Stiles rolled over in bed and felt Derek roll with him. He smiled to himself as he felt Derek's erection pressing into him. After a month of night shifts, Stiles was finally back to a normal schedule after covering when a few guys were down with a sickness. The schools were all infected, so it wasn't that hard to understand when the mom's and dad's on the force got sick.

"Missed you," Derek said as he rubbed his clean-shaven jaw on Stiles' bare neck.

"Missed you too," Stiles said. He wasn't sure how much Derek missed him, though, probably just the sex since it had been pretty much a month since they were in the house at the same time, and one of them wasn't sleeping.

Derek threw back the covers and pressed all along Stiles' back, warmth coming from him as he started to rock into Stiles' ass. It was simple, easy like sex had been for a long time. The orgasm was fucking nice. Stiles was fully hard by the time that Derek's hand finally wrapped around his cock as his teeth nipped at his neck.

Tugging Stiles back, Derek waited for Stiles to settle, and then he was over him, kissing him hard. Stiles grabbed the back of Derek's neck to hold him right where he wanted him. The sound of the drawer opening for the lube came minutes later when Stiles finally let Derek out of the kiss.

Even after a month of no sex, it was nothing for Derek to slick his cock up and push into Stiles with hands on his legs, holding him open to eyes that loved to watch his cock slide in and out of Stiles. That breach was the part that Stiles loved, the burn of muscle as it moved in ways that weren't the norm, but his body opened up with ease. Stiles loved sex. He loved finding out about just how much he liked this kind of sex with Derek.

There had been a time when Stiles had been happy that Derek was his only male lover. Lately, though, Stiles wasn't sure what he wanted anymore.

Derek kissed him again, drowning Stiles' moans into his mouth just like Derek's were stifled by Stiles' mouth. It was their normal, perfunctory sex.

Even cleaning up was the same, Derek cleaning himself up in the bathroom before bringing a rag out to Stiles for him to use. It was tossed to the side, landing in the bathroom somewhere before Stiles rolled to his side and grabbed the covers again before the air-cooled his sweat off all the way, and he was too cold. Derek climbed into bed and was out like a light in seconds. Stiles took a little longer to go to sleep.

Stiles laughed as he clinked his beer glass against Robbie's. There was a crowd of off-duty cops to rival the rest of the patrons in the bar. A cheer went up as the Kings scored another goal. Stiles was barely watching the playoff hockey game on the TV. He had been watching it less and less over the last few months, not finding the joy that he used to in the game.

"So, where is Derek tonight?" Robbie asked. They were the only two at the table at the moment, Beaker and Burns were at the bar getting a refill for them all.

"At home. I texted him to remind him about this, but he didn't respond. Probably busy with working or something." The lies rolled off of Stiles' tongue with ease. He didn't like lying to his partner, but he was sick of having him look at him with pity in his eyes. Derek hadn't been out with Stiles and Robbie in months, hell, Stiles was pretty sure that the last time was when they all crowded into a local sports bar to watch the final game of the Stanley Cup last year.

Stiles sat there trying to figure out if it was the last time, and he couldn't remember a single night after it.

"He's been working a lot lately," Robbie said.

"I know he's got a deadline swarming on him." Stiles had let Derek know about this, but the man hadn't really said anything negative or positive about him coming to it. So Stiles had dropped it. Hell, Stiles usually only mentioned things once and then dropped them. He put it on the calendar so that Derek didn't worry about where he was. Stiles wasn't even sure if Derek noticed when he was home or not.

"What kind of deadline?"

"A contract he's trying to get hammered out about buying another place here in Beacon City. The shop in Hills is doing well, and he wants to expand. He can baby it for a while and leave the other shop in Erica and Issac's hands while he gets the newer one up and running."

"Ah."

Stiles couldn't tell if Robbie believed him or not. The new place's paperwork had gone through a month before, and now Derek was just working on getting the inside as he wanted. It was close enough to the station that Stiles worked out of that it would be where he bought all of his coffee instead of the Starbucks that was a block further away. There was nothing wrong with Starbucks, but Stiles likes the beans that Derek got in better than Starbucks.

"New brew," Burns said as he sat down beside Stiles. He slid the new glass over, and Stiles finished off his first before picking it up. It was a different shade than the other he had gotten. It looked fucking good too.

"So, Beaker, what team are you rooting for?" Stiles asked as he looked at the screen again.

"Caps man, Caps. I might not have lived in DC for fifteen years, but I would never turn my back on my boys."

Stiles raised his glass for that. Hockey and baseball were the only sports that he watched. He followed the Mets because it had been his mom's team, but he didn't really have a hockey favorite. He had a few teams that he hated but no one that he favored above the others.

"You?"

"Right now? Kings. I like Vegas, though. I like the pageantry that they do. It fits Vegas, and I do love visiting Vegas."

There were a few boos around Stiles, and he laughed and flipped off the guys at the table. Last time that he and Derek had gone to Vegas for a weekend, Stiles had ended up winning a good bit of money. He had shared some with the guys at that station by buying them all a few take out meals, but they all loved to give him a hard time about it.

These guys were his family, taking him in and treating him no differently than anyone else. The scars they had seen on his body fresh from the local academy when he had got home from college had been more than enough to get their respect. Though a few had thought that his father had given them to him. Stiles had put that down right then and there. Then they watched him trip over air one day and crack his head off of a bench in the changing room. It was slightly scarred three weeks later, and no one brought up his father abusing him again. Hell, some of them started to watch out for him more when they knew his mind was on something else. That was the only time he tripped like that anymore.

The night ended, and Stiles, a little drunker than he wanted, walked home. He could easily stop and grab the Jeep on the way to the station in the morning. He had done it before when he drank a little too much. Stiles popped headphones in and played some music on his phone. He felt mostly sober by the time he got to his block but was too tired to turn around and go back for his Jeep. So he just trudged on home.

There were many cars outside of the house, so Stiles knew that the Pack was over. If it was a Pack night, Stiles should have been told about it. He'd missed the last three due to working and not being told in time that it was at a specific time so he couldn't swap shifts. Stiles let the pang of pain from that move off of him like he had all the other times that he was left out of Pack things.

It wasn't like before, when something popped up in the town what seemed like every week, sometimes twice. They each kept their eyes and ears out, and the meetings were just to keep everything kind of normal. The Pack always came to them in Beacon City for them even though Derek would gladly drive to where they were and meet at one of the other's houses, but Derek liked them in his space.

The house was quiet as Stiles let himself into it. The lights were off as far as he could see, so that meant they were either in the basement or out in the backyard. Stiles didn't really care where they were. He took his gun off and locked it in the safe that was in the living room. He made sure the safe was locked again and then went up to the bedroom. He had his shirt halfway unbuttoned when he found that the Pack wasn't outside, nor were they in the basement. Derek was in the middle of the bed, which was normal but on either side of him were members of the Pack. Stiles turned to check the guest room, and he found it was full as well. Stiles sighed and stripped off his shirt before grabbing a pair of sleep pants and a T-shirt from the pile by the bed. No one even twitched.

Getting changed in the kitchen was a little odd to him, but he dealt with it as he grabbed a glass and drank down some water. The couch was at least comfortable. Stiles had fallen asleep on it a few times when he was working on a big deal case. He laid his work clothes over the back of the couch and made sure they weren't going to get wrinkled. He could still wear them in and change when he got to work.

Warmth on his face woke him up just before his alarm went off. Stiles rolled over and grabbed his phone from the wireless charging pad that was there. It ran through a hole in the coffee table center down to the outlet on the floor. It had a cover so that they could shampoo the carpet when needed, but mostly it just stayed open with two different chargers coming out of it. He checked the time to see that he had plenty of time before he had to be in for his shift.

He slipped into the bathroom and got dressed for work before looking to find the Pack and Derek. The kitchen was a disaster, and there was evidence of food but none of it in sight. Stiles checked the oven, and then he heard a loud laugh from outside. He looked out the glass door to see the Pack was spread out on the back porch area. All of the chairs were moved so that the sun was hitting them in the face. Everyone's backs were to Stiles. There were many plates on and around the table, and the ones that had once been full of food were now empty. So breakfast had been made, and none saved for him. He was okay with that. He thought. He shouldn't be, and that was what he was not okay with.

"You've gotta keep on looking until you find that special person. The one that will love you above all others." It was something that Derek had said to the Pack before but never like that. Never with such longing in his voice. Never like he was still searching for that.

Stumbling backward, Stiles tried not to make too much noise. The wolves hadn't noticed that he was awake yet, and he wasn't sure now that he wanted them to. Derek would know based on Stiles' scent or the look on his face. Stiles hadn't realized before that Derek wasn't in love with him like that. Stiles had changed everything about his life to live with Derek, to be happy with him. To be with him at all. Everything in his life right now felt different.

Stiles knew that he shouldn't be okay with having to sleep on the couch because his bed was full. He knew that he shouldn't be okay with not having breakfast saved for him in his own damned house. Stiles looked around the kitchen. It was the least personal place in the house as it was just full of kitchen stuff. He looked at the coffee pot to see that there wasn't even any coffee for him.

Stopping at the safe, Stiles got his gun out and secured it to his belt before he snagged his keys. He looked back into the kitchen one last time and then left. The walk to his Jeep was not nearly as quick as it had been the night before. He was going at a slower pace to match the mood that he was in. He could see the living room in his eyes. The only pictures of him and Derek had at least a few Pack members in them. There was none of just the two of them, and there was none of just either one of them either. It was a monument to the Pack. The living room had things that the Pack had bought as housewarming gifts, everything Stiles was in the bedroom. The small office that Derek used held their combined books. Looking at the first floor, there was nothing of Stiles. Even the decor was more in line with Derek's soft colors and muted themes. It was strange as hell that Stiles had never noticed it. A long time of living there and he had never noticed it.

The Jeep had a sticker on it that told the cops that it was left because he had been too drunk to drive. It allowed for the cops to know not to tow the vehicle or anything like that, and the other person would be back to get it when they woke up, which was sometimes very late in the day. Stiles slid into the driver's seat before he started the Jeep. He loved his Jeep. He loved that while Derek hated him driving the Jeep, he had made sure that the engine was rebuilt, and everything was new inside of it not long after they had got together. Unlike other people, Derek understood why Stiles couldn't get rid of the Jeep. Why he stayed attached to it.

Stiles wondered if that was why Derek stayed with him if he didn't love him. Because Stiles was something from the past. Stiles was someone who wasn't going to want more out of Derek than what he gave.

Even with the earlier hour, the diner was still packed. There was only a single table open, and Stiles pointed at it. The waitress nodded her head, so Stiles weaved his way through the tables to drop down at it. A minute later, a cup of coffee was being dropped off as well as the carafe. He thanked her with a smile and then looked at the menu again. He didn't feel hungry, but he knew that he needed to eat.

"Just my usual, Belle," Stiles said.

"Sure thing, Stiles."

Belle leaned over and kissed his cheek, rubbing at the little bit of lipstick that was on his cheek. He knew that he had to be putting off sadness. It was the only time that Belle did that. Today though, it at least felt good. To be touched by someone. Derek didn't touch him anymore unless they were having sex. The rubbing at the back of his neck when Derek passed him in the kitchen was long gone. The rubbing of thighs when they sat on the couch together. There was always the middle cushion between them now. There were no showers shared between them. There was nothing of affection in their relationship. No wonder Derek talked about finding his love out there somewhere. He probably stayed with Stiles because he liked the sex and not living alone.

Stiles wasn't sure how he felt about his life being a lie. Yeah, this had been pretty good between them, or so he thought. They were comfortable, but it hadn't been until this that he realized that there was something wrong. What he thought was happiness, and a good life together wasn't.

The shift at work passed. He was on patrol and caught a few speeders on some of the road stretches where they were frequent. He finished up and dressed in street clothes before leaving, dropping the set of work clothes he had in his locker off with the cleaners that he liked to use. He picked up the ones he had dropped off before and went about his normal after-work routine when he was off early like he was. He texted his dad about the game the night before, remembering that his dad had today off. He didn't wait for a reply.

Home was empty when he got there, and Stiles was pretty sure that before today he wouldn't have cared. He went to the kitchen to grab the leftovers he had left in there and found them gone. The container was still in the sink and dirty, so it wasn't Derek who had eaten them. He sighed and grabbed his keys to head to the store to pick up some of the easy meals for him to dump in a skillet and cook for ten minutes and eat. They were on sale, so Stiles picked up enough to feed him for a week for lunch and dinner.

While watching a random movie on the TV, eating dinner alone was not what Stiles had planned for the evening. He cleaned up the meal and found that he had nothing that seemed interesting, so he just went to bed. The bed was still a mess from the night before, and Stiles refused to sleep in a bed smelling like Pack when none of them were hurt. He changed out the sheets and slipped into them. He felt good. Better than he had for a little while. Despite his brain, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

The jostling of the bed woke Stiles up at some point. Derek was a band of heat along his back, and the hard cock jutting into his cheek had Stiles frowning. They hadn't even spoken since sex the last time, and Derek wanted another round? Stiles kept his body tight, and Derek relaxed a little.

"Missed you last night," Derek whispered into Stiles' ear. "Why didn't you come to bed?"

"I was tired from work and didn't want to fight to get to sleep in my own bed. Last time they bitched for two days about getting kicked out of the bed."

"Don't like sleeping without you."

"I didn't sleep the greatest either," Stiles said.

Derek huffed against his neck like Stiles was obtuse on purpose.

"You smell like Belle," Derek said. There was no jealousy in the tone even though really Derek should be. She at least paid attention to him. She would probably sleep with him if Stiles wanted, but he wasn't built like that, even though there wasn't much in this relationship worth staying for at the moment. Stiles was going to try, though. He was going to give it one last good effort before calling it off. There was too much history between them.

"Had to eat breakfast at the diner. There was no food left, and all of the pans were dirty. I would have had to have cleaned up before cooking, and I didn't have time."

"I was going to make you breakfast; I thought you would have gotten up later given how late you got in."

Stiles just kept his mouth shut. His work schedule was in the same place it had been for years, written on the calendar. There was a time when Derek checked it daily and changed his life around it, working more when Stiles was at work and less when he was home so they could spend time together. He was too tired to fight about that right now. And he knew that was part of the problem. He went to sleep and then never brought things up.

Looking at the clock, Stiles saw that it was just after two. "Where were you all night?"

"Out with the Pack."

Stiles said nothing. He felt the ache that said that Pack wasn't him anymore. What in the hell had happened that he wasn't considered Pack anymore. That none of them texted him that Derek didn't need to check in with him and let him know what he was doing. Stiles closed his eyes and forced himself back to sleep. He didn't need to do anything while he was upset and tired. Only stupid things happened then.

Thursdays used to be Stiles' favorite day of the week. Derek would rush home, and usually, hands were not kept to themselves until they were both sated. It was considered their date night, and the Pack knew to never both them unless it was life or death. Those days had changed to them just cooking a meal together as Stiles had the early shift.

Derek had meetings in Beacon Hills about the now open shop, and so Stiles figured he would be a little later when he got home. Stiles had a meal that was set to be ready. He had texted Derek to ask him to let him know when he was on his way home. Stiles saw that the message had been read, but there was no reply as of yet.

Stiles settled himself in at the counter with some files from some cases that he was working on that were a little more than open and shut. He lost track of time until his stomach growled. Stiles looked at the time to see that it was seven. Derek would have been long home, even coming from Beacon Hills. He looked at his phone, and other than a few texts from guys at work giving him heads up on things that were going on, there was nothing. He checked Derek's thread to make sure that he had left the phone open to it and therefore, it registered him as read it already. There was nothing. Stiles grabbed his food and popped it into the oven to reheat it while he settled Derek's into containers in the fridge for someone to eat later. He settled in and ate while looking at the wall, tasting nothing of what he was eating. He hadn't really been since the revelation that his life was a lie. He had hoped that trying harder would be enough, but it didn't seem to be working at the moment.

