Chapter Text
"We would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the window open and the stars bright."
- Ernest Hemingway
He has finally finished university.
After 3 long, long years spent at Manchester University, he was on the plane back to California: back home. And least to say, he was absolutely buzzing. Being in a city bored him; he had missed the forests, the greenery, the way he could actually use his magic... his family and friends.
It wasn't like he could afford to fly over to Beacon Hills at the end of every term - they weren't like American term dates, and somehow they were so much more expensive - so his dad flew over every so often, but the others he had only kept in contact with through phone calls, facetime and texts. He couldn't wait to see everyone again. He couldn't wait to see his beloved Jeep again.
Now he was returning home with a degree in English Literature, a book about to be released, a suitcase that weighed a ton and the sarcasm he had originally left with. That was all he needed.
Once he had grabbed his suitcase from the luggage area, he went off on a search for his dad who had promised to pick him up from the airport. It didn't take him long to see the man sat on one of the chairs, and it didn't take Noah long to see his son jog up towards him.
He stood up with a bright smile and open his arms, "You don't know how much I have missed you, kid."
Stiles immediately engulfed him into a hug, "I have missed you too, Dad."
They released each other and started striding towards the Cruiser, Stiles quickly back to his normal ways: talking the buckle end off the Sheriff. Once everything was in the car, they set off for their one-hour journey back home.
Too much of his dad's disapproval, Stiles immediately changed the radio station once he was buckled into the car to something more pop like. After he was comfortable with the music, the questions started pouring.
"How's the diet going?" He asked.
"Eh." Noah shrugged.
"Eh? Dad they better not be piles of bacon and cans of beer lining that fridge when I get home."
Noah rolled his eyes, "What? It's not like your diet was 100% when you were at university."
"Touché." Stiles huffed and sank down in his chair. "Roscoe hasn't given you any problems, has she?"
"She hasn't move since I let Lydia borrow her - don't give me that look - 5 months ago when her car broke down, and she seemed find then."
"If it was anyone else other than Lydia or Erica, I would have gone mental." Stiles pointed out.
"I know, that's why I didn't let Isaac or Scott use it when they asked."
"I knew you I could trust you to keep my baby safe," Stiles smiled at his dad, who gave him a weird look through the corner if his eye.
"She's a car."
"And? She's my pride and joy." Stiles said as a matter of fact. "Anyway, how's the pack?"
Noah stayed silent for a couple of seconds, making Stiles narrow his eyes. "They're.. okay."
Stiles sat up, "What do you mean, 'they're okay'?"
"You'll just have to see for yourself." Noah mumbled.
"You're worrying me, dad."
He glanced at Stiles who had his eyebrows raised. "It's nothing to worry about, Stiles. It will just be a bit strange when you get back."
He stayed silent and trained his eyes out of the car window. All he could think about was what the hell was he coming back to?
Once they were at home and Stiles had dumped all his stuff in his room, he said goodbye to his dad and hopped into his beloved jeep. He drove to the one and only Cafe in Beacon Hills, 'Break Away', recently opened by the Hales. Yes, you read correctly, the Hales.
Stiles had never actually been to the cafe before seen as though it opened when he was away, however he knew who worked when as Erica gave him a very detailed description of the rotas.
She wasn't working with Boyd, no, she instead was working with Jackson – to say the least, she was not happy about it. You could tell by the colourful language she spoke over facetime.
When he pulled up outside the cafe and hopped out of the car, he looked over the pristine shop. It had specifically laid out decorations in the windowsills and a chalkboard in the window with the menu on; it looked really pretty.
He opened the glass door at the front of the Café and a bell rang. He didn't get chance to admire the inside for too long because someone yelled his name behind the counter, "Stiles!"
Stiles grinned at the girl who came running towards him, "Stiles!"
"Erica!" He picked her up and span her around, giggling like little school children. He put her down and she stepped back one, a giddy smile on her face. “How are you?”
“Brilliant now you’re here.” She squealed. "You look so hot!" She gestured towards the whole of him, and Stiles gave her a funny look.
"I literally look the same." Stiles tried pointing out, but Erica shushed him.
"No you do not!" Erica stopped him. "You've grown up and somehow your features look sharper."
"Sharper?"
"Definitely," She nodded. "You look like you could be on the front cover of Vogue."
"Maybe you're taking it a bit too far." A deep voice spoke from the other side of the counter.
