TEEN WOLF - MPREG BIG BANG - A Legend of a Lonely Boy - Part Two

[bunnymaccool]

~*~

Derek spent most of the day dozing lightly in bed while Stiles had gone to school and the Sheriff to the station. His energy level was so low, it was a struggle just to get up and use the bathroom. Sometime around mid-afternoon the elder Stilinski even managed to sneak up on him. He hadn’t heard the cruiser pull into the drive, only just drifting out of sleep to the sound of the man’s footfalls on the stairs. This time, the Sheriff did poke his head into the room.

“Derek? You doin’ okay, son?”

The werewolf nodded inside his nest of blankets, but didn’t move to get out of bed. The older man stepped closer.

“Why don’t you come downstairs and we’ll get you something to eat? Stiles magnanimously left me a list of things I was allowed to feed you.”

Rolling his eyes, the alpha freed himself from the covers. The Sheriff chuckled.

“Yeah… you might want to get used to that.”

When they reached the kitchen of the small house, Derek settled on a barstool and watched the other man begin to slice up an apple. After a few minutes of silence, the werewolf found himself drawn to speak.

“Are you really okay with this? I know it’s a lot to take in at once.”

The Sheriff laughed softly as he pushed over the tray of apples.

“Let me tell you something about my late wife. Cheryl would dig through her purse for five minutes to find her last dollar to give to the homeless man on the corner. She would rescue every little lost cat or dog she came across. Once she even stopped her car in the median of a busy road to pick up a turtle that was sitting smack dab in the middle of it. Damn thing peed all over her and she didn’t even care.”

Derek snorted, but remained silent.

“She wanted to help everything and everyone she possibly could. Even when she was sick. She would ask the nurses to distribute the flowers and gifts she’d been given to the patients who didn’t have anyone to come visit them like she did. She was absolutely amazing. And sometimes Stiles is so much like her it just floors me.”

The werewolf smiled briefly and snatched a slice of apple to munch on.

“Don’t get me wrong, I know my son’s not perfect. Hell, he’s a teenager, and for the most part they’re all angsty little shits. But he’s a good person. And like his mom, he hates to see people suffering. Especially those he cares about. He’ll just give and give of himself when he thinks it’s needed, and he won’t ask for anything in return. He’s going to be a great man.”

Derek nodded and dropped his gaze to the counter top, picking at a bit of dried flotsam with his fingernail.

“I tried to talk him out of doing this. I didn’t want him to waste his life on me. He basically told me to shut up and accept it.”

The Sheriff laughed out right.

“Yeah. That sounds about right.”

The alpha scowled.

“I’m sorry, John.”

The older man snorted and rolled his eyes in a way that was so reminiscent of Stiles, that Derek actually blinked a couple times in shock. Then the Sheriff came around the table to pat the alpha on the shoulder.

“None of that now, son. It is what it is. I can’t blame you for what happened to you.”

Derek shifted his gaze away to stare at the apples before him.

“Now, finish your snack, and then come help me upstairs, would you?”

Nodding silently, the werewolf scarfed down the remainder of the fruit as he listened to the man’s footfalls on the steps. After a couple minutes there was the sound of a door opening and some shuffling of heavy objects. Battling his curiosity, Derek quickly cleaned up the kitchen and double-timed it upstairs. There was a door open across from Stiles’ room that he had never been in before. (Not that he’d been in much of the house beyond the teenager’s room.)

Slipping through the doorway, he was fairly surprised to find a decently sized guest bedroom. There was a large queen bed, a massive dresser/armoire combination, and an impressive stack of boxes in the corner. The Sheriff glanced at him briefly, before he resumed dragging a box toward a walk in closet in the corner.

“We’ve just been throwing stuff in here lately, for storage, but if we get these boxes into the closet it should be nice enough, don’t you think?”

Derek blinked a couple more times, unconsciously tilting his head a bit to the side in confusion.

“Nice enough for what, sir?”

The older man flapped a dismissive hand in his direction.

“None of that ‘sir’ stuff. And nice enough for your bedroom, of course. There’s not much to it… but there is plenty of space for a crib later on, I suppose.”

The werewolf was absolutely stunned for a second. Then he took in the room again with renewed purpose. The bed looked extremely comfortable, the walls were a soft summer yellow, and the window allowed plenty of light and a cool breeze into the space. His room. Huh. The Stilinski’s would just never stop surprising him. After another moment of thought, he scooted across the room to assist the Sheriff with moving the boxes into the closet.

After an hours work, the room was cleaned up, the bedding was changed and fresh, and Derek had drug his hidden trunk into the room to push against a wall. (The appearance of which didn’t seem to faze the older man at all.) The Sheriff surveyed their accomplishments and smiled.

“Well… that’s done. You look tuckered, kid. Why don’t you give the bed a test drive?”

Derek quirked a small grin at the man before happily slipping under the covers and snuggling down into the pillow top mattress. He heaved a sigh of contentment into the fluffy pillow and immediately began to drift away. The afternoon’s work had taken his small reserve of energy and punched it in the face. In the doorway, the Sheriff chuckled softly and flipped off the light switch.

“You’ve got about two hours before hurricane Stiles gets home from school. Have a good nap, Derek.”

The alpha had already been claimed by sleep before the other man had a chance to finish speaking.

~*~

The smell of food woke him some undetermined amount of time later. Soft voices drifted up from the first floor. Stiles and his father were discussing something as they made dinner. Warm laughter tickled at the werewolf’s ears, and a sudden pang of homesickness washed over him. He could remember waking up as child listening to his parents discussing the days plans in the kitchen. It was a sound he had all but forgotten. In his short bout of melancholy, he sent a small surge of affection through the bond to his little spark. It was answered in kind.

Finally pulling himself out of his cocoon of blankets, he made a pit stop in the bathroom before quietly making his way downstairs. The Stilinski men were settled in the kitchen. Elder grilling some tantalizing steaks on the stovetop, and younger enthusiastically highlighting some … oh for fuck’s sake… the pregnancy book had made its appearance at last. Derek plopped down on the stool across from the teenager, and the boy startled a bit at his sudden appearance before smirking at him.

