Chapter 20

Stiles pulls his finger back and quickly sticks it in his mouth trying to dispel the heat from the pan. "Told you it was too hot" Derek says with a smug tone that causes the teen to glare at his boyfriend. They had decided on a date night after everything at the hospital and Cora and Peter's return and Stiles had convinced the Alpha that they should try cooking together.

"You do know that I can control fire" Stiles mutters unhappily around his finger.

Derek sighs and pulls Stiles' hand out his mouth and puts it under a stream of cold water. "Yes, but you didn't so you got burned. Now, you will heal soon enough so stop whining."

"I'm not whining!" Stiles whined unhappily. He had grabbed the pan with the garlic bread after Derek had grabbed the Lasagna without pads, the show-off. He forgot that Derek was able to use his claws to actually not touch the pan with his skin, something Stiles had forgotten. He had started the simple cantrip to protect his hands but then Derek had reached up to the cabinets and his shirt had ridden up exposing a tempting strip of skin and Stiles lost his concentration. He wasn't going to admit that but based on the smug expression he was pretty sure that the alpha already knew.

"Grab the salad" Derek says with a smirk as he grabs the bread and lasagna and heads to the small table with the final pieces of their dinner.

Grumbling behind him Stiles follows, enjoying the view as he watches his mate set the food down. Mate?!? He still can't get over that.

"Stiles" Derek's voice is all judgey.

"What?" he asks innocently.

Derek just gives him a look before tapping his nose and Stiles blushes remembering that the wolf can smell all sorts of things. He flails "How is that my fault?" he argues pointing at Derek who only shakes his head and sits down.

Sitting down they fill their plates and enjoy a few bites in silence before it becomes too much for him. "So…how's Cora doing?" he asks. Derek's sister had returned with Peter and Yvette and in the two days since, he hadn't really seen her much beyond that first meeting.

"She's…okay" Derek says hesitantly. He sighs. "She is having a hard time. She thought that we all died in the fire and that she was alone. Finding out we lived but were lost, and then Peter told her about Laura" he pauses and sees the surprised look on the teen's face. "Yes. He told her everything."

Stiles blinks. "Is Peter still alive?"

Derek frowns. "What? It's a fair question with you Hales, especially with how you described Cora."

"Yes, he is. Though she is not sure if he should be. We put her in the apartment with Yvette, which she requested, and she has been looking at the stuff from the trunk."

"I like Yvette. She's cool."

Derek nods absently. "I asked if she is going to stay but she is not sure. She had sort of created a life there, but it wasn't what she really wanted. But being here has been hard too. We went out to the house and then took off for hours afterwards."

"What does Peter say?" Stiles asks curiously.

"He wants to demolish the house immediately. He thinks that cleaning the slate, so to speak, might help."

"Have you told her about the plans?"

"Yes. She didn't say much so I didn't press."

Stiles looks thoughtful. "I think you need to give details." He stops when Derek looks at him with a frown. "I mean it. Show her everything we are thinking about doing and ask her opinion. Get her thoughts and ask what she wants."

"What do you mean?"

Stiles rolls his eyes at the guy. "Derek, she's been left behind over and over again. Everyone is making decisions without her. But she is pack, more importantly, she is your family, our family. Ask her what she wants for herself in the new pack house. Ask her to design her own suite of rooms and get her thoughts on the stuff the pack needs. She has been with the Alvarez Pack; are there things they do that we should copy? Maybe she's trying to find her place in the pack, and she isn't sure she is actually welcome or wanted."

Derek looks horrified. "Stiles, she's my sister. Of course she is wanted!"

"Derek" Stiles' voice is gently as he reaches over and grabs the alpha's hand careful with the claws now visible from the stress "I know that. But dude, you are not good with the emotional stuff. I doubt she is either. Maybe she needs to hear you say it."

"Don't call me dude" Derek says automatically but his face shows he is thinking about what Stiles' said.

Stiles snorts. "I'm serious. You need to talk to each other. You told Peter he was the Left Hand and Lydia is our Emissary. The others are your betas, even Scott who is an Alpha acknowledges your position, but what is hers?"

"She's my sister" Derek says like that answers everything.

"Yes she is Derek, but that is what she is to you. What is she to herself though? Where is her identity?" Stiles' voice is gentle, but insistent and Derek admits he has a point but what can he do?

"My grandmother" he says slowly "she was the family Chronicler. She kept the records of our family, kind of like the Emissary, but not for connecting with others, but for connecting with ourselves. She reminded us of who we were as Hales. She told the stories, honored our traditions, she loved our history. I remember Cora always liked listening to her talk" his voice is quiet and vulnerable and Stiles scoots closer as he talks.

"That sounds very important to a pack."

Derek nods. "It is. Especially for packs like ours. A lot of packs don't have enough history to matter or even bother but we have always had one. At least until the fire."

