"HAVE YOU BEEN TIME TRAVELING?"
"Hang on, what?"
Sierra blinked, thinking she misheard Noah's absurd question. Standing between Stiles and Scott, she had arrived with them at the sheriff's station hoping to find Derek. Her intuition had been right; Parrish and another Deputy had brought him in after they caught him trespassing on the Hale House lot.
Almost as soon as they arrived, Noah had ushered them into his office and didn't wait to question them about why a teenage boy's prints continuously stated he was Derek Hale. "Because if time travel is real, you know what, I'm done," Noah proclaimed, leaning against his desk.
"I'm out! You're going to be driving me to Eichen House!"
"We found him like that," Scott stated honestly, but Noah couldn't believe his ears.
"Where? Swimming in the fountain of youth?"
Stiles scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, Dad."
"Yeah, you're the one to talk," his father retorted.
"He was buried in a tomb of wolfsbane," Sierra spoke up to end the confusion, not realizing how crazy the truth actually was, "in an Aztec temple in Mexico, underneath a church in a middle of a town...that was destroyed by an earthquake."
Scott let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. No way would the sheriff believe them now.
"Sierra, come on, I expect more from you," Noah rubbed the side of his head and then pointed to his son. "He's the liar of the group."
"We're not lying!"
Noah glared at Stiles. "Really? You told me you were camping!"
"Yeah, we were," Stiles confirmed, glancing at Sierra, who had buried her face in her hands. "It was, it was in Mexico."
Noah looked like he was ready to explode, his finger shaking towards Stiles. Scott stepped up calmly, clarifying the situation for him. "Derek has been aged backwards, and he can't remember anything."
"We just need to talk to him," Sierra agreed, peeking through her fingers.
Noah sighed, revealing, "Well, so far he's not talking to anybody."
"He'll talk to us."
Once Derek was brought inside the office, Noah left the teenagers to see if they could get anything out of him. He sat on the couch, while they remained standing with Sierra in the middle. "Why would I go anywhere with you?" Derek asked once they started talking.
"There was an accident," Scott answered vaguely, "and you lost some memory."
"But we're going to help you get it back," Sierra assured, kneeling down to meet him at eye-level. She immediately noticed how Derek's fingers started to shake and could also hear his heart beat escalate from Scott's words.
Derek studied her, a sense of familiarity washing over to him. "Do I know you?"
"You know a friend of mine," Sierra avoided telling him her name. If he found out who she was, he'd realize she was a lot older than she was supposed to be. But saying her sister's name would gain them the trust they needed from him. "Jemma?"
"You know Jemma?" Derek couldn't hide his surprise from hearing his best friend's name. "How?"
"The how doesn't matter," Scott squatted down beside Sierra. "But you can trust us, alright?"
"Prove it."
Scott and Sierra exchanged glances before simultaneously facing Derek again. Focusing, they then opened their eyes. Derek's jaw almost dropped from seeing the red and silver, the pieces slowly falling into place. "You're an empath, a true empath," he realized, and then moved his finger to point to Scott, "which makes you a true--"
"Yes, he's a true alpha and yes, she's a true empath," Stiles rolled his eyes. "You trust us now?"
"What're you?"
"I remain one of the people who is keeping you out of jail," Stiles retorted, already annoyed with the kid.
Sierra reeled Derek's attention back in, talking under her breath, "We can help you if you let us."
"And before you say anything," Scott started before Derek could shake his head, raising back to his feet, "you almost tore apart two cops back there, so you need to listen to us."
"Absolutely," Stiles nodded firmly. "And that starts with no fangs, no claws, no wolf man. You got that?"
"I'm fine as long as it's not on a full moon," Derek replied.
Scott tilted his head, "You still have trouble with the full moon?"
Derek glared at him, stating sharply, "I said I'm fine."
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Stiles looked back at the teenager, standing up. "Alright, you coming with us or not?"
"You want me to trust you?" Derek asked them, keeping his eyes on Sierra. "Where's my family?"
Sierra sighed, knowing they had to tell him. "There was a fire," she revealed, watching Derek's breathe hitch. His eyes watered, almost as if he knew what she was going to tell him. She could hear Jemma in her head, telling her not to tell him the truth. And honestly, it made sense why. He looked absolutely heartbroken. "They're not here anymore; they're fine."
Stiles furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why she was going against her previous judgment, but kept his mouth shut. Scott did too, seeing the relief that flooded through Derek as he relaxed against the back of the couch.
"Just had to be moved out of Beacon Hills," Sierra continued, resting her hand on his arm so he could see her sincerity. "And we'll take you to them as soon as we figure out how to get your memories back. Okay?"