Stiles turned on his heel and smirked at Jackson, "What you on about, I could be on the front cover of Vouge any day."
“Yep,” Erica agreed. “He has grown up a lot, wait till everyone sees him.”
He was sure he heard Jackson mumble, "He's going to give Derek a heart attack." But he brushed it off as a misunderstanding.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stiles asked, giving her a questioning look.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” She said, turning her head towards Jackson. “Awh, Jackson, you’re not the hot shot of town anymore.”
"Whatever Reyes." He said, turning around to stride back into the back room.
Stiles turned back around to Erica, who was smiling sheepishly, "I know that look anywhere Erica. What are you not telling me?"
"Nothing at all." Erica said quickly. If it was one thing Stiles knew it was when his best friend was lying straight to his face.
"Are you going to tell me, or am I going to be left in the blue?" He questioned, his anxiety raising with every second.
"It's nothing, honest-"
She was cut off by a little girls voice, which appeared from behind the counter, "Auntie Erica?"
Stiles head span around to the little girl who was waddling her way around the counter. She stood still when she saw Stiles bewildered stare, then ran up to Erica who easily picked her up.
Jackson chose that time to come running, looking slightly nervous, "You had one job!" Erica hissed, directing her words to Jackson who gulped.
Stiles kept looking at the girl, and the girl kept looking back at him with the same curiosity. She must had been 2, 3 at the most. She wore a blue short sleeve t-shirt, black leggings and pink shoes, her eyes and shoulder length hair both light brown.
"Are any of you going to tell me what is going on?" Stiles asked calmly, smiling slightly at the child when she smiled at him.
"It's a long story." Erica said, bouncing the child lightly in her arms.
Stiles looked at his watch: 2:35pm. "I have the rest of the day Erica."
All of a sudden, another pair of footstep came clattering behind Stiles, "Oh my god." Stiles turned his head to Cora, who had her hand over her mouth, looking more shocked than he did.
"Auntie Cora!" The girl giggled, oblivious to the situation unfolding in front of her.
"Hey Stiles, you’re looking good." Cora whispered nervously. She took a shaky breath, moving to pick the girl up off Erica. "Hey Harley, I thought I told you to stay in the back room?"
The girl glanced at Stiles then back at Cora, "But I thought I heard daddy."
"You know he's doing some work at home," Cora said softly, "but we can go interrupt him if you want? He won't mind."
She smiled and nodded her head, "Okay." She then turned back to Stiles, "Who's that?” All eyes shot to him like he was someone they had never seen before, making him feel personally attacked.
Stiles raised his eyebrows at Cora, who sighed, "Harley, that's Stiles," she then smiled apologetically at him. "Stiles, this is Harley Hale. Derek's daughter."
And that's when Stiles had to sit down to save himself from collapsing.
"We're sorry."
"It's fine Erica."
"Your heartbeat says otherwise."
"I'm fine." Stiles pushed, swirling his coffee around in the cup in front of him. Cora had left 5 minutes before Erica came and sat with him, sliding his favourite vanilla latte drink at him just to make him smile. "I just don't get why you didn't tell me."
"Harley isn't my daughter, Stiles," Erica explained. "I really wanted to tell you, like straight away after we all found out... I would have told you, but he wouldn't let me."
Stiles looked up sharply, furrowing his eyebrows, "Seriously?" Stiles sounded hurt; what had he done wrong to not deserve to hear that Derek, of all people, had a daughter?
"His reason was that he didn't want to disturb you at Uni." She told him, sipping on her coffee.
"That’s a shit excuse." He mumbled, staring back down at his coffee cup.
"Tell me about it," Erica said. She reached across the table and grabbed Stiles hand delicately. She knew her best friend was upset, even though he refused to show it; she actually often used to compare him to Derek, but he didn't need to know that, "You know I would have told you if I was allowed?"
Stiles gave her a reassuring smile, "I know, and I'm not mad that no one told me, I'm just finding it... strange." Just like his dad said.
"I get you." Erica took her hands out of Stiles' and wrapped them around her coffee mug. "We all thought it was strange when she showed up in a basket on the doorstep."
Stiles raised his eyebrows, sounding even more confused. "Wait, what?"
Erica slapped a hand over her mouth, "I shouldn't have said that."
