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“What the hell was that Scott?” Stiles demanded as he stormed over to Scott.
Scott sneered, “It’s just Peter. The witches said they would leave peacefully if they could avenge their fallen coven members. He was the one to kill her after all.”
Stiles threw up his hands and he screamed, “After she sacrificed two fucking toddlers Scott. She was caught in the process of trying to sacrifice a third, a kid who is still in the fucking hospital after she nearly drained him dry.”
Scott paled and quietly asked, “What? But…”
Stiles glared, “Cut the crap, Scott, you knew. I overheard you talking to Deaton about getting rid of Peter. How he was out of control and that the witches would be a perfect cover.”
Stiles turned to the pack, “I mean most of you were there right? It was a pack meeting… just missing a few members, the ones who would object to the killing of a packmate. Well, you know what, I’m done. I should have followed Derek’s example and left when dad died, he did offer to take me with him. Maybe then Peter would still be alive, he only stayed in Beacon Hills to protect me.”
Malia snarled, “No, he stayed because I am here.”
“Keep telling yourself that princess. You betrayed him to side with Scott too many times for him to ever accept you as family and worth his loyalty.” Stiles snapped.
He looked around at the pack glaring at each of them and he said, “You know what, I’m done.” He held out a flash drive but before anyone could reach for it the drive exploded into thousands of pieces.
Scott demanded, “What the hell was that, Stiles?”
Stiles smiled, a cruel smile and he said, “That was me deciding Fuck all y’all, I’m done. That was every single bit of research I have ever done for the pack. Ten years worth of work.” He motioned with his hands to show an explosion, “Boom, gone.”
He moved to Peter’s body and he picked it up gently before he walked out of the clearing with his head held high. As he left he could hear swearing behind him as the pack realized that all the research he had on the cloud drives was gone as all the cloud server accounts Stiles had setup were all canceled.
He took Peter to the memorial at the Hale house and using his magic he buried him beside both of his nieces. Cora had died five years earlier after being attacked by hunters in the preserve.
As he sat at the memorial mourning the man who had become his best friend he found himself flipping his phone around in his hand. He trusted his gut he decided a visit to the vault was in order. Peter had left instructions for how to lock out family members as he had a feeling that Malia would one day betray him.
Stiles went through Peter’s instructions and he locked out everyone from the vault aside from himself and Derek. He picked up his phone and he called the number he had for Chris Argent.
“Stiles?” Chris sounded tired.
Stiles realized he hadn’t checked the time before calling. With no preamble said, “I need to find Derek.”
Chris woke up quickly and he demanded, “What did Scott do?”
“Peter is dead. Scott and Deaton handed him over to a coven of witches after he killed one of them.” Stiles explained.
Chris knew Stiles was leaving something out so he asked, “What did the witch do to earn his ire?”
Stiles answered flippantly, “Oh she was just sacrificing toddlers for some ritual, Peter managed to save the third kid but he’s still in hospital after losing too much blood.”
Chris swore, “Fuck, ok. You have locked down the vault? Of course you have, head to the loft in New York. I will send Derek there as soon as I can track him down. It might take us a few weeks.”
Stiles nodded even though he knew Chris couldn’t see him. He said, “That’s fine, it gives me time to plan and study everything Peter has documented over the years.”
Chris said, “Stay safe Stiles, we will do what we can to find him.”
“Thanks, Chris, give Isaac a hug for me please,” Stiles said as he ended the call.
He gathered up Peter’s secure laptop, the keys for the New York apartment, and the books he would need for the ritual he wanted to attempt before he left the vault through the private entrance Peter had created for him. As he drove past the school he snickered as he could see a very frustrated Deaton with Scott and Malia trying to get access to the vault.
After a quick stop at home to grab his laptop and clothes, he headed to the airport, put Roscoe into storage near the airport and he flew to New York leaving his old life behind.
-x-
Stiles was in New York for nearly a month before Derek arrived at the loft. “Stiles?”
Stiles looked up from his research and he said, “Took you long enough Sourwolf.”
Derek dropped his bag by the door and he moved into Stiles' space and pulled him into a hug. He murmured, “Chris said that Peter is dead.”
Stiles nodded as he let the tears he had been holding fall. He snarled, “That bastard handed him over to child-killing witches. Deaton and Scott knew the witches had been killing children but they didn't care. They wanted Peter out of my life so that I would either leave Beacon Hills or be killed by the monster of the week since Peter was no longer around to protect me. If I had left with you he wouldn’t be dead.”
Derek just held on as Stiles cried. Cried for his dad who died in the line of duty but Stiles wasn’t so sure that his death couldn’t have been prevented, he cried for Cora who was killed by hunters who had been told she was a rogue omega, and he cried for Peter who stayed to protect him from Scott as he took responsibility for who he saw as his biggest failure.
Once Stiles felt all cried out he sat up in Derek’s lap and he said, “Want to help me do something incredibly risky that could kill both of us in the attempt?”
Derek looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if to ask silently, ‘why?’
Stiles smirked, “I found a ritual, it allows us to petition for a second chance.”
Derek gave him an incredulous look and with a deadpan voice he said, “Time travel, Stiles?”
Stiles nodded and he said, “I have been studying all of Peter’s notes and journals and I think I have the dates pretty much memorized now for most of the major shit that happened in Beacon Hills over the last 20 years starting with Deaton convincing your mother to cut down the Nemeton.”
Derek asked, “Do we get a choice on when we travel back to?”
Stiles wiggled his hand in a so-so motion and he said, “We can ask, but the Powers That Be make the decision on when.”
Derek asked, “Is it dangerous?”
Stiles nodded emphatically, “Hell yes. There is a 20% chance of success and that’s if neither of us pisses off the Powers That Be.”
