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His feet swung back and forth, far too short to reach the floor from the chair he was sitting in. Uncle Peter stood a few feet away from him, staring into the mirror. He was handsome. So achingly handsome that the eight-year-old Derek didn't understand why he felt what he felt.
Peter caught the unblinking eyes staring at him in the mirror and turned. "How do I look, Der?"
Blood rushed to his face, turning him a shade of bright red. His ears felt hot enough to melt steel. It made him sad. His mother had made it perfectly clear that Derek couldn't marry Uncle Peter because he was a kid… and his nephew… and Peter was marrying someone else. Derek resolutely decided that he hated this Chris person. In his embarrassment, he began to cry. For the second time that day.
Peter cocked his head and crouched down in front of his young nephew. He reached up and straightened the little boy's bow tie. "Don't cry, Derek," he said softly, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. His hands cradled his nephew's head gently, tenderly. "Are you nervous?"
Derek nodded. It was a lie, but it was the easiest way to play this off.
"You don't have to be. I gave you the most important job because I know that you'll do fantastic at it," Peter said, trying to cheer the boy up.
"Really?"
Peter nodded and smiled his dazzling smile. It captivated the young boy, who stopped crying. "Without you, this couldn't be the happiest day of my life. And when it's over, you'll go from having one uncle to having two… and it can only happen because I gave you the most important job."
"You're happy?" Derek asked quizzically.
Peter's smile broadened. "Yes… I couldn't be any happier if I tried… and you are part of it."
Derek reached out and hugged his uncle. The musical cue told Derek he had to get ready. He was the first to go down the aisle.
The two rings were fastened to the small pillow with a string of lace. Derek concentrated as he took deliberate, even steps past the pews that were mostly empty toward the priest who stood at the altar. In addition to being his uncle's ring bearer, he was the best man, since Peter had no one else who could fill that role for him. At his young age, he didn't know what any of that meant. It just served to confuse him more. If he was the best man, Derek reasoned, then why would his uncle not choose him instead? He sighed as he watched Laura with a flower crown woven into her beautifully braided hair precede Chris, who was accompanied by a toad-like man who did not seem at all happy to be there. Laura sprinkled perfumed rose petals on the ground as she walked. Derek glared daggers at the groom.
Once he reached the altar, Chris and Laura took their spots on the opposite side of the altar.
Next came Cora, her hair done up the same way as Laura's. She added more petals to the floor in anticipation of their uncle and mother, who came down behind her. Cora went to stand by Laura and as he approached, Derek thought that Peter somehow looked more handsome. Peter's arm was interlinked with his sister. They looked like royalty.
Derek waited patiently until it was time for him to give the rings. Uncle Peter and Chris said their vows. The priest declared them married and they shared a long, tender kiss. It was official. Derek now had two uncles. One too many.
The room in the Intensive Care Unit was cramped with the three of them. The nurses had given up trying to enforce the two-visitors-at-a-time rule. "If you take any one of us away from his bedside, you'll need one of these beds, yourself," Chris said.
The nurse, who was large enough to physically move any one of them, sighed. "You're his husband, Mr. Argent. But them? One of them has to go."
"We're his boyfriends," Derek said proudly. "And neither of us are going anywhere."
Peter was hooked up to so many machines that were the only thing keeping him alive at this point. The surgery had taken hours. Peter had sustained 18 knife wounds, which had perforated almost every one of his internal organs. He had died and been resuscitated four times during the surgery. He required five units of blood to replace the amount that he'd lost… and kept bleeding as the surgery continued.
Chris was seated at Peter's side, Stiles at his feet, and Derek at his head. Chris had Peter's hand in his, absentmindedly tracing the lines of his veins beneath his skin with his finger. "You two should go home and get some rest," Chris said softly. "I'll stay with him."
"I wouldn't be able to sleep, anyway," Stiles said, watching the slow rise and fall of Peter's chest.
"He saved our lives," Derek said softly, finally saying out loud what all of them knew. This brave, handsome, sweet, intelligent man, who was fighting for his life, had taken every stab that had been destined for the rest of them.
"And you might have saved his," Chris replied. "They wouldn't have stopped if you hadn't fought back."
"I couldn't let him die," Derek said, caressing Peter's forehead. His fingertips brushed against his uncle's hair. "I called mom. She's bring Laura and Cora… they'll be here tomorrow."
"Are you planning on possibly telling Talia about how our relationship has changed?" Chris asked.
"No, why?" Derek responded.
