Fate is truly a mysterious mistress. You have no idea where she will take you or what she has in store for you. She has a plan for everyone, an inescapable journey that she assigns everyone when they are born.
At least, that's what Grandma Stilinski always used to say. Stiles was starting to think that crazy old woman was messing with him.
There was no way fate had planned this all out, absolutely no way. No one could have possibly thought Stiles "The Hyperactive Nutcase" Stilinski would ever knock out Lydia "Queen of All Mortal Souls" Martin. No one would have thought he would even have the nerve to do such a thing (he used to have a crush on her, for Spiderman's sake).
But before Stiles could continue pondering just how insane his life had become, he was suddenly brought back to reality.
Lydia was slowly coming to; her eyes were starting to open.
Luckily, Stiles had hit just hard enough that the blow would knock her out, but she wouldn't be in too much pain.
She flinched as the light of the sun hit her eyes, but she still sat up from the bed she was on. Her eyes widened when she realized the foreign situation she was in.
"Hi Lydia," Stiles greeted waving enthusiastically at her, sitting across the room from where she was on the bed.
"Stilinski? What?" Lydia stared at him obliviously, not understanding what was going on before her memory came back.
"Okay, I know this looks bad," Stiles held his hands up defensively. She looked as if she was going to pounce him any second, and not in a good way. "But to be fair you didn't give us much of a choice but to kidnap you."
"You hit me in the head with a fire extinguisher." Lydia growled sitting up from the bed and towering over Stiles from where he was sitting in his chair.
Stiles chuckled nervously. "Well, when you put it like that you make it seem like we did something wrong."
Lydia folded her arms and stared down at Stiles like he was a mere stepping stone to her (despite what Stiles would tell you, this was different from the look she gave him before today). She looked as if she was in complete control of the situation, even though she had no idea what was going on.
"Alright, alright!" Stiles held his hands up in defeat. "We're complete and total assholes who should be locked up, but before you call the cops would you at least-"
Stiles was lucky enough to slide out of his chair just in time as Lydia took a swing at him. His eyes widened as he saw her take a trained stance before charging at him.
He wasn't fast enough this time to dodge her, in a few easy moves Lydia had his face pressed against the wall with his wrist behind his back.
"A couple of months ago I would have been so turned on by this." Stiles mused, wincing as he felt her twist his arm harder than she already was.
"Caught you by surprise didn't I?" Lydia sounded all too pleased with herself. "I really have to thank my father for making me take those self-defense classes."
"Self-defense classes?" Stiles repeated titling head back so he could look at her. "You wouldn't have happened to have gone to that place next to the mall. Crowns, I think it's called?"
Carefully, Stiles maneuvered his foot so it was behind Lydia's feet.
"Well, obviously, that's the only place in town that teaches self-defense." Lydia answered humoring him for some reason.
"Oh." Stiles nodded in acknowledgement. He sent a smile Lydia's way. "Crowns is pretty nice, it would be the best place to learn self-defense in town..."
Stiles kicked the back of her knee causing the red headed girl to stumble forward. With the shock of the attack Lydia's grip loosened accidentally, this gave Stiles the opportunity to make the switch and grip her wrist the same way she did with his. Bringing her wrist to her back, Stiles pushed her onto the bed again.
"...If it weren't for my dad's self-defense classes." Stiles grinned as he wiped off his hands as if they were dirty.
It was then that Scott appeared into his own room, he stopped though as he took in the scene before him.
"Sometimes you have the best timing, buddy," Stiles told his friend before pointing over at Lydia. "Show her."
Scott looked between Stiles and Lydia worriedly.
"Right now? Are you sure?" Scott asked hesitantly.
Stiles rolled his eyes skyward. "We talked about this not ten minutes ago, Scott. Let's just get this over with."
Lydia stood up as if she was going to say something but froze. Before her very eyes Scott morphed into his werewolf form.
With his face an inhuman shape, his hands now claws, and his eyes piercing into her skull, he greeted her.
"Hi, Lydia," Scott gave her his best fanged grin.
Silently, Lydia flopped down on the bed. The shock had made her unresponsive for the next couple minutes, her brain slowly taking in the very real scene before her
Stiles walked over to the bed sitting right next to her. Allison, who had been standing in the door way, also sat down next to her friend on the opposite side of her.
"You ready to hear us out now?" Stiles asked gently.
Lydia chuckled humorlessly shaking her head in defeat.
"Sure, why not?" Lydia proclaimed lowly.