There was something to learning how to sleep alone because of shifts and so Stiles was asleep in seconds after his head hit the pillow. He wasn't sure when it had become easier to fall asleep alone than with Derek.

The house was still empty when Stiles woke up the next morning. He checked his phone; a message from Robbie was all that waited on him. He got dressed in his last outfit in the closet and packed a bag with some stuff in it to swap for the one in his locket at the station.

Derek was home when Stiles got off of shift. He was sitting in the living room with some files spread out on the coffee table and a notepad in his lap. He looked up and smiled at Stiles as he saw him. It was the same smile that Stiles always got when Derek saw him for the first time in the day.

"Hey, how was the shift?"

"Fine. Got a few new cases to work on, but they will be pretty easy. Just simple stuff. Nothing big has happened in a while." Stiles watched Derek as he wrote down something and gave a generic hum to what he was saying. "Where were you last night?"

"Oh, the Pack came by the cafe, and we hung out after it closed. It was too late to drive back since I needed to be in early, so I just stayed in town." Derek didn't seem all that worried about the fact that Stiles had to ask where he was because Derek hadn't even let him know. Stiles wondered if Derek even remembered the text that he had sent him.

"What's for dinner?" Stiles asked.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were getting off this early, so I just ate the leftovers in the fridge." Derek didn't even look up at him as he said it, his eyes on the papers in his hand that was he was making notes about.

"What are you doing Saturday?"

"Other than checking into both shops for a little, nothing. Why?"

"Dinner, me and you at that little Mexican place that we love?" Stiles asked. He made sure to put you and me into it so that Derek knew it was between them.

"Oh, that sounds great. Yeah, I'll meet you there at seven. I'll leave the shop here just in time for that."

"Great." Stiles nodded. Derek still hadn't looked up from his papers, but he was at least smiling. Maybe things were as hopeless as Stiles thought. He found another meal in the fridge that had been leftovers from one of Derek's meals and ate those.

Stiles settled into his Jeep's seat and pulled out the files he had brought home to work on for the weekend. He had a perfect look at the restaurant door, but he wasn't getting out and sitting at a table. He really didn't need anyone going to his father and telling him that Derek stood him up. All of the cops, even in Beacon City, like to keep the county Sheriff happy. Which included telling him everything that they could about what they saw him doing around town. Robbie never did as he said he had to live with working with him.

The Camaro's sound was distinctive enough that Stiles didn't worry too much about missing him arriving. Still, five minutes before they were supposed to be going in, Stiles called and checked that no one had arrived for a table for Hale or Stilinski. There was none. Stiles kept a closer eye after that.

Stiles closed up his files at an hour and slipped them back into the bag he had them in and looked at the door. He started up the Jeep just as his phone started to ring. He left the Jeep running when he saw it was Derek.

"Hey," Stiles said in answer.

"Sorry. I need to take a rain check. Something came up."

"Sure. When?"

"Tomorrow? We can meet there for lunch instead of dinner."

"Will you be home tonight?" Stiles asked.

"No. I'll pick you up at home, though before we head out to eat. Sorry. Bye!" Derek didn't even wait for Stiles to tell him goodbye before he hung up the phone.

Dropping his phone on top of the bag, Stiles left the parking lot and turned his way towards home. He actually smiled when he saw the house, ready to relax with something to eat and drink. He put his files up next to the gun safe and checked that everything inside it was fine before heading to the kitchen. He looked at the wines they had and couldn't pick one, so he would wait to see what food called to him.

Stiles opened up the freezer and balked at the fact that it was empty. All of his freezer meals were gone. He walked over to the trash to see that the bags weren't in there. They had been eaten before the trash had been taken out. Derek didn't really like the things at all, would rather cook for himself, so it had to have been the Pack that ate them. Pissed off, Stiles walked over to the phone hanging on the wall and dialed the closest Chinese restaurant and placed his order. He picked out a wine that would pair well enough with his food and let it out to breathe while he waited on the food. He was going to drink the whole damned bottle. It wasn't like he had to be anywhere or stay awake after he ate.

"Hey," the delivery girl said as Stiles opened the door. She looked at the food and then at him. "Where's your other half?"

"He's out with friends."

"I hoped that it was something like that instead of they forgot his food."

Stiles handed over the money as well as the generous tip before he said his goodbyes to her. She seemed to realize that he wasn't his usual chatty self and gave him a smile before she left.

Carrying the food to the living room, Stiles looked around for the remote and flipped the TV on before he went back for the wine and glass. He wasn't so stupid that he was going to drink from the bottle directly, but he was going to finish it off, so there was no reason to leave it in the kitchen.

The food was still perfectly hot, and Stiles was happy with it. It wasn't what he really wanted, but he wasn't going shopping to pick up more of the meals.

Stiles understood the pack dynamics. He knew that Derek saw it as what he had, the Pack could have, but this was something else. It just proved again that Derek didn't think of him as part of the Pack. Derek knew exactly what those meals were. They were Stiles for the nights that he got in late or to make before he went to work if he was called in quickly. He knew that Stiles not having those meals might mean that Stiles just didn't eat. Derek used to care about that.

Maudlin was a good term for Stiles when he was drunk at the moment. He didn't care all that much, though, as he finished off the wine in his glass only to find that the bottle was empty as well. He ate the rest of his food before cleaning up after himself. He washed the glass and the fork before rinsing the bottle and putting it into the recycle bin. He got ready for bed and debated where he wanted to sleep. If he slept on the couch, he could pass it off as him just passing out there while watching TV. If he slept in the guest room, maybe Derek would get a clue.

Stiles vetoed that as he really didn't think that Derek was going to get a clue without Stiles doing something drastic. Stiles grabbed his cell as he walked to the living room and laid on the couch, turning the TV back onto the movie channel he had been watching. He typed out his message to Derek, telling him that he missed him and was looking forward to spending time with him the next day. Stiles kept the app open and watched as the message went from sending to sent to received. Then Stiles saw that it was read. Yet nothing popped up that said that Derek was even trying to respond. Stiles waited fifteen minutes before he closed down his phone and laid down. He looked at the TV screen but wasn't hearing or understanding anything.

Sleep came easily for Stiles, able to push away everything like he had learned so he could sleep enough to work. It was just the mornings that were always a bitch.

By two in the afternoon, Stiles gave up waiting. He ate a can of ravioli he had on hand for those days where Stiles just stopped giving a fuck and went back to high school levels of eating dinner when his dad ended up being called out to work before dinner. He washed up everything, taking out the trash before he went to the bedroom.

Outside of the small office stuff, it took Stiles only half an hour to pack everything he wanted to take. He looked at his phone when he was done. Every single message he had sent to Derek was read, but there was no response. Stiles shoved his phone into his bag with the files he grabbed from the office, packed his laptop bag up, and looked around. There were a few odds and ends that he needed to grab as well.

The first load felt like torture, taking it out to his Jeep. He looked around the neighborhood, but no one was outside to spy on him. They still could be in their homes as the little old ladies loved it. After that, the second load was like a pressure off of his chest. He felt like he could breathe again. The last load was a little more painful again, but mainly because it took three trips for him to get everything that he cared about out of the place. His life with Derek could be shoved into three trips and one load in Roscoe. Stiles wiped at the tears that he felt falling down his face as he settled into the Jeep and looked at the house. He didn't even feel like leaving the keys.

A minorly sadistic thought pass through Stiles about waiting to see how long it was before Derek figured out that he wasn't living there anymore. Stiles hoped it was hours, but he was afraid it was going to be longer.

As he drove toward the station, Stiles knew that he needed a break from everything to do with this life. He had taken the exam for the Sheriff's Office deputy a while back, and it had been sitting there just waiting for him to make a decision.

"Hey, is the Chief in?" Stiles asked as he parked the Jeep in his spot in the parking lot. A few of the other officers were heading out to something. One of the older ones looked inside of Stiles Jeep and nodded his head. He looked sad for him. Robert Stone was his name, and Stiles really liked him. He was a good man who loved his job.

"Yeah, he's in his office. Go ahead in."

Stiles nodded his head and got out of the Jeep. He walked through the bullpen to the side office to see that the Chief was just finishing up eating. Stiles looked at the time to see it was close to dinner.

"Sorry to bother you."

"Come in, Stilinski. I saw you pull in, and I gotta say, I hoped to have you on my squad a little longer. Your depression over the last few months hasn't been bad, but I know what it's like. Your home life is pulling you down. Getting away from one doesn't always mean a change in the job, but I knew I would lose you to the County job one day."

Stiles wasn't sure what to say about that.

"Three more listings went up today, so I'll let you go ahead and transfer there. Your test still stands, and I'm sure that your father will be happy to have you." The Chief stood up and walked over to a drawer before he opened it. Stiles saw his name on it, and there inside was a set of paperwork that was already filled out; the Chief just signed it and dated it before handing it over. It was the form to have him transfer.

"This was easier than I thought it would be."

"You are dying here, and it's nothing to do with the job. You need a clean break from the life you have going. It'll be fine, and you'll do well there. Sometimes, you need to go home to where they love you no matter what, before moving on again. You'll always have a spot here as long as I am here."

"Thanks, Sir."

"Now go before the gossips spread the word, and you can't leave before they descend. I'll make sure they don't bother you, and I'll find Robbie to tell him. I have a rookie coming in next week; he can ride alone until the rookie gets in."

Stiles nodded. He knew he should say a few things, but the words were stuck in his throat. It was real. He was officially not working for them anymore, and until his father accepted, he was technically jobless. He had more than enough money stored away to cover his living expenses for six months. He would be fine. It was just the whole unknown of it all.

The short drive to Beacon Hills really did feel like coming home. He stayed away from the street where the new coffee shop was and anywhere that he thought that the Pack might see him. He didn't need any of them telling Derek that he had his Jeep full of shit and was going to his father's.

Stiles pulled into the driveway, and even over a decade of not living there and his spot was still open. His father's work SUV was parked in the spot beside him, and Stiles knew that he was home. He felt the tears prickling at his eyes again but fought them away. He grabbed the bag with his essentials in it and got out of the Jeep.

The door was opening before Stiles even got there.

"Stiles?" Noah asked. He looked a lot shocked and then he looked at the Jeep. The look on his face changed a lot then.

Stiles handed the papers.

"I'm technically jobless and homeless at the moment."

Noah looked at the papers, reading it over, and he got a fond look on his face.

"Not jobless. Looks like you are filling one of the deputy spots. And you are never homeless as long as I have a home. Let's get your things inside."

Stiles didn't fight it. He let his dad help him get it all up and into the guest room. Stiles dropped his bags with the clothes in them onto his bed. He was already making plans to have Robbie pick up the clothes he had at the dry cleaners and then bring him his locker stuff. Robbie wouldn't mind at all and would want to talk to him.

"So, talk," Noah said when he sat down on the couch after grabbing them both a beer. Stiles took a sip of his and opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. He grabbed his cell phone and opened up the messaging app. He found Derek's thread and tapped it. He scrolled to the beginning of when Stiles started to notice things and handed it over. His father didn't protest and just started to scroll.

Noah's eyes got wider and wider as he read over all of the messages, especially the read icons beside each of them, all the way down until the last set where Stiles talked about missing him and looking forward to spending time with him today. Then all of the ones where Stiles texted Derek and asked if he was fine. Asking where he was today.

"I realized a little while ago that the only good part of the relationship was the sex, and then it started to go away to as I stopped enjoying everything. He doesn't touch me anymore, outside of sex, and sometimes when we sleep. He got upset at me the one time I didn't go to bed when he had half of the Pack in bed with him, and there wasn't room."

"They bitched the last time you asked them to get out of bed."

"Yup, and it didn't end for three weeks. Of course, Derek never stopped them either; it just died on its own. I have food on hand that Derek knows is for me to make when I'm tired and work late or are heading in early after a long night. The Pack ate it all. He's broken every single date that we have planned to spend time with the Pack. Stays out late after closing one of the shops since the Pack wants to hang out. Hell, he doesn't even look when I am going into work or getting out of it anymore. I've tried over the last little while to pin him down for a night out or even in with just the two of us, but you can see what happens."

Stiles rubbed at his eyes and sighed before he drained the beer. His father offered him his, but Stiles just waved his hand. He didn't need to start that kind of situation. Not now.

"I'm existing in my life right now. I'm not living. I'm not happy. I go to work, and I come home, and I do nothing. Sometimes I go out for a drink with Robbie and the guys, but Derek's not joined me out for that."

"What about pack things?"

"You mean the pack nights that happen when I work? That I find out about when I come home, and everyone is piled in our beds? Or I find out about a pack movie night when Derek comes home and tells me about what they saw? It took me three trips to get everything out of that house that I had lived in for so long. Three trips, and there is nothing left of me in that house. I noticed that the living room only had pictures of me with the Pack. There are a few of Derek in places, ones that I loved, but there are none of just me, none of Derek and I. I felt like a guest in the house. Last night after we were supposed to go to the meal, I slept on the couch. Derek never even came home."

"That's no way to live, Son."

"No. And I don't know when we both kind of gave up, but I've tried. That's two meals he's missed with me. He called last night to tell me. Hung up before I could say goodbye. Today, he couldn't even respond. I don't feel like his partner, his lover anymore. I'm just the guy he lives with to not be alone and sometimes fuck when the mood strikes him."

Noah looked like he was to say something about the language, but he stopped himself with a nod.

"It's about dinner time. Why don't we head to the pizza place you like? The Pack hasn't gone there since Mabel kicked them out for roughhousing. We will leave the Jeep and take the cruiser. We won't talk about anything in public just to be sure. I'll get the paperwork filed, and I'll have you replace Jenkins. He's leaving next week. I don't think you need training days as I am sure you still have our procedures down pat better than some of the guys who are on the force right now. That'll give you a week. You don't need to rush out and find a place either. Stay here. Figure out what you want. You've lived in a house that seems like it wasn't even yours to begin with, so don't rush into an apartment just for space issues. Your bedroom is always open."

Stiles nodded his head.

"We've all swapped to getting coffee from Derek's new shop and usually take turns getting it. I'll get your turn or Parrish will."

"Oh, God, Parrish."

"He'll do what I tell him when it comes to work things. He knows when to cross me on running to Derek on things and when not to. I'll talk to him this week. Lay out the bare minimum without getting too detailed. He made a comment a week ago that he hadn't seen you outside of when work crosses into Beacon City and how Derek stopped even saying what you were doing for Pack things. He did say one of the last ones that they were at your place for something had you not even working according to your work schedule, so he had no clue where you were."

"Yeah, pack outings haven't been mentioned at all around me in at least months, maybe even a year or so."

"Why don't we head out. Talk about anything but this. So...how bout them Mets?" Noah asked with a smile.

"Let's talk hockey," Stiles said back, but he followed his dad out the door, feeling like he was home when he shut and locked the door behind him.

Stiles took a deep breath before he pulled open the door to the station. The bullpen was full of the other deputies. No one was out on patrol so that Stiles could meet them all. He looked around, looking for the one that he needed to make sure was okay with this. There were a few guys in there that Stiles didn't know, so they were sizing him up.

"Right on time," Noah said as he exited his office. "All right, everyone. Our newest addition to the force is here. Look your best."

Stiles snorted, and so did a few of the guys who were still there from when Stiles was at college and before that even. Stiles walked over to the first guy Abrams and wrapped him in a hug.

"It's good to have you here, Man." Abrams laughed as he said it and cupped the side of Stiles' face.

"Now, we don't always stand on ceremony here, and it's gonna be hard to figure out who is who, so don't feel bad if you end up calling him Stiles all the time. For those of you who don't know, this is my son Stiles. Transferring from Beacon City to work here with his old man." Noah came over and laid a hand on Stiles' shoulder.