“Dad… we’re getting him a bell, I swear to God. I refuse to constantly be startled in my own home.”

The Sheriff snorted, but continued to concentrate on the food.

“Derek… you’re nine weeks in, right? It’s been about nine weeks?”

The werewolf nodded silently and tried not to think of clawed hands scraping down his sides. Stiles hummed under his breath for a moment and chewed on the end of his highlighter.

“The heart has already formed. And the fingers and toes are taking shape. The embryo just recently decided what sex it’s going to be, too.”

Stiles looked up to meet Derek’s gaze and grinned.

“Can you hear it? The heartbeat?”

Derek shook his head.

“It’s probably too quiet under my own. It’s not like I can put an ear to my stomach to hear it.”

The teenager’s eyes flared with excitement.

“But another werewolf probably could, right? We could ask Scott!”

The alpha flinched and Stiles seemed to realize what he’d said.

“Shit. We have to tell them, you know… before they can hear it for themselves.”

Derek nodded and broke his gaze away to stare at the countertop. The idea of admitting his shame to the rest of the pack burned at his throat. Lydia would know exactly what happened. She would count back the days and realize just who had planted the baby in his belly. The mere thought of the pity and disgust that would cross the faces of his beta’s almost made him sick.

“We’ll tell them it’s mine.”

Shock snapped the alpha’s gaze straight back to the teenager’s. (And apparently caused the elder Stilinski to drop the spatula into the hot pan and curse at the resulting spatter of heat.) Stiles met Derek’s eyes steadily as he continued to speak.

“You don’t want to be forced to tell anyone else what happened to you, and I can totally understand that. So they don’t need to know the truth. At least not until you’re ready. So, for now … we’ll tell them it’s my baby. It won’t even be a lie, really … because it is going to be my baby … right? I’m going to love it and help raise it and send it off to college one day … sooooooo… is that okay? With you?”

Derek licked his dry lips and considered the boy’s words. He wondered if it was possible to tell enough people that the pup was Stiles’, that he might actually begin to see it that way, too. Forget about the actual sperm donor, and devote his full belief to the idea of Stiles being the baby’s father. Finally he nodded his consent, and the teen’s face broke into a beaming smile.

“Awesome! Okay … um … there’s probably going to be some questions about … you know … us. How it happened and why you were the one to… you know … get … you know.”

Sheriff Stilinski laughed outright at his son’s discomfort.

“Stick as close to the truth as you can.”

Both Derek and Stiles turned their attention to the other man, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Stiles told me about the werewolf legend. So stick to something close to that. Say it was the rare alignment of the full moon and the stars. Made you act out an urge. Or something.”

The teen nodded.

“Right… okay, yeah. So the special moon made your wolf, like, desperate to procreate or something. And you couldn’t control it. And you just happened to run across me in the woods. And I was too tempting to ignore.”

The Sheriff groaned and Derek rolled his eyes.

“I’ll think of something.”

Stiles just grinned even wider and went back to flipping through the pregnancy book.

“In a couple weeks the skin and fingernails are going to start growing, and the fetus will start making spontaneous movements!”

A small, unbidden smile worked its way onto Derek’s face before he could help it. The Sheriff placed a plate before Derek, piled high with steak and boiled potatoes. He tilted his head toward his son and then rolled his eyes dramatically. Derek snorted. Stiles finally glanced up to them, eyes widening when he took in the plate of food before the werewolf.

“Dad! You know you’re supposed to cut out the red meat! Why did you-”

“Relax, Stiles. The steaks are just for Derek. We’re having some of those disgusting tofu burgers you love to torture me with.”

“OH! Awesome!”

Derek watched the exchange in stunned silence, before looking back down at his plate. The idea that the Sheriff had made the steaks strictly for him caused a small spike of discomfort. He just wasn’t sure he deserved all the kindness he had received inside this house. The pessimist in him (and let’s face it, it far overruled the optimist) just kept waiting for the older man to pull his gun and demand the monster to get the hell out of his home.

He didn’t really speak again during the meal, choosing instead to observe father and son as they bickered back and forth about the food. Then put their heads together to contemplate some of the diagrams in the book. Stiles asked his dad questions about when his mom had been pregnant with him. The Sheriff happily supplied everything he could remember, then mentioned trying to find Stiles’ baby book later that week. Derek watched them with more than a little fascinated awe. Although there was a tempered sadness to the conversation whenever the late Mrs. Stilinski came up, both men were practically sparkling with excitement.

The alpha was a little humbled by it. And far, far outside his comfort zone. When it got to be a little too much, he decided it was time to retire for the evening. His eyelids were already drooping, and there was an itching need under his skin to burrow beneath the covers of his bed. He stood slowly and deposited his plate in the sink before turning towards the stairs.

“Don’t forget your vitamin.”

He turned to meet Stiles’ gaze. The teen’s eyes were wide and warm, a small smile played across his lips. Derek blinked once, and it was an Herculean effort to pry his tired eyes back open. A small sound of distress rumbled in his throat when he thought of venturing to the bathroom to retrieve the pill, when all he wanted was to sleep.

“I’ll bring it to you.”

Stiles was already sliding from his chair, when Derek turned and ambled his way up the steps toward the guest room. As soon as he spotted the large, downy bed a mewl slipped through his teeth and he dove into the covers. By the time he was done tugging and pulling and wrestling them into the perfect cocoon, Stiles was standing next to the bed with an amused grin and a bottle of water.

“You are completely hysterical with the nesting thing.”

Derek growled under his breath, but took the pill and water the teen held out for him. Stiles watched him swallow it down, then took the water to rest it on the beside table. The werewolf nuzzled his face into the softness of his pillow and the teenager chuckled. Stiles flicked off the light as he left the room, tossing a ‘goodnight’ over his shoulder.



He woke with a start, sweating profusely beneath the blankets with the ghost touch of claws trailing down his back. Before he could even consider what he was doing, the alpha was already in motion. He padded silently across the hallway and into Stiles’ bedroom. There was a huddled shape in the teens’ bed, and Derek quickly lifted the covers and settled against the warm body there. Stiles mumbled something in his slumber, but didn’t wake.