"Do you think she could reconstruct your histories?" Stiles asks carefully.

Derek frowns for a second but then shrugs. "I don't know. Grandma Abigail was always writing things in her books. She had family trees, photos, stories, all kinds of things that she worked on, but they weren't in the chest. I assume they must have burned up."

"Then figuring all that out is really important to the Hale legacy?"

Derek nodded absently but then he looked more certain. "Peter can help, and there may be some records in the vault too."

Stiles frowns for a second. "I really want to check out that vault someday."

Derek actually smiles. "I can take you there, but not tonight. I will talk with Cora and Peter tomorrow about it, but tonight? Tonight is supposed to be about just us."

Stiles jumps as Derek, moving faster than human, stands up and lifts Stiles out of his chair. Startled, he wraps his legs around Derek's waist as the alpha effortlessly carries him over to the sofa and sits down, the teen happily in his lap. Stiles smiles happily. "So, are we gonna make out now?"

Derek rolls his eyes. "You are really making this... difficult"

Stiles smirks. "You were going to say hard, weren't you?"

Derek growls but doesn't deny it. He leans in and in a surprisingly gentle move, kisses his mate silent. Stiles is surprised but happy to go along. He gasps as Derek slides along his jaw, biting tenderly and sending little shocks through Stiles with each nip. Derek's beard rough on his own skin as the alpha marks along that most sensitive line. "Derek!" Stiles moans, fingers curled in the dark hair as his other hand grabs onto his chest and starts moving down. Suddenly Derek catches his hand and stops him. "What?"

"Just kissing" Derek says in a low voice, barely pushing out the words.

"What?" Stiles stammers and his protest is cut off when Derek bites down on his ear lobe. "Oh god!" But the distraction doesn't last, "wait" Derek pulls back instantly "why just kissing?" he says thoroughly confused.

"Stiles" Derek voice is patient and controlled but his eyes are blown wide and he sees flecks of red "you are still young, and this is all still new. I just want to go slow."

Stiles gapes for a second but then his eyes soften. He remembers. "Slow. Okay, I can do that. No pressure."

Derek smiles that devastatingly wicked smile he has. "Besides, your father said no sex before 18."

It may have broken the mood, but Derek thought his mate's reaction was totally worth it. The flailing, sputtering, and indignation of that statement made the alpha smile. He was watching the teen invent new swear words, most of which involved creative punishments involving vegetables when he caught the sound. Jackson's Porsche. It was probably nothing, but he listened as the car neared and pulled in and parked. Close enough he heard the second heartbeat but it wasn't Lydia's. "Stiles" his voice was serious.

Stiles' rant cut off midstream as he looked at Derek, shocked at the tone and expression before his eyes glazed a bit. "Jackson?" he asks looking back at Derek.

"And someone else" Derek says as they both stand up. He can hear them in the elevator, but they aren't speaking.

"It's not Lydia. Not someone in the pack even" Stiles looks confused.

Derek waits as the elevator door opens and moves slightly to stand between Stiles and the door, ignoring the sound of annoyance at the move. This isn't normal, why didn't Jackson call?

There is a rather timid knock on the door, but it isn't Jackson's normal knock. "Come" Derek says in a normal tone of voice knowing his beta will hear. The door opens and Jackson is standing there looking extremely guilty or uncomfortable. "Miguel!" the man behind him calls out.

"Danny?" Stiles blurts out.

"Stilinski" Danny says in acknowledgment as he and Jackson walk in. "Were you making out with your cousin?" he asks, and Jackson starts coughing in shock as Derek growls and Stiles turns beat red.

"What? No. I mean no, I mean, what are you doing here?" he finally manages to get out.

Danny smirks. "It's okay Stilinski. I know that Derek Hale isn't your cousin."

Derek glares at Jackson who looks miserable and somehow even more guilty. "Really." Not a question from Derek, a little nicer than a bark, but Stiles stammers at it.

"What? Who? No? What?"

Danny looks entirely too amused. "Dude. The guy's picture was all over town. I didn't recognize him at first, but he makes an impression."

Derek's glare increases though it doesn't seem to be affecting Danny.

"Seriously dude" Danny says looking at Derek "the glare is really intimidating. You definitely got that whole murder-wolf thing down."

Derek looks at Jackson so quickly the beta almost jumps and Stiles looked stunned. "What?" he squeaks.

"You know? Alpha werewolf and all that" Danny says as if that explains everything.

"Jackson" Derek growls, his posture one of fury.

"Jackson didn't tell me dude" Danny scoffs at the man. "You do know that anyone who has lived here for more than one or two generations know about all that stuff and the Hales? My grandmother said your mom was pretty much royalty. The mayor may have been elected, but no one did anything without making sure she was okay with it. Not only that" he points at Stiles "but this one and McCall? They can't keep a secret for anything. Talked about Scott being bit all the time after it happened. Not to mention when McCall went all smelling the whole team during practice."