A deep exhale escaped Derek as he processed everything, before he nodded. "Okay."
Soon, after Stiles informed his dad about what was going on, Derek only had to sign a few papers so he would be free to leave.
Sierra waited with the boys at the front desk, leaning her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. "I shouldn't have done that," she complained. "I lied my ass off."
"Hey, your ass is fine," Stiles pronounced, smirking slightly.
Scott rolled his eyes, "Now is not the time to horribly flirt with your girlfriend, Stiles."
"I'm telling the truth!" Stiles pointed out. "Sierra saved him from a ton of unnecessary pain. Once we figure out how to change him, he goes back to being old Derek; everyone's happy. Except Derek. Who is never happy unless he's with Jemma."
"Speaking of, should I tell her that we found him?" Sierra asked.
"Yes, because Derek is already another person we're lying to," Scott answered. "We don't need Jemma back on that side."
"Good point."
Scott moved his eyes back over to where Derek was standing with a deputy and sighed. "It's always been better when we tell the truth. With my mom and your dad, Lydia," Scott listed off. "It's always better when they know."
"You guys are forgetting that that is Derek," Stiles reminded them seriously. "When did you two decide to form a conscience anyways? He may be a kid right now, but he is still Derek Hale."
"I have a plan for what we should do with him," Sierra stated then, causing Scott to exhale with relief.
"Thank God, because I got nothing."
"Stiles, you're going to take him back to Scott's house," Sierra informed him. "I'm going to text Jemma to meet you there. Maybe seeing her will keep Derek calm. But under no circumstances do you or Jemma let him out of your sight, understand?"
Stiles smirked, "Yes m'am."
Rolling her eyes, she turned to Scott. "We are going to go talk with the asshole we should've gone to before."
Immediately, Stiles's mouth dropped into a frown. "You've got to be kidding me, Sierra."
"What?"
"You know how much I hate that guy."
"Which is why I'm putting you on Derek duty," Sierra replied, grinning. Stiles sighed, leading her to grab his hand. "Look, you know I don't like talking with Peter either--"
"So let me go alone," Scott suggested. "He hasn't killed me yet. I can handle him."
"Do you remember the pact we made? We don't split up anymore," Sierra stood firm in the plan. "We already broke it in Mexico, and we're not going to do it again." She turned back to Stiles, who was still upset. Leaning on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his cheek. "I'll be fine, okay? I promise."
"Just be careful," Stiles squeezed her hand, looking into the blue eyes he adored. "And try not to kill him this time."
Sierra chuckled, stepping back from him to follow Scott out the door. "No promises, bub. Not when it comes to Peter."
*^*^*^*
Scott and Sierra were not expecting for Malia to be standing there when Scott pulled into the parking lot for Derek's building. Taking off her helmet, Sierra climbed off the motorbike and quickly questioned, "What are you doing here?"
"I heard you were coming to talk to Peter," Malia answered, standing firm in her brown leather jacket and shorts.
Scott exchanged a look with Sierra, leading the girl to curse under her breath, "Damn you, Stiles."
Malia continued, "Lydia tells me he's basically Satan in a V-neck so I figured you guys shouldn't be alone."
"We can handle Peter," Scott assured her.
"Well, you can handle him better with me," Malia retorted sassily, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm not leaving, especially since he almost killed you. On multiple occasions."
Sierra pursed her lips. "I knew I shouldn't have told you that."
"Well, what's done is done."
Even though Scott was also against Malia's appearance for reasons he kept hidden, Malia refused to abandon them. He tried really hard to conceal his heartbeat and anxiety from the girls, but it proved impossible once they stepped inside the loft. "Okay, what's wrong with you, Scott?" Malia demanded.
"Nothing," he brushed it off, forgetting for a moment Sierra had supernatural abilities.
"You're such a liar," Sierra scoffed. "I can hear your heart and tell that you, right now, are feeling way more stressed than normal."
"He's just very bad at introductions," a familiar voice spoke up, immediately causing a scowl to form on Sierra's lips.
The three teenagers turned to see Peter Hale sitting calmly on the couch, a newspaper in his hand. His cold eyes gleamed over them, stopping on Malia, who slightly fidgeted under his gaze.
"Oh, look, the devil is home," Sierra remarked, rolling her eyes.
Scott called his name, ignoring Sierra. "Peter? This is Malia."
Instantly, Peter set down the newspaper and raised to his feet. Sierra watched him walk over in confusion, wondering why Malia needed to be formally introduced.
