Soulmates | Derek Hale - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

"Wake up," Maeve groaned as her body endured another round of pain , her body falling back against the grass as if she'd been thrown, Wake up!"
Maeve gasped loudly as another hit to her body woke her up, sitting up with a wheeze as she tried to see past the darkness in her blurry vision, "Where are we? Where's Derek?"
Maeve couldn't see past her aunt, she couldn't see the hunters helping Kate, she couldn't see her home moments away from going up in flames.
Kate stepped off of the porch of Maeve's home, answering simply, "Dead."
For a second, Maeve swore she felt her heart stop. It was like she felt every emotion there was, panic spreading through her veins as the thoughts of Derek's death plagued her mind.
"No, no, you're lying-" Maeve cried, trying to pull herself up from the ground, but her poisoned body was too weak to move, "You're lying!"
Derek couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. Maeve reassured herself she would've felt it, she would've known. But all Maeve could feel at that moment was pain.
"He's gone, Maeve," Kate lied, smirking as she crouched in front of Maeve, easily winding her up, "He died screaming, just like the rest of them - and it's all your fault."
Maeve struggles as two sets of arms grabbed onto her, yanking her back away from her aunt. Trails of gasoline were leading up to the house, the scent had just gotten to Maeve, and it was incredibly overwhelming.
Gasoline flooded maeves senses, staring at her aunt in disbelief "No-"
Kate twirled the lighter in her hand, "Its you or them, Diana."
Maeve took a deep breath, slowly pulling herself away from the two other hunters, stumbling on her feet "Kill me instead!"
The wound in her chest screamed at her in pain as she moved, wobbly on her feet as she tried to keep herself up, Maeve knew she couldn't fight this battle.
"Kill me instead!" Maeve shouted back at the hunter, her voice growing stronger from the anger overtaking her pain, "Just don't hurt them - this is my fault, okay? Hurt me, kill me, I don't care! Just leave them alone."
Kate stormed forward, shoving the lighter in Maeve's face to see clearly, "This is all because of you. If you'd of just listened for once! You were never a hero! Not to them, you were their enemy, you still are!"
Maeve had always ignored Kate's comments, she always knew Kate was trying to taunt her. This time it was different, Maeve believed her. The guilt settling in her mind was unbearable.
"It wouldn't have to come to this if you had just done what you were supposed to do," Kate turned away from Maeve, slowly walking towards one of the cellar windows.
Maeve was in hysterics, screaming at her aunt as two other hunters forcefully held her back, "Then just kill me!"
Kate suddenly stopped walking, Maeve sighed in relief, hoping that she had changed her mind. But her optimism was short lived once she saw the look in her aunts eyes.
Kate smirked, venomously pointing down at the basement, "You think I'm going to let monsters live?"
"You both can end," Kate glared, the lighter in her hand falling down through the bars, lighting the basement of the house up in flames.
Maeves body fell to the ground as she cried, Kate and the hunters sprinting away as a blow from the wire smashed through the downstairs windows, knocking Maeve out instantly.
—
Maeve slowly blinked as small hands shook her shoulders, Cora calling out to her sister in law, "Maeve?"
Maeve lay outside of the burning Hale house, to anyone who wasn't a werewolf, they would assume the teen was dead by the state of her.
"Maeve!" Cora cried trying to wake her up, letting out a gasp as Maeve pushed herself up with a shaky breath.
At first Maeve thought this was all just a terrible, terrible, nightmare. But waking up to the clouds of smoke and her own injuries shooting pain through her, Maeve knew she was wrong.
"Cora, run-" Maeve stared at the young girl fearfully, hugging her in relief before trying to push her deeper into the woods.
Cora clung to Maeve's leg, shaking her head in protest, "No!"
"Cora, run, hide, do whatever you can to save yourself!" Maeve told her sternly, glancing over at the flames in complete shock.