"Well don't say anything then." Jackson said, coming to sit beside Erica. He was still worrying about what was going to happen when he next saw his Alpha. "We're probably already in big shit, Erica."
"Don't you think I know that?" She snapped, wiping a hand across her face.
Jackson turned to Stiles, "I'm sorry you had to find out that way."
He was a little taken back by Jackson's apology, "It's fine, honestly. As long as someone tells me later what's going on, I'll be splendid." He then looked around at the empty shop. "Have you closed or something?"
"I closed it," Jackson said, "just because of what happened. Don't want strangers messing around in our business."
"That's very true."
"Anyway, enough children talk," Erica quickly changed the subject so she wouldn't blurt out any more information; "How's the book?"
"It's actually all ready to be published," He said, embarrassed a little. He wasn’t used to the pack asking about his book, or talking to Jackson in a civilised conversation to be quite frank. "I sent you all a manuscript, didn't I?"
“Yeah,” Erica said, “we all have read it, and it’s brilliant. Aria is an absolute badass, how she saves Elliot blew me away. What happened to Lara though…”
“She cried.” Jackson smirked from beside her.
“I did not!” She retaliated, hitting him on the arm.
“Don’t worry,” Stiles said, “I cried writing it. Wasn’t the easiest of partings.”
“I tell you someone who loved it more than any of us,” Jackson paused, then smiled slyly. “Derek.”
Stiles half smiled, “Really?”
Erica hummed, “He basically refused to give the manuscript back to me when I asked.”
“’I’m reading it again.’” Jackson mocked Derek causing Stiles to huff out a little laugh.
“It was really weird.” Erica stated, resting her chin in her hands.
“That’s Derek for you.” Stiles said, leaning back in his chair. And just when Stiles thought things were alreadt odd, things somehow just got odder. But that was Beacon Hills for you, right?
Derek heard Harley before he saw her. He heard her little footsteps tap against the wooden floor and her giggles echo down the corridor towards his office; a sound he would never, ever get used to, but loved every second of. She changed his life the second she came into it, and he wouldn’t change her for the world.
However, he did like his peace and quiet every once in a while so hearing her home 2 hours early only meant there was an emergency.
The door of his office creaked open, making Derek look up from his paperwork. Harley bounced in with the same enthusiastic energy she always had, "Daddy!"
Derek stood up with a smile and picked up the little girl, "Hey sweetheart, I thought you were spending the day with Auntie Cora?"
She nodded, "I was, but then… but then we were at the café with Jack-Jack and Erica and I heard a man-boy talking to them. Auntie Erica sounded very excited, so I made up an excuse to see what was going on,” She then beamed. “Now, I think I had a new friend.”
Derek furrowed his eyebrows, "Who’s your new friend Harls?"
"His name was St...St...Stiles!" She said with much excitement.
So that was the emergency.
Derek tensed, "That sounds wonderful, I’m sure he will be your friend.” He then lowed Harley to the floor, plastering a smile on his face to not worry her, “Why don’t you go and play with your toys while I go and talk to Cora, okay? Then I’ll make you some lunch?”
“Tuna salad in triangles?” She asked hopefully. He nodded and she gave him a quick hug in response, running out of the office towards the living room. Derek stood up and took a deep breath, striding out of the room towards where Cora usually was when she was stressing.
He had forgotten Stiles was due back today. Fuck, he is going to be so pissed at him.
Stiles knew nothing about Harley. Derek had planned to tell Stiles himself about her - not the rest of the pack. The last thing he wanted was Stiles to hate him for not telling him: things were just complicated.
Cora was pacing up and down the porch when Derek found her, her features softening at her brother once she saw him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know he was there."
"What did he do." Derek said sternly, keeping his voice low so Harley wouldn't hear.
"He was shocked," She started. "Very shocked. He didn't understand why no one told him, he just kind of froze. So, urm, yeah?"
Derek rubbed his eyes, "He's going to hate me." He muttered, clenching his jaw.
"No he won’t," Cora sighed, talking a step closer to her brother. “Just explain everything to him.”
He looked up sharply, "That's what I plan on doing, there is no other way."
"Look, I'm really sorry," Cora frowned. "If I had of known that he was going to be their today, I wouldn't have taken her there."
"I know, I know." He sighed, taking in the fact that Stiles is back and the first thing he is going to say to him is 'I'm sorry I had a child, well she really isn’t mine, but we don’t talk about that, and didn’t tell you.'
