willow | d. hale [on hold]

41 | coffee table

clearly, you and stiles are spending more time together again because that's a horrible idea.

[ 4.03 ]

A pair of heavy, leather boots were propped on the table in Derek's loft. Peter eyed the mercenary, annoyed by her carefree persona.

"That table's Italian," Peter told her, narrowing his eyes.

Braeden shrugged. "So are these boots."

"And they cost more than the table," Willow chimed in, admiring the nice shoes.

Willow sat in between the two Hale boys on the couch in Derek's loft. They were meeting with Braeden to try and find out what happened to Peter's money. The woman was sitting across from them in a chair, with her feet propped on the table.

The only one that was welcoming was Willow, who was only there until it was time to leave for school. Peter was busy making snarky remarks about Braeden while Derek flat-out ignored them for the most part. He had his sunglasses in hand and was staring at the reflection of his eyes in them.

Willow comfortingly squeezed his arm, knowing what he was thinking about. Shortly after returning to his normal age, Derek realized that his werewolf eyes weren't blue anymore. They were yellow. And that alone terrified him, which was why he arranged for Peter and Braeden to meet and discuss finding Kate.

"Are we going to talk interior design and fashion, or are we going to talk numbers?" Braeden asked, raising an eyebrow.

Braeden and Peter began a dance of sorts. Willow watched as Peter wrote a number down on a piece of paper and slide it across said Italian table. Braeden immediately crossed it out and wrote her own price. When Peter saw it, he scoffed and shook his head, appalled by how high it was.

"We're hiring you to find Kate, not assassinate the president," Peter snapped at her. He scribbled out the number — Willow didn't catch a good look at it, but she could tell that it was at least seven digits long.

Yet again, Braeden was unimpressed with Peter's offer and wrote down another extravagantly high figure. "I was hired by the Calaveras to find Kate. You're hiring me to find her first. Going against the Calaveras is what's going to cost you."

Before Peter and Braeden could begin bickering, Derek snatched the piece of paper and ripped it in half impatiently. "We'll pay. Just find Kate. That's all we want."

With confirmation that she would be getting her money, Braeden set out to try and find some leads. Peter was seething as he slammed the door shut behind her.

"Are you insane?" Peter asked, turning to glare at Derek.

"We don't have a choice," Derek muttered. He placed his hands on the table by the window, deep in thought. "We spent a week looking for her and came up with nothing."