Soulmates | Derek Hale - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Maeve slowly blinked awake, shifting in confusion, noticing she definitely was not lying on her pillow. Familiar tightening around her waist caused Maeve to realise she was still in Derek's arms, relaxing as he pulled her closer against him.
Looking up, Maeve was met with Derek blissfully alseep, and luckily for her Derek wasn't snoring.
Running a hand through his hair, Maeve kissed his jaw, "Derek?"
Derek grumbled in his sleepy state, rolling onto his side pulling Maeve with him, spooning himself around her, "Sleep, Maeve."
Maeve grinned in amusement, knowing full well Derek would be trying to go back to sleep, "Its morning, Derek."
"So?" Derek sighed against her shoulder, nestling his head in the crook of it, "We have nowhere to be."
The familiar comfort caused Maeve's eyes to flutter shut, trying to go back to sleep, but Maeve snapped out of it, reminding herself they couldn't stay in bed all day.
Rolling around to face him, Maeve poked his cheek with a smile, "We do have a child to care for in case you've forgotten."
"A child that appreciates sleep," Derek reminded, groaning as Maeve wriggled out of his grasp, "Where are you going?"
Maeve pulled one of his t-shirts over her head that she'd found scattered over the floor, cursing him to his inability to keep his clothes in his wardrobe.
Marching over to the curtains, Maeve pulled them open, smiling hearing Derek grumble in protest, pulling the pillow over his head.
"I hate that you're such a morning person," Derek muttered into his pillow, begrudgingly sitting up.
Gathering Derek's clothes in one swift go, Maeve tossed it into his draws, smirking to herself, "Well you told me you loved me many times last night, so your argument is invalid."
Rolling his eyes, Derek reached forward, pulling Maeve back onto the bed as she passed him. Before she could argue with him, Derek kissed her.
"I missed you," Derek mumbled, hugging her gently.
Pecking him on the lips, Maeve crawled back out of his arms, "You're gonna have to miss me some more, I have a busy day today."
Derek frowned, leaning back against the headboard, "What have you got to do?"
"Well, I need to book time of work, take Luna into town because she's grown out of her clothes again," Maeve began, flittering around Derek's room in search of her clothes, "Then book flights to Italy and somehow find a passport for Peter, given he's legally dead."
"You want to go to Italy?" Derek questioned, knowing nothing of this trip, "With Peter?"
Maeve pulled her dress up over her legs, "I've found a healer that may be able to help Peter. Turns out that wolves that have been exposed to extreme trauma can resort to their wolf side and try to abandon their human side in order to deal with the pain. A matter of reversing that effect is another thing though."
"Healer? As in a doctor?" Derek gathered.
Maeve smiled sheepishly, "As in a witch?"
Derek sat up with a disapproving look on his face, Maeve would've been more intimated if she weren't so distracted by his naked chest.
Blinking, Maeve defended her idea, "Don't look at me like that! Derek!She's part of a pack! I've heard about her from Alan, and according to him more and more wolves are in need of doctors, victims of hunters mainly,but we can't go to normal hospitals for treatments. Now some older packs have started offering their help, like this woman I found. Peter needs to switch of from his wolf side, and they know how to help with that."
Derek sighed, frowning, "But Italy? I don't like the thought of you going there alone with Peter."
Pulling on her remaining heel, Maeve sat down beside Derek, "You don't have to worry, I'm using this as an excuse to go on holiday as well. And... you could always come with us? We all could use a holiday."
"I would, but I have to deal with this Boyd and Erica situation," Derek told her, "Before you start I know the cops are trying to find them, but I know this is a supernatural problem."
Maeve shrugged, looping her arms around his neck comfortingly, "It's not your fault, Derek, don't put yourself under this pressure. For all we know they could come back on their own accord."
Derek didn't look so convinced.
"They barley stuck around to see their second full moon," Maeve comforted, "It takes time to form a bond with your alpha, you'll get there. Isaac doesn't hate you."
"That makes me feel so much better," Derek grumbled.
"Get out of bed, lazy!" Maeve called out before shutting the front door with a dramatic slam.
Derek shook his head and lay back down, trying to process the last twenty four hours. Somehow waking up next to Maeve was completely bizarre, despite doing it for six years previously.
He'd spent months trying to get Maeve back, and now it had happened, it seemed he's stuck in shock of the idea of it all. Or maybe he was happy. Derek couldn't tell.
—
Maeve made a b-line for the stairs as she walked into her loft, hoping she'd get a shower in before anyone noticed she'd gone.
But luck wasn't on her side and Maeve walked straight into the coffee table as her grandmothers voice rang out from the dining room.
