Fic: Aftermath (Teen Wolf)
Title: Aftermath
Pairing: Stiles/Derek
Rating: R
Spoilers: None
Genre: Future fic, pack family
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. No money being made
Warning: Refers to off screen sexual assault, sexual coercion
Summary: Erica found Stiles in the basement, chained to a wall.
Erica found Stiles in the basement, chained to a wall, his mouth covered with duct tape. She hesitated and later she would hate herself for doing so.
Earlier that day, they’d rescued Stiles and Derek from Peter’s compound. They’d been gone for three months and now they had them back, but all the talk before the rescue said Stiles was a traitor. He'd been seen walking unescorted around Peter's compound.
She'd seen some of the pictures herself; Stiles smiling, arms flung out as Peter laughed at some story Stiles was telling. Other shots showed them, arm in arm, Stiles resting his head against Peter's shoulder. Another one of them kissing on the balcony that led to Peter's room.
Then Isaac was caught and three weeks later, with the help of two other packs that owed the Hales favors, they took down Peter and his wolves. Boyd made the decision to bring Stiles back with Isaac and Derek. The other packs argued but Boyd had said it was up to Derek, when he woke up, to decide what to do.
She'd seen John and James, two cruel mouthed twins from the Hutchinson pack come back upstairs, laughing and smelling like sex.
She didn't jump when Stiles opened his eyes but she did frown. He smelled like sex and there was, she swallowed. They'd jerked off on him, his hair, his face, his shirt was torn open but not thankfully his pants.
She crouched next to him and didn't show any emotion as he flinched away from her. She looked around and spotted the sink. She found a towel and wet it. Stiles just watched her as she approached him again and wiped his face and hair. She rubbed his chest down and frowned. He'd lost weight he could barely afford to lose.
There were older bruises and one or two burns that looked like they were done with a cigarette. At his mumbled noise, Erica looked up and cocked her head to the side. Stiles kept signaling with his eyes at the duct tape. She quickly tore it off and waited while he coughed and cursed. His first words made her freeze.
"Mata Hari."
"What?"
"I was playing Mata Hari. Where's Derek? He knew. Did something happen? Is he okay?"
Erica nodded her head. "He's unconscious. Nora said it was a healing sleep. What do you mean Mata Hari?"
Stiles coughed again. "Did you pay any attention in history class? I mean I was a spy! A double agent! Sleeping with the enemy." He looked at the wall, his voice low and sad. "Derek knew. He hated it but he knew. Those two guys, when they came down here and started calling me names I thought Derek was dead."
Erica's first thought was 'oh shit, Derek's going to be pissed.' Her second thought was 'what if he's lying?' Stiles had learned to lie to werewolves during their senior year in high school. He'd told them it was a mixture of yoga and Kolinahr. When Derek asked what Kolinahr was, they were all forced to watch Star Trek for five hours. So observing Stiles to see if he was lying was moot.
"Prove it."
Stiles coughed again and shivered. His shirt was still slimy wet in places and his hands were handcuffed behind his back. "The first three messages were written on a car window. You could only see the message if you blew warm breath over it. Scott told me that's how he and Allison used to communicate. The next three messages were buried at the foot of that big rock in the woods that looks like the Stay Puft marshmallow man."
He coughed again and Erica placed a hand on his shoulder. "Okay. I believe you. I going to go find the keys and get you some water, maybe some soup."
He nodded and Erica got up and headed for the stairs. She shut the door and searched the room. She saw Boyd and Isaac and when they looked at her they immediately came over. She didn't bother to whisper.
"Don't let anyone go down there. Stiles was our contact in Peter's compound."
The other werewolves gathered at her words, the four from the Hutchinson pack and the two from the Burke pack. One of the twins, John, spoke up first.
"That's bullshit. He's nothing but the Alpha's whore. He didn't seem to mind me and James giving him a little visit."
Erica didn't hesitate and her punch landed him across the room, she turned to his brother James and twirled out of the way of his claws before grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the floor. Once she pressed her boot hard enough against his throat he stopped moving. Her voice was like ice in the silent room.
"He's not a whore. He's Derek's mate and he did what he had to, to survive. We'd know shit about Peter's compound if it wasn't for him. As for your little visit, you picked the wrong human to mark."