Derek plastered himself against the younger man’s back before burrowing his nose into the crook of Stiles’ neck. He breathed in deeply, then released a contented sigh. His wolf settled, being so close to its chosen mate, and the unease from his fevered dream slipped away. Feeling safe and protected, it only took minutes for the werewolf to drift off into a much more peaceful rest.

Some time later, the chatter of birds outside poked at his consciousness, but he resolutely ignored them. He could feel the warmth of the sun rising in the sky filtering in through the window, but he wasn’t really ready to return to wakefulness quite yet.

“Derek?”

His pillow rumbled in time with the softly spoken word, but he only growled in response and nuzzled his face closer into the warmth that smelled of home and hearth and mate. His pillow sighed, and a gust of warm breath drifted across his neck. He shivered at the pleasant feeling, then darted his tongue out to quickly taste the heat that enveloped him. A sharp gasp accompanied the motion, and the taste of salt and sweat and Stiles burst across his tongue.

Derek finally allowed his eyes to drift open. He was greeted with a close up view of the smooth skin of the teen’s neck. Perfect little spots of moles dotted across the pale expanse. He hummed in contentment and lapped a long stripe across the flesh. A soft purr escaped his throat, but the body below him tensed.

“Derek?”

The confusion in the voice finally punched through his happy haze and the werewolf froze. He pulled away from the warmth and met a pair of startled brown eyes. It took a second for everything to compute. He was in Stiles’ bed. He was laying mostly on top of Stiles. He had been licking Stiles’ neck quite happily. Derek blinked. Stiles cleared his throat nervously.

“You… you with me now, big guy?”

Derek nodded slowly, but he just couldn’t force himself to move away from the teen. This was the best he’d felt in months and he was wary to sacrifice it. Extremely cautiously, the werewolf dropped his head back down to rest on the boy’s shoulder. He had one arm wrapped firmly around Stiles’ waist, and the teen’s long legs were tangled with his own. The body beneath him was still tense, and Derek tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his belly. He didn’t want to name it as rejection… but the fear was there.

“I’m sorry … I … I need this.”

Stiles exhaled a gust of air and relaxed marginally.

“Is it a … mate thing?”

Derek nodded against the boney shoulder under his cheek. Stiles sighed.

“I think we need to talk about this. What do you… what do you actually need from me? What does this all entail?”

The werewolf licked his lips and considered his options. He supposed honesty was key.

“I just need … you. A mate is supposed to be a partner. An equal. It gives us safety and security. Support when we feel weak. Companionship when we feel alone. Protection when we feel afraid. Strength when we’ve … given up hope. A balance to our failings. A half to make us whole.”

He could feel Stiles swallow roughly, throat bobbing against Derek’s nose.

“And you want this from me?”

Derek nodded slowly.

“Even though we’ve never really… gotten along? Even though I’m just an annoying teenager that you barely tolerate?”

The alpha sighed and clenched his arm around the boy’s middle a little tighter.

“I’ve never wanted a mate, Stiles. Not after- … If this hadn’t happened I probably would have never sought one out. But I have more than myself to think about now, and Deaton was right. You are a good match for me. You balance me out. I’m sorry I had to bring this on you. I’m sorry that I’ve ruined your future. But I don’t want this pup to die. I … I need it.”

Stiles made a soft ‘tsking’ sound deep in his throat.

“You haven’t ruined my future, Derek. You’ve just changed it.”

The werewolf scoffed, and the teen whacked him gently on the back of the head, which he answered immediately with a throaty growl.

“Stop being such a downer wolf. I already told you that it was fine, and I meant it.”

Derek shrugged. (In so much as he could, practically octopussed around the younger man.) He could hear Stiles lick his lips above him, preparing to say something.

“Can I … can I feel it again? The … pup?”

Derek lifted his head to meet a determined gaze. He nodded after a moment, and untangled himself from the teen to lay flat on his back. Stiles slowly lifted himself to a seated position next to him. The teen carefully pulled down the covers of his bed, and then gently pushed up the hem of Derek’s sleeping shirt to bare his belly. The alpha sucked in a quick breath when the warm palm settled on his skin. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the little spark, as well. It flickered and pulsed, and Stiles let out a soft laugh.

“That is so awesome.”

Derek grinned and opened his eyes to find Stiles smiling right back at him. There was a moment of buzzed electricity that crackled between them, and the teen’s eyes went wide. His gaze flickered down to the werewolf’s mouth briefly and Derek felt a sudden stirring of butterflies in his gut. Stiles cleared his throat and absently began to rub small smoothing circles around the alpha’s navel.

“So, the mate thing. How do we… I mean … is there like a ceremony? Or a tradition? What do we do?”

The older man shook his head slowly.

“Not really. My wolf has already recognized you as his mate. The connection is already there, although it’s weak because… you haven’t reciprocated.”

Stiles tilted his head slightly and his hand stilled its motions.

“How do I reciprocate?”

Derek broke his gaze and glanced toward the door. The Sheriff was up and moving around.

“You don’t need to do it. It’s fine as it is.”

The teen stiffened from his relaxed slouch.

“Derek. How. Do. I. Reciprocate?”

The werewolf sighed and closed his eyes.

“You bite me. I bite you. It solidifies the bond. Marks us as claimed.”

Stiles sucked in a startled breath.

“But if you bite me-”

“I’d use my human teeth. The intent wouldn’t be there. You wouldn’t be turned. I promise.”

“But it has to break the skin? Leave a permanent mark?”

Derek simply nodded in response. Stiles was silent for several moments. Then suddenly he shifted on the bed. The warm weight of another body settled gently on top of him and the alpha’s eyes flew open. The teen was hovering over him, throat bared directly above Derek’s mouth.

“St-Stiles?”

