S͟T͟E͟R͟E͟K͟ I͟M͟A͟G͟I͟N͟E͟S͟

The waterline divides us

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Fluff, angst
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Derek feels the apprehension building within him as they approach the imposing house towering over the cliffs. Lady Blake's home is foreboding and everything within Derek baulks at the thought of entering it. The only thing that keeps him going is the memory that this feeling is going to disappear as soon as he gets inside, to be replaced by a vague contentment that will make it hard to feel or think anything in particular. And of course the thought of his sisters. They are the main reason he is here anyways.

As if she can hear his thoughts, Laura leans in closer to him and says:

"You really don't need to do this, you hear me? I'd rather never marry than know you unhappy in your marriage."

There's no lie in her heartbeat, but as sure as she is of her words, Derek is equally sure that he couldn't live with himself if he hadn't done everything in his power to give his sisters the chance to find happiness. If Jennifer Blake can give him that, then he'll be happy because of that knowledge alone.

Lady Jennifer Blake is of impeccable standing and respectable ancestry, a beauty to boot and the sole heiress to a vast fortune. There were many mutterings when she first approached Derek. While not heir to a large fortune himself, he himself is of impeccable ancestry, able to count back in his family tree for centuries - unfortunately they are all werewolves. And while the existence of the supernatural is widely known and generally accepted, werewolves don't have the best of reputations. They usually just get written off as brutal, uncouth, and simply too animalistic for more gentlefolk to associate with.

Derek's mother has always worked hard to allay those fears and counteract the prejudices she had to encounter. And compared to other werewolf families the Hales actually have quite a good standing in society in general - they get invited to parties and balls, his mother even has a seat on the council. But all that good will apparently doesn't extend to letting a werewolf into their families.

Laura has been of marriage age for several years now without a single prospect arising. While that truly doesn't seem to bother her, Cora has just come of age, too and Derek knows she has her eye on someone, even if he doesn't know whom. But only the lowest of scum have shown any interest in either of his sisters so far. The kind that is willing to marry a werewolf not despite, but because of their otherness, because of their strength, making for cheap labour, or for the thrill of breaking one so strong. Derek would die before he saw either of his sisters caught in such a trap. If marrying Lady Blake can save them from that fate and perhaps even better Cora's chances to find love, then he'll gladly do it.

There's a voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Laura, asking what could bring Lady Blake to pursue him, if even his beautiful and formidable sisters are shunned. It's a question Derek has asked himself repeatedly, and the answers he has come up with are not all pleasant. There are a lot of ways a werewolf can be of use to a witch, and none of them are healthy for the were. But perhaps the most harmless answer is the truth after all - due to the rumours surrounding her, Lady Blake is dealing with her own set of prejudices and perhaps that has influenced her choice of Derek. It's what Derek is going to believe until he is proven wrong at least.

Whatever Lady Blake's reasoning, Derek always has to steel himself before visiting her. The vague contentment that usually fills him in Blake Manor never seems to extend to his sisters and it makes for awkward visits. Cora tends to be unbearably rude, only concerned with propriety when it means she can squeeze between Derek and Lady Blake - as if Derek were an immature boy with a crush and the self-restraint of a dog in heat instead of a grown man preparing for a marriage of convenience. He does notice though that the fog that always settles around him when he enters Blake Manor lifts a little when Cora separates them. He just isn't sure that's a good thing, as the increased clarity of thought also brings back all the doubts and worries he tries to dispel from his head.