Chapter Text
The Argents were the first to leave, Chris leading his daughter to his car before they drove off into the night. Stiles scrambled over to Scott, pulling him into the direction of the main road as Vanessa ran to catch up, stopping only to ditch her heels. It wasn’t until the main road was in sight that she stopped them.
“You guys go ahead,” she sighed tiredly, cocking Argent’s silver pistol as she waved them off, “I’ll catch up.”
“What?” Stiles stammered out, “What do you mean? Where are you going?”
“Back.”
“You can’t!” Scott cried out.
“What do you think you’re going to do, Nessa? Go back and have a tea party with the almighty Alpha?!”
“He’s too dangerous, Ness! If he’s willing to slaughter his own uncle, what do you think he’ll do to you?”
“ENOUGH!” Vanessa bellowed, turning to them with wild eyes and a feral curl of her lips, “I am so sick of this shit! Don’t tell me it’s too dangerous when I’ve spent the last month and a half immersed in danger! Hell, I had my first kiss tonight! Did you know that?! I had my first fucking kiss and what did I have to do right after? Help stop Lydia Martin from bleeding to death! And after that? Go pick Stiles up from a fucking abandoned carpark because Peter kidnapped him! And after that, I had to go save Stiles and Jackson – who we just left back there by the way – from hunters.”
She waved the gun around wildly, “So take that too dangerous crap and shove it up your asses. Because I’m going back there and finishing this once and for all. Don’t follow me. Just go home.”
The boys made to argue before she trained the gun on them, “Go home.”
The girl softened a bit at their expressions of hurt and betrayal, changing her tone to pleading with them, “Guys, please. Just trust me for once. Go check on Lydia. Go check on Allison. Just please go.”
She sighed in relief when they nodded hesitantly, starting off towards the main road. Once they were out of sight, she headed back to the Hale house. Sticks, rocks and all sorts of things cut at her feet, rubbing at them until they were raw and bloody as she walked through the dark woods still crawling with things that could rip her to shreds but she didn’t care. Numbness ate at her bones, her heart, her soul as she walked back into the clearing just as Jackson was leaving the house, pulling down his shirt over a bleeding bite on his side.
He smirked when he saw her approaching, leaning in as she drew near, “Guess I didn’t need to make friends at all, did I?”
His pale blue eyes darted down to the firearm clutched in her hand and he grinned lazily, “You can kill him if you want. I won’t get in your way. Have fun enjoying the only piece of power you’ll ever get.”
Jackson chuckled like he was privy to a joke she had missed and waltzed into the woods towards the river on the other side, stripping off his shirt as he broke into a run.
Vanessa silently turned back to the house, making her way up the stairs without hesitation as she rose the gun up slowly. Footsteps echoed down the stairs, the owner stopping to watch her with an imperceptible look on his face as she cocked the silver pistol at him.
“You knew,” Derek began quietly, shoving his hands into his leather jacket, “You knew the whole time there was no cure and yet you didn’t tell him. I heard your heartbeat and it slowed down as soon as I walked over to Peter. You weren’t surprised. You weren’t shocked. And you weren’t scared.”
He continued making his way down the stairs towards her, the gun shaking slightly as she glared at him.
“You’re not going to kill me, Vanessa.”
She watched him for a moment, making him second-guess himself just for a second before a dry smile quirked up on her lips as she lowered the gun to her side once more and took a seat on the steps he vacated, leaning tiredly against the rotting post.
“No, I forgive you,” she replied nonchalantly, inspecting Argent’s pistol and making a mental note to return it to him when she had a chance.
Derek frowned down at her, jaw clenching as he grounded out, “You what?”
“I. Forgive. You,” Vanessa repeated, enunciating the words as if she was speaking with a child, “You done fuck up, sure. But everybody deserves second chances. That’s why I’m here. I’m offering you a second chance to get back in my good graces, and maybe sometime in the future, to get back in Scott’s.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Because,” she drawled, placing the firearm on the steps beside her as she turned to him with a smile, “I know in the small time you spent around me, around him, around us all, you came to care for us just a bit.”
She raised her hand, fingers barely touching as Derek scoffed at her. But he couldn’t hide the slight twitch of his lips. That ghost smile of his.
