THREE MONTHS AGO

Derek was sitting by a hospital bed. He tried ignoring the sounds of the machines beeping as he held onto a hand, looking worriedly at a patient.

The patient had been Stiles. Something was going on with him just as the same was going with Scott and Allison. Something about them surrogating themselves for their parents in order to find the Nemeton. That tree that had been dormant for as long as Derek could remember.

But now thanks to the sacrifices Allison, Scott, and Stiles made it had reawaken and because of it they suffered from the side effects. Allison kept having visions of her seeing her dead aunt and Scott had lost his confidence in control due to him shifting unprovoked.

Scott and Allison were lucky though. Scott was able to gain back his confidence after a pair of beta werewolves beat the living hell out him. Allison's visions stopped after they went to the cemetery to salt and burn Kate Argent's body. Beacon Hills was a Hellmouth…nothing really did stay dead for long and if they did it was just one less problem for the pack to deal with.

Stiles wasn't so lucky though. He started having night terrors, panic attacks, and sleepwalking to a point where the Sheriff had to install an alarm system. Even then Stiles had managed to get out and remain lost for days, only to come back completely shut off and quiet.

Tonight it got worse, Stiles had called him completely terrified and injured with no idea where he was.

It took two hours for the pack to find him, in the coldest night of the year. When they found him, in small cave just barely on the edge of town, he was close to being hypothermic.

Derek shook his head at the thought of what would have happened if they hadn't gotten to him.

"Derek?" A voice whispered his name, breaking him out of his thoughts. Derek looked up to see Stiles looking right at him confused and tired, "What's wrong with me?"

Derek didn't have an answer for him. No one did, "Deaton doesn't have a clue." Derek told him, "You should be resting."

"Aren't doctor's supposed to have the answer to everything?" Stiles joked weakly.

"We'll figure out," Derek told him, "Right now you need to rest."

Stiles gave him a small head nod, as he closed his eyes, "You're squeezing my hand too tight." Stiles mumbled to him.

"Sorry." Derek quickly released his hand.

"No," Stiles said with his eyes still closed, but there's a small smile on his face, "Felt nice…felted anchored oddly enough." Stiles opened one eye, "Promise you'll stay?"

"I'm right here," Derek told him, taking his hand once again, "I'm not going anywhere."

That same night Stiles had disappeared once again, while Derek went to jump start Stiles' jeep and something had sabotaged the hospital's electric system, Derek nearly wolfed out on just about everyone.

PRESENT DAY

Scott was sent flying into a tree. This wasn't anywhere close to how that night went for him. But he knew better than to try and take on the Alpha since he was still human. He just needed to get to somewhere safe. Scott rose from the ground not tearing his eyes away from the crazed red eyes staring at him. This was just an older version of Peter, before they were able to help him claim some of sanity back. In reality, Peter gave Scott the bite to form a new pack. His mind was racing quickly as he tried to figure out a way to escape without getting himself. Then it hits him. Just outside the Hale house, Derek had buried his sister under a spiral of Wolfsbane that kept her in human form. Scott hoped that maybe it would do the same thing.

Isaac wasn't breathing properly. He was still inside the freezer as he tried clawing his way out, but it was useless. His air supply was getting cut short and he was on the verge of passing out.

Peter wasn't having much luck either against his dead niece. Laura had forced him to stay in his human form with her Alpha roar. A human going up against an Alpha didn't stand a chance.

Allison was hiding behind a column of the Argent training room. It seemed like every time Victoria ran out of knives, she somehow was able to produce more and relentlessly kept throwing them. Allison had tried arming herself, but no matter how much she ran for her bow and arrow or crossbow, she wasn't able to close the distance in between them.

Erica was just barely hanging on to the wall now. She was still surrounded by darkness, but she was most certain that if she did let go she wouldn't survive the fall no less the seizure she could slowly ready to happen.

Boyd placed himself in the tub with the safe right in his lap. He hadn't placed himself under the water yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

Lydia could still hear the voice chanting as the former English teacher, Jennifer Blake or the Darach, placed a garrote around Lydia's neck. Just like before, Lydia continued to struggle against the woman as she released a Banshee scream. Only this time no one was coming to her rescue.

"Now why would you go and say something like that," Stiles commented as Derek fell to the ground, "Your track of love isn't very good."