Derek chuckled, “Well that’s us fucked. Let’s do it anyway.”
Stiles jumped up and he passed Derek the book he had been reading that explained the ritual in detail. It was one that Peter had found and stored in his emergency safe. Derek started reading through the basics of the ritual and he paused with his breath hitched and he asked quietly, “You know?”
Stiles smiled sadly and he nodded, “That we have a mate bond? I’ve always known, I felt the bond start to form while I was holding you up in the pool. I was just waiting for you to be in the right place mentally to accept it.”
Derek looked around at the items gathered in the apartment and he asked, “Do you have everything?”
Stiles smiled, “I was just waiting on you Sourwolf. We can do the ritual here unless you would prefer somewhere more open?”
“I would prefer to do it here in the apartment,” Derek confirmed, “I can feel the wards you have up which will prevent anyone from interrupting us.”
Stiles passed over Peter’s laptop with the timeline he had created with all the events from the last 20 years listed. He asked, “We have a few days before the full moon so can you go through the timeline I created from Peter’s notes and add anything you think Peter might have missed?”
Derek took the laptop and he asked, “Are we going to talk about it?”
Stiles, feeling suddenly insecure, just shrugged and he said, “What’s there to talk about?”
“Stiles!,” Derek snapped, “What about the fact that I left, again and again, leaving you to face everything on your own.”
Stiles shook his head, “I let you leave, every single time. You offered each time to take me with you and I said no. Every. Single. Time. I thought my place was in Beacon Hills, protecting the town and the Nemeton. You weren’t ready to stay, you weren’t ready to accept me as your mate so I let you go.”
Stiles stood and he started walking to the workspace he had set up in one of the guest rooms he stopped at the door and he said quietly, “I wish I had gone with you.”
Derek stood and moved to stand behind Stiles and he said, “So we take the second chance for ourselves. We will have the time.”
Stiles chuckled, “Sourwolf’s got jokes.” He turned to face Derek and he asked, “Are you sure you want that?”
Derek cupped Stiles' face and he said, “I’m ready if you are.”
Stiles nodded and he moved so Derek could hold him.
They spent the next few days getting everything ready for the ritual. They planned for various eventualities. Stiles' biggest worry was getting Derek from New York if they went back to Laura being the alpha. They weren’t sure if Derek would be able to keep his alpha spark, that was entirely up to The Powers That Be.
They started by completing the bonding then the ritual which went fairly smoothly. At its climax, they found themselves in a large white room, a very familiar large white room.
Stiles exclaimed, “Fuck me!”
Derek asked, “You know where we are?”
“The Nemeton.” Stiles flailed as he explained, “This is the room we ended up in after doing that ritual for Deaton to find our parents.”
They both heard a voice to the side, “Yes, more meddling from the Darach of Beacon Hills.”
They spun and saw a gorgeous woman dressed in white standing by the Nemeton flanked by a pair of jet black wolves.
Derek recognized her from several of the books he loved reading as a child and he dropped to his knee in a bow, Stiles followed half a second behind.
Derek followed his instincts and he said, “Oh Great Huntress, we wish to petition for a second chance.”
She chuckled and replied, “Oh do get up boys. I know why you are here.”
They both stood and watched as the wolves curled up together on the Nemeton. Derek asked, “Lady Artemis, do you wish to hear our petition?”
She shook her head, “There is no need, I can see the grief and pain in your hearts. I can understand that this is a… how you say, a last-ditch attempt.”
She moved to Derek and she cupped his face as she said, “I am sorry dear one. I can’t send you back to stop the fire as much as I would like to. It is as your Dr. Who put it, a fixed point.”
Stiles whispered to himself, “Wicked. The gods know Dr. Who.”
Derek nudged him and so he asked, “Lady Artemis, I will be honest. I want to prevent Scott McCall from ever becoming a werewolf. I think without his interference things will be a lot different.”
She nodded regally. “Indeed young Mischief. That night was the work of the Darach. He was aware Peter would be out that night, he had arranged it himself with the nurse. A little magical nudge to you and your young… friend found you both out in the preserve. You were both supposed to receive the bite that night.”
Stiles frowned and he said, “I won’t survive the bite though.”
Derek added, “Which Deaton well knows. Fucker wanted you dead even back then.”
Stiles said incredulously, “I didn’t even have my magic back then.”
Lady Artemis giggled, it was an odd sound from someone so regal. She said, “You had your magic, you may not have been aware of it but you had your magic, you have always had it.”
Stiles snarled, “He is first on my list. No, second. Laura is still first.”
Derek gaped at Stiles and he asked, “Why Laura?”
Stiles explained, “The nurse that Peter killed, she was a hunter and she spent that six years that he was in the long term care unit systematically torturing Peter. Laura left him alone and omega at the hospital under his real name. There were absolutely no measures put in place to protect him. What she put you through was… not what an alpha should do.”
“She was never meant to be an alpha.” Lady Artemis added, “Your Darach meddled in the weaves of Fate. Derek, my wolf, you and your Uncle were destined to lead the Hale Pack together as alphas, building a stronger pack from the ashes of the old pack. You were to receive the Hale Alpha spark and without interference, your uncle would have become a True Alpha.”
Stiles sneered, “Like Scott?”
“The False Alpha is not a True Alpha.” Lady Artemis announced to the shock of both Derek and Stiles, “He carries within him the Hale Alpha Spark. The Darach in Beacon Hills is knowledgeable in many dark arts. He must be stopped before Peter leaves the hospital to meet Laura. I will leave how in your hands.”
Derek asked hesitantly, “If Scott has the spark that I gave up when I healed Cora then how am I an alpha?”
Lady Artemis smiled and she said, “You, my wolf, are a True Alpha. Yes Mischief, even blue-eyed wolves can become True Alphas when they release the guilt that gave them the blue eyes in the first place.”
