Thank you so much for the warm response to what I've posted so far! That gave me the confidence to try writing more than a ficlet for the first time in decades. :)
ETA: This takes place the summer before Stiles, (18), starts college, and Eli, (almost 14), starts high school. Derek has been back in town for awhile.
This is dedicated to my incredible beta reader, Chalkdustmemory! It literally would not exist without her advice and encouragement. :)
I don't give permission for this to be posted elsewhere.
Flux Capacitor Fairy Ring by Meret, Chapter One
Once upon a time, a boy became lost in the woods...
“Derrrrek,” Stiles whines. “We’ve obviously been stood up. Let’s go.”
He should have known Stiles would be bad at waiting. “You’re the one who insisted on coming.” It’s a nice day for it at least, the sun shining in the glade.
Technically Scott should be the one meeting with them as the alpha, but Derek hasn’t ever mentioned it to him. The Sidhe are powerful and touchy, and he doesn’t trust Scott enough to take care of it. Besides, they’ve always dealt with Derek’s family anyway. It’s better that Derek handles it. Stiles is only here because he happened to show up as Derek was leaving. He shouldn’t have agreed to his tagging along, but Stiles had talked him into it. As usual.
“I wasn’t going to miss the chance to meet a real life Galadriel. Hey, do you think she would give me a strand of her hair? Of course she actually has to show up for that to happen.”
“Under no circumstances ask the queen for anything. I told you they aren’t like the movies. In fact just don’t say anything.” Derek glares at him, trying to impress the importance of this on Stiles. Not that it ever does any good.
The meeting is more a formality than anything else, but it’s still important. Peter always speculated the anchor helped the Sidhe rulers somehow. Having it in Hale territory was certainly seen as a sign of respect and strength for the pack.
They ask permission to anchor the ring, Derek says yes, and it’s done. His mother had explained it as a emergency brake. If the Sidhe cause problems, they can eventually refuse permission, and get rid of the portal. It’s never been a problem though. Stiles should be fine. “They don’t wear watches. We’ll give it till sunset.”
“Sunset? Rude! That’s hours from now. Fairy rings don’t even get cell phone service. We can leave a note, and—"
White light explodes in front of Derek, agony sizzling through his skull as he’s knocked off his feet, a piercing sound through his skeleton like a tuning fork. He fights for breath, desperately forcing his lungs to work and gulping down air.
Stiles. He has to protect Stiles.
Derek lurches upright, trying to clear the tears from his eyes. The overwhelming smell of ozone, flowers and rosemary surrounds him. “Stiles!” He gropes along the ground, and his hand clamps onto Stiles’ shoulder just as the purple afterimage and ringing in his ears begin to dissipate.
Stiles groans and struggles to get up, leaning heavily as Derek helps him. “Did we get hit by lightning?” he coughs.
“I don’t think so?” Stiles squints at him. “It’s getting better anyway. What happened? And why do I smell Christmas trees?”
“I don’t know what that was.” Had the Sidhe attacked them somehow, Derek wonders.
Derek growls loudly as he beta shifts. Stupid. He’d been so desperate to check on Stiles. He should have checked for threats instead.
A pale, dark haired werewolf stumbles out of the fairy ring towards them. He’s wearing jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt that looks like it could have come out of Stiles’ closet. He’s several years younger though, and covered in a snow of small, white petals. But…that scent. Derek shifts back in shock.
“Derek wasn’t kidding when he said the movies were wrong.” Stiles says. “Are you Sidhe?”
“Am I what? Wait,” the teen looks around frantically. “Why are you both here? I thought the pendant took me to you?” He runs the rest of the way to them. “We have to get out of here. There’s a monster!”
Derek ignores Stiles’ ensuing rush of questions, ignores everything but the boy in front of him, eyes flicking from feature to feature. What his senses are telling him isn’t possible. He fights the words out, whispering from the ash-filled corners of his soul, barely audible over the sound of his wildly beating heart. “Wh-why do you smell like us?”
“Why did you dye your beard?” he says, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
The rest is on on AO3. There are nine chapters total.