The three of them then told Lydia everything they went through ever since Scott became a werewolf. They made sure not to leave out any details in order to make sure she understood everything.
Then they informed her of the things that had been happening recently, from Derek's new pack to Jackson's becoming the Kanima, and even her own situation.
"So let me see if I have this right. I was possessed by a dead werewolf that wanted to use me to resurrect himself so he could come back to life and become an Alpha werewolf again?" Lydia said with a raised eyebrow.
Scott shrugged with an amused smile on his face. "Pretty much."
"This town is too crazy for me." Lydia sighed, fiddling with her hair aimlessly.
"You have no idea." Allison reassured her with a chuckle.
Of course Lydia, being the fast thinking girl that she is, knew that there was more to what they were saying to her.
"What are you all getting from telling me all this?" Lydia asked with narrowed eyes. "All of you could have just kept me in the dark and I couldn't have done anything about it."
Stiles wonders if he should be feeling annoyed that she was easily able to see through his plan but he wasn't. Instead he felt happy, they needed a sharp thinker in the group and he couldn't think of a better choice than Lydia.
"What we want is for you to join us." Stiles admitted. He thought it was better for them to be upfront with her from now, no sense hiding anything now. "You can help us and we can protect you."
"From what?" Lydia asked cautiously her eyes narrowed. "Peter's gone for good, right? What else do I have to worry about?"
"The only reason Peter was able to hide himself inside you was because his biting you didn't work." Stiles explained carefully. "You're immune to the bite. That's a problem, Lydia."
"It makes your scent stick out like a sore thumb," Scott added, "I could smell you in the parking lot this morning without even trying."
"Common fact: it's never good to stand out to the supernatural," Allison piped in, "you'll make them curious and when you make them curious..."
"You become their meal." Lydia finished breathing a heavy sigh. She turned to Stiles and gave the hyperactive teen a skeptical look.
"So what happens now?" Lydia asked seemingly coming to grips about the existence of the supernatural.
Stiles gave her comforting smile as he clasped his hands together. "Well, you can join up with us now. You'll train with us, fight with us, and always have us to give you support."
"Great." Lydia said sarcastically smiling all the while. "So we're going to have a pack just like Hale's."
Stiles grinded his teeth together in annoyance. He can't snap at her, it's better not to alienate new team members.
"If you want to call it that," Stiles had to restrain himself from killing Scott. He wasn't even trying to hold in his snickering.
"So, what do you say?" Stiles said hopefully, staring at her pleadingly. "Will you join us?"
Lydia thought to herself for a moment, not showing any emotion on her face and not looking at any of them.
The other three waited with bated breath, feeling as if they were going to explode from the delay.
Lydia, feeling that they have suffered enough, finally gave them all a break.
"Fine, I'll grace your pack with my presence." Lydia told them all with a smirk.
Stiles, feeling so ridiculously excited, tackled her into a hug. He would have held her longer than he did if not for the deathly glare she gave him.
"Okay, so," Stiles cleared his throat as he fought the urge to bury his head in the sand, "who's up for lunch?"
Scott groaned standing up from his seat. "My mom is going to kill you, Stiles. You know she was saving that shrimp for tonight."
"Please," Stiles snorted, "your mom loves my cooking and there's enough in there to last her today and tomorrow night."
"You're going to love this." Stile turned to Lydia once Scott had left to get the food.
"Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're a pasta eater, right?" Stiles guessed.
Lydia shrugged in response. "I'm not adverse to it."
"I knew it!" Stiles grinned. "You don't look like the type for big meals but still love to fill yourself up. Well, I got the just meal for you!"
Scott came back in the room with a tray of four bowls. They were piping hot and filled to the brim.
"Shrimp pasta!" Stiles loudly proclaimed. "It's my favorite pasta and it's about to be to yours too."
Lydia rolled her eyes but took a bowl and a fork anyway. Daintily, she took a single bit of shrimp, rolled it in with some noodles, and then finally took a bit.
A grin lit up Stile's entire face; he knew the dazed look Lydia was portraying right now. It was the look of someone that had the best meal of their life.
"Mm, first the cupcake milkshake and now this," Allison pointed down at her bowl of pasta and enjoying her meal as well. "I'm going to start eating at your house from now on."
"Don't disown your parents for simple meals Allison; this is only the beginning," Stiles rubbed his hands evilly, "only the beginning."
And then, like when Scott and Allison officially decided to help him out, Stiles felt some weight leave his shoulders.
...