The look of shock on Parrish's face told Stiles that his father had not told him. Stiles just really hoped that Parrish didn't go and run to Derek as soon as he could.

"Parrish, you go ahead and handle that call since you know Stiles better than most here. Your partner can meet him better later. Stiles, I'm sure you have all of the names of everyone memorized, but your partner for a little while is going to be Chastity Black here. She joined us from LA when her family settled here after her wife got a job at the plant in Beacon City. She wanted to work here instead. She's got about six months here. You two will hit it off just fine."

"Well, guys, we got a lucky break. He's gonna be riding Stiles' ass that we all could get away with murder," Abrams said with a laugh.

Stiles laughed with him, and the rest of the deputies followed along. Parrish and his partner were slipping out of the station, but Stiles could feel Parrish's eyes on him. The peace of the last week was going to be disrupted. He just wondered how long that was going to take.

The morning flew by with Black teaching Stiles their part of the route as she had been taught by her last partner. A lot of it was the roads between cities on the north side of Beacon Hills. It was peaceful.

"So, lunch?" Black asked as they radioed that they were heading into town to take their lunch and were not stopping at the station.

"Burger and fries?"

"Sure, but where did you want to eat?"

"Mall parking lot. Watch them and the Wal-Mart lot next door. There is that great burger place right by there."

"Sure."

Stiles turned toward that direction. Black had easily given him the keys when the day started. Stiles knew the route from riding along with some of the deputies when he had been a lot younger. Still, it was nice to confirm fuzzy things in his memory.

Black was mostly silent while they ate, pointing out people and the stupid way they stuffed more than their car should probably hold into the back seats or trunk.

They had their windows open, so Stiles had to look when another car pulled in beside them. It was another cruiser—Parrish in the driver's seat.

Black looked really confused.

"We are old friends, probably just wants to talk." Stiles grabbed their trash and got out, heading for the trash can near the buggy return at the part of the parking lot they were in. Parrish got out and followed him.

"Why wasn't the Pack told of your transfer?" Parrish asked.

"Probably because Derek hasn't even realized that I'm gone from the house."

Parrish looked dumbfounded. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Before he snapped it shut.

"Want me to go from the beginning?" Stiles asked.

Parrish nodded.

"I've tried to get Derek to go on an evening out with me for weeks. He keeps on canceling. Not this past Saturday but the one before, I had a date with him. He called and broke it off an hour after we were supposed to meet. Derek said he wanted to do it the next day. I suggested lunch. He said he would pick me up. He never did, and he never responded to me at all. He read the messages but never responded. I packed up everything that I wanted to keep, everything I considered mine from the house, and moved out that Sunday. I've been living with dad since then. Derek hasn't messaged me, hasn't called me.

"I haven't felt like part of the Pack in a long time. Every single Pack meeting is scheduled when I am at work or not told about it. Last time I got off work and came home to find the Pack in every bed, I slept on the couch. Breakfast the next morning, nothing was saved for me."

"No one saved anything? I told Erica to put you back a plate before the vultures came in because, according to your work schedule, you would be getting up soon, and all of the dishes were dirty so you wouldn't be able to clean them then cook your food. She said she would do it."

"Well, she didn't. I went to the diner. Derek said he had planned on cooking. Never saw him even while I was moving around the house to get ready to leave. No one even looked back at me when I went to the door. Derek was upset that I didn't kick anyone out so I could sleep in my own damned bed. Even though the last time I heard about it for weeks. The Pack ate all of my meals for after I get off of work. I realized that my house is a shrine to the Pack with nothing of me in it, so I left."

Stiles realized that he felt better. Telling his father was one thing, but Parrish, Parrish, was part of the Pack.

"Erica has been handling Pack get-togethers. Derek told her where your schedule was, and she made a show of copying it down. Derek said, a few days ago, you were picking up more shifts at work."

"Well, I don't care who is making them. Derek's never asked where I was for a single one. And even outside of the Pack stuff, no one else is to blame for the relationship. I hadn't even noticed it at first, and I tried to fix it all when I did." Stiles knew that Parrish wasn't trying to fix everything. He wasn't trying to wave it away but giving a little bit of information was good. "I thought I loved him. I thought that he loved me."

"He does," Parrish said, but even as he said it, he flinched.

"I'll let you just drop that one. Black and I need to go out again. Look, we are both getting off early. I'm not sure if anyone in the Pack as seen me in town or not. I don't care if they do. I don't know where the deputies go-to drink anymore since the other place burned down."

"Sully's over near Main," Parrish said.

"Good. We can go there."

"Sure." Parrish looked shell shocked, but he walked away with ease back to his car.

The bar was mostly empty when Stiles pulled in, but he did see a few cars and plates that he knew from around Beacon City as they worked there and lived here. Stiles had changed out of his work clothes and into regular clothes before leaving. He walked into the bar and looked around to find Sully's hadn't changed much at all in the years.

There were a few tables around the middle of the place, and it looked like he had actual food on a menu. Stiles took a seat at a table that allowed him to look around at everything. There was a couple that looked to be on a date in the one booth that Stiles could see well enough from where he was. They looked to be so fucking happy.

Stiles remembered a time when that was him and Derek. So happy to be together that they touched all the time. They were cat called by their friends for kissing for no reason. When being at home together meant being in the same room and doing the same things. When it meant cuddling on the couch. Stiles realized, watching the couple, that he knew the moment that it all changed.

It was when the whole Pack was back from college, and then new members were added. Everything outside of the house went away. Derek was the stern Alpha who showed no weakness.

"And what pray tell are you doing here?" Peter asked as he dropped down into the seat across from Stiles. "And where is your silent shadow?"

Stiles hadn't really thought about Peter in a long time. He knew that he was in Beacon Hills, he had come back a few years ago, but Stiles really hadn't had a lot of contact with him. He wasn't part of Derek's Pack but stayed on the sidelines and helped when anything came into town. Derek assured him that the only deaths he had done were the ones that needed to be done over the years.

"Why does it matter to you?"

Peter actually looked surprised at the tone that Stiles used. Hell, Stiles was a little shocked about his tone as well.

"I came in and smelled you from a distance. If it wasn't for the fact that news would travel fast, I would have thought that your father died given the amount of pain and sadness pheromones you are putting off."

Stiles opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he saw Parrish enter. Parrish walked right over to him and didn't even hesitate about the fact that there was a Hale at his table, and it wasn't the right one.

"Peter," Parrish said.

"Jordan."

Stiles looked at them. Parrish, it seemed, had asked Peter to be here.

"What's going on?"

"Look, I know that you want distance from the Pack. Right now, you are living with your father. That's going to be the first place they check. I know your dad is going to be happy you are home and pushing you not to leave unless you find a place you like. Peter owns an apartment building. I'm not even sure anyone in the Pack knows that, but the thing is that he was saying the other day he had a loft in the building that no one is in at the moment. He doesn't want to rent it out right away and do some work on it. I thought that maybe you might like it. You wouldn't mind having him and crews working around. The bedroom area is all fine, it's the..." Parrish looked at Peter.

"Kitchen and bathrooms that need new plumbing. You could, of course, use mine during the day to get ready if we have the water shut off." Peter looked at a loss for words and a little worried. Worried was a look that Stiles had never seen on him before.

"Why?"

"I might not be fully in the Pack, but you are Pack to my nephew, and that makes you family. I would do anything for you."

Stiles pushed himself up and out of the seat and walked to the bathroom. He stopped at the sink and splashed some water on his face. He heard the door open but didn't look up to see who it was.

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"I left him," Stiles whispered.

"No, I got that part. I just want to make sure that I don't need to kill an Alpha for mistreating you."

"Mistreating me? Why would you care?"

"You are the only thing that got this Pack through the hell it went through. The Nogitsune didn't go after you because you were soft and easy. It went after you because you were the best choice of the three of you that were vulnerable. Look at how they all scrambled to figure out what to do with you out of the game. Look at what they learned about themselves. I thought my nephew was taking care of you these last years, or I wouldn't have stayed as far away as I did. You know what I did for Talia. You handled that part of everything well for the years this Pack was still forming. Who does that now?"

"I have no clue. I've not been to a pack meeting in a long time that was actual substance. Hell, I actually really can't remember, but it was about the time that we came from college and settled here."

"I won't trick you. I won't force you, but I would like you to come and stay there. Don't worry about rent or anything. I'm not making money off it either or without you in there. I know you will force utilities, so I'll give you the bills, except for electricity as the workers will be using that, and you can give me the money for them when they come in. Do you need to borrow a truck to get things from Derek's?"

"I got everything in one load in my Jeep. Other than clothes, it's still boxed up at Dad's."

"You know, I know that Jordan doesn't have the senses to realize, but the other thing that I smelled was loneliness. Not that unusual for a bar. Then I followed you in here, and that's all I can smell. No one should ever smell like that when they are living with the man they love and who should love him."

Stiles didn't want to cry, he really didn't. He just nodded his head. Someplace where the Pack wouldn't look for him was good. He wanted time. Time to get away from it all. Time to just learn to be himself again.

"So let's get you drunk, and then I'll drive you to your father's in the Jeep. I walked to here, and I can catch a cab back home easily."

Stiles opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he saw the glare in Peter's eyes. Stiles nodded his head.

"You start night shifts tomorrow? I heard Jordan making the comment that the new guy was starting night shift to Derek when he was on the phone with him checking in for the week on weird things in Beacon Hills. I assume you are the new guy?"

"Yes. I told dad that I wanted them. I didn't want to be around the station during the day. Parrish has already said that he would make sure to shower before going to a pack meeting."

"Yes. He's not going to say a word. He's loyal to Derek to a fault, but this is personal, and he's not loyal to Derek above you in a relationship aspect. He's going to do anything to keep himself in a job because there is no way that your father would keep him here if he betrayed you like that, no matter how good he is. Just like he wouldn't keep you if you did something stupid like that."

Stiles nodded. He was so tired. Even this week had just shown him how much he had buried in his life. He looked at Peter with a close eye.

"Do you like hockey?"

"I do very much like hockey. Why?"

"I wanna go to a game. I used to go with a few guys at the station in Beacon City, but there were a few issues, and then we stopped going."

Stiles remembered that Derek hated the smell of him after he got back with people close to him, as it was impossible not to get a ton of scents on him.

"Kings fine, or do you like another team?"

"Vegas is fun, and one day I want to see them in Vegas, but yeah, we usually went to see the Kings. Sometimes if it was the weekend, we went to Anaheim. I do like the Ducks. I'm easy when it comes to hockey. I'll watch anyone."

"Then let me know when you are off for a day and don't have an early shift the next, and we can go. You look like you could do with some fun."

Stiles nodded his head, and he let Peter lead him out of the bathroom before all but pushing him into the seat and sliding in with him. There were fresh drinks at the table, and Parrish pushed one over to him. A basket of curly fries and chicken tenders were brought out for each of them a few minutes later, followed by more drinks.

Stiles forgot what it was like to go out with friends. It had always been good to go out with the guys after bad cases, but they still talked work. There weren't a lot of topics that they didn't touch while talking, but Stiles found that the station and the job weren't mentioned once. Peter kept the conversation lively with wry remarks.

Before Stiles knew it, it was time for him to go home and he was pretty well sloshed. He passed his keys to Peter long before that point, and he was glad as he wasn't sure that he wanted to attempt to get them out of his jeans where he stuffed them. He had enough issues trying to get to his wallet.

"I've got it, darling," Peter said directly into Stiles' ear, and he laid a hand over Stiles' to keep his wallet in his pocket.

Stiles had a thought on trying to get Peter to stuff it, but he had never really won that before. Hell, the last time Peter had used his werewolfiness to get what he wanted, and Stiles was left in the dust. So Stiles just nodded his head.

"You good, Stiles?" Parrish asked.

Stiles looked at him to see that he was asking about more than just letting Peter pay for things. Stiles nodded his head, finding that his mouth didn't want to work. Stiles knew that he was going to be unsteady on his feet. He was on a good day when he was not working, so he wasn't shocked that Peter was right there when he stumbled. He was helped out to the Jeep and buckled into it with ease. Peter was probably used to helping drunk or injured people around with being a werewolf.

Watching the older man as he moved around the Jeep, Stiles didn't feel like he needed to hide what he was doing. He was sexually frustrated on the best days, and right now, that wasn't the best idea, not with Peter. He wouldn't do that to himself or Peter. Peter wasn't worth being the rebound. He was the kind of guy that one dated with the idea of it being long term. Stiles swallowed as he wasn't ready for that. He really wasn't ready for anything like that. He needed to find himself again. He needed to let go of Derek once and for all. He just wasn't ready to talk to him.

Stiles turned the corner, heading toward his father's for their weekly dinner. He was done with his one day shift of the week and looking forward to the next two days off. He had plans with Black to go to a local college hockey game. He hadn't taken Peter up on the trip to see the Kings play yet, but he would soon. As soon as he figured out what he wanted. Work was fucking awesome. He loved what he did, even if it was literally just more of the same of what it was when he was in Beacon City. He liked patrolling the county's edges in his area, and he knew that he would probably be released to work alone soon. Black was more than content to work alone as well, and it would allow for more variance in schedules. Some people didn't do well alone, and Black's old partner had been that way. Too jumpy for the job. With everything Supernatural, Stiles could understand some of them not wanting to be alone. Stiles' work SUV was loaded to bear on everything that he would need to keep anything Supernatural off of him long enough for backup to get to him. Or he could take it out himself if it was something that wasn't worried about killing and wasn't trying to hide.

Looking in a sweep over the neighborhood, Stiles nearly stopped his SUV there in the middle of the road. Derek's Camaro was sitting in front of the house, and Derek was sitting on the front porch. His father's SUV was there as well, so Derek probably was waiting outside because his father told him to. Stiles pulled into the spot that he parked in and took a few deep breaths before getting out. He walked to the back hatch and opened it to put up his work gun in the safe in the back. He didn't look at Derek once at all during it. He only looked at him after he had shut the hatch and stuffed the keys int his pocket. He looked at Derek, who actually looked a little worried at how silent Stiles was being.

Stiles walked over to the steps and looked inside. The curtains on the windows were open, and so Stiles could see his father inside. He had a beer in hand and was watching the TV. He gave Stiles a smile. Stiles felt half like flipping him off. He knew exactly why his father hadn't told him. Stiles would have just not come here. He would have gone to the loft where he was living. He knew that the loft had not been that furnished beforehand, but Peter had bought things that made Stiles living there easier. There were the desk and dresser and other things like that he knew wouldn't have been in there even if the loft was "furnished" the appliances were all state of the art, which wasn't a shock, but they at least had some wear on them to tell Stiles that the people who had lived there before used them. The bed and such were not, and Stiles knew it. He didn't fight it, though. He was happy to have a place to be himself.

"You've been working a lot and not home in a few days," Derek said.

Stiles kept his mouth shut on that one. He wasn't sure if Derek was being kind about the not being home in a few days or if the three weeks had finally made Derek realize he was alone in the house.

"And why didn't you tell me you changed jobs? I went to the station to talk to Robbie, and I was shocked to see how staffed it was if you've been working evenings and nights all the time."

"I changed job three weeks ago. Took a week off between and then started here in Beacon Hills two weeks ago."

"A week off?" Derek looked like he was trying to remember Stiles being home all day during that time. "Where did you go? We didn't have anything planned."

"Nope, we've not had anything planned in a long time. I mean, why would I want to plan a vacation with you anywhere when you can't even keep dates. Hell, you can't even tell me when you aren't going to be coming home to sleep."

Stiles could see Derek's hackles rising with every single word that he said. He wanted to cut that off right there.

"I mean, I moved out of the house three weeks ago, Derek. I've not been back there in three fucking weeks."

The look on Derek's face that Stiles didn't believe him.

"I moved out the day that you rescheduled the date we were supposed to go on from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon and then couldn't even show up or respond."

"What?"

