exact placement and the shape of the topiaries. You are the only servant I trust to oversee this. It must go perfectly.”

“Of course Miss Argent,” at her look he added, “Soon to be Mrs. Hale.”

“Thank you, Stiles.”

Kate walked away and Stiles searched for the nearest maid and asked her to take over his in house duties for the day and to have them divvy it up for the next month as he oversaw the gardens. 

It seemed like his work load never ended and was constantly added to. He couldn’t wait until his father’s debts were paid and he could leave. Although he had no idea what he would do once he was able to be on his own. All he knew how to do was manage a home, but unless someone was as ridiculously rich as the Argents no one had house staff. And he also didn’t want to end up at someone’s beck and call again- he wanted to live for himself.

The gardens were at the back of the house and overlooked the sea. It was a beautiful view and Stiles always felt rejuvenated when he went outside and breathed in the fresh, salty air. He was so focused on giving the gardeners their tasks that he didn’t notice Derek watching him from the library window.

Chapter Text

For about a week Stiles had been in the gardens, getting everything set up for the wedding. He had three weeks left to prepare, and it seemed the gardeners were all on track now, so he could get back to his normal household duties and only look in on this project once a day.

He went inside and started washing up in the kitchen sink when he noticed the door was ajar again. Before he could chicken out, he went through the door to investigate what was behind it. There was a dark hallway with a staircase at the end- it was old and rickety, Stiles was afraid of falling through.

At the bottom of the stairs was a dirty, ill maintained room filled with various sizes and types of knives. If Stiles didn’t know any better, he’d say this was where they would butcher fresh kills for feasts, but he knew that wasn’t it.

The memory of his fever dream nagged at the back of his mind, but he ignored it in favor of examining the room more closely. There seemed to be something dark shoved into the far corner. As Stiles got closer, he realized it was a leather jacket.

He picked it up- it was too big to be Kate’s and it wasn’t Gerard’s style. He could see Chris potentially wearing something like this, but he hadn’t wanted to leave anything behind at the manor after his family moved out, so it couldn’t be his. That left Derek, but what would he have been doing down here? Maybe he was here with Kate for some privacy?

Stiles shook his head. He did not like where that train of thought was going. He took the jacket and made his way up to the library. He didn’t know why, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he made it to the library without running into anyone.

Derek turned when he heard the sigh and his eyes widened as he saw what was in Stiles’ hands.

“I think you lost this?” Stiles said, but it came out more like a question than a statement.

Stiles stepped forward and held the jacket out to him. Derek’s eyes moved between the jacket to Stiles’ face and then seemingly back to the jacket. His eyebrows drew into a slight pinch as if he were contemplating something, which was strange since it was just a jacket.

Derek gave a slight nod before he responded, “I’ll only take it if you go with me.”

Stiles took a half step back, “Go with you where?” was all he could say, because what the hell was happening? Since when did the return of a jacket mean running away together?

Derek looked back out the window with the same longing expression he always had, only this time there was a small smile on his face, “Home.”

“I am home.” Stiles said, taking another half step back.

“You know this isn’t home,” Derek said, “You’re a slave here. Don’t you want to be free?”

“No,” Stiles whispered.

Derek let out a defeated sigh, “Then do me a favor, please? Keep that somewhere safe. Somewhere no one else would find it- especially not Kate or Gerard.”

“Why won’t you just take it?” Stiles asked.

“Because as soon as I have that back, I’m leaving. And I refuse to leave you in this prison alone.”

“I’m not a prisoner.” Stiles said before he left the library. The first place he went was his room, again thankful he didn’t run into anyone on the way. He knew this wouldn’t be able to be a permanent home for the jacket, but it would do for now until he was able to sneak it somewhere better. As mad as he was at Derek for his insinuations about Stiles’ life, he was going to keep this jacket safe because it obviously meant a lot to the man and Derek was trusting him with it. He would hope someone would do the same for his mom’s sweatshirt.

For the time being, he hid the jacket in with his dirty laundry. It was covered enough that it wouldn’t be seen and hopefully the thought of his dirty underwear would be enough of a deterrent for anyone searching his room.

With one last look to make sure nothing was out of place, he went back to the main part of the house to complete his duties. He had just informed the maids that he was back to his usual rotation and was getting ready to tidy the offices, however he stopped when he heard voices coming from the room.