At Boyd's thunderous frown and Isaac's yellowed eyed gaze she replied. "They jerked off on him. He's handcuffed to the fucking wall with duct tape on his mouth." She studied the other wolves who'd come after Scott visited them to cash in favors owed to the Hale pack.
Erica knew if Scott had been here, this wouldn't have happened. She'd heard him and Allison arguing about Stiles' status more than once. Erica had figured it was blind loyalty on Scott's part but he'd been right. There had been more to Stiles actions than they'd known.
"Who has the keys?"
The blue eyed woman from the Burke pack pulled out a key and tossed it to her. "How do you know he wasn't brainwashed over to Peter's side?"
Erica resisted the urge to growl at her. These people didn't know Stiles, who'd proved himself long ago.
"I just know." She eyed the two people from the Burke pack. The man was dark haired with pretty blue eyes. The woman looked similar but they were not siblings. They smelled like each other and like someone else, maybe their Alpha.
Erica dredged up some manners and said. "The Hale pack thanks you for your help. If you want to wait until Derek is awake that's fine, but don't interfere in pack. Stiles is pack. He said Derek knew what he was doing."
She smirked at the twins who'd gotten to their feet. "You two will definitely be staying until Derek wakes up. I'm sure we can find you some suitable accommodations." She turned to the two women that had come with the twins. One was Nora, the healer who was looking after Derek, and she looked wary. The other was younger, and was looking angrily at the twins. "You all can stay or leave."
Nora said, "We will stay for now and we will not interfere." The other wolf looked like she wanted to beat the crap out of the twins.
Erica went back downstairs after telling Boyd to heat up some soup. She unlocked the handcuffs and hissed at Stiles' reddened wrists.
"Boyd's going to bring you some soup. When's the last time you ate something?"
Stiles frowned. "What day is it?"
Erica could hear Boyd coming down the steps. "It's Friday."
Stiles shrugged. "Sunday night, I think." At her look he looked down at his hands. "Sometimes Peter chose not to feed me."
Only Erica heard the sub-vocal growl from Boyd's throat. She felt Stiles tensing up as Boyd came closer. Erica stood up and moved towards Boyd and took the bowl from him. She whispered. "I think too many people make him nervous."
Boyd nodded. "I'll find him some fruit juice or something. Make sure he sips that slowly, or else he might throw it all back up."
Erica nodded and sat down next to Stiles. Now that she was looking she could see the other changes on his body. His hair was longer, he was skinnier and he wasn't talking as much. He'd calmed down after high school but he still loved to talk. This was the first time she realized she missed it.
He made a grab for the bowl but she held it back and shook her head. "Why don't I feed you? If you go too fast, it'll all just come back up."
He agreed but Erica could tell he really wanted to grab the bowl and greedily swallow every drop. She fed him ten spoonfuls and then paused as Boyd came back downstairs with a bottle of apple juice. She watched Stiles watch Boyd every second he was down there, his body not relaxing until Boyd was gone.
When he was done sipping juice and soup, Erica smiled softly at him as his eyes grew heavy trying to stay awake. She didn't touch him just caught his gaze during one of his awake periods and told him, "I'll stay down here, okay? I won't let anyone hurt you."
He nodded and Erica asked. "Do you want to go upstairs? Maybe stay in the room with Derek?"
Stiles shook his head. "No. I don't...I can't be there right now."
She watched over him for awhile, wondering if she and the rest of the pack would ever know all he'd done while in Peter's compound. She lay down and slept, just glad they'd gotten everyone out.
A few hours later, she sat up on the blankets she'd got Boyd to bring her as Isaac came down the steps. His expression when he looked at Stiles was one of worry mixed with fondness. He whispered.
"He's awake. Kind of woozy but very pissed. He wanted to know why Stiles was still down here. When I told him he'd been put down here as a potential prisoner he got quiet. Scary quiet. He wants to talk to you."
Erica bit her lip and studied Stiles. He was asleep but every once in awhile he'd whimper and shudder. She touched him lightly, just a brush of her hand against his arm and he came awake with panic in his eyes and a whispered "no, please," beginning on his lips.
Erica wished they could cut Peter in half all over again. She smiled at Stiles and wondered if her smile looked as sad and angry as she felt. "Hey, Derek's awake and wants to talk to me. Want to come with me?"
Stiles shook his head. "He didn't ask for me. I'll stay here."
Erica stood up and gestured at Isaac. "Isaac's going to stay here with you, okay? No one gets past him."