Thankfully most of the first floor was mostly smoke right now, giving her a good chance to get inside.
Even in high heels, Maeve didn't hesitate sprinting up the steps, the pain in her chest going unnoticed, her focus completely on saving her family.
Pushing past the heavy front door, Maeve coughed at the sudden change in air, covering her face with her elbow as she made her way through the smoke, checking the empty rooms as she passed them.
It didn't make sense, there was no one up here. Why was there no one here?
"Hello!" Maeve shouted upstairs, nervously glancing down at the completely engulfed by flames basement, "Can anyone hear me?"
A crash echoed past the sounds of the parts of the house slowly falling to pieces, Peters urgent voice shouting out, "Maeve? You have to leave you have to go!"
Maeve ran up the unsteady staircase, holding onto the railing in support as a stair broke, throwing herself around the corner to try and find him, "Peter!"
Peter was trapped in his room by a broken cabinet outside of the door, flames making their way up the hallway.
"Peter! Where are they!" Maeve shouted back through the door, wincing in pain as she tried to pull the cabinet away from the door.
"They're gone-" Peter began, hitting against the door as he tried to break it down.
"No! They can't-" Maeve's eyes widened, falling back against the wall as the cabinet was finally away from the door, "Where are they!"
After what Kate had told her, Maeve knew she wouldn't stop until she saved everyone she could out of this fire.
"The basement," Peter answered through his punches on the door, Maeve didn't hesitate in sprinting away, Peter fighting going to kick the door hearing her footsteps disappear "Maeve, no!"
The intense heat around her grew as she reached the basement, breaking the lock on the steel door, holding back a scream as the metal burned her hand.
The steps felt endless as she ran, slowing down as Flames crawled closer around the cell door to second basement door, "Talia?"
The door was impossible to break down, Talia had put it in that way for a reason, but Maeve had to get whoever was alive in there out.
Talia's weak voice called out from the inside, the screams going quiet, bringing on a sense of dread that Maeve had never felt before, "Maeve?"
Scrambling around what was once Derek's fathers workshop, Maeve looked for a way to get past the door, the sweltering heat causing her to go drowsy. Spotting what appeared to be a sledge hammer, Maeve prayed that it would work.
Taking a deep breath of the polluted air, Maeve slammed the hammer against one of the door hinges, continuing to do so until she heard a clink that was like music to her ears.
Almost falling on her feet as she slid the door across the wall, there was nothing that could prepare Maeve for the sight in front of her. The room that Derek and Maeve spent their full moon in barley days ago was up in flames, too many flames, black smoke filling the room, blinking Maeve's vision from anything far away.
And for that, she was thankful. Seeing what would be behind that smoke, was something Maeve knew she would never recover from.
The first, and only thing Maeve could see was a body laying at her feet, instantly recognising him as Kieran, but only this time, he had a bite in his arm "Kieran!"
Kieran was barley conscious, but didn't stop him from smiling through the pain "You really are an idiot, Maeve."
Kieran would've thought to be one of the first to be lost in the fire, being a human, but when his mother grabbed his arm and gave him the bite, his chances of survival increased.
Maeve painfully laughed, barley noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks anymore "An idiot keeping you alive."
A scrape against the floor gained Maeve's attention, letting out a gasp as Talia's burnt and frail body came into view, "Maeve? Take him, he might survive the bite."
"Talia, you'll d-" Maeve went to argue, but the pleading look in Talia's eyes made her know that there would be no other option.
There was less than minutes before the whole place would blow. The three of them knew that. Talia needed her children out of that house safe, her own safety was no longer important.
Talia smiled sadly, blood trickling down her forehead, "I know."
Maeve blinked past her blurry vision, glancing back at Talia as she helped Kieran stand at her side, noticing Talia weakly lean back against the wall, "No - no-"
"Cora, did she make it out?" Talia coughed, at Maeve's nod, she continued "You have to promise me when I'm gone you'll know that -"
"It's going to break Derek. He's going to push you away, he's going to pretend, he's going to be broken, promise me you'll be there for him. He's going to need you, even if he doesn't want to believe it."