The human hummed softly before bringing an arm up to cradle around the werewolf’s head, forcing Derek’s lips to press against the offered flesh. Derek could feel himself shaking slightly as he opened his mouth and carefully closed his teeth over the tender skin. Stiles was practically vibrating with nerves above him, so he wrapped his arms around the teen’s back to steady him, then snapped his teeth closed quickly to try and make the bite as short and painless has possible. Stiles gasped at the shock of it, and Derek diligently lapped up the pearls of blood that had bubbled to the surface.

When he pulled back to admire the bite, Stiles was flushed and shivering. Derek slowly arched his head back to bare his own throat to the teen. He watched through slit eyelids as Stiles slowly lowered his head and took hold of the alpha’s neck with his own teeth. There was a deep inhale of air through the boy’s nose, before he suddenly bit down has hard as he could. Derek keened loudly at the feel of human canines piercing his flesh, and just like that the bond between them snapped into place.

Mate! Mate! Mate! Screamed the wolf gleefully.

The little spark inside him flared strongly with the sense of Pack! Mother! Father!

A low, rumbling purr of contentment was filling the room as Stiles tentatively licked at the blood of the wound exactly as Derek had done, but the werewolf couldn’t bring himself to halt the happy sound. The soft, shuffling noise of the Sheriff’s footfalls stopped just outside the door, and Derek opened his heavy eyelids slowly. The elder Stilinski’s eyebrows were high on his forehead, but there was a strange little smirk gracing his mouth. He gestured towards the stairs with his head and Derek nodded slightly in the affirmative. Then the Sheriff was moving off toward the downstairs, whistling a strange little tune softly on the way.

Stiles finally pulled back into a seated position beside him once more. He was blushing to the very tips of his ears and refusing to meet Derek’s gaze.

“So that’s … done, then? Are we officially werewolf-married?”

Derek felt a pang of disappointment at the flippant response and grunted in reply. Stiles cleared his throat.

“Okay, so, awesome!”

Then the teen was scrambling off the bed and practically running out of the room towards the bathroom. The alpha sighed heavily and forced himself to his feet. There was no nausea yet this morning. Gratefully, he slid his palm across his belly and padded silently out of the room and down the steps. The Sheriff was breaking eggs into a sizzling pan, but turned to smile at him as Derek entered the room and slid onto a barstool at the kitchen island.

“So … that looked official.”

Derek nodded quickly as he absently began to chew on his bottom lip. He refused to meet the older man’s eyes, and could scent the spike of worry that accompanied his actions.

“Derek?”

His shoulders hunched in response to the concern in the Sheriff’s voice, but he resolutely stayed silent. The sound of Stiles drifting around upstairs, preparing for school, was repeatedly punching an odd ache in his chest. The wolf reached out happily for the sense of mate through the bond, but there was no response forthcoming. Either because the human teenager didn’t understand the message he was receiving, or because he was purposefully blocking it.

A plate of scrambled eggs was placed before him on the counter, and just like that the nausea hit. He practically flew off the barstool and scrambled on all fours to the little half bath downstairs. Tears were burning at his eyes as his stomach emptied itself, painful stinging in his throat echoing the cramping of his insides. In a moment of desperation he sent a plea through the bond to his mate, begging for comfort. Again, it was blocked. A mournful howl broke through as soon as the dry heaves stopped, and a blinding wash of rage filled him to the brink.

Without really being aware of his actions, he roared in a fit of anger and slashed at the toilet before him. The porcelain screamed as it was gouged deep with his claws. The alpha flew to his feet and slammed his fist into the mirror above the pedestal sink. Glass flew everywhere in a shower of sharp little shards. He turned to the wall behind him and roared again in contempt. Long claws slashed and tore at the flowered wallpaper, ripping long strips off the wall to flutter around him.

Gradually, a voice began to break through the white noise filling his ears.

“DEREK! DEREK! OH MY GOD! DEREK!”

Mate! His wolf howled at him. This time when he sent a pulse through the bond, it was answered tentatively, begging for calm. For reason. He sank to the floor, back pressed against the destroyed wall and panting huge gasps of air. The red rage eventually seeped out of him and he turned his gaze toward the men standing shocked in the doorway of the tiny bathroom. His mate looked terrified and worried. The werewolf panted out staccato words in the sudden silence of the house.

“You… didn’t… answer.”

A sad little keen worked it’s way out from deep in his throat.

“I … needed … you … and … you … blocked … me.”

Stiles’ eyes widened almost comically as he carefully maneuvered through the broken glass towards Derek.

“Jesus fuck! I’m so sorry… I didn’t … I didn’t know.”

The teen cautiously settled himself on his knees next to Derek’s side. Those lovely, warm hands gently pushed the werewolf’s hair back off his sweated forehead. Derek keened low again. He pushed desperately at the bond again, and this time it opened wide for him. He gasped and slipped his eyes closed at the warmth of it surrounded him and held him close. The wolf dancing in glee in his mind. Stiles kept stroking his hair softly and spoke in a hushed tone.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what it was. I just ignored it. I didn’t know what it was.”

Derek licked his dry lips. Tasted blood. Probably from the millions of projectiles that had once been a mirror.

“You can’t - you can’t ignore me.”

He could feel the air displacement as Stiles nodded frantically next to him.

“I won’t! I promise that I won’t!”

Derek nodded his own head in acknowledgement to the boy’s vow.

“Fuck, Derek. Jesus. Can you stand? Come on… let’s get you cleaned up… you’re a mess.”

The werewolf opened his eyes and struggled for a minute to stand. He hissed under his breath as the pinpricks of sharp glass sliced into his feet. A sudden realization of what he had just done overwhelmed him, and he glanced around the destroyed bathroom nervously. When he turned back to the door, the Sheriff was watching them anxiously.

“Sheriff! I didn’t mean to … I’m sorry-”

The elder Stilinski held up his hands in a placating gesture.

“Don’t worry about it. I always hated that wallpaper, anyway.”

Stiles snorted beside him, where Derek was leaning into his side. The teen was guiding him toward the stairs, when the Sheriff spoke up again.

“Stiles… I think you should stay home today.”

The teen whipped his head around to stare at his father, eyebrows rocketing up in surprise.

“Dad?”

The older man sighed and pinched at the bridge of his nose.