Normally he would have just left and cleaned another room until this one was unoccupied, but for some reason he decided to hide and eavesdrop on the conversation.

“How much longer do you think we can keep him here?” Came Kate’s voice.

“It used to be easy to tack on clothing expenses as he was growing up, but it’s getting harder and harder to find reasonable charges to add.” Gerard said.

“How long until the debt is paid?” Kate asked, and that was when he realized they were talking about him.

“Looking at the books, it was paid off last week. We just haven’t informed the boy or his father, and I think we should put that off for as long as possible.”

“If we lead them astray like that they could come after us legally.” Kate pointed out, but Gerard just laughed.

“With what money? Sure the debt has been paid, but they are both broke. We have both Chris and Victoria as lawyers in our corner and they have no one who would be willing to take on a case against us. Debt or not, we could keep the boy forever and the father would be too terrified to come for him.”

Stiles stepped away from the door before he could hear any more.

Was it true? Was he technically a free man? Were the Argents just using him for free labor? Is this what Derek meant about it being a prison? Were these underhanded schemes the reason Chris left? But if that was the case, why would he defend them if Stiles or his dad were to sue them? It was all too confusing and just all around too much.

He ran into the library to Derek’s questioning looks, but he ignored the man as he fumbled through the drawers looking for a paper and a pen. He sat at the desk and wrote out a letter:

Dear Ally,

I have treasured the years we were able to grow up together. I see you as a friend and not as one of my masters. That being said, some things have come to light and I need clarity/ someone to talk to. If you think you could be that confidant for me, please send for me right away. And make sure the letter gets to me and it will not be intercepted by anyone.

I know this seems strange and cryptic, but I’m confused and scared. Please help.

Sincerely, Stiles

He found an envelope in the drawer and addressed it to Allison before sealing it. He was out of that room just as fast as he had entered it, leaving a confused Derek in his wake.

He managed to catch the mailman, which was great because it meant the Argents wouldn’t be able to get ahold of the letter and swap it out or prevent it from being sent.

The next few days passed in a haze of anxiety. Everyday he made sure he met the mailman at the end of the drive to ensure no one could tamper with the mail. Finally on the third day there were two letters from Allison, one addressed to him and one addressed to Gerard. On the outside were instructions to open them in the presents of each other.

This was odd, but he knew he had to go through with it at this point. He had placed his fate in Allison’s hands and she could either rat out his paranoia or she could do what he asked of her and prove their friendship.

He took a few deep breaths before taking the mail into the dinning room where Gerard, Kate, and Derek were having breakfast.

“Allison has sent us each a letter with special instructions.” He said to Gerard as he gave the man his letter.

Gerard gave it a curious look before saying, “Let’s get on with it, then.”

Stiles opened his letter as Gerard opened his and he breathed a sigh of relief at the words:

Dear Stiles,

Your letter says the same as the one to my Grandfather, I just wanted you both to hear from me at the same time.

A young man in the city has started courting me. He seems like a nice man, but I could use some help navigating this courtship. Stiles and I have always gotten along and I would love it if he would be able to come to us for a few weeks as I learn to navigate this new relationship.

I know his help is valuable to you with the upcoming wedding, but he would be back at the manor three days before- when we arrive- and would be able to help with any last minute preparation then.

This really would mean a lot to me and I hope you are able to accommodate.

I love you all so much,

Ally

Stiles looked up from the letter and saw Gerard looking at his with deep consideration. And then he gave a slight nod.

“I think we can spare Stiles for a few weeks,” He said.

“But Daddy! The wedding preparations! How will we get by without him?” Kate asked.

“I have already ensured the gardeners are informed and competent with the tasks. Your chefs and bakers are some of the best in the region, so the cake and feast are well taken care of. And the maids are capable of handling my duties around the house, as they had shown when I was tasked with extra work in the garden. I’ll be back soon, but the house and the wedding are in good hands in my absence.” Stiles gave a reassuring smile, but tried to hide how ecstatic he actually was.

He only had a small backpack as luggage. After packing his mother’s sweatshirt and Derek’s jacket, there wasn’t much room for anything else. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave either behind. He managed to fit a few pairs of underwear and a shirt, but that was it.

Before he knew it, he was saddling a horse and riding into the city with the Argents and Derek waving him off. Gerard looked closed off, Kate looked like she was pissed, but was trying to hide it, and Derek looked resigned.

