Payment (revised)

Chapter 9

He didn't seem to realize help was there, and that Scott would be taken care of.

From behind Derek, a new voice sounded.

"Derek, what's going on?"

Lydia asked, prepared to maintain composure when she saw the scene before her. To anyone who didn't know her she would have succeeded her aloof performance, but it was clear to Derek she was unnerved.

He met Lydia's gaze, an order already on his lips.

"Find Deaton first and then the rest of the pack. Get them all here as fast as you can."

With a single nod she was gone.

Once Derek knew help would be on the way, he turned back to Stiles. Again, he tried to remove the boy's hands from Scott's paling body, but Stiles fought against the Alpha vehemently.

Derek grunted.
Over and over again he kept at it, trying to retract Stiles from the tiled floor. But each time he shifted the boy, Stiles moved himself back. Going to the point of vocalizing his protests.

"No!" he would insist every time Derek attempted to transfer him away from the body.

Finally, the Alpha had enough.

"Stiles," Derek yelled, needing to break the boy out of whatever trance he was in.

The reaction was immediate. As soon as Stiles's name was out of Derek's mouth, he quieted down. Then, to the Alpha's ever growing surprise, Stiles looked to Derek for orders.
The man felt the wrongness of the situation settle in his bones. Never before had Stiles listened to him so easily. Derek's annoyance dwindled. Stiles was scared. He had never been in a situation like this before, and clearly was panicking as he had every right to. Derek felt a consuming protectiveness for the boy, and silently promised to help him when this was all over. The tension in Stiles's body eased, as if he knew it, too.

"Derek, get him out of the way," the spell was broken, and in came Deaton along with the rest of the pack.

All were ready to help Scott.

Derek made a split second decision. He didn't have time to coax Stiles out of the bathroom. He had to move him now. Hoping this wouldn't make the problem worse, Derek placed his arms under the boy and lifted him into the air. As soon as the two were out of the way, Deaton swarmed in, barking orders to the rest of the pack.

Derek took Stiles out in the hall, knowing he needed to get them away from the chaos. To his surprise, Stiles didn't fight against him as he expected. Instead, the boy buried himself further into the Alpha's chest, like he was trying to disappear. Derek could feel him quivering with the force of his pent up emotion.

"It's okay, Stiles," Derek whispered so only Stiles could hear, "you're safe now, Scott's going to be okay, I'm not going to let anything hurt you."

~~~~~~~~~~

Stiles was numb as Derek carried him. The image of Scott on the ground, and Isaac being hauled through the window playing on loop in his head.

"Derek..he's gone, Isaac was taken," Stiles insisted, knowing he had to tell someone while it was still fresh in his head.

The boy tugged on Derek's shirt, leaving bloody handprints all over the fabric.

"Scott is hurt, too. You have to find him, you have to save Isa-"

"Stiles!" He cut in before the boy could work himself up again.

"It's going to be okay, we'll find Isaac, but first we need to take care of you," Derek's hold on Stiles tightened, not caring about the inevitable transferring of bodily fluids.

They got to Derek's room in no time, and the Alpha was quick to shut the door behind them for privacy.

Derek headed straight to the bathroom, setting the boy down on the side of the porcelain bathtub.

The man planned to get a towel and a change of clothes, but Stiles was reluctant to let Derek go. The boy held on stubbornly to the Alpha, refusing to be left alone.

Derek put his calloused hands on top of Stiles's own, and spoke gently.

"Stiles, you're safe now, but you have to let go so I can help you."

The boy looked up at Derek with wide, trusting eyes, finally nodding his allowance before releasing his vice grip.

Derek attempted a disarming smile, probably failing if Stiles's grimace was anything to go by. But that could have been the fault of the blood on his hands, and had nothing to do with Derek at all.

The Alpha sighed trying hard not to bang his head against the wall, then faced away from the boy and turned on the faucet to the bathtub. The trickle of running water aided in the comfortable silence the two fell into.
Derek waited for the water to warm up before turning back to Stiles. Slowly, trying to come off as non threatening as possible, Derek knelt down in front of the boy. It was obvious to anyone who looked at Stiles that he was not in any state to properly take care of himself.

"You alright, Stiles?" Derek asked the boy softly, though it might have been a stupid question.

He was curled in on himself and seemed lost in his own mind.

Stiles answered him with an affirmative nod, nonetheless.

Under the shock from the evening's events, Stiles was still there. It was something Derek wouldn't take for granted.

"Is it okay if I help you get into the bathtub?" Derek said, willing Stiles to understand the part of the question he wasn't saying. The boy made eye contact with the Alpha for the first time since he had been found. A mocking smile tugged at Stiles's lips. He understood alright.

"Oh, shut up," Derek said, secretly pleased when Stiles's smile widened. After that, they fell into a rhythm as Derek stripped Stiles of his clothes and helped him climb into the warm water.

"You're going to see a lot of blood," Derek murmured.

The water was already turning a murky brown.

"Just remember you're going to be okay. You have the control."

Stiles nodded, not having the energy to reply even if he wanted to. As soon as the steam glanced against Stiles, it ignited sparks throughout his body. For the first time since this all started, his muscles relaxed.

Derek got hold of a bar of soap, and lathered a washcloth before scrubbing down Stiles's body. The boy cringed as he watched Scott's blood rub free of his skin. The sight made bile rise back up in his throat, but Stiles pushed the acid down.

As Derek started to wash Stiles's hair, the boy allowed himself distance from the night's trauma.

The older man was right, Stiles was in control.

The Alpha's rough fingers massaging into his scalp felt amazing, and Stiles leaned into the touch. He didn't know what it was, but being there with Derek made Stiles feel safe from the world, and the newly discovered monsters that lived in it.