"We were supposed to go out that Sunday afternoon. I texted you several times. Your messages were all read but never responded to. Hell, you've not responded to a single text of mine in a while."

"The Pack has been having growing pains with the new Betas I've added."

Stiles nodded his head. "I get that I do, but when did I become not part of the Pack?"

"You are part of the Pack!" Derek exclaimed.

"Not really. I mean, the last three Pack meetings that I've been able to figure out have been when I was working. The one before that, I was here with Dad for Mom's birthday. I mean, it was on Mom's birthday. That the one damned day a year, I don't do shit. You couldn't remember that." Stiles had worked through all of the Pack meetings with Parrish to figure out what was going on with them. Parrish had a calendar of every single one.

"No, your mom's birthday wasn't a Pack meeting. I kept on waiting for you to get home. You did, and you were drunk, and Robbie was dropping you off."

"Nope, that was a month after Mom's birthday, Derek. That night was me celebrating getting that one case closed. I did wonder why you were upset at me about that, but I was too drunk to want to fight. I woke up the next day, and you were gone."

"No," Derek said.

"You can keep on denying it but go ahead and tell me what day and month that was."

Derek started to think it looked like. Stiles wasn't that sure about it, really.

"Shit."

"Yeah," Stiles said. It wasn't even the worst of the bombs that were going to be dropped in their talk. "You've not texted me in three weeks, Derek. You didn't notice that I wasn't there even though my scent has to be pretty faded at this point. Hell, everything of mine is gone. All of my clothes, my service weapons. No one in the Pack has made a comment about things?"

Derek didn't respond, but he opened up his phone and started to scroll through something. Stiles watched him scroll a good bit, and then he stopped. Stiles saw the image that was Derek's icon for him.

"Three weeks," Derek said.

"Three weeks." Stiles moved over to the table that was on the porch and sat down. Derek got up from the stairs and wandered over to where he was, sitting across from him. "So why?"

"Why what?"

"Why have you been ignoring me?"

"I've not been ignoring you."

"Derek, I've texted you hundreds of times and got nothing back. I texted you to let me know when you were coming home one night, so I could have dinner ready for when you got home, and you chose to stay at the shop because the Pack showed up. On our date night. You've only touched me for sex in the last six months that I recall."

The look on Derek's face said that he didn't believe that, but as he sat there, it started to soften down to something else. He looked shocked as hell, really.

"I didn't realize it."

"Nope. You didn't. I didn't really until a little while ago. I tried to get you to engage me again, but you never did. You didn't come home when you were supposed to. You didn't do anything you were supposed to. Hell, you seem to hate to be around me given how little you've noticed that I've not been to anything with the Pack in what I think is about a year. Nothing happens when I'm off, even before you gave over the control of that to Erica. She's not touched base with me once about anything to do with pack meetings. Hell, I've not heard anything from anyone in the Pack in six months? The only thing that's crossed me is the fact that you seem to care about them and not me."

"No, I don't care about them more."

"You have words, and you know how to use them well. Now show me actions, Derek. What action over the last while has proven to me that you actually care about me? I set up an elaborate birthday party for you that wasn't too much, and you enjoyed the hell out of it. I couldn't even get you to come to dinner with Dad and me before his shift at work for Thanksgiving because Erica's pup was having issues with the moon. Christmas, I saw you for two hours when you stopped at the house because you forgot a gift, and then you were on the phone with three different pack members while sitting in the living room. I handed you your present before my shift, and you set it down and didn't open it up until a week later. You got me three books. And while yes, they had been ones that I wanted, your care was spoiled when Stacy at the store asked if they were the right ones as she hadn't exactly remembered since I'm usually not there on her shift and she hoped so and if not I could exchange them for the right books if she messed up. You went to someone else to get the names of books."

"I-" Derek closed his mouth like he thought that what he was going to say was going to be something that would just be more words.

"What did you do for my birthday this year?" Stiles asked.

"Kings are playing on your birthday, so I got the tickets for that and am going to take you out to dinner beforehand. I had plans to have Robbie make sure you had the day off as you worked your last to cover when half of the station got sick."

"Oh, that sounds lovely, Derek. Really good gift."

Stiles wanted to start crying when Derek got a look of pride on his face at that. It was like he thought that he was going to survive this and get Stiles back.

"Too bad, my birthday was last week."

Derek looked gutted. He looked at his phone again. Looking at the date. Stiles laughed at that. Derek wrote the date down at least once a day because of paperwork for the coffee shops.

"Hell, Harley, at the station has been doing my coffee run since they like the new shop. Said he's got my exact drink from you which no one else does four times, and you've never even asked."

"I figured that your father started to drink it. He's gotten it before right after I opened up here in Beacon Hills."

Stiles shrugged at that.

"You are my anchor, Stiles. I love you."

"If you loved me the way that you think that you do, it wouldn't have taken three weeks for you to figure out that I wasn't home. That I hadn't been home."

"Pack is important."

"And that statement tells me two things, one that I am not Pack and that outside of that I'm not important to you. You let the Pack walk all over our house and me. They ate the food that I have in there that you won't touch. You never stopped them when they devoured all of the food that I make for meals when I get home. Or when they don't save me food for breakfast when I know that Erica was told to save me some. I think that you need to look at your Pack and figure out what is going on there. They seem like they have turned into a bunch of jealous children. They hate to let me into the bed with you when you are cuddling with one of them after an injury or things like that. Isaac downright refused to allow me to sleep after that one case where I had been awake for four days a few months ago. It was just him and you in the bed, and there was more than enough room to have you scoot over toward the center, and I could sleep behind you."

Derek looked like he didn't even remember it. He probably didn't. He had barked at Stiles to sleep elsewhere, and then the next morning came in and loved on him, telling him how much he missed sleeping with him. Stiles wasn't sure that Derek remembered anything when it came to Stiles anymore. That hurt ad it showed him that he had made the right decision for his life. His life had come down to a few boxes and a few duffel bags after a decade with Derek. The happy memories were long gone from his mind. Muted by the ache of being shoved to the side. It was nothing that he wanted to keep in his life.

Stiles stood up, and Derek shot to his feet at the same time, looking scared. Stiles laughed inside at the look of fear on his face. Stiles wasn't sure what he was afraid of.

"You need to get your Pack in order, and I think it's best if, for now, we do nothing. I'm building a life here in Beacon Hills again, and I need to keep living it. You've been my life for a long time, and it's recently become known that I have no part in your life anymore."

"Stiles," Derek started. He looked gutted. "I love you."

"And yet, I don't think that it means what you think it does. If you loved me, you would have cared that I was not around. You would have cared about the missed dates and going days without seeing me. I let some of it happen, but I tried. You didn't even try. Please leave, Derek. I will call the cops to get you thrown off the property if you don't." Stiles walked to the front door and opened it before slipping inside and shutting it. He pressed his forehead to the door to take a few deep breaths. He thought that something would come to him. Give him a reason why Derek had been acting like he had before all of this, but all this did was tell him that there wasn't anything other than the fact that Derek didn't care anymore. Hell, he was living with someone who did most of the cooking, the cleaning was handled by a company since both of them worked and hated cleaning, and he had a regular sexual partner; what more could any hot-blooded male want?

Stiles felt his father lay his hand on his shoulder just the Camaro started up, and Derek drove off. Stiles didn't know what he should be feeling at the moment. He had just formally broken up with the man that he had been with for a decade. He turned around, and his father wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. Stiles' legs gave out, and then it was only his father holding him up. It wasn't until they were on the floor with Stiles nearly in his father's lap that he realized he was crying.

"Let it out, Stiles," Noah said as he held him tight.

Stiles cried, letting out everything he was feeling, all of the emotions he had been keeping bottled up when he wasn't sure what was going on. When there had been such a big up in the air on everything. Now though, it was over. A decade of his life was over. He didn't even fight it when he felt sleep pulling him under.

Stiles laughed at the story that Parrish was telling about the drunken man he had brought in the night before when the doors to the station opened up, and Erica and Belle entered. Stiles knew from the way they were looking that they were looking for him. He gave them a smile and waved at them before looking back at Parrish. Parrish kept on going with the story while the newbie staffing the front desk tried to engage Erica in a discussion. It was just after a shift change, and Stiles and his crew were just shooting the shit before leaving after a hard night out. He was waiting for Peter to pick him up so they could head out to a Kings game. He was off the next two days, and Vegas was playing the Kings, so it was a Win-Win for Stiles. He was already showered and dressed. He was going to sleep while on the drive, and then they would get a hotel for the night before hitting up the game. It was a Playoff game, and Stiles really didn't want to ask how much Peter had paid for glass seats.

"We are here to talk to Deputy Stilinski," Erica demanded loud enough that Stiles wasn't shocked when everyone kind of stopped what they were doing and looked up at them. Parrish stood up and walked over to where the girls would have to pass to get to Stiles.

"Deputy Stilinski is not working at the moment, so any police matter issues will need to be taken up with another on-duty deputy. If you have any other personal matters, you will have to do that off of the property."

"He's sitting right there!" Belle said as she pointed at where Stiles was sitting.

"Yup, and he's busy and is getting ready to leave town. So you'll have to message him and set up a time to talk to him at another point."

"You can't stop me, Hellhound," Erica said.

Stiles stood up and walked over to stand beside Parrish. "Did you just threaten an officer of the law while he was on duty?"

Erica still didn't look like she was going to back down. Stiles looked at Black, who was standing at the side of the room. Stiles nodded his head. She tossed down the Mountain Ash. Stiles had worked with her until it did her bidding, and it was always so very good with her. It wrapped around the two of them, and both Stiles and Parrish stepped back.

"You were told by me that I wanted nothing to do with you. Out of respect for you and your Alpha, I was going to leave it at that even though none of you have been respecting the decision that I made about my life. You need to back up and stop following me. If I see you or any of the other officers in this town see anyone from the Pack following me, they will arrest you for stalking an officer of the law."

"You need to stop being a chicken shit and go home to Derek!" Erica yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Go home to Derek? Why the fuck would I go home to him? To be someone who lives in his house and gets fucked by him, and that's it? I refuse to stay in a relationship with someone that doesn't love me. You can sit there and tell me all you like that he loves me, but he doesn't. He's not in love with me no matter what he says."

"You ran off like a little bitch the first day he didn't pay any attention to you," Erica hissed.

"No, no, no. The first day? The first fucking day? I don't know what Derek's told you, but after he broke another date to spend time with his friends instead of me and couldn't even call me or text me that he was alive after not coming home, that's what made me do it. He ignored me for weeks before that. It took him three damned weeks for him to figure out that I hadn't been home, and in that time, he missed my fucking birthday."

Erica actually looked a little shocked at that.

"What?"

"Yeah. Your great fucking Alpha missed my birthday. It passed him by without a single thought. Yeah, he said he had plans, but the tickets weren't bought or anything more than a rough plan. So if this was some big plan to talk me into going back to him. I'm better without him. The last month has been wonderful. Yeah, I'm alone in my place, but you know what's nice about being alone in a place where you live alone? You don't sit there and wonder what to do to engage the person you live with. You don't try and figure out what you need to do to keep them happy when they haven't done a damned thing to make you happy in a long time."

"You were always so needy. Couldn't handle it when Derek's every thought wasn't about you, could you?" Erica asked.

Stiles saw it then. He saw that Erica had probably started, and the rest of the Pack followed behind. They were all fucking jealous. They hadn't even thought of talking to Derek about any of it; they just played the wounded parties so that Derek felt like he needed to take care of them. Over time he had become conditioned to do what they wanted and never once questioned what was going on. Derek was so needy for a stable pack that he never stopped to worry about Stiles at all.

"I think that you need to look in the mirror for that one, Erica. I mean, did you ever wonder what it would be like for Derek to not have his anchor with him anymore?"

"Anchor?" Erica asked.

"Yeah, I've been his anchor since the Alpha pack. When I protected Cora. He let go of his anger, and I became his anchor. Back then, it was deep trust and friendship, and it turned into something more over the years since then. It's why he wanted me and him to live together in LA. He wasn't sure how he would feel about me being his anchor and smelling like a bunch of strangers. At high school, it was the same kids. College was going to be different. It just turned into something more over the years. You can't fix this by bullying me into going back into an emotional desert of a relationship because your Alpha can't handle the choices that he made about his life when he put the Pack before me all of the time."

Stiles turned around and headed toward the back of the station. He didn't want to look at anyone in Derek's Pack anymore. Parrish had already left the Pack, and there wasn't a pack member on the Beacon County Sheriff's Department anymore, and Stiles wasn't upset about that. He and Parrish covered what needed to be covered when it was time to cover it. He wasn't that worried about anything. The Deputies weren't going to release the wolves until Stiles was hell and gone away. Peter always picked Stiles up at the back of the station if they had plans after Stiles got off of work. It worked best to make sure that no one saw them.

Peter had been great the past month. They were becoming fast friends, and his father was happy with it because Peter kept Stiles away from the idiots that were in Derek's Pack.

"Derek's Pack was jealous of me," Stiles said as he dropped down into Peter's passenger seat. He buckled in and grabbed the cup that he knew was for him from the holder and took a drink. He smiled as the cool liquid washed down his throat. He loved tea.

"And what do they need to be jealous of with you, not even with him anymore?" Peter asked.

"Before. They played a long game on making Derek forget about me, using small fake emergencies to get him to spend less time. I bet if I went through every single one in my memory, it would have started with the days that Derek called me and him days. And then it was just enough to not make it seem like it was targeted. I mean, it's what I would have done. Though the Pack is not as intelligent as me, I have no clue who came up with it. Erica was in on it. Isaac, too I bet. I have no clue about Boyd. Parrish wasn't. I called them my friends."

"Let's get you smashed, dear one. We can have fun at the game even with your drunk as a skunk. I've liked hearing you yelling at the TV when you are a little tipsy after one too many while watching a game."

Stiles nodded his head. He knew that Peter would make sure he didn't get too drunk. Peter cut him off when he needed it. He also made sure that Stiles wasn't sinking too much into depression. Stiles thought that getting away from Derek could cure depression, but it hadn't. Stiles had to work through everything, and he was more than willing to do that. He wanted to be healed from this all. He had seen what his father had done to never heal from Stiles' mom's death, and he wasn't going to be that person over a single break up. He wasn't going to be that kind of person at all. The first step was forgiving himself for not seeing it.

One Year Later

The door to the bar opened up, and Stiles looked away from the TV screen where a playoff game was happening to see Peter coming in the door. He smiled at him and waved before turning back to the TV. Peter walked up to him and kissed his cheek before heading to the bar to get another round of drinks.

"So, Stiles, how did the case go?" Robbie asked as he set down his glass down on the tabletop.

"Just fine. Found the girl. She had run away from home when her mother grounded her for slapping her younger sister. She got scared and got lost, and it ended up having to call the dogs in." Stiles kept that it was Peter who had actually found her to himself. There hadn't been a time with the temperatures dropping to record lows for April for California, and the girl hadn't been seen in warm enough clothes. Stiles had got samples of the girls' clothes, and Peter had found her easy. That had been three weeks ago and the last time that Stiles had seen Robbie.

Robbie came to Beacon Hills once a month to visit, and Stiles went once a month to Beacon City to visit his old work buddies. It was always a good night to be had. Stiles didn't drink more than a beer when to go to the city, but tonight he was celebrating finishing up his year-long quest for mental sanity.

Stiles had agreed to see a psychiatrist at Peter's urging when Stiles was still depressed and not getting better even after two months. Stiles had been officially released from it and hadn't needed to take medication after the first two months.

Robbie looked unsure about something, and he looked even less sure of himself when Peter settled at the table with three new beers. It wasn't going to do a damned thing to him, but Peter would still stick to one giving the impression of him being the driver for Stiles. Robbie had picked him up from the station before they drove here.

"Spit it out; you look like you can't decide if you need to shit or not."