“Come on! This is a good offer. You have an insider who can give you information about Scott, recent cases in the police department and hospital. And not to brag or anything, but I’m also kind of a genius. Not as good as Stiles, but still pretty good.”
“Uh huh,” the man rolled his eyes, muttering sarcastically.
“Derek,” she murmured seriously, waiting until the wolf was looking at her before continuing, “Was I disappointed when you took Peter’s power? Was I angry at you for deceiving my friends and lying to them? Yes and yes. Do I understand why? Yes. I even understand why Peter did what Peter did, to some extent.”
The girl sighed with wisdom beyond her age as she stood up, crossing her arms as she explained, “There is no black and white. There’s only a murky grey that people find themselves getting lost in because they can’t stand to see the full picture. There’s people like Kate and Peter who think they do but they get so addicted to this knowledge they think they have and it consumes them, takes advantage of their dark impulses and damns them. Then there’s people like Scott and Stiles who are too good and too young, stuck in one place and spinning around, mapping out what’s known and unknown.”
Vanessa stared at Derek with bright eyes and a clear mind as she said, “They’re going to go through hell trying to figure this stuff out, only accepting help from those that have less than no knowledge because they have limited themselves from seeking it out from sources less than clean of soul and mind.”
“And then there’s you…..” Derek pointed out, quirking an eyebrow at her.
“And then there’s me,” she shrugged, shuffling her feet as she breathed out, “I’m not perfect. I’m a cluster fuck of anxiety and barely put together pieces of a girl that once wanted to see everything the world had to offer. To see every nook and cranny and to love it. I’m still that girl, I’ve just accepted that the world is a very dark place. And in order to love it, you have to learn to understand and accept it’s dark side if you want to enjoy the light.”
“So that means?”
“It means that I’m not going to judge you for every bad thing you do if I think that there’s a chance you can make up for it. If I think there’s more to you than someone dark, scary and out for power. Because I know that when you came here looking for your sister, you didn’t come hoping that she was dead. You didn’t come hoping that you would become Alpha. You came hoping to get answers and your family back. But you saw an opportunity to make yourself stronger so you could survive without them, so you could make a new family. And I understand.”
“What exactly are you offering here, Nessa?”
The girl’s back was to him, so he didn’t see the victorious smile that appeared as her eyes fluttered up. It was the nickname that gave him away. That told her that she had softened him up to her, made him more agreeable. And she took advantage of that greedily.
“I’m offering to help you make a new pack.”
He jerked back, not expecting her to say that, “What? Are you saying you want to – ?“
“What?” she frowned, shaking her head when she realized what he thought she wanted, “No!”
He nodded his head slightly, eyes clearing of all shock as he replied, “Oh okay.”
“I meant,” she rolled her eyes at him, moving to get Argent’s gun, “If you’re going to turn all the riff raff, I’d like to recommend a few names that I think would be beneficial for both you and them.”
“Like who?” he stepped forward with interest before she waved the gun at him, halting him in his tracks.
“First we’re going to go over the terms and conditions.”
“You’re negotiating now?”
“Yes, which is what happens when someone proposes something,” Vanessa shook her head at him, pressing the metal of the gun against her head in disappointment.
“Well, get on with it.”
The girl narrowed her eyes at his rudeness, gesturing with her gun silently. Derek sighed, raising his hands in surrender before giving her the expression of ‘get on with it’.
Vanessa rolled her eyes before getting on with it, “First off, I need you to promise not to turn your back on this pack you’re making. You can’t just give up on them when they disappointment you or leave them alone to fend for themselves. I’m not a wolf, but I know a lot about them, and do you know what I found out?”
“What?”
“I found out that the Alpha guides, protects and provides for his pack. The respect of the pack isn’t just born within a wolf, wolves choose their Alpha’s based on strength, power and loyalty. They don’t give unconditional loyalty for free – it has to be earned. Not just by giving them power but helping them to live long enough so that they can learn to use it.”
Derek was silent as she continued on, “Secondly, if you teach them control the way you taught Scott – fear, pain and intimidation - you won’t be teaching them control. You’ll be teaching them fear.”