"Because you identified yourself to the medical staff as his boyfriend, not his nephew," Chris said.
"Fuck," Derek said under his breath, realizing that it was true. It had slipped off his tongue so naturally.
"Maybe it won't come up?" Stiles offered.
"Well, you need to be prepared in case it does," Chris said.
Derek sighed as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on Peter's forehead. "Come back to us soon… please." He rose to his feet and headed down to the cafeteria to get them all something to eat.
The sharp edges of the trophy cut into his hands as he stood in the window, awaiting their new arrival. Uncle Peter was coming back. He hoped to challenge his uncle to a game and see how he compared.
The car pulled to a stop and he watched at Peter got out of the passenger side and looked up. Derek waved excitedly and rushed toward the stairwell. "He's here!" he called giddily. "Uncle Peter's here!"
He shoved past Laura who laughed. Derek hadn't seen Peter since he was eight years old. He had, in the intervening four years, grown considerably and was only a few inches shorter than his uncle. He burst out the front door and nearly tackled his uncle with the forcefulness of his hug. "Uncle Peter!"
"Oomph!" Peter grunted at the force of the impact. "Woah, Derek… what's the rush?"
Talia laughed as she appeared at the doorway. "He's been waiting to show you his trophy since I told him you would be visiting."
"I got MVP for my basketball team!" Derek bragged. "Next year, the coach is going to make me captain! I'm gonna be just like you!"
Peter was impressed. "Captain… way to go! Why don't we play a game after dinner?"
Derek's eyes lit up. His eagerness to show his uncle made the next few hours feel like a century.
They moved to the basketball court that had been installed by Derek's grandfather, Peter's father, in hopes that his son might channel the energy he spent being a delinquent back into the sport that had kept him out of trouble in the beginning. It didn't work.
Laura and Chris came with them. "Shirts versus skins?" Chris suggested. "Obviously, we'd have to be skins, since Laura's with you."
Laura picked up the basketball as Peter pulled off his shirt. Derek froze mid-action, not seeing the ball headed his way. He didn't hear is sister call out to him, "Derek! Heads up!" On the other hand, he certainly felt the burst of pain as the large orange object made contact with his face. He lost his balance, tumbling backwards. His head hit the pavement hard.
"Oh my god! Derek!" he heard somebody cry out before everything went black.
He woke up a few hours later in the hospital. There was cotton stuffed into his nose and gauze wrapped around his head. He went to move, but he felt Peter's firm hand on his still-bare chest, pushing him back down. "Try not to move," he said gently. "You broke your nose and managed to get a concussion."
That explained why his head was killing him.
"How long was I out?" he asked groggily.
"A few hours," Peter said. "Though admittedly, some of that was drug-induced. They had to surgically fix your nose. And you're probably going to have a shiner for the next few days… but they're keeping you here overnight for observation."
He gave a subtle nod, exhaling from his mouth. It felt weird to not be able to use his nose. His voice sounded weird. He was thoroughly humiliated. It was Chris' fault. He suggested that their side be shirtless. If Peter had kept his shirt on, Derek reasoned, he wouldn't have been distracted and would have caught the ball Laura threw.
"Your sister's beside herself. She feels really guilty. If you play your cards right, you might be able to milk it for a bit," Peter chuckled.
"Where's mom?"
"She's signing the paperwork," Peter replied.
"Can I ask you something?" Derek's voice was meek.
"Certainly."
"If you do something bad… or something that's a sin… do you think God sometimes punishes you immediately for it?" he asked. His theory was that it was his sinful lust he had for his uncle that got him into this punishment. The way he felt about his uncle was wrong, so God gave him a broken nose and a concussion.
"Are you still on morphine?" Peter joked.
"I'm serious." There was an unintended desperation in his voice.
"Honestly, Der," he said. Derek hated that the heart monitor started going faster as he said it. "I don't believe in God. And I certainly don't think that God would spend his or her time meting out punishment for small infractions and still let the big ones go." He studied his nephew. His gaze felt hot on Derek's terrified face. "Do you think this was punishment for something?" Derek gave a subtle nod. "What could you have possibly done that would warrant a punishment as harsh as this?"
He wouldn't answer that question completely, but he suspected, despite his uncle's response, that he was right. "I think it was something really bad." It was in that moment that Derek knew his feelings for his uncle would bring nothing good for him.
After dropping off the food, Derek escaped again, not telling Chris or Stiles where he was going, just that he'd be back soon. Given the very recent attack, he was alert, even jumpy as he stepped out into the cold night air.