Stiles wrapped Derek in a hug and with a quick kiss to the temple he said, “I knew you could do it Sourwolf.”
“Indeed,” Lady Artemis grew serious as she explained, “I am sending you back to a few days before Peter killed Laura. I implore you to seek justice, not revenge where necessary, and whatever you do Scott McCall can not know of the supernatural. Even without the Darach’s meddling, he would… cause problems for you and your pack.”
Stiles nodded in understanding, “Daddy Issues.”
She ignored Stiles’ comment as she explained, “There will be those you can trust above others in Beacon Hills, those who will recognize my mark. They will guide you and assist you as Pack Elders in keeping Beacon Hills safe.”
Stiles and Derek asked in unison, “Your mark?”
Lady Artemis approached the pair and she lay her palm on their chests above their heart, first Derek and then Stiles, leaving behind her mark, the moon with a wolf howling with the silhouette of a bow and arrow crossed with a quiver overlaying the moon. It looked like it had been tattooed in a white ink with subtle silver shading.
She explained that the three who have been chosen by her to be trusted will see and recognize her mark even if it was covered. She also went through other details about what would go back with them like Stiles’ fully developed spark abilities, Derek’s True Alpha spark, and their mate bond.
Stiles asked, “So when are we going back to?”
Lady Artemis crossed her arms and she said, “I am going to send you back to the start of your winter break in 2010. This will give you time to get help from a trusted who will be new to Beacon Hills. Derek, you must wait in New York until you are contacted about your sister.”
Derek nodded and he said, “I won’t be able to leave until she is gone due to the orders she laid on me. Before she left for Beacon Hills she had me on lockdown in our apartment.”
Stiles scowled and he said, “I have a plan.”
Lady Artemis smiled indulgently, “Indeed you do! Boys, go forth and conquer.”
She clapped her hands and everything went white. When Stiles woke he was back in his bedroom looking at the walls he hadn’t seen since his high school days. Ugh, he forgot that he would have to go through high school again.
“Stiles! Breakfast is ready.” Noah yelled from the kitchen.
Stiles bolted upright at the voice he hadn’t heard in over six years. With tears in his eyes, he sprinted down the stairs and he slammed into his father wrapping him in a tight hug.
Noah surprised by the actions of his son hugged him back before he murmured, “Stiles? What’s going on?”
He pulled back and he saw the tattoo peeking out of the collar of Stiles’ sleep shirt and he pulled the collar further to get a closer look. “Oh hell kiddo. How long?”
Stiles surreptitiously wiped his eyes as he asked, “How long?”
Noah pushed Stiles into a seat at the table and he said, “Since you last saw me.”
Stiles mumbled, “It’s been about six years. I was 28 when we petitioned The Powers That Be."
Noah asked, “Things got that bad?”
Stiles asked, “How much do you know? About the supernatural I mean, last time I got the impression you didn't know much.”
“Bits and pieces,” Noah explained, “For some reason, Claudia was insistent that I learn about the Mark of Lady Artemis. That only those that Lady Artemis trusted to guide her pack would be able to see it. That it was granted when a petition for a second chance was accepted.”
Stiles grinned, “Mum always was smart about that sort of thing. Lady Artemis said there would be three of you that would guide us as pack elders.”
Noah placed their breakfast down on the table and they started eating. He asked, “Us? That’s twice you have said us.”
Stiles smiled happily, “I have a mate. He is waiting in New York until a few matters here have been dealt with.”
Noah asked, “Is that like a soulmate?”
Stiles made a so-so motion with his hand, “Kind of. It’s more of a werewolf thing. The easiest way to explain it is I got werewolf married before we petitioned Lady Artemis, she promised that the mate bond would come back with us both.”
Noah nodded, “Right, congratulations son. We will need to sort something out to protect you both. From what I can recall of soulmates is that separation is hard on both sides.”
“We should be ok,” Stiles explained, “We spent a lot of time since the bond started forming separated as he couldn’t stay in Beacon Hills, not with Scott leading the Beacon Hills Territory as the fail alpha. We will tell you more once the initial issues are dealt with, I promise.”
Noah stood and he cleared the table, “That's fine, Claudia said if I was trusted I would likely need plausible deniability at some stages as the Goddess of the Hunt was about justice for the redeemable but vengeance for the rest. I have doubles for the next few days. Will you be ok on your own?”
Stiles nodded, “I have a lot to do over the next few days so I will be fine. You are being a lot more understanding about the fact your 16-year-old son is werewolf married to a guy than I expected.”
Noah pulled Stiles into a hug and he said, “Son, you have spent your entire life throwing curve balls. This is up there, but mentally, you're 28 years old, I can’t seriously treat you like the child you aren’t anymore.”
Noah left to get dressed for work and Stiles grabbed a notebook from the side table and started plotting his next few days. First on the list was to feel out Chris Argent. He should have arrived in town by now.
Stiles hugged his dad as he was leaving the house before he went upstairs to find something decent to wear. It looked like a shopping trip was in his near future, he refused to go back to the layers that he hid behind. He wanted to text Derek but he promised he wouldn’t until he had dealt with Laura, just to be on the safe side. Derek had remembered that she was monitoring his calls and texts whenever she wasn’t at the apartment.
He grabbed his keys and his wallet and he made a quick trip to the bank to transfer some of his trust fund to his main account and he moved some into a new account that he planned to use for investments.
Stiles then spent a couple of painful hours at the mall where he updated his wardrobe. He chose a few pairs of slacks and a couple of pairs of skinny jeans. He found some button-down shirts that looked good on him as well as some comfy warm long-sleeved Henleys. He was happy to find his favorite Doc Martin boots and he bought a couple of pairs in black and cherry red. His biggest purchase, however, was for the red leather jacket he found that had a tonne of handy pockets and a hood that was fleece lined for warmth, he couldn’t resist buying it and he knew Derek would get a giggle out of it.
