Chapter Text
ACT I, SCENE I
EXPLORE PAGE
[The scene opens with a house.
It is a big house, several stories high, standing alone surrounded by grass and woods. Three cars are in the driveway, among which a familiar black Camaro.
On the first floor, DEREK HALE sits on a couch, reading glasses on as he reads a worn out copy of Orlando.
On the second floor, ISAAC LAHEY lays asleep in one of the bedrooms. A few doors down, ERICA REYES is scrolling through her phone while VERNON BOYD is playing candy crush on his phone.
DEREK HALE is trying to ignore the sound of Love Story (Taylor’s Version) playing for the second time from ERICA’s phone as he reads, but it is proving to be a complicated endeavour.]
ERICA: [heard but not seen, voice coming from upstairs] ... is this in my head, I don’t know what to think, he knelt to the ground, and pulled out a ring and said, "Marry me Juliet, you never have to be alone, I love you and that’s what I–" wait.
BOYD: [heard but not seen, voice coming from upstairs] What.
ERICA: [heard but not seen, voice coming from upstairs] This guy, he looked like–
[ERICA rewinds the video, and DEREK groans as the same part of the song starts once ore. However, this time, the song stops at ‘I love you and that’s what I really know’, before ERICA makes an exclamation]
ERICA: [heard but not seen, voice coming from upstairs] Holy shit, is that Stiles?!
[DEREK looks up, surprised by the words]
BOYD: [heard but not seen, voice coming from upstairs] What?!
ERICA: [heard but not seen, voice coming from upstairs] Here, look! [The song starts again from ‘and I say, Romeo save me’] Am I going crazy?
[DEREK strains to hear, which is proven unnecessary when BOYD also gasps]
BOYD: [heard but not seen, voice coming from upstairs] That is Stiles! Where did you get this from?
ERICA: [heard but not seen, voice coming from upstairs] Derek! [The sound of her feet on the floor as she runs towards him is loud.
DEREK, who stood up as soon as BOYD confirmed it was STILES, quickly sits back down.
His heart is beating a little faster, as ERICA reaches the living room with BOYD in tow, but she does not notice. She sits down next to him, seeming to be vibrating with excitement.]
ERICA: This is so crazy, but there is this girl that comes on my Explore page a lot, and she got married recently and she joined this trend where they dance to Taylor Swift’s Love Story - obviously Taylor's Version - and recreate the ‘Marry me, Juliet’ scene and I saw Stiles! [She moves her phone for him to see] Look!
[The song starts once more from ‘and I say, Romeo save me’. On the screen, a blonde is singing along, acting as if she is the one feeling the confusion and heartache in the lyrics.
'I've been feeling so alone,'
She is wearing an evening white dress, suggesting this is the wedding reception.
'I keep waiting for you but you never come'
The camera follows her as she walks around in ‘desperation’ panning around a group of bridesmaids and groomsmen and the groom himself. Everyone is singing with her and jumping lightly as they get closer and closer to the climax.
'Is this in my head? I don't know what to think'
The groom goes down on one knee when the song says so, and then puts his hands together to mime the ‘He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring’, before everyone is jumping and shouting the last part of the song all together, with bride and groom hugging and kissing in happiness.
'and said, "Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone"'
As everyone sings and cheers, the camera pans to the rest of the people around again, and ERICA pauses it on the ‘I love you, and that's all I really know’ part.
DEREK is glad, because if she hadn’t, he would have.
It is STILES.
He is older than DEREK remembers him, and he is wearing a tux DEREK could have never imagined on him before. His hair is longer than DEREK remembers, but his face is the same as he laughs and sings alongside everyone else.
It has been years since he has last time he has seen STILES, years since they have last spoke. DEREK had left without looking back, to protect what was left of his pack, and what was left of his family.
The last time they had seen each other, DEREK, ERICA, ISAAC, BOYD and CORA had been leaving Beacon Hills. DEREK had achieved his full-shift, and STILES had simply stared at him for the longest time as he prepared to leave.
He had not asked him to stay.
DEREK had not asked him to come with him.
There had been too much between them. STILES had been in High School, still, and DEREK had not been right - nor ready - for him.
If he had let him, DEREK knows STILES would have fought for him.
He also knows STILES would have rather had his throat ripped open than willingly stopped DEREK from leaving.
They had not spoken since.]
ERICA: I almost did not recognise him. And I think that’s Lydia.
[It is LYDIA. DEREK had not noticed her before, but it is her, dressed as one of the bridesmaids, filming the happy couple not too far from where STILES was.]
DEREK: Why... who is she?