He walked a few blocks until he stood in the shadow of a small cathedral. He took a deep breath and walked inside. He approached the confessional booth. He hadn't done confession since he was in college. This felt strange. He had grown to distance himself from religion. He drew several more deep breaths as he approached the confessional booths. He shut the door behind him and began.
"Forgive me Father for I have sinned," Derek said. "It has been eight years since my last confession. I have sworn, taken the Lord's name in vain, and committed sins of the flesh more times than I can ever count. And I'm afraid that it's causing pain to someone I care about deeply." He swallowed hard. "I care about him in a way that I shouldn't."
"Your penance is three Hail Marys," the priest said.
"Will that make sure he's safe?" Derek asked, his voice cracking.
"You know I cannot answer that, my son," the priest replied sadly. "His will be done. But God isn't in the business of punishing people, He's here to forgive. If you are truly repentant, you are forgiven."
Derek broke down crying. "Thank you, Father," he managed before bursting out of the confessional booth. Derek went to a pew and fell to his knees. He crossed himself and, through his sobs, recited the prayer three times. Each time, he begged that Peter's life be spared.
Uncle Peter and Uncle Chris were flying in from New York for his 18 th birthday. He hadn't seen them since the unfortunate incident with the basketball, but in the last nearly six years, Derek had done everything he could to stop thinking of his uncle that way.
It wasn't working. He hooked up with several girls. He hooked up with several guys—all of whom were named Peter. It was proving to be quite counterproductive and, without exactly meaning to, his family was bearing the brunt of his frustration with the situation. It wasn't like he could tell them.
Talia made it a point to intercept Peter before Derek could. Derek knew he shouldn't have eavesdropped, but it didn't stop him.
"I was really hoping you might be able to talk to him. He hasn't been himself lately and it's worrying me," she said to her brother.
"How do you mean?" Peter asked.
"He's normally a good kid… straight A's on his report cards, busy with extra-curricular activities… but lately he's been acting like…" She searched or a comparison, but the only one that would truly work was sitting in front of her. "He's been acting like you did when you went through that 'I want to give both of my parents an aneurism' phase."
Peter snorted in his attempt to suppress his laughter. "Yeah, I'll talk to him."
They made small talk and Derek dashed away. A little while later, he heard a knock at his door. "Hey buddy," Peter said. "Can I come in?"
Derek's mouth and throat went dry. His uncle was coming into his bedroom. He knew it was to lecture him, but still… the excitement was there. "Yeah," he managed to say before reaching for the bottle of water on his bedside table and finishing it in one go. The thirst was real.
"Anything in particular you want to tell me?" Peter asked.
"Nope," Derek said, feigning aloofness.
Peter sighed. "Look, man. I get it. You're about to be 18… In a few hours you'll be able to vote, buy lottery tickets, and smoke. But you've got a bright future. Don't do anything stupid, alright?"
"I won't," Derek said shortly.
Peter studied him. "I rebelled when I was young. I was kind of a shithead. If it would piss my parents off, I smoked it, stole it, or fucked it. But my parents were assholes. Your mom… she's great. And she's not had an easy time raising you three by herself. I'm not telling you not to have fun… it'd be incredibly hypocritical of me to do so. I'm just saying not to take out your angst on your family. They love you. Channel your teenage rage to dismantle the patriarchy or something."
"Alright," Derek said.
His response seemed to sadden Peter. "Am I going to get more than a few syllables out of you? Come on, Der… this isn't like you. I've not seen you for almost six years. There's gotta be some stuff you want to fill me in on. Any girls you've been dating?" Derek shook his head. "Guys?"
Derek gave a nod that could be interpreted as a "Maybe."
Peter sighed and pursed his lips. "I'll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing."
He got up to leave. "My girlfriend and I just broke up," Derek said. He left out the part where he broke up with her because of the thoughts he kept having about his uncle… and the myriad of times he cheated on her with men who shared his uncle's name.
"Ah," Peter said. "The truth is revealed. Well I didn't think she deserved you anyway."
"You didn't know I was dating anyone," Derek said plainly.
"True… but I'm always on your side, kid. We're the only two Hale men left. We've gotta stick together. I've always got your back. I love you," he said, meaning it in a way that uncles typically loved their nephews.
His words, however, twisted something in Derek. "Is it alright if I'm alone for a little while?"
"Sure," Peter said. "But if you want to talk, you know you can always call me, right? I know there are things that you might only feel comfortable taking to a guy with. You've got my number. Don't be afraid to use it."