Stiles studied them both for a second before he nodded his head and lay back down with a tired sigh.
Boyd met her in the living room. "We put the twins in the storage room behind the house. Extra strength chains and handcuffs. Plus, Terri, the other wolf that came with them and Nora, told them if they managed to escape, they better keep running. After what they've done they have Derek's punishment to look forward to as well as their own Alpha's judgment."
Erica nodded and went upstairs. While Stiles' hair was longer after their six months in Peter's compound, Derek's was shorter. He was also skinnier but where Stiles whole demeanor was wary and weary, Derek's anger boiled out into the room and made Erica want to bear her throat and stomach.
The look in his eyes made her clench her fists so she wouldn't drop to her knees and whimper. His voice was quiet; anger and a hunger for something intertwined with every word.
"Is he still in the basement?"
Erica nodded. "I asked him if he wanted to come up here but he said no." She took a deep breath. "He said he was Mata Hari."
Derek laughed and it sounded like broken glass. "Yeah, he called himself that like it was some adventure. Like he was convincing himself he was in some movie." He wiped a hand over his face.
"All I had to do was be tortured by whoever in Peter's compound thought they had it in them to break me." His smirk was full of hatred and anger. "None of them had anything on Kate. Stiles had to do more. He had to convince Peter he'd been dissatisfied with me, our pack, for awhile. Then he had to convince my uncle that he could take my place in his...affections. My uncle's far from stupid and he was always testing him, always looking for that little spike in heartbeat that would tell him it was all an act."
She watched Derek's jaw clench. Then he shook his head and met her eyes. "He thinks I'm mad but I'm not. I told him, but it wasn't enough. Peter could sell fire to the devil and I know he got in Stiles' head."
He groaned and Erica resisted the urge to help him. Instead she just watched as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. "He's braver than most." He looked like he wanted to say more but stopped. "Tell me about these twins."
She told him and his anger was like another wolf in the room. He nodded when she was done. "I'll take care of them tonight." He shifted on the bed and scratched his chest. "I need your advice."
Erica hid her shock. It was rare for Derek to ask anyone's advice. He'd listen if you spoke up but this was different. She waited.
"Do you think I should make him come up here?"
She bit her lip because her first reply was 'yes,' but that would be her wolf speaking, only wanting to please her Alpha. She shook her head. "Maybe you should go to him. Give him tonight and then go down there and no matter what, don't give up on him."
Derek studied her and he reached for the glass of water on the nightstand. When he took a sip and put it back down he nodded his head. "It'd be impossible to give up on him but it'll be awhile until he's better." He paused. "Until we both are."
Later that night, Erica watched Derek claw elaborate marks into James and John's skin. The marks would heal but not for a few weeks. The storage room reeked of fear and piss as Derek quietly threatened to rip their dicks off and make the two of them eat them.
After that threat, they both saw the scars as the better alternative. They left, along with the two female wolves. Erica wondered how painful their punishment would be from their own Alpha.
She watched at Derek's back as he thanked the other wolves for their help. The two from the Burke pack shook Derek's hand and left for their territory. Erica wondered if the only reason they'd stayed was to see how weak or strong Derek was after being in Peter's tender mercies for so long. Peter Hale was the monster, so called 'monsters' told scary stories about.
She ended up in her room, staring at the ceiling, until she gave in and went back downstairs and told Isaac he could go. She wasn't surprised when he chose to stay and together they watched over their friend.
The next morning she was laughing at Stiles as he told her about some TV show he used to watch. They'd had breakfast and he didn't look as tense as he'd been looking. He stopped talking when the basement door opened and Derek walked down the stairs.
Erica's head snapped back to Stiles as his heartbeat sped up like he was terrified. Derek wasn't frowning but he wasn't smiling either. Stiles scuttled back against the wall and acted like he was trying to hug it before he changed direction and ended up on his knees, his forehead on the cold floor, arms flung out in front of him like he was about to worship something.
She met Derek's eyes and wondered if she looked as shocked as he did. Stiles started talking fast, his words a blur of sound until Erica realized he was apologizing. His 'sorrysorrysorrysorry' sounded almost like the slurred hiss of a snake. He said other things but then came back to that refrain and at a nod from Derek, Erica headed for the stairs. Just before she closed the door, she heard Derek say, "You...Stiles, you have nothing to be sorry for."
The only reply she heard from Stiles was a sob.