“There’s obviously some things you two need to talk about, and I don’t think Derek should be alone today. I’ll call into the school for you. You two just … go clean up… get some rest. I’ll be home later.”

Stiles was frozen and tense beside him for several moments as he watched his father leave the house. Derek waited patiently, wincing a little as the cuts on his feet and knuckles began to knit back together. He took a tentative step forward, meaning to move away from the teenager’s hold, but it only served to bring Stiles back into focus. The teen ushered him up the stairs as if he was made of nothing more substantial than spun glass. Derek wanted to huff and snarl at the treatment… but he couldn’t find it in himself to do so.

“Go ahead and get in the shower… I’ll get you a clean pair of pants. You want jeans? Sweats?”

Derek shook his head just barely. The tightness of his jeans was starting to annoy him, but the sweats made him too hot. If he could get away with staying in his underwear all day, that’s probably what he would do. He didn’t have many other choices at the moment. Stiles clucked his tongue at his non-response.

“Dad’s got some super soft cotton pajama pants that should fit you. That work?”

The alpha just nodded silently and shuffled over to the shower to turn on the spray. Stiles hovered in the doorway.

“Most of your pregnancy is going to be in the summer. You’ll probably be really hot and uncomfortable. Maybe we could go shopping? Get you some shorts or something?”

Derek turned to the teen and met a clear and open pair of amber eyes. Stiles was being completely sincere. He wanted to do things for him. Help him. Take care of him. If things hadn’t been what they were, the werewolf would be snapping and growling at the human to leave him alone, leave him be. But as it was, now, the teen’s continued thoughtfulness left a curl of warmth deep in Derek’s chest.

He nodded in response to the suggestion, and Stiles slipped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Derek stripped slowly and stepped into the spray of the shower. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the heat of the water sluicing over his skin for a few minutes. He had never been one to take long showers, but he was feeling weary and a bit greedy at the moment, so he spent nearly a full half hour washing and rinsing and just generally enjoying the thick humidity of the air.

When he finally turned off the water and stepped out of the stall, there was a pair of pajama bottoms folded up neatly on the sink and his dirty clothes were gone. The pants were ice blue and covered with … dancing cartoon penguins. He growled low in his throat at the idea of wearing something so ridiculous, fully intending to only shove them on long enough to go and demand something slightly less humiliating. After he dried off and jerked them on, however … he paused. The cotton was so thin and soft it was almost like wearing nothing at all. They were… the most comfortable thing he’d ever worn in his entire life.

He rubbed curiously at the fabric against his thigh for almost a full minute before deciding fuck it … the Sheriff was never getting these things back. Ever. Dancing penguins be damned.

When the werewolf stepped out into the hallway, Stiles was leaning against the wall opposite and grinning like a loon. The teen laughed loud and hard as soon as he spotted him.

“Oh my God!!! Please let me take a picture! Please!”

Derek snarled at the boy, flashing his eyes red briefly, before stalking past him into Stiles’ own bedroom. He flopped down on the teen’s bed and rolled around until he managed to get the bedding just right, then puffed out a sleepy sigh. There was a click from a camera phone that let the alpha know the picture had been taken anyway. He rumbled deep in his chest, but Stiles just chuckled from the foot of the bed.

“My room, my rules, Sourwolf.”

Derek sighed again and allowed his tired eyes to slip shut.

“Aaaaaaand speaking of my room … why are you, um … in it?”

His eyes popped open again. He hadn’t even considered going into the guest bedroom and the bed that was essentially his. Instinct had driven him to seek out his mate’s den for the comfort and security it provided him. He shifted sideways in order to meet the teen’s gaze. Stiles was just smiling at him, request for an explanation clear in the raise of his eyebrows. Derek cleared his throat and moved to push himself off the mattress, but then Stiles was suddenly there and gently forcing him back down.

“It’s okay. I’m not asking you to leave. I was just curious.”

Rolling over to lay on his back, he held Stiles’ gaze steadily. The younger man’s eyes briefly flicked down and the werewolf watched as his throat bobbed around a swallowed gulp. Derek realized that the already low-slung pajama pants and been pulled dangerously lower during his shifting around on the bed. Stiles’ cheeks pinked just slightly as he averted his gaze to the wall directly over the alpha’s shoulder. The wolf inside Derek hummed in contentment that his mate obviously found his body attractive. There was a sudden urge to preen before Stiles. To show that he was supple and strong and capable of providing a pup for his mate. Without even thinking about it, Derek hitched his hips a little higher off the bed.

The motion caused the teen’s eyes to instantly snap right back to Derek’s exposed belly, and Stiles’ mouth to immediately drop open in a gape. Just as quickly, Derek realized what he had just done and slammed his eyes closed, throwing one arm across his face to cover his own sudden flush. Stiles cleared his throat and nearly croaked out his next words.

“So … um … so … I guess we should talk about what happened downstairs.”

Derek only grunted in response.

“What… I mean, why did you flip out? And take it out on an innocent bathroom?”

Pulling a deep breath into his lungs, Derek spoke without removing the arm that covered his face.

“We bonded, Stiles. I told you want it would mean. I told you that I would need you. I reached out and I couldn’t touch you. I lost control. It was a moment of weakness, I won’t let it happen again.”

There was a displacement of air as the teen moved around the bed, then the mattress sank as he dropped to sit next to the werewolf’s head, backed up against the headboard.

“You’re going to have to give me a bit of a learning curve here, Derek. Lowly human remember? I didn’t know what to expect from the … bonding. I felt something, but it was fuzzy and strange. I just ignored it. I’m flying by the seat of my pants here. You have to teach me. You have to actually use your words.”

Derek heaved his most put-upon sigh and finally allowed his arm to drop away from his face. He kept his eyes closed, but concentrated on the bond with his mate. He sent a soft little push to Stiles, and a second later the teen next to him gasped.

“Okay. Okay. So that’s you.”

Derek hummed in the affirmative.

“Now you try, Stiles. There’s no way for me to really explain how… it’s just … it’s there. If you have to, maybe picture a string that’s tied between you and me. Let your mind travel along it. Send a simple thought. Or a feeling. Softly. Not too strong.”

