By the time Erica made it back to Derek’s cabin, file in hand, she was exhausted from work and scouring through its contents. She wanted to destroy it the moment she got it but she also wanted to see just what it was Aileen got a hold of. There was a picture of teenage Derek and Erica spent a long time looking at it. He looked so different... more innocent. Less broody. The smell of the stew she’d put to cook that morning flooded her senses and the home-like feeling she always got when she walked in the front door calmed her down a little. “Derek,” she called out when she saw him, immediately discarding the file on the table and going to him to bury her face into his chest until she felt better.
Summary: Derek asks Talia and Scott to help him with shifting and Scott faces the very real possibility of being in a locked room with two complete wolves.
Talia had just finished picking Scott up, and they both sat in the car outside of Derek's loft, just before the sun was ready to set. There was a bag filled with chains as well as various handcuffs that they could use. Considering the circumstances, it was gonna be a pretty long night. As Talia looked up at the loft after texting Derek they were outside, she glanced at Scott. She was already feeling off and the moon wasn't even out yet, but she was doing her best to ignore the feeling. "What's taking him so long?" She grumbled as she leaned her head against the steering wheel.
"He's practicing his brooding face in the mirror," Scott said with a shrug, trying to peer up through the loft windows like a hawk. "Should we check up on him? Make sure he's not shifted already?"
He had struggled to get out of bed that day, with the nightmares that plagued him the night before, he didn't get much sleep. He hoped that someone somewhere would take pity on him and allow him to sleep through the full moon. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't fall back asleep. Once he gave up trying, he got out of bed and took a shower, packing up a few things to take with him wherever the two wolves were taking him. Though as he gets close to the door of the building that houses his loft, he could hear Talia and Scott, and he rolled his eyes. He yanks the door open and glares at them both, "I don't brood".
Talia chuckled at Scott's comment and nodded, not even noticing Derek headed towards the car. "That's totally what he's doing. He's also deciding which plain black shirt to wear." She added before cutting off when the car door opened. She tried not to laugh again as she pulled out of the parking lot, already headed towards these tunnels Scott told her they were going to. "I mean you're kinda brooding right now.." She shrugged.
"You totally brood, dude," Scott said, swinging around to face him. He was so glad he claimed shotgun. Seeing Derek in the backseat all scrunched up was the best thing ever. "We're gonna help you get through tonight no problem, okay? It'll be great. I brought snacks." Scott didn't want to admit he was a little worried. It was much easier to joke around.
He doesn't say a word, he simply glares at them from the back seat. Shifting around he puts his bag down beside of him and moves to lean his head against the window. "That's just what I need..snacks".
"Well Scott has us covered on those." Talia reassured Derek as she glanced at him in the rearview mirror. She was definitely a little nervous about the night, but she knew having Scott and Derek around would definitely help. After a bit more driving, they finally made it to the tunnels and Talia got out of the car and grabbed the bag of chains. She threw it over her shoulder and turned to Scott, holding her arm out in front of her. "Lead the way."
Scott grabbed his trusty duffel bag and led them to the entrance to the tunnels. It was a bit of climb down, and incredibly awkward while holding a bag full of loud chip bags. Once he dropped down to the damp ground below and made sure they were alone, he flicked on his flashlight. "All clear!" He called upward, then moved aside for the other two to descend.
He easily dropped down into the tunnels, looking back up to make sure that Talia followed and got down without hurting herself. He flinches every time he hears the bags crinkle inside of Scott's duffel. He doesn't know why it seems so much louder suddenly, realizing as he looks down that there's claws on his hands instead of nails.
Talia didn't notice Derek as she walked along, looking at their surroundings. The tunnels were honestly kind of freaky, and she had a really bad feeling. An unsettling pit formed in her stomach, and immediately she knew it was getting dark outside. But she was able to suppress the feeling as they continued to walk. "Where are we going, exactly?" She asked Scott with a raised brow.
"There's rooms all throughout here," Scott explained. "Fortified. Thick walls. The Dread Doctors used to use them to keep their experiments hidden, but there's some old storage rooms here we can use. Lots of pipes to put chains on. We can be as loud as we want and not call attention to ourselves, but..." He frowned, holding up his phone. "No cell signal. So if anything happens, one of us will have to be able to get out to call for help. I doubt anything will happen, though, I mean. It's just Derek on a full moon, right?" He said the last part jokingly, looking behind him to smile wide at Derek and try to cheer him up, but seeing his state gave him pause. He didn't look good at all. "Er... maybe we should hurry up." He quickened the pace, leading them to a large metal door. After turning the massive, squeaky handle, it opened to show a room filled with empty crates and ransacked bits of debris. "Home sweet home."