Once he knew what was really happening, he would help Derek. At least he knew he would be back before the wedding and they would have a few days to sort it out. Just like Derek didn’t want to leave him behind, the thought of leaving Derek behind left a pit in his stomach.

But he was on his way to answers and hopefully with those answers would come a clarity on what next steps he, his father, and Derek should take.

Chapter Text

Earlier:

Derek was swimming with his sisters. They were racing and for once he thought he would actually win. However, Cora came up behind him and knocked him off course. He ended up in the current and by the time he broke out, he had no idea where he was. He had never been in this part of the ocean before.

Based on the rock formations and the sand, he would guess he had ended up somewhere near the shore, which terrified him. His parents had always told him the only dry land he should go near was Seal Island- which he knew the banks of- and this wasn’t it.

He swam around, trying to find his way back to the heart of the ocean when he felt a sort of tug bringing him to the shore.

As he got closer to the surface, he could feel his seal skin receding. He grabbed the skin with human hands before it was washed away by the tide and he stepped onto dry land. 

On the shore was a crying woman. He had heard whispers- old wives tales- about this happening. A scorned woman could summon a male selkie in order to help ease her pain. He hid his skin and approached her.

“It’s going to be alright.” He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

The woman stopped crying and looked up at him with a smirk, “It will be now.”

She cupped his face and brought him in for a kiss. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. For one thing he was hardly ever in human form and when he was he was only with family. 

Her hands were everywhere and soon she was just as naked as he was and they were rocking together. He didn’t want to be doing this, but her tears compelled him to keep going in order to finish the ritual she started.

Despite his mind roaring against his actions, his body moved with hers and an unwanted pleasure came. He hated it. He hated that something that felt so good- something that was supposed to be special- was being taken from him. He tried to zone out and block it from his mind. 

“Will I see you again?” The woman asked when it was over. 

“I don’t know. I don’t think that ritual can bring you a specific selkie.” And he was glad about that. Derek never wanted to experience this again, so he was going to be very careful in the future to stay far from shore and close to his family. 

But then that cool smirk came back again, “Then I better not let you go.”

Suddenly he felt something lock into place and his strength felt like it was draining out of him. 

“Thank you for the assist, Victoria.” The woman said.

“I’m always willing to help with a hunt, but did you have to sleep with it?” Victoria asked as she held onto Derek’s pelt. 

“He is to be my husband, after all. Why shouldn’t I test him out? Besides, there’s nothing like a little pleasure before the pain. If that kid had been older when he came to us I would have done the exact same thing.”

Victoria sighed, “Kate, you may be one twisted woman, but at least you aren’t a monster like him.”

Kate and Victoria ordered him to get dressed in some clothes they brought with them and to walk with them to a big manor not far from the beach. He had no choice but to obey since they were in possession of his pelt and it pained him to have his body and mind be so torn.

They brought him into a dark room under the kitchens and they strapped him to a chair. 

“What are you going to do with me?” Derek asked. 

A man came forward from the shadows, “You are going to learn human customs and live as one of us. You will marry my daughter for appearances, but you will not have children with her and sully our bloodline with your impure, monster blood. Then, you will help us track down the rest of your kind and together we will make this world a better place,” the man took the pelt from Victoria and tossed it carelessly onto the floor somewhere Derek couldn’t see, “Now, let’s begin.”

Human clothes were restricting. There were so many pointless layers- he really didn’t understand it at all, but he had to keep up appearances. 

Derek arrived at the ball on Kate’s arm and was her silent eye candy for the night. He would only give quick answers when asked a direct question, but for the most part let Kate lead the conversations per their agreement.  

It had taken a while for him to get used to his legs, so learning the dances took a while, but eventually he got it down with only minor harm to his pelt in retaliation for his failures. 

Thankfully the night ended rather quickly since they had made such a late entrance. Derek was relieved when he wasn’t being brought into the basement room he had been held captive in, but was instead being led to one of the upper levels by Kate and Gerard. 

“After the wedding you will stay in Kate’s room,” Gerard explained as he unlocked and opened a door, “But we can’t have the servants talking, so you will stay here during the night to ensure you won’t run off.”

The room was bare except for a dresser and a four poster bed with chains on each post. Derek tried to struggle, but was overpowered by the two humans and chained on the bed. 