Stiles groaned and fell back on the couch. "I told him that was a stupid idea!"

Derek, looking slightly less murderous, looks over at Jackson. "You didn't tell?" he demands, and Jackson denies it, his heartbeat steady the whole time. He relaxes a bit before turning to the teen. "So why are you here?" he asks slightly more polite.

"Actually, I need to speak with Stiles but since it is werewolf related, Jackson said I needed to speak to the Alpha first."

"Me? Why do you want to speak to me?" Stiles asks looking up.

"Well, I met someone when I was back home visiting family and was excited that they might come back to Beacon Hills for school since they had lived here once. But he really didn't want to come back and finally confessed that he was afraid."

"Afraid?" Stiles is shocked. "Of what?"

"Of being killed. Apparently, he ran with a bad crowd and got into some serious trouble."

"How is this werewolf related? Sounds like he needs to talk to my dad."

Danny shakes his head. "Definitely not your dad. He was very clear he wouldn't get within a mile of your dad for anything. Too scared."

"Scared of my dad? What did he do?"

"Not your dad." Danny was enjoying this but he could tell Jackson was about to lose it so he decided to wrap it up. "You."

"He's scared of me? Why would he be scared of me?"

"Probably because you nearly killed him and his brother."

Stiles looked stunned. What the hell was Danny talking about. He hadn't killed anyone, let alone someone and their brother… Stiles suddenly looked at the teen remembering some things and his eyes narrowed. "The twins" his voice was dangerous and all three other men noticed it and reacted in surprise.

"What?" Jackson asks looking confused. Danny had said that he had a werewolf issue he needed to talk to Stiles about and knew about beating the alpha pack, but he didn't say this was about the twins!

"The twins?" Derek raises and eyebrow at Stiles before turning back to Danny. "The alpha twins?"

Danny nods and gulps. Damn when did Stilinski get so badass? He had heard the story of the fight from Ethan and Aiden but seeing Stiles like this makes him realize that they weren't kidding. "Met them in Hawaii."

Derek nods and moves to sit beside the angry teen staring at Danny but not really seeing him. "Maybe you need to tell us the whole story."

"Why exactly are we out running around?" Isaac asks looking over at Scott. "Isn't Stiles supposed to be able to tell if anyone comes in."

Scott shook his head. "He said its been getting harder to pick out small things. He can tell if an Alpha is near, but he has to really focus for a beta, let alone an omega. Not to mention all the other stuff that's showing up. Remember the two gnomes?" he offers.

Isaac groans. The two gnomes had showed up last week and had taken up in one of the old warehouses in the industrial part of town, which luckily was still mostly abandoned. Unfortunately, the two of them were more trouble than a dozen omegas. The brothers were tinkerers apparently and that meant that they liked to invent things and most of the things they invented tended to, well, explode. The Sheriff's Office had gotten nearly a dozen calls over three nights of mysterious explosions but no sign of anything. Tara had finally reached out and Derek had sent Jackson and Boyd to investigate.

"Remember Jackson's hair?" Isaac says with an evil grin before both boys starting giggling. Jackson had found a strange scent and traced it to a building and just as he approached there was an explosion of purple, orange, and pink smoke that blasted the beta. He wasn't hurt, but he was thoroughly covered in goo, rendering him furious. The best part however was that his hair was dyed the three colors in the most amazing patchwork, all of his hair…everywhere.

The rather vain teen had been murderous, especially with all of the pictures that everyone in the pack, including Lydia, had been taking until Stiles, generous and probably due to rather intense pleading, was able to help. The bad news? They had to shave Jackson completely. Which led to another round of photos of the bald beta before the hair growth potion restored him to his former glory. The pack was still enjoying that one even after Derek had located the Gnomes and set down some serious rules and, after being allowed to stay if they behaved, the Gnomes had happily settled in. They even officially the process to buy the building.

But otherwise it wasn't too bad. There was usually someone or something new every few days, but an informal system was starting to develop. Those that were human passing typically showed up either at someone's place, like Celeste's, or the dwarven mine. Then word was sent to Derek and Stiles, and now apparently Lydia, to explain the situation. They had even gotten word from both the Marshall and Flores' packs that new immigrants had showed up in their territories requesting permission to remain. Stiles' witch friends had also been forwarding requests from around San Francisco and several other places to the point that Lydia had decided that they needed an official system.

"Would you rather be working for Lydia?" Scott asks the beta with a smirk at the panic in his eyes. Jackson hadn't managed to escape that fate and they both were much more satisfied doing this.

They ran for a few minutes before something seemed off to Scott. He stopped to try and listen, but he wasn't hearing anything. He sniffed but the air was still so no breeze brought anything to him. "Scott?" Isaac asks in a whisper picking up on the young alpha's tension.

