Soulmates | Derek Hale - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Maeve Argent sat across one of the many windowsills in the school hallways, propping her leg up against the glass, the other dangling comfortably from the wall, the blonde smiled as she finished her book.
Glancing across the hallway, Maeve spotted Derek and Jamie through the small window in the classroom door. For the whole of the school, the day was over, but for Derek and Jamie, detention awaited them.
The school year had quickly come to a close, and for Maeve who's attendance at the school had only been brief, she couldn't help feeling nostalgic knowing her days of high school education were over but only began eleven months ago.
Hearing the double doors behind her slam, Maeve turned to see Archie wondering out of the library, shovelling as many books as he could into his backpack.
"You are aware that schools finished, Arch?" Maeve laughed quietly, smiling as he looked up to her quite startled, letting out a sigh noticing who was sat in front of him.
Archie shrugged, passing their now empty lockers, "Some books are just too hard to let go."
Maeve squinted, titling her head to look down at one of the books, "I never knew medicine through the ages, had such a special place in your heart."
"It's for my dad, some of the herbal remedies have quite the effect on the supernatural," Archie explained, rolling his eyes at Maeve.
The two teens jumped as Jamie came tumbling out of the classroom, almost knocking the door off its hinges as Derek ran out behind him.
Jamie let out a cheer that was almost too painful for the supernatural ear, whilst Derek, for once in his life, had the biggest grin.
Looking to the duo in surprise, Maeve gasped as Derek lifted her off the window sill, laughing as he twirled her about, Jamie's chants echoing around the hallway.
"It's over! No more of this hellhole for the rest of my life!" Jamie looked ready to cry, excitedly bobbing on his feet, shaking Archie to try and join the happiness.
Dizzily finding her feet back on the ground, Maeve gripped onto Derek's hand tightly, smiling at the friends "Someone's glad to graduate."
Derek chuckled, wrapping his arm around Maeve before setting his head on-top of hers "That is if he doesn't fail like Laur did."
Jamie scoffed, playfully glaring at Derek as he marched towards the doors "I'll have you know, Derek Seth Hale, that Laura and I have worked exceptionally hard to pass our exams."
"Worked exceptionally hard to cheat," Archie corrected, following his friends out of the door, the summer heat instantly hitting.
Maeve frowned as they reached the end of the path, turning around to stare up at the school, "It's a little sad, isn't it?"
Jamie looked at Maeve like she'd grown a second head, looking to Archie and Derek to check if she'd actually just said that.
"Says the girl who's only attended school for a year of her life," Jamie argued, itching to run away from the building "You can be a sap later, we have a party to attend!"
Maeve sighed nodding her head, Jamie cheered bouncing off to Archie's car, his three friends following, gladly leaving the school in the dust.
Ten weeks later
Every full moon came with its challenges. Though it had been over a year, Maeve was still the newest beta and Derek had his unpredictable moments, so Talia decided it was best for them to spend the night In the basement just as a precaution.
The couple sat back against one of the stone walls, it was almost past midnight by now, a dim old fashioned lantern hanging on the ceiling was lighting up the room. Maeve lay back on the cold floor, letting out a sigh, her right hand wrapped around Derek's her other was chained to the wall, as was Derek's.
"This is stupid."
Slowly opening her eyes, Maeve looked up to Derek with an amused smile, "You and I both know you're the reason we're down here."
"No I'm not," Derek rolled his eyes, running his hand through Maeve's hair as she lay her head on his lap "I've been a werewolf my whole life, I don't need to be chained up like i'm about to go rampage through the woods."
"But thats exactly what happened," Maeve smiled cheekily, "Suck it up, tough guy, you're just like all of us new betas."
"You're my wife, you're supposed to be on my side," Derek grumbled in annoyance.
Maeve shook her head with a grin, patting Derek's chest playfully, "Not your wife yet."
Derek huffed, thinking back to the last full moon, "It wasn't that bad, Maeve."
"I don't know what riled you up that day but whatever it did make it seem like you'd been a werewolf for about a day," Maeve pulled up her knees, sliding over to sit against the wall beside Derek, her hand still in his "What did upset you?"