Kate adjusted a pillow under his head, “Don’t  fret. We’re trying to make you comfortable.”

“Don’t coddle it. You’re already bad enough with the halfling,” Gerard said while Kate pouted, “You are free to roam indoors during the day. There will be enough people around to tell us if something is amiss and Kate and I will check in periodically. If anything does happen, then Kate will stay with you all day and I will have a little more fun with your pelt.”

With one last sneer, Gerard was out the door. Kate followed soon after with a flirtatious (but mostly creepy) wink. 

Derek struggled for a bit against his chains, but eventually gave up. After being away from water for so long and being without his pelt, he was getting weaker and he was starting to feel it. He didn’t know if the Argents knew they were slowly killing him, but if they did they were probably getting some sort of sick joy out of it. 

He fell asleep that night to dreams of the Argents finding his family and the ocean turning red with blood. 

He spent his days in the library and his nights imprisoned in his room. The newest form of torture was to leave the bedroom window open so he could smell the sea breeze and know he will never return to it. 

The highlight of his day is when the servant boy comes in to clean the library. Stiles was his name, if Derek was remembering it correctly. It was an odd name, but then again he was an odd person so it fit. 

Every time Stiles was in the library he would try talking to Derek and he was either too lost in his own thoughts to notice or he was too distracted by Stiles to respond. 

The boy was beautiful- brown hair pouting in all different directions, big brown eyes, moles everywhere, and such long fingers-

Wait, his fingers! Derek hadn’t noticed until Stiles reached for some books that were next to him, but Stiles had scars on each finger, right where webbing would connect if he-

Derek grabbed Stiles’ wrists and looked at the scars more closely, just to be sure. He asked about the scars, but he didn’t really have an answer. But then he mentioned Kate and it all made sense. 

Stiles started working here as a kid. He was the boy Kate wanted to rape. He was a “halfling” as Gerard put it and therefore viewed as a monster just like him. Only Stiles didn’t know. He didn’t know what he was or what Derek was or what the Argents were. His mind blocked out the trauma just like Derek’s tried to. 

A final warning had Stiles leaving the library and he didn’t return for some time. Instead Derek saw him working out in the gardens where the sham of a wedding was to take place. He wondered if Derek asked to be reassigned because of him. 

Derek tried to fill his time with reading, but he didn’t know how to read the human’s written language, so he would spend his days flipping through the pages looking for pictures. 

But then Stiles entered the library again and he had Derek’s pelt. He wanted so badly to reach out and touch it- to take back what was his. And he could because the person in possession of it was willingly offering it. 

But when he looked at the pelt, he saw the scarred hands holding it and he knew what he had to do. 

Stiles was such an idiot? Did he really think he wasn’t a prisoner here? That he was part of the family since he had been here for so long? They had their chance to escape! Hell, Derek could have escaped. But no. Stiles had to ruin everything. 

But then Stiles was back and moving like a riptide as he pulled things out of the desk and started writing. Derek had never been more frustrated about his lack of comprehension of the human world than at this moment. He wanted to know what was happening, but for once Stiles wasn’t talking and all the information was in that damned letter. 

The following days were tense. It was clear something was off with Stiles and he prayed the Argents didn’t take notice. 

But then the answer came and Stiles was leaving. He was leaving without Derek when he had made it clear that he wasn’t leaving without Stiles. He tried to hide his pain when Stiles rode away and thankfully Kate was too distracted by wedding planning and Gerard was too distracted by his evil schemes to notice him. 

After that the days leading up to the wedding felt hollow and he didn’t know if it was because of the absence of Stiles or his pelt or both. 

He knew he was free to leave since the Argents didn’t have possession of it anymore, but he couldn’t go home in human form and he couldn’t follow after Stiles so despite his freedom, he felt more trapped than ever.

Chapter Text

As soon as he and Allison were alone, he told her everything. It all just came flooding out and he couldn’t stop himself. She was his last hope and everything hinged on how she would react to what he had to say.

Needless to say she was shocked, “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m positive. I’m still not sure what all the stuff with Derek means, but I do know that Gerard and Kate are up to no good and they’re intentionally keeping my father and I in the dark so I’ll stay as an indentured servant.”

“We should tell my dad about this,” Allison said.

“We can’t do that! They specifically said your parents would defend them in court if this came out. They’re in on it!”