Once out of the basement, Erica felt too warm, her skin too small and she knew it was her wolf itching to get out and roam over the pack's territory. Peter had harassed them off and on for two years before he'd captured Derek and Stiles. She decided to change and satisfy her wolf that all was right or getting there with the woods that surrounded their home.
Later she sat with Boyd and Isaac and talked to them about school. They all were headed for a second year of college, with most of their classes online.
No one went downstairs and the next day when Scott came over, Erica told him what has happened in his absence. He was understandably angry and she and Boyd had to talk fast to prevent him from charging downstairs. Isaac was the one that got through to him and once Scott calmed down he and Isaac changed and went on a run in the woods.
That night, Derek came up from the basement and told them they were having a pack meeting in two hours. Erica helped Boyd cook something and they all sat around, tension almost palpable in the air.
The meeting took place in the living room. Derek stood in the middle of the room, his voice quiet as he thanked them for the rescue. His tone was powerful and Erica wanted nothing but to bask in it and in his presence.
He would always be the man that entered her life and offered her a chance to make it better. There had been betrayal, blood, and times they'd faced certain death but they were pack now and she would not have it any other way.
They all studied Stiles as he came upstairs. He'd washed up and his clothes from before his kidnapping hung awkwardly from his frame.
Erica paused as Stiles sank down on his knees in front of Derek. There were a few rituals and formalities they performed as a pack but usually they discussed them first.
Derek knelt in front of Stiles and she could tell from the tightening of Stiles muscles that he hadn't been expecting that. They were both on their knees facing each other, one of Derek's hands on the back of Stiles' neck.
"You are pack. You are my mate and I do not revoke that title and I never will. What you did, you did for pack, for me. There is no shame in that. There is no jealously and anger here. There is only pack and we will heal one another. We will remind you, and stand with you and for you. You are pack. We are pack."
Erica was crying and so was everyone else. Stiles' face was wet, his lip bruised where he was biting it so hard. She couldn't tell if Derek was crying but his eyes looked damp.
When Derek kissed Stiles' forehead, then his cheek and then his mouth, Erica threw her head back and howled in celebration. They were pack, they were together and alive and safe. The others howled with her, howling out glory, renewal, and family.
End
Pairing: Stiles/Derek
Rating: R
Spoilers: None
Genre: Future fic, pack family
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. No money being made
Warning: Refers to off screen sexual assault, sexual coercion
Summary: Erica found Stiles in the basement, chained to a wall.
Erica found Stiles in the basement, chained to a wall, his mouth covered with duct tape. She hesitated and later she would hate herself for doing so.
Earlier that day, they’d rescued Stiles and Derek from Peter’s compound. They’d been gone for three months and now they had them back, but all the talk before the rescue said Stiles was a traitor. He'd been seen walking unescorted around Peter's compound.
She'd seen some of the pictures herself; Stiles smiling, arms flung out as Peter laughed at some story Stiles was telling. Other shots showed them, arm in arm, Stiles resting his head against Peter's shoulder. Another one of them kissing on the balcony that led to Peter's room.
Then Isaac was caught and three weeks later, with the help of two other packs that owed the Hales favors, they took down Peter and his wolves. Boyd made the decision to bring Stiles back with Isaac and Derek. The other packs argued but Boyd had said it was up to Derek, when he woke up, to decide what to do.
She'd seen John and James, two cruel mouthed twins from the Hutchinson pack come back upstairs, laughing and smelling like sex.
She didn't jump when Stiles opened his eyes but she did frown. He smelled like sex and there was, she swallowed. They'd jerked off on him, his hair, his face, his shirt was torn open but not thankfully his pants.
She crouched next to him and didn't show any emotion as he flinched away from her. She looked around and spotted the sink. She found a towel and wet it. Stiles just watched her as she approached him again and wiped his face and hair. She rubbed his chest down and frowned. He'd lost weight he could barely afford to lose.
There were older bruises and one or two burns that looked like they were done with a cigarette. At his mumbled noise, Erica looked up and cocked her head to the side. Stiles kept signaling with his eyes at the duct tape. She quickly tore it off and waited while he coughed and cursed. His first words made her freeze.
"Mata Hari."
"What?"
"I was playing Mata Hari. Where's Derek? He knew. Did something happen? Is he okay?"
Erica nodded her head. "He's unconscious. Nora said it was a healing sleep. What do you mean Mata Hari?"