In her mind, she didn't want Malia anywhere near him and Scott felt the same, for a different reason. She sensed his nerves grow, and she sent Scott a concerned glance, but all he did was shake his head and look to the floor.
"Beautiful eyes," Peter complimented Malia, tilting his head. "Did you get them from your father?"
Malia's nose scrunched up in discomfort, and she said, "Mother."
"Interesting."
"Okay, that's far enough," Sierra stated firmly, holding out one hand in warning and the other to keep Malia and Scott behind her. "You can talk to us from right there."
"I'm sure they've told you a lot about me," Peter focused on Malia, smiling.
"The homicidal killing spree came up," Malia returned the gesture, though Sierra could sense her frustration underneath. "And your attempts to kill them."
Peter shrugged his shoulders, "Oh, we're all works in progress."
Malia was quick to retaliate sharply, "Well, when you progress to your next killing spree, why don't you try and make sure they all stay dead?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Scott took Peter's question as a way to step into the conversation. "What do you know about people being turned by scratch?"
Intrigued, Peter looked at him with a smirk. "Did you scratch someone, Scott?" His eyes moved to Sierra, who continued to glare at him. "Because that makes your bond with her even more interesting."
"He didn't scratch anybody, you idiot," Sierra snapped. "You did. Hence our appearance to speak with you."
"The claws have to go pretty deep," Peter shrugged off the idea.
Scott stepped up beside Sierra, asking, "But it's possible? Like if you clawed out someone's throat?"
"Well, yeah, but it's possible-- but it's also beyond rare. We're talking one in a--" Peter cut himself off, realizing what the teenagers were getting at. "Million."
A dramatic sigh escaped the older man as he faced the window, bracing his arms on a table. "Can't someone in this town stay dead?"
"I think they were hoping you would," Malia commented, causing Sierra to snort.
"Amen to that, sister."
"Do you have any idea why Kate would want to turn Derek back into a teenager again?" Scott kept them focused.
Peter didn't reply at first, taking a breath before questioning about Derek's eyes. Once Scott told him Derek's irises were still blue, he mumbled, "That means after Paige, right in the middle of his friendship with Jemma. Which means it could be right around the time where Kate wormed her way into his life."
"Wait." Scott couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Derek and Kate knew each other?"
Peter stifled a laugh, turning back around to face them. "Biblically," he informed them. "That's right, Scott. You weren't the first wolf to climb into a hunter's bed."
Scott glared at him as Sierra covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my god, I'm going to throw up. Kate and Derek--I can't even think about it. That's-- That's disgusting."
"I'm confused on what this all means now," Malia spoke up, her eyebrows cinched together.
"Okay, Derek went to the site of the house thinking it was still there, right?" Peter clarified and they all nodded.
"Yeah," Scott confirmed. "But he doesn't remember the fire."
"Which means he couldn't remember that Kate was the one who set it," Sierra caught on, the pieces slowly falling into place. "Meaning, if they were together around this time, Derek still--"
"Trusted her," Peter concluded, much to her annoyance.
"I was literally about to say that."
"Well the point still stands, doesn't it, cupcake?"
"Call me that again, and I will end you."
*^*^*^*
Stiles never felt more awkward than he did sitting inside Scott's home, eating dinner with Derek and Scott's father. He had texted Sierra, Scott and Jemma more than once, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do in this kind of situation.
He already lied to Raphael about Derek's name, bringing back the excuse he used with Danny back in the day about how Derek was his cousin from Mexico, known as Miguel.
Derek felt a dislike towards Stiles, trying to understand how the girl he met at the station would go out with him. The young werewolf obviously disobeyed Stiles's orders to sit in silence, overjoyed he could get something to eat while they waited for Scott.
And Derek wasn't the type of boy to avoid questions an adult asked him, causing Stiles to intervene almost every time Raphael opened his mouth.
"So, Miguel, what did you say your last name was?" The FBI agent asked, to create some small talk as they ate the Chinese food.
"Oh, it's, uh, Juarez," Stiles lied again, racking his brain for an appropriate response. "Cinqua...Tiago."
Derek looked at Stiles, exasperated, but didn't say anything while Raphael processed it. "Wow, that's, uh, that's a mouthful," he chuckled. "How do you spell that?"
Derek smirked, waiting to see how Stiles would handle his answer. But Stiles quickly stated, "Phonetically."
"Stiles, I'm surprised you aren't with Sierra," the adult continued casually. "You guys are always together when I see one of you."
Derek's ears perked at the name, recognizing it. Stiles, on the other hand, began a coughing fit, almost choking on his rice. "I, uh, you know, we need our own t-time apart," he said through gritted teeth, grabbing his glass of water to start drinking it.