Derek was on the ground on his knees and looked up at Stiles, "I know," Derek agreed with him, "But that doesn't change how I feel about you… I know you're in pain," Derek said to Stiles as he got up off his knees, "I know what it's like to lose someone. I've been there and there's not a day in my life where the pain isn't gone."

"Then you know why I have to do this," Stiles spoke to him, "To end all the pain and unnecessary emotions."

"I get that…I do." Derek told him, "I've gone through the same thing after Paige…the fire…after Laura…I know…It's like losing a piece of yourself…Like hole in your heart…like a tattoo." Stiles' brow furrowed with irritation, "But in some weird way the pack helped me…Even you…The boy who I thought was annoying as hell with every sarcastic or smart ass comment he had to say." He stepped closer to Stiles, "What was it you used to say. Sarcasm is your only defense?"

"Don't-"

"Remember how you held me up in 8 feet of water from the kanima?" Derek questioned him, ignoring the demand, "Or how you didn't turn me over to Gerard?"

"Shut up!" Stiles screamed at him as held his hand forward, as he sent a bolt of magic to lift Derek into the air.

"I know," Derek told him as he stayed focused on Stiles, "That we failed you when you have never failed us…I know…Stiles we failed…I failed you." Stiles tilted his head to the side with some interest, "I told you I wasn't going to go anywhere…And I went back on my word…and you were forced to do things you had no control over…I let you down, too many times before with Gerard and Jennifer…I won't do it again. Even though I know you're about to do something apocalyptically evil…I'm not going anywhere. Not this time…So if I'm going out, it's here…You wanna kill the world you start with me. I've earned that. "

"You think I won't?" Stiles challenged him.

"It doesn't matter." Derek replied easily, "I'll still love you."

Stiles made a slashing motion in the air as Derek fell to the ground with his face suddenly opened with three large cuts as if he had scratched himself. They don't heal. Derek touched his face and sees the blood, but simply wipes his hand on his jeans.

Stiles looked at nervously as Derek looked back up at him, "I love-"

Stiles slashed at him once again. This time his shirt rips as three long claw marks appear across his chest. However, this caused Derek to fall the ground, but he was still able to keep his eyes locked on Stiles, "I…love you."

"Stop talking!" Stiles shouted as he blasted him again, only this time it wasn't as strong as the first as Derek was able to stand to his feet, looking pained, "Stiles. I. Love. You."

"No…" Stiles started with tears threatening to fall, "No…you don't get to say that…not after-"

Stiles sent another a blast of magic at him, and Derek only staggered backward but doesn't fall down.

Stiles still held his hand out, a little bit of magic crackling around it but not as much as he had expected. He looked surprised and anxious as Derek moved closer to him.

"Stop!" He demanded.

"I love you." Derek repeated once more as he reached out for Stiles. Stiles continued to make the magic gesture, but nothing happens. This time Stiles started to cry as Derek gets right up to him and Stiles starts hitting him with his fists.

Derek stood there and takes it. After a moment, Stiles stopped hitting and started crying for real as he fell to the ground with Derek, holding him.

The veins that had been developing across Stiles' face disappeared as Stiles' hair turned back into his natural brown, "I love you." Derek continued whispering to him.

As a result, the Beacon Hills Pack members were broken of their comatose states and found themselves back in their respective places.

Even at the animal clinic, Deaton seemed to have been healing and getting better much to Allison's surprise, "You're not dead." She said with such relief as she gripped him tightly into a hug.

"No..." He groaned, "However, I am still in some pain."

She lets him go, "Not that I wanted to die or anything, but why aren't we dead?"

"The threat's gone." Deaton shared with her, "Stiles's been stopped."

Allison's delighted faced turned broken, "You mean he's-?"

"He's alive." Deaton assured as he could now feel a calming aura flowing through the town, "The magic he took from me, it did what I hoped it would."

"You dosed him." A voice entered through the clinic. Allison and Deaton looked up to see the members of the Beacon Hills Pack walking through the hole. "You knew he was going to take your powers all along." Lydia finished for him.

"I knew there was a possibility." He shared with them, "The gift I was given by the coven was the true essence of Magic." He explained to them, "Which comes, in all it's purity, from the Earth itself."