While he was shopping he noticed that a few of his classmates were giving him speculative glances, including the current Beacon Hills power couple. He ignored them all as he tried on various outfits. He still wasn’t sure what to do about Jackson and Lydia. He knew that once Jackson became a wolf he was a good packmate to Derek and Isaac even while he was in London. He just had to figure out how to get him over the identity issues that caused the kanima before they offered him the bite. As for Lydia, he would have to research a less traumatic way to bring her into her banshee inheritance.
When he was done torturing himself with shopping, he ducked into the bathroom and he got changed into a respectable pair of slacks, his black Doc Martin boots, and a dark blue button-down shirt topped off with the new jacket. He left a few of the buttons on the shirt unbuttoned enough to see the tattoo peeking out. He piled everything into Roscoe and he headed to the Argent house across town.
He knocked on the door and he waited, he hoped that Chris would be the one to answer the door. Unfortunately, he was out of luck for the day.
Victoria stood at the door and she glared at the young teen at the door, “Yes?”
Stiles smiled with his best butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth smile and he asked, “Is Christopher Argent home?”
Victoria nodded and gestured for him to enter. “Please wait here, I will find him for you.”
Stiles nodded and waited by the door. He had been taking a risk visiting the house unarmed. He looked up when he heard footsteps on the stairs and he smiled when he saw a much younger Chris walking down the stairs accompanied by his wife.
He saw Chris glance down at his tattoo and he asked, “Mr. Argent, my name is Stiles Stilinski, may we speak privately, please. It’s about a matter of grave importance.”
“Sure thing,” Chris agreed, “We’ll go through to my office.”
Stiles moved to follow him up the stairs, he paused when Chris turned and said, “Victoria, why don’t you take Allison to do that shopping she wanted to do.”
Victoria nodded and she left them to it. As Stiles entered the office he touched the doorframe warding the room for silence.
Chris asked, “How long?”
Stiles chuckled, “You know, Dad asked me the same question. I last spoke to you a month ago, we had become good friends over the years. I was 28 so it was almost 11 years from now.”
Chris asked, “How bad did it get for you to want to attempt a petition?”
Stiles sighed, “Short version, you were the last Argent left in North America. My dad died six years ago for me, and we were down to one surviving Hale. The Alpha of Beacon Hills and his pet Darach were systematically destroying the territory and all within.”
Chris sighed and he asked, “What can I do to help.”
Stiles asked, “Are you aware of your father and sister’s culpability in the Hale fire?”
Chris slowly shook his head in disbelief so Stiles explained, “Gerard wanted the Hales gone from Beacon Hills, I never did find out why. He sent Kate in to eliminate them by any means possible. She seduced the 14-year-old son of Talia Hale and she somehow got him to sneak her into the house for one of their encounters. She used the knowledge she learned from that visit to lay mountain ash around the house and through the secret escape tunnels, this trapped them all inside the house before she set fire to it using a wolfsbane laced accelerant. Your father then bribed the insurance investigator to label the fire an electrical malfunction and he bribed a nurse in the long term care unit to systematically torture Peter Hale where he has been since the fire.”
Chris gaped at Stiles and he exclaimed, “Bloody hell. What do you need me to do, I know that mark on your chest means you are here to change things hopefully for the better.”
Stiles nodded, “First I need you to first find out if Victoria knew. The last time around she was bitten after attempting to kill a beta for daring to date your daughter and we never found out if she was involved or not. She took the hunters way out leaving a very broken and vengeful Allison behind. You need to tell her sooner rather than later what her aunt and grandfather did before they can twist her again. Secrets and lies are what led to her shooting two of her classmates full of arrows before handing them over to her grandfather for, well, yeah. She didn't even blink when he threw me down the stairs and spent six hours torturing me in the basement of this house.”
He took note of Chris writing notes to himself as he looked horrified at his daughter's actions. Stiles waited for Chris to finish then he asked, “I need one of Kate’s guns, one registered in her name that she has a history of using, and lastly, for now, I need Kate and Gerard in Beacon Hills.”
Chris asked, “I think I have one of her spares in the armory in the garage. Also, I am pretty sure they are both on their way here.”
“They are,” Stiles confirmed, “I need you to speed the process up a bit. I need them here before the full moon which is in a few days. Perhaps mention that Laura Hale is in town.”
Chris asked, “Will financial records help at all? I know you don't plan on them surviving, but to prove payoffs to others that she used in the fire.”
Stiles nodded and he asked, “Are you sure? That will set you against other hunter families.”
Chris shook his head, “Not if we prove they broke the code. The Hales were a well-respected pack who had not broken the rules. They only had one blue-eyed wolf and he was cleared by the hunter’s council in the mercy death of his girlfriend.”
Stiles gasped, “You knew? Shit, that means Kate likely knew, that's why she targeted him. That fucker!”
Chris stood, “I am just going to get that gun for you.” He returned a few minutes later with the gun in a small case and a separate gun cleaning kit. He asked, “I assume you know how to use this?”
Stiles smirked, “I was trained by the best. That reminds me, can you help me sort my gun licenses, or do I need to wait until I am 18? I can get conceal carry through dad as he is often targeted but that won't cover the rifles you trained me to use.”
Chris pushed a notepad across and he said, “Write down your details and I will start the ball rolling. There are supernatural channels we can use that are a bit more relaxed with ages.”
Stiles wrote his details down then he followed his instincts and he wrote down Derek’s details as well before he pushed the pad back to Chris.
Chris raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word as he put the notepad in a draw.