“My mom has tried so hard to fit in with the Argent family that I don’t doubt she’s in my grandpa’s pocket, but I don’t think my dad is. We can trust him, Stiles. He cares about justice- he’ll care about this.”

Stiles didn’t really have a choice. Allison was his only aly and he didn’t have any plans of his own. Hopefully she was right about her father.

“Show me your hands.” Was all Chris said after Stiles and Allison told him the whole story.

Stiles held out his hands and Chris examined the scars.

“I knew my father was stuck in the old ways, but this is-” Chris couldn’t bring himself to finish that thought, “What do you know about selkies?”

“The myth about seals who can turn into humans?” Allison asked.

“It’s not a myth,” Chris said, “Stiles here is proof of that.”

“What? I’m not a selkie. I’m human.” Stiles insisted.

“Half human,” Chris said, “You used to have webbing between your fingers and toes, but my family cruelly cut them off. I imagine that was why you were sick when you first arrived at the manor.”

“What does this have to do with them illegally keeping Stiles and whatever’s happening with Derek?” Allison asked.

“Not too long ago everyone knew about selkies. Our two kinds didn’t interact often, but it wasn’t strage for selkies to help sailors after a shipwreck. However, humans inherently despise things that are different. Selkies are inherently magical and there are many humans who think magic automatically means evil. The Argent family took it upon themselves to protect humans from anything magical and they started hunting any selkies who would come ashore and visit the nearby village.

“Eventually selkies stopped coming ashore and people began thinking of them as myth. And then my mother left my father for a selkie and the Argent vendetta was back with a vengeance. He trained Kate and I how to hunt them, but also how to cause them the most pain. Your hands look like one of those lessons.”

“So I’m half selkie, so Kate and Gerard want to keep me? Wouldn’t they want to kill me?” Stiles asked.

“You’re also half human,” Chris reasoned, “I think in their twisted minds they think they can cut out the ‘monster’ in you.”

“But Derek-” Stiles realized, “Derek is a full selkie. Why haven’t they killed him? Why is Kate marrying him if she thinks he’s evil?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s nothing good,” Chris said, “We need to get you and Derek to the sea. You’ll be safe there.”

“Stiles, this is your chance. You can leave now and we’ll get Derek out.” Allison said.

Stiles just shook his head, “Derek had a chance to leave, but he wouldn’t go without me. I trust both of you to get him out, but he’s alone. I’m not going without him.”

Chris nodded and then they started to plan. It wasn’t going to be easy- they would only have three days before the wedding was supposed to take place- but they would do it. They had to do it.

In order to keep up appearances around Victoria, their planning meetings were scarce. Their ideas were usually passed through notes. There was also the distraction of Scott.

Well, no. Scott wasn’t a distraction per se. Allison really liked him and he was a good guy. He and Stiles got along swimmingly, and Stiles hated that he didn’t have more time to get to know the man who would most likely marry his best friend.

Scott was joining them at Kate and Derek’s wedding, but they decided to keep him in the dark about the plan. According to Allison he couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.

The Argent family was in their carriage and Scott and Stiles rode on horseback alongside them. It was a long, quiet ride and Stiles could feel his chest tighten the closer they got. But soon he and Derek would be free.

When they arrived the first place he wanted to go was the library, but Kate grabbed him right away and sent him to the kitchens. He didn’t even have a chance to put his bag in his room.

He was helping frost the thousands of mini cakes (seriously, why wasn’t one big cake good enough? Was her goal to make more work for everyone else?) when he heard it. There was a groaning sound on the other side of the creepy door. No one else seemed to hear it, so when he knew everyone was too distracted to pay attention to him, he opened the door and went down the stairs.

Derek was in the room where he’d found the jacket and he was chained to one of the walls with his hands above his head. He was shirtless and there were burns where his gills would be.

“Derek,” Stiles whispered.

Derek opened his eyes and looked at Stiles briefly before his eyes closed and he let out another groan.

“It’s okay. I’m going to get us out of here.” Stiles assured him before going back upstairs.

He quickly wrote up a letter and forged Scott’s signature and handwriting.

“Is that tea going to miss Allison?” Stiles asked one of the passing servants.

“Yes it is.” She answered.

“Good. I have this letter from the man who’s courting her,” Stiles said, adding the letter to the plate. Now all he had to do was wait and hope for a miracle.