By the time they got in the room Derek was almost panting, could feel the sweat start to drip down his face. So he did the only thing he could think of, and pulled something out of his bag and held it in his hand. He closed his clawed hands around it and slumped against a wall, closing his eyes.
Talia tensed up immediately at the mention of the Dread Doctors and suddely wanted to run far, far away from this place. But she was here for Derek, and she couldn't leave. She wasn't so sure she'd be able to control herself tonight either. She needed to be around people, to give her something to motivate herself not to shift and run off into the woods. She closed the door behind them and entered the room, setting the bag down on the ground. The feeling was starting to get more intense, but she was doing a good job of hiding it as she pulled out some chains and looked over to Derek, nodding to Scott for some help.
Scott immediately went to work helping Talia with the chains, but by now he was getting used to Talia's mannerisms. Their friendship allowed him to get an inkling of when she was feeling off and he was getting that feeling in waves now that they were all in an enclosed space. "Talia," he whispered, trying to get the chains linked around some pipes. "Are you going to be okay? Or am I going to referee a dog fight down here? Because one that's illegal, and two, I'm not an alpha to either of you so I can't do... the alpha... thing." He mean the roar for submission, but he hated calling it that. He glanced at Derek, so helpless against the wall. "Derek, I'm putting some cuffs on your hands and ankles, okay? They'll be tight because I don't want you slipping out of them as a wolf."
He keeps his eyes closed, his hands dripping a little bit of blood as he keeps them in tight fists. He allows Scott to put the cuffs on him, his eyes flashing blue when he opens them. He glances down, his fingers unfurling and revealing a ring. There was a time his family, his pack, was his anchor. Just because they were gone didn't mean he couldn't still try to anchor to them when he felt so lost. "It's my mother's wedding ring".
Talia glanced to Scott when she heard her name and swallowed. She was hoping he'd assume those chemosignals were coming off of Derek, but it seemed like he knew her better than she thought. She was determined to be okay, she had to be. She wasn't sure Scott would be able to handle two wolves without control. "I'll be okay." She muttered, though she was doubtful. She helped Scott put the chains on Derek and looked down at the ring in his hand, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Keep focusing on it, okay?" She said softly.
Scott actually smiled down at the ring. "I'm glad you found something." Even though he teased Derek relentlessly, he still cared for the guy. He turned to Talia, "You know, I never asked what your anchor was. You should focus on that as well." As the only one who couldn't transform into a full wolf, he had to be careful. "The moon should be rising by now. Let's hope the effects aren't as strong down here.."
His eyes slide back closed, thinking back to the last time he saw his mother, his father and all of his family. The Peter that was his friend before the fire, not what was left when the fire burned away. His mother had told him once that she'd always be there for him, even when she wasn't. He had allowed his grief and guilt tarnish his memories, as if he wasn't worthy of using his family as an anchor, since he killed them. So he concentrated, fought against the chains as he struggled with his control. Then it was almost like his mother was there, she could almost hear her voice telling him how beautiful he was. When he opened his eyes again they weren't blue and as he looked down at his hand, the claws were gone too.
Talia took a step back and watched as Derek close his eyes, and she could sense his relief when he finally gained control. At Scott's words, she found herself trying to think about Xavier. She thought about the day they played around with the snow, how good it felt to just let go. But then other thoughts started to plague her mind. She thought about the day she confronted her father, and how Xavier found her, and her breathing started to pick up. "Scott.." She mumbled as she looked at the chains anxiously.
Scott could have cried after seeing Derek's claws retreat. His reaction was genuine, if a little overbearing, as he knelt down in front of the older wolf, eyes shining bright. "You're doing it!" he encouraged, clapping vigorously. He whirled around to make sure Talia could see how great this was, but his enthusiasm paled instantly. "Talia..." he whispered slowly before taking off to the duffel bag, grabbing another set of cuffs to link to the chains. "Do you need me to do this?" he asked, holding up the chains. "Last full moon you were the one who helped me, remember? Camping? This is just like that. But underground. And with no sleeping bags." He winced as he said the words. Yeah, he was going to have to chain her up, too. He steeled himself, his own wolf curling at the edge of his mind, but not from loss of control--from protection. Scott was always stronger when he had the drive to protect others. Like a mother bear. He hoped it was enough in case Derek's anchor wouldn't hold out for the next eight hours.