"Something's off" Scott mumbles but he can't place it. He slowly looks around before he feels it. Something is wrong…there! He opens his eyes, flashing crimson, as he launches forward toward that feeling of violation. Something is here that shouldn't be! He runs, aware of Isaac beside him but he doesn't howl. Not yet. He doesn't know why but he is certain that stealth is better at the moment. He shifts his run and the sounds of their movement drops noticeably with Isaac noticing and slipping into a quieter run seconds later.

They run for nearly a minute before he hears it. A flash-bang! He knows that sound, that harsh ping that hurts wolf ears, causing disorientation and confusion, and that means Hunters. But two questions – who is hunting and what? "Hunters?" Isaac whispers a moment later, finally connecting the sound with their quarry.

"Running" Scott snarls and looks off slightly adjusting their direction as he hears the sound of running, twigs breaking, and heaving breathing. Someone's defining fleeing and close behind are one, no two, ATVs, their engines roaring as the smell of diesel reaches his nose.

Both wolves are suddenly alert at the sound of gunfire and the noise of a bullet's impact on flesh and the crash of a body ahead of them. It takes less than a dozen heartbeats when they finally see the form on the ground, crawling as the two ATVs arrive, the men on them with guns out, their laughing clear to the wolves.

"Got the dog!" the first man laughs.

"You got lucky" the other grumbles dismounting and pulling out his own rifle.

"Nowhere left to run mutt" the first man laughs. He was so focused on the body in front of him he never saw Isaac until the beta had tackled him to the ground, the sound loud in the wood.

"What the f-?" the other starts to yell, turning and pointing his gun but he doesn't make it before Scott is there and the man's eyes widen in fear at the sight of those crimson orbs. He goes down, his gun flying into the bushes.

"Who are you?" Scott yells at the man who scrambles backward, trying to get away, and drawing a knife.

"Jim!" the man yells but his friend isn't in much better shape. He risks a glance and sees his partner unconscious, Isaac's golden eyes glowing in the night. "You bastards!" he yells and lunges at Scott.

Scott, extremely disappointed at the rather pathetic display, grabs the man's arm with the knife and with a twist that echoes across the woods, snaps the man's wrist causing him to scream and drop the knife. The man spits at the alpha and Scott, done with this, punches him in the face, knocking him out. "Isaac?" he asks looking over, but the beta is already moving towards the body on the ground, the smell of blood and wolfsbane souring the air.

"It's a kid" Isaac's voice is shaken. Scott comes over and his eyes widen in surprise. The kid in front of him was 13, maybe 14, and bleeding from the bullet in his leg.

"We need a bullet!" Scott says and Isaac points to the shooters gun lying in the bushes. Scott dashes over and grabs it and pulling out a bullet he sniffs and rears back at the smell of aconite. "Got it!" he says running back over and dropping beside the kid who looks like he is barely stopping himself from crying but trying so hard not to. His eyes flickering between werewolf gold and human brown. "Do you have a lighter?" he asks and Isaac hands over his disposable. Derek had been driving home being prepared and now they almost all carried one of the things.

Scott manages to pry the bullet apart easily and dumps the gunpowder and flowers onto a rather flat rock and lights it, the flash of light and purple smoke rising up. He looks at the kid who is starting to try to fight them, fear overwhelming him. "STOP!" Scott roars, his eyes flashing red, the woods going deathly silent, but it works. The boy freezes, eyes widened at the alpha over him, but Scott doesn't wait and, silently apologizing, shoves the ash into the bullet hole.

He screams. Isaac and Scott hold him as he thrashes, his back arching up in agony as he screams before collapsing unconscious. He goes limp and the two teens look at him, and as they watch, the wound smokes and the black lines on his leg retreat and in a few moments the wound closes and begins the healing process. "I really hate that" Isaac says looking miserable but also a bit relieved. Scott nods in agreement. He's just a kid, younger than even Scott when he was bit. He looks back at the two unconscious hunters.

"What do we do about them? Call Derek?" Isaac asks uncertainly.

"We call Mr. Argent. Let him deal with them, they are hunters, right?"

"Are we sure they don't work for the Argents?" Isaac asks carefully.

Scott looks stunned at the suggestion. "You can't think that!"

"Scott, I don't think Mr. Argent would do it, but can you really say all of the hunters that work for him are as trustworthy? You know this kid hasn't done anything. What about the code?"

Scott looks uncertain but then his face settles. "If they are his, then he will deal with them" he says with determination, certain he is right. Allison and Mr. Argent have changed, he knows it!

Isaac looks down, unsure if Scott even realizes he flashed his eyes or how his voice rang with alpha strength. It wasn't an order that Isaac was going to argue with, not that he really disagreed. He knew Allison was trustworthy, she was on Stiles' side. He wasn't as sure about Mr. Argent, but he thought the man was better than most of the rest of the hunters and he had been helping Stiles with some stuff so he just nods.

