Soulmates | Derek Hale - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Christine Baranski as Lorraine
Derek rolled his eyes as he walked back into his room, pulling his basketball jersey over his head. Maeve sat on the floor surrounded by files, pinning them up to the blackboard that Derek didn't even realise she'd brought.
"Okay, Nancy Drew, that's enough of that." Derek picked up the board despite Maeve's protests, placing It in his wardrobe before turning around to help her up.
"'That', is me saving your ass, thank you very much." Maeve grumbled, crossing her arms over her denim jacket.
Derek sighed nervously, "Just, be careful today, okay?"
After finding her mother, Maeve was onto her next stage of finding out everything about her family her own way. The next task wasn't easy to find, but had the biggest consequences.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Maeve picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder, smiling up at Derek.
"If anything happens, you call me," Derek began, kissing the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Derek, you're stressing," Maeve laughed against his chest, pulling away to wrap her arms around his neck, "I'll be straight in, get the information I need and out again."
"I still don't like it." Derek complained.
Derek didn't quite realise how protective he'd gotten over Maeve, when he was with her he felt fine about letter go off on her mysteries but now he wasn't with her, he couldn't help but worry. Add Peter into the mix, and Derek didn't even want to think of the chaos they would get up too.
"Tough," Maeve grinned swiftly kissing him before nudging him towards the door, "Go to practice."
Peter stepped out from behind the door, staring at his nephew mockingly "Yeah, Derek, listen to the supernatural vigilante over here."
"What do you want, Peter?" Derek grumbled, picking up his gym bag from under his desk.
"Easy, Derek," Peter held his hands up innocently, nodding at Maeve, "I'm just the chauffeur."
Maeve waved back to Derek, sliding on her ankle boots before pushing Peter out of the room, the duo making her way out of the house.
Peter sat down in the drivers seat with a huff, glancing over at Maeve in amusement, "What adventure am I taking you to today, captain?"
Maeve smiled nervously, "Don't freak out okay?"
Once realising where he was taking her, Peter had every right to freak out. Eichen House looked more intimidating every time he passed it, now knowing what lurked in the basement, Peter happily kept his distance. But here Maeve was, dragging him into the lions den.
"Wait here," Maeve instructed noticing the guard waiting for her, motioning to the seat in the waiting room.
Peter glared over at the guard protectively, "I'm not letting you go down there alone."
"God, you're just as bad as Derek!" Maeve exclaimed, shaking her head in annoyance, making her way over to the guard "I'll be fine, Peter."
After walking down enough staircases that even as a werewolf Maeve grew tired, they had finally reached the basement.
"Lorraine Argent?" the guard checked, Maeve nodded, walking in through the barred up doors as the guard held it open for her.
Letting the door shut behind her, Maeve took a deep breath, walking down the hallway. Sets of eyes watched her as she walked, the beta squeezing her eyes shut to avoided their gazes.
Reaching the last cell, Maeve's eyes blinked open in surprise, "Lorraine?"
The elder Argent stood from the makeshift bed, looking anything but what Maeve had seen of her "Do I know you?"
Eighteen years ago Lorraine Argent died on a hunt with her daughter Kate, at least, that's what Kate told the heartbroken family. Instead, Lorraine was targeted and bitten by a wolf. Finding out what had happened, Kate tried to kill her mother, but had failed.
Instead of facing the consequences, Kate locked her mother away in Eichen House, returning home faking grief, letting her family believe Lorraine had died, lighting a spark in her fathers already out of control hunting ways and the start of her own.
"Hi, I'm, um, I'm your granddaughter Maeve, do you remember?" Maeve spoke in barely a whisper, resting her hand against the glass, "You're- You're really alive. "
"Don't tell me they told you I was dead," Lorraine chuckled, rolling her eyes "Then again, I thought they would've brainwashed you too by now. Lord knows this family is hopeless without me."
Elizabeth was definitely her mothers daughter, glam from head to toe, harsh to those who didn't deserve their love. Even after being locked in a cell for eighteen years, Lorraine still looked terrifying, but ask Elizabeth, and she'd tell you it wad the botox.
"Things have, well, changed." Maeve sighed, glowing her eyes for her grandmother to see "I found out about you on my own, no one else knows."
Lorraine hummed in surprise, "You got bitten?"
"No," Maeve explained, stepping closer to the glass as a growl from another inmate echoed down the hall, "A mate. His names Derek, he's amazing."