He gained enough control to roll his eyes at Scott's enthusiasm. His mouth goes upwards close to a smirk, then pales when he sees Talia. "Youre stronger than this...than me."
----Due to life’s technical difficulties, the thread ended here, HOWEVER....
Derek went on to find strength in his mother and learned to control his shift.
Talia, through blood, sweat and tears, controlled her shift but only after some motivational speak from Derek and Scott.
Scott ate all of the snacks by himself and didn’t share, then went on to play Queen songs from his phone until the battery died.
Erica heard the howl echo throughout the preserve. How could she not? She could feel it in her blood. She liked to think it was lineage: the uncle of the man who’d bitten her and brought her into the world. Like it or not, she would always have a tie to the Hale family.
...but in the days that followed, there was nothing. Derek left and didn’t come back for days and when he did, she still never saw him. At first, Erica let the house go to ruin, her clothes and dishes piling up. At some point, she decided to start cleaning up, and as she worked, her heart fell more and more. Everyone knew what happened, but not many were willing to talk to Erica about it. No one knew how much Ariel’s existence meant to Erica and then it was ripped away before Erica could properly conceive it. With her absence came the daunting realization that Erica’s fabricated familial life would never come to fruition. Derek and Peter were gone and out of reach and Erica was alone, a foolish and naive girl, pushing her nose into worlds where she didn’t belong.
She’d just finished mopping the kitchen floor, her hair tied up with a bandana while she wore one of Derek’s old shirts so she wouldn’t get her good clothes dirty, when she heard something move. She set the mop aside and tiptoed to Derek’s room, slowly opening the door to peer inside. “Derek?” she asked. “You awake?”
What: They’re finally 100% honest with each other and Derek smiles the biggest smile in the entire world.
All that is left of his family is only enough for one monument, but the stone he was staring at held his father's name. There was a lot he wanted to ask him, things he never got to ask because Derek never thought to ask because he was only eleven. How do you let yourself love someone when everyone else you've ever loved died? How do you even recognize the feeling when it's been so long since it's coursed through your veins? He's still scarred up, it'll take another day or so for the scars to fade from the attack. He doesn't feel like himself, and he can recognize Erica before she even gets within hearing distance. "My father", he says quietly but knowing she can hear him.
Frowning, Erica stood some distance behind Derek, unsure of what to do. She'd been having fun just goofing around but she hadn't realized just how serious Derek was taking everything. She could smell his confusion and it made her wrinkle her nose. She took a few steps toward him until she was standing next to him. She didn't go to the private cemetery much for obvious reasons, but when Derek was there with her, it was okay. "He was really important to you... wasn't he."
He turns and looks at her and then back at the stone, he simply nods, "he died when I was eleven, the only person I had to get advice from after that was my older brother, my mother, and Peter". He reaches up and pulls on her arm gently to make her sit down, "I'm not really good at this sort of thing..or groups...I don't think you're some whore that wants to sleep with everyone. I've never thought that of you".
"I'm sorry about your father," she said gently and truthfully. "And I'm sorry you had to get advice from Peter." She got advice from Peter once and it was awful. She bit the inside of her cheek when Derek admitted to being uncomfortable in a group setting and she leaned against him when he cleared the air about her wanting to sleep with everyone. "I like to joke with them, but I don't mean it. You're the only one I want. I worry when you take things so literally... but they're my friends and I don't want to stop talking to them."
"You don't have to stop talking to them, and I don't for the most part take things literally, my sense of humor and there's are not the same". He's discovered he has a very dark sense of humor which seems to make sense to him. "As far as the other stuff....the first time I say that to you I don't want it to be in a chat..or by someone else forcing it out of me. You have to understand that..people...everyone that has ever loved me..is here".
"I don't want that coming out in a chat, either. I want you to say it on your own terms," Erica said softly, reaching out to hold his hand and lace their fingers together. "Not everyone. Peter and Cora are still here. And you have me."
He snorts, Peter needs him he doesn't love him, and he almost laughs until he realizes what she said. His head turns so fast to look at her he's kind of shocked he didn't break his neck. "What do you mean I have you?"