Stiles coughed again. "Did you pay any attention in history class? I mean I was a spy! A double agent! Sleeping with the enemy." He looked at the wall, his voice low and sad. "Derek knew. He hated it but he knew. Those two guys, when they came down here and started calling me names I thought Derek was dead."
Erica's first thought was 'oh shit, Derek's going to be pissed.' Her second thought was 'what if he's lying?' Stiles had learned to lie to werewolves during their senior year in high school. He'd told them it was a mixture of yoga and Kolinahr. When Derek asked what Kolinahr was, they were all forced to watch Star Trek for five hours. So observing Stiles to see if he was lying was moot.
"Prove it."
Stiles coughed again and shivered. His shirt was still slimy wet in places and his hands were handcuffed behind his back. "The first three messages were written on a car window. You could only see the message if you blew warm breath over it. Scott told me that's how he and Allison used to communicate. The next three messages were buried at the foot of that big rock in the woods that looks like the Stay Puft marshmallow man."
He coughed again and Erica placed a hand on his shoulder. "Okay. I believe you. I going to go find the keys and get you some water, maybe some soup."
He nodded and Erica got up and headed for the stairs. She shut the door and searched the room. She saw Boyd and Isaac and when they looked at her they immediately came over. She didn't bother to whisper.
"Don't let anyone go down there. Stiles was our contact in Peter's compound."
The other werewolves gathered at her words, the four from the Hutchinson pack and the two from the Burke pack. One of the twins, John, spoke up first.
"That's bullshit. He's nothing but the Alpha's whore. He didn't seem to mind me and James giving him a little visit."
Erica didn't hesitate and her punch landed him across the room, she turned to his brother James and twirled out of the way of his claws before grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the floor. Once she pressed her boot hard enough against his throat he stopped moving. Her voice was like ice in the silent room.
"He's not a whore. He's Derek's mate and he did what he had to, to survive. We'd know shit about Peter's compound if it wasn't for him. As for your little visit, you picked the wrong human to mark."
At Boyd's thunderous frown and Isaac's yellowed eyed gaze she replied. "They jerked off on him. He's handcuffed to the fucking wall with duct tape on his mouth." She studied the other wolves who'd come after Scott visited them to cash in favors owed to the Hale pack.
Erica knew if Scott had been here, this wouldn't have happened. She'd heard him and Allison arguing about Stiles' status more than once. Erica had figured it was blind loyalty on Scott's part but he'd been right. There had been more to Stiles actions than they'd known.
"Who has the keys?"
The blue eyed woman from the Burke pack pulled out a key and tossed it to her. "How do you know he wasn't brainwashed over to Peter's side?"
Erica resisted the urge to growl at her. These people didn't know Stiles, who'd proved himself long ago.
"I just know." She eyed the two people from the Burke pack. The man was dark haired with pretty blue eyes. The woman looked similar but they were not siblings. They smelled like each other and like someone else, maybe their Alpha.
Erica dredged up some manners and said. "The Hale pack thanks you for your help. If you want to wait until Derek is awake that's fine, but don't interfere in pack. Stiles is pack. He said Derek knew what he was doing."
She smirked at the twins who'd gotten to their feet. "You two will definitely be staying until Derek wakes up. I'm sure we can find you some suitable accommodations." She turned to the two women that had come with the twins. One was Nora, the healer who was looking after Derek, and she looked wary. The other was younger, and was looking angrily at the twins. "You all can stay or leave."
Nora said, "We will stay for now and we will not interfere." The other wolf looked like she wanted to beat the crap out of the twins.
Erica went back downstairs after telling Boyd to heat up some soup. She unlocked the handcuffs and hissed at Stiles' reddened wrists.
"Boyd's going to bring you some soup. When's the last time you ate something?"
Stiles frowned. "What day is it?"
Erica could hear Boyd coming down the steps. "It's Friday."
Stiles shrugged. "Sunday night, I think." At her look he looked down at his hands. "Sometimes Peter chose not to feed me."
Only Erica heard the sub-vocal growl from Boyd's throat. She felt Stiles tensing up as Boyd came closer. Erica stood up and moved towards Boyd and took the bowl from him. She whispered. "I think too many people make him nervous."
Boyd nodded. "I'll find him some fruit juice or something. Make sure he sips that slowly, or else he might throw it all back up."