"Sierra?" Derek couldn't help but ask.
"Has he never introduced you to his girlfriend?" Raphael asked, surprised. "Sierra Page? She's best friends with Scott too--a good influence-- I'm sure you'll get along with her just fine. Right Stiles?"
Stiles didn't reply, refusing to stop drinking his water. Instead he just gave a thumbs up, internally wishing he could be anywhere but that small dining room table.
Derek couldn't wrap his head around the information. Nothing made sense. The Sierra he knew was still a kid who liked playing with stuffed animals, so how could the same girl be dating a junior in high school? He thought of the girl at the station, who claimed to know Jemma with the uncanny resemblance.
Derek's eyes landed on the FBI badge on the table, something clicking in his brain.
And that was when Stiles knew no matter what information he spewed, Derek was going to kill him.
It didn't take long.
As soon as Agent McCall described the Hale fire, Derek excused himself to use the restroom. Stiles followed him, ignoring the confused looks Raphael sent them and trying to explain to Derek what was actually going on.
But the young werewolf didn't want to hear it.
He ended up throwing Stiles into the door angrily, holding Stiles there with his hand on the back of his head. "Okay, I didn't lie!" Stiles attempted to defend himself, but it was pretty difficult with his face mushed against the wood.
"I omitted certain truths...vital truths know that I'm thinking about it."
Angry and bitter, Derek created distance, spitting, "I don't want to talk to you! I want to talk to the alpha, I'll talk to Scott! Maybe he can explain why a little girl I know is suddenly way olderâ your girlfriend nonetheless and why I couldn't remember my family dying in a fire! I want to talk to Scott. Now."
"Does that mean you won't talk to me?" A new voice caught both boys's attention, turning their heads to the doorway.
Relief flooded through Stiles at the sight of Jemma and he exclaimed, "About time! I was dying here."
"Jemma?"
Derek didn't know what to believe as he stared at the woman before him. She looked ten years older than he remembered, at least, and held this aura that seemed defensive and cold. Like she was hiding something. But her scent of lilac remained the same and the moment Derek looked into her eyes, he knew it was truly Jemma.
"Hey, best friend," she greeted him like she used to do back then.
"H-How?"
Jemma pursed her lips, thinking through her words carefully. "We need to talk, okay? Can we do that?"
"I want to talk with Scott," his argument didn't change, even though he felt himself calming down just by looking at her.
"Then, we'll get him," Jemma promised, taking a cautious step forward. "Stiles will go get him. Okay?"
"That's right, I will," Stiles confirmed, "I'll let you and him, uhâyeah, bye."
The boy scurried out of the room without another glance, Jemma rolling her eyes at his antics. Derek said, "Okay, talk. And don't leave anything out."
And she didn't.
Jemma told him as much as she could, that he had been aged backwards. That's why she looked so much older and why Sierra could be dating Stiles. She also explained the fire, as much as it pained her. But she also mentioned Cora, how she was alive and safe because of him.
"Wait," Derek blinked, still sitting next to her on the bed. "We're...together? Like older me and you?"
"Kind of," Jemma told him with a smile. "Weird, right?"
"Actually, no," he disagreed, smiling back at her. "It's fitting; the two of us dating. Have I kissed you yet?"
Jemma laughed, but replied honestly, "Yes, we have kissed, and I know how your mind works so I'm going to go ahead and also say, no, I am not going to kiss you right now."
Derek's cheeks flushed and he mumbled, "I wasn't going to ask you that."
"Mhm, sure," Jemma teased, bumping their shoulders together. "Just know that you have made me very happy."
"Good," Derek nodded. "You deserve happiness, no matter if you're with me or not." Jemma's face softened, but before she could say anything Derek changed the subject. "So little Sierra becomes a true empath?"
"She does," Jemma confirmed with a nod. "Though, she didn't remember you until Scott became a werewolf."
"Really? We hang out all the time."
"Not at my house," she reminded him. "And Sierra spent a lot of time at the Stilinski's once Mom and Dad passed, so your memory kind of fizzled. When she saw you again, she didn't hold back her hate."
"She hates me?"
"She did for a while, but you two are much closer now," Jemma assured honestly, but stopped talking as Stiles burst into the room with his phone on his ear.
"Sorry to interrupt," he apologized, "but Jem, Sierra wants to talk to you."
Quickly, Jemma raised to her feet. "Is she alright?"
"Yeah, she's fine, but she wants to talk to you about... you know who," Stiles avoided saying Kate's name in front of Derek, knowing it would just spark more questions they didn't have time to answer.
