Fear, Love and Snow

Chapter 10

Within an hour, after stopping off at their own houses to put on warmer, more winter style clothing that are also easier to move in, Derek and Scott are walking into the animal clinic, both to be relieved to escape the freezing wind and the snow that's almost blinding. The walk from their vehicles to the clinic wasn't very far, but it was enough to make them shiver in their warm clothes and shield their eyes from the snow. The bell rings above the door as the two of them enter. Deaton appears to be just behind the counter, staring out the window at the unusual weather with a very concerned expression on his face.

"Deaton? We need your help." Scott announces breathlessly, rushing towards the counter, Derek following up behind him. Deaton turns to look at them with a solemn expression.

"I thought as much. Follow me." Deaton says before turning around and walking towards the back room, Scott and Derek following behind him.

"What's going on, Deaton? How did Stiles just cause an early winter like this?" Derek asks, getting straight down to business. Deaton sighs, looking tired. In this moment, Deaton shows his age and experience with the supernatural world and Scott can see why he wanted to go into retirement, trying to mainly be a veterinarian.

"How do we help him?" Scott asks urgently, stepping forward, still very worried about his best friend. Scott's heart aches at the thought of being the cause of Stiles losing control before. He still has that glove in his back pocket. Scott just thought that Stiles had a weird thing about dirt or germs, and didn't think that taking the glove would be a massive deal, but clearly it was. The whole town might shun him now for his powers, which is not fair, especially since Scott pushed him too far. Scott will have to show the town that Stiles isn't dangerous and that he isn't a monster. Scott doesn't know why he kept the glove, but perhaps it might give him a help in finding a Stiles' scent, if they need it.

"Look, to know how to help him, you have to understand what happened." Deaton begins to explain and looks at the stripe of white hair that Scott has, which makes him a little uncomfortable and tries to tuck the lock under other hair, hiding it from view.

"So... What happened?" Derek asks bluntly.

"Stiles wasn't always afraid of his powers. When he was little, he loved his powers and he was great at controlling them. He was such a playful, mischievous and innocent boy." Deaton explains with a soft smile on his face.

"But that all changed one night. In that one night, he became terrified of himself and what he could do. He wanted to have a way of concealing and suppressing his powers, which I helped him with, but I did warn Stiles that his powers would inevitably come back, much stronger than they were when he was eight, and as this sudden wintry storm proves, I was right." Deaton sighs sadly, looking down at the ground, feeling like he failed Stiles. He should've helped him better.

"What happened?" Scott frowns. Deaton looks back up at Scott with a serious expression.

"Tell me. How did you get that piece of white hair? It's rather peculiar, isn't it?" Deaton asks Scott, making him feel self conscious. "Uh... I think I've always had it as long as I can remember... Mom says it must be some genetic thing from my dad's side." Scott answers, not sure why this is important.

"Well, that's not the truth, Scott. You haven't always had that white lock of hair. You got it when you were eight." Deaton replies solemnly. Scott's heart stops for a moment and his stomach feels like it sinks into the floor as he tries to process this news.

"What? Why? How? Why wouldn't I remember it? Is this some kind of joke?" Scott asks in denial, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It's not a joke, Scott. To understand why Stiles is so afraid and probably decided to run away tonight, you have to understand the truth behind your hair." Deaton sighs, staring at Scott seriously.