I Do Not Own Teen Wolf.

When Derek and Stiles started dating, the werewolf knew he'd never get to meet the amazing woman that had helped raise his beautiful partner. It always upset him since Derek knew that much of Stiles' mother showed through in her son's personality. He got glimpses of Claudia Stilinski but he was never able to grasp who the woman had been.

Derek regretted not having been able to meet Claudia when he had the chance. Sure he'd probably passed her walking around in Beacon Hills but he'd never gotten to physically meet her. Of course he knew what she looked like but he didn't really know. He knew from pictures that Stiles kept of his mother but those pictures never really captured the essence of the woman. And if Derek regretted anything, it was not having had the chance to meet Claudia Stilinski.

He knew he'd never get to meet her. He'd never get to shake her hand, hear her laugh, talk about all the crazy things Stiles has done. Derek wishes life wasn't so cruel as to have taken away a woman as wonderful as Stiles tells him she was. He's heard so many stories from both him and the Sheriff and sometimes Derek feels bits of himself die when the hollow look ends up in his family's eyes. If he could do anything, he'd give Stiles back his mother.

Derek knew he'd never get to meet Claudia Stilinski, never had any reason to believe he would. He didn't know he would get to meet her until the day he actually did.

Derek knew there was a great chance he wouldn't make it out of this alive. He may heal fast but there were just some things a werewolf couldn't heal themselves from. When a family of ghouls came to town, Derek expected a small quarrel but nothing as big as what was happening.

The forest stank with ghoul breath, burning skin and hair, and the smell of death. All around him Scott's pack fought with the monsters trying to take bites out of them. Kira to his left wielding her katana, the recently returned Isaac using his claws to the best of his abilities, Lydia behind him ridding herself of the excessive amount of molotov cocktails she had brought, and in front of him stood the formidable team of Malia, Scott, and Stiles.

His partner was beating the monsters off with a magic infused baseball bat, Scott using his teeth, and Malia using her newfound ability to turn her toe-nails into claws. (Every time he saw her walk barefoot it reminded him of Kali, but who was he to ruin a happy werecoyote's mood?)

His pack, though it really wasn't his anymore, were dealing with the ghouls the best they could. They'd grown since everything with Kate and Peter went down. Four years of growing up had left them one of the strongest pack of misfits on the West Coast. Derek was proud to know he was a part of this, that Scott was his alpha but he was even prouder to know that the human of the pack was his partner. Stiles was his and only his and Derek would do anything to protect him.

It was this kind of thinking that made Derek run to push Stiles out of the way of three ghouls that were attempting to attack him from behind. He was able to get Stiles out of the way but Derek himself wasn't as lucky. The ghouls hit him with their added strength, sharp nails and teeth ripping into him. It was one of the most painful things Derek had gone through since Kate's attack.

But none of that mattered as he collapsed to the ground; he was watching his pack finish of the three ghouls that had been aiming for Stiles and then leader of their little "family." Derek smiled through the pain, knowing Stiles was safe. He didn't have much more time, he knew, but his life seemed to have just enough time left to whisper out a soft "Love you" to his family and friends before everything went white.

When Derek came to he was sitting underneath a tree in the middle of a forest. It all smelled so familiar but to him it almost smelled off. Something wasn't right and he knew it instantly. He looked a moment, green-hazel eyes searching for any sign of his pack but finding none. He made to get up but before he could the most beautiful woman he had ever seen started walking towards him.

Her hair was auburn brown and fell in waves down her slim body. She was graceful with pale, mole spotted skin and she seemed to glow with an ethereal beauty about her. Derek was mesmerized at the sight of her but for reasons he didn't know. She seemed so familiar, like someone he had seen before but in a dream; she was like a soothing balm that could clear up any cracked skin. Derek knew there was only one other person like that for him and it was Stiles.

Then she got closer and he realized how much this woman looked like his partner. The only differences were she was a woman and much shorter. He was stunned when he realized that the only explanation could be that she was Claudia, Stiles' mother.

Derek thought it silly that this could be Claudia. She was dead and he was definitely still alive. Or was he? Derek didn't remember ever making it out of the fight with the ghouls; truthfully he remembered saving Stiles and then just a white light. Maybe he hadn't made it out alive and this was Heaven.

When he looked up Claudia was smiling down at him. Her smile was just like her son's, except for the one little crooked tooth that made their smiles so different. Derek felt like he was home and warm. Like he was in front of a fireplace or wrapped up in his favorite blanket from his childhood. To think the woman that mothered his partner would be someone he could trust so easily. Claudia reached down and grabbed his arms, helping to pull him up as he stumbled a little.