“Which is the point – “
“You don’t get it!” she yelled, throwing her hands up in the air, “You won’t be teaching them to fear the hunters or even fear themselves! You’ll be teaching them to fear you. That means they won’t respect you, they won’t be loyal, and they will leave, running straight into the hunters. Because they won’t care what is out there if they don’t like what is in here.”
She prodded the spot where his heart rested and grinned cheekily when he growled at her, “Thirdly, you need to loosen up. I know your primary targets – you want young Betas’, preferably in their adolescence so that they’re easier to control and they will be around longer. Well, let me tell you that if you can’t approach them in a manner that makes them comfortable around you, they won’t come to trust you either. They will rebel, go behind your back and they will inevitably sabotage your plans. It’s what we kids do.”
She crossed her legs as she sat back down on the step, “You don’t have to laugh or smile. Just yell less and be more understanding. Let them confide in you without fear you will beat them to a bloody pulp. That’s the only way you will ever win their loyalty and trust. Because look what fighting with Scott did to boost your bond! Absolutely jack shit!”
“Fourthly,” she began, turning serious and feeling sadness weigh on her heart as she continued, “These people - my friends – have suffered enough. If I’m just going to be sending them into another form of hell by giving you their names, tell me now. Tell me if you’re going to ruin them. Tell me that you will make them feel fear until they’re cowering in the corners instead of helping them stay strong.”
Vanessa got up, walking slowly over to the new Alpha as she said quietly, “Or tell me that you will keep them safe. Tell me that you will teach them control through patience and understanding. Tell me you will fight alongside them and not send them out to do your bidding. Tell me you will be the Alpha I know you have the potential of becoming!”
Derek cut her off as she grabbed his arm, a heavy hand landing on her wrist as he snarled in her face, red eyes glowing bright as she stared at his wolf form. Her heart thudded in her chest; hand tightened to the point she might have cut off her own circulation around the gun still in her hand but still maintained eye contact as her words hit home. Especially as she continued on, going to a place most wouldn’t dare go.
“Your mother was the Alpha before your sister, right?” she asked, his eyes widening slightly as an answer, “Eleven people died in that fire. Eleven pack members – and don’t try and tell me that the humans weren’t pack members. Pack is family and family doesn’t discriminate between species, races, genders, or even blood.”
She leaned into whisper, “With so many members, I can only assume that it was a strong pack. That meant your mother was a strong leader. Tell me, did she rule with fear? Did she threaten to hurt her family? Did she send fear up your spine? Did she break your arms to teach you control?”
Derek roared, letting go of her arm and sending her stumbling back. Despite being shaken from the sudden move, the girl continued, “No! I bet that she made sure that everyone was safe and healthy before leaving this house every day! I bet that she made you feel safe just by being around her! I fucking bet that when it came time to teach you control, your mother used wisdom, patience and understanding to help you as an Alpha should!”
The man in front of her turned his back, hands slamming into the wall behind him as he breathed heavily, trying to swallow down his anger and grief that he hadn’t even gotten the chance to let out this whole time he had been back in Beacon Hills. He was now at his most vulnerable and as Vanessa rose up from where she leaned against the staircase post, she delivered her final ultimatum.
“What kind of Alpha are you going to be Derek? Are you going to be like your mother?” she asked softly, placing a hand on his back as she appeared beside him with searching eyes, “Or are you going to be like Peter?”
When he finally turned to face her, his wolf form had been replaced with his human façade, except for his eyes that shone brightly at her with resolve as he asked solemnly, “Who did you have in mind?”
Vanessa smiled at him as she squeezed his arm in gratitude for understanding before something flashed behind her eyes. It was a memory, a memory from earlier that evening when she had to drop Isaac home. The look in his eyes just before he got out of the car and disappeared down his street. It was the look of someone who was breaking apart on the inside and was trying to stay strong to give her strength. He once said that she was the bravest person he knew. She disagreed. He was the brave one. And it was time that he saw that and did something about it so he could free himself from the house that was his personal hell and finally be free from that freezer, from his father and from the fear he felt everything single day of his life.
So, he could breathe for her like she breathed for him.
“I want you to start with a boy named Isaac Lahey.”