He could hear the rustle of fabric as Stiles nodded above him. The gently flutter of his eyelashes as he closed his eyes. The deep inhale of air into his lungs. A second later a spike of sweet-salted-caramel-desire-arousal lanced through the connection. Derek gasped loudly has his eyes shot open and his back arched high off the bed. It sparked all along his nerves and left him panting as it dispersed. Everything tingled from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. The little spark inside of him gleefully sent FATHER! Through their own bond.

“Oh my GOD! Did I do it wrong? Did I mess it up?”

Derek could only shake his head mutely as he tried to get his body back under control. He was still shivering in place at the intensity of the push through the bond. Stiles continued to apologize and freak out next to him, but Derek tuned him out for the time being. He sent a wave of requested calm through the link before he finally gathered himself to speak.

“It’s okay. It was fine. Just a little … intense.”

Stiles swallowed audibly before he sank back into the bed like a boneless rag doll.

“Jesus fuck… that scared the hell out of me. I thought I’d electrocuted you with my brain or something!”

The werewolf couldn’t help but allow a soft chuckle to spill out. He relaxed back into the bedding and let his eyes drift closed once again. Stiles shifted beside him to lay down as well. After a few minutes of surprisingly comfortable silence there was a little poke through the bond. Derek’s mouth quirked up just slightly in an amused grin. He responded with a gentle poke right back and Stiles giggled softly beside him.

The alpha wasn’t even sure when they had fallen asleep, he just knew that he had been warm and safe with his mate’s heat pressed against him on the bed, when the soft sound of the window opening jolted him into consciousness. The scent of another wolf assaulted his nose, and even as his human side recognized the bond of a pack mate, his wolf hind brain was screaming that another male had invaded his den with the intent to challenge his mate and kill his pup. His resulting roar rattled the windows and the other wolf threw itself backwards to huddle in the corner of the room. Derek was preparing himself to leap into the attack just when two arms wrapped themselves firmly around his chest and caused him to face plant on the mattress instead.

He snarled and growled, but recognized his mate’s touch and did not attack. Although he couldn’t understand why his mate wasn’t going after the intruder. Why wasn’t he protecting their pup? Derek struggled and thrashed in his mate’s hold, snapping his teeth threateningly at the wolf in the corner. He refused to let anyone hurt his pup. He would rip them apart before they even got the chance to try. There was a prod at the bond… his mate asking him to calm down. The alpha howled in pained betrayal.

PROTECT THE PUP! WHY WON’T YOU PROTECT OUR PUP?

His mate gasped behind him and fell silent. Derek continued to growl low and deep until, without any warning, his mate’s teeth clamped down hard on the back of his neck and a loud STOP IT shot through the bond. The alpha instantly went limp and compliant. His mate’s teeth released him slowly, and for several moments the only sound in the room was their harsh panted breaths.

Gradually, Derek’s mind cleared enough for him to recognize that Isaac was cowering in the corner of the room looking genuinely terrified. Fuck. Derek closed his eyes and buried his face into the blankets beneath him. Dimly, he realized that Stiles was lifting his weight off Derek’s back and cautiously rubbing his warm hands up and down the alpha’s spine in a placating motion. Derek whined his embarrassment in the back of his throat. Stiles sighed and shushed him before turning his attention to their visitor.

“Isaac? You okay? I promise it’s safe to get up.”

There was the soft sound of the other wolf straightening from his crouch and shuffling closer with a healthy amount of trepidation. Stiles continued to rub Derek’s back and hold up most of the conversation.

“It would probably be best from now on if you gave us a little warning before coming in. Everyone, I mean … if you could relay the message.”

Derek could practically hear the bounce of Isaac’s curls as he nodded his head quickly. Stiles’ kept rattling on in the absence of other’s voices.

“Aaaaaaaaaand… you would probably like an explanation for what just happened, and we’ll get there… maybe … but first… why are you here?”

The other wolf cleared his throat.

“You weren’t at school… I got worried about Derek. Since we … haven’t heard anything. I just wanted to make sure…”

He trailed off and a pang of guilt slammed into Derek’s gut. Between finding out about the pup, outing his pack to the Sheriff and bonding with Stiles … he hadn’t given much thought to his beta’s recently. Telegraphing his intention clearly, Derek pushed himself up off the mattress and Stiles rolled off him to settle against the headboard again. It hit the alpha at that moment that Stiles had been straddling Derek’s hips and pretty much sitting on top of his ass. He fought the flush that was threatening and pushed backwards to reclaim his sprawled position on the bed. After all that exertion, he was too tired to sit up.

Isaac watched him with wide eyes, the scent of worry rolling off him in waves. Derek motioned him over, and the next instant the younger werewolf was kneeling beside the bed, head at the level of the alpha’s chest. Derek’s lips twitched at the eagerness of his beta, and he placed a hand on the mop of blonde curls, give the teen’s scalp a little scratch of affection. Isaac’s worry practically melted away from him in a pool of contentment. There was a soft click of a camera phone and Derek growled without turning towards his bed partner. Stiles snickered.

“Don’t mind me … I’m just documenting everything for- …. Posterity.”

The beta werewolf’s eyebrows soared to his hairline as Derek only responded with an exasperated sigh that sounded fond, even to his own ears.

“Isaac… I’ll tell you what’s going on, but you have to promise not to say anything to anyone else, yet.”

The teen nodded and Derek reached out to take the younger man’s wrist. He tugged it toward his belly, pressed the large hand in his grip on the skin. A bolt of happiness flared between the bond with his mate, and Derek felt inexplicably warm and content.

“Focus and you’ll feel it.”

Isaac nodded and closed his eyes. After several moments of peaceful stillness, the beta gasped. His big eyes flared open wide and immediately sought out his alpha’s. The little spark inside Derek was pulsing with the closeness of a pack mate. A small smile flit across the beta’s mouth and Derek responded with a quirk of his lips. Stiles leaned forward and placed his own hand atop of the beta’s and whispered softly.

“Meet the newest member of the pack … Uncle Isaac.”