Allison was in the parlor with her parents, aunt, and grandfather. Scott was out in the gardens picking a bouquet for her under the watchful eye of Kate’s handmaiden to make sure he didn’t take any of the wedding flowers.

The young women were talking about their suitors and sharing stories of what their courtships were like and Allison just grinned and feigned jealousy every time Kate one upped her. She knew it was all fake, but she couldn’t let on.

Their tea was served and Allison saw a letter with her name on it. It was clear the note was made to look like it was from Scott, but it was written in the code she, her father, and Stiles had been passing notes in. Kate read it over her shoulder, but all she saw was a sappy love note.

She set it down with a smile and took a long sip of tea. She felt her throat start to tighten and she knew Stiles had spiked her drink with honey, which she was highly allergic to. This had been their agreed upon distraction.

“Dad, I don’t feel too well.” She said.

Chris looked her over and said, “I think you’re having a reaction to the tea. Victoria, start the antidote. I’m going to the kitchen to see what the allergen was. Kate, father, Please keep her company and let Victoria know if it gets worse.”

Chris ran to the kitchens and saw Stiles trying to look inconspicuous.

“What happened?” Chris asked.

“He’s downstairs and he’s in bad shape. We have to move. Now!”

Chapter Text

Stiles was gone. His last piece of home had left him and as the man got further away he could feel his skin getting further away as well. It was good that the Argents didn’t have their hands on it anymore, but he didn’t know if he would be able to survive this long with it so far.

He needed the sea.

He started by opening the window in the library and letting the sea breeze enter the room. It was refreshing, but he could tell it was only a temporary fix.

Derek could see he was getting paler and slowly losing weight and it had only been a few days. Finally, he decided to risk it. The shackles on his bed were looser now and he was able to get out of them and he made a run for it. But when he made it to the sea, he felt something hit his shoulder and he went down to the ground in pain.

“Nice try, fishy,” Kate said, “Now you’re going to see how we really treat your kind.”

Derek hadn’t thought his imprisonment could have gotten worse, but it did. He was put in the room he had been in when he’d first arrived. At first he was chained to the wall and left alone, but then Gerard decided to prove his dominance and started to use the various tools in there against him.

When Gerard wasn’t there it was Kate who decided to play with him. Sometimes her “playing” was like her father, but other times it was like that night on the beach. He didn’t know which one he hated more.

When he finally got to sleep, he would dream of Stiles. Sometimes it was Stiles saving him, sometimes it was the two of them swimming in the sea together, but other times it was Kate torturing Stiles in front of Derek. Those dreams were the worst of the entire experience.

He woke up from one of those dreams and saw Stiles in front of him assuring him they were getting out of there. He let his eyes close again, figuring it was just another dream. None of this was real- Stiles was never coming back.

“We gotta get him out of here,” He heard someone say.

“We have to move fast. We don’t have much time.” Came another voice.

Derek was so out of it he had no idea what was happening. He felt his arms drop and then he was being carried somewhere. He could smell the sea air and he started opening his eyes. On one side was a man he vaguely recognized and on the other was Stiles.

“Is -is a dream?” Derek mumbled.

“It’s not a dream big guy. It’s a break out.” Stiles said.

Derek was sat on the sand and he could feel water lapping at his feet. He could feel his strength coming back to him and he slowly realized that this wasn’t a final vision before he died.

“You’re really here?” Derek asked, looking at Stiles who was rifling through a bag.

“Yes I’m here. And you’re going home.” Stiles handed him his skin that was disguised as a leather jacket.

“Come with me.” Derek said.

“I can’t,” Stiles said.

“He’s right, Stiles,” Chris said, “I know you want to go home to your father, but that’s the first place they’ll look for you. The safest place for you is the sea.”

“But I don’t have a skin,” Stiles argued, “And my webbing was cut away. What if I can’t swim?”

“You’re a selkie. Of course you can swim.” Derek said.

Chris handed Stiles a red sweatshirt, “It’s time for you to see your other home.”

Derek grabbed Stiles’ hand and the two of them walked into the water. Stiles took one last look back before the two dove in.

As soon as he was submerged, Stiles was shocked. The webbing between his fingers and toes grew back and gils opened up on his neck. Derek’s jacket wrapped around him and he transformed into a seal. He knew that would happen, but it was different actually seeing it.