Scott stands up and searches both men but they have no ID or anything on them, so he calls Allison. Seconds later he hangs up. "Allison and her dad are coming. I can wait with them. Can you take the kid to Deaton, just to make sure he is okay?"

Isaac nods. Scott's request was just that, a request and one he preferred. Scooping up the boy Isaac was surprised by how light the kid was. He was rail thin and malnourished and he felt a pang of remembrance in his gut. The kid was starved! One nod at Scott and he was off running to the vets hearing Scott calling the former emissary as he ran.

Erica knows she doesn't need to be nervous, but she is. She tugs her shirt down again, unnecessary as she is dressed rather conservatively for a change, but she isn't about to go to this party without the armor of respectability. Lydia and Allison had gone shopping with her to find the right outfit and Lydia, as usual, had selected the perfect ensemble. Ringing the bell, she stepped back but Boyd was opening the door before it had even finished ringing.

Smiling gently, he nodded and opened the door to let her in and she braced herself and stepped forward into a very loud gathering. Stiles and Derek had found Boyd's sister Alicia and it turned out that it had been her estranged father who had abducted her from the skating rink that day. In a way it was lucky, the man, though negligent afterwards, hadn't planned on hurting her, he actually wanted his ex to suffer after their messy break up.

Boyd's parents had not been good together. They had married way too young and struggled with issues neither could handle. His mother had finally had enough and left him, taking Boyd, Alicia, Kaley, and Teresa to come live with her grandmother in Beacon Hills. Their father did not take it well, but his habitual unemployment and regular alcohol and drug abuse had made their mother determined to find a better life. He had made threats, but Boyd's great grandmother Esther was not a woman to be trifled with, not even at her age. She had run Vernon Boyd II off and had actually terrified the man into near sobriety. He seemed gone for good when Alicia had disappeared and he never crossed anyone's mind as a suspect as last they heard he was living on the East Coast. Vernon's mother hadn't managed her daughter's loss well and less than a year later was killed tragically in a car accident leaving Esther Boyd nearly overwhelmed with four grieving kids. Which is probably why she ended up ignoring the one that gave her the least problems, her great-grandson, to focus on his sisters.

But Stiles' magic had found Alicia living in Chicago with her father, who had gotten worse with every year. The man had apparently planned to use his daughter's disappearance to claim his wife was unfit and take the other kids but like most of his plans they fell apart and he lost interest. His daughter Alicia, neglected and believing that her family had been killed in a car accident, had been left to care for him while trying to raise herself.

Stiles, Derek, and the Sheriff had managed to figure it out and with a call to local police, the truth came out. Vernon Boyd II was arrested, and Alicia was reunited with her brother, sisters, and great grandmother and had returned to Beacon Hills. This was the official welcome party for her.

Erica entered the room nervously, her grip on the dessert her own mom had made for her to bring as she saw Boyd's great grandmother watching her with a knowing eye. "Welcome dear" she said, her voice strong despite her age. "Thank you for coming."

Erica smiles as Boyd takes the dish. "Thank you for inviting me. The Sheriff and Stiles asked me to apologize that they couldn't be here."

Esther smiled as she shook her head. "I still don't know how that boy did it. How he found my girl" she says looking over at Alicia surrounded by her sisters and several of her childhood friends. Alicia had been popular in school in the time she had been back in Beacon Hills and her return had been the talk of the school ever since it got out. Her friends and their parents were here now, and it seemed that everyone was so excited she was back.

"Well, Stiles is…Stiles. Never underestimate him" Erica replies shyly and Esther nods.

"I always did like the Sheriff. Good man. Shame what happened with his wife. It seems that the town attracts tragedy like no other. But maybe" she looks over at her great granddaughter whose smile was something to behold as she was surrounded by laughing people "things are getting better."

Erica nods absently when she realizes that the old woman is staring at her. "I hope so" Erica says hoping that was what she wanted to hear.

Esther nods wisely and smiles as Boyd rejoins them. "It's good to have a Hale in Beacon Hills again. Things haven't been right since that fire. Bad thing that fire. Killed that whole family. Good people. I remember Abigail Hale, the boy's grandmother. She was a mighty powerful woman."

Erica side glances at Boyd and sees his shocked expression. "Really?" Erica squeaks out feeling her pulse racing.

"Yes indeed. All the Hales have been good for this town for a long time. You know that back when I was a girl there was some trouble with some visitors in town, didn't like seeing black folk walking around like they had a right to be proud of who they were. My father owned his own mill and bakery and my mother was a teacher, she had even gone to college" she told them to the surprise of both teens.

"You never told us that" Boyd says to his great grandmother.

She waves him off. "No matter. You were already thinking of joining the army."

"Air force" he corrects but apologizes quickly for interrupting.

"Anyways, these men started threatening my father and his business. Trying to put him in his place but that got stopped fast."

"Stopped how?" Erica asks totally wrapped up in the story.

