Cut Out All the Ropes: Chapter 18

"Derek?" Melissa called gently, rolling her eyes when the entire pack all stood up at once. "Dr. Rhoades is bringing the babies back to Stiles' room if you'd like to come talk to him. You too, Steve. Everyone else, wait here."

Derek cleared his throat, nodding as he climbed to his feet. Steve patted him on the back, both fallowing Melissa down the hallway.

"Is Stiles okay?" Derek asked quietly, and Melissa gave him a small smile.

"They're still patching him up. It'll probably be a little longer before they move him to recovery. But I'm sure he'll be okay Derek. Boys, this is Dr. Rhoades."

"Nice to meet you gentlemen," he said, shaking hands with both Derek and Steve. "Everyone seems to be in good shape. Alexis here weighed in at 7 pounds and six ounces, and was 19 inches long. Aiden is five pounds and five ounces, and 17 inches long."

"He's so much smaller..." Derek whispered, his finger ghosting over his son's tiny hands.

"That's typical for twins, Mr. Hale. I'm going to want to keep a bit of a closer eye on Aiden, but currently the only problem I've discovered is a slight bit of jaundice with Aiden. These small stickers will help with his liver functions until the yellowness clears up. I'll have Melissa here bring in bottles for each of them since I'm sure they're hungry. After that we'll move them back to the nursery until Mr. Stilinski is out of recovery. Did you have any questions for me at this time?"

"I-uh..." Derek stuttered and Steve snorted next to him.

"With Aiden's weight being so low, is there a certain weight you're aiming for before he'll be allowed to go home?" The Sheriff asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I would actually like to get him up to at least seven. Just something similar to his sister's starting weight. We'll be using a special formula here in the hospital that's typically suggested for our underweight patients. If need be, we can also suggest a formula for him once you go home."

"Okay," Steve said nodding his head. "What about vaccinations? It's been 17 years since I've had a kid so I don't remember what needs to be done while they're still in the hospital."

"We've already ran the normal tests on them. We also had had permission from Mr. Stilinski for the beginning of their vaccinations, so everything is started like they're supposed to be."

"Thank you, doctor," Steve said, reaching up and squeezing Derek's shoulder. The Alpha sighed, nodding his head.

"Of course, gentlemen. If you have any more questions, just let me or one of the nurses know." With that the blonde man turned and left the room. Melissa gave Derek a small smile, resting her hands on the small boxes holding the twins.

"Why don't you two sit down," Melissa said, gesturing towards the chairs. "I'll get you situated with the twins and let you guys start bonding while I get those bottles ready." Derek nodded his head, his eyes wide. Melissa grinned, gently pushing Derek into a chair. "Have you ever held a baby before, Derek?"

The Alpha stared at her for a long time before clearing his throat and nodding. "I had little cousins. And a nephew."

"Okay, good," Melissa said as she carefully picked Alexis up out of the crib. She handed the baby to Derek, helping him support her head before backing away slightly.

"Hi, pup," he whispered down to her, a small smile on her face. She stared up at him with wide eyes. He gently ran his finger down the back of her hand, smiling at the way she whimpered and reached for his hand. "I'm your Papa." Alexis let out a little grunt, wiggling in his arms. Melissa grinned before turning back to Steve who had already scooped up Aiden.

"I'm your Pappy, little guy. Aren't you just the cutest little boy ever? Yes you are. Yes you are." Steve murmured, gently kissing Aiden's forehead. The Sheriff looked up and gave Derek a small smile. "You're a natural, Der."

"They're so little," Derek whispered, glancing up at Steve before looking back down at Alexis. "What if I break them?"

"Every father thinks that at least once after their child is born. And it's scary, I'll give you that. But you'll learn soon enough, Derek, that you've just got to take a deep breath and go with it. You'll be fine."

Derek nodded, taking the bottle Melissa handed him. "Okay, Lex. Let's do this."

The pack watched as Derek and Steve followed Melissa down the hallway. As soon as they entered the room, Jackson turned on Allison.

"Why the hell did you lie to him about Isaac?" He hissed, grabbing her wrist. Scot growled, pushing Jackson away.

"Don't touch her."

