[imaxhale]

-Max nods, contemplating.-

What about 11?

[imthealphanow-blog]

Sixteen is the age the government says you’re legal to drive. I don’t think I’m being unfair by asking you to wait to change species until the same age.

[imaxhale]

Twelve, then. -Max drops his pad and crawls on his knees to perch at Derek’s shoulder.- C’mon, dad! That’s two years! I’ve seen you on full moons. And Isaac! And Uncle Peter! I know scary people are out there. And vampires.

[imthealphanow-blog]

-If Max thinks that makes him feel any better, he’s very wrong. Derek wraps an arm around Max’s shoulder, letting the pause drag on until Max’s fidgeting lets him know he’s been quiet too long.-

Thirteen. Final offer.

[imaxhale]

-He flings himself at his father.-

Thank you thank you thank you!

[imaxhale]

-Max nods, contemplating.-

What about 11?

[imthealphanow-blog]

Sixteen is the age the government says you’re legal to drive. I don’t think I’m being unfair by asking you to wait to change species until the same age.

[imaxhale]

Twelve, then. -Max drops his pad and crawls on his knees to perch at Derek's shoulder.- C'mon, dad! That's two years! I've seen you on full moons. And Isaac! And Uncle Peter! I know scary people are out there. And vampires.

[imthealphanow-blog]

-Derek knocks on the door frame to Max’s room.-

Can I come in?

-Max shrugs, not looking up from his sketchbook. Sitting down on the edge of his bed, Derek folds his hands between his knees.-

What about 16?

[imaxhale]

-Max drops his pencil against the pad.-

Sixteen what?

[imthealphanow-blog]

You. -Derek takes a deep breath.- If you still want to be a werewolf when you’re sixteen, I’ll turn you.

[imaxhale]

-Max’s heart stops. A ton of emotions course through him end over end; excitement, confusion, anger. Max is used to hiding them, though. It’s not hard to let them pass and settle before figuring out how to respond.-

Why? Why do I have to wait?

-Do I have to prove myself to you? How do I do that? Maybe Isaac will help me. He must have done something so Derek picked him.-

[imthealphanow-blog]

Because…because I’m scared.

-Max’s eyes widen then look extremely skeptical. Why?-

Because it could kill you.

-Now he looked angry. Because I’m not strong enough. Derek palms the side of his head.-

No. Never. You’re one of the strongest people I know. I mean that. This doesn’t have anything to do with that. Look, Max. I’ve seen what the bite can do. I’ve seen what my bite can do. It hurt an innocent person and turned him into something he hated. Not a werewolf. And he wasn’t weak either. The truth is we don’t know enough of the science behind the bite to know why it works with some people and why it doesn’t with others. So, yeah. I’m scared for my son.

But that’s not everything.

When I was young, I made some choices that still haunt me. Because I didn’t have all the facts and I wasn’t given the chance to change my mind before it was too late. And I don’t want to judge your decisions by my past. But they do and will guide me in hopefully preventing you some of the same pain I went through.

Which is why I want you to wait. Because I want you to have the time to make an informed decision. To know this is what you want as much as you can before going through with this.

Do you understand?

[imaxhale]

-Max nods, contemplating.-

What about 11?

[imthealphanow-blog]

-Derek knocks on the door frame to Max’s room.-

Can I come in?

-Max shrugs, not looking up from his sketchbook. Sitting down on the edge of his bed, Derek folds his hands between his knees.-

What about 16?

[imaxhale]

-Max drops his pencil against the pad.-

Sixteen what?

[imthealphanow-blog]

You. -Derek takes a deep breath.- If you still want to be a werewolf when you’re sixteen, I’ll turn you.

[imaxhale]

-Max's heart stops. A ton of emotions course through him end over end; excitement, confusion, anger. Max is used to hiding them, though. It's not hard to let them pass and settle before figuring out how to respond.-

Why? Why do I have to wait?

-Do I have to prove myself to you? How do I do that? Maybe Isaac will help me. He must have done something so Derek picked him.-

[imthealphanow-blog]

-Derek knocks on the door frame to Max’s room.-

Can I come in?

