Chapter Text
"Derek, you still haven't told him? It's been three months. Over one hundred days. You know what that means. There could be severe repercussions for this," Erica's hands twisted the glass in her hand mercilessly, polishing it before setting it together with its shining brethren in neat, tidy rows.
Derek groaned, face in his arms, muttered "I know Erica." He lifted his head from the bar and told her "It wasn't supposed to last. It was casual. It shouldn't have mattered."
Erica looked at him pityingly, picking up a last glass. "Derek you've never done casual. I don't know why you thought you could start with him. I mean, come on. You pretty much wired to try to form stable, robust connections. You know, what with being a born werewolf and all." She paused to bend down and grab the bucket of limes from the refrigerator, selecting one. Rolling it between her hands she asked "How did this even happen?"
Derek sighed, rubbed his hand over his eyes "How do these things ever happen? Two people run into each other, phone numbers are exchanged, they talk. You know what happened Erica."
Erica did know. She had dug every sordid detail out of Derek as the ... relationship ... had developed. Erica knew all about how Derek had been picking up a book for Isaac. She was well aware that Stiles had tripped over his own shoe laces and spilled coffee all over Derek as well as the book, effectively ruining both the book's cover and Derek's white shirt. She had heard how Stiles had babbled about making it up to Derek while trying rather ineffectually to dry him off with a cocktail napkin.
To Erica's great and lasting delight, Derek had admitted that he'd taken Stiles up on his offer because he "really liked how Stiles smelled". Had liked how Stiles had seemed so determined to do the right thing. According to Derek, something about Stiles "had just seemed nice."
Which was why Erica could smile in remembrance of that admission and tell Derek "You know very well what I mean - and it's not the adorable history of your acquaintance. How did you let it get this far without coming clean. Which, you know, according to the law you are legally obligated to do before you exchange bodily fluids. Because, as the internet banners remind us, lycanthropy is a dangerous, contagious disease. Rather like an STD really." Erica really, really hated those 'public service announcement'.
Derek pressed his thumbs to his eyes. "I know Erica. It was dumb." Erica snorted. "I just. I didn't want to care who we were. For a little bit, I just was. There weren't any of the normal complications, any question of political stance or supra-human rights. As long as he didn't know, we could just be."
Erica leaned back against the bar, sighed as she watched him. "Derek, for someone who hates people as much as you do, you suck at doing without them. You really, really do." Erica felt torn between laughing at his pain and wanting to cry with him. "It's like you keep collecting us." The silence between them was thick and Erica poured Derek another drink.
"But seriously, what do you really think is going to happen if you don't say anything and he just finds out? I mean, do you really think you are going to always be able to reign your infamous flashes of temper in? That you're never going to get really excited around him? Never let yourself just be? I bet you already have to fuck him on his hands and knees so that he can't see your eyes flash.
"And if you don't say anything, if you just keep going, you're not going to be able to introduce him to the rest of the family. Because you can't ask us to pretend to be other than we are behind closed doors. We already have to do that enough on the streets and at work."
Derek looks at her like she's gutted him. "You know I would never ask that."
"I know honey" Erica said softly, patting his arm. "But sometimes shit creeps up on you. Sort of like I never would have thought you would get yourself into this mess in the first place. I mean, come on. You gave me the werewolf speech five minutes after introducing yourself to me. If you had to fuck him, fine. But why not move on? Why not give him a fake number and try to forget he existed?"
Derek frowned at her, shrugged, twisted his glass back and forth in his hands.
"Oh Derek. You are." Erica made a series of rude gestures that implied that Derek was a hopeless moron of the highest order. "You realize that at this point the shit is going to hit the fan in some way or another. You have broken at least three laws by my count. He could prosecute."
"He won't."
"How do you know that? Do you even know his stance on us? If he thinks that we're the dirty, virus carrying bastards that some people think we are?"
"Because. He's not." Derek breathed in through his nose and out again. "He's not like that. He tries to help people."
"Yeah, yeah. Bleeding heart. Lots of people are willing to help the people who they see as their own. It's everyone else - that infamous other - who they have a problem with. I mean, fuck Derek, the Argents give loads of money to battered women's shelters - which I am all for - and yet lobby to see us exterminated. At the very least they want us locked up and tagged."
Derek glared at her "I know that Erica, don't think I've forgotten."
Erica shook her head, curls bouncing around her face for moment as she tried to shut out the memories that brought up. She didn't think Derek would ever forget. Could ever forget. She certainly still remembered the sounds of the mob passing by her house when she was all of ten. She had been paralyzed next to the window, terrified as she had listened to the chants. It had been the scene from the Frankenstein movies. Just, with a family of werewolves instead of an undead creation who just wanted to be loved.
It made still made Erica feel sick sometimes to look at the people passing her on the streets and wonder what their involvement had been. She had asked Derek once how he could still live in the town. He had talked about not giving up, about having to take a stand, even if it was a silent one. But she noticed that there were some stores he never, ever stepped foot in. She avoided those stores too, even if she didn't precisely know why.