"Thats wonderful, Maeve," Lorraine smiled, taking in hers and her granddaughters familiar features, "But how are you surviving?"
"My mom and Chris know, they're okay with it, but Kate thinks I'm trying to get close to Derek to kill him," Maeve sighed, but also smiled knowing she had someone in the same situation as her now.
"What about your father? Does he know?" Lorraine questioned, raising a brow at Maeve as her jaw dropped.
After composing herself, Maeve started at Lorraine in disbelief, "You knew my dad?"
"You don't?" Lorraine stepped back to sit on her bed, shaking her head with a sigh "Oh, Elizabeth. How are my children?"
"Chris is doing well, I guess," Maeve shrugged, "Kate shot my best friend a few days ago, she's gotten worse-"
Lorraine scowled, "That girl had been a nightmare since the moment she was born."
"I will make it safe for you to come home, I have a plan," Maeve began, "Its not safe right now, but I'm going to get you home. Mom and Chris need you."
"I hope they're good tears," Peter wasted no time In getting them out of the building, wrapping his arm over Maeve's shoulders as she nodded.
A part of Maeve was relived to find Lorraine, to know she had someone who was going through the same thing as her. But she was also sad for her mom and Chris, they grieved their mother, they believe she's still dead.
Sitting in his chair, Peter hesitated to start it up, glancing over at Maeve, "You're okay, right? Derek told me what Kate did to you. If you need help. I'm here."
Over the months Maeve had gotten to know Peter, she'd grown on the egotistical werewolf, Peter genuinely cared for her as a best friend, and Maeve was starting to realise that too.
Maeve gasped playfully, smiling up at him, "Peter Hale being generous?"
"Don't waste it," Peter muttered rolling his eyes, pushing Maeve's feet off the dash as she tried to prop them up.
"Hey!" Maeve complained, deciding to cross her legs instead, leaning her head on the window.
Peter didn't bother look her way, starting up the car, "No."
—
Spending hours training was definitely Maeve's least favourite part about being a werewolf, but running through the woods with Derek wasn't that bad. Derek had been used to training his whole life, but Maeve who had little attention span and got bored easily, was struggling.
Whilst her attention was an issue, running head first into a tree was also a factor. Derek stopped running slowly turning around at the sound of a thump, finding Maeve tumbling back to the ground, holding her head with a scowl.
"I don't think training is good for you, clumsy, you're becoming a health and safety risk." Derek laughed, glancing down at the loose branch on the ground that had somehow fell the same time Maeve passed under it.
Maeve huffed, "Isn't the whole 'being a werewolf' thing supposed to end the cursed clumsiness upon me?"
Derek shrugged, helping her up, picking the leaf that had gotten trapped under the strap of her sports bra "I don't think anyone can save you from that, Maeve."
Maeve squealed in surprise as Derek's hands slid under her thighs, picking her up to hold her in his arms "I may have to carry you home, you know, in case you fall over a pebble and knock yourself out."
Maeve laughed, "Put me down!"
Derek slowly set Maeve down on the mud, sighing in disappointment as she slipped again, falling against his chest "D, that was your fault."
Leaning back against a tree for support, Maeve carefully stepped over the mud, pushing Derek over as she reached the grass. Of course Derek wasn't stupid enough to fall in the mud, still holding onto Maeve's hand, he pushed himself forward, knocking themselves over onto the grass.
Maeve coughed out a laugh, lying her head back on the cold grass, "That didn't go as I expected it too."
Sitting herself up, Maeve glanced around at her surroundings, the beginning of the lake stretching around the preserve was in front of them, but an awfully familiar cleaning was behind "Derek, look!"
Maeve scrambled to her feet, Derek blinked in surprise as she pulled him with her, dragging him out into the clearing "Its the tree!"
Derek stared at her In confusion, "The tree?"
Maeve nodded excitedly, "I'm pretty sure this is the tree that determined the whole mate bond."
"You think this tree stump is responsible for us?" Derek frowned, approaching the tree stump hesitantly.
"Kind of, your mom said mates only happen in werewolves, I have no blood relation to a werewolf, but apparently your werewolf abilities started after I saw you here when we were six," Maeve explained, "It may not of made it, but it certainly had a influence, its a beacon of power."
Derek frowned trying to piece the whole thing together, "It's tree."
"Its a sacred space," Maeve rolled her eyes, reaching forward to touch the smooth top, Derek tensing nervously behind her "Chill out, this thing only works on the full moon."