Erica nodded and sat down next to Stiles. Now that she was looking she could see the other changes on his body. His hair was longer, he was skinnier and he wasn't talking as much. He'd calmed down after high school but he still loved to talk. This was the first time she realized she missed it.
He made a grab for the bowl but she held it back and shook her head. "Why don't I feed you? If you go too fast, it'll all just come back up."
He agreed but Erica could tell he really wanted to grab the bowl and greedily swallow every drop. She fed him ten spoonfuls and then paused as Boyd came back downstairs with a bottle of apple juice. She watched Stiles watch Boyd every second he was down there, his body not relaxing until Boyd was gone.
When he was done sipping juice and soup, Erica smiled softly at him as his eyes grew heavy trying to stay awake. She didn't touch him just caught his gaze during one of his awake periods and told him, "I'll stay down here, okay? I won't let anyone hurt you."
He nodded and Erica asked. "Do you want to go upstairs? Maybe stay in the room with Derek?"
Stiles shook his head. "No. I don't...I can't be there right now."
She watched over him for awhile, wondering if she and the rest of the pack would ever know all he'd done while in Peter's compound. She lay down and slept, just glad they'd gotten everyone out.
A few hours later, she sat up on the blankets she'd got Boyd to bring her as Isaac came down the steps. His expression when he looked at Stiles was one of worry mixed with fondness. He whispered.
"He's awake. Kind of woozy but very pissed. He wanted to know why Stiles was still down here. When I told him he'd been put down here as a potential prisoner he got quiet. Scary quiet. He wants to talk to you."
Erica bit her lip and studied Stiles. He was asleep but every once in awhile he'd whimper and shudder. She touched him lightly, just a brush of her hand against his arm and he came awake with panic in his eyes and a whispered "no, please," beginning on his lips.
Erica wished they could cut Peter in half all over again. She smiled at Stiles and wondered if her smile looked as sad and angry as she felt. "Hey, Derek's awake and wants to talk to me. Want to come with me?"
Stiles shook his head. "He didn't ask for me. I'll stay here."
Erica stood up and gestured at Isaac. "Isaac's going to stay here with you, okay? No one gets past him."
Stiles studied them both for a second before he nodded his head and lay back down with a tired sigh.
Boyd met her in the living room. "We put the twins in the storage room behind the house. Extra strength chains and handcuffs. Plus, Terri, the other wolf that came with them and Nora, told them if they managed to escape, they better keep running. After what they've done they have Derek's punishment to look forward to as well as their own Alpha's judgment."
Erica nodded and went upstairs. While Stiles' hair was longer after their six months in Peter's compound, Derek's was shorter. He was also skinnier but where Stiles whole demeanor was wary and weary, Derek's anger boiled out into the room and made Erica want to bear her throat and stomach.
The look in his eyes made her clench her fists so she wouldn't drop to her knees and whimper. His voice was quiet; anger and a hunger for something intertwined with every word.
"Is he still in the basement?"
Erica nodded. "I asked him if he wanted to come up here but he said no." She took a deep breath. "He said he was Mata Hari."
Derek laughed and it sounded like broken glass. "Yeah, he called himself that like it was some adventure. Like he was convincing himself he was in some movie." He wiped a hand over his face.
"All I had to do was be tortured by whoever in Peter's compound thought they had it in them to break me." His smirk was full of hatred and anger. "None of them had anything on Kate. Stiles had to do more. He had to convince Peter he'd been dissatisfied with me, our pack, for awhile. Then he had to convince my uncle that he could take my place in his...affections. My uncle's far from stupid and he was always testing him, always looking for that little spike in heartbeat that would tell him it was all an act."
She watched Derek's jaw clench. Then he shook his head and met her eyes. "He thinks I'm mad but I'm not. I told him, but it wasn't enough. Peter could sell fire to the devil and I know he got in Stiles' head."
He groaned and Erica resisted the urge to help him. Instead she just watched as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. "He's braver than most." He looked like he wanted to say more but stopped. "Tell me about these twins."
She told him and his anger was like another wolf in the room. He nodded when she was done. "I'll take care of them tonight." He shifted on the bed and scratched his chest. "I need your advice."
Erica hid her shock. It was rare for Derek to ask anyone's advice. He'd listen if you spoke up but this was different. She waited.
"Do you think I should make him come up here?"