Erica turned a bright red that spread from her cheeks to her ears and she hastily pulled her hair in front of her face to hid it. "Well, I mean... I don't just... I might flirt with people but it doesn't mean anything. You're everything to me and always have been. Ever since you approached me in the hospital." She took a deep breath and managed to look him in the eye. "I almost told you the other day after we went to bed. I said it over and over in my mind."
Just takes in her, her blush, her heartbeat, her scent, the way it changes when she looks at him. He feels rather dumbfounded, because she means it, she really..and Derek doesn't know what to even say to that. He's sure he has some sort of look of disbelief on his face as he stares at her, "you..love me?"
Erica swallowed thickly. It felt like somehow that saying it out loud would make it sound cheesy. Or that it would hang in the air and make everything awkward. So she nodded. "Don't look like it's that much of a surprise, Derek. Why would I try so hard for you if I didn't?"
He gives her a smile, a real smile that reaches his eyes because he doesn't want her to feel awkward and because it's the first time in close to ten years that someone has loved him enough to tell him..anyway. He gives her a soft kiss, only deepening it slightly before pulling her into his lap as they sit there. "I think I love you too", he says against her ear so softly no one but the two of them could hear.
Her heart skipped a beat and she knew Derek would be well aware of it. She couldn't help it. She thought hearing it out loud would be cheesy but it wasn't. Not at all. Hearing it from Derek after that gentle kiss made her wonder why it took her so long to say something in the first place. She settled herself onto his lap and tried to even out her breathing. "Derek, this is..." she wanted to say incredible but couldn't. The words caught in her throat. Instead, she smoothed his hair back and smiled so wildly at him, she thought her face would break. She wanted to see that smile on him all the time. "I love you. I don't think I do. I know I do."
He's pretty sure he could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest, he knew Erica likely could hear it. Hearing her say it, looking at him like that, he can feel it in his chest, that warmth that he hadn't experienced in so long. He buries his face against her throat, he feels like claiming her, marking her so everyone would know she was his. Instead he mumbles against her skin, "I love you too".
Because his heart was beating so loudly, it made Erica feel less alone. She'd never seen him so vibrant before--not even when they'd been intimate. It was like Derek came alive right there in the graveyard... the last place he'd placed her and the first place he saw her when she came back. It was fitting, somehow, and for once Erica wasn't worried about having been dead. She didn't think it would happen, but she could feel her eyes stinging with tears. She spent much of her life alone and now she didn't have to be. She never expected something like this could happen to her. She carded her fingers through his hair and hummed so that her throat vibrated against his lips. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice shaking. "For crying. I didn't think I would do that but my eyes have a mind of their own."
He stands, lifting her into his arms, carrying her back towards the house. There was always so much he wanted to say, so many things he never could find the right words for, now it can be expressed easily in telling her he loved her. Because he did, he had for a long time without realizing it, she made him feel alive, safe, adored, and loved. He takes her up the stairs and lays her down, using his foot to shut the door behind him, now that he finally told her he had every intention of showing her.
If there is one person who means the most to Erica, it’s Derek. She feels awful about what happened with Jackson because she has a very different opinion on physical affection than Derek does. She’s able to separate emotions from them very easily but knows Derek does not. She has a savior complex when it comes to him--he saved her from herself once and transformed her. She owes her livelihood to him. He’s done so much for her and all she wants to do is repay him but she doesn’t know how. She thought, at first, that by cooking and cleaning and filling a “feminine” void in the household, that would solve all her answers, and it did for a while, but she felt trapped and it didn’t suit her very well. She wants to be something to Derek that he will be proud of, but she doesn’t know what that is. She doesn’t know Derek very well because he doesn’t talk about himself that much. Every time they’re together things get awkward and physical and all she wants to do is curl up next to him on the couch and watch movies and ask him about his day. Derek is the one person who can straighten her out and keep her on the right path. She will take everyone else’s advice and listen to what they have to say and either accept or reject it, but Derek has the most power. Without Derek in her life, Erica would spiral into being a bigger mess than she already is.
Erica kicked at the door to the house with her foot, her arms full of prizes she’d seized from a recent looting trip. The power was still out but that was cool. No cameras to track what she’d been doing and all of it was definitely illegal. She couldn’t get a hold of the handle, so kicking was the next best thing. “Open the door before I drop all this!”