"I'll get Erica to text you when he has gone home," Cora said, patting him on the shoulder, "then you can go and explain, okay? The sooner he knows the truth, the better it will be for both of you. Plus, he won't have time to overthink everything."
"Alright." He huffed, knowing his sister was telling the truth.
"Good.” Cora said, heading toward the front door. “Now go and get that work done and I'll keep the munchkin entertained."
“Make her lunch too.” Derek walked after her. “Tuna-”
“-Salad sandwiches in triangles,” Cora smirked. “I know what my niece’s favourite food is Derek, stop worrying.” Derek rolled his eyes and turned away from her, wandering back to his office.
The thing was, Derek couldn't work knowing that he was about to tell Stiles, who he hadn't seen in 3 years, that he now had a child. He wasn’t ready for the bombardment of questions he was going to ask, or telling him to be quite frank. And, what he feared most was what Stiles was going to say about her real parents; and to be quite honest, Derek didn’t even know what to say to that either.
It was 5pm when Stiles finally arrived at home for the Café. He slouched down in the chair in his Jeep and closed his eyes, the past 3 hours flooding back to him. Whoever said his life wasn’t hectic were obviously lying. More has happened to him in the last 3 hours than the last 3 years.
His dad wasn’t home, which was expected as being the Sheriff took up most of his time. So, he pulled himself out of the car and shoved his keys into the front door, pushing it open and closing it behind him. He used his magic to turn the kettle on whilst he grabbed his laptop from the living room so it would at least be half boiled by the time he walked into the kitchen. Once it had, he poured himself a strong coffee and wandered up the stairs to his room. He placed his coffee and laptop on his desk then flopped onto his bed, exhausted – the jet lag was killing him.
But he had work and finalisations to do, so he gulped down half of his coffee and sat at his desk, typing important emails and data so his book could finally be published by the end of the week. It was about bloody time too; he finished writing 2 months ago but due to him wanting to publish it with an American company, it had taken longer to send everything over. But, if the people he loved liked it and if it made him enough money so he could get out of his dads hair and move out, it was worth the stress.
Half an hour later - whilst he was deep into his work - his window suddenly slid up and a figure jumped through in a blur, scaring the monkey’s out of Stiles. It was that scary that his magic went on full protection mode and he fell off his chair, throwing the closest thing (which happened to be a book) at the figure, “Stiles! It’s only me.”
Once Stiles heard the voice, his nerves slightly calm down and he pushed himself up off the floor. He glared at Derek, “It’s been 3 years since the last person did that Derek! I have the right to be scared.”
“Sorry.” He mumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back on the wall. This wasn’t how he imagined seeing Stiles again. He also didn’t imagine Stiles looking like that; the time away had done him wonders, in more ways than one.
Stiles exhaled and fell onto his bed, sitting crossed legged. “It’s okay, I’m kinda getting used to surprises now-a-days.”
Derek gulped, “I’m sorry about that too,” He then sighed, letting his arms fall by the side of him. “Look, you had literally just arrived in Manchester and I didn’t want to tell you as I knew you would hop on a plane back and miss the start of the term.”
Stiles thought about it for a few seconds, knowing what he said was true. “I could have said I wasn’t well enough to get a plane from America.”
“Don’t start making up excuses Stiles, nothing would have worked.”
Stiles patted the spot beside him on the bed, tilting his head to the side to gesture to Derek to sit beside him. Derek hesitantly pushed himself off the wall and sat beside Stiles, “We can’t go back in time, so there is nothing either us can do that can change the past,” Stiles said, “so tell me everything that happened, and we’ll forget that you never told me in first place.”
Derek nodded, and started his story, “It was the 4th of September...
““I want Stiles back; life is too boring now.” Erica was complaining that she was missing you - like she had done for the previous 2 days - and, as usual, Jackson was being his snarky self, “It’s now quiet, be grateful he is not bouncing off the walls anymore.” It was their daily argument. I was blanking them out, reading in the living room, when the doorbell went. Cora popped around the corner, “I didn’t think we had any visitors,” eyeing the front door. So I got up and went to answer it.