Robbie laughed, and he let his body relax as he took a drink of the beer Peter had gotten him. He hummed at it. It was probably one of the fancy on tap ones that Peter loved.

"A few of the guys still patrol the area around your old house when they are bored."

Stiles nodded his head. He figured that they would. They were a wonderful source of gossip for him in the months after he had left Derek. He had heard a lot about Derek, but he knew that most of it was not true. The officers saw the Pack coming and going and thinking that Derek had turned into something of a player after Derek had left.

"I guess there was a gathering there the other night. I was not working that night, so I only heard bits and pieces, but the Chief gave me the file and told me to tell you what I felt like telling you."

"What happened?"

"Call came in close to midnight about what sounded like a domestic though Hale lived there alone. So they still go. Hale's standing on the front porch at that point with blood all over him and a woman is screaming like a harpy inside of the house along with glass breaking. Hale looked at them and waved for them to go inside. He dropped to the ground, and they found where Hale had been standing when the glass had hit him and made him bleed."

"So, what happened?" Peter asked.

"One of his friends, I guess, freaked out."

Stiles looked at Robbie, and he looked a lot unsure about something. Stiles wondered if Robbie was in the know on the supernatural now, and he wasn't trying to talk around it.

"Friends, you mean Pack, right?" Stiles asked. It would be played off easily as an affectionate nickname given to the friends if Robbie wasn't in the know. The look on his face and the relief that was there was enough to make Stiles glad that he had down it.

"Fuck, yes. I wasn't. I mean, you were with him for ten years, knew him for longer, but I wasn't sure. I mean, I found out accidentally two months ago when an asshole tried to kill me with claws when he got poisoned by aconite. Reminded me of the 'roid rager you took down that one time, but you never said anything about it. So I wasn't sure if that was a guy on steroids, or I was looking at everything weird with different light and was seeing shadows where there were none."

"Yeah, I've known about the supernatural since my friend got bitten by an out of control Alpha when I was sixteen. I've lived with it longer in my life than I have lived without it. So one of his Betas was freaking out about something. Where were the rest of them?"

"Freaked out, but there were only two others there—silent man by the name of Boyd and a prissy man named Isaac. The girl was just breaking everything in the house. The lower floor windows in the living room were all busted out. There wasn't a picture frame that wasn't broken. She was played off as being drunk to the guys, not in the know but stuck in the special cell that we have at the station. Which I thought was for the people that were like that 'roid rager. I didn't know that the bars were coated in a wolfsbane lacquer. She yelled for hours and hours about how betrayed she was. Anyway, Hale came in and talked to her but decided not to bail her out. She stayed there until her court date for the destruction of property. She's got to pay back damages. Then I found that she lived here in Beacon Hills, and I started to worry about you."

"Erica won't come after me. She knows that I go for death before I let someone else get the jump on me. The only thing an alive enemy behind me is worth is someone who can stab me in the back."

"Well, we did a follow up since she was let out on her own with probation. According to Hale and the other two, she's not been around his place, and the other two haven't been around either. We were worried about the other two striking out."

"Great, so Beacon Hills has three possible pissed off Omegas." Stiles looked at Peter, who didn't seem that shocked. Stiles wondered if Peter had been keeping a closer eye on Derek and his Pack with all of this.

"That's what I'm worried about. Why I talked to the Chief about warning you of at least what kind of threat she was. I mean, it seemed like a jealous rage, but why that and why now?"

"Erica was always a little more invested in Derek than a Beta should be. She was all over him from the moment that he changed her. I think that she thought that I was just some passing phase in college and then after that. Then we had a house and a life together. I found out that she started to manipulate him into pushing me away from the Pack to make her feel better about the fact that she didn't have him. I don't know if she was going to try and seduce him after the sex stopped, but I think that she didn't realize that it was what had started our relationship, the sex before the full feelings and stuff. We really didn't have the basis for something long term. Especially since it seemed that once Erica started to pull on Derek to get him away from me, the rest of the Pack followed. I doubt that she thought that they would all get in on it, but it came to be that he was barely even sleeping at home because his Pack needed him that much. I don't think that he loved me near as much as he thought if he kept on forgetting about me. Yeah, the sex was fucking awesome, but that's not a good start for a relationship."

"Yeah," Robbie looked at Peter. "So who is he. You've only ever said he was a friend and his name is Peter."

"That's because I didn't want you to hear his name and hate him. You like him, right?"

Robbie nodded his head.

"Good. He's the only thing besides dad that had kept me sane since I left Derek. He's helped me center myself and learn how to be me again without Derek. He kind of disliked Derek anyway, so I'm sure it was a fuck you to Derek even though Derek doesn't know that he is helping me as far as we know. That will come out, I am sure. Could Peter be more one day? Maybe. I really don't know. I need friends now, not lovers. As to who he is, he is Derek's uncle."

"Well, if that ain't a big fuck you, even if you are just friends, but...he doesn't look at you as a friend."

"No, I know that. He looks at me like a starving man, but he's a gentleman and won't do anything unless I let him know it's okay. Despite a rocky beginning, he's pretty big on consent now."

"You little shit," Peter said with a smile. He rubbed his hand over Stiles' neck briefly, a sign of affection but also a way of scent marking him. Stiles was okay with that. He was okay with Peter doing that. At least with Peter, he felt like he was part of a pack instead of left on the sidelines. Peter never did anything that he didn't ask Stiles about first unless Peter considered it a gift. Stiles had gotten used to getting those, though. He didn't like to push his boundaries on that. He didn't want Peter to think that he wasn't willing to try what Peter wanted. He just wasn't ready for a relationship. At all.

A month before, Stiles had gone to a club to try and find a partner of the night, but his heart hadn't been in it. He was more settled than that. He didn't want mindless sex. He liked the relationship, and he liked having one person to be with. It was then that he realized he had stayed with Derek longer than he should have just because he was afraid of being alone. He had seen what being alone had done to his father, to Melissa.

"So, you don't care that he was in a relationship with your nephew?" Robbie asked.

"No, he ended things, and I'm not afraid that he would ever go back to him. He's not even tried to contact Stiles at all since Stiles told him to leave. If there was even a single chance that he would go back to him, it would be different, but it's not. Stiles is secure in himself and what he wants. If that ends up not being me, oh well. I'm not someone who thinks because I like them, they should like me back. I don't think that putting in kindness to a person means that they owe me. That's the kind of thinking that humans should have evolved from years ago, but we hold to those masculine thoughts that make men think they are better than everyone else just because they are born with balls and a dick."

"You know, I think I see why you like him," Robbie said.

Stiles laughed, and the conversation turned to something a lot more fun with Robbie getting to know Peter and some of the stupid stuff he had done as a child growing up in Beacon Hills as part of a werewolf pack.

By the time the night ended, Stiles was pretty drunk but not enough to walk without help. Peter walked with him to the car, but the drive kind of flashed by, and before he knew it, they were pulling up to the lofts.

"How about you stay at mine tonight?" Peter asked.

"Don't want me choking on my own puke?" Stiles asked.

"No, I really don't. I'll take the couch. I'll make sure you are up in time to do what you need to. I know that you have plans with your father."

Stiles nodded his agreement to the proposition. He was more than content with that at the moment. He was just so tired, and even just having Peter in the other room felt like he wasn't alone.

The call about the wreck had come in, and Stiles had turned his SUV as he grabbed the radio to let the dispatcher know that he was on his way. A black car had been run off the road by another vehicle, and the person who called it in said that they couldn't get to where the vehicle was, and no one was answering them. They got a partial plate on the hit and run vehicle, and the dispatcher was looking that up and matching it to the make to see who it was.

It was easy to figure out where it happened even though it was between two different mile markers. The person who called it in was leaning over the barrier. The smell of burning rubber was still in the air from where the car had tried to slam on the breaks to stop themselves from going over, but it hadn't happened. Stiles parked and dropped road flares to get the traffic to go around them in the other lane before he tossed his light jacket off on the front of his SUV. He knew that backup and the EMTs were at least fifteen minutes behind him.

"Anything?" Stiles asked.

"No. I don't see movement either."

Stiles nodded and hopped over the barrier, and he stopped cold. He knew that black car. "Shit." Stiles knew the ass end of that car. The plate wasn't visible, but he would know it. He grabbed his radio. "Code Moon. Cancel EMT."

"You got it, Stiles. Wilcox will be dispatched instead. Check-ins every five minutes."

"Make that first one whenever I can. This car is pretty precarious and down a hill. I can get down, but I don't want to have to make a choice between checking in and footing."

"Fine. I'll make a note of that and get a hold of the Sheriff. Do we have an ID?"

"Well, the vehicle is Derek Hale's, but we can't be sure it wasn't one of his Betas who was driving it. So just hold off on looking into it more."

Stiles took his time going down the hill, using trees and anything else that he could to stop himself from rolling down. The hill was very, very steep that it was almost a cliff more than a hill. Which is part of where Beacon Hills got its name. The car was not running when Stiles got to it. He couldn't see if there was anyone still inside the car from behind.

"Okay, Delores, I'm at the trunk of the car. I can't see anyone inside, but that doesn't mean anything. It's braced between two trees and is nearly pointed downward. I can make it to the front driver's door easy, but I will not be able to get them out without a crew below. The logger trail is directly below me, the pink bench that's on it. So send Wilcox down there, and whoever else is coming to the above area. The onlooker is still up there, and I did not get a statement. I did get their plate number." Stiles rattled it off. At the moment they were a bystander but if this was something more, Hunter related, they could the trail to throw off others with a fake ID on the first plate. If the bystander wasn't up there anymore, this was going to become a Hunter trap, and then things would be a lot different.

"Go ahead, and I'll make sure to keep an eye on the clock, but I also understand where you are and what you are doing. The dogs won't be released until Wilcox or Black confirm that you have been taken or injured."

"Thank you." Stiles let go of the radio and found the best spot for his footing. He had more than enough trees around him to brace on, but he had to get to them. The two trees keeping the Camaro in place were not going to be letting go of it anytime soon. The front end of the car was smashed to hell and wedged in tight between the trees.

Getting to where he could open the door was easier than Stiles thought it would be, and when he jerked the door open, he sighed. There was no one inside of the car, and the front windshield was shattered like whoever was in the car had gone out through it. He looked to see if he could tell how many were in there, but neither seatbelt was where it would be if someone had been in either seat. Stiles pushed back to lean on a tree.

"Unknown vehicle occupants. It looks like they weren't wearing seatbelts and went through the windshield. I can make it to the bottom of the hill and will see what I can see." Stiles patted his pocket for the mountain ash that he kept there, and he also made sure that his gun was loaded with the sedative wolfsbane bullets that he had developed. The poison was slow to kill, but it knocked shifters out like a light switch was flipped.

"Wilcox is five minutes away," the Sheriff said.

"Hey, Daddio. Looks like it was probably Derek. He's the only one that I know of that drives without putting on a seatbelt. So I'm going to read him the riot act for that one. I have my bullets loaded in case it's not Derek, and I get threatened. When I get on solid ground, I'll have my gun pulled. I can't see any blood, but I can't see the front end to see any smears."

"Stiles," Noah said.

Stiles laughed but made sure it didn't travel over the radio.

"Will check in when I am on solid ground. Stilinski junior out."

The trip down to the ground below was worse than the first part of the trip, mainly because there weren't as many trees, and he had to go around the ones that were holding the car in place. He saw the blood before getting down all the way. He could see it where Derek had basically been smeared across the ground. Where the blood ended, there wasn't a body, though, so he had been alive to at least get away. Or he had been taken afterward.

"Stiles," Wilcox said as he walked over to him. The cruiser was parked a ways away, the smell of it not able to dirty up the area. "You okay?"

"Yup, I don't think I even got a single scratch on me. So what do you smell?"

"Hale and a lot of blood. I can smell that he went that way and he was alone. I smell no one else but you. Unless the Hunters masked their smell, but there is no smell of another vehicle, and there is also the fact that I don't see any prints. It's just wet enough down here that I would."

"So whoever ran him off of the road decided to run when they saw the bystander?"

"Yes."

"Shit," Stiles said as he grabbed his radio. "Check-in. With Wilcox now. How is the bystander?"

"Just fine. Black is with him and taking his statement. You two focus on finding Hale."

"You got it, Daddio. Junior out."

Wilcox laughed.

"What? I gotta have some fun with the old man when I can. It keeps his blood pressure down." Stiles looked in the direction that the blood was pointing and the way that Wilcox said he smelled Derek in. "What chemosignals are you getting?"

"Pain, anger, betrayal."

"So...not a Hunter." Betrayal wasn't a smell that Derek would have with a Hunter unless it was another Kate situation and it was a new friend. Stiles really wouldn't put it past Derek. They were still dealing with the fallout of the Pack breaking up into chunks. Stiles had heard from Parrish that Boyd and Isaac were back with Derek after they had found out exactly what had happened. It seemed that the Pack was upset over how they had treated Stiles and felt like staying away from him was the best option. Stiles and Parrish agreed that it was the worst option since that was part of the damned issue, to begin with. Still, Stiles wasn't that willing to listen to them and their reasons. Parrish stayed on good terms with Derek and the Pack, but work-friendly as he was still set to act as the liaison between the pack and law enforcement, only now Robbie was holding that for the Beacon City Police Department.

They were both silent as they followed the trail from where Wilcox picked it up into the woods more. Even Stiles could see the drops of blood that said Derek was pretty damned injured and not healing all that fast. Fifteen minutes into the trek, his radio beeped. He clicked it on.

"Junior here," Stiles said.

"We have the plates linked to an SUV that is registered to Boyd. Boyd is currently at work as one of the deputies had just seen him at the coffee shop. So someone with access."

"Erica," Stiles said.

"That's the going theory here as well, Stiles," Noah said.

"Well, this is not going to look good. It's attempted murder and the only thing that we can call it. I mean, this area is the worst in the area. She had to stalk him here."

"She wants him," Wilcox said.

"What?" Stiles asked as he let go of the radio.

"She puts off lust signals like crazy around him and has for a few years. Her biological clock is ticking, and she wants kids with him. She wants to carry the Alpha's children. There were girls like that in other packs. Talia had to deal with men like that before she married Gregory. Most try and pass it off as something that they are driven to do but as soon as Gregory married her, they all stopped. It would have been seen as a threat. I wondered if that was part of the problem with the Pack, that you hadn't married him, but that cue would normally have to come from the Alpha, and given his apathetic nature, the Pack shouldn't be reacting to him wanting to marry you and you not wanting to marry him."

"She's wanted him since he turned her. I just assumed that she had gotten over that in high school when he turned her down several times and then once in college. That one was right after he and I fell into bed for the first time. It was assumed that he wouldn't start anything with anyone in the Pack until then. Isaac made a comment once that he was pretty sure that Derek was waiting for me to be legal and then to get used to life in college before he made a move."

"After the thing with Argent, I can see him not wanting to even hint that he wanted you when you were underage, even if he liked you despite being underage. Let's find the wayward Alpha and figure out what we need to do."

"Sure." Stiles wondered what was going to happen. What Derek was going to do about this. The restraining order was in place for all of California, and Erica knew that. It wasn't like she could feign that since they weren't in Beacon City, it wasn't active. Well, she could say that, but the courts made sure she knew the exact parameters of it. In fact, she was told to just stay away from Beacon City and not go into the shop in Beacon Hills at all. She had to find a new job, but it wasn't like it wasn't warranted. Stiles was just shocked that she hadn't come after Stiles yet for being the cause of this. Though he really had no clue what going through her head. He didn't figure that many did.

Another fifteen minutes, and they found Derek half in a stream and half out of it. He had black lines all over his body.

"Well, that car is now a crime scene—assault with a deadly weapon. Wilcox, get back. I'll take care of this."