She bit her lip because her first reply was 'yes,' but that would be her wolf speaking, only wanting to please her Alpha. She shook her head. "Maybe you should go to him. Give him tonight and then go down there and no matter what, don't give up on him."
Derek studied her and he reached for the glass of water on the nightstand. When he took a sip and put it back down he nodded his head. "It'd be impossible to give up on him but it'll be awhile until he's better." He paused. "Until we both are."
Later that night, Erica watched Derek claw elaborate marks into James and John's skin. The marks would heal but not for a few weeks. The storage room reeked of fear and piss as Derek quietly threatened to rip their dicks off and make the two of them eat them.
After that threat, they both saw the scars as the better alternative. They left, along with the two female wolves. Erica wondered how painful their punishment would be from their own Alpha.
She watched at Derek's back as he thanked the other wolves for their help. The two from the Burke pack shook Derek's hand and left for their territory. Erica wondered if the only reason they'd stayed was to see how weak or strong Derek was after being in Peter's tender mercies for so long. Peter Hale was the monster, so called 'monsters' told scary stories about.
She ended up in her room, staring at the ceiling, until she gave in and went back downstairs and told Isaac he could go. She wasn't surprised when he chose to stay and together they watched over their friend.
The next morning she was laughing at Stiles as he told her about some TV show he used to watch. They'd had breakfast and he didn't look as tense as he'd been looking. He stopped talking when the basement door opened and Derek walked down the stairs.
Erica's head snapped back to Stiles as his heartbeat sped up like he was terrified. Derek wasn't frowning but he wasn't smiling either. Stiles scuttled back against the wall and acted like he was trying to hug it before he changed direction and ended up on his knees, his forehead on the cold floor, arms flung out in front of him like he was about to worship something.
She met Derek's eyes and wondered if she looked as shocked as he did. Stiles started talking fast, his words a blur of sound until Erica realized he was apologizing. His 'sorrysorrysorrysorry' sounded almost like the slurred hiss of a snake. He said other things but then came back to that refrain and at a nod from Derek, Erica headed for the stairs. Just before she closed the door, she heard Derek say, "You...Stiles, you have nothing to be sorry for."
The only reply she heard from Stiles was a sob.
Once out of the basement, Erica felt too warm, her skin too small and she knew it was her wolf itching to get out and roam over the pack's territory. Peter had harassed them off and on for two years before he'd captured Derek and Stiles. She decided to change and satisfy her wolf that all was right or getting there with the woods that surrounded their home.
Later she sat with Boyd and Isaac and talked to them about school. They all were headed for a second year of college, with most of their classes online.
No one went downstairs and the next day when Scott came over, Erica told him what has happened in his absence. He was understandably angry and she and Boyd had to talk fast to prevent him from charging downstairs. Isaac was the one that got through to him and once Scott calmed down he and Isaac changed and went on a run in the woods.
That night, Derek came up from the basement and told them they were having a pack meeting in two hours. Erica helped Boyd cook something and they all sat around, tension almost palpable in the air.
The meeting took place in the living room. Derek stood in the middle of the room, his voice quiet as he thanked them for the rescue. His tone was powerful and Erica wanted nothing but to bask in it and in his presence.
He would always be the man that entered her life and offered her a chance to make it better. There had been betrayal, blood, and times they'd faced certain death but they were pack now and she would not have it any other way.
They all studied Stiles as he came upstairs. He'd washed up and his clothes from before his kidnapping hung awkwardly from his frame.
Erica paused as Stiles sank down on his knees in front of Derek. There were a few rituals and formalities they performed as a pack but usually they discussed them first.
Derek knelt in front of Stiles and she could tell from the tightening of Stiles muscles that he hadn't been expecting that. They were both on their knees facing each other, one of Derek's hands on the back of Stiles' neck.
"You are pack. You are my mate and I do not revoke that title and I never will. What you did, you did for pack, for me. There is no shame in that. There is no jealously and anger here. There is only pack and we will heal one another. We will remind you, and stand with you and for you. You are pack. We are pack."
Erica was crying and so was everyone else. Stiles' face was wet, his lip bruised where he was biting it so hard. She couldn't tell if Derek was crying but his eyes looked damp.
When Derek kissed Stiles' forehead, then his cheek and then his mouth, Erica threw her head back and howled in celebration. They were pack, they were together and alive and safe. The others howled with her, howling out glory, renewal, and family.
End