Stiles stood and he said, “Thanks for your help Chris, please do text me when you know when Kate and Gerard are due. The sooner I can get them secured the better.”
He picked up the box and cleaning kit that were on the desk in front of him and he followed Chris out of the office.
Victoria and Allison were still out shopping so he was able to dodge that bullet. He still needed to figure out how he was going to keep Scott away from everyone involved in the supernatural in Beacon Hills. He was tempted to see if he could find a way to ward Scott with a supernatural repellent to encourage him to want to stay away from anyone supernatural.
When they got to Roscoe Stiles turned to Chris and he said, “When I get my initial tasks out of the way we will be meeting with our trusted to explain the last… next… eleven years. I hate time travel, it screws up all the tenses. But we will explain the events that led to our petition.”
Chris shook his hand and he said, “I look forward to it. Bye Stiles.”
Stiles buried the gun case and cleaning kit in one of his shopping bags and he headed home to unpack his purchases.
He knew from Peter’s timeline that he had two days before Laura visited Deaton so he spent his days clearing out the cages in the basement of the old Hale House making two of them secure and escape-proof with hidden runes. He also practiced his illusion work, morphing himself to look like Kate Argent, and with practice, he could hold the look for nearly an hour without exhausting his magic. He called through to the number he had for Cora in South America and he let her know that Derek would be coming back to Beacon Hills to rebuild the Hale Pack but for that to happen his current alpha needed to be dealt with. He gave her his details so he could pick her up from Sacramento when she arrived.
He was outside the animal clinic when he saw the black Camaro Laura drive into the car park. He focused his magic and hid his scent and heartbeat from anyone unseen and he quietly moved to the back of the clinic. He found the spare key and he quietly made his way inside the clinic, making sure to stay out of view of the cameras Deaton had installed, as he overheard a very heated conversation between Deaton and Laura Hale.
As soon as Laura left in a huff he held his hand on the wall and he tore down the clinic wards as he morphed into the visage of Kate Argent. With no preamble he moved to the office with her gun at the ready and in full view of the cameras he said, “Hello sweetie, you didn't keep to your end of the bargain. You were supposed to keep the Hales out of Beacon Hills. I warned you what would happen.”
Without waiting for Deaton to answer he aimed and fired, a single shot through the forehead. He moved to the private bookshelf behind the desk raiding it for the books that belonged to the Hale family before moving to a familiar cabinet and filling a duffle full of rare ingredients and several strains of wolfsbane. He moved to the backdoor and before he left the clinic he dropped the visage of Kate Argent and he emptied the duffle before changing it back to his usual backpack rather than a duffle branded with the Argent Arms logo. He made his way out of the clinic taking the spare key with him rather than leave behind evidence.
He was glad he had thought to take back the books that legally belonged to the Hales as one of them detailed a ward he could place on Scott that would slowly take effect leading him to want to stay away from anyone who fits the criteria for the ward, it could be targeted at specific types of people or even named individuals. It could be done while the subject was sleeping, so one last sleepover and then Scott would fade out of his life. He hoped.
He heard through the town grapevine that Deaton had been found dead by one of his clients the next day and that they were looking for a blonde woman in connection to his murder.
Cora turned up just in time to help capture the Argents. Stiles spent time explaining what she had missed since she left Beacon Hills and what happened over the next 11 years in his timeline. She was very happy to help knowing she would get the two family members she wanted back in her life.
Chris was able to lace Kate and Gerard’s after-dinner drink with a powerful sleeping draught that Stiles provided and Cora was able to provide the muscle to get them to the old Hale house. When Cora found out what level of vengeance they would be enacting on them once Derek was able to travel she was happy to help.
“My bitch of a sister has him trapped?” Cora demanded.
Stiles nodded, “He has been alpha ordered to not leave the apartment and she is monitoring his calls and texts.”
Cora snarled, “She will pay.”
Stiles agreed, “She will, and everyone will blame Kate.”
Cora smirked, “Wicked. So what’s next on our fix all the shit list?”
They started to walk back to Roscoe as Stiles explained the plan for Peter.
-x-
Stiles wasn’t sure what state Peter would be in when he climbed out of the hospital room so he and Cora sat in the trees close enough to the hospital that they could see him make his escape.
Cora stood out from behind a tree in front of him and she flashed her golden eyes at him which he returned in surprise. He croaked out, “Cora?”
Before he could attack Stiles stepped out and he blew a handful of wolfsbane powder into Peter’s face to knock him out.
Cora moved to catch him before lifting him into a fireman’s carry and they trekked into the preserve close to where Stiles was sure Peter had met Laura.
Stiles directed Cora to place him on the ground and Stiles was quick to surround him in a mountain ash circle before using his magic to wake Peter.
“Cora?” Peter asked as he woke, “You got away?”
Cora nodded, “You got me out, Uncle Peter. It didn't help, Laura still cut my pack bond and abandoned me when she took Derek and ran.”
Stiles saw Peter scenting the air from his position sitting in the middle of the ash circle before he said to Stiles, “I know you.” He glanced down to Stiles' chest and he asked, “How far?”
Stiles smirked, “Eleven years. You left me some very detailed notes on how to petition The Powers That Be.”
Peter asked, “So if I left you my notes it means I trusted you to have a good plan. So what next?”
Cora asked, “You seem remarkably lucid for someone who has been in a coma for six years, Uncle Peter.”
Peter shrugged, “I think the Lady is helping me somewhat.” He looked at Stiles with a pointed look and he said, “The plan?”
Stiles pulled the gun case out of his backpack and he said, “In my previous timeline you confronted Laura in the preserve. I honestly don’t think you realized it was her. You just saw a strange alpha in front of you and you lashed out killing her in the process and gaining the Hale alpha spark. Tonight I am going to question her before you kill her with this gun. I will need to do a bit of magic on you so the gun will have Kate’s fingerprints on it before we stage a struggle and the gun is left behind on the body.”