-Max shrugs, not looking up from his sketchbook. Sitting down on the edge of his bed, Derek folds his hands between his knees.-

What about 16?

[imaxhale]

-Max drops his pencil against the pad.-

Sixteen what?

[imthealphanow-blog]

-Derek sets his glasses on the sink and hunches down next to Max.-

No. Not really. You okay?

[imaxhale]

-He nods.-

Are you scared? -Dad’s eyebrows scrunch up.- Of people being mean because of your face?

[imthealphanow-blog]

-Derek’s immediate response is to want to assure Max he’s not. But he stops, reconsidering.-

Yeah. A little. But that says more about them than me.

I’m more afraid they’re gonna be scared of me. -Derek pats Max’s arm.- But it’ll be okay. 

[imaxhale]

-Max bites his lip.-

Yeah. -Unzipping his jacket, he takes a deep breath and lets it fall to the floor revealing short sleeves and bare arms. Max rests his hands on Dad's arms, his scars from his old dad where everybody can see.- It's okay, Dad. We match. 

[imthealphanow-blog]

-Derek sets his glasses on the sink and hunches down next to Max.-

No. Not really. You okay?

[imaxhale]

-He nods.-

Are you scared? -Dad's eyebrows scrunch up.- Of people being mean because of your face?

[imthealphanow-blog]

-Derek examines his scar, coming out either side of his sunglasses. Takes them off. Puts them back on. Takes them off again. He feels a little like the terminator. His one red eye really doesn’t help sway him from the comparison.

He’s ordered colored contacts as close to his green eyes as can get them. They should be in Monday. The scar…well, there’s not much he can do to hide that. 

Lifting his hand, Derek covers his green eye. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Removing his hand, he moves his right hand from his side forward until he can see it. One o’clock. If he was the center of a clock, he wouldn’t be able to see his hand past the one. That’s how much range of vision he’s lost.

Derek sighs, startling as he sees Max out of the corner of his good eye.-

Hey, buddy. What’s up?

[imaxhale]

-Max stares up at his dad as he looks at the scar the vampire gave him. It'd been so scary when Max had first seen it. He'd cried. But not for why Dad thought he was crying. Dad wasn't scary. But someone had done that to him. Someone had taken Evan. 

They didn't think Max knew. Everybody was trying to keep as much of what had happened from him as possible. But Evan hadn't been with him and Cat with Deaton when everyone else had left. And Max heard Isaac and Scott talking about vampires. Max knew the stories about his mom's pack and vampires. He doesn't know why they would want Evan because he's just a baby, but Max knows he's okay. Because mom and dad and everyone else saved him. Just like they saved him. 

If he's sleeping with mom and dad still, well, he's not stupid. 

When dad notices him, Max stops chewing on the end of his jacket sleeve.-

Does it still hurt?

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac shrugs- I don’t know, I hope not. But I’m just saying it isn’t all amazing. -Isaac nudges Max- How about we make a deal, okay? How about we wait until you’re older, and if you still feel the same way. Maybe then I can convince Derek. Deal?

[imaxhale]

I always have to wait til I’m older. -He sighs.- You really think you can convince him?

-I talked him into letting us get every flavor of ice cream in the store to have a tasting party, didn’t I?

Max grins.- Yeah. Okay, deal.

-They fist bump on it.-

I’m still mad, though.

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac laughs- How about a quick game of Mario Kart to settle things? This time I might let you win.

[imaxhale]

You wish, bro. You wish.

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac shrugs- I don’t know, I hope not. But I’m just saying it isn’t all amazing. -Isaac nudges Max- How about we make a deal, okay? How about we wait until you’re older, and if you still feel the same way. Maybe then I can convince Derek. Deal?

[imaxhale]

I always have to wait til I'm older. -He sighs.- You really think you can convince him?

-I talked him into letting us get every flavor of ice cream in the store to have a tasting party, didn't I?

Max grins.- Yeah. Okay, deal.

-They fist bump on it.-

I'm still mad, though.

[imaxhale]

-Max shoves Isaac’s shoulder.-

Rude! I don’t make fun of you. -He grins.- Much. 