"Thanks, Uncle Peter," Derek said softly as Peter shut the door behind himself.
Derek kept to himself for the remainder of the evening. He ventured out of his room once or twice after dinner, but stayed there for the most part. As he passed the bedroom Peter was staying in, he could see the light was on. Carefully, he pressed his ear to the door.
"Stay here tonight," Peter pleaded. "I'll let you do that one thing…"
Chris sighed. "You bring home random guys and fuck them for hours on end in every room of our house. I visit bath houses. We both have our thing. It'll just be a few hours…"
Derek rushed away from the door and headed down to the kitchen. He was just in his boxers, which was how he slept. Chris saw him sitting at the kitchen island casually eating orange sherbet from the container. "Can't sleep?" he asked.
"No," Derek replied. "You?"
"I was just going to go out for a little bit… have some fun."
"The bath house?" Derek asked. Chris' eyes widened. "I didn't mean to overhear. You were just being kind of loud as I walked by Peter's room. What is that, anyway?"
Chris hesitated to answer. "It's a place where a bunch of guys sit around naked in a sauna or a pool area… or another room. And sometimes perform various acts on one another."
Derek looked at the clock. It was 12:02. He was officially 18. "Can I come, too?" He could see the hesitation on his uncle's face. "It's after midnight. I'm 18 now. And I just broke up with my girlfriend…"
Chris sighed. "Go get some clothes… and don't tell your mother or your uncle. They'd kill me."
Derek grinned and dashed upstairs. He swapped his boxers for a jock strap that left his ass completely exposed, pulled on jeans, a t-shirt, socks, and shoes. It took him mere moments. He appeared back at the door. "Ready."
As they got into the car, Chris asked, "Do you have condoms?"
"No…" Derek admitted.
"We'll get some on the way."
They arrived at the bath house after the quick pit-stop to load up on rubbers and lube.
"Anything you want in particular?" Chris asked.
"Now that I'm not jail bait… older guys… maybe around your age?" Derek said.
"Alright. Do you want me to stay nearby? Guys in these places can get kinda rowdy. They don't always know when to stop, either," Chris warned.
"Yeah…"
Chris changed into his leather regalia and suddenly Derek understood what his uncle Peter saw in him. He spent so much time considering Chris to be the enemy that he had refused to see any of the positive traits the man possessed. Derek stripped down to his jockstrap. Having played sports for such a long time, he was used to nudity around other people and wasn't in the least bit shy.
They both entered the main room. To those who saw, it looked like a Leather Daddy and his boy toy.
"See anyone you like?" Chris asked.
Derek scanned the room and told Chris the four who had caught his eye. All of them were similar body type and build to Peter, but Chris hadn't noticed that commonality. Chris approached the men and explained that Derek was interested in them. Three of the men Derek had pointed out agreed that they were interested, too.
They all retreated to a private room. Being no stranger to bottoming, Derek prepped himself, in full view of the other men. Chris kept his back turned to Derek as he explained to everyone that if they hurt the boy in any way, they'd probably not live to regret it. Chris handed a condom to the first guy.
"Come on man, I'm clean," the guy said.
"I don't care. You're gonna use a condom or you're not gonna have sex with him," Chris said plainly.
The man rolled his eyes, but grabbed the condom and put it on. Derek lifted his legs into the air as the man got into position. It was a rough fuck. The man didn't really seem to care how much Derek liked it. Derek closed his eyes and stroked himself. He tried kissing, caressing the man's body… none of it made the fuck any better. That man finished and Derek hoped he'd have better luck with the second guy. He didn't. All three of the men who fucked him had put absolutely no effort into making it feel good for him. It wasn't like it felt bad… they just didn't care if Derek got off. Which he didn't. Derek left the room.
Walking felt different after being fucked. In his jock strap, his ass was still very much visible to anyone, and many men took it as an invite to grab, pinch, and slap him. One very bold guy stuck his finger into Derek, resulting in a yelp, but Derek continued walking. He had two more condoms stashed in the band of his jock. Only one of them ended up getting used. Chris was occupying himself with some of the leather worshipers, but he kept an eye on Derek, too.
The man had a devil-may-care attitude as he stared at Derek from across the room. His erect cock showed he obviously liked something he saw. Derek approached him. "Hi," Derek said, drinking in the man's features. He was perfect.
"Hi," said the man.
"I… I was wondering if I could have a seat," Derek said. Immediately he chastised himself. That was the corniest thing he'd ever said before.
