Just a Kid [Derek Hale]

Chapter Forty-Eight

The sound of a van shrieking made everyone look up and a prison transport van pulled into the parking lot. Hayley's lips tugged impressed by it whilst Stiles stared at it confused. Braeden was the one to climb out of it. "How'd you get a prison transport van?" Stiles asked.

"I'm a U.S Marshal," Braeden scoffed in reminder and Stiles nodded beginning to feel awkward by it. Hayley bit back her laugh and looked away from it before turning her attention back to Talia and Derek. She didn't want to think about the possibility that this was the last time she would see them together or the last time she would even see him at all.

"Yeah, I thought that was just a cover..."

"Are we really bringing him?" Derek asked as he looked over to Liam who was looking sheepish and scared.

"Are we really bringing him?" Stiles countered as he gestured over to Peter who rolled his eyes. It was true, none of them was particularly happy about bringing those two people.

"We're bringing everyone that we can. And, considering Scott and Kira were taken the night before a full moon, we should probably get going," Peter reminded and Malia frowned as she looked to him confused.

"What's that mean?"

"If Kate took Scott back to the same temple that she took Derek, how do we know she's not planning to do the same thing to him?"

"What, she wants to make him younger?" Liam asked none of them understood why she'd want to make Scott younger.

"Or take him back to when he wasn't a Werewolf..." Derek offered since he was in the same position.

"A Werewolf can't steal a True Alpha's power. But, maybe a Nagual Jaguar with the power of Tezcatlipoca behind her...? Maybe she can." Peter pointed out and Hayley narrowed her eyes. She still didn't get why he was so interested in going since he didn't bother helping out with any other issue that they'd had even if someone's life was in danger, "So, if everyone is sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going..."

"We can't," Stiles cut in and everyone looked to him confused, "not without Lydia."

"What's she doing at the school, anyway?" Derek asked.

"We got Kira's sword, but we need something with a stronger scent. Lydia went to get a jacket out of her locker," Malia explained and Hayley sighed as she stepped closer to Derek knowing they were going to be leaving soon. He had his eyes focused on Talia knowing full well that if there was another problem then Stiles or Peter would probably sort it.

Stiles turned to ring her and Hayley inched close enough so that she could press the side of her head against Derek's arm, "you better be coming home," she muttered low enough so that only he and any werewolf listening in could hear.

"I can only try," he returned and she glared at him. Now was not the time for him to finally learn his lesson about the fact that he wasn't invincible.

"Nothing..." Stiles called out and they turned their focus onto him as he walked back to them.

"If she has a car, she can catch up to us," Braeden said wanting to get them all moving before the full moon came along.

"That's a good point. We'll call her from the road."

"No, what if something happened? What if she's in trouble?" Stiles asked looking between them. Hayley sighed as she looked at him.

"Fine. You stay-- you find her. We're going on without you," Peter urged.

"I could call Mason." Liam offered as he looked over to Stiles and the said boy glanced at the beta questioningly. He knew that Mason didn't know about the supernatural world yet, "He has a study group at the school. Maybe he could look for her?" He offered and Stiles sighed before nodding.

"All right. Fine," he urged before turning to look at Malia, "I need to be back there with Derek and Liam-- I've got some experience dealing with out-of-control teen wolves. You gonna be okay riding with Peter?"

"He is my father. Maybe we could do some bonding."

"No. No bonding. Play the radio. Play it loud." Stiles urged and Peter called out to them just as Derek pressed a long chaste kiss to his daughters head.

"Remember what we're dealing with-- it's not just Kate, it's Berserkers. You might see human eyes behind those skulls... Do not assume there's any humanity left. Oh... This little one is terrified of them, aren't you?" He asked looking over to Liam who looked down in shame, "Don't worry, my friend. It is that fear that will keep you alive. A reminder to everyone? You do not fight Berserkers to survive-- you fight to kill."

Derek then passed Talia to Hayley who sighed pressing her lips together, "if you die I'm not going to forgive you," she reminded and he nodded a small smile on his face as he remembered the first time she'd used those words. It was right before he went to try and trap or secretly kill Jackson.

"I'm sure you'll find some way to irritate me in death, don't worry," he mused reiterating the same words he had said the first time and she rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile which formed on her face. "I'll bring Scott home," he finalised before getting into the van and as the door shut so did her heart.

Looking down at Talia, a sad smile formed on her face as she saw all of Derek in her, "if he dies you're gonna have to help mommy drag him back from hell," she mused, "mhm, mommy's already reserved his death so that I'm the one doing it," she added on as she trailed back to the upstairs loft.

It was hard enjoying your time with someone when your mind is constantly on someone else. She was the one trying to put the cube in the section for the 3D squished cylinder that she was supposed to convince her daughter was a circle until she was old enough to understand the difference between 3D and 2D shapes.

Would she even know if he was dead? Would they tell her when it happened or when they came back without his body? If he did die would they leave his body where he was slaughtered or would they bring him home? Would it be from one of the boned creatures or from Kate or from bullets? There were so many questions to be asked and none of them would get answered until it happened which hopefully it wouldn't.

She didn't sleep that night. Instead, she spent the entire time walking around like a mindless zombie reading, writing, jumping around, doing stupid exercise videos she found on the internet or cleaning. Her eyes were sunken in and shaded with under-eye circles and they were slightly red but she couldn't even think about sleeping yet. Not until she knew what was going to happen with Derek. Not until someone picked up their phone and told her what was happening.

She didn't even know what was going on with Scott.

Hearing the sound of the loft door opening, Hayley quickly stepped away from the sink using a kitchen towel to dry her hands as she walked into the centre of it hoping to find Derek stood there looking as tired as he usually did when he came home from a battle. She did not. Instead, a large black fur-coated wolf was stood in the middle and her heart fell into her stomach.

"Oh my god...." she trailed off her voice a deep whisper stepping back slightly, "good...wolfy?" She questioned not knowing what to say. How had a wolf even got into the loft? How had he used his tiny paws to press all of the buttons? The wolf began to stalk forward and she stepped back slowly trying to avoid it. Before she could even blink, the wolf leapt forward knocking her to the floor and she fell down with a groan closing her eyes in preparation for her death.

The wolf felt a lot heavier than a normal wolf.

It wasn't fangs which touched her face but instead a hand. Not a paw but a hand. Peaking her eye open her brows furrowed as she saw it was Derek. "Oh, you... ass!" She growled batting at his head and knocking him off her. He began to laugh as she pushed herself up to a stand, "what the hell was that?!" She snapped not even focusing on the fact he was stood butt naked in the middle of the loft. Eventually, though she began to laugh she cleared her throat afterwards, "seriously though what was that?"

"I wasn't dying. I was evolving," he explained.

She raised her brow confused, "you mean we went through all of those emotions. All of that stress... all of that unnecessary novel cute crap.... so you can turn into a dog?" She asked, completely unimpressed as she crossed her arms and he rolled his eyes.

"Come on," he droned, "let's get out of here."

"That's a plan....but first you're going to have to put some clothes on."