A few days had passed since Derek's arrest. Bella was actually pleased to be at the Stilinski house. She had felt truly welcomed in the sheriff's house. Bella's gotten to know Stiles quite well and even got to meet Scott McCall, who was surprised that Derek even had a cousin.
"We thought that he was living in the Hale house?" Scott asked
"Well, I had been living in an apartment with Laura for the last six years so I haven't been anywhere near the Hale house since the fire. If Derek had been staying there this whole time, then it would be news to me."
It was now Saturday. Bella managed to sleep in that morning. Stiles had mentioned a lacrosse game that was happening that night so he and Scott would be gone later, which meant that she would be alone in the house.
Bella wanted to go see her father today and had asked Sheriff Stilinski if she could go. It was then that she had received some unexpected news. Derek had been released and the body was positively identified as Laura. Bella got all emotional as if she was just hearing the news of Laura's body for the first time.
The sheriff had asked what she wanted to do.
Bella replied "I'd like to try and go home."
And she did. She promised that she would keep in contact with the sheriff if anything happens or if she needed anything.
Bella got to the loft and was surprised to find Derek standing in the middle of the room.
"Oh, hey Derek. How was jail?"
"You don't have to sound so sarcastic about it."
"Well, you were found near Laura's body while hiding out in the old Hale House. Stupid move on your part"
Before Derek could say anything, Bella continued
"Oh yes, I know all about you staying there when you should've been staying here. Why would you ever go back to that place?"
Derek shrugged "Just felt right."
"Hmmm, sure. Did you at least think about what you did while locked up?"
"What I did? What I did was come back here after years to find Laura, only to find she is dead and now I have to find out what happened. I've spent day and night trying to figure it out!"
"That and the fact that you refuse to step up to the parental guardian role after Laura died. You've left me alone for days!"
"It was better that way."
"For who? You or me?"
"You are human! If you were seen with me, someone would seriously hurt or kill you, not knowing that you are completely human. They would mistake you for a wolf. And I would have nothing but to blame myself if something ever happened to you. Why do you think I stay away? It's because I care, Bella. I may not show it but I do. You are family and we look out for each other."
Derek's words had stunned Bella. She should've realized that she could be a target. Bella sat down on the couch and took in what Derek had said.
"What I am doing, is not because I hate you. It's not that. You are my cousin and I will always love you. Your safety is now my priority. And I am sorry if the way I had been doing things has made you think that I had abandoned you."
Before Bella could speak, Derek shushed her "Let me speak. Yes, I was gone for six years and I shouldn't have been. Laura wanted to stay in Beacon Hills with you so you can be near Peter. I didn't want to be anywhere in Beacon Hills so I left and never looked back. Until now."
Silence filled the air. Tears filled Bella's eyes. "I should have known."
"It was easier to think I left you alone than having you know what I was up to."
Bella looked up at Derek "Well, it worked"
"I'm sorry. It was the wrong choice."
"Damn right it was."
"I'm gonna try a little more, alright? Give me another chance?"
Bella sighed after thinking about it for a moment "Alright. I am holding you to that."
Derek wrapped his arm around Bella "It's gonna be alright, kid."
The rest of the weekend went by quickly. Bella had informed Derek of where she had spent the week since she couldn't live by herself. Derek was stunned to know that the sheriff had opened his home to her and that she had met Scott and Stiles.
When Bella got to school on Monday, she heard that there had been an animal attack over at the high school the night before. Apparently, one of the school buses was torn apart and there was blood all over.
It had to be a werewolf, Bella thought
After dinner that night, Bella texted Derek, asking where he was. Derek replied that he was with Scott.
When Bella was at school the next morning, she had gotten a text from Scott during passing time saying that Derek had been shot and that she had to meet them at some animal clinic in town. Without hesitation, she ran out of the school and made her way to this clinic.
She eventually got to the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic and rushed inside. She ran inside where she heard Stiles and Derek talking in the back room.
"Once the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me." Derek had said. Derek then said that as a last resort, he was gonna have Stiles cut his arm off. That's when Bella burst into the room.
A whimper escaped her mouth as she saw how bad Derek was hurt
"What are you doing here?!" Derek angrily asked
"Scott called. You were shot!" Bella cried as she rushed to Derek's side.
"We're running out of time" said Derek
Derek grabbed the blue rubber band and wrapped it around his arm, just above where the infection ended. Derek slid the saw over to Stiles. Stiles started to complain and stall for time. Derek threatened him before grabbing his shirt and yanking Stiles towards him. Derek started to heave and throw up a pool of black blood next to the table as Stiles got the saw ready and in position.
"Go wait outside!" Stiles told Bella and she did, not wanting to watch.
Scott finally arrived with the bullet that was used to shoot Derek. Scott had handed it to Derek but collapsed. Stiles leaned over Derek and began punching Derek in the face to try and wake him up. Scott got the bullet and Derek woke in a daze but couldn't move much.
Derek bit the top off the bullet, pouring the contents on the table and lighting it on fire. It sparked, making Scott and Stiles recoil, before a blue smoke started rising from it.
Derek scooped the power into his hands and slapped the ashes onto his wound and shoved most of it in the bullet hole as Derek started to scream. Upon his screams, Bella burst back into the room and watched in agony.
It smoked even more and the wound glowed a bright blue and Derek screamed some more. Before long, the ashes did their job and Derek's wound healed or nothing.
"Are you okay?" Scott asked Derek
"Well, except for the agonizing pain Derek replied sarcastically.
Scott had told Derek to leave him alone and if he didn't, he would turn him into the Argents.
"You're gonna trust them? You think they can help you?"
"Why not? They're a lot freaking nicer than you are." Scott said
"Yeah, I can show you how nice they are" Derek said
Bella looked at Derek "Derek, is this the same Argent that...?"
Derek nods
"What do you mean? Scott asks
Scott, Derek and Bella piled into Derek's car and took off towards Beacons Crossing Home. Derek and Bella got out of the car, ignoring Scott behind them. Bella rushed ahead of both of them and went into her father's room. Scott and Derek came in behind her as she crouched in front of Peter in his wheelchair and grabbed his left hand lightly.
Derek stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder in comfort as he and Scott looked at the man in the wheelchair.
"Who is he?" Scott asked
"My uncle. Bella's father, Peter Hale." Derek replied stiffly
"Is he...like you? A werewolf?"
"He was. Now he's barely even human. Six years ago, my sister and I were at school. Our house caught fire. Eleven people were trapped inside. He and Bella were the only survivors." Derek said as tears began to fall from Bella's face.
"So, what makes you so sure that they set the fire?" Scott asked
Derek scoffed "Because they were the only ones who knew about us."
"Then, they had a reason." Scott said
Bella turned to glare at Scott as Derek said "Like what? You tell me what justifies this!" Derek turned Peter around to show his burned side. Scott looked shocked as Derek continued "They say they'll only kill and adult and only with absolute proof. But there were people in our family that were perfectly ordinary in that fire. This is what they do! And it's what Allison will do!"
"What are you doing? How did you get in here?" A nurse asked
"We were just leaving." Derek said as he left, pulling Scott with him. Bella stood up slowly and gazed at her father once more before following Derek and Scott out.