Little Wolf - Derek Hale

9

Vivian froze as Derek's words hit her like a sledgehammer. She felt a whirlwind of emotions crashing within her. 

Derek's grip on her arm tightened slightly, his gaze piercing through her defenses. "Don't play dumb with me. What happened to our child Vivian?"

"You lost the right to know about Alexis ten years ago Derek?" Her voice wavered, a mixture of disbelief and hurt lacing her words.

Derek recoiled slightly at the venom in her words, his own frustration evident in the furrow of his brow. "I didn't know, Vivian. I didn't know about Alexis. You never told me."

Vivian's anger surged as she corrected Derek's misconception. "I did tell you, Derek. I told you I was pregnant. But you were too 'wrapped up' in your own world to care."

Derek's eyes widened in realization, a mixture of guilt and disbelief crossing his features. "I... I didn't know, Vivian. I didn't know she was mine."

"That's not an excuse, Derek," Vivian snapped, her voice sharp with resentment. "You should've been there. You should've been a father to her. You should have never cheated on me."

Derek took a step closer, his expression pained. "I'm sorry, Vivian. I'm sorry for everything. But I want to make it right. I want to be a part of Alexis's life, and yours if you would let me."

Vivian's resolve wavered as she looked into Derek's eyes, seeing the sincerity in his gaze. A part of her longed to believe him, to let go of the anger and resentment that had consumed her for so long. But the scars ran deep, etched into her soul by years of loneliness and heartache.

"It's not that simple, Derek," she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur. "You can't just waltz back into our lives and expect everything to be okay."

Derek reached out, his hand trembling as he brushed a strand of hair away from Vivian's face. "I know it won't be easy, Vivian. But I'm willing to try. For Alexis's sake," he took a step closer to Vivian. "and for ours."

Vivian's heart ached at his words, torn between the pain of the past and the flicker of hope for the future. She knew that forgiving Derek wouldn't erase the years of hurt and betrayal, but perhaps it was time to start healing, for Alexis's sake if nothing else.

"Fine," she relented, her voice barely a whisper. "But you have a lot to make up for, Derek. And I won't let you hurt her like you hurt me."

Derek nodded, his eyes filled with determination. "I won't, Vivian. I promise."

As they stood facing each other, the weight of their shared past hung heavy in the air, but for the first time in years, Vivian dared to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was hope for a future together.

As soon as she saw that Derek was out of hearing distance she made a very much-needed call.

"Hello?" said the person on the other side of the call.

"Hey Hen, it's me. It's Vivian. You can bring Lexi home. He knows."

"Are you sure about this V?"

"No, but I'm going to do it anyway."