"Kate knows," Derek hesitated, glancing down to look at Maeve, her brows furrowed in confusion, "About us."
Maeve nervously let out a breath, squeezing Derek's hand, "What?"
"At your birthday party, when you hid out back so no one could sing happy birthday to you," Derek told her, staring at the moon through the window with a sigh, "Kate was outside. Watching, I guess."
Kate had been growing impatient with her niece in regards to her attempts in gaining information about the Hales, weeks ago changing her orders to taking down the Hales, both of which Maeve had failed to do.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Maeve asked softly as she frowned.
"You were already freaking out about the party, you were close to loosing control and if I told you Kate was out there, I don't know what you would've done," Derek replied, letting out a sigh of relief, glad to know Maeve wasn't mad at him.
Maeve was hardly a fan of birthdays, and for once in her life she had a party surrounded by all her friends and family, well, Derek's family, so when it came around to singing happy birthday, Maeve had a sudden fear of people and hide outside of the house until everyone gave up.
"My eyes were glowing," Maeve realised, "Is that why you kissed me? So Kate didn't see?"
"I mean, I like kissing you," Derek teased with a grin, rolling his eyes as Maeve glared at him playfully, "Yeah, that too."
Maeve groaned, leaning her head on Derek's shoulder, "That totally didn't look like a 'I'm plotting to kill you kiss'"
"I'd rather Kate know about us.Than Kate finding out about you, and getting yourself killed. They already want to kill me," Derek reminded her, resting his hand on Maeve's check as she turned back to face him.
"I'm not going to let that happen," Maeve promised, kissing him softly as they forgot about the full moon above them.
—
Maeve laughed as she walked through the front door to the Hale house, Cora instantly running over to hug her, babbling on about her day to her favourite teen.
Derek walked ahead, smiling as he spotted his grandfather sat with his mother in the kitchen, "Hey pops."
Maeve and Cora caught up with him, Derek motioning over to the older werewolf, "Maeve this is my pops, Frederick.
Frederick rolled his eyes, correcting his grandson, "Rick."
Talia's father was much like his elusive grandsons, and son, Peter. Tall, dark haired, permanent scowl on his face.
"You look a lot more like Peter than I expected," Maeve smiled politely, waving goodbye as Cora dragged her into another room "Oh! Bye!"
"Want a game?" Derek nodded out to the basketball hoop in the garden, smirking as his grandfather sighed, "Scared you'll loose?"
Rick chuckled, standing from his seat to follow Derek out, "Boy, I taught you everything you know."
—
"They seem close," Maeve commented once Talia joined her in the living room, passing another coloured pencil to Cora.
"They are," Talia agreed, fondly watching them out the window from her armchair, "After his father left my dad was the only father figure around for him. Derek went to stay with him for a while after Paige died. Was he all right today?"
It was bound to come around one time or another, even after almost three years, Derek was still suffering guilt over Paige's death. That week had been the anniversary of her death, Derek had barley left the house whilst the whole town celebrated her life.
Maeve let out a sigh, smiling sadly, "As good as he could be I guess. Wasn't as quiet as I thought he would be, but Jamie was talking his head off, like usual."
Maeve wasn't sure how to handle Derek at a time like this, the last time they had spoken about Paige, Derek was willing to ignore her for a week just to protect her. But eventually, Maeve figured out that she had to be there for him when he wanted, to reassure him at his lowest.
"So, she's an Argent?" Rick questioned, easily tossing the basketball through the hoop.
Derek caught the ball, tossing it back to Rick, jumping to Maeve's defence, "Maeve's not like them."
"She's still an Argent," Rick reminded him.
Everyone in Derek's family had been surprisingly accepting of Maeve once finding out of her family, but Derek knew that at least one would have their hesitations, Rick being that one.
"I know Maeve," Derek responded simply, taking his anger out as the forcefully threw the ball into the hoop.
Rick raised a brow at his grandsons sudden anger, "Do you trust her?"
"With my life," Derek told him with no hesitation.
"Well, i'm glad, you've found a good girl," Rick smiled knowingly.