Peter stood and he brushed himself down. Stiles called the ash back to his pouch and he moved fast and he pulled a surprised Peter into a tight hug.
Peter asked, “It was my death wasn’t it, Sweetheart? That pushed you into petitioning for a second chance.”
Stiles nodded and he explained, “You and my dad had been dating for 3 years when he died. You promised him that if anything happened to him you would protect me. For six years we had each other's backs until our alpha pulled a shit move and gave you to a coven when you killed one of their members. She had been sacrificing toddlers.”
Peter nodded, “That would push me to kill a witch for sure. Your mate?”
Peter and Cora screwed up their faces at the sappy look Stiles had when he said, “He is waiting in New York for a call when we question his alpha.” He pulled back and he started walking toward the spot where Peter originally confronted Laura. “Let’s go.”
They waited in the treeline for Laura to pass. Peter tapped Stiles’ arm to let him know she was close and Stiles started letting mountain ash float to the ground to start to form a circle, as soon as Laura was close he closed the circle around her and then allowed the circle to follow her movements until she was closer to them.
As soon as she was close enough Stiles stepped out of the trees and he said, “Laura Hale. I have some very important questions for you.”
Cora and Peter stepped out of the trees behind Stiles and they said in unison, “We all do.”
Laura turned and she snarled, “Why should I answer two omegas and a… human.”
Stiles held his hand out and he squeezed his fist in an obvious motion, Laura found her movements heavily restricted as the mountain ash closed to an impossibly small circle.
Stiles pulled his phone out of his pocket and he made a call. “Stiles?”
Stiles smiled, “Yeah Sourwolf, it’s me. Are you ready for some answers?”
Derek snarled, “I’ve been ready for years, you got the questions I wanted answers to?”
“They are first on my list, let me move to speaker phone,” Stiles confirmed.
Stiles pushed the speaker icon on his phone and he passed it to Peter to hold as he paced.
“Laura Hale,” Stiles growled, “Your actions since the Hale Fire of 2005 are suspect so we have questions. Every time you refuse to answer the circle you are in will get smaller and more painful.”
Laura snarled, “Why should I answer you, you’re a human kid.”
Stiles gave her a look that conveyed his impression of her complete lack of intelligence and he said, “How many human kids do you know with mastery over mountain ash. Dumbass.”
Peter, Cora, and Derek all snickered. Stiles could hear the sounds of Derek moving around his apartment starting his packing.
Stiles started, “Were you aware of Kate seducing your brother?”
Laura looked indignant and she said, “No.”
Peter snarled, “Lie.”
Stiles cataloged the answer and he asked, “Why did you cut the pack bonds to Peter and Cora before you left town?”
Laura sneered and she said, “They were dead weight, why wouldn’t I cut the bonds.”
“Did you work with Deaton to get the alpha spark for yourself?” Stiles demanded.
Laura laughed and she said, “Why would I.”
Stiles laughed and he said, “Evasion won’t work. Yes or no. Did you work with Deaton to get the alpha spark for yourself? Not answering or evasion will be taken as an admission of guilt. I mean it's not like we can check with Deaton…”
They waited for her to answer but when it was clear she was refusing Derek asked, “That went smoothly then?”
Stiles smirked, “Oh yes. I will tell you more when you get here.”
Laura sneered, “He isn’t going anywhere, he can’t leave the apartment.”
Derek laughed before he slammed the door and they could hear the ding of the elevator arriving. Stiles enjoyed the look on Laura’s face as she realized he was not bound by her alpha orders.
Stiles said, “I have more questions but do we need to know more? We have established that she knew about Kate targeting her brother, a minor and she did nothing to alert her pack about it. We have also established that she worked with Deaton to make sure that when the fire happened she would get the alpha spark instead of Peter who was next in line. We know she’s been an absolute bitch of an alpha to Derek not even allowing him to attend college and keeping him isolated. Is there anything left to ask?”
Derek said, “Do it, Stiles. Just make sure you follow the plan. I will text you when I am on my way.”
Stiles called back, “I can’t wait Sourwolf.”
Peter ended the call and he said, “Let’s get on with it. Do your magic so we can end it.”
Stiles waved his hand and he willed the circle to move thus forcing Laura to move in the direction he chose. He knew the deputies had a running group that ran before the early shift on the jogging trails not far from their current location so it was a good place to ensure she was found quickly without the risk of kids finding her body.
“Peter,” Laura snarled, “You can’t do this. You are a left hand, you aren’t alpha material.”
Cora laughed, “You’re just pissed that Mom picked Derek to be the alpha heir and that she was planning to train him when he finished high school. Yes, I was hiding in her office that day and heard you mouthing off at her that she was making a mistake.”
Peter snarled, “That explains so much. Can we do this?”
Stiles nodded, they were at the right place, there was a bush that would partially obscure Laura’s body. “Centre of the forehead if you can so it matches her MO with Deaton.”
Peter lifted the gun and Cora put her fingers in her ears to block out the sound. He fired and watched as the bullet went right through her forehead. Stiles was quick to use the ash to stop her falling until he had maneuvered her into the right position. He levitated the gun from Peter’s unresisting hands and dropped it in the bushes as he pulled the ash away from Laura.
Stiles turned to Peter who was still struggling with the influx of the alpha power and he said, “You have to rein it in and prevent the healing. You need to be found wandering around in the preserve in a few days after Kate signs you out of the hospital. Can you do that Peter?”
Peter nodded and with help from Cora and Stiles he was able to rein in the influx and prevent the burns from healing. Stiles tried to think of what he could spell and he noticed the necklace Cora was wearing so he asked, “Can you get away with wearing a necklace for a few days?”
