Derek Hale Imagines

To Be Anyone

You've heard much talk of Beacon Hills over the years. It's on the tip of everyone's tongue these days– or, everyone to do with the supernatural, that is. You swear that every pack whose path you cross has a story to tell about the True Alpha they've got running around back there, or how the hunters in that town have this fervent wish to kill every last wolf they meet. There isn't a single eye that glows that hasn't wished to see the place, not a single fang that tears that hasn't wished to eat the power of that place whole.

Now, you get to join one of those numbers and visit Beacon Hills yourself. Unlike most of them, you aren't an unwelcome visitor hoping to take over the town and its supernatural strength but a friend invited here for a reason. Scott McCall needs help, and that means you'll be dropping by.

You met the kid a few years back by accident. He was trying to find a way to save one of his friends from certain death, something about possession by an ancient spirit. By chance, Scott heard your name through the miles of supernatural grapevines, and he gave you a call. You were only able to give Scott so much, but he remembered the favor and paid it back within a few months.

In a life like this, it's nice to have a friend on call for when you could use an extra army watching your back. So, when Scott calls late one night and says he needs you in person this time, you just pack your bags and ask him to prepare a room somewhere in town. Nothing more needs to be said.

It's not like you've got that many people waiting on you, anyway. You lost your pack a while back, barely a few years after you received the bite in the first place. It was a slow, gradual decline, one gone here and one there until you looked around one day and realized you were totally alone. It's a lonely existence, but at least you get to stay alive. You've come to realize that's a blessing not everyone gets to enjoy, breathing and walking and living in the moment instead of six feet under.

Your headlights shine on the road in front of you, tracing out a path in the endless curve of streets and alleys. You turned off from the highway a while ago, and now you're just counting street signs until you reach the town.

At last, there it is, illuminated in the steady glow of your high beams: a proud sign welcoming you to Beacon Hills. You swear you can feel the sheer power of this town the second you cross the barrier, like walking through a waterfall. No wonder everyone's obsessed with this town, it's as if you've been connected to a massive supernatural battery every second you stay here.

You glance at the directions still up on your phone. Scott wants to make sure no one suspects your arrival as having to do with him or the pack, so he's elected to keep you away from the unprotected hotels and motels that litter the town. Instead, you'll be staying with a friend of his, a young man named Derek Hale.

Scott had given you a warning through a dry laugh on the phone as you were driving down. Apparently Derek's a little bit of an acquired taste. He lost his pack too, Scott says, maybe that'll get you a bit warmer of a welcome than most. Still, you're not supposed to expect a whole lot.

That's perfectly fine on your end. You're only stopping by to help Scott sort out another problem, and then you'll be shipping back home once everything has cleared up. You don't have to like your temporary roommate, just be sure that he's not going to try to kill you like everyone else.

You left the moment Scott called, and it's still late at night, the hour creeping closer and closer towards midnight. It makes you regret how loudly your knock echoes on the door of Derek Hale's apartment, and you wonder if he'll hate you even more for waking him up.

Instead, the young man who greets you doesn't seem remotely interrupted. He nods brusquely at you, glancing at the hall behind out of habit before gesturing for you to come inside.