Stiles crouched at Derek's side, pressing his fingers into his neck. His heart rate was fast but not all that erratic." Stiles grabbed his radio. "BOLO for Reyes. Assault with a deadly weapon. I have the wolfsbane kit in my car. Get Black to get it down to me as fast as she can. Actually, scratch that. Wilcox, go to the base of the car and have her toss it down to you. I'll see about finding all of the spots where it went into his system and finding the closest to his heart. Have someone sit in the shops. She might go around there and flaunt what she's done. Or even just waiting for the Alpha power to go to her. I have no clue if it would given the method of death. That's more Peter's line."

"I'll ask him," Noah said.

"Gotcha." Stiles looked at Wilcox and nodded at him. Wilcox hadn't smelled the wolfsbane, and Stiles had no clue why. He really didn't care because this had to be the only reason why Derek was like he was. Stiles used the water of the stream to wash the blood off of him. The wounds were mostly on his upper body; the shattering of the glass probably caused it. If she tossed the powder on him and then wrecked the car, him going through the glass caused the powder to get into the wounds. It was horrific. Stiles took pictures of Derek and the whole area and the black from the wolfsbane. They had a documented case that it was the way it reacted in him from another shot from a Hunter years before.

Derek's eyes fluttered open for a few seconds before his breathing deepened.

"No, no. Derek, it's Stiles. I'm going to cure you. Don't worry. You are safe." Stiles cupped the side of his, getting blood on him, but he didn't care. Even in a weakened state, Derek could still hurt him. Derek slumped back down and seemed to give up the fight. His eyes stayed open for two minutes before closing again just as Wilcox came back. Stiles grabbed the kit from Wilcox as the wolf stepped back away from him. Stiles pulled the Zippo out and then found the most used wolfsbane concentration and lit it on fire. He waited for the ash to burn out all the way and picked it up, and stuffed it into the wound. There was no reaction, good or bad. He sighed.

"Stiles, look at him. He's delirious."

"Yeah?"

"Just like that Omega, we shot with the bullets a few weeks back. Our new bullets."

"Shit." Stiles grabbed that concentration of wolfsbane. It was in every single kit, just to be safe from a friendly wolf getting shot or the suspect getting their gun and shooting them with it. He lit that on fire, waited for it to burn out, and picked up a bit of it. He pushed it into every single wound that he could see around Derek's heart. He rolled him onto his back and got it there as well. Those wounds started to clear up in seconds. Stiles kept on until all of the ash was gone. Derek's body healed, and every single black line started to go away. He looked a hell of a lot better than he had before.

Wilcox grabbed Stiles just as Derek was shooting up and looking around, claws out. Stiles didn't fight it even though he noticed that the claws never once moved toward him. He was safe around Derek. He always was, but that had never been the issue.

"Did she get away?" Derek asked.

"Yes, but we will find her. You are coming with us to the station to give a statement. You are not allowed to retaliate to this. It's public enough with a human seeing it. Will you go with Deputy Wilcox back to the station to give him a statement."

"You."

"Nope, sorry. I need to keep this scene secure since Wilcox can't do it. So go with him, big guy."

Even with humans, wolfsbane was toxic. It could have killed Stiles if he had been the one to get it. The sedative in it would work on humans as well. Stiles just wanted to know how she had got a hold of the supply that was used by law enforcement in the area. That was going to be the biggest thing.

It took hours to take pictures of the area and the blood and the car while making sure that he wasn't messing anything up. With the precarious situation with the car, Stiles wanted to get those before anything happened. They were going to have to hitch the car to a winch and pull it up that way. There was no way to get it safely down any other way. The trees were doing well on the hill, and killing even one meant that the area could erode. And there was enough underbrush with issues from the wreck that Stiles didn't think it was a good idea.

Stiles entered the station to hear Erica screaming at the top of her lungs from the station's back. More than one of the bullpen deputies had their earmuffs from the firing range on their heads. Wilcox looked horrible. Stiles wondered just what Erica thought that she was going to be doing with all of that. It was stupid to just keep on yelling like that. Stiles dropped his gear off at his desk and then walked to the back of the station. Erica was screaming, and she didn't stop until she noticed Stiles there. She grinned at him.

"Is he nearly dead?" Erica asked.

"You know the vindictive bitch isn't a good look on you. What did you think was going to happen? That he was just going to drop his pants and fuck you in front of the Pack? He doesn't, nor has he ever wanted kids. He thinks he's too fucked up to raise one. He's content to find a Beta to pass the spark onto one day. Someone who would cherish it like the gift that it is."

"He wouldn't have to have raised it. I would have raised any of the kids."

"You don't understand an Alpha at all then, do you? He wouldn't be able to do anything but take care of any child that he had with anyone. Just like he kept on trying with Jackson after biting him. Why he felt like he needed to end that when it was found out that Jackson was the Kanima. You deal with any mess that you make. It's part of how you and the other members who felt like I was in the way got him to focus more on you. The Pack is everything to him."

"He'll come around," Erica said.

"You know, I asked Peter once about the rate of insanity in wolves, and he said that it was a learned trait. I thought that he was crazy, but you know what, I see you, and I see how you've lived the past while, and I get what he means. It's not insanity like a human would have, but you have made yourself believe that he wants you and he's just not doing it out of some misguided attachment to me. Which, I mean, at this point in time, it really could be for him. I've heard that werewolves mate for life, and if the wolf inside of him loved me that way, he might not find another, but that no way makes me someone who has to stay with him."

"You'd abandon your Alpha to that?" Erica asked.

"Nope, he stopped being my Alpha and a man worthy of my love the moment he started to put me at the end of his list. When what I needed stopped even mattering to him. I shouldn't give him more than he gives me, and I've been giving him a lot over the years while I kept on getting less and less in return. So don't even try that."

Stiles looked at Erica, and it was that same look she had on her face years and years before, that day outside of the school when Derek had picked up the start of his Pack. It was insane how much she hadn't changed but had seemed like she had. She had played a long game, a really long game. Stiles wondered how many people Derek tried to date while Stiles was in college that Erica ran off, or she just stopped them from even sniffing around. None of them had seen it; Stiles had been too focused on school. Hell, he hadn't even realized that Derek was trying to seduce him until the third night of meals that had been cooked. It wasn't something that he liked to admit, but he had been so focused on school and research into everything supernatural that he barely jerked off.

Leaving the lock-up area behind him, Stiles turned just as Erica picked up, screaming again. He looked at the deputies that were left and saw that they were all happy for what little respite they got.

"She's been doing that since she got here?"

"Yes."

"Well, at least we can maybe get her put on a psych hold, and while Eichen's under new management, they can maybe actually treat her or at least keep her locked up." Stiles walked to his desk to start that paperwork. Using Eichen as a place to hold her would work better for everyone in the long run. No one wanted her here or the local jail until she was seen on her day in court or sentenced. She would probably get something they would hold her until she was considered cured, given how insane she sounded, and if she kept on about werewolves, they would keep her a long time.

An hour later, Stiles dropped the paperwork on his father's desk before clocking out. He stepped outside to see Derek and Peter there. Derek was looking at Peter like he used when they weren't sure if he was going to rip someone's throat out.

"Can I help you?" Stiles asked, looking at Derek.

Derek glared at Peter for a second before looking at Stiles. Then he realized that Stiles was looking at him while asked that question. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You have no reason to be here. Your statement has been taken, and there were no follow up questions."

"You aren't asking Peter why he's here."

"He's here because my Jeep is in the shop, and I don't like driving the work SUV home all that much. So he came to pick me up so that I didn't have to wait an hour to go home when Dad did."

"I can take you back to your home."

"Why?" Stiles asked.

"I want to talk to you."

"Sure, we can talk at my place. I'm still going with Peter." Stiles walked over to where Peter was and resisted the urge to give him a kiss on the cheek just to be an asshole. Peter gave him a smirk that said he knew what he was thinking.

"Why not just cut him out?" Derek asked. He pushed off the front of the SUV he was driving. It was the mom-mobile as the Pack called it. "There is no reason for him to drive you there and drop you off when I am going there as well."

"Where do you think I live, Derek?" Stiles asked.

Derek looked at him with a little bit of shock on his face. "With your father."

"Well, I don't. So why don't you follow us back to where we live." Stiles got into the car and shut the door before Derek could put together what had been said. Peter took off but waited at the stop sign for Derek to get into traffic behind them. Stiles could just see the look on Derek's face, but he didn't really care about that at all.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine. It's easy to put everything into little spots in my brain when I am working. I'm no more upset than I would be with anyone attacking anyone who I know. I don't know what he's doing here, though."

"It might not be the kind of love that one would understand, but if there was one thing I knew about my nephew is that when it was you two, and you were good, he loved you like he loved no one else. That love might have changed some, but his wolf is deeply in love with you. I have no clue what is going on in his head. I have no clue what took him a year to try and seek you out. Maybe seeing you today and you saving him made him think that you still loved him. I have no clue what goes on in his head all of the time."

"Can he hear us?" Sties asked.

"Probably, but do you care?" Peter asked.

"No." Stiles tried not to let his mind race as they drove to the loft. He slipped out of the car after Peter had and before Derek pulled into a spot beside them. Peter had the door open for Stiles, and he gladly put Peter between them. Stiles' phone went off, and he checked it to see that Peter said he was going to his place but to text or scream if he wanted him. Stiles nodded his head as Derek got onto the elevator. Peter had the buttons pressed for their floors and stayed where he was when the doors opened.

"This is us," Stiles said as he waved his hand and waited for Derek to get off the car. Stiles dug his keys out of his pocket. "I want to get changed, so have a seat, grab a drink if you want it." Stiles made sure to lock his bedroom door before he slipped into the bathroom to shower. He still smelled like the woods to him and probably had a little wolfsbane on him. He didn't want to spread it around the loft. He washed quickly before getting dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.

Derek was sitting on the couch with a glass of water sitting in front of him. There was a second one for Stiles across the coffee table, in front of the chair that Stiles loved to read in. His scent was concentrated there; Peter liked to settle into it when he was waiting on Stiles to be ready to leave when they had plans or were just going to eat dinner with Stiles' father. Stiles was sure that Derek could smell Peter everywhere.

"I didn't realize that you and Peter were close."

"He offered this place to me when I left a year ago. I was able to make it exactly as I wanted. I've come to love living here."

"It's so different than the house. How can you like this?"

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked. He dropped into his chair and pulled his legs up, and crossed them. He dropped the pillow from the floor onto his lap and grabbed the water to take a drink. It was from the pitcher on the counter.

"I mean, I would expect there to be more of the house here. You helped me with it."

"Yeah, I helped you pick the house, we moved into, but every time I brought up what I wanted to do with a room, you or one of the Pack vetoed it. When the kitchen was totally changed from what you and I talked about, I just stopped after you talked to Erica. The bedroom having a single wall that was slightly different than the rest of the room to give it a splash was the only thing in that house that was my idea."

"No, you wanted-" Derek stopped, and his head cocked to the side. He was thinking. It seemed like it took a little while for him to figure out what Stiles had come to.

"It's your house and the Pack's. Hell, I bought that one painting, and you liked it and hung it up, but then the Pack griped that they didn't like it. I am still not even sure what happened to it."

"Erica knocked it off the wall during a pack movie night. It was when you were covering for one of the guys having his appendix rupture after wrecking the car in a high-speed chase. It fell, and then Isaac fell on it. I never did figure out if that Isaac part was on accident. It looked more like Erica shoved him at it. It was ripped, and I never did find another. So I just never said anything."

"Huh," Stiles said. He looked at his hands. "Thanks for telling me."

"I can see myself remembering something or thinking about doing something, but always the Pack came up with something. Selene wanted a party thrown for a month with no Omega attacks. We all got smashed, and I noticed when I woke up that you hadn't been home. Checked the calendar to see you were not supposed to be at work. Waited for you to get home. Then Boyd came around and wanted help with a few things at his place. Next thing I knew, your scent was gone from the house, and I was tracking you down to your dad's."

"So the party was the day of my birthday?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah. I asked Selene about it, and she told me that it wasn't like anyone there would care to celebrate your birthday. That you weren't Pack, even if you were fucking the Alpha."

Stiles raised his eyes at those words.

"Their words, not mine."

"And how do you feel about those words?" Stiles asked. He hadn't thought that the Pack hated him that much. Some of the newer members had issues, yeah, but the core pack, those that had been there since the beginning, he really didn't think that they hated him that much."

"I guess they thought that as a human, you weren't part of the Pack. I still have issues believing that for the older members. I guess they thought I would bite you one day, and then it just never happened. I had a meeting with everyone but Erica and told them all that they were wrong that humans had their place in Pack as well. Usually, when one was born into the family or married in. That just because someone was human didn't mean that they couldn't date them. That got me a few of the people I thought were really loners to tell me that they were dating and had been dating a human for a while. They wanted to tell them about us."

"You were a damned good Alpha in college; you were a good one for a while after that. Then you started to backslide, and I never noticed. I take part of the blame for not noticing. There were ways that we failed each other, but you...you stopped trying, Derek. You really did if you could look at the date and not remember that it was my birthday. We grew apart. I don't know who is to blame for that more, but it happened. We grew apart, and we both stop trying to do anything about that. It's been a year, and you've not tried anything."

"I was getting myself under control, and it took a lot longer than I thought. I saw another therapist, and she wasn't kind. She deals with pack issues as well as relationships. She is an old friend of my mother's. She told me that part of the issue was that I was never trained to deal with being the Alpha of a pack, so I couldn't see the behaviors for what they were. I admit that, and I admit that I never tried. I had my job, and you had yours, but I just never thought how it would be with us not working the same shift anymore."

"You started to do your own thing and then just stopped trying to include me on that. I stopped trying to actually get you too. We were two fuck buddies who lived together."

"NO!" Derek yelled. His hand on the water glass squeezed, and the glass shattered. Thankfully there wasn't much water in it. "We were more than that."

"Your wolf might think so, and you might, but from my end, we weren't. Not at the end there. We had sex, and it was the only time we were close. That's not the way that healthy relationships are."

"And you have that with Peter?" Derek demanded.

"I have a friendship with Peter. He took me in when I was hurt and didn't know what I wanted. He's stayed away from me for anything more than friendship. And never once tried to tell me what I wanted. He helped me figure it out. I know that he wants more, but he's been patient and kind. He doesn't flinch when he comes in, and I'm sitting and staring into space because of something I did that reminded me of something we used to do. He doesn't hate it when I can't stand to look at him because there are facial movements that he had that remind me of you. He doesn't let his friends walk over over me. He doesn't take their opinion on things above mine. He likes me for me, and he has for a long time. He never once made it known because he thought that I was happy with you. He didn't set out to sabotage you in this, Derek. He just stepped in when he realized you had dropped the ball."

"So you don't care that he's wanted you for years?"

"No, not really. I mean, he never made me feel like he was creeping on me in that way. It's not like I knew it. If I didn't know about it, it didn't affect my life in any way, did it?"

Derek finally got it, Stiles thought as his eyes hardened and he stood up. He looked at the glass.

"Leave it; I'll get it."

Derek nodded his head and turned to leave. He stopped at the doorway to the loft and turned around. "I'm sorry for everything that I did."

Stiles kept the thought to himself that it was everything that he hadn't done that was more pressing than what he had done. Yet, that wasn't helpful in this situation.

"Goodbye, Derek," Stiles said.

"Goodbye, Stiles."

One Month Later

"How are you doing?" Noah asked as he dropped down onto the couch beside Stiles.

"Really good. I'm done with therapy, and I've made my peace with Derek. Said my goodbyes to him when he finally realized that he wasn't getting me back. His pack has been leaving me alone. A few have left letters at the station, which you knew about as you were holding onto them. They asked for forgiveness but stated that they knew that I didn't have to give it. I went to their jobs to talk to them. I have no ill will against any of the pack and made sure that they understood that they don't have to fear me as an officer of the law."