"Raphael Hale happened. He would have been the Hale boy's great-great-grandfather I reckon. He was also the Mayor of Beacon Hills. He was Mayor for over twenty years and after him his brother was for another twenty. There was a long time when the town's mayors were all Hales. Anyway, the third or fourth time they came into my father's bakery, five of them, and they were not being nice anymore. They brought cudgels and started breaking things. Even hit my daddy. But it wasn't even a minute before Mr. Hale came busting in with his brother and son and oh lord. They laid out those men like it was nothing. Missus Hale, the Mayor's wife, she was there too, and she took care of my daddy and me, I was there that day you know, and she bandaged him up like she was a real doctor. By the time the Hales finished, I don't think those men had three arms between them that weren't broken. Mr. Hale said the only reason that they didn't break their legs was so they could get the hell out. Those men left town so fast you wouldn't have believed it."

"Then what happened?" Boyd asks when she pauses. He had never heard this story!

"Oh, it wasn't exciting after that. The Hales, the whole family, made my father's bakery their preferred bakery. Made sure that he got plenty of business. In fact, he was even voted on the city council one year, but he didn't like it none. Said it was too much talking. But we never had problems like that again. The Hales, they were good people. They didn't put up with that nonsense no-how. We even had Chinese people living here when they weren't welcome in most of California. I think the worse was when they built that terrible camp back during the war. Ugly thing that camp. We knew ugly, but that was more than the Hales could do. Miss Abigail, she wasn't mayor, nor her husband, but it wouldn't have mattered. It was the Washington people who did that. But when they left, oh you should have seen how angry she was."

"Angry?" Erica asks at the edge of her seat. They had moved to the couch and most of the party had all surrounded them, everyone listening to the story.

"Oh, my yes. She came into town after the war, and she was righteous. Told off the current Mayor and his whole council. Called them cowards of the worst sort. That they had failed in their jobs. She really let them have it. At the elections that year, not a one of those men got re-elected no sir. The men she supported won every seat. Good men too. They all served for years after that. The Hales were the heart and conscious of this town for too long. I think that family dying was the worse thing for Beacon Hills. It's like we lost something precious."

"I heard that they founded the library" one woman who was a parent of one of Alicia's friends says into the crowd. "That they not only built it, but they set up a fund that still helps pay for it."

Several others in the crowd all nod and bits and pieces of stories start being whispered. "They did" Esther confirms. "And more. The schools in town were all built on their land, given to the town. So was the courthouse and city hall. I reckon half the buildings in Beacon Hills historic section were probably built by that family." She shook her head. But then smiled. "But I hear that there is another Hale now too."

That triggers a lot of surprised looks and whispers but Erica nods. "Cora Hale, Derek's sister. She survived the fire."

Esther nods happily. "Good. That boy is okay. His uncle was a wild child growing up, always in trouble. But the Hales were always good when their ladies were there." She smiles as she looks at her grandson and Erica. "And who knows, maybe now that that woman is dead and paying for her crimes, things will get better. We just need to get that boy married."

Erica and Boyd both share a look but Esther is way too canny to miss it. "Oh ho, he has someone already?" she crows at this tidbit. Several of the wives and mothers look very interested. Derek's reputation as bad boy, dangerous man, prodigal son, and local royalty was not as forgotten as the alpha presumed. Way more people knew who he was than he realized. "And do you know the lucky girl?"

Erica snickered and looked away as Boyd rolled his eyes. "Well, not a girl, but…"

Esther paused for a second before exploding in laughter. "Oh, my lord! It's the Stilinski boy isn't it?!" she demanded and when both teens' expressions gave it away, Esther's laugh filled the room. "That one is going to be a hard one to handle for sure!"

"You don't care that they are both men?" Erica asks surprised by how easily Boyd's grandmother is reacting.

"Oh child. You all think that your generation invented sex. There has always been one or two Hales who preferred their own kind. Boys who liked boys and girls who liked girls. The family never seemed to care and no one in this town was going to say anything about it and that was long before the rest of the state caught up." She laughs.

"Miss Esther?" one of Alicia's friends shyly peeps up. "Is it true that Ms. Hale once ran a banker out of Sacramento out of town?"

Esther nodded happily. "Oh yes. Seems that this man from Sacramento was trying to scam people out of their land, trying to sell it out from under them and doing all sorts of things and Miss Mirabelle, Mr. Raphael's wife, she wasn't having it. That man left town nearly naked and running like the very hounds of hell were after him. You see…" The whole crowd had settled in to listen, fascinated as the old woman spun the story.

Derek slid the door to the loft shut after Danny and Jackson left. The teen had shared a lot of information and it was taking some time to process all of it. Turning back he sees Stiles standing by the large windows, looking out over Beacon Hills.

Danny had shared a lot of information, both about his own knowledge of everything, but also a bit about the twins. Derek had heard of their former pack, and it was nothing good. His mother had spoken of their father and unkind would be about the nicest description of how their former alpha was. And it appeared to only get worse when their uncle took over.