"Can you wait here?" Jemma asked Derek, who nodded.
"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere."
"Perfect."
Stiles followed Jemma into the hallway, instructing Derek to not move a muscle while they went away. Little did they know, that left the perfect opportunity for Kate to sneak in the window as Sierra rambled in Jemma's ear.
After calling Lydia, Sierra and Scott were able to deduct with Malia and Peter that Kate didn't have control over her new abilities. She wanted Derek to bring her something to control her shift. The triskelion, Peter called it, located underneath the high school in the Hale Vault.
So, everyone abandoned the current plan and ran, hoping to find Derek alive.
*^*^*^*
Berserkers.
Ancient warriors dressed in nothing but animal pelts and skulls for armor.
They were mean and they were vicious and worst of all, they followed Kate's every order.
Malia recognized the scent way before they spotted one, bringing Sierra, Peter, and Scott to a stop on the staircase. "It's the same smell as Mexico," she informed them. "Death."
At first, Peter held no clue as to what the teenagers were blabbing on about. But as soon as the growl entered his ears, he knew they needed to keep running. Malia went to charge, but he pulled her back. "Are you crazy?"
"There's only one," Malia pointed out, shrugging his grip off of her.
"Meaning we have a chance."
"To do what?"
"Survive."
And just like that, they were running again, the Berserker right behind them. Peter disappeared somewhere along the way, but Sierra and Scott couldn't care less. They just wanted to keep Malia safe and make it out alive.
Malia skidded to a stop, her arms flying out to stop Sierra and Scott from flying past her. They didn't ask why, seeing another Berserker standing only twenty feet away. So, they backtracked and sprinted up the outside staircase. Just before Sierra reached the top, the other warrior jumped down from the second floor, landing right at the final step.
Trapped, Scott racked his brain to think of a way out.
Without hesitating, he transformed with a ferocious roar that echoed across the entire campus. Even in the vault.
Derek's ears perked at the noise, turning his attention from the man, who was claiming to be his uncle, and Kate.
"Derek?" A familiar voice called out to him. Jemma stepped into the light, hands poised in case Kate or Peter decided to strike. Derek was already confused, and this situation made it worse. Derek's face brightened at the sight of her. "Do you trust me?"
He replied immediately, "Of course."
"I know you heard Scott, and he needs our help," Jemma spoke slowly and softly. "So I need you to back away from them, and come with me, okay? Can you do that?"
Kate growled, her eyes blurring green at Derek's lack of hesitation to abandon her. "You have nothing to do with this, Jemma."
"I've warned you in the past that if you ever hurt him, you hurt me," Jemma spat angrily, allowing her eyes to flick dark red. Now that Derek was safely behind her, she stated, "Derek? Go."
"But--"
"Scott and Sierra need help, so go," she repeated sharply, her voice hard as stone. Once he listened and disappeared up the stairs, Jemma scowled at Peter and Kate. "I don't know what your game is, and frankly I don't care. But don't even think about attacking my family again, got it?"
She didn't wait for their reply, choosing to swiftly turn on her heel and exit the vault so that she could help her younger sister. By the time she reached her, the fight was practically over.
All of the teenagers had been thrown aside, even Sierra as one had sliced its bone through her leg. Derek took on both Berserkers at once, swiftly avoiding almost all of their attempts to knock him down. Jemma stepped it to help, blocking swings with her tremors and hitting their soft spots.
"Is heâ" Sierra couldn't find the words to describe the fight as she watched Derek. He was morphing, whether from adrenaline or anger, she couldn't tell. But whatever it was, it was working. And Jemma being on his side helped him change faster.
A distress growl caught hold of the Berserkers, and they backed away from the pair to rejoin Kate. They disappeared, everyone too exhausted to chase after them.
Sierra scrambled to stand, accepting Scott's hand he held out to her. Both of their gazes stayed on Derek, whose back faced them. But they knew it was him, the real him.
His golden eyes threw Jemma off, but she couldn't stop herself from hugging him tightly. Derek stumbled back in surprise yet didn't wait to wrap his arms around her waist. "I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered into his neck.
Derek tightened his grip on her, sighing in relief that he was back. He felt different, but seeing Jemma, he didn't want himself to dwell on fear during that moment. Pressing a kiss on the side of her head, he chose to not utter a sound and just focused on the girl in his embrace.
"Guys, we might have another problem," Sierra's voice made both adults face her.
Sierra glanced up from the text on her phone, shocked at what she was about to say.
"Peter was robbed."