Derek stared at him suspiciously, "You're not going to berate us about being too young like mom did when she found out?"
"Oh, ignore her, she's still bitter about Seth," Rick scoffed, an annoyed glare landing on his face at the mention of his daughters ex.
Derek's eyes widened, staring at Rick in disbelief, "Pops!"
"Its the truth!" Rick exclaimed, holding his hands out in surrender, "But, boy, if you follow in your fathers path we're going to have a problem."
"I love Maeve, I'd never want to hurt her," Derek stated honestly.
Rick grinned, throwing the ball back into the hoop whilst Derek was distracted, "Thats what I want to hear, son."
"Disgustingly adorable if you ask me," Kieran called over as he walked up to the two Hales.
Kieran had stuck around after his sudden visit, as much as his mother and sisters were happy for him to be home, Derek didn't miss bickering with his brother most hours of the day.
"Kieran! Nice to see you've crawled out from wherever you were hiding," Rick greeted his eldest grandchild, as Maeve would put it, giving him a manly hug.
"Could say the same for you pops."
—
Derek held his hands over Maeve's eyes as they walked down the street, guiding her towards as building as she walked resting against his chest, trying not to fall over.
"You're starting to freak me out now, Derek."
Maeve could've very happily lay in bed for the rest of that morning, her head buried under the pillow ignoring the day that awaits, but Derek ruined that by dragging her out of bed, telling her he had a surprise.
Derek laughed, shaking his head "You're fine, we're almost there."
Maeve hummed stumbling on a loose piece of concrete, squeezing Derek's hand in annoyance as she moved to hold his, her boyfriend leading her off of what she figured was the main road.
"You can look," lifting Derek's hands off of her eyes, Maeve blinked as she looked up, noticing her surroundings.
Downtown Beacon Hills was in its typical busy rumble, the morning rush had started to slow down by the time they'd got into town. Around the corner Jamie's dad was opening up the bar, bickering with Cass as she shouted at him through the window.
Noticing Derek walk towards the doors of the tall black building, almost twice the size of their old school, Maeve stared at him in confusion.
"What is this place?" Maeves eyes widened as Derek unlocked the steel double doors, "Why do you have a key? Derek!"
"I have a key because I own the building," Derek told her, pushing open the doors, walking into the mid-renovation ground floor of the building.
White and black tiled floors spread out over the ground floor of the building, two old and rustic elevators positioned at the opposite end of the room, at each side of the front doors were two black stair cases twisting up to the first floor.
Maeve pointed around, eyes wide like a deer in headlights, "What? The building? This building?"
Derek laughed, "Yes, Maeve."
"How?" Maeve mumbled in surprise, walking further inside to look around.
"Pops helped out, he's owned the building for years, decided it was time to move on so he passed it onto me and Kieran," Derek explained, proudly looking around the room, "I mean, once it's all done up we can rent out the apartments and offices."
Maeve mumbled to herself in disbelief, ignoring the dust covering the floor as she walked around.
Derek held Maeves hand, leading her over to one of the elevators, "Come on I want to show you something."
The elevator was old and rickety, But was relevantly safe according to Derek, but that didn't stop Maeve clinging to his side with wide eyes, wishing they'd took the stairs.
Maeve couldn't of gotten out of the elevator fast enough, wondering into the hall despite having no idea where she was going.
The couple found themselves stood at the bottom of a small set of steps, above was a long hallway with two large sets of double steel sliding doors opposite each other.
Derek led Maeve over to the closed door, the one behind was clearly in construction, Maeve's laughed to herself at the large hole in the middle of one of the walls. Knowing Derek, he'd probably punched a whole through the wall.
Derek effortlessly slid open the door, the locks clanging loudly as Maeve looked through into the penthouse, "And this, is where we can live."
"Derek," Maeve mumbled in surprise, going to walk inside of the apartment.
The apartment wasn't decorticated, but it was in much better condition than the other loft apartment.
The apartment was made up of brick walls like the other apartment, unlike that one, this one had the occasional white painted walls, along with the whole back wall was windows right up to the ceiling, a small door leading out onto the balcony.