"Stiles? Are you okay?"

He didn't reply but Derek wasn't surprised at that and moved to start cleaning up. Danny had been nice about it, but Derek was sure that Stiles had picked up on the fact that Danny was a bit on guard around Stiles, worried, maybe even a hint of fear. It wasn't unreasonable, but Derek could tell that it had affected the teen significantly.

"Am I a bad person?" Stiles' voice was barely above a whisper, but Derek still heard him. He stopped and turned back to his mate. Derek waited but when nothing else came he sighed and walked over to him.

"No." Derek's voice was clear, certain, and unwavering and when Stiles glanced over he knew his face showed all of that without a doubt. "Their lives were rough, I will grant that. Their former packmates maybe even deserved what they got. Our pack, our family, we would never have treated members like that. No matter what, let alone our own family. Their alpha was their uncle and he was only the alpha because he had killed their father, his own brother, to take his power."

"That's just a guess" Stiles muttered.

Derek's eyebrows demonstrated clearly how much he disagreed with that claim. "Stiles, they went out together to deal with an omega. An alpha and beta from a healthy pack. Only one comes back and it's the former beta, now an alpha. His power didn't shift to his sons, but to his brother? No. He killed him and took the power. If you have any doubt, look how fast that pack fell. To be honest I'm surprised that Deucalion didn't just recruit him. He wouldn't have hesitated to kill his own pack for power."

"Then why didn't he? Wouldn't it have been easier?"

Derek pulled his mate into his arms, feeling certain that he needed the closeness and touch. "Because of two reasons. One, they were abused and beaten down. They were used to being treated that way and would submit to him much easier. And two, that joining thing they did made them unique and that's what he wanted for his pack. He didn't need another brute, he had Ennis. And the man had already killed to rise up thanks to his own plans. I am sure Deucalion didn't like the idea that he might start getting similar thoughts."

Stiles doesn't resist, he actually moves in closer. "I don't care."

Derek sighs. "You do. You like that they took care of each other. They screwed up, but you understand why they did it. You forgave Morell" he reminds the teen.

Stiles mumbles but Derek is pretty sure it was something close to 'that's different'.

"Maybe you should talk to her about them. Get her thoughts on whether they are worth a second chance away from the Alpha Pack." He snickers a bit and Stiles pulls back to look at him in shock. "What? It's funny. According to Danny they are pretty much terrified of pissing you off. I serious doubt that they will even break the speed limit in town if they think that it will upset your dad."

That garners a laugh from the teen. "Yeah" he agrees surly.

"What's really bothering you?"

Stiles pulls away and walks back to the window. "I know you are the Alpha. It's your decision who is in your pack."

"Our pack." Stiles glances back but Derek is looking absolutely firm. "It's our pack Stiles. We are the Alpha pair, that means I don't make these kinds of decisions, not about our pack, without you. But this isn't about them joining our pack. They just want permission to be here. And if I, as Beacon Hills Alpha, don't have a problem, then if the Arcanist does, then we have a problem."

Stiles frowns. "I thought you said we made these decisions together" he reminds Derek.

Derek walks over but he doesn't pull in for another hug, instead he looks out the window at the town. He is silent for a few seconds before finally answering. "Stiles, you know I wasn't raised to be the Alpha. I wasn't trained for it. But I have tried, and I think I have gotten better."

"You have!"

Derek nods grateful for the fervid support. "But the reason I am High Alpha? The reason why the other packs are looking to us? The reason why every magical being in this part of the world wants to move here? It isn't because of me."

Stiles looks really uncomfortable at that, but Derek only smiles gently and continues before he can interrupt. "They are here because of you. You have me. You have your dad. You have the pack. You have all your friends, allies, and some powerful people who quite honestly scare me half to death."

"Mab" Stiles nods in acknowledgement.

Derek nods. "All four of them to be honest, but she is definitely the scariest. The fact is that she seems to like and even respect you. Stiles we are all going to stand with you, but there are going to be some decisions that only you can make."

"You think Lydia will follow my orders?" Stiles asks with a disbelieving look.

Derek looks serious. "Yes. She will argue with you if she thinks you are wrong. But only in front of pack. She has never challenged you in front of outsiders. Think about it."

Stiles frowns but he realizes Derek is right. Lydia has yelled at him more than once, but never in front of anyone who wasn't pack. He looks at his mate. "And you?"

"You listen. You don't make decisions carelessly and you know you don't know everything. You give people a voice and a chance to use it. And you are willing to forgive when warranted. You did with Peter and with Morell and with others. But you also know when not to trust, unlike Scott." Derek smiles as he sees the teen about to jump to his brother's defense. "Scott is a good guy, but he's naive. He trusts too easily, believes everyone can be saved or redeemed. It's a good way to be if you are not in charge. He can argue to the person in charge, advocate for them, but at the end of the day, he doesn't make the decision, nor does he have to deal with the consequences if he is wrong."