ERICA: The bride? Her name is Adelaide Reed. She was in a couple of movies, but she’s famous for the guy she’s marrying. He’s an heir of some sort, I don’t really follow him.
[She clicks on the small picture of the actress - her profile, DEREK thinks. The are several pictures from the wedding, but ERICA clicks one where the bride is surrounded by the bridesmaids.
LYDIA is much more clearly visible in this picture. Like STILES – like everyone – she looks older than DEREK remembers her. Her hair is wavy, and she is wearing a silly flower crown on top of her head, matching the lilac blue of her bridesmaid dress.]
ERICA: How did she manage to get prettier? She’s insufferable.
BOYD: You also got prettier.
ERICA: You have to say that, we lit–
DEREK: Can we just– what is Stiles’ profile? Or Lydia’s? Can we...
[DEREK does not end the sentence, but it is clear what he wants to know. All of a sudden, it is like it is imperative for him to make sure STILES is well, to see him with his own two eyes from somewhere other than a grainy video of a wedding dance.
It is not as if DEREK has ever stopped thinking about STILES. Not a day has gone by where DEREK has not thought about STILES.
And it is not like he hasn’t done anything about it. He had tried.
After leaving Beacon Hills, DEREK’s pack had ran into a little trouble. Hunters had come after them, mistaking the handiwork of the NOGITSUNE as their own, and to avoid capture, they had had to go into hiding for a while.
This hiding had included giving up their phones and ignoring any communication from the people they had left behind in Beacon Hills.
When they had finally managed to shake their tails and get access to proper forms of communication again, all they had gotten was very tepid responses from SCOTT MCCALL and PETER HALE. STILES STILINSKI, LYDIA MARTIN, KIRA YUKIMURA and MALIA TATE had ignored their attempts at communication.
SCOTT had insisted everyone was well. PETER had confirmed it too – though he had insisted everyone would probably feel better if they came back.
But back then, they had only just gotten away. They had only just evaded the hands trying to get them back to Beacon Hills.
Had it been DEREK alone, he might have gone back.
But it was his pack, too. It was BOYD, ISAAC, ERICA and CORA, all of whom he had nearly lost time and time again in Beacon Hills.
He hadn’t wanted to risk losing them again.
And so, they hadn't gone back.
And so, DEREK hadn't seen or heard from STILES again.]
ERICA: Let's see.
[The pack does not know, but they know. They know their alpha misses the ones in Beacon Hills, that he still speaks to PETER and SCOTT. They know KIRA, LYDIA, and STILES left Beacon Hills for college. They know on KIRA returned after. They know ETHAN STEINER left for god knew where. They know SCOTT and MALIA were the only ones who had remained, alongside PETER. They know SHERIFF JOHN STILINSKI - STILES' dad - and NATALIE MARTIN - LYDIA's mom - got married, and they know CHRIS ARGENT - ALLISON ARGENT'S father - and MELISSA MCCALL - SCOTT's mother - are together.
They know that DEREK has heard from JOHN that his son is well. They know JOHN has even offered to give him STILES’ number.
They know DEREK didn’t take it.
So ERICA does not argue with him.]
ERICA: She hasn’t tagged Lydia. Or anyone else. And she only follows... [ERICA makes a face] her dog and her husband, wow. Maybe in her followers...
DEREK: Are you going to try and find them in a list of 2M people? What does M-
BOYD: Million.
ERICA: And of course not. Have you never used Insta before? We can just search for their names.
[ERICA types ‘lyd’ in the search, and 49 names pop up.]
BOYD: Try Stiles.
[ERICA types 'STILES', but no names pop up. She types in STI, and she gets 14 results. However, none of the accounts appear to belong to STILES, even when she scrolls through them one by one.]
ERICA: Mh...
[ERICA types ‘LYDIA’ and 34 results appear. She starts going through them with BOYD and DEREK’S faces also bent over her screen, watching attentively.]
ERICA: If she’s not following Lydia, I find it hard to believe that Lydia would follow her, to be honest. Lydia is not the type to follow people she is not mutuals with.
DEREK: Mutuals?
ERICA: People who she follows and who follow her back. Though, in her case I think it’s people who follow her and she doesn't follow back.
BOYD: You do realise you have not spoken to her in years? She might not be the Lydia Martin you remember. [BOYD sneaks a look at DEREK] They might not be the people we remember.
[DEREK pointedly ignores this as ERICA continues to try to find LYDIA’s account. However, it is clear that her earlier comment is true. LYDIA does not appear to follow the actress.]
DEREK: Now what?
[He cannot deny it: he had been hoping ERICA would find LYDIA’s account and that he’d finally see her again – and STILES. Mostly, STILES.