"Stiles had it inside him though." Erica reminded him.

"Not after the Nogitsune left that darkness inside him." Isaac reminded her, "He told us that it was our responsibility to keep it dormant."

"The magic he took from me tapped into the small light spark of he had left. Allowed him to feel again... Giving Derek the opportunity to reach him."

"I thought you said nothing supernatural stop him." Isaac reminded him.

"That I did." Deaton agreed, "But Derek didn't use his power to stop him. He used to his love."

"But we all love Stiles." Scott told him, trying not to sound offended.

"Not in a way Derek loves him." Boyd pointed out to them.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Derek was walking through a large field. He sniffed the air for a moment before continuing down a hill that tree in the middle of it.

By the tree sat Stiles with his back to him as he was focusing intensely on a flower. The flower in front of him began to quickly grow and was finished by time Derek had finally reach them, "That doesn't belong there." Derek commented as he sat down next to him, observing the yellow flower.

Stiles doesn't look at him, but quietly agreed with, "No, it doesn't."

"Arnica Montana, a Scandinavian flower," He observed, "And not a type of wolfsbane."

"Your knowledge of botany surprises me." Stiles commented, "What else can you tell me about it?"

"It's a pretty flower," Derek shared with him. He doesn't look at Stiles, but instead observed the flower, "Where did it come from?"

"Scandinavia." Stiles deadpanned at him.

"You brought it through the earth." Derek told him without actually looking him out on his lie.

"It's all connected." Stiles explained to him, "The root systems, the molecules, the energy...everything's connected."

"You sound like Ms. Rosenberg." Derek claimed to him.

"She's taught me a lot." Stiles admitted to him.

There was a moment of silence between them, "Why aren't you at your lesson?"

It was something that they agreed on just shortly after they had left Beacon Hills, "I'm sorry." Stiles whispered softly.

"It's all right." Derek told him as he took a hold of his hand, "She was just afraid you-"

"Had gone evil?" Stiles finished for him. "Yeah, I was gonna destroy the world, but lunch made me sleepy." He joked this time looking at Derek with a weak smile.

"She didn't think that." Derek assured him, "She was just-"

"Afraid." Stiles finished for him, "They all are. The Coven... they're the most amazing women I've ever met. If it wasn't for them, and you..." He struggled to say, "But there's this look they get, like I'm gonna turn them all into bangers and mash or something. Which I'm not even sure what that is."

"They just don't want to push you," Derek reminded him, "They're just cautious. I trust you can understand that."

"I don't have that much power, I don't think." Stiles told him holding up his free hand, "I was... drained by what happened."

"You always had it and nothing will ever take it away." Derek retracted his claws as an example, "Everything's connected." He repeated, "You're connected to a great power, whether you feel it or not."

Stiles released Derek's hand and stood up to look across the opened field, "Will they always be afraid of me?"

Derek knew Stiles wasn't asking about the Coven anymore, "Maybe." Derek admitted to him, "Can you live with that?"

"I deserve a lot worse."

"That's not an answer."

"I killed people, Derek." Stiles stated aloud, "I willingly killed people."

"I've not forgotten."

"When you brought me here... I thought it was to kill me." Stiles confessed to him, "Especially after what I did to the others..."

"The others don't hold it against you and I could never hurt you," Derek told him, standing up, "You're too important to me."

"I know," Stiles said with a tear rolling down his cheek, "I just…I don't feel like Stiles anymore."

"You are." Derek assured him as he cupped his face, "In the end, we are all who we are - no matter how much we may appear to have changed." Derek placed a soft kiss on his lips, to which Stiles responded with easiness.

TWO DAYS LATER

"I've got so much to learn." Stiles told Derek as he was now looking through a spell book of neutral magic, "There's so much I don't understand yet. About control, and, and potions I'm not good with." Stiles rambled, "Plus, many concepts I appeared to understand, I was only nodding and hmmmming in a pretend fashion so as to not look dumb."

"Do you want to go back?" Derek asked him.

"I can't…I need to go back to Beacon Hills," Stiles said as the realization hits him, "They're my family and I haven't felt whole since…I think it might be good for me…for us...I know Scott can't handle a Hellmouth without me."

"I'll right beside you," Derek told him with a soft kiss, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."