While driving over to Derek's hideout, Stiles felt himself becoming nervous despite himself.
He should feel relaxed, it's not like he's going to meet with people he's never met before. It's just Derek and his three stooges (he's blatantly ignoring the fact they all could tear him apart like tissue paper).
This was going to be Stiles' first meeting as leader of his group; he's going to be representing not only himself but his friends as well. He's never had that kind of responsibility before. Stiles has always represented himself and only himself; he's never had the burden of leading others. Even when he and Scott were just a duo, Stiles still spoke for himself and never his friend.
Let's not forget to mention that now he actually has to watch what he says and does in front of others, which irritates Stiles to no end. One of the biggest things Stiles loved is showing off how much of a fuck he didn't give about what people thought of him. He'll have to cast that independent side of him away while doing meetings and treaties, which wasn't going to be easy.
"Stiles, your hearts rate is really picking up," Scott told him in concern from his place in the back seat beside Allison, "are you alright?"
Stiles looked in the rearview mirror and gave his friend a reassuring look. "I'm fine, don't worry about me."
"You're nervous about the meeting." Lydia said with a chuckle while not taking her eyes off the road. "I honestly should be more nervous than you."
"You have nothing to be nervous about." Stiles told her confidently his anxiousness leaving him temporarily.
Lydia gazed at him from her side. "It's just that Hale and his pack don't know me at all, they might see me as a threat."
"Don't worry about anything Lydia." Stiles said with more authority in his voice. "They won't be coming anywhere near you. I'll make sure of that."
"We'll make sure of that," Allison added sending a confident smile her friend's way, one that was returned reluctantly.
They arrived at Derek's hideout a little early than expected, which Stiles liked. Punctuality is a good sign of a serious attitude, and they all had their serious faces on today.
"Wow, what a great place," Lydia quipped, folding her arms and staring up at the building. "It's feels really...appropriate."
"You got that right, sister," Stiles said, stretching as he got out of the car.
Scott, Allison, and Lydia went to enter the building. However, they were stopped by Stiles, who moved to stand in front of them
"Listen, I want you guys to be smart in there," Stiles advised. "I don't want any of you fighting anybody. You got that? Control yourselves."
He gave Scott a pointed look to which he nodded in agreement to.
"Scott, Allison, you know how they are. You know they're going to spout out some smart ass remarks the entire time. Just ignore them and focus on the big picture." Stiles lectured his arms behind his back in a commanding stance. "And Lydia, I don't think I have to tell you to not pay attention to what they say."
Lydia waved him off. "I've been ignoring people lesser than me for years. Those losers barely even register on my radar."
Stiles smiled at her pleased before he walked over and gave her a small metal box.
"It's wolfs bane wrapped in foil inside," Stiles said, answering Lydia's question before she could ask. "The metal and the foil are so they can't smell it. If you feel that your life is in danger, don't you hesitate to pull it out, understand?"
Lydia searched Stiles eyes for a moment, analyzing him in her own special way. Finally, she nodded silently.
"Good," Stiles said, before walking ahead, his teammates right behind. He clenched his binders tightly to his body.
If possible, the inside of the building looked even worse than the outside of building. It was a complete and total mess. There were cob webs everywhere, dirt and other unmentionable things on the walls, and dust in the air.
"This is disgusting." Stiles heard Lydia say under her breath.
Of course, right in the middle of the warehouse sat Derek and his three pack members all sitting down in chairs waiting for them patiently. Well, two of them were waiting patiently.
"Finally, you showed up." Erica scoffed, already looking angry.
Stiles rolled his eyes. "Shut up Erica, we're early."
Stiles looked in front of his team and saw that they only had three chairs out.
"I didn't think a third would be with you." Derek said as if it was really that important.
Stiles shrugged and gestured for the three of them to sit. He didn't mind standing.
He was surprised when he saw Derek get up and slide his chair over to him. He would have protested, but the glare he received told him to just smile and nod.
"Thank you Derek, you're such a gentlewolf," Stiles snickered as the glare on him got more heated.
"So," Stiles began mildly staring at the Alpha werewolf. "You're not going offer us any refreshments. No snacks?"
"Sure, there's a puddle of water forming in the back of the warehouse. Feel free to help yourself." Derek replied dryly.
Stiles let out a small laugh, his nervousness now starting to fade away completely. He always felt comfortable when he and Derek bantered with each other
"Derek, we never talk anymore. How's your day been?" Stiles asked half joking and half curious at the same time.