"Wait, we're doing this properly," Derek rushed over to Maeve, one arm going under her arms whilst the other beneath her thighs, lifting her up.
Maeve laughed, shaking her head as Derek carried her into the loft "Derek!"
Derek set Maeve back down on the stone floors, kissing her gently as she kept her arms wrapped around his shoulders, smiling up at him, "Welcome home, Maeve."
The thought of a home, a real home, that she made for herself with the person she loved, a happy home, was enough to make Maeve cry. Derek was barley fazed by her tears, knowing that anything emotional could cause Maeve to cry.
Turning in confusion at the door sliding back open, Jamie's floppy blonde hair emerged from the hallway, "Welcome home, Jamie!"
Maeve to Derek in disbelief, but Derek smiled in reassurance, "There's a lot of rooms."
Chris stood at the side of Maeve's bed with a scowl, staring at his niece in annoyance, "Come on, Maeve."
"I can't, I'm sick, I think I should sleep all day," Maeve grumbled, pulling her pillow over her head, burying her face into the mattress.
"You've already slept all day, its 3pm," Chris reminded her, shaking his head in disbelief, "Plus, you're not sick."
"I could be," Maeve argued, lifting her head from under the pillow to stare back at him.
Chris rolled his eyes, "You're a werewolf."
"Werewolf sickness?" Maeve suggested tiredly, blinking as she slowly fell back to sleep.
"Maeve," Chris spoke loudly, shaking his head with sigh, his niece sleeping soundly "Maeve? Diana!"
Maeve groaned as he shouted, shoving her covers off before stomping off out of her room, "Fine!"
Maeve yawned as she wondered down the hallway, Chris looked to her in amusement, "You've slept for over 15 hours, how are you still tired?"
Maeve ignored him, heading straight for the kitchen where her mother was busying about with what appeared to be rearranging the kitchen "Mom?"
"Morning sweetie," Elizabeth set a pile of plates down on the counter, smiling at Maeve, "No Derek?"
Maeve shrugged, taking a ice cream carton out of the freezer, sitting down at the island, "He left earlier, I think, I wasn't awake enough for goodbyes."
"Derek was here?" Chris scowled protectively.
Chris' negative attitude towards Derek had decreased over time, but this was still his niece, aside from Allison, she was practically his first child.
"You saw him last night, Chris," Maeve took a spoonful of her ice-cream, laughing as Chris grumbled to himself in annoyance.
Elizabeth nodded, making her way across the kitchen with another set of plates Maeve didn't even know they owned, "Where'd he go?"
"Something about a bachelor party? I don't even know, blame Jamie," Maeve muttered, going to take another spoonful of the chocolate ice cream, but frowned as Chris took it from her hand, replacing it with an apple.
Elizabeth pottered into the living room, setting out on another reorganising adventure, Maeve glanced over at her uncle "What's going on? You're loitering."
"I'm not-" Chris went to protest, but Maeve quickly cut him off.
"Either something's wrong with mom or you're paranoid about something," Maeve eyed him suspiciously, panicking as he sighed, "What's wrong with mom?"
The news of Claudia's recent death was still a shock to the town, Elizabeth had been acting strangely since the news, Maeve had no clue why but Chris certainly did.
Chris motioned for her to quiet down, pushing the ice cream back into her hands to silence her, "Calm down, she's fine! I'm just keeping an eye on my sister."
"Okay..." Maeve hummed, pausing as she went to retrieve a bowl, "You'd tell me if something was seriously wrong with her, right?"
Elizabeth had only seen Noah a handful of times, those of which that weren't in public usually ended in an argument. And since Claudias death, Elizabeth wasn't sure if she should avoid him, or be there for him, so she chose neither and pretended the situation didn't happen at all.
Chris nodded, trying not to be obvious as he lied, "Of course I would."
Maeve stumbled as she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, the pink bowl shattering at her feet. Turning back to her uncle, Maeve smiled innocently whilst Chris shook his head.
"That better not of been one of my bowls, Diana!"