Maeve turned back to face him, waving her hand with a laugh, "See, nothing happened."
Taking Maeve's hand to lead her away, the couple didn't notice their glowing eyes. Like the first time they encountered the Nemeton, nothing drastic happened to them then and there, but altering their future wasn't off the cards when it came to the power radiating from that tree.
Maeve listened into the Hale pack in the far distance, their heartbeats the only thing audible, "We completely ditched training, didn't we?"
Derek nodded with a slight laugh, "We should probably go find him."
Maeve gently pulled him in another direction, "Or we could go home and pretend we got lost. I think Peter forgot he brought doughnuts."
Derek rolled his eyes, "Maeve, we own half of the preserve, I can't get lost I know this place completely."
"Oh," Maeve mumbled, getting a bit too carried away with herself as they stepped up onto the bridge crossing the start of the lake, "I guess you're r-"
A splash sounded instead of the end of Maeve's sentence, Derek stood still, surprised that one moment his girlfriend was at his side and the next her head was popping out from the water. Finally realising what had happened, Derek leant forward, bursting out into laughter.
"Derek!" Maeve groaned, playfully glaring up at him, moving her arms to keep her up in the water, "This isn't funny!"
Too consumed in laughing at his girlfriend, Derek didn't even notice her swimming towards him, grabbing onto his ankle, yanking him back into the water. Gasping for a breath as he arose, Derek rolled his eyes as it was Maeve's turn to laugh.
Maeve smiled innocently, "I didn't want you to miss out on the fun."
Derek hummed, not believing a word she said. Despite being alone in the lake, Derek pulled Maeve closer, finding himself always wanting her close. Seconds passed before Maeve's lips were on his, throwing her arms over his shoulders as he kissed her back, the both of them giving into the sudden craving they felt.
"We should probably go home," Derek pulled away as he gasped for a breath, his forehead resting against Maeve's.
"Yeah," Maeve breathed, following after Derek as he swam towards the bridge, lifting himself up onto it.
"Don't want the fish to start biting," Derek joked, laughing at the panic flashing in Maeve's eyes, yet to climb out of the water.
"What?!"
—
Drying his hair with a towel, finally taming it down after Maeve attacked it with bubbles, Derek walked out of his bathroom wrapping his arms around Maeve from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. Maeve sat on the end of his messy bed, now dressed in one of Derek's shirts and some leggings, staring nervously down at her phone in her hand.
"Whats wrong?" Derek brushed her wet hair over her shoulder, glancing down at the phone "Who is It?"
Maeve locked her phone with a sigh, "My uncle. Now my mothers found herself an apartment, the attention is back on me again. Its not safe for me to go home, especially now Gerard's returning in a few days."
Maeve wasn't upset that she couldn't go home, gosh, she was happy, but it also made her nervous about how bad things are going to become. But the thought of staying with Derek made everything a little bit better.
"Luckily for you, your boyfriend likes having a roommate," Derek pointed out, quickly pulling on a pair of joggers before lying down beside next to her, Maeve smiled, resting her head on his bare chest.
Glancing up at the ceiling, Maeve took in the silence, "I never realised how quiet your house is when everyone's gone."
"Its usually Peter's ego making all the noise."
—
Dragging the pink highlighter across her papers, Maeve took the yellow one from her mouth, writing beneath the information. Drama aside, Maeve had gone back to her studying, graduation was less than months away and Maeve had started to learn her college material months ago, despite not getting in yet.
"I hope you're not avoiding me," Jamie called out from the doorway, leaning against it with his good shoulder, his other arm up in a sling.
It was almost a week after the shooting and Jamie was out of the hospital, but out of guilt, Maeve had yet to see him. Derek passed by with Archie who frequently visited, but like Maeve, Derek also felt bad about the situation.
Maeve's eyes widened with a gasp, jumping up to gently hug him, "Jamie!"
"I know you're avoiding me because you feel bad about your sociopath of an aunt, but stop it. You're my best friend, I need you, alright?" Jamie demanded sitting himself down on Derek's bed, "I know Derek's also feeling pretty crappy about hiding this big secret from me for years."
"You know?" Maeve exclaimed, expecting to hear Derek running up the stairs over the revelation, but only heard his and Peter's arguing downstairs.
"No," Jamie dragged out, grinning as he raised a brow at her, "But I hoped you'd tell me."
Maeve sighed in relief, lying down on Derek's bed, resting on her elbows, "I'm so glad you're okay."