Was it normal that, for years, he had managed to push down the need and hope to see the man again but, as soon as he saw him again only once, on a grainy video, he couldn’t get enough?]
ERICA: Now- oh!
[ERICA clicks the back button, and then clicks on the third button on the page. DEREK isn’t sure of what it's for, but suddenly a number of pictures of what he assumes is the wedding appear.]
DEREK: Is this her wedding album?
ERICA: Her we- what? No. It’s the tagged me page. [DEREK just stares at her, confused] It’s the page where you can see who has tagged you in a picture.
DEREK:
ERICA: ... If we’re lucky, we could find someone who has tagged LYDIA or STILES in a picture, and if they have an Insta, we can find them that way.
[DEREK isn't sure what any of what she says means, but then again, he kind of doesn't need to know. ERICA has it well in hand.
On the seventh row, the second picture on the first post shows them LYDIA, another woman, and two guys. In this picture, she’s giving her whole attention to the camera, and it is clearly taken before the wedding reception. She is wearing the bridesmaid dress, her make-up is done, and the flower crown is on her head, not crooked.
She is smiling.
DEREK is not sure how he feels.]
ERICA: She’s tagged– here. @l.j.martin. J?
DEREK: Jane. Her middle name– Lydia Jane Martin.
BOYD: How do you know her middle name? Wait– Stiles.
DEREK: Stiles.
[ERICA does not comment on this. Instead, she clicks on the profile, and opens LYDIA's page.]
ERICA: ‘Doctor Lydia Martin’. Lydia’s a doctor?
BOYD: Probably a maths doctor. She always said she was going to do it, didn’t she?
ERICA: Doesn’t being a doctor take years, still?
BOYD: Erica... we have been gone for years.
[ERICA falls quiet, and scrolls down a bit. There are some colourful circles on the top of the page, but ERICA ignores them. Instead, she scrolls, going for the colourful picture boxes under it.]
BOYD: ‘61 posts. 39 following. 3512 followers'. Wow.
DEREK: Is that a lot? The actress had more than that.
ERICA: Because she’s an actress. Normal people don’t have that many followers. My account is public, but I only have like 800 followers. ISAAC has less than 500, and CORA and BOYD have private accounts, so they have even less.
[LYDIA's pictures all look very nice. She seems to pick one colour every nine pictures or so, and keep all pictures with the same colour in mind, to make a cute square of pictures.
DEREK is not paying attention to that, however.
All he sees is the second picture.
ERICA clicks on it, making it bigger, and even she cannot help but smile.
It's a picture of LYDIA, STILES, NATALIE and JOHN. STILES is the most visible, as he is the one taking the picture, with LYDIA half draped over his back, hands on his shoulders. LYDIA’s face is covered by her hair, but STILES’ is visible – as is his smile.
JOHN and NATALIE are sat at the table behind them, also waving at the camera, with several dishes in front of them.
DEREK’s eyes keep fixing on STILES. On the easiness of his smile, on the familiar details of his face.
Seeing him in the video had been arresting. A shock to his entire system.
But this is worse. Seeing him in such high definition, so relaxed – so familiar.
And, at the same time, so different. Older. Taller. Broader, for the little the picture can show of him. His hair is longer. There is a cut on his throat, the type of cut you get from shaving.
Which means that Stiles shaves now.
He had no facial hair last time Derek had seen him, and now he had the wounds that came from shaving often.
ERICA slides, and 2/6 appears on the top corner.
{#2: The second picture is STILES on LYDIA’s back, and she’s very clearly trying to get him off her. She is screaming while STILES is still laughing}
{#3: The third picture is LYDIA hugging her mother, both of them wearing matching outfits}
{#4: P icture number four is their table, full of food}
{#5: Picture five is a screenshot, showing of a facetime call. LYDIA and STILES are posing in the smaller screen of the screenshot, while JACKSON WHITTEMORE & DANNY MAHEALANI are posing in the bigger screen}
{#6: The last pictures shows fireworks}
The caption reads: 'Thanksgivings 2K24']
BOYD: Wait, are Lydia’s mom and Stiles’ dad dating?
ERICA: Bro, they're married.
BOYD: Married?!
ERICA: You didn’t know? Where have you been?
BOYD: I’m sorry, am I supposed to just stalk people who I haven’t spoken to in years–?
[DEREK ignores the argument, taking the phone from ERICA. He scrolls, and stops on the picture in which only LYDIA and STILES are visible.
STILES' smile is the brightest thing he has seen in a while.
He stays on the picture for a long time.]