"I lied because we don't know where Isaac is. I don't want to upset him until we know how to fix it, okay? It's bad enough Stiles isn't completely out of danger. Just…Just wait."

"So what's your plan?" Jackson asked, throwing himself down into a chair. Allison glanced at Scott who sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Boyd, Danny, and Erica, can you track him? I mean, we all know his sent, right?" Scott asked. The three betas glanced at each other, nodding. "Split up, check the train depot, that abandoned factory the Argent's used as their headquarters, anywhere you think is relevant. Jackson, you can go with them.'

"And what are you three going to do?" Jackson asked, a brow raised.

"Stay here," Scott said. "I'll help keep an eye out, since clearly Derek is a little preoccupied. Lydia, you have your laptop, right?" The red head nodded. "She knows how to trace Isaac's cell phone. Allison has contacts that may know where her mom would have taken Isaac. We'll find him, and then we'll fill in Derek. Okay? Just everyone keep their phones with them and keep in touch."

Jackson sighed, nodding his head as he pulled Danny to his feet. Boyd and Erica followed them, Boyd patting Scott's shoulder as he went past. Scott nodded, turning to Lydia and Allison.

"Okay, so let's get to work?" Allison sighed, nodding as she pulled out her phone. Lydia swallowed thickly, pulling out her laptop. Scott dropped down in his chair, letting his head fall in his hands. It was going to be a long day.

Stiles woke to a steady and obnoxious beeping in his ears and cold hands gently moving his legs. He whimpered as his eyes fluttered open to see Melissa standing above him. He licked his lips before clearing his throat.

"What happened?" he whispered as Melissa fixed a large foam triangle between his legs before pulling up his blanket.

"Well you dislocated your hip so this triangle is to keep your hips at a normal position while it heals. And you had a lot of internal bleeding after the birth, so Dr. Jeffers had to operate to get everything put back together. You're just coming out of surgery right now, sweetie." Melissa tucked him and gently ran her hand through his hair.

"The…the babies?" he asked quietly, staring into her face. He could vaguely remember one of them crying before his memories got all fuzzy.

"They're both okay, sweetheart. Aiden's a bit smaller then Alexis and he has a touch of jaundice, but other than that they're okay. Your dad and Derek fed them and they're currently sleeping in the nursery waiting for their Daddy to come back to his normal room."

Stiles nodded, raising his hand to his face to bat at the breathing tubes in his nose.

"Leave that alone, Stiles," Melissa chided as she updated his chart. "Dr. Jeffers just wants to keep an eye on you in recovery for a while, then we'll move you back downstairs and you can finally meet your children, okay? Just try to not move too much."

"Derek?" Stiles asked, although he wasn't quite sure what he was asking.

"He's downstairs with your dad, Scott, Allison and Lydia. I'm not sure where the rest of the group went, but I'm sure they will be back soon."

"Okay," Stiles whispered, his eyes falling shut. Melissa squeezed his arm before leaving the room.

Isaac whimpered as the flash of a camera filled the dark room. He jumped, the barbed wire digging into his skin. He blinked his eyes open, stars flashing in front of his eyes. When they finally cleared, Victoria Argent stood over him with her iPhone in hand. The camera flashed again, blinding Isaac.

"Well, little wolf, it appears your friends are starting to look for you. I guess it's time to give them a little hint." She clicked at the screen a few times, a small grin on her face. "You see, I'm not planning on killing you, little wolf. Oh no. But these scars? They'll follow you forever. Let them be a reminder to Derek as to why he shouldn't be changing teenagers."

Victoria reached into her back pocket and pulled out the remote that sent another round of electricity through Isaac's body. When the shocks stopped, she stepped forward, wrapping her hand around his ankle and twisting the wrong way.

"No, I don't plan on killing you. But I do plan on having a bit more fun before they find you." Isaac whimpered, pulling against the cuffs desperately. He held on as long as he could before he finally passed out.

"Hey kiddo," Steve said with a smile as the nurses pushed Stiles back into his normal room. He felt like he'd been put through a wringer and his hip was throbbing. Stiles gave his dad a small smile, glancing at the others in his room. Derek sat in the corner, his eyes following Stiles' every move.