"Boyd came to see me today. He's talked Erica into not trying to reverse the decision made on her, and she's going to Eichen. Derek went with me to check it out, and he agreed that the people who run it now are actually trying to help the few humans in there and help the Supernatural when it's needed. They have outpatient therapy services, and Derek signed up for them. He seemed healthy today. He's not happy, but he at least looks halfway content."

"He'll find someone someday that the pack likes and won't feel threatened by. I just can't believe that it took me that long to see it. Ignorance is bliss."

Noah huffed. Stiles turned to look at him because he knew that huff. It was his "Stiles is an idiot" huff.

"What?"

"Ignorance is bliss is funny when you are ignoring Peter."

"Ah," Stiles said. He reached over, picked up the beer in front of him, and drank it down. It was getting a touch too warm to be good anymore, so Stiles grimaced when he was done. "I'm not ignoring him. I'm not ready to deal with that, and he knows that. I told him that I'll tell him the second that I figure out what I want out of life. I'm not ready to jump into a relationship with another wolf. I'm not ready to just give that commitment."

"Commitment?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be just dating. Peter is in love with me, Dad. He's been for a long time. I thought it was just something cursory, but the longer we have been friends, I figured it out. He's never said anything, and I've never let on that I know, but it would be a commitment to be with him. Yeah, it wouldn't be a wedding, but it would be more than just casual dating. I'm not even sure how long he has loved me, and there are times I want to ask, and there are times that I think that the answer would scare me."

"I'm pretty sure it's at least the time after the Nogitsune," Noah said.

"Yeah, there is also the chance it's before that. The night that I turned him down, biting me to make me a werewolf."

"You've never told me about that."

"He didn't even mock do it. He held my hand, holding my wrist lightly. I could have jerked it away with no issue. He opened his mouth, and I said no. He said I would have made a wonderful wolf, and I know it, but I just like being human. Years later, Peter told me that there was nothing wrong with liking who you were. He said that I was the only person who had ever turned it down like that, and their heart didn't even blip that they were lying to themselves."

"So you'll be all but married to him if you start a relationship?"

"It's not quite like that. He would let me leave easily if it was something that I didn't want. He would leave, though, leave Beacon Hills and never return. He wouldn't be able to face me at all. That's part of why I know that Derek isn't in love with me like that. I think I was safe with him. I was safe because he thought that I would never leave him but also never ask for more than what he had already given me."

"That sounds about right. I knew that you were content, but you weren't happy over the last few years. Then I found out everything, and I understood your leaving. I understood a lot of things. You gotta do what makes you happy, Stiles. I can understand being gun shy about starting something with anyone."

"Peter is different. He would be content with me as a friend for the rest of his life if needed. He would be happy to have me in his life in any way. If we started up something else, something more than that, though, we could never go back."

"There is something else that is holding you back."

"He's Derek's uncle. That's a little on the not good side, but I don't care, and I know that he does."

"Fuck everyone else."

"Dad!" Stiles cried out.

"What? It's not like you grew up and called him Uncle. It's a small factoid that has nothing to do with love. You are more than aware enough that you aren't doing it just because he's Derek's uncle, and you are trying to get one up on him. It's a separate matter altogether. If it was that, I would warn you against it. He's a dear friend that you think you have some feelings that are more than friendship for, but you need to make sure that it's what you actually feel."

"I know, and I've been doing that for a while. I have a pro and con list already made up."

"Of course you do." Noah turned to look at the TV as the intermission ended, and the talking heads stopped talking. He unmuted the TV, and the game started up again.

Stiles knew that the heart to heart was done. His father had said what he needed, learned what he hadn't known before. Now it was up to Stiles.

Stiles dropped the last bit of paper into his outbox and sighed. He rubbed at his eye with the hand he hadn't been writing with and groaned. When he opened his eyes, he saw Parrish standing in front of him with a cup.

"You are a Goddess among men," Stiles said. It made a few of the guys around them laugh.

"You are an asshole." Parrish took a drink of the coffee before he handed it over in retaliation. Then he grimaced at the fact that it was black coffee. Stiles laughed but took the cup and drained it as quick as he could swallow.

"What? You were very pretty."

Parrish flipped him off. "You were as well."

"Oh, I know. I still kind of like the feeling of shaved legs. Haven't decided if I want to keep doing it or not."

Parrish groaned but laughed. It was a fair bit of stress relief. There were few prostitutes in Beacon County, more in Beacon City, but there were a few in other areas, and as long as they didn't start anything and tried to be safe, Stiles' father left them alone. However, someone had been targeting them, so two of them needed to go undercover. Black was the only female that fit the type that the UnSub had been targeting, and she was just pregnant enough that she would be noticeable, so she was out. Stiles and Parrish were the only two who were anywhere close to the build that the prostitutes that were targeted had. So they had dolled themselves up with the help of Black and the Drag Queens, who Stiles was still close to.

One night was all that it had taken, and while Parrish was a little off on the whole thing, Stiles had embraced it, even posing for pictures with a few of the ladies who he had been protecting. It was a fair bit of fun between him and Parrish, but no one else tried to make fun of either of them for it. It was well known that Stiles was into men, so there wasn't a thing they could say about it that would make Stiles feel bad for liking a little bit of dress-up. It was a good perspective.

"Okay, Stiles, you are off. I don't want to see you in Beacon Hills for at least four days." Noah exited his office as he said it.

"What?" Stiles looked at his duty roster for the next two weeks to see that it was different than what he had been given a few days before. He frowned as he saw that his week of annual leave was scheduled for him for the next seven days. He looked at his dad and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't schedule that."

"Nope, it's a good thing you have someone who cares enough to force you to actually take it, huh?" Noah's eyes darted over Stiles' shoulder toward the front desk, and Stiles turned around to see Peter standing there.

Stiles looked at his father and glared.

"We have plans, sweetheart."

"Plans?"

"Yes, I have tickets to the playoffs, and we are going to watch at least two games."

"Are you shitting me?" Stiles stood up, leaning over to clock out on his computer. He needed to change, but now he understood why Peter had asked to make sure that he had civilian clothes at the station.

"Nope. Now go and shower and get ready to leave." Peter waved at him with a dismissive hand.

Stiles rushed to the back where the showers were. He had been content to just watch the games on TV, but this was better than anything Peter had done in a long time. Hell, he was excited now. He wasn't sure that he could sit still for the drive they were going to be doing.

Peter was in his father's office when Stiles came out in the best clothes that he had in his bag. It was jeans, but at least the T-shirt he had under his flannel wasn't a graphic T-Shirt, and he could get away with taking it off and wearing it into places that would frown on the flannel. He knew Peter well. Stiles passed by Parrish's desk and smacked a kiss onto his cheek for the coffee that the man had given him. It seemed that more than one person was in on what was going on.

"Eww, get out of here, Stilinski," Parrish said, but he was laughing as he said it. It was a typical bit of fun for the two of them.

Peter looked up at Stiles as he entered his father's office. "Ready?"

"Oh, yes. Let's go. Bye, Pops." Stiles waved at him, and his father just laughed at him. Stiles grabbed Peter's arm and all but dragged him out of the station. Peter's car was sitting there, ready for them to leave. Stiles could see the duffel that he used for trips in the backseat. There was a cup of something in the holder for Stiles as well. He dropped into the car and shut the door before grabbing the cup. Peter's cup was in his holder. Stiles inhaled. It was from Derek's shop, but it wasn't Stiles' regular coffee drink. It was a hot London Fog latte. Stiles hummed and slid down to relax into the seat.

"How are you feeling?"

"Parrish gave me coffee, and I slept until my shift last night, so I'm feeling pretty good. Not quite hungry yet."

"Good, I have plans for lunch, and I know you ate breakfast. Your father made sure of it."

"You have gone to great lengths to make sure that this is all the way that you want it. I'm not shocked."

"You shouldn't be, sweetheart." Peter's hand moved over to clasp over Stiles' resting on his thigh.

Stiles knew that this was the point, friendship or more. The talk he had with his father just a few days ago seemed to have kicked Stiles into something more. He knew what he wanted. He knew that he wouldn't be happy with just friendship with Peter for the rest of his life. Peter had been touching him more since that night with his father, and unlike before, Stiles didn't try and stop the touches when they became more than just friendly. He didn't want to, and that was the revelation that he had needed. He just hadn't got up the gumption to do anything about it yet.

"So plans?"

"Well, we will arrive in town tonight just for our dinner reservations. I have a late check-in at the hotel, and then tomorrow, it's doing whatever you want until game time. Other than the check-in and check out as well as the game and two dinners I have reservations at, we can do whatever you like in Vegas."

"You spoil me," Stiles said, and he didn't mean it to come out sounding bitter, but it did.

Peter's hand squeezed tightly before lifting up and pulling Stiles' hand to him. He turned their hands until Peter was able to lift his hand up to kiss the back of it. He didn't even look at Stiles at all while he did it. He had a soft smile on his face, though.

"I know that I deserve it. I just..."

"I understand, love. I do. It's going to take time to get rid of everything in your head. I'll wait as long as needed for it to happen. You are doing so much better."

"I know that I am." Stiles curled his fingers tighter into Peter's before letting Peter drop them down to his thigh.

Fifty miles flew by as they sat in the car and were silent. Stiles made up his mind and loosened his hold on Peter's fingers. Peter made a small protest noise until he felt Stiles' fingers digging into his thigh. An unmistakable claim with where the hold was on Peter's thigh. Peter's smile turned into a grin, and he laid his hand over Stiles' but didn't say a single thing about it.

The game was packed, just like Stiles knew that it would be. It was a fucking party, and he loved it. Peter was drinking, even though it wasn't going to do a damned thing to him. The Golden Knights themed drinks were great, and Stiles had already drunk two of them before they got to their seats. He had stuffed himself on food at dinner before they had headed to the arena. They were one of the first into the place.

The first period was a series of ups and downs. Stiles stayed where he was to watch people in the stands and the goings-on taking place on the ice. Peter dropped down into the seat five minutes before the puck was to drop again. He had another set of drinks for the two of them and a set of buns each. Stiles grinned and took his set of curry buns. He had seen the stand for it, but the line had been so damned long before the game started that Stiles had just decided not to get them.

"Thanks." Stiles leaned over and rubbed his nose on Peter's. They hadn't even kissed yet. While Stiles was okay admitting that he wanted a relationship, this part was still so new that he let Peter set the pace.

"You are most welcome."

Stiles took his time eating the buns, and by the time the game had started again, he was halfway through them. They had glass seats, and Stiles loved it. The crowd behind them and the cheering intensity were making the night so worth it.

"Kiss Cam," Peter said, and he pointed up.

Stiles looked up to see that it was indeed the kiss cam. It went around to a few couples before Stiles looked at himself on the camera. He grinned and leaned over, pulling Peter into their first kiss. Peter pushed into it willingly.

Unsure of when the camera went off of them, they only stopped when the cheers went up that the Golden Knights had scored again. Stiles felt the blush on his cheeks as he looked at Peter. He laughed as the people around them cheered on the Knights while he just looked at the man he loved.

"I love you," Stiles said.

"I love you, too, sweetheart." Peter pulled Stiles in for a simple kiss before turning back to the game.

Stiles finished off his buns and then leaned over to rest his head on Peter's shoulder. Peter's arm went around him, and he held him tightly.

Soon the crowd around them pull them both into screaming and cheering, but for a few minutes, they were nice and cuddled together.

Stiles wasn't even sure of the time when they exited the arena. There had been small parties everywhere after the Golden Knights had shut out their opponent. So far, they were three and zero. Two more games, and they would be winning the Stanley Cup. It was just going to get more intense.

"I have game five tickets and the tickets booked for it. If they win two nights from now, we will go," Peter said as they left the arena. People were swarmed around them, and everyone was hoarse from screaming. Stiles knew that he was tipsy, but walking around in the night air would help him with that. He let Peter tuck him into his body, and they just walked around the Strip. The city was alive, and there were happy people everywhere after the game. Places had specials for the win, and there were vendors all over making a buck off of hungry people leaving the game, still mostly drunk.

"Won't that be cutting it close for us to go back?"

"Yes, but your father has already approved the time off for a little longer. Just think about this only there and after having swept them."

"Yeah," Stiles said. He thought about it, and it would be fun as hell. He was looking forward to it.

Stiles jumped when his phone rang. He saw that it was his father.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, old man?" Stiles asked as he pressed his phone to his ear. He still had his other ear pressed to Peter's shoulder.

"I would love to except for the fact that about half of the town has called to tell me that they saw you kissing on TV, and they want to know who the man is you were kissing."

"Oh God, that was on the TV?" Stiles asked.

"More like it was on the jumbotron, and it was seen during the gameplay there at the end when the puck dropped again. I mean, I had already seen it, but I guess the guys at the bar all recognized you, the ones that you don't work with."

"Damn." Stiles looked at Peter as they stopped. He looked around to see that Peter had pulled them off the Strip. "Two of Derek's pack watch hockey."

"Oh, Dear," Peter said, but he didn't look that upset about it at all. Stiles shoved at his shoulder, and Peter just grinned.

"Yes, well, I thought I should warn you for at least when you get back. Did you have fun, though?"

"Oh, Dad, it was fucking awesome. Best game I have been to in a long time. I'll tell you all about it later and the milkshake I got. I have pictures. I'll send it on to you. Boozy milkshakes are great, especially when Golden Knights' themed."

"I'm glad you are having fun, son, but you go back to paying attention to your boyfriend."

Stiles blushed but hung up with his father. He knew that Peter had heard every single word that was being said.

"Not exactly the coming-out party that I would have wanted," Peter said as he turned Stiles around to face him. "However, I can't say that I mind it. I was waiting for you to smell ready for a kiss, the next step, but you surprised me. You always do."

"I was waiting for you to make a move. So yeah, I can see why you would be waiting for me to smell ready. Derek used to say that he could smell when I really wanted a kiss."

"It's different than arousal. On you, it's almost like arousal mixed with longing and need. You used to smell like it a lot back when you were in college. When the pack would descend on you and Derek there. I went along to keep the ties active but living near enough to the pack has helped over these years."

Peter cupped the sides of Stiles' face and held him still while he kissed him. It was a thorough kiss, unlike the one they had done before. Stiles felt claimed at the end of it.

"I think it's time to go to the hotel room. Maybe stop for lube."

"Oh, darling, it's like you don't know me. I've got more than enough lube in my bag. Why do you think we drove here instead of flying. I would have taken up my allotment for liquids with just lube alone."

Stiles couldn't help the laugh that erupted from him. He allowed Peter to pull him back into the crowd of people walking. He could barely keep up with where they were. He hadn't wanted someone like he wanted Peter at that moment. It was too sudden, the feeling of wanting him like that, but also it felt like he had been feeling that way for all of his life with how slow it had all been over the last year.

The passage of time was ambiguous for Stiles. He remembered hearing Peter swipe the card at the elevator to allow them up to their floor but then he was pressed into the side of it, Peter all but devouring his mouth. Stiles loved it. He didn't know what he wanted out of this. He hadn't had sex in over a year, but he hadn't really missed it. He was more than content with his hands and jerking off in the shower. He hadn't felt the drive for more than that. He had brought it up in therapy once, and his doctor had told him that he had seen sex as a chore. He had done it because he didn't really care either way, and it made Derek happy. That his brain hadn't quite put it all together that way but that he had seen it that way.

The doors opened on the elevator, and Peter tugged Stiles along with him. While they weren't kissing, Peter held his gaze the entire way. He swiped the key to get into the suite that they had. It was a single bedroom, but it had a living room and kitchen area that they could use for whatever they wanted. So far, it was only used to make tea in the mornings. Peter had brought along his favored blends of tea, and while Stiles missed coffee a little, he liked waking up and sharing the tea with Peter.

"I promised myself that I would play the patient and kind lover, Stiles. Yet, I can't find it inside of myself to do that. You have about thirty seconds to get into the bedroom and get naked before I remove the clothes the best way that I see fit." Peter held up a hand where there were claws popped out.