Maeve stumbled under Kieran's weight, shifting his arm over her shoulder, "I promise."
Maeve could tell that Talia knew something she didn't, the way Talia was staring at her, it was a way a mother would look at their child "Don't give up on him. You have to get out of here, the both got you."
"I promise, Talia, I promise," Maeve turned to help Kieran walk out of the basement, "I'll be back for you o- Talia?"
Talia slid the door back, stopping the flames from following Maeve and Kieran for just those few seconds, sacrificing herself for them.
"Talia what are you doing!" Maeve stared at the shut door in disbelief, her shouts gaining Kieran's half conscious attention.
Talia knew her time had come, maybe it was being an alpha, her instinct to protect her pack, or maybe it was like Maeve, refusing to make it out of the fire themselves until they saved everyone that they could.
"Keeping you alive!" Talia shouted back, "I spent my last day watching my son marry the woman he loves. I know that my children are safe, they're going to survive. Kieran, sweetheart, I love you, so much - please don't hate yourself when I'm gone. Go! Take care of them, Maeve."
Blinking back the tears blocking her vision, Maeve helped Kieran walk up the stairs, a gust of heat following behind them, a loud explosion sounding from beneath them as Maeve slammed the last door shut, falling back into the first floor rug.
Looking up, Maeve was met with a distraught Peter, shaking her head knowingly, "They're all gone."
Maeve couldn't process any emotions, she should be filled with grief, with upset, with anger, but she felt nothing - maybe, it was just all her emotions hitting at once.
Peter walked forward to help with Kieran, but one of the supporting beams came crashing down, blocking his path, the beta nowhere in sight "No!"
Maeve couldn't stop crying, glancing down at the human In her arms as she tried to wake him back up, "Kieran?Kieran!"
"Kieran, we have to go!" Maeve shouted, half dragging him out through to the front door, Kieran barley walking with the burns across his back.
Kieran seemed slightly more conscious as they reached the front door, pausing before he could step outside, "They're all gone."
Looking away sadly, Maeve pushed the door open with her hip, careful not to drop him as she stumbled out onto the porch, breathing in the fresh air, "I'm going to loose you too if you don't get out of there."
Leaving Kieran in the safety of the outside, Maeve ran back inside, the smoke doubling in proportion as she rushed to the fallen beam, searching through the rubble, "Peter?"
Hearing a groan beneath the beam, Maeve sprung into action trying to lift it, gasping in shock as a hand grabbed onto hers "Peter!"
Peter smiled through the pain, the beam pressing down against him, more burns etching onto his skin, "My hero."
Maeve smiled slightly as she pulled Peter out from beneath the beam, pushing him over to the other side where the flames had yet to hit that corridor.
Maeve went to climb over the beam, but a crash in the kitchen caused her blood to go cold, "Help!"
Sharing a terrified look with Peter, Maeve listened to the sound of the beta hitting his hand against one of the kitchen cabinets, "Dean?"
It was no secret that Maeve had a special place in her heart for Dean like no other of Derek's siblings, hearing him cry out was like her heart had been crushed.
"Maeve!" Dean shouted back fearfully.
Maeve went to run, Peter shouting in protest behind her, but slowed down at the sight of the flames getting worse in there. Nothing would stop her saving Dean, even if it killed her herself.
"Go with to Kieran. I'll be fine!" Maeve called back to her best friend, making her way slowly through the hallway.
"Maeve, no-" Peter shouted after her, his voice muffled by the sounds of the fire.
"Go, Peter, damn it, go!" Maeve exclaimed, ignoring the sizzling pain against her skin as she crashed through the kitchen door "Dean, where are you?"
"Under the table!"