"It's the best seat in the house," the man replied with a smirk.
Derek took the condom from his waistband and opened the package. He rolled it onto the man with his mouth. The lubricant tasted awful, but he didn't care. He continued using his mouth for a few minutes, eliciting moans of approval before climbing onto the man's lap facing him. Slowly, Derek impaled himself on the man's huge member. They both let out moans of pleasure as Derek felt every inch go up inside him.
Slowly at first, but then with increasing speed, Derek fucked himself on the man's cock. This was the way to ensure that he enjoyed it too. The man, for his part, gently stroked Derek with one hand and pinched the boy's nipple with the other. Derek bit his bottom lip as he stared into the man's eyes. They were piercing blue.
"What's your name?" Derek asked.
"I don't give my real name when I'm here," the man admitted.
"Then what's your fake name?"
"Peter."
Derek's eyes widened as a fire burned in him. He gave himself and this man the fucking of a lifetime. After roughly fifteen minutes, the man spent himself inside the condom, and Derek did so onto the man's chest. They were both panting for breath and sweating. Derek's leg muscles burned from the strain, but it had all been worth it. It was the best orgasm he'd ever had.
He pulled himself off and started to walk away. One of the men who had been watching shouted, "Do that to me."
Derek ignored him. He was sated.
"Didn't you hear me?" the spectator asked, rising to his feet. Chris, who had been reclining on a bench receiving a blowjob, sat up. The man grabbed Derek's wrist with one hand and with the other, he forced several fingers into the boy. "I told you to ride my cock."
"Ow!" Derek exclaimed, trying to twist his body to get the man's fingers out of him. "Stop it!"
The man pushed them deeper and Chris sprang to his feet, getting across the room so fast, Derek could have sworn he teleported. He reared his fist back and made contact with the man's gut, doubling him over.
Other men had stood, too, ready to come to Derek's defense, but Chris had already taken care of it.
"You okay?" he asked.
Derek ran his fingers through his own hair, looking around at the situation. "Yeah," he panted.
"Come on," Chris said. "I think we should probably go."
Chris changed back into normal clothes and Derek pulled on his own. They made another stop on the way back home. Chris came back with two bottles in a brown paper bag. "Hold these," he said as he got into the car. When they reached the Hale mansion, Chris nodded for Derek to follow him.
They went to the gazebo and sat down. Chris both bottles and popped the caps off before handing one to Derek. "Also something I don't want you telling Peter or Talia."
"Agreed," Derek said, staring at the beer bottle in his hand.
"Did you get out whatever it was you needed to get out?" Chris asked.
"What do you mean?"
"People don't fuck like that because they're horny… they fuck like that because they have demons they're trying to escape," Chris said.
"I think so," Derek said softly, his fingernail scratching at the label.
Chris held up his bottle. "Then let's drink to starting off adulthood demon-free," he said.
"Here, here," Derek chuckled, clinking his bottle against Chris' and taking a long swig. Having this secret he could share with the other uncle… the intruder uncle… made him somehow easier to get along with. They had definitely bonded.
Talia stood at the foot of Peter's bed. Derek and Stiles had finally taken Chris' advice and gone to Derek's apartment to sleep a bit. His mother and sisters had flown in and taken a cab straight to the hospital, but were going to stay in Derek's apartment or the duration of the trip.
Derek hugged his mother tightly. "I know you're close to him," Talia said soothingly. "Thank you so much for pulling the guy off him. You probably saved him."
Derek said nothing. Chris caught them all up on the changes. Peter was consistently going up and down, but the doctors assured him it was to be expected, considering all of the internal damage.
"Peter," she said softly. "I'm not sure if you can hear me, but I hope you can… If you die, you're stuck with mom and dad and I won't be around to be the buffer." She turned to Chris and Stiles. "That should do the trick."
They all laughed. It was gallows humor, they knew… but it was nice to break the tension.
"It's nice to see you, Stiles," Talia noted. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with Peter, but I'm glad they're working out with Derek."
Stiles furrowed his brow, before remembering that she didn't know the reality of their situation. "Your son is an amazing man," Stiles said honestly, casting a smile at Derek.
The beeps on the heart monitor became increasingly rapid. All of them looked at it. A doctor and several nurses came in as the rise and fall of the indicator became a straight line accompanied by the most haunting beep.
"Clear the room," the doctors said as they worked to try to save Peter. A nurse shoved all of them out into the hallway. Derek covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes wide in terror.