They spent some time swimming around each other- playing and laughing. He felt so free!

Finally Derek started swimming like he had a destination in mind and Stiles followed, holding tightly to his mother’s pelt.

Soon, Stiles started to see other seals emerge. They all looked, but they didn’t approach. He saw they were coming up to another bank and a seal that was smaller than Derek rushed forward and excitedly greeted him before swimming off again.

“My sister,” Derek barked, and Stiles found he could understand him.

They came upon a cluster of rocks and Derek heafted himself onto them, keeping his lower half in the water. Stiles followed his lead and pulled himself up and saw a seal- selkie- sitting at the top of the rocks.

“Hello, mother,” Derek said.

Stiles was amazed, but not surprised that this regal looking creature was Derek’s mother.

“You’re home,” She said.

“Yes. And this is Stiles. He’s the halfling who saved me.” Derek said.

“Um… hi.” Stiles said, “I uh, went by Stiles up there because no one could pronounce the name my mom gave me, but I think you all can. My name is Mieczyslaw.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet the man who helped my son. My name is Talia,” She paused for a moment as she looked stiles over, “You know, my best friend always wanted to name her son Mieczyslaw.”

Stiles held onto the pelt a little tighter, “My mother, Claudia, was a selkie. This was her pelt.”

Talia looked at it and then back at Stiles, “Was she happy?”

“Very.” Stiles assured her.

Stiles adjusted to life with the selkies. They had an island where they could walk around in their human skins and an underwater cave system where they could do either. But Stiles’ favorite thing was swimming. He and Derek would have races all the time, but they would never go far- just around the island or through the caves. They would also have races on two legs, but that was less common.

Stiles loved getting to know Derek and his family. He even got to know his grandparents and returned his mother’s pelt to them.

One day, he and Derek were lying on the beach stargazing when Derek leaned over and placed a tentative kiss on Stiles lips. Stiles smiled and gave him one back, and then they went back to staring at the stars. He knew it would be a while before Derek was ready to build their relationship further, but it was good to know where they stood.

Chapter Text

Noah had been surprised to receive a letter from Gerard Argent regarding the passing of his son. He was even more surprised to receive a letter from Chris Argent the same day detailing the deception of Kate and Gerard.

While he was no longer the sheriff and couldn’t look into these matters himself, he took the letters to the contacts he still had in law enforcement and watched from the sidelines as Kate, Gerard, and Victoria were arrested.

“I’m sorry.” Chris said as he joined Noah watching the chaos.

“You had nothing to do with it.” Noah said.

“But I could have stopped it sooner if I had just paid attention.”

“Is he safe, or was Gerard telling the truth?” Noah asked.

“He’s safe.” Chris nodded towards the sea and he knew his son was in the safest place he could be.

“Good. I had wanted Claudia to take him there, but then-”

Chris put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and they just stood like that in silence.

Noah was invited to Allison and Scott’s wedding, which was strange, but from what Chris told him, Stiles and Allison were close, so he went as a placeholder for his son. He had been even more surprised when Chris asked him to dance.

After the first dance, the two men were glued to each other’s sides, and not just for the wedding. They started spending every spare moment together and Noah eventually moved in with the other man.

About a year after he had received his first correspondence from Chris, the man took him to a cliffside overlooking a beach. The beach was far from any village and Noah couldn’t see any paths down to it, but from his vantage point he could see a bonfire going and people dancing. He couldn’t see anyone clearly, just silhouettes against the flames.

And then he saw one very familiar silhouette of a young man dancing with another man.

“Is that-” Noah couldn’t even bring himself to finish that thought- he couldn’t believe it and he didn’t want to be proven wrong.

“Yes, that’s him,” Chris said, “And it seems like he and Derek are still getting along.”

Noah saw Stiles and Derek dancing and embracing each other and eventually sharing a soft kiss. He was so happy to see his son in the place he was meant to be. They stayed there all night just watching the selkies dance until eventually they all started to go back into the water.

Stiles and Derek waited until dawn began and slowly walked to the water hand in hand. They stopped when the water covered their ankles and Stiles turned toward the cliff and lifted his hand to wave.

Noah waved back and then watched as his son dove into the water. He didn’t know when they would see each other again, but he knew they were both finally happy and that was all that mattered.