"Derek Hale. It's a pleasure to finally meet the one my son has fallen in love with," she said softly. Her voice was warm and pleasing, much like the way Stiles spoke when the boy was calm.

Derek smiled at her easily, a blush warming his cheeks as he was finally able to meet the woman in his partner's life. "I never thought I'd get to meet you."

"Neither did I," she responded. "It looks like we have some catching up to do."

They talked for what seemed like hours. Derek knew now why Stiles was so enthralled by his mother, why he was a close to Claudia as he was. The woman was about as close to perfection as a human being, or spirit in her case, could get. She was sweet but had that spice that Derek knew the Sheriff had quickly fallen in love with. It was exactly what had attracted him to Stiles in the first place, as well.

Claudia told Derek all of Stiles most embarrassing childhood moments and in turn Derek shared with the woman everything that was going on in her son's life right now. All the supernatural information didn't seem to phase her as he tried to explain in the best way that he could. She held his hand almost the entire time until she pulled Derek to lay his head in her lap. There her fingers found his hair and ran them through it.

"I used to do this to Stiles when he would have nightmares," she explained. "I miss him so much."

"He misses you too, Mrs. Stilinski."

"Derek to you I'm mom. My boy loves you more than anything, it seems and I won't have you calling me anything but mom." Claudia smiled at Derek softly before wiping her wet eyes.

They talked for a little while after that until two more figures came out of the brightly lit forest.

"Claudia, you know he can't stay here with us. He has much too long of a life to waste it by dying now." A feminine voice flowed through the trees to Derek's ears and his head shot up with astonishment.

There stood his mother and his sister Laura. Both just the way he remembered them. Derek couldn't help it then. The happy tears he had been holding in when he met Claudia suddenly started falling as he ran to his family and hugged them as tightly as he could. They hugged back just as tight, almost reluctant to let him go but they knew they had to.

"Derek, it's time for you to go back home. You have a pack worrying over you."

He knew his mother and sister were right. As much as he wished he could stay here with them he knew it was time to go home. Meeting Claudia had been the one dream he never thought he'd be able to reach but somehow he did.

With a hug from everyone and two forehead kisses from his two mother's, one new, one old, he found himself falling back into a sea of white.

"Derek! Derek you need to open your eyes!" All Derek could hear was Claudia's voice screaming in his ears, telling him to open his eyes and see Stiles again. The voice of his new mother and a really aggravating beeping noise was all he could hear.

His eyes shot open as he started coughing loudly, pulling at the tubes that went down his throat to help him breathe. He saw Stiles smash his hand into the help button and then Melissa rush into his hospital room to help him with everything. He was given a glass of water to help with the coughing and a small bowl of chicken broth was soon brought in.

Stiles stayed to help feed him, even though Derek could definitely feed himself. The whole pack had come to see him once they'd heard he had woken up. Lydia with a bunch of flowers, just because she knew they'd aggravate him, Malia with an ironic wolf plush that looked like him and Scott with a scolding for almost dying on them. Derek had laughed softly at his alpha and promised that he'd never do such a thing again.

After everyone had left Stiles climbed onto the bed to lay with Derek. The wolf wrapped an arm around the human's waist and pushed his face into the brown hair of his partner. Just like his mother, Derek thought. They lay like that for awhile before Derek was able to pull away.

"I met your mother."

Stiles stared up at Derek with a gaping mouth before tears started filling his eyes. "How could you have met her?"

"She was there waiting for me at the edge of the afterlife. Heaven maybe. Gods, Stiles, you are just like your mother. Smart and sassy and so beautiful. I understand now about everything. The way you miss her, how close you were. Stiles your mother is the most wonderful woman."

The human laughed softly before easily hitting Derek on the chest. "I already knew that you idiot. I mean, she did give birth to me." They both laughed at this. "Just. . . I know you already promised Scott, but promise me that you won't go and do something this stupid ever again."

Derek pulled Stiles face close to his, kissing him chastely on the lips before staring him in the eyes and promising him.

" I promise to never do something like that again."

"Good," Stiles said quietly. "Now tell me everything you and mom talked about."

So Derek did.

This was inspired by a beautiful video called Derek/Stiles || Start of Time and also the song "The Start of Time" by Gabrielle Aplin, which is also where I got the title from. I've always wanted to write something with Claudia in it and I've never written from Derek's POV so I though, why not? It's been awhile since I've written anyways and I really missed it.

I hope you guys enjoyed!