Erica touched Derek's hand over his glass. "I know you won't ask us for what we can't give Derek. I imagine it's why we are having this conversation in the first place. Because you care too fucking much - about Stiles, about us. It's also why you have to do something now, something before the proverbial cat sneaks out of the fucking bag and the shit is smeared all over the wall."
Derek's eyebrow twitched and he half-heartedly admonished her "Erica, you know better than to mix your metaphors." He was still fidgeting with his cup, staring at the condescension on the edges of glass as if the drops of water were tea leaves that held the future.
Erica snatched it away from him and his eyes snapped up to hers, flashing red in a brief surge of indignation. "And you, Derek, know better than to let someone get hurt because of lack of knowledge. I mean, you even gave Isaac the talk - shit, both the werewolf and the sex talk - even though he's all of ten and likely won't understand either of them until he is older. So you know better than to wait to say something until Stiles gets knocked up " Erica smacked Derek upside the head when he snorted. "You know what I mean. Sure, you can't get him pregnant - thank fuck - but the guy might very well get the shit beaten out of him if the wrong person finds out he's bending over for a werewolf."
Erica pointed a very sharp nail at him and went on "And don't even consider just leaving without a word. It isn't fair to him. What would you do? Move without telling him because your apartment already smells so much like him? Or just tell him that you are heading out for cigarettes - which I am well aware you don't smoke - and watch his eyes go soft and hurt because he can tell exactly what is coming? I can just see him standing next to the door in curlers, bassinet in the background, dinner in the oven. He'd cry softly while you walked away into the night, never to look back but never able to move on." Erica paused with her hand over her heart.
"You paint a very sordid picture," Derek said dryly. "But I don't think Stiles could get curlers in his hair, it's not long enough."
"That may be, you would know, but you still can't just walk away. And you can't not go on without telling him either. I mean, have you asked if he wants kids? You might not be able to get him pregnant, but what if he wants to adopt. Then where would you be? The agencies do pretty thorough background checks and you were born into a well known family Derek. You won't be able to slip through the cracks like some of us might be able to manage. So adoption isn't going to happen through any channel he might reasonably expect to be an option. And count surrogacy out. I'm not carrying for you, no matter if you are alpha, you can't ask a werewolf outside the pack, and you can't ask a non-werewolf to carry."
"I wouldn't ask you to do that" Derek said softly, touching her hand and pealing his glass out of her grip. "Besides, if you ever do decide to have kids, they'd be pack anyhow."
Erica grinned at Derek before continuing "And what about Isaac? Does Stiles at least know why little Isaac lives with his 'uncle'?"
"It's not like these things just come up in conversation" Derek growled.
Erica arched her plucked eyebrows at him and agreed that "No, these things wouldn't just come up in conversation. You probably don't say much of anything and he doesn't know that they are issues he should be aware of.
"I very much doubt that he has ever given the issue of werewolves much thought. We haven't exactly billed top news lately, just our continual splash on the third page. And you wouldn't still be around him if he had gone on a sudden, unsolicited rant about the evils of our kind."
Derek leaned back in his chair and stared a the wall. "Erica, you know that I hate you right now. That I wish all of the world's ills on your shoulders?"
"You keep saying that I'm the colorful one in this small pack of ours, but your curses still brighten my day. I really should keep a list of them."
Derek glared at her again. She ignored him. it was a smooth sequence perfected over years of acquaintance.
"The question remains," Erica told Derek finally "do you think Stiles is worth the hassle - and the danger - of letting in. Do you tell him it's over now, or Is the possibility of him choosing to stay worth letting him make his own decision?"
Derek huffed out a breath. "it would make his life harder."
Erica nodded her head, she knew all about how it made life harder. She knew she was legally required to be registered, that she would never be hired for a government job no matter her qualifications, that she was required to disclose her 'status' to a date, and she wasn't allowed to travel outside of the country.
The worst though, was how people who found out about her took a step away. It was how she heard people on the streets talk about 'those animals' and how they 'would as soon rip your throat as look at you.' It was how according to some online forums, 'werewovles could always be spotted because they smelled like wet dogs' and 'had a rabid look.'
But still. There were benefits. Erica had chosen this for a reason after all and she didn't regret it. She refused to regret it.
All in all, Erica could honestly tell Derek "There may be difficulties, but sometimes the difficulties are worth the gain. They were for me. Sure, Stiles wouldn't be able to get certain jobs, would have a ceiling for advancement. But is career the most important thing for him? I mean, do you think that's what he wants most? Money, prestige?" Derek shook his head.
But when Erica asked "Does he love his job?" he nodded. She sighed. That might be a problem then. Although, with what she'd heard about Stiles, family and friends might be the greater concern. If Stiles opted to be part of Derek's pack, the association would necessarily impact them. Probably negatively.
"I am not really seeing a third option Derek. So, either you crush him now by telling him you aren't interested, or tell him the truth."
"Which part of it?"
"All of it Derek. Tell him how you feel and what that would mean if he chooses to stay."