"How it always is when I'm training my pack, frustrating." Derek grumbled as his answer.
Stiles gave the wolf a mock sympathetic look. "Aw, don't say that. You know they're just learning. You have to be patient."
"I don't have time for patience." Derek huffed, folding his arm under his chest.
"Because patients are for doctors?" Stiles chirped, laughing a little at his own joke.
Derek stared at him exasperatedly.
"My jokes are funny and you know it," Stiles snapped, although not at all angry.
"To you and only you," Derek replied smartly, raising an eyebrow at him.
Stiles would have said something else in response but the sound of Lydia's voice stopped him.
"Are these two always like this?" Lydia asked to either Scott or Allison.
"You have no idea." Stiles heard Scott answer.
Feeling embarrassed for both himself and Derek, Stiles cleared his throat and opened up his folders.
"So, uh, what should we discuss first?" Stiles asked, trying not to blush as he looked over at Derek again.
"Let's get your idiotic treaty over with first." Derek told him.
"Fine," Stiles said ignoring the idiotic part. "I just want to make sure some things are clear."
The hyperactive teen gestured to his three friends. "These three are completely off limits to your pack. That means no attacking, tricking, and definitely no more pointless flirting."
Stiles looked at Erica specifically, who just rolled her eyes in response.
"Agreed," Derek said simply. He already looked bored with this talk.
"These rules also apply for Danny and Jackson." Stiles added almost as an afterthought. He ignored the look Lydia was giving the back of his head. He hadn't had the time to fully explain his plan to her before the meeting. He'd be sure to do it tomorrow.
"If you can get them in the pack," Derek told him sternly. "There's no guarantee they'll join you."
"Fine, if they join us they'll be under the same rules as us," Stile conceded not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. Derek was agreeing with him and that's all that mattered.
"Is that all?" When Stiles nodded, Derek let a small breath. "Good, then let's move on to the new creature in town."
Stiles agreed, walking over to give Derek a duplicate binder of all his research on the creature. However, as soon as he handed the folder to Derek, he unfortunately heard Erica's voice.
"Calm down, Miss. Perfect. If we were going to do anything to you or to him we have done so long ago." Erica announced with a sneer.
"Oh please, from what I've heard we don't have to worry about you doing anything, ever." Lydia replied smartly.
Erica's eyes lit up with anger. She stood up as if to attack, Boyd and Isaac missing her due to her getting up to fast.
She stopped right in her tracks though as a bullet grazed her cheek. Slowly, she turned her head in the direction of the shot.
Stiles gazed at her with steely eyes, his gun still pointed at her and his finger on the trigger of his father's spare hand gun that he always kept at home.
"I forgot mention to all you, don't try and assert your dominance on the humans, were armed and prepared to defend ourselves." Stiles warned Derek's pack staring down at all of them.
Taking everyone's silence as a yes, Stiles put his gun away and faced Derek once again who happened to be staring at him stiffly.
"You have any clues as to what this thing might be?" Stiles asked the stoic werewolf, wanting to drop the previous scene entirely.
Derek was still frozen in place for about five more seconds before he answered. He skimmed through the binder given to him. "No more than you do, from the looks of it."
"All we have is it's scent and that it can kidnap people completely undetected." Stiles pointed out.
"And there are more than hundreds of supernatural beings that make their living in kidnapping humans." Derek added.
"How about who they're kidnapping?" All eyes turned to Lydia. "If we can find a connection between the kidnappings, maybe we can find out what it is."
Derek thought to himself for a moment. "There are beings that only kidnapped specific types of people."
"And if we can find that correlation we're in the green," Stiles grinned, giving Lydia a thumbs up.
"So we wait for now." Derek announced, shooting his pack a look.
"No problem." Stiles nodded, casually putting his hand on Derek's.
Quickly, once he realized what he did, removed his hand from Derek's person. He didn't want the wolf to bite it off.
"Is that all?" Stiles asked wanting for Derek to ignore that brief moment when their skin touched.
He obviously didn't as he stared blankly at where they were previously connected. Luckily for Stiles, he chose not to comment on it.
"Apparently so." Derek said gesturing for the door.
With that, Stiles said goodbye to Derek's pack and walked to the exit, closely followed by his friends.
...
Even though I'm not that proud of the end result of this chapter, I must admit I did have a lot of fun writing for Stiles in this chapter.
Oh, and don't think you've seen the last of Gun!Stiles in this story. I have something planned that I know you all are just going to love.
Thanks for reading!