Chapter Text
He's twenty-three when he makes a return to Beacon Hills. He hadn't planned on, he never wanted to return to the town where his aunt had burned down a whole house full of people. In fact, he'd left his family and changed his name for that very reason, made the decision that seventeen was old enough to be on his own.
Now he's back, not because he wants to attend his Aunt Kate's funeral, but because he knows it will bring his grandfather to town and he wants to insure Gerard gets nowhere near Allison.
Allison, it hurts to think of the little sister he left behind, but he knows he couldn't have taken her with him. He was to young to care for her and he knows that she was better off staying with their father, but it hurts to think about how she may have changed when he was gone.
Stiles doesn't go to the funeral, instead he goes to a hotel and takes a nap with the justification that he need all the energy he can muster to go and see his family. He's almost scared of the way that his family will react to his presence. For all that he knows, his family was glad when he left, glad to be rid of their spastic son who didn't have his life together.
When Stiles arrives at the Argents house (and of course he knows where they live, he has internet access), he takes a deep breath before knocking on the door. For a moment, nothing happens and Stiles fights down the panic that Gerard's already gotten his claws into Allison and she's out hunting with him.
Then, the door opens and he finds himself staring into the eyes of the father he left behind six years ago. There's a moment of awkward silence before Stiles wiggles his fingers in greeting.
"Hi."
The silence continues as his father stares at him with the blood draining out of his face as Stiles shifts awkwardly. Then a brunette comes bounding down the stairs and sees him.
"Stiles!" She yells pushing past their dad and jumping into his arms.
He hugs her close with teary eyes, "Ally."
Suddenly, there's another set of arms wrapped around him as his dad joins the hug, "Where have you been?"
Stiles just shakes his head and savors the touch of his family for just a moment longer. When they finally pull apart, Allison grabs his hand and drags him into the house where he stumbles across his mother.
"Stiles," she greets him coolly and he wonders if he really has lost her love.
His voice has the faintest of trembles as he responds, "Mom."
Then suddenly the tense air evaporates as she launches herself forwards and gets her hug from him. It doesn't last nearly as long as his sister's had, but from his usually stoic mother it means a lot. That is until she draws back to slap him across the face.
Stiles doesn't flinch, there's no reason for him to, the pain is small compared to what he's felt as he's matured over these past few years.
"Don't you ever do that again," Victoria hisses, "We thought you were dead!"
Stiles has just opened his mouth to reply when Gerard waltzes into the room. Instantly, his spine stiffens and he begins to track the older man's movements with his eyes as he fights the deep sense of nausea that appears whenever he is near evil. It's not something he can help, not when his magic is attuned to balance and Gerard is anything but.
"Gerard," he greets making sure to keep his voice from being with overly friendly, or cold.
"Now Stiles," the man pouts, "What ever happened to Grandpa? I'm almost certain the last time we saw each other you were calling me that."
Stiles shrugs hoping for nonchalance, "Ten years is a long time to go with out seeing someone."
"Yes," the man agrees taking in Stiles' almost militant posture, "It is."
"Gerard," Victoria says smiling sweetly at her father-in-law, "I don't want to seem rude, but do you think you could level is for awhile. I want to spend some time with my son."
Gerard smiles and nods, "Of course, I'll go out for a drive. You guys take all the time you need."
As Gerard gathers the keys, he throws one last suspicious look at Stiles. Then he walks out the door without another word and Stiles feels some of his tension drain away. Not all of it of course, there's no way that will happen when he can't be sure whether or not Gerard will take an innocent life tonight.
The family seats itself around the dinner table, and Stiles feels a pang in his heart as he thinks about the years he missed. It's worth it he knows, he never would've become who he is if he'd stayed, but seeing Allison now, almost as old as he been when he left, reminds him of how much he's missed.
"Where have you been?" Chris asks doing his best to speak around the lump in his throat.
Stiles' eyes slide over to Allison as he say, "I'm not sure we should discuss that right now."
"Yes we can," Allison tells him, glaring fiercely. "I'm not the ten year old you left behind, I can handle whatever you have to say."
"Yeah, she can," his dad sighs sounding tired even as his mom hums in agreement.
Stiles raises a brow, "So she knows about what you really like to hunt, does she?"
Chris freezes while Victoria gives her son an appraising once over and speaks quietly, "Yes, she does. Though I have to admit, I don't think you did."
Shrugging, Stiles responds, "What can I say, I was a nosey fifteen year old. You leave out a box of Wolfsbane bullets, and I'm sure as hell going to get into them and end up analyzing the plant matter. Once you discover what kind, well there's only so many conclusions to draw."
Chris and Victoria shares a look that conveys that Stiles' nosiness was something they hadn't missed. Meanwhile, Allison just looks impressed.
"Man," She grumbles. "I wish I'd figured it out on my own."
"How do you know anyway," Stiles asks curiously piqued. "Mom and Dad didn't want either of us to know until we were eighteen."
Allison's face darkens as she answers, "Aunt Kate told me."
Stiles frowns deeply, he hadn't anticipated that it was very likely that Kate had already gotten her claws into Allison and corrupted her.
"Not that I should have listened," Allison mutters, "The murdering, lying piece of scum that she was."
Stiles changes his mind, there's no way Kate got to his Ally. He doesn't say that aloud of course, instead he hums and says, "So I'm guessing you know about the Hale fire."
"Yes," Allison answers but before she can add more their mother cuts her off.
"Why do you know about it anyway, Stiles? You'd already gone missing when it occurred."