"He thinks the best of everyone."

Derek nods. "And he makes our pack better. You and even me. Hell, he even gets to Peter sometimes. But he doesn't understand that sometimes you can't take that choice. You sometimes have to make the tough call. My mother knew that. She wasn't a monster but she killed when she had to. She knew that was necessary sometimes. Like you did with the witches."

Stiles nodded thinking back to that fight. "I didn't want to kill them."

"I know. But you knew what you did would. That making them accountable for their magic, what they were doing, would be more than they could handle. And they paid the price. If you hadn't stopped them, how many would they have killed? How many had they already killed?" he reminds and Stiles nods, remembering that they didn't save all of the coven's victims.

Stiles looks back over the town for a few minutes, thinking carefully. "Mab told me something."

Derek waits. Stiles had given him some info about his chats with the Winter Queen, but he had held back. Even Lydia had noticed and asked Derek but they realized that it was something personal and so they hadn't pushed. "She told me that I would have to be hard, like her. Sometimes."

Derek waits, sure there was more.

"She told me that I was basically a king and needed to rule like one. I might even have to order someone killed."

Derek's eyes widen in surprise. He had not been expecting that. "She said that I needed to establish my rule firmly and clearly. That I had to be the one to decide if something or someone was allowed to live if they did something in my territory."

Derek is watching when Stiles finally looks at him to see the Alpha's reaction. "Sounds like good advice" he finally says softly and holds the smirk when he sees the other man's shock. "Well, I mean I'm not buying you a crown or anything, but the rest, yes she's right."

"You agree!?"

Derek takes his mate's hand and walks them back to the sofa and sits down carefully. He takes a few moments before deciding to answer. "Peter and I have talked. I have also talked with Satomi, Alpha Marshall, and Alpha Flores. They all had lots of advice. They knew that all of this, the business with the High Alphas, everything, was really about you. The fact that we are mates? They hope that means that werewolves will be safe here, maybe even have more influence in what happens. But more importantly? That finally, maybe, we can live lives without fear of hunters or other darkness. If that means they bow the head to you, they are willing to do so. But you didn't ask that. You gave them pride and respect. You allowed them to choose to elevate me."

Stiles frowned. "Wait. Are you saying it's all politics?"

Derek actually smiled. "Yes. Peter has been working things like you wouldn't believe. He is getting connections that we never could have managed by using your name. The other Alphas are too. Both Marshall and Flores' packs have had nearly a half dozen new members join. Not to mention the smaller packs wanting to relocate near them."

"But…but, I just, this all just happened!" Stiles protests.

"True. But word travels fast. Seers are getting visions, spirits are talking to mediums, all things are saying 'come to Beacon Hills. You will be safe.' And safe is something we haven't had in a long time."

Stiles is quiet thinking over Derek's words. "How many have reached out to Lydia's new system?"

Derek pauses to think. "Over a hundred."

Stiles gapes. "What?"

Derek nods. "We get nearly a dozen inquiries a day. And that's just the formal ones. Your friend Angela?" he asks and Stiles nods slowly "she's called twice about seeing magical creatures near the campus. Not everything is coming all the way here. Once they enter your territory, they feel it and start relaxing.

Stiles looks happy but then he frowns. "But eventually someone bad will come."

Derek nods. "They will. They can't stop themselves. Hunters, monsters, power hungry mages. Eventually they will test us. Test you. And when they do, we, I, will stand with you. No matter what decision you have to make."

"And Scott?" Stiles asks in a whisper.

"He will argue with you. Rage and scream and probably demand you do what he says. He's an alpha. A true alpha at that. He can't help it. He wants to be the leader. It's instinct. But he will understand. Eventually."

Stiles looks doubtful at that.

"Okay, maybe not understand. But he will accept it. Remember who he is dating? Allison is more like you than Scott. She is pragmatic. She will kill when she needs to, especially to protect the pack, Scott, and her dad. And you."

Stiles sighs and leans in and puts his head on his shoulders. "He's gonna cry" he says but Derek doesn't reply, just holds his mate. "He is going to be really mad at me when it happens." Stiles sighs again "but you're right. The responsibility is mine and I have to live with that. Doc Strange, Wong, and the masters all told me that. Lizzie and Arthur did too. If I don't, then others will make decisions for me and I don't think that's right either."

Derek agrees but Stiles doesn't need his words, just his support so he gives it. He is sure that by morning Stiles will give the twins permission to come to Beacon Hills. That doesn't mean that they won't have to speak and pledge loyalty to the High Alphas. And Derek also plans to make sure that both Peter and Lydia keep a close eye on them for a while as well. They were strong alphas, but neither one of them were up to deceiving his left hand and emissary, especially if they worked together.