"No.." he repeated over and over. "It's my… no…"
He darted down the hallway, dodging nurses, staff, patients, and visitors
Stiles started to follow, but Talia stopped him. "No. I know where he's going," she said softly. "Let's give him a few minutes and then I'll go talk to him." After several minutes, the staff filed back out.
"The stress his body is under is making it hard on his heart. He went into cardiac arrest. We were able to get him back, but we're going to put him in a medically-induced coma until his body gets a little better-healed," the doctor said to Chris. "In the meantime, we'll be monitoring his EKG very closely. If there's any abnormality, we'll catch it and we'll fix it. I'm not gonna let your husband die on you."
"I appreciate that," Chris replied.
Derek followed the maze of corridors until he came to the room he'd been searching frantically for. The hospital's chapel was empty. Being that it was a catholic hospital, there was a large crucifix in the center of a table at the far end. Derek fell to his knees.
"I thought I was forgiven for it… I confessed. I did the Hail Mary's. I'm begging you… please! Don't punish him because of me. Please don't let him die… This was my sin. Take me instead… not him. Not Peter!" he begged.
In response, he heard only silence. A clergyman would say that if Peter died, it was God's will. To Derek, that was unacceptable.
His words were nearly unintelligible through his tears and sobs. "He's a good man. He's suffered through so much… YOU put him through so much! You gave him shitty parents who didn't love him. You gave him a shitty first boyfriend who beat him hurt him and made him feel worthless. And worst of all, you gave him me. You knew I was too weak to resist… and if this was your plan all along, then fuck you! FUCK YOU! You don't deserve him!" His sobs could be heard from the hallway as he bent over, covering his face with his hands.
Talia quietly approached her son, and placed a comforting hand on his back. "Sweetie, I'm here… he's okay…" she said.
Derek turned to her, resting his head on her shoulder, continuing to cry. "It's my fault, mom. If he dies, it's my fault."
Talia stroked his hair soothingly. "Sweetheart, no," she said. "Your actions probably saved his life. If he dies, the attackers are responsible for his murder."
"No, mom… it's what I did… I did something bad and I don't think it can be forgiven and now Uncle Peter's paying the price. I would take it all back if I could… if it would save him," Derek sobbed. "I'd trade places with him. I fucking deserve it."
"Derek, calm down… what are you saying?" She pulled him away from her shoulder, holding his head in her hands so she could look into his eyes, wiping away the tears with her thumbs… the way Peter had when he'd begun crying on the day of the wedding.
"I love him, mom," Derek said.
"I know you do, honey… he knows you do, too," Talia replied.
"No… mom, I love him," Derek reiterated. "He and I… we've had sex." Talia's eyes widened and she gasped. This was not the news she had expected to hear from her son.
"When did this start?" she asked, preparing to kill him herself if he had molested her little boy.
"A few months ago," Derek said. "And after the first time…" Talia cringed. This meant that it had happened multiple times, but at least Derek had been an adult. It only made her feel marginally better. "I knew it was wrong… but it didn't feel wrong. It felt right. It felt like love. Like the same kind of unconditional love that I feel from Stiles. But it's wrong love… and now Peter's dying. God is punishing him for what I started and… if he dies, I might as well have held the knife myself."
Derek's face was streaked with red from the salty tears. This was certainly a lot for her to take in, but many things about her son suddenly made perfect sense. She was a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts and emotions. She had noticed the way her son worshiped his uncle, but passed it off as him idolizing a father figure. Derek's own father had died when she was still pregnant with Cora. Derek was far too young to remember him. Now she saw it for what it had really been all along. As horrific as she thought it might be, Derek had fallen in love with Peter at first sight, all those years ago.
The fury that rose in her was tempered, however, by the desperate look in her son's eyes. Right now, Derek was just a boy who needed his mom to tell him everything would be alright. She had never seen such pain and guilt and sorrow in her son's face before and it tore at her.
She chose her words carefully. "I can't say that I necessarily approve," she began. Derek reacted to the words as if she had punched him in the stomach. "But you are not, in any way, responsible, Derek. Please understand that. You and I both know that you would never do anything that would hurt him. He's going to make it through. He's going to survive because he's a fighter. But he's also going to survive because you are brave. You are a good person. And even though your life was on the line, you fought back because someone you loved was in danger. Those are admirable traits, Derek." Derek swallowed hard. His lip was still trembling and his nose had become slightly red. He brought his sleeve up in an attempt to dry his face. "Those are traits you share with him. And while I don't understand it and I don't like it… that's probably why you fell in love with one another."