You can read part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 (NSFW) here, part 6 here, and part 7 here.
Just like that, Stiles's heartbeat stopped. Derek stood frozen to where he was. The pack started peppering him with questions, but surely he had to be wrong. He frantically searched the hospital again for Stiles's heartbeat. He knew it so well, it usually wasn't a problem for him to pick out even far away. All the nights that he'd spent listening to it, it was second nature to him to find it.
But he couldn't.
Derek collapsed into a chair. Erica and Boyd quickly flanking him on either side. What could he even say? What could he even do? Derek looked up and saw the sheriff rushing in to the emergency room. At just that moment, Stiles's heartbeat resumed and Derek's eyes welled up, too relieved to do anything else.
The sheriff quickly spotted the group and rushed Derek, grabbing him by his collar.
"What the Hell happened?" the sheriff barked. "You said you'd keep him safe."
Derek let himself be lifted by the sheriff, what did he care? Stiles's heart was beating again, nothing else mattered. Besides, Derek thought roughly to himself, this was his fault.
***
It had been an awkward dinner at the Stilinski household. Despite Derek being only two years older than Stiles since Stiles had been held back a year at a young age, Sheriff Stilinski didn't approve. Maybe it wasn't the age thing. Maybe it was the werewolf thing. Or maybe it was the Derek wasn't good enough thing. Derek could understand why the sheriff was concerned, but he wasn't going to back off.
"Well, I'll go get started on dessert. You two just hang here and...chat," said Stiles excusing himself to go to the kitchen.
The sheriff watched him go and then went and got himself a bottle of whiskey. He held out the bottle to Derek to offer him some, but Derek shook his head, "Werewolves don't really get drunk."
"Hell, I'm not trying to get you drunk. Just trying to be friendly." The sheriff poured himself a healthy, if it can be called that, glass. "I really only got one question to ask ya."
Derek had expected more of an interrogation, so he simply nodded.
"Are you going to keep him safe?"
Derek blinked at him. It hadn't been what he'd been expecting to hear. He more expected a question about his intentions. "Sir?"
The sheriff took a sip of the whiskey. "I know what you all get into and I've accepted that I can't stop it. Trying to stop Stiles from doing something he believes in is, well, I'm sure you know."
Derek nodded, the smallest smile coming to his lips.
"But I want to know that you, as his boyfriend, are going to keep him safe. He's not--" the sheriff looked back towards the kitchen and saw Stiles running around to get the last few things ready, "--he' s not like you. He doesn't move as fast or heal like you, so I need you to promise me that you're going to keep him safe."
Derek made eye contact with the sheriff so he'd know he was serious, "I promise." And Derek meant it.
Stiles popped back in the room, holding a baked Alaska triumphantly.
"What did you two talk about?" asked Stiles, his face falling a bit when he saw the whiskey.
"Nothin' really," said the Sheriff. "Let's dig in."
***
That memory felt so fresh in Derek's mind as a stab of guilt ran through him. His mind briefly clicked something into place, "Do you think I did this?" Derek asked, half angry, half shocked.
The sheriff held onto his collar, rage behind his eyes.
"Do you think they'd be here if I did?"
The sheriff looked briefly at Erica and Boyd, who had stood up, but weren't interferring.
"Do you think Scott would be here?"
The sheriff whipped his head around to Scott, who was holding Allison's hand. He let go of Derek's collar. "I'm sorry, Derek."
Teen Wolf MTV (I don't own any of the characters)
Comments
Post a Comment