Maeve had finally reached her stage of guilt where she didn't have a panic attack every time she thought of what happened, but until Jamie was completely better, Maeve would still feel unnecessarily responsible for it.
Jamie chuckled, nudging her with his foot from the other end of the bed, sending her face first onto the duvet "Don't go changing the subject, Maeve."
"We're werewolves," Cora announced, waltzing into the room kitted out in her princess dress, teddy bear in hand "Are you feeling better, Jamie?"
Jamie smiled, hugging the young Hale "Much better, Cor. Good joke about werewolves."
"Cora!" Maeve whisper shouted while Jamie wasn't looking, playing along as she pulled Cora into her arms, stopping her from causing anymore damage "Very funny, Cora."
"Its tr-" Maeve covered Cora's mouth with her hand, Cora giggling behind it.
Derek's bedroom door opened with a slam, Jamie smiling up at the older teen behind it, "Laura."
"Are you okay?" Laura questioned, sounding unusually concerned.
The most affection Laura would show to Jamie was usually anger, but for one, Jamie noticed his crush stared at him with something over than annoyance.
"You're worried," Jamie pointed out in amusement, "Oh Laura, I never knew you had feelings."
Laura shrugged, returning to her usual scowl, "Its a werewolf thing."
Derek stopped walking as he entered his room, staring at his sister in disbelief "Laura!"
Derek had debated telling Jamie the truth after the accident, but expected it to do it himself after all these years, not for his sister to state it out of boredom.
"Is this an inside joke I'm missing out on or something?" Jamie frowned up at the betas, realisation dawning on him "You're not joking, are you?"
Derek sighed shaking his head, Jamie's outburst coming soon after, "Werewolves? You mean to tell me I thought Derek was on steroids this whole time, but oh no, he's a werewolf!"
Maeve was convinced Jamie watched every sci-fi show there is, and that was probably the reason why his reaction to werewolves actually existing was barley there. But Jamie also had his suspicions at the amount of times he'd seen Derek growl at someone.
Derek blinked in surprise, "You thought I was on steroids?"
—
Yet again, their teacher was a no show, leaving the class to their own devices. Jamie taking off all the time he wanted from school, leaving Derek, Maeve and Archie alone. Archie had his headphones on, actually catching up on his work unlike his peers. Beside him, Maeve and Derek practically sat on the same seat, her legs swung over his, tapping away at her phone as Derek's head lay on her chest, fast asleep.
Maeve leant back on her chair, grinning upside down at Archie, waiting for him to lift the headphones from his head "Hey Arch? Guess what I just saw on face-"
Archie was listening until he saw who walked through the door, pointing over "Maeve-"
Maeve almost choked on her bubblegum, staring at her mother dressed up in her own attempt at being professional, and of course, Maeve's shoes "Oh god, mom, what are you doing here?"
Archie had to hold back his laugh, Maeve was too surprised to move and Derek was still blissfully unaware as he slept. Elizabeth faced the class with a smile that somehow radiated power, slamming her books down onto the desk.
"I'm Ms Argent, I'll be taking over from your old teacher," Elizabeth introduced herself, smoothing out her skirt, "Now I have your attention, I have some ground rules."
Maeve groaned, hiding her face with her folder as Elizabeth slowly made her way down the isles "Since you ran your old teacher out trembling like Bambi, I'm letting you know now that if you all so much as think to give me any issues - suspension will be the least of your worries."
Maeve scowled, glancing over at her mother, rolling her eyes at her dramatics "And if any of you, like Mr Hale over here, think this class is here just for a peaceful break. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
Since Derek was practically lying against Maeve's chair, Elizabeth knocked his over with her high heel, sending Derek tumbling to the ground, waking up with a gasp. Derek blinked in surprise at the sight of Elizabeth staring down at him, shutting his eyes and opening them again to make sure she was actually there.
"Elizabeth?" Derek questioned groggily, pushing himself up back onto his chair, staring at Maeve in shock "Since when was your mom a teacher?"
Maeve didn't respond, simply slamming her head on the desk, letting out a groan "Careful, Diana, we don't want you damaging the furniture!"
—
The School's gym erupted into cheers as Derek scored the winning goal, Maeve jumping up from her seat beside Jamie clapping her hands, cheering the loudest in the room. Derek turned away from the team to look at Maeve, smiling at his girlfriend proudly cheering for him, letting out a laugh at Jamie trying to cheer, only to wince as Maeve excitedly pulled him into a hug.