Peter nodded and Cora, understanding what Stiles was about to do she handed over the necklace. Stiles spent some time imbuing it with magic to prevent his red eyes from being seen. If his eyes flashed they would look gold like they did before he killed Laura.
They moved fast through the preserve and got Peter back to the hospital. Cora promised that she would visit in a few days once Derek had arrived in Beacon Hills.
-x-
Laura’s body was found the next day and her phone and wallet were used to start the ID process. Noah made the call to Derek to request he return to Beacon Hills as soon as possible to identify the body. He said he and his sister Cora would be on the next plane to San Fransisco and he promised to make the station his first stop.
Stiles and Cora picked Derek up from the airport the next morning and Stiles greeted Derek with a long slow kiss. He had hated having to wait to have Derek back in Beacon Hills. They both ignored Cora behind them making gagging noises.
Derek then wrapped Cora up in a hug and he murmured, “I am so glad you’re here Cora. I missed you so much.”
Cora glared at Stiles and he rubbed the back of his neck as he explained, “I might have forgotten to mention that we last saw you five years ago when you were attacked by rogue hunters in the preserve.”
Cora scowled and she exclaimed, “Mother fuckers, I hoped they paid for it.”
Stiles grinned and he said, “They did, Chris Argent helped us hunt them down.”
As they were leaving the airport Derek asked, “Have you figured out who the elders are?”
Stiles nodded, “Peter, Chris, and my dad. All three asked the same thing when they saw my mark. How long. I think Lady Artemis also helped with Peter. He was extraordinarily lucid when we found him in the preserve. I know from his notes he said he was mostly feral that night. I know he can be an unreliable narrator but I don’t think he would exaggerate for something that was written in case someone petitioned for a second chance.”
Derek nodded, “Agreed, I know he would lie through his teeth when we were struggling all those years, especially to the fail alpha, but he was brutally honest in the notes he wrote.”
Cora asked, “So what's next. We identify our bitch of an ex-sister then rescue Peter?”
Stiles nodded, “After that, we deal with the Argents. Kate and Gerard are in cages behind silencing runes and I need to talk to Chris about Victoria. I need to put a ward on my ex-BFF so he will stay away from anyone supernatural or supernatural adjacent like the Argents and our future pack. Then we all get together and we plan for the future without a meddling Darach and psychopaths out to kill us at every turn.”
Derek agreed, “We know for the most part what is likely to be gunning for us so we can eliminate them before they become a problem.”
Stiles snarled, “Deucalion is mine! Once we have filled everyone in on the last eleven years I will ask Dad to set up alerts for the bigger problem children so he can monitor their movements.”
They pulled up to the station and Stiles escorted the pair in. Noah had heard Roscoe pulling in so he was already walking out of the office to see what was going on. “Stiles?”
Stiles grinned when he saw his dad, “Hey Daddio, Cora said you needed to see her and Derek.”
Noah raised his eyebrows and he asked, “How long have you known Cora?”
Stiles frowned and he said, “We went to elementary school together. You know this.”
Noah huffed, “And how long have you known that she didn’t die in the fire, Stiles?”
Stiles rubbed the back of his neck and he mumbled, “Oh yeah, that. Ummm about five years, she got in touch from New York but asked me not to say anything since they were afraid that the woman who tried to kill them all would try again if she knew they were alive.”
Cora looked abashed as she said, “Sorry Sheriff. We didn’t know who to trust. Laura told us not to trust anyone. She found out I was writing to Stiles and went ballistic at me.”
Stiles smiled and he said, “A school friend of hers was helping us keep in touch by sending the letters on her behalf.”
Noah nodded and he asked, “Stiles, why don’t you and Cora wait in my office and I will take Derek to the hospital to identify Laura. We shouldn’t be long.”
Stiles used the time in the office to see how the investigation was going. He could see they had identified Kate as the owner of the gun and they were waiting on results from ballistics testing for Deaton’s death. He figured they had a few days to enact their plan to have Peter wandering around in the preserve.
Cora asked, “When can we visit Peter?”
Stiles said with a grin, “How about a few hours after Kate does… While the nurse Kate was bribing is still on shift. We can kick up a stink about him not being in his room and how can they lose a coma patient when he was authorized for family only visitors.”
Cora smirked, “Perfect.”
When Derek and Noah arrived back at the station one of the deputies took the Hales back to separate interview rooms to get statements from them both about why Laura was in Beacon Hills. Something they could both honestly answer that they didn’t know. They both explained how Laura kept to herself and rarely let them know where she would be from day to day. They also couldn’t answer how Laura knew Dr. Deaton, especially as they had no pets. They handed over paperwork showing their flight from New York, Stiles had used magic to duplicate Derek’s boarding pass with Cora’s details.
Noah saw them off after Stiles let him know that the Hales would be staying in their guest room while they were in Beacon Hills.
Once they were done at the station they made a stop at the Argent house to talk to Chris to get an update. Chris took them up to his office and with no preamble, he said, “Victoria claims to have no knowledge of the fire and she made the decision she wanted to leave Beacon Hills. Allison was dead set against it so Victoria has left her behind and returned to Nebraska and the Eventide hunting family. Allison is pissed at her but understands her wanting to leave after finding out what her Aunt and Grandfather have been up to.”
Allison entered the room and she said, “I want to be trained with the pack, please. I think packs need hunters to keep them safe from others like my relatives.”
Derek nodded his agreement, so Stiles held out his hand and he shook hers as he said, “Deal, in return, I would like it if you would train us in how to use guns and other weaponry that may help us in the future.”
Allison gave her best dimpled Disney princess smile and she agreed wholeheartedly.