Stiles laughed, and he darted around Peter to run to the bedroom. He knew that the running would just amp up Peter even more. His wolf wanting to give chase. Stiles was mostly naked when he heard the soft padding of Peter's feet behind him. He didn't turn around at all but just grabbed his jeans and underwear and stripped them down, bending over to show off his ass. He felt the barest hint of claws over the skin of his ass. He shivered before stepping out of the last of his clothes. His shoes were somewhere across the room, the first thing that he had removed, hopping around as he had done it. They were not sexy to get off. Nor were socks, which was why they were the first off. The jersey had been second; he wasn't going to let Peter rip it up even though he knew Peter had more than enough money to buy him another one.

Peter wrapped his arms around Stiles as he stood up. Peter was already naked, and the warmth of him was great. "I want you to ride me, sweet thing. Do you think you would like that?"

Stiles nodded his head. He looked around for Peter's bag. The man had hung up some of his clothes but left his socks, underwear, and undershirts all in the bag instead of using the dresser. Stiles had done the same thing. Stiles wondered if the lube was in the bag there or if it was in the Dopp kit in the bathroom. He untangled himself from Peter and walked over to the bag to look inside it. He found the lube bottle there, hiding under a few pairs of socks. Stiles lifted it up and turned just in time to see Peter climbing on the bed. He dropped onto his back and rested an arm under his head, eyes fixed on Stiles. He looked sexy as fucking hell, and Stiles loved it. He walked to the bed, climbing up on top of him. He tossed the lube near Peter's head before leaning down to kiss him.

There was such passion in Peter's kisses that Stiles never wanted them to end. He felt like Peter would be happy just kissing for hours if that was all that Stiles wanted. One day, he would try that out, but he wanted a hell of a lot more than just hours of kissing for the moment. He grabbed Peter's free arm and pinned it down to the pillow that he was resting his head on top of it. As soon as Peter moved his other arm and his head flopped on the pillow, Stiles grabbed it as well. He grinned as he pulled up and out of the kiss to stare down at his wolf. Stiles saw the lust there in his eyes, but there was so much more than just that there as well. He had never had anyone who looked at him like that. Like they wanted to possess him.

Stiles shivered at that look, but he lowered himself down to kiss Peter. He lost himself in the kiss. He lost himself in the way that Peter submitted to what Stiles wanted while Stiles learned what Peter liked. The kissing shouldn't be as addictive as it was. Every time that Stiles thought that he was done, Peter would change the angle or speed it up. Once Stiles had started to do what he wanted to do, he would back off and let Stiles keep it going.

"Turn around," Peter said as he grabbed the lube from where it had fallen on the bed. Peter's voice was rough with arousal, and Stiles wanted to hear that for the rest of his life.

Stiles did as Peter asked. He knew that Peter would do something, but he wasn't sure. His hands-on his hips made him think that Peter would pull him, but he didn't. He kept one hand on his hip, and then he felt wet fingers at his hole. Stiles leaned forward, bracing his arms on the bed, and groaned as Peter went right for two fingers inside of him. Stiles loved the stretch of it. He wanted the ache to remind him of this all day tomorrow. It was something that Stiles loved at the beginning. He had loved it when he felt Derek for days, sometimes when he was rougher with him. Nothing truly lasted, but the ache of muscles used in ways they weren't used to.

Peter got him nice and slick before coaxing him to turn around. Clean hands held his cheeks open as Stiles guided Peter's cock inside of him. It was fucking awesome. The feeling of getting full as Peter slipped inside of him. Peter had used more than enough lube, and it was all slick and hot. Stiles was flush on his body sooner than he thought he was going to be. He wanted to feel it for a few seconds before being empty, so he stayed down on Peter's cock. Peter made a face, and Stiles got ready to move, but he was stopped when Peter held onto his hips hard enough that he was sure he was going to bruise. Peter scooted back on the bed to where he lay with his upper back pressed to the headboard, but his body still slanted some. He let go of one hip to cup the back of Stiles' neck and pull him in for a kiss. It allowed Stiles to arch his back some, and he could still stay how he wanted on Peter's cock and kiss him at the same time.

Stiles found the rhythm that he wanted; he never let himself get anywhere near where it was just the head of Peter's cock inside him. He didn't want to feel that empty. He just rocked that little bit up and down to make sure that he could feel him. He didn't think that he had ever wanted someone as much as he wanted Peter at this moment. The feel of his hot cock inside of him. The feeling of his hands on his body. It was bliss after a long drought of nothing. It was perfect for Stiles, and he wanted it to last as long as he could get it to last.

"I thought you would be beautiful like this, and I was right," Peter said when they broke the kiss so that Stiles could straighten his back. He braced his arms on Peter's shoulders to hold, even though they slipped some with how sweaty Peter was. He knew he was just as bad as he could feel Peter's hands-on him slipping some as well. He could smell them, and he knew that the room would stink for days to Peter, and the thought of that just made Stiles more turned on.

"You feel so good inside of me," Stiles said when he was sure that he could say it without stopping to gasp in pleasure.

Peter's grip turned harder, and he started to control Stiles' thrusts up and down on his cock. He sped them up and thrust up into him as hard as he could. Stiles could feel his orgasm rising faster and faster to the surface. He wanted this so much that he didn't care about slowing Peter down. He wanted to feel Peter tipping over that edge into bliss with him. Stiles let go of one shoulder and moved his hand over tip PEter's head back. It was a sloppy kiss, but Stiles didn't care, and Peter didn't seem to either as he fucked up into Stiles as hard as he could. Stiles came, crying out into Peter's mouth with Peter following as Stiles' body clenched around him. Peter pulled him down onto his hips as hard as possible as he filled him up. Stiles wanted to slump down into Peter, but he didn't want to stop kissing him either. He could only do one of those things, so he made sure not to move at all because kissing was more important.

Flipping them backward, Peter laid Stiles out on the bed and draped his body over him, kissing him again. Stiles lost track of how long they laid like that with Peter kissing him. Stiles felt gross as hell with the sweat cooling on his body, but he didn't want to move until he had to. He wondered if Peter would be okay with just letting him clean up with a shirt instead of getting out of bed. Stiles felt like his body was made of limp noodles.

After a while, Peter slowed the kisses until he stopped them altogether. He lifted his head and looked down at Stiles. He looked happy. Stiles didn't think that he had ever seen him looking that happy. He laughed at the look on his face as Stiles had never seen someone looking that happy after sex. He included Scott after his first time with Allison in that as well.

"You look happy as hell." Stiles reached up and pushed a little hair off of Peter's forehead where sweat had it stuck there.

"I feel happy as hell," Peter said. He was looking at Stiles' face with a serious look. "How about you?"

"I don't think I have ever been happier. The only way it would be better is if I didn't have to get up at all to clean up."

"Don't worry bout that. I'll get a rag and clean you up a little, but you smell just perfect to me, smelling of me and satiation. I am more than happy to keep you smelling like that until morning." Peter ducked down for a kiss before he finally got up.

Stiles did move to where he was laying on the bed the right way, missing the wet spot in the middle of the bed. He grimaced at the coldness of it when he did stick his hand into it. He just wiped that on his hip and laid on his side, feeling his body more than he had before. His back ached a little from the way they had kissed, but it wasn't anything that sleep wouldn't get rid of.

Peter took his time cleaning up Stiles so that there was no evidence outside of the smell of what they had done. A towel was used to dry him off a little, and then they're cuddled in bed together with a sheet over them. The comforter was on the bed itself to make sure that neither of them was in the wet spot. Stiles allowed Peter to wrap him up in his arms. He knew that he would get warm before the end of the night, but he didn't care about that. Peter had turned the air in the room up some so that it was cooler in there in deference to the heat that Peter put off. Peter's nose was buried in his hairline, and Stiles figured that it was where the scent of him was strongest at the moment that wasn't his armpit or his groin, but neither of those places was good for trying to sleep.

"I love you," Stiles whispered. He knew that Peter would hear him.

"I love you, as well, Stiles. Thank you for giving me the chance to show you."

Stiles hummed. He knew what Peter meant. Peter was thankful that Stiles hadn't run away from him when he figured out that Peter was in love with him. Even knowing that Peter loved him hadn't made Stiles fall in love with him. He had felt it, but it was easy to tell himself it was just friendship until he was ready to face it all. Until he was ready to admit that he needed that kind of love. He was more than content to bask in the love that Peter had for him. It felt safe in a way that nothing else did in Stiles' life. He was more than happy to allow himself to fall in love with Peter. Even if he hadn't realized for a long time that it was what he was doing.

It snuck up on him, and Stiles had gladly accepted it. Peter made him happy, and that was enough for him. He knew that nothing else had made him happy like that in a long time. His whole happiness wasn't dependent on him, though. Peter had taught him how to love life again.

"So how do you feel about dinner with Dad when we get back. He made me promise that when I allowed you to make a proper man out of me, he wanted to have a nice dinner with you where he threatened you in the ways that a father should be able to." With Peter at his back, Stiles could get away with the faces that he knew would make Peter feel like reassuring him.

"Of course, sweetheart. I would do anything for you. Your father has already made sure that they would never find the body if I hurt you. I guess he's been learning the best ways to hide bodies from other Hunters who had come through the area. It's something that I didn't already know if I started something with you. Your last beau hurt you in a way that I'm sure that he hoped no one would ever hurt you. He's got the right to be a little warier about everything else. It's good that he is taking your happiness seriously. I know for a while after your mother died that he didn't step up while he was grieving. I know that by the time that I was around, you two were tight again."

"He loves me, but I look a lot and act a lot like her. He didn't know how to live without her, and he didn't know how to raise a kid alone. We figured it all, but it was rocky for a while."

"So how did your mother die? You've never told me."

"She got sick, and that sickness made her forget everyone. A form of dementia that they thought I might have gotten because the symptoms that I was having around the Nogitsune time were the same. It was the Nogitsune fucking with me, though. Dad figured it out because the scans that were moms that I knew like the back of my hand were the same as the ones that I had done to me. She thought at the end that I was trying to kill her. That I was a changeling that was sent to kill her. It took a lot to get her calm down. She tried to kill me a few times before she was too weak to do anything else. I was alone with her when she died. Dad was delayed in dealing with a wreck. I was so scared, and then he was there. His guilt at that was more than his grief for a long time. I didn't care that he was out doing what he could to help a wreck victim in her last moments of life. I didn't hate him for not being there when she died. I hated him for a while for not being there with me in the days after that. He drowned himself in his grief and then the bottle, and when he came out, I wasn't the kid he remembered, and he nearly went back in. I threw a hissy fit. It woke him up. He's all that I have left, and I would do anything to keep him. He's never cared too much when I do stupid stuff to keep him alive a little longer. He understood why I didn't try and go to him for help during the first Supernatural issues. My fear was irrational but isn't that what fear is?"

"You were thrown into something that adults should have been handling. Derek's sister made him insular, and he never thought to try and handle things in any other way. I was still healing too much, and then I was on the run myself and not willing to risk my life for others. You and your band of people opened our eyes, and everything changed. You were the change that we both needed, but Derek went too much in a different direction. He learned what his own apathy can do to him."

Stiles hummed and closed his eyes. He didn't feel tired as much as he just wanted to bask in being wrapped in Peter's arms.

"Derek told me that you and your father agreed to him getting the bite if there was no other choice between it and death. He's older, so it might not take."

"Yes, I know. We all talked about it, but it's only if death is certain. I would rather try than to lose him because I was too scared that it might not take. Derek laid it all out. We know what could happen. I can't lose him."

Stiles hoped that Peter understood what he meant by that. He didn't want to ever lose his father but also knew that not trying everything would kill him. His father was human, which meant that magic wouldn't bring him back like it had Peter. Stiles was worried that Derek wasn't going to do it anymore. That he wouldn't rush to get to where his father was dying.

"And you think Derek won't try and change him." It was a statement, so Stiles didn't answer. He just waited to see what Peter said next. "I guess we might have to do something about that."

"Would a mating bond be enough of a pack?" Stiles asked.

"Even without it, love, you would be enough of a pack. I'm sure that your father and Parrish would join as well. Wilcox would follow. Why?"

"There is a bunch of animal attacks happening in Wyoming. A local cop there reached out to dad and sent him the files. I'll be going there the next time an attack happens since we had a lot of attacks like that a few years ago."

"And you think it's an Alpha?"

"There are bite marks on the animals that don't make sense unless it's an Omega who thinks they are an Alpha. It's turning bites that are bleeding out. It is too different to not be animal but not shaped like animals they have up there. I was hoping that you would come with me. The next will be on the full moon. It's always around that. Probably why dad agreed to give me the time off. I plan on heading up the day before the day of the full moon. With you around me, we can easily track and find the werewolf before they do anything. Not everyone is like you and can hide your scent from your own family. At worst, he's insane with power, and at best, it really is an Omega with mental issues."

"Which can be obtained through torture, so if it is an Omega, that means that someone turned them that way, and we would be staying to find the Hunter who did it."

"And?" Stiles asked.

"Of course, I will go up with you. Beacon Hills needs a pack more than Beacon City does. We will figure things out, and if not, I'll reach out to some contacts. Some don't deserve the gift they have rotting in prison for crimes and can't get out due to the attention it would draw. Why let them rot in jail with a gift when I could have it."

Stiles snorted. It was very much a Peter thing to say. It would be easy to do it as well. Stiles figured that someone kept a watch on every single Alpha who did end up in jail for various reasons.

In the end, it was stupidly easy. What they thought was an Omega was, in fact, an Alpha with a pack of a single werewolf who was so cowed into doing what the Alpha wanted that in the end, they wanted death at the hands of Peter as well for the things they had been made to do after being bit. Peter gave him mercy when he begged for it, and they staged it to look like a murder/suicide with the Beta killing himself after killing the Alpha.

Stiles felt the bond attaching itself to him, and he gasped and dropped to his knees. His body felt weird, and he wasn't sure what it was. Peter was there on his knees in front of him, and he forced Stiles' face up to his own.

"Stiles?" Peter asked.

Stiles couldn't speak. He launched himself at Peter, tackling him to the ground as he tried to show his emotions for the older man. He didn't want to turn it into anything, but he felt around the bond that was inside o him, deep as his own heartbeat, and it felt like he could feel Peter's. He didn't want to let go, but he knew that Peter would make him.

Sitting up, Peter pulled Stiles to sit in his lap and hold him as Stiles started to cry.

"Sweetheart?"

"I feel you."

"Yes, you should. You should feel everyone in the pack. Even though you are human, you are bound to me."

"I never felt him or the others."

"You'll never feel that again. I promise you."

Stiles wasn't sure what he was feeling, but more than just Peter was already there. He touched on one of the bonds, and he felt his father. He sobbed as he felt that his father was okay. He wasn't sure if his father could feel him, but he wanted to make sure that he could do it no matter that training.

"This is what happens when children aren't all taught how to be a good Alpha. I told Talia that it was stupid to just train Laura. I was trained, and I learned enough that I knew how to be a good pack member and support my sister. I didn't need to learn other things to be a good Alpha. I might have been insane and not done well, but I was at least a little better than Derek seems to be. I wonder if his pack can even feel him."

"Let's not talk about him anymore. I can feel dad, Peter."

"Yes, I was not that shocked about that. Your connection to your father is what did that. I can feel him as well. It will get stronger when I can get my hands on him and fully accept him as part of my pack. How do you feel about that?"

"Yes."

"We will make our own little pack and make sure that we have Beacon Hills in our grasp before Derek figures out what is going on. Having the Sheriff and three deputies a part of my pack will help a great deal. I'm sure that I can find others who will want the gift. I promise to get consent this time."

Stiles laughed, and he buried his face into Peter's neck, basking in what he was feeling. He was connected to something more than just himself.

For the first time in a long time, Stiles felt like he belonged.

The End