As the players and the crowds started to file out of the gym, Derek and Archie jogged over to their friends, Jamie patting Derek's shoulder "You and your stupid werewolf powers won the game!"
Derek laughed instinctively pulling into his arms, Archie telling Jamie to sit down before he hurt himself.
Maeve smiled, leaning her head on Derek's shoulder as she hugged his side, noticing someone's gaze on them from beside the bleachers "D?"
Derek looked down to her as she nudged his shoulder, nodding over at the man, Maeve frowned in confusion at Derek's glare "Derek? Whats wrong?"
Derek was storming off before he could answer, Maeve turning to their friends in confusion, the boys replied in unison "That's his dad."
Derek had spoken about his dad only a handful of times, and then Maeve was lucky to get any information about him, but after overhearing Derek and his mothers conversation, Derek finally caught Maeve up on his relationship with his father.
"Why are you here?" Derek greeted his father grumpily, crossing his arms as he approached the taller wolf "This isn't a legally assigned visit, you don't need to be here, so leave,"
"Derek, Dean wanted to watch his brother play-" Seth began with a sigh, straining the back of his neck nervously.
Maeve followed their gazes across the room, a dark curly haired boy no younger than Cora stood playing basketball on his own. Derek looked a lot like his father, but his brother looked just like Derek, despite being half siblings.
"No, what gives you the right to just come here and think that's okay after everything you did to mom!" Derek interrupted with a shout, glancing around to check everyone was still leaving the room.
"Derek you wouldn't understand-" Seth tried to justify himself.
Maeve nodded over at Dean, walking away from her friends "I'm going to talk to him."
Maeve gently put her hand on Dean's shoulder as she reached him, the young werewolf turning to look at her in confusion.
"Hi, Dean, right? I'm Maeve, Derek's girlfriend," Maeve smiled softly, glowing her eyes to reassure the nervous 10 year old "I wouldn't listen into that conversation."
"I don't know how," Dean sighed, his eyes flickering from golden to their normal brown, bouncing the basketball against the gym floor.
"Just listen to my voice, or try and find your anchor," Maeve explained, kneeling down in front of him to help "Do you have an anchor?"
Dean shook his head slowly, "Dad didn't teach me."
Maeve sighed, smiling at him sympathetically "It's alright, I didn't have an anchor to begin with either. Try focusing on your surroundings till you find an anchor, listen to the birds or the traffic."
Dean gazed out the double doors leading to the car park, listening into the outside "Okay, now bring yourself back and focus on my voice, do you feel calmer yet?"
Dean smiled slightly, nodding his head, frowning as he gazed over at his arguing brother and father "Does Derek hate me?"
Derek had spent the whole of Dean's life avoiding him, it wasn't that Derek disliked his brother, it was that Dean was a constant reminder of his dads mistakes.
"No! Of course not," Maeve assured him, "Your dad on the other hand, he upset Derek's mom, and that upset Derek. Derek's just angry, not at you though, even if it seems like it."
Archie and Jamie took this as their time to join the two wolves, the two of them staring at Dean in surprise, Jamie letting out a gasp "Oh my god!"
Archie adding, staring at his best friends mini me, "Its like I've gone back in time. Derek 2.0, right Jamie?"
"No dad, I actually do understand this time! Maeve's my mate, the thought of hurting her almost breaks me, but you felt like that and still hurt mom - you literally went against fate, for what? To screw some random woman?" Derek growled, his father quieting down in surprise over what Derek had told him.
"I messed up with your mother Derek," Seth admitted, he looked exhausted and worn out, he had done since the divorce, "I broke that bond. It wasn't fate."
"Yeah, and that makes it so much better." Derek replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Seth knew there was no point trying with Derek, his son was stubborn like his mother, "I know you're angry at me, but don't take it out on Dean."
"Leave me alone," Derek glared at his father once more, turning to walk away, "You can pick up Dean later, because moms a better person than you and wants me to accept my other family."
Archie caught the basketball Dean threw, motioning to the net, "Want to play, put those werewolf skills to the test?"
Derek jogged over, forcing a smile as he ruffled his brothers curly hair, "You coming on my team, Dean?"
Maeve smiled proudly at Derek, knowing this was difficult for him, joining Archie's team to let the brothers bond as Jamie sat out on the bleachers. Dean smiled widely up at Derek, quickly nodding his head, running after his brother as they crossed the court.