Heartbeat // A Derek Hale Love Story (Teen Wolf)

Still Beautiful

Once I was sure the bathroom door was shut, I shimmed out of the pants and shirt, leaving them in a pile beside my dresser to deal with later. My bra and underwear had escaped unscathed, though, except for a dark splotch on the lace strap.

Whatever. It appeared no one was going to see my underwear anytime soon, anyway.

With a huff, I pulled out a clean pyjama set and tugged them on before flopping facedown on my bed. Where was Derek going to go? Where would he sleep? In my bed? Would I sleep on the floor? My eyes were already so, so heavy and it felt like there would never be enough energy in the world to sustain me. So I just stayed there, dreading the moment Derek emerged from the bathroom, forcing me to deal with things I did not have the energy to comprehend.

I stayed there until the door opened and Derek cleared his throat. I rolled over to face him, and my heart lurched.

He hadn't bothered with clothes other than the towel he had wrapped around his waist, his body glistening with water. Clean, not a spot of blood on him.

"Do you have anything I could wear?" he asked, grinning a bit as I was sure he noted my change in heartbeat. I certainly noticed. I noticed the way the water cut down the grooves of his pecs, his abs.... Fuck.

"Right..." I muttered, walking over to my closet. "I think I have some boxers you left here from a while ago. I don't know if I have much in the way of shirts," I added, fighting the urge to bite my lip. Derek breathed a chuckle as I fished out the dark underwear and chucked it at him.

"Too bad, huh?"

I ignored him and turned my back. I didn't know what I'd expected when we talked again, but this certainly wasn't it. I heard him wince as he changed, and then he said, "Nice job with the stitches."

I turned, relieved to see him dressed. Or maybe not. "Thanks."

"How did you find out about what happened?" Derek asked softly. Despite his tone, caution was written all over this movements when he approached me. "Did Stiles tell you?"

I shook my head. "No. I called him after I felt what happened to you."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, felt?"

"I don't know how this works, but this has happened twice now. Once when you were shot, and then again tonight." I sighed, sitting on the end of my bed. "I never even knew anything happened to you, but I woke up around the same time you were shot with this horrible pain in my arm. It didn't really go away until you apparently burned it out, or so Stiles said. Then tonight, I was in the barn when it felt like I'd been stabbed in the back by claws, so I called Stiles and he told me you were dead."

Derek stayed quiet through my explanation, only crossing his arms and listening.

"I somehow knew that it wasn't true, so I came to the school and brought you here," I finished. "I thought you were going to die or be paralysed. I was pretty much certain the Alpha had sliced through your spine, but either he missed or you've healed already." I scoffed and shook my head. "You're one lucky bastard to not be human. Any human would've been dead before they hit that wall," I muttered, shuddering at the image of the blood splattered against the brick wall of the school.

"I'm not sure you're human, either, Lillian," Derek said softly.

I snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Derek."

"I'm serious," he said, walking closer to me, pinning me with his stare. "I started thinking you might not be the night we broke up." My chest stung a bit at the mention of it. "You told me to 'Stay the hell away' from you. I was not about to let you walk away without hearing my side of things, but when I tried to follow you, I couldn't. I couldn't make even a move toward you. I was stuck there. Once you were gone, I could move again, but when I wanted to call you, I couldn't. It's like what you said was an absolute order I couldn't disobey."