Maeve looked around the kitchen that had been affected by the smoke explosion, shards of glass scattered the floor, the cupboards were hanging off the walls, broken jars of food and plates had been thrown across the room.
"Dean!" Maeve ran across the room, avoiding the fire building up in the corner, spotting Dean hiding under the dining table.
Dean was shaking by the time Maeve reached him, immediately pulling him into her arms "Are you hurt?"
Like his brother, his black rubble covered hair messily covered his eyes, hiding his face in his knees, dust brushed against his cheeks.
"My foot," Dean whispered, clutching onto Maeve's hand as she helped him up.
"It's okay, I've got you," Maeve told him softly, trying to keep him calm as she helped him walk across the kitchen,
"I'm going to get you out, okay?"
The back door was too hot to touch, so Maeve wrapped her hand around in the curtain, punching her hand through the glass window, creating a space small enough for them both to climb through.
Crawling through the gap in the door, Maeve made sure to drag Dean as far away from the house as possible, but Dean had decided to pull her over to Kieran, refusing to let go of her hand as she moved to go back and get Peter "I don't want you to get hurt."
"I'm going to be fine," Maeve forced a smile, turning back to the house, she knew the fire had gotten worse.
—
After climbing though one of the broken windows, Maeve had finally reached the living room where Peter had been trapped by the beam.
Maeve was starting to feel relief but as flames burst out in all exists, she knew things had took another turn for the worse. Trapped inside the living room, Maeve ran through the smoke, coughing loudly as she covered her mouth, looking around for Peter.
Finding him lying behind one of the couches, she rushed forward "Peter?" Maeve looked down to his body laying on the ground, kneeling down in front of him.
Nervously shaking his burnt shoulders at his nonexistent response, Maeve grew anxious, but sat back with a sigh at his croaky voice "Still here."
"Maeve?" Deans voice called out from outsid, "Maeve! Are you okay?"
"Dean, stay there, we're coming!" Maeve shouted back fearfully, sitting down on the rubble to try at keep Peter awake, laying his head on her lap, her skirt turning into a cushion.
"Peter?" Maeve whispered worriedly, listening carefully for his heartbeat.
Peter blinked away his body's attempts at falling unconscious, a new heartbeat in the room waking him up instantly, "Maeve, get out of here."
Maeve shook her head, glancing up at the weak ceiling, "I'm not leaving you."
"It's not me-" Peter coughed, the blonde rubbing her teary eyes as the smoke
clouded around them "You should - worry about."
"What are you talking about?" Maeve frowned, wincing in pain as she leant over, pulling Peters body towards the flames surrounding the window.
Anywhere was better than under that uneasy beam. If that one fell down too, it would take the whole room above it with it.
Groaning in pain as his body moved, Peter gripped Maeve's wrist tightly, her silver charm bracelet falling into his hand, "Your heartbeat, I hear two."
Processing Peters words was like a punch to the face, Maeve was frozen, her mind wizzing at the comment. But her fear grew to panic, a sudden urge to get out like never before.
Standing up, Maeve tried to see past the clouds of smoke and dust to find a way out, running over to grab a fried blanket from the couch, Maeve threw it over the flames by one of the windows.
Pulling Peter onto the blanket, Maeve grabbed on of the wooden chairs Cora sat on at her play table, squeezing her eyes shut as she threw it at the window.
As the glass shattered a cloud of smoke escaped, seeing Maeve at the window, Dean shook Kieran awake, trying to pull up his older brother to help.
Kieran looked like he finally realised what was happening, even with his own burns and broken bones, he limped across the grass, a fearful Dean by his side.
Despite not seeing out of the window, Peter didn't hesitate to shout out orders, his own injuries no longer a priority, "Get Maeve out first! Get her out!"
Propping Peter up so she could pull him out of the window, Kieran and Dean quickly grabbed onto Maeves sides, lifting her out of the window before she could protest.
Maeve's chest heaved as she sat down on the grass, her lungs reaching for oxygen, the pain of the wound on her chest finally settling back in.