—
Parked outside of the Argent house, Maeve realised how long it had been since she'd actually been there. With Elizabeth's apartment and staying at Derek's most of the time, Maeve was glad she didn't have to go back there.
"I'll be five minutes," Chris told his niece as he went to open his car door, Maeve nodded her head not really paying attention, daydreaming as she looked out of the window.
Maeve's gaze snapped onto the house as a painful cry echoed from the basement, her heart hammering in her chest as she recognised the voice. Derek. Rushing out of the car, Maeve didn't even bother closing the door behind her as she sprinted past her uncle up the driveway, slamming open the front door before storming down into the basement.
Maeve didn't understand how the hell Derek would end up here, only this morning he was off with Jamie distracting Archie as he tried to help down at the veterinary clinic.
Turning the corner, Maeve suddenly froze, every part of her wanted to run forward and save Derek, to shout, to scream, but she just couldn't move. Whether it was the fear or the anger, Maeve no longer had control.
Derek was chained up to the very same wall Maeve had been months ago, his body was soaked with sweat, blood running with it from the cuts scattered across his stomach, a single cut placed his cheek. Derek painfully gazed up to see Maeve, shaking his head to warn her.
"You know, when I heard the truth about the two of you, I should've known," Kate began with a scoff, twirling the shotgun in her hand, tauntingly stepping towards Maeve, "I should've known you were weak enough to fall for a werewolf."
Maeve took a deep breath, claws digging into her palms as she looked between Kate and Derek, flinching as the hunter shouted "How many times do we have to threaten and force you before you get the job done!"
Maeve's eyes widened as Kate stared at her angrily, "You were weak enough to let him manipulate you! Worm his way into your mind until you fell for him - until you loved him."
Kate's view on the situation wasn't exactly what Maeve was expecting, blaming Derek instead of her. In some ways that was a good thing, it was easier to try and salvage the situation.
"That- thats not true," Maeve stumbled over her words, blinking in shock, standing straight to try and compose herself.
"So, what, you willingly fell for him?" Kate raised a brow, pointing her gun in Derek's direction "You knew what he was and you chose to be with him? God, Maeve, you really are an idiot."
Derek growled protectively, Maeve's eyes filled with tears as Kate fully turned to Derek, raising the gun to his head, "I'll finish it for you since you're so incapable of following an order."
Derek shut his eyes, he couldn't face Maeve, he couldn't see her hurting. With a sudden confidence she didn't know that she had, Maeve shouted, "Stop!"
Kate whirled around enraged, "Whatever connection you think you have with him, it's not real, it's not love! You think he loves you, Maeve? He's a monster! Monsters don't love!"
Kate shoved her gun into Maeve's hands, pulling another out of her jeans, pointing it at a dumbfounded Maeve, "Shoot him, before I shoot you."
Every time Maeve blinked, her mind flickered back to past hunts, her aunt forcing her to hurt another wolf, the anger and fear she felt building up.
If she wanted to get Derek out of there, she had to act quick, because, if even possible, Kate looked ten times more scary than she normally did.
"I don't love him," Maeve shakily raised the gun, blinking back her tears as she stared at Derek's bloody and beaten face, "I never have."
Derek's gaze flickered away from Maeve, ignoring the taunting voice in the back of his mind, scared she meant it.
"I haven't got everything out of him yet," Maeve forced a slanted smirk, nodding over at the door, her gun still raised, "Give me a second with him, alone. He won't talk with you here."
"I'm giving you my trust, one last time, Maeve," Kate wearily stepped towards the heavy basement door, glaring at Derek, "Don't blow it over a monster. Kill him."
Maeve let out a breath, avoiding Derek's gaze as she pulled the trigger, Kate smiling at the action, the gunshot screaming against Maeve's ears.
"Talk!" Maeve shouted, the bullet slicing through the brick beside Derek's head, "Tell me about the vault!"
Kate nodded in approval, making her way out of the basement, Maeve continued to shout as she listened to Kate's footsteps on the stairs, cautiously glancing over at the stairs to make sure she had gone, "Tell me!"
Maeve's tears finally fell, sliding the gun back into her jeans as she sighed in relief, running across the basement to carefully hug Derek, "I'm so sorry."