“There was no one there, but when I looked down, there was a basket covered up on the doorstep. I crouched down and pulled the sheet back, and there lay a little baby. Cora appeared over my shoulder, “Is that… a baby?” I couldn’t say anything: who leaves a random baby and runs? “Did someone say baby?” I didn't really register what anyone else said, I was too astonished. Cora crouched beside me and picked the baby out of the basket, carefully cradling them in her arms. A note was at the bottom of the basket, and I reached down and picked it up.
“It read along the lines of, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot look after her. You're family is the only way she is going to be safe.’ Signed I.R. I obviously wasn't going to leave her outside, so I hurried everyone back inside and called your father immediately. When he turned up, he instantly got on his database to find the person with the initials I.R but there was no one.
"When Cora passed her to me in a quick hurry, I didn't really know that to do. I had never held a baby before that - or dealt with one - but she lay sound asleep in my arms without a murmur. It was then when I decided that I wouldn't let her go. I couldn't, not because she was some sort of supernatural being, because some random person had already abandoned her... and I couldn't do that to her.
"And that's when, once all the social services things were sorted and much debating, she became Harley Talia Hale." He finished, a little smile making its way onto him face.
Stiles smiled softly, "That's adorable," He pretended to wipe some tears from under his eyes. "All is forgiven."
Derek rolled his eyes, but his smile still lingered, "Good, because she came home telling me that you're her new friend."
Stiles put a hand of his heart, "Can she get any sweeter?"
"Surprisingly," Derek said, "yes."
"Who has she got that from?" Stiles pointed out. "You're all maniacs."
Derek raised his eyebrows at his comment, "Apparently children change you."
Stiles hummed, then got back onto the situation, "So you never found her real parents?" Derek shook his head. "And do you know what kind of supernatural creature she is?"
"I always presumed werewolf," Derek stated, "but we have had no way of telling what she really is. Not till she is 3 anyway."
Stiles smiled smugly, "Not till now."
Derek looked confused for a second, then his eyes slightly widened, "Wait, so your saying you can..?"
"Scan her vitals, genetics and have a sense of what she actually is?" Stiles said as a matter of fact. "Yes. Yes I can."
"Is it safe?" He questioned, just for precaution.
Stiles gave him a deadpan look, "I won't put her through any harm, Derek. I wouldn't dare it."
"I know, I know." Derek sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tomorrow?"
"Wait, what?" Stiles asked a tad confused.
"Come around to the house tomorrow," Derek replied. "No one is in work, and then you can see Harley properly. I also know everyone has missed you, a lot." Including himself.
"Okay," Stiles grinned. "11am?"
"Yeah," He agreed, "and I'll make sure the house isn't a state."
"Good," Stiles said, "or I'll go into my cleaning mode and I do not want that to happen." He shuddered, causing Derek to huff out a slight laugh.
There was then a knock at his door, "Stiles?"
"Yeah?" He shouted back, eyeing the door warily.
"Dinners ready in 5." His dad murmured back.
Derek stood up off the bed, and so did Stiles, and pushed his hands inside the pockets in his leather jacket, "I better go then."
The door of his room swung open "Use the front door please." Noah said. "Every time you jump out that window it scares me to hell and back."
"Will do." Derek smiled, making his way out of the room, Stiles in tow. Once they were downstairs, Noah made a bee line for the kitchen whilst Stiles and Derek stepped towards the door.
Stiles opened the front door for him, "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" He said as Derek wandered past him.
Derek turned around and nodded, "I'll be waiting."
Stiles leaned against the doorway and smiled, "Oh, by the way, I missed you too." He thought he would just throw that in the clock work, you know, casually.
Derek just looked down at the floor, then looked up and smiled back at him, "You know me too well."
Stiles shrugged, "The power of being extremely observant."
Derek walked back a couple of steps, "See you later Stiles." He then turned on his heel and strode back to his car.
Stiles exhaled and watched at the car sped down the road. He shut the door and shuffled into the kitchen, plonking himself down at the dinner table.
"You say strange," he said, catching his dad's attention, "but I really think that it's miracle."
"What do you mean?" Noah inquired, sliding the meal in front of Stiles.
"That child could have ended up anywhere," Stiles started, "with someone who didn't know the supernatural. I think she is very lucky to be surrounded by the people she has now - with a loving family that will care and cherish her till the end."
Noah wondered where all this had come from, yet smiled when his son looked up towards him;
"Sometimes miracles are just kind people with good hearts." And with that, he started eating, finally after 3 years away from home. Least to say, he was not going anywhere any time soon.