Isaac whipped his gaze to the human teen’s.

“Stiles… is it … are you…”

The human cackled gleefully before he nodded and removed his hand.

“Yup.”

He popped the ‘p’ of the word loudly and Derek sighed. Sleep was creeping up on him again, but he knew he wouldn’t relax fully until the other wolf was out of the den.

“Isaac, get back to school. Call a pack meeting for Saturday… here, I’ll make sure it’s okay with the Sherriff first, tell you what time.”

The beta startled visibly.

“The Sherriff?”

Derek nodded.

“Knows. Everything. It’s okay.”

The beta only blinked at him a couple times before nodding. He stood slowly and seemed reluctant to remove his palm from Derek’s belly. The alpha gave a quick little growl, and Isaac responded with a blinding grin a second before he booked it out of the room and through the window. As Stiles got up to shut and lock it after the beta, Derek allowed his eyes to drift closed. The mattress shifted when the teen came back to sit beside him.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

Derek just shook his head a little in response. He hated that he was just so damn tired all the time. It felt like he was going to end up hibernating his way through the pregnancy. He felt so fucking useless and weak. And he was still a little embarrassed about losing his shit when Isaac had come through the window. Some of his thoughts or feelings must have telegraphed through the bond, because suddenly there were long fingers gripping his wrist and a vibration of upset spiking from his mate.

“Hey!”

The alpha slit his eyes open just a fraction to meet a determined amber gaze.

“You’re not weak. You’re creating an entire new life inside you, do you realize that? Would you ever consider telling a pregnant woman that she was weak?”

Derek shook his head.

“It’s not the same.”

Stiles growled, and Derek took a mental pause to be impressed.

“It IS the same, you ridiculous wolf! You are growing a whole new person! A new werewolf! And that fact that you shouldn’t even be able to do that makes it, like, doubly impressive! There’s a baby.”

The teen placed his hand softly over the alpha’s navel.

“In here. A BABY, Derek! How fucking cool is that?”

The alpha rolled his eyes, but could feel a flush of pleasure color his face. Stiles’ hand lifted until just his finger tips were resting on Derek’s skin. Almost absently, he began to trace patterns with them across the werewolf’s stomach, the slightly ticklish movement causing Derek’s abdominal muscles to flex and dance beneath those fingers. When he lifted his gaze toward Stiles’ face… the teen’s eyes were unfocused, like they were staring at the empty middle-space between them.

“You’re going to be a daddy.”

Stiles’ voice was soft, but the words were weighted down with several tons of meaning. Thick with emotion.

“Derek … you’re going to be someone’s daddy.”

The werewolf snatched up Stiles’ fingers with his own, and the teen’s eyes snapped to his. Derek squeezed the hand in his grasp and took a deep breath before speaking.

“So are you.”

Stiles only blinked several times in response, mouth popped open in a daze. Derek tugged on the captured hand in his hold and growled low in his throat.

“Stiles… so are you.”

The teen suddenly laughed loud and bright.

“Hell YES, I am!”

Derek relinquished his grip as the teen hopped off the bed.

“I’m gonna be the coolest Dad that has ever BEEN! All the other kids in the sandbox are gonna be all ‘Damn, Baby Stilinski-Hale! Your Mom is terrifying as shit with his judgmental eyebrows of doom, but your DAD is totally epically awesome! We envy you for the coolness of your Pops!’”

Derek snarled and flashed his eyes red.

“I. AM. NOT. THE. MOM.”

Stiles nearly choked on a fit of giggles.

“Dude, you are… you so TOTALLY ARE! Derek Hale… you are currently my baby momma. The sooner you learn to accept this fact-”

The werewolf moved to leap up from the bed, and Stiles took off like a shot down stairs. Cackling loudly the entire way. Derek sighed and sank back into the comfort of the teen’s mattress. A warm tingle of mirth was pinging back and forth through the bond as he listened to Stiles moving around in the kitchen. The smell of apples and sharp cheddar cheese being sliced for a snack made his stomach rumble. He turned to face the open door of the bedroom and raised his voice loud enough so that normal human ears could pick it up.

“Bring me water! And why are you so obsessed with my eyebrows?”

Stiles laughed again downstairs, and the alpha found a smile twitching across his lips as well.



Saturday came before he was really prepared for it. Objectively, he knew that the pack needed to be informed and that all sorts of contingency plans needed to be made … but he just wasn’t ready. It didn’t help that that morning when he’d gotten out of the shower, he’d actually paid attention to his body for the first time in the mirror. There was a … softening … just a barely visible loss of definition in the muscles around his navel. The towel in his hands had dropped from lax fingers as he stared.

He turned to the side, then back to the front, then to the other side. Whatever angle he saw it from… it was there. A teeny, tiny, blink and you’ll miss it … little bump. A miniscule beginning of a baby bump. His back hit the wall with a thud, and his own eyes in the mirror were wide and scared. He skirted his fingers across the little bump and took a deep, calming breath. Stiles had gone to the store to procure enough food to feed a house full of werewolves, so Derek could only send a faint signal through the bond. He asked for support, and support was returned to him.

“Derek?”

Apparently he had been in such a daze that he hadn’t even heard the Sheriff come into the room.

“You okay, son?”

Derek absently wondered what he looked like to the older man. He was slouched, naked, against the bathroom wall with a terrified expression on his face and his hand covering his belly. Nudity didn’t bother him. Werewolf family, after all, but he could see the Sheriff was pointedly trying to keep his gaze eye level. Derek nodded and turned toward the other man.

“There’s … there’s a bump. I just noticed it.”

The Sheriff grinned.

“Yeah?”

Derek nodded before quickly scooping up his towel to wrap around his waist. John backed out of the doorway so that Derek could walk into the guest bedroom and put on his clothes.

“I remember when Cheryl was pregnant with Stiles, it seemed like one minute it was this cute little bump and the next … bam! … full on belly. She was fairly petite, too… so she would always bitch and moan about looking like she had a basketball shoved under her shirt. Prettiest thing I’d ever seen, though.”