"Because," he sighs, "I was there. Aunt Kate had taken me out for what she said was going to be a night of fun. When I saw her setting the accelerants I tried to warn the Hales, but she pistol whipped me and I went unconscious. When I woke up the fire was already unstoppable, so when Kate wasn't looking at me, I ran, didn't bother to come home, I wasn't sure if I could. For all I knew you were murderers too."
"Never," Chris promises, "We follow the code."
"Good," Stiles says his eyes sharp as he stares at his father. "But if that's the case, why are you working with Gerard? You do know he was there the night of the fire, don't you?"
Stiles is glad to see his parents tense in a way that indicates they had not know that little fact. He's glad, it would be a shame to have to deal with his own parents as well as Gerard.
"Stiles," Victoria says reaching forwards to place a hand over his, "How long are you staying in town? Because I want to catch up, but I'm in desperate need of sleep right now."
Stiles barely contains an eye roll at his mother's obvious attempt to get his dad alone to talk. If he didn't want that also, he most likely would have laughed at her right then and there.
"At the moment, my stay is indefinite," Stiles tells them. "So you two go to bed and I'll catch up with Ally."
Everyone agrees and once their parents have taken off Stiles and Allison go up to her room. They sit on the bed together and, since Stiles had never been one for silence, long right into conversation.
"So, tell me all about your love life," Stiles demands in his most outlandish teenage girl voice. "Any boyfriends, girlfriends?"
"There was a boyfriend," Allison admits, "But we broke up."
Stiles shakes his head, "No, you didn't! I can totally hear you lying. Why are you lying about that?"
Allison blushes, "I told Mom and Dad that we didn't so that they wouldn't threaten him anymore."
"Threaten him," Stiles asks with raised brows. "He's a werewolf, isn't he?"
"Yes," Allison says jutting out her chin defiantly, "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Not at all," Stiles laughs, "You wouldn't believe how many wolves I've fucked."
Jerking away from him, Allison covers her ears, "I so did not want to hear that."
"You did," Stiles purrs, "Now, tell me about this boyfriend!"
She does, everything from when they first met to killing Peter Hale to their dad putting a gun in his face and threatening him.
"He sounds great," Stiles tells Allison distractedly, his mind still processing the rest of the story. Particularly the part about Peter Hale killing Laura, he'd known Laura, back when he still lived here.
Before anything else can be said, Stiles hears Gerard's car pull up
"Ive got to go," he whispers pulling her in for a hug. "I'll pick you up from school tomorrow though, okay?"
"Alright," Allison agrees before watching in amazement as her brother dives out the window.
Rushing over to the window sill she's surprised to find he's not a mangled mess on the ground, but rather completely gone from sight.
Stiles runs back to his hotel room, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair. It helps him relax after the stressful day he's had and is probably the only reason he can fall asleep the instant his face touches the pillow.
When Stiles wakes up the next day, he isn't sure what he should be do. Eventually, he opts that stalking Gerard will be the most productive way to spend the way and walks to his parents house so that he can follow Gerard to wherever he's going.
The day's a bust, the most Gerard does is go to the grocery store and have lunch a diner. Still, Stiles continues to trial him for the majority of the day, only leaving when he does, because of the time it'll take to return to his hotel room and get his jeep.
His jeep is the same model as the one he'd wanted when he was younger. In fact, everything about it except the color is the same, just how Stiles likes it.
Stiles is parked outside waiting on Allison, when he feels a prickling on the back of his neck. Looking up, Stiles is quick to lay eyes on Derek Hale whose watching him from a distance. Never one for patience, Stiles gets out of the car and goes to him.
"Hey Derek," Stiles greets with a small smile. "I hear you're the alpha now."
There wolf studies him intently, "Stiles, I hadn't realized that you knew about wolves, or that you were alive."
Shrugging, Stiles leans against the school wall and responds, "I figured out the whole werewolf thing when I was fifteen. As for the other thing, well it's harder to kill me than it looks."
"Why are you back in town?"'Derek asks having never been one for small talk.
Sighing, Stiles stands fully erect, "Gerard's becoming a problem. I came to stop him."
"Stop him," Derek repeats his eyebrows flying upwards.
"Yes," Stiles nods. "I'm here to stop Gerard before he kills you and McCall. He keeps on throwing everything off balance, and I can't have that, I won't have that. By the way, when you start making Betas only do three, trust me when I say the fourth ones a bad idea."
The bell rings in the very next moment and Stiles walks back to his jeep leaving Derek horribly confused. Stiles is different now, he can feel his power down to his bones, and what did he mean when he brought up balance.
Stiles has just settled himself in his jeep, when Allison bounds over her face split in two by a wide grin.
"Hey Stiles," she greets him crawling into the passenger seat. "I see you finally got your jeep!"
"Yeah it was a," he pauses searching for the right words, "Gift from a friend."
It's not quite the right words, but he feels that it's better than saying he took it from an evil faerie he killed. That would require far much more explanation than he was comfortable with.
"So," Allison chirps, "Tell me all about what you've been up to while you were gone."
"Nah, that's boring." Stiles complains, "Let's talk about something else, how about you tell me about your friends."
"No," She laughs, "I only need to fill you in in my current friends, you've got six years worth of stories."
Smiling, Stile caves and begins to tell her about what he's been up to the last six years. Everything he says is heavily redacted, to hide how interconnected he is with the supernatural and also what he does, but he tells her the most mundane things he can think of.
Allison listens with rapt attention, though she laughs most of the way home so Stiles counts it as a win.