Dilapidated 《Teen Wolf》

Fourty-Two

A/N: Here's the double update! xx

42.

*Addison*

"Again." I stepped out of the way, having Stiles, Scott, Erica, Boyd and Isaac work on what i'd taught them.

Derek surfaced next to me, leaning against the table the same way I was. "I don't know how you do it."

I looked over to him and lifted an eyebrow, "Do what?"

Derek shook his head, "Everything." He stared down at me and finally spoke again. "Thank you."

I wanted to asked him for what again, but I knew what he meant. Instead, I only smiled. "You're welcome."

"Sometimes I think back of when Peter and I used to babysit you, and how much you've changed." Derek hesitated to finish as he searched for my eyes. "But then again, you really haven't. Not that much, at least."

"Are you calling me a seven year old?" I asked, teasing although I knew that wasn't it.

"That's not what i'm trying to say." Derek laughed lightly. "I just mean your strength and ability to fight back for what's right. You were like that way back when, too."

I smiled, shutting my eyes for a moment, "I've never had the option not to be."

"You've always had the choice. You're just particularly good at picking the right side of things."

I shook my head and replied softly. "Not always the right one, but always the winning one."

Before Derek could ask me what that meant exactly, I caught the attention of the group sparing behind us.

"Okay, guys." I walked away from the table and to them. "So far, today has been great. Honestly, it has, but I think that's enough for today."

Stiles thankfully took Scott's hand and was pulled up from the floor. "Oh, thank God." He praised, dusting off his back.

"We'll go again tomorrow after my morning shift at the station." I told them, motioning for both Scott and Stiles. "Erica, Boyd, sort out whether you want to go to Homecoming. I can get something in with the department so you two aren't missing persons anymore."

Both of them nodded to me as I made my way to the door with Scott and Stiles.

"Goodnight, Ads." Isaac called, brushing of his shirt as I opened the loft door.

I gave them all a last goodbye before leaving with two sore boys following behind me.

"Jesus, Ads." Stiles moaned, "You worked us for four hours." Looking around at the darkened sky, there was a cool breeze to relieve him.

"And now you're four hours better at hunting." I said, smiling over at him.

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered, rubbing his neck. "Following you to the station, right?"

I nodded, "Just so I can give Tevin his car back and then you can drop me off."

Although i'd already taken my things back from Allison's, Stiles was still planning on staying at Scott's for the night.

"Hey, Scotty." Stiles called over as Scott mounted his dirt bike. "Following us or just meet me at yours?"

"Uh, I think i'll follow. After everything i've seen, I don't think i'm, a fan of dark empty houses." Scott put away his kick stand and slid on his helmet.

I'd already gotten into Tevin's patrol car and started the engine but I could hear their conversation as clear as day.

The hearing abilities made me moderately uncomfortable, but I suppose when you have the rule of all werewolves, you adapt some of their traits. At least, that was what I told myself. Deep down, I could feel something was wrong.

Whether it was with me or everything else, the feeling surely wasn't comforting.

*

"Don't you have werewolves to look after?" I asked, holding my phone between my ear and shoulder. "I should be the last on your list of priorities."

"Why are you being sacrificial?"

I plopped down on my bed and crossed my legs. the red envelope in my fingers. "I don't know what you mean."

"Addi, don't lie to me, please." With a breeze rustling in the background of his end, I could tell he was outside of his complex. "When I first came back to Beacon Hills, you were the one watching my cell when they arrested me for Laura. Everyone went out on a call and it was just us."

I smiled a little, "Dad gave me a can of pepper spray before leaving with Tara."

Derek audibly smiled before continuing, "You didn't confirm that you were a hunter, but you said that Stiles had nothing to do with it. In your first letter, you said your mother asked that you kept Stiles out of all of this. Why are you involving him now?"

"Mathis will try to kill him when the demons find out. Hell, he already knows. I'm doing this for both my dad and my brother. Mom wouldn't want to see Stiles this soon."

"Both of us know you can protect him when you're here." Derek said, not swaying. "What's your catch, Addison?"

I rubbed the side of my forehead, "That's the thing, Derek. When."

Derek let out a small breath of air. "Please don't let that mean what I think it does."

"People need to stop dying because of me." I said quietly to him, shutting my eyes.

"I can't just let you give up." Derek's pace of voice heightened, even enough for me to be able to hear his head nearly thumping out of his chest,

"I'm not giving up. It's letting all of you live."

"Please don't hand yourself over." Derek near begged. I could hear his footsteps hitting the floor of the woods.

"Something needs to be done. I started this all so I have to finish it."

"Jesus, Addison." My room door flew open abruptly. Derek was standing there with a frantic look on his face.

"Front door. Nice." I commented, referring to the fact it wasn't the common way of him getting into my room.

Derek shut my door and came over to. "You're not actually turning yourself over, are you?" Kneeling down in front of me, Derek forced me to look at him. "Addison, please tell me you won't."

I placed my hand against his cheek, it warm and scruffy. "You told me not to lie to you."

Sighing, Derek shut his eyes.

"Hey," I stroked my thumb along his cheekbone, "Everything will be okay."

Derek opened his eyes and looked into mine. "All except you."

"I never have been." I told him, scooting over a little and patting next to me. Pulling it from under my pillow, I waggled the red envelope. "Open it with me?"

Derek picked himself off of the floor and sat next to me, reading my mom's handwriting on the front of the letter. "You had to get a nosebleed to open this?"

"I didn't realize I could've opened it sooner. When I exorcised Danny I'd gotten one. Thinking on it, I did actually hold him in place without touching him, but I wasn't focused enough on that to notice." I twiddled the letter in my hand almost nervously. "I opened the second of the three last spring, when it hit the anniversary of opening the first one. It was then when she told me that one of us was an abomination. A mixture of both demon and controller of the moon. The perfect weapon, and she made me promise to never let the enemy wield it. She didn't say which one of us it was to keep us protected. The last of the three, this one, tells for sure who it is. I'm guessing it might have advice or a plan of action. Something." I let go of a small sigh and spoke softly. "Anything."

Derek kissed the side of my head, putting an arm around me. "Then open it."

Picking up the loose edge, I thumbed open the letter than had been sealed for ten or eleven years.

Both of us went still as the contents were read.