"Hi," Stiles whispered as his bed was locked in place and the head raised to he was sitting up more. The nurse stopped when Stiles winced because his stomach pulled. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them Derek was at his side, holding his hand.

"Hey, babe. How you feeling?" Derek whispered, squeezing Stiles hand tightly.

"Tired. And kind of sore. But okay," Stiles whispered back. "The twins?"

"Melissa just went to get them from the nursery. You'll get to meet them here in a minute, kid," Steve said, a huge grin on his face. Stiles gave a small smile, looking around the room. Allison and Scott sat together in the window seat and Lydia was in a chair near-by and gave him a grin.

"Where's everyone else?" Stiles asked, his voice still hoarse sounding.

"Danny had to check in with his parents. Same with Boyd. I'm not sure where Jackson went, but I think Erica went with Boyd to take a shower and change and stuff. Isaac had to run back to his place, too," Allison said, her voice airy and light as she smiled at Stiles. Derek cocked a brow at her, but didn't say anything else.

"Here we go, Stiles," Melissa said as she pushed the two boxes carrying the twins into the room. Stiles stared at them for a long moment, his face torn between awe and fear. "Okay, let's get you all propped up here." She helped prop him up with a few pillows before placing a pillow under each arm.

"I've…I've never really held a baby," Stiles whispered. Derek let out a huff of breath, grinning at Stiles.

"It's okay, I'll help you," Melissa smiled, scooping Aiden out of his bed. "Bend your arm, just like that. You have to support his head." Stiles did as she asked, his brow furrowed as he concentrated on hold his son safely. "Just like that. See, you're a natural."

"You take some time with him, kid. Then we'll give you Lexi," Steve said with a grin, his granddaughter in his arms.

"Um, hi," Stiles said, looking down at the squishy baby in his arms. "I'm your daddy. Um, yeah. Sorry for all that stuff that happened when you were inside me. Um, you came in one piece, so I guess that's good, right?" Derek snorted again, shaking his head as he grinned. "But, um, I'm glad you're here."

He stayed silent after that. He was pretty sure you were supposed to find your child beautiful. You were definitely supposed to have feelings for your own child. But as he stared down at Aiden, the only thing he could think of was how glad he was to not be pregnant anymore. And he hated himself for it a bit.

"Ready for one more?" Steve asked, already stooping to place Alexis in Stiles other arm.

"Um, hi to you, too," he whispered to Alexis. At least he didn't prefer one child over the other. He still hated himself, though.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Derek asked, crouching on the side of the bed. Stiles swallowed thickly before glancing up at Derek and nodding.

"Yeah, they're really cute. I'm just glad they're here." Stiles whispered, clearing his throat. He glanced up when Allison's cellphone vibrated before glancing back to the babies in his arms. He glanced up again when Allison gasped, a brow cocked.

"Sorry, Jackson's car apparently got broken into. He'll be a while longer."

"Oh. That sucks," Stiles said with a shrug, trying to sit up a little straighter without moving his hips.

"Um, Derek?" Scott asked, looking at something on Allison's phone. "Can we talk to you in the hallway for a minute?"

Derek raised a brow at him before nodding. The alpha placed a kiss on Stiles' cheek before following the two teenagers out of the room.

"What's wrong?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"That message wasn't about Jackson," Allison whispered, her phone in her hand. "Listen, Derek. I called my dad while Stiles was in delivery since Isaac was taking so long and he said he had never text you. It was my mom. Jackson, Danny, Boyd and Erica have been trying to track her and Isaac down all afternoon and they haven't found him. But I just got this message from my mom…"

Allison handed Derek her phone where a picture was loaded on the screen. A bound and gagged Isaac stared back at him, his eyes full of fear.

"What the fuck," Derek whispered, glancing up at the couple staring at him.

"I recognize the background," Scott whispered. "It's the old mall."

"Wait and I'll come with you. Just wait for Stiles to fall back asleep. Do not tell him."

"Yeah, yeah, we got it," Scott said, squeezing Allison's hand. Derek took a steading breath before going back into Stiles room, a fake smile on his face.

AN: Sorry this took so long. I got a full time job! I hope you like it and sorry it's so short. I take blame for all mistakes.