Dean and Kieran carefully slid Peter out of the window, Maeve finally noticed the state of Peters back, completely covered in burns.
A uneasy creak sounded from the the house that sent the werewolves into panic.
Maeve shouting out to warn the trio as they moved away from the house, grabbing onto Dean to shield him "No!"
Peter had been placed on the ground, Kieran jumping away from his body to shield both Maeve and Dean as another explosion burst out from the house, the right side of the house completely collapsing, the blow knocking the trio and Maeve out yet again.
—
Blinking awake, Maeve couldn't tell how long they had been unconscious for, the sky was still pitch black, the moon the only brightness aside from the flames, it could've been minutes or it could've been hours.
Looking down to where Dean was clutching onto her sides, Maeve let out a breath seeing he was safe.
Kieran didn't look great, but he was alive, and slowly healing. Dean looked the best out of them all, rubbing his eyes as he sat up, his only burn was one around his wrist, his broken ankle most likely healed by now.
Maeve's wound from Kate's knife still hadn't healed, and Maeve feared it wouldn't, knowing full well that Kate never stuck go just normal weaponry.
When she moved her body wanted to scream in pain, stopping before taking another breath, trying again.
Peters body was covered in burns, more than ever before, the blast had now ensured that all of his body was covered by burning flesh.
Maeve's heart broke at the sight, she wanted to look away, but she couldn't, she had to make sure he had at least some chance of making it alive by the time morning rolled around.
Maeve crawled over to his side, Dean still curled up in her arms as she shook Peters shoulders, "Peter?"
"Peter, don't you dare leave me," Maeve's tears were running so furiously she was afraid she wouldn't be able to stop.
Peter was her best friend, she knew she could've done something more to help him, that guilt would forever haunt her mind, but right now, she was scared for his life.
Peter coughed, groaning in pain at the sudden movement, "Only if you promise the same."
"I promise," Maeve sighed in relief at his words, only to look at him in alarm as his breathing slowed, "Peter? Peter!"
Dean hugged Maeve tighter as they watched Peter cautiously, knowing there was nothing they could do, "He's still breathing, Dean, just very slowly."
If it were anyone to be burned from head to toe and survive, it would be Peter, and Maeve hoped she was right.
Dean nodded slightly, squeezing Maeve's hand "I hear it too."
Maeve wiped her eyes, glancing down at him in confusion "- The heartbeat."
Hearing Peter say those words the first time was a shock, but hearing it again made it harder to avoid the thoughts that they all were thinking.
She was scared, hell, terrified, but they were all still fighting for their lives, they weren't out of the woods just yet, and thinking about it just wasn't an option.
Maeve let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding back, hugging Dean closer, kissing the top of his head "We're all going to be okay."
A crunch of grass caught Maeve's attention, turning to look back at Kieran as he slowly gained consciousness, the bite on his arm healing, "Kieran?"
Being born the only human sibling always brought up the question of the bite and whether he would survive. Kieran had always said he wanted the bite, his family had agreed that once he was of an age where he could make those decisions for himself they would go ahead with it. But after the tragedy of Derek and Paige, Kieran promised his brother that he wouldn't take the bite unless it was a desperate measure.
Kieran smiled sadly, nodding his head, "Don't you worry about me."
Maeve rested her head ontop of Deans, refusing to look up at the burning house before them, the reality of the events finally settling in.
In that moment of silence, Maeve's mind flickered back to Derek, who almost twenty-four hours ago became her husband. She didn't know where he was, if he was, if he was okay, if Kate was lying or if he was even alive.
Maeve wanted nothing more to be in his arms, to know that he was safe, but she also knew that when she hopefully saw Derek next, like her, he would be completely broken.
Hearing sirens in the distance confirmed this nightmare was coming to an end, but it only opened the page for another to begin, and this time, Maeve had no clue what the future holds.