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac laughs, shoving Max lightly back.- No I can see it, you snarling and looking all scary with those fangs. -Isaac puts his fingers to his lips as mock fangs. He grins at Max.- Just kidding! Okay but seriously, there are bad things that go along with it. Trust me, Derek’s just trying to protect you from them.

[imaxhale]

-Max feels betrayed.-

You’re on dad’s side! You wanted him to bite you and now you’re on his side! -He turns away from Isaac on his bed.- You should go. I don’t wanna talk to you anymore. 

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac rolls his eyes, really?- Max, listen. -He reaches for Max’s arm only to be pushed away.- I did it because I felt like I had no other option. -He debates with himself if he should tell Max that he was technically manipulated into taking the bite. Probably not.- The only way to get away from my dad was to turn. And it came with a huge price, -he looks down, pointing to his head- sometimes I see things that aren’t really there. Like ghosts, they’re pretty scary ghosts too. And being a werewolf, there’s no medicine I can take that will help. -He hates being a downer like that, but it’s the truth.-

[imaxhale]

-He’s still mad, but now he’s curious.-

But…isn’t it a good thing to see ghosts? How do you know they’re not real? Maybe you just have an extra superpower!

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac gives a small smile but shakes his head- I wish. No it’s not really like that, the ghosts are um…bad people. -He never realized how hard it is to explain this.- They seem so real I get really scared, and the ghosts are really mean. And I couldn’t tell if they were real for a long time, so I hurt myself and others. I figured out how though, with this. -Isaac shows his arm with the tattoo to Max.- Ghosts don’t have heartbeats.

[imaxhale]

-Max reaches out and touches the line on Isaac's arm, tracing the up and down pattern of it til he reaches the end.-

Sounds kinda scary. Sorry. Do you think I'd see ghosts, too?

[imaxhale]

-Max shoves Isaac’s shoulder.-

Rude! I don’t make fun of you. -He grins.- Much. 

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac laughs, shoving Max lightly back.- No I can see it, you snarling and looking all scary with those fangs. -Isaac puts his fingers to his lips as mock fangs. He grins at Max.- Just kidding! Okay but seriously, there are bad things that go along with it. Trust me, Derek’s just trying to protect you from them.

[imaxhale]

-Max feels betrayed.-

You’re on dad’s side! You wanted him to bite you and now you’re on his side! -He turns away from Isaac on his bed.- You should go. I don’t wanna talk to you anymore. 

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac rolls his eyes, really?- Max, listen. -He reaches for Max’s arm only to be pushed away.- I did it because I felt like I had no other option. -He debates with himself if he should tell Max that he was technically manipulated into taking the bite. Probably not.- The only way to get away from my dad was to turn. And it came with a huge price, -he looks down, pointing to his head- sometimes I see things that aren’t really there. Like ghosts, they’re pretty scary ghosts too. And being a werewolf, there’s no medicine I can take that will help. -He hates being a downer like that, but it’s the truth.-

[imaxhale]

-He's still mad, but now he's curious.-

But...isn't it a good thing to see ghosts? How do you know they're not real? Maybe you just have an extra superpower!

[imaxhale]

-Max shoves Isaac’s shoulder.-

Rude! I don’t make fun of you. -He grins.- Much. 

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac laughs, shoving Max lightly back.- No I can see it, you snarling and looking all scary with those fangs. -Isaac puts his fingers to his lips as mock fangs. He grins at Max.- Just kidding! Okay but seriously, there are bad things that go along with it. Trust me, Derek’s just trying to protect you from them.

[imaxhale]

-Max feels betrayed.-

You're on dad's side! You wanted him to bite you and now you're on his side! -He turns away from Isaac on his bed.- You should go. I don't wanna talk to you anymore. 

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac knocks lightly on the door frame of Max’s room, he can see how mad he’s been at Derek lately. Isaac isn’t completely sure why, but he wants to find out. Because seeing his little brother give a death glare to Derek every time they eat dinner is getting a little annoying. So he decided to take initiative and find out exactly what’s been going on between them.-

Hey, feel like telling me why you’re taking on Derek’s role as the grumpy one?

