Just Breathe

Chapter 34

Derek awoke to a low clang from down stairs, sitting up as he listened. He heard the noise again, the sound quiet and dull. He figured that if he didn't have werewolf senses, he wouldn't have been able to hear it. 

He stood up slowly, throwing his tee shirt on. Quietly, he crept out of his room, looking down both sides of the hallway from where his door was located. He tried to see if anyone else had woken up, but as always, everyone else was still fast asleep. 

Derek sniffed the air, not smelling anything unusual. Step by step, he made his way down stairs, the noise was becoming louder. When his feet touched the cool surface of the hard wood floor, he looked around. Besides the faint moon light that shone through the windows, the room was dark. 

He surveyed the living room before deciding the noise was coming from the kitchen. He took a deep breath before pushing through the door, turning the light switch on when a loud shriek rang out.

"Jesus christ Derek! You scared the shit out of me!" Emma gasped, a small laugh escaping Derek. His laughter died as he sensed something was off. Emma wore her hair in a messy bun, her eyes red with exhaustion. Her oversized teeshirt hung loosely on her thinner than normal frame, her baggy sweatpants looking heavy.

She stood in front of the sink, washing all the dishes. Derek looked over at the clock which read two in the morning. "What are you doing?" Derek asked, sitting down at the table. 

Emma sighed as she continued to dry off the mug she had finished cleaning. "Just doing the dishes" Emma answered shortly, scrubbing furiously at one spot on the cup. 

Derek winced, hating to see her like this. "At one in the morning?" he asked, trying to get her to talk to him. Emma nodded furiously, loose strands of hair falling into her face.

"They're not going to clean themselves" she snapped, Derek watching the frustration build on her tensed face as she scrubbed the mug harder and harder. "Damn it!" she yelled as she crushed it in her hands, the mug shattering onto the floor. 

Emma threw the cloth down on the counter, leaning over the sink as she took deep breaths. Emma had a tendency of forgetting her strength, blood covering her hands where the mug had cut her. 

Derek stood up, placing his hands gently on her back before guiding her over to a chair where he forced her to sit down. "What's going on?" he asked, setting her with his serious stare. She rested her head in her hands as she let out a tired sigh. 

When she looked up at Derek again, tears pooled in her eyes. "Everything's falling apart" she breathed, Derek's heart growing heavy at the sight of her distress. "Stiles is not okay, Derek. Something is seriously wrong with him. And I can't even take care of him! I can't protect him!" her voice cracked before she dropped her head back into her hands. 

"Emma" Derek sighed, placing his hand on her back. He tried to find words to comfort her, but he knew she was right. Something was happening with Stiles, something they couldn't understand.

"I didn't even figure anything out at dinner! Kira didn't know anything!" Emma groaned in frustration, her body shaking as she cried into her arms. Derek winced as an aching sensation ran through his chest. Last night at diner, Emma had been able to establish contact with Kira and see her mind, but nothing useful had come out of it. 

"Is that why you are up in the middle of the night doing dishes?" Derek asked, Emma nodding softly.

"I couldn't sleep and I figured the one thing I could do was clean but apparently I can't even do that!" she groaned, looking to the shattered mug that lay on the floor. Derek rubbed his temples as a headache began to break. He didn't have any answers for her at the moment, which seemed to make him feel worse.