Stiles, Derek, and Chris arranged to meet at the Stilinski house in a few days to make a plan for the pack’s future and the future of the Beacon Hills territory and what dangers were to come.
-x-
Stiles waited in an out of the way stairwell and he morphed into the visage of Kate Argent once again. He stalked his way through the hospital and entered Peter’s hospital room. Peter snarled when he entered until he said, “Chill Peter, you knew I was coming.”
Peter relaxed back into his wheelchair and he said, “The nurse she’s been bribing is approaching, there is a camera right outside the room if you want Kate seen with her allowing my release in your care.”
Stiles nodded and he grasped the handles of the chair, he smiled like he knew a secret and he wheeled Peter out of the room just as Nurse Jennifer was approaching the room.
Stiles smiled at Jennifer and he asked, “You don’t mind if I take him out for a walk. He looks like he could use some fresh air.”
Jennifer smiled and said, “No problem. Make sure you keep him on a leash.”
Stiles chuckled while he inwardly seethed and he walked out of the hospital. He took Peter on a route through the hospital gardens before he steered them into the trees behind the main buildings.
Stiles changed back to himself and he was trying to hold off his temper at the nurse’s actions. Peter said he would head to the Stilinski house and hang out for a few hours with Cora and Derek before he would send them in to visit him in the hospital. Derek was using Laura’s Camaro now that he and Cora had been cleared by the police.
Stiles moved the wheelchair and he left it in the staff car park by the car he remembered Peter stealing from his nurse in the first timeline.
Derek, Cora, and Stiles returned three hours later and Stiles introduced them to Mrs. McCall who was able to check the register, and with a quick check of their ID’s she showed them to Peter’s room only to find it empty.
She asked them to wait and she went to the desk and confirmed that no visitors had been logged nor did he have any appointments with other departments in the hospital. She made a quick call to the hospital security office to register the missing patient and she returned to the room to let them know that Peter was currently missing. Stiles made a quick call to his dad and let him know that Peter was missing from the long term care unit. Noah promised he would get an investigation and search parties underway.
Hospital security promised to keep in touch with Derek about the search and they left the hospital rather than wait around. They went home and picked up Peter before heading to the school to enter the vaults under the school. Stiles did a short term morph of Peter so he would look like another student just in case there were any teachers around during the winter break. They made their way through the tunnels to the basement of the Hale house. A few of the mountain ash lines that Kate had set the night of the fire were still active so Stiles broke them and collected up the remaining ash.
Kate snarled when Derek stepped into the basement with his pack behind him. She growled, “I should have killed you and that bitch of a sister before you left town.”
Derek laughed, “Oh you could have tried. It would have been fun to watch, I’m sure.”
Stiles asked, “Do we want to draw this out or do we want to just get on with it?”
Peter asked, “What will be left of them?”
Gerard scoffed, “You don't have the balls to harm us. My son will…”
“Do nothing,” Chris said as he walked down the stairs, “You broke the code in the worst way imaginable. Thank you Alpha Hale for waiting and allowing me to be a witness.”
Derek nodded, “Stiles, hard and fast, get it done.”
Stiles turned to reassure Peter, “The fire won’t harm you, I promise, and to answer your earlier question before Grandpa Psycho interrupted, nothing will be left. Just ashes.” He conjured a pair of fireballs and he sent them to the cages. The runes on the cages allowed the fire in but not out so it burnt hard and strong and when the fires finally went out all that was left was ashes.
The five of them stood there and silently witnessed the justice of the Hale Pack. They refused to react to the screaming and threats from the two Argents who reveled in burning the Hale Pack to the ground. Chris was the first to leave after saying he would see them in a few days. He was sad at the loss of his family but he had a feeling he and his daughter had gained a somewhat saner family in the pack. Peter followed him out and he said he would stay close to the house in his wanderings. Derek, Cora, and Stiles returned to the school before joining the search parties heading into the preserve.
Peter was found by Noah and two of his deputies near the Hale house. Noah had a feeling he would return to a place he felt was safe. He gave them a story about how the woman was raving about finishing the job so he punched her hard enough to knock her out and he ran as fast as he could to get away from her.
The nurse was arrested and she admitted to taking bribes from Kate Argent to put aconite in the cream used on Peter’s burns every day. Chris used this as an opportunity to hand over the financial records he had been gathering showing bribes were paid to various arsonists, a chemistry teacher at the high school, and the insurance investigator. They were all brought in and arrested for their parts in the fire and the coverup that occurred afterward.
The meeting at the Stilinski house was the first time the pack gathered as a group and Stiles and Derek took them through the timeline as they had experienced it. Noah was diligent in taking down the names of those who needed to be watched or checked on. Peter suggested a friend who could help them remove the Nogitsune from the Nemeton which could help it start to heal.
They discussed the issue of Scott McCall and Stiles got permission to put a ward on him to stay away from the pack and anyone supernatural. He arranged to do this the next day with help from Cora. Scott eventually moved away to live with his dad after failing out of his Sophomore year.
Stiles decided to return to his correct grade and Noah arranged placement tests which he aced. He and Cora returned to school as Juniors after the winter break. They started making friends with Derek’s former packmates, Isaac, Erica, and Boyd and they were slowly introduced to the pack over the rest of the school year.
Noah kept a closer eye on the Lahey house and he was able to catch Mr. Lahey in the act of hitting Isaac so he could arrest him for the systematic child abuse Isaac had been suffering. Isaac moved into the Argent house and he started to come out of his shell with help from Chris and Allison.
Stiles and Derek were married soon after Stiles' graduation in a small ceremony attended by the pack and close friends.
The pack knew they had many challenges ahead of them but they were forewarned and would face them together. Beacon Hills would flourish under the care of the Hale Pack once again.