[imaxhale]

-Max narrows his eyes and crosses his arms.-

Dad is the grumpy one. He’s grumpy and mean and wants everyone to be grumpy and mean with him!

-Isaac simply raises his brows, question still unanswered. Rolling his eyes, Max looks down at the floor, still embarrassed.-

He won’t turn me into a werewolf.

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac’s eyes widen for a moment, he’s surprised Max even wants that. And wants it so bad that he’s angry at Derek for saying no. Isaac comes and sits next to him, sighing.-

Well, that is a big request. -Isaac’s not sure if he likes the idea either.- Why do you want to be a werewolf?

[imaxhale]

C’mon! It’s awesome! Who wanted want to be one?! It’s not fair!

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac smiles at Max, wishing it was that easy.- It’s not all great, there’s a lot of bad stuff that comes with it too. -Isaac shrugs- Though seeing my little bro going nuts on a full moon is pretty funny.

[imaxhale]

-Max shoves Isaac's shoulder.-

Rude! I don't make fun of you. -He grins.- Much. 

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac knocks lightly on the door frame of Max’s room, he can see how mad he’s been at Derek lately. Isaac isn’t completely sure why, but he wants to find out. Because seeing his little brother give a death glare to Derek every time they eat dinner is getting a little annoying. So he decided to take initiative and find out exactly what’s been going on between them.-

Hey, feel like telling me why you’re taking on Derek’s role as the grumpy one?

[imaxhale]

-Max narrows his eyes and crosses his arms.-

Dad is the grumpy one. He’s grumpy and mean and wants everyone to be grumpy and mean with him!

-Isaac simply raises his brows, question still unanswered. Rolling his eyes, Max looks down at the floor, still embarrassed.-

He won’t turn me into a werewolf.

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac’s eyes widen for a moment, he’s surprised Max even wants that. And wants it so bad that he’s angry at Derek for saying no. Isaac comes and sits next to him, sighing.-

Well, that is a big request. -Isaac’s not sure if he likes the idea either.- Why do you want to be a werewolf?

[imaxhale]

C'mon! It's awesome! Who wanted want to be one?! It's not fair!

[isaacwolflahey-deactivated20160]

-Isaac knocks lightly on the door frame of Max’s room, he can see how mad he’s been at Derek lately. Isaac isn’t completely sure why, but he wants to find out. Because seeing his little brother give a death glare to Derek every time they eat dinner is getting a little annoying. So he decided to take initiative and find out exactly what’s been going on between them.-

Hey, feel like telling me why you’re taking on Derek’s role as the grumpy one?

[imaxhale]

-Max narrows his eyes and crosses his arms.-

Dad is the grumpy one. He's grumpy and mean and wants everyone to be grumpy and mean with him!

-Isaac simply raises his brows, question still unanswered. Rolling his eyes, Max looks down at the floor, still embarrassed.-

He won't turn me into a werewolf.

[imaxhale]

-Max fidgets in his chair.-

When do I get to be a werewolf?

[imthealphanow-blog]

What? -It’s like he’s been smacked with a bat. Derek’s never even though of anything to do with Max being bitten.- Max, you don’t have to be a werewolf to be part of this family. Being human isn’t a bad thing. You’re perfect just the way you are. 

[imaxhale]

But I want to be like you.

[imthealphanow-blog]

-Derek shakes his head.-

It’s too dangerous. Max, sometimes people die when they get bitten and we don’t know why. I won’t risk you like that. 

-He crouches down next to his son.-

Look. You are like me in a lot of ways. We both like dancing and building things and mixing sweet and sour sauce with our sugar doughnuts. Even though Mom and Isaac both think it’s gross. Right?

[imaxhale]

-Hot tears spring to his eyes and roll down his cheeks.-

You turned Isaac into a werewolf! And Boyd and Erica, too! -He's yelling now and it hurts his throat.- You just don't want me to be like you! You don't think I'm good enough! Well, i wanted to be like Mom anyway! But I couldn't so I thought I could be a stupid werewolf but you don't want me, too!

-His chair scoots loud across the floor as he shoves it back and pounds up the stairs to his room.-