Maeve went to unlock the chains around his wrists, but Derek shook his head in protest, "No, they'll hurt you."
"Let me worry about the consequences," Maeve forced a smile, the chains falling to the ground as she helped Derek stand, "Okay?"
Derek hesitantly nodded, wrapping his arms around her despite the pain it sent through his body. Maeve found Derek's shirt on one of the tables, staring worriedly at his wounds as he pulled it over his head.
Leading Derek over to the escape hatch, Maeve kissed him before opening the small doors, "Go. I love you."
"I love you too, Maeve," Derek hesitated as he went to climb up the steps, but sighed at Maeve's encouraging nod, guiltily leaving her behind.
Derek hated putting Maeve in harms way, but he also knew, even if he hated to admit it, that this was her family, she knew how to deal with them, and if anyone were to do it - it would be Maeve.
Leaving the gun lying on the table, Maeve made her way up the stairs, her nerves growing with each step. Truth be told, Maeve didn't know what was waiting for her upstairs, with her family's track record, she expected them to be ready to disown her on the spot.
Standing in the doorway of the dining room, her whole family, minus her mother, stared back at her. The blood from Derek's wounds stained her light blue dress, the stains from her tears were prominent on her flushed cheeks, and Chris was the first, and probably the only, to notice the pain hiding behind her eyes.
Kate crossed her arms, suspiciously glaring at Maeve, "I didn't hear another shot."
"Because there wasn't one," Maeve answered bluntly, glancing over at her uncle apologetically, twirling the bullet between her fingers before tossing it onto the table.
Chris worriedly shook his head, knowing that his niece had just done, he'd seen it coming for months, but when the day finally came, it was still a shock.
"You're no Argent," Gerard couldn't even look at Maeve, snatching the bullet from the table, standing up to go and finish the job himself.
Gerard wasn't livid, surprisingly, but Maeve figured that he was just that little bit too angry to even act on anything.
"He's gone," Maeve stopped him, standing tall as the atmosphere continued to grow more tense, eyes all on her.
"Pick, Maeve. It's them," Kate had enough, ignoring her brothers look of protest as she stepped towards Maeve, pointing out to the door, "Or it's us."
Maeve smiled apologetically at her uncle that had done nothing but always try and protect her before gazing almost emotionless at Kate.
"I pick Derek," Maeve replied instantly, turning to leave the room, avoiding looking at any of their reactions, "I will always pick Derek."
Maeve couldn't get out of that house quick enough, thankful that her family decided against chasing after her, but a small voice stopped her "Maeve? Are you leaving?"
Maeve turned, sadly looking down at Allison as she nodded, her cousin staring at her in confusion "Will I see you again?"
Allison had gotten used to seeing Maeve come and go, especially with a family like theirs where they followed the hunt, but something was off about seeing Maeve at the door this time, and Allison didn't quite understand.
"I don't know, Alli," Maeve sighed, bending down to Allison's level, "You won't understand this until you're older, but, when the times comes, you need to know that you have a choice - that you don't have to do what they ask, you do whatever makes you happy."
Allison tightly hugged the older girl, sadly leaning her head on her shoulder, "Bye Maeve."
Being dragged through the country meant Allison didn't have the chance to have many friends, Maeve had always been her best friend, her big sister to try and shield her from the world around them, but now she no longer had that.
"Bye Alli," Maeve kissed the top of her head, watching Allison run back upstairs before rushing out of the house.
Hearing the door slam behind her was like music to her ears, running down the driveway to try and find Derek, knowingly that his stubborn self wouldn't leave.
Spotting him leaning against one of the trees at the end of the street, Maeve ran straight into his arms, instantly feeling safe with him.
Strangely, Maeve felt free. Despite now being in much more danger, herself and Derek. Maeve was definitely afraid, but at least she was free.
Maeve knew Chris was defending her to his family back out the house, but there was no use, there was no coming back from that. Maeve knew that, Chris was just too blinded by hope to see that.
And somehow, without even realising, Maeve followed in her mother's path of abandoning her family, the life, all for just one man.