The Sheriff’s tone had drifted from happy memory to full on melancholy in those few sentences. Derek turned back toward the older man, but he was already shaking himself out of his reverie.

“Anyway, I came up to tell you that Doctor Deaton is downstairs. He said it’s important and that he would rather not wait for the pack meeting.”

A spike of worry lanced through him, but he quickly stifled it. He didn’t need Stiles to sense it and freak out in the middle of the grocery store. Derek nodded in response and swiftly pulled on the recently cleaned penguin pajama pants and a soft white tank. The Sheriff smirked at the pants, but remained mum on the subject.

Deaton was seated at the kitchen island sipping a cup of coffee when they came downstairs. As soon as Derek saw the vet’s face, he knew something was wrong. He forced himself to stay calm and block the signal to Stiles. The teen was still learning about the bond, he likely wouldn’t even notice for several minutes. The vet cleared his throat, and Derek decided to just jump right into it.

“What’s wrong? What did you find out?”

Beside him, John froze for a second before settling a hand on Derek’s shoulder. Deaton sighed as he placed his mug on the counter.

“I’ve been … requesting information. From several different sources. About the legend … and your current situation.”

Derek snarled and moved to take a step forward, but the Sheriff’s grip on his shoulder held him in place.

“I haven’t given away anything about you or your pack. I’ve been very discreet, I promise you.”

“And?”

Deaton crossed his arms over his chest as if he were bracing himself.

“And … it’s not … good news.”

The air suddenly left Derek’s lungs in a rush and he sank down blindly onto one of the barstools. The Sheriff remained at his side with his warm hand on the alpha’s shoulder. Just the fact that the elder man smelled so much like Stiles kept his wolf calm.

“How bad?”

Derek was so glad, in that moment, that John was there … because he hadn’t been able to form the words himself. Deaton’s posture sank, just a little, and Derek felt sick.

“The legend always talks about the Alpha, and the pups he created… but there was nothing specific about the carriers. So I wanted to try and find out what I could about the reality of the tale. In the recorded history we have on werewolves this has only happened twice before. The first one was likely the birth of the legend. The second was probably just a desperate werewolf and dumb luck. This one-”

“Was all Peter. He was the researcher in our family… he must have found something, somewhere.”

Derek shifted on the stool after he had spoken. Memories surfaced of the Peter before the fire. Always reading old tomes and rifling through family files. He had liked his Uncle Peter… loved him unconditionally. But when he thinks about that night … he wonders if there were actually anything of his Uncle left. He really hoped not.

Deaton cleared his throat to bring Derek back into the present.

“Yes. I’m sure he did. But I think there’s something he didn’t know about the two times this had taken place in the past. The carriers never survived the birth.”

There was a sharp exhale as the Sheriff fell back onto the barstool behind him. Derek remained silent as the doctor continued to speak. He felt numb.

“The … magic, as it were, creates the womb and connects the baby to the carrier for nutrients and support. But in a body that is not made to house it, the uterus becomes like a cancer. Multiplying and growing to support itself, but to the detriment of the body. As far as we can tell from the history, neither of the carriers were supernatural creatures so there may be a chance … but it’s slim. And I wanted you to know.”

Derek nodded and reached to the small spark inside him. It responded instantly to his request and he closed his eyes. The little spark had recently begun to feel … female. He couldn’t be sure yet, obviously, but there was something about it that reminded him so much of Laura. The alpha rolled his shoulders and then opened his eyes to meet Deaton’s gaze head on.

“The pups survived both times, though?”

The vet nodded solemnly, but behind Derek the Sheriff visibly flinched.

“Derek-”

He stood quickly and moved a couple steps away from the two older men before he turned back around to face them.

“No. The pup is first priority. If it has a chance, then we see this through to the end. If I don’t make it … then I just … don’t. Alpha will pass on to Scott, who will hopefully not screw it up, and the Stilinski’s will raise the pup. It’s fine. It’s … it’s fine.”

There was a soft tap at the bond, and he had to swallow back a sob. His mate was checking in. Making sure he was okay.

“And we don’t tell Stiles. This stays between the three of us.”

The two older men both jumped to their feet and immediately began to raise their voices at him. He allowed them for a moment before he flashed his eyes and roared for quiet. Deaton’s gaze was thinly veiled steel and frustration, but the Sheriff just looked glassy eyed and wrecked. Derek ignored the vet to step up to Stiles’ father.

“If it comes to it. If it becomes obvious that I won’t … I’ll tell him, I promise. But he doesn’t need to worry about it for right now. We’ve still got six months, and I would rather not spend that time having everyone hover over me like there’s a noose around my neck. If it’s all I’ve got, then I want to actually live it.”

Something flinted across the Sheriff’s gaze, and Derek remembered Mrs. Stilinski. How it must have been for her husband and son to watch her slowly fade away. From the way her family remembered her, she must have hated having them worry over her so much. The Sheriff lifted his arms to grip Derek’s shoulders firmly with his hands. The older man nodded once and then cleared his throat.

“Okay. Okay, son.”

Deaton made a small sound under this breath and Derek whipped his gaze around to snarl at the man. The vet didn’t react except to take one last sip of coffee and turn toward the front door.

“In a couple more weeks I’d like you to stop by for an ultrasound. You should be far enough along for us to get a good idea of what’s going on inside your body. At that time we’ll have to discuss the measures we’ll have to take in order to go about a c-section.”

He turned back to raise a single eyebrow at them while he opened the door.

“Obviously, you won’t be having the pup naturally… so we’ll have to improvise.”

With those final words the man was gone, and next to Derek the Sheriff shuddered.

“I hate cryptic partings left by cryptic people, don’t you?”

The alpha actually chuckled under his breath. There was another poke of concern at the bond, and Derek opened the floodgates, only sharing the humor he felt at John’s words and carefully hiding any concerns about the future. Stiles’ response was immediate and happy, ecstatic that Derek and his father were getting along so well. The werewolf’s stomach took that moment of silence to gurgle loudly in hunger, and the Sheriff laughed.

“Come on… lets get that baby some food.”

~*~
PART THREE