"Hello dear," Lorraine looked up from her paper, sipping her tea as she inspected Maeve's appearance, "I took the liberty of fetching Luna from your mother's, imagine my surprise to find you not home at such hours of the morning. You had me concerned."
"Oh," Maeve squeaked, rubbing at her shin that she'd hit, "No need to be concerned, I was perfectly safe."
Raising her brows suspiciously, Lorraine muttered, "I should hope so, I expect you've learnt from your teenage accident upstairs. And you-"
Maeve's eyes widened at what Lorraine had taken from her words, though that wasn't what Maeve meant, she didn't even remember if she and Derek were safe. Taking another breath, Maeve pushed that thought aside.
"Don't," Maeve groaned, rubbing a hand through her hair that was admittedly a mess, "I don't want to have this conversation with you. Ever."
"I was going to say you look awful but-" Lorraine's lip quirked in amusement, "Am I right to assume Derek is a very happy man?"
Blushing furiously, Maeve stormed up the stairs, "Nan!"
"Mommy?"
Maeve froze, "Oh please no."
If there were anyone more inquisitive and perceptive as Lorraine, it would be Luna. All Maeve wanted was a shower, not an investigation.
Flinging open her door, Luna stared at her mother, unimpressed, "You weren't at breakfast. I had to suffer a whole hour with uncle Dean slobbering through his food."
"Yes, well, I can't help your uncles table manners, Luna," Maeve answered awkwardly, wanting the ground to swallow her up, "I need to go shower, Lu-"
"Where were you, anyways? Were you with dad?" Luna accused.
Maeve took a deep breath, "Yes, I was with your dad."
"Okay," Luna shrugged, twirling around and going back into her room, "You should tell people when you're not going to be home by curfew."
Maeve stared the door, unsure if she was just scolded by her seven year old.
Locking herself in the bathroom, Maeve leant against the sink, staring at her reflection. She'd really kissed Derek, never mind that, she slept with him.
What was she thinking? Maeve turned and switched the shower on with a peaceful sigh, deciding she didn't regret last nights choices.
She probably would when she had a cup of coffee, though.
Lorraine beamed as Derek walked through the door, Maeve wasn't easily teased, but Derek, however always seemed to fall for Lorraine's taunting.
"Derek!"
Derek looked into the dining room, frowning at Lorraine's unusual glee, "Morning, Lorraine?"
Swirling her tea in her cup, Lorraine stared at Derek quizzically, "So? Good evening?"
"Yes?" Derek replied hesitantly.
"Am I right to blame you for Maeve's sudden disappearance until the early hours of this morning?"
Derek flushed in embarrassment, unsure how to quite answer that question.
A door slammed upstairs and Maeve's footsteps thundered down the stairs, she was a sight in her dressing gown, damp hair and half a face of makeup. Derek would've laughed if he hadn't seen her in much worse appearances.
Maeve grabbed Derek's hand, pulling him up the stairs with her.
"Leave him alone, nan!"
"I'm harmless!"
"You tell yourself that!"
Escaping the torture that was Lorraine's teasing, Maeve had let Derek take her to meet Peter and Isaac, but she should've seen that mistake miles off.
Climbing out of Derek's car, Maeve ignored Peters very annoying amused look in their direction, "Busy night?"
Resisting the urge to punch his uncle, Derek joined them by the house, Maeve trailing after him, glaring daggers at Peter.
Peter nodded over at Isaac, who leant by the steps of their old house, "You haven't told him everything yet, have you?"
"What do you mean?" Isaac questioned with a frown of concern, relaxing slightly at Maeve's reassuring smile.
"Why do you think Derek was in such a hurry to build his pack? So eager to strengthen his power and his number? When there's a new Alpha, people take notice. Especially when he's a Hale," Peter told the beta.
"People like who?" Isaac stood up, pointing to the painted front door, "What is this? What does this mean?"
Maeve crossed her arms, telling herself not to get annoyed at Derek for not telling her about this.
"It's their symbol. And it means they're coming," Derek explained, sharing a look with Maeve.
Isaac ran his hand over the paint, frowning, "Who?"
"Alphas," Derek replied vaguely.
"More than one?" Isaac glanced back at him.
"A pack of them," Derek nodded, "An Alpha pack. And they're not coming. They're already here."
Growing anxious at the tension, Maeve turned and headed back out to the woods. Her gaze landed on the familiar large tree stump, kneeling down in front of it.
"How does that even work?" Isaac questioned, looking completely puzzled.
"It works since they're a group of crazy people," Peter commented.
"Maybe we should ask if you can join," Derek drawled, smiling at Peters look of offence in his direction.
"I am a reformed crazy person, thank you," Peter replied sweetly.
"So reformed that Maeve's taking you to get your 'humanity' back in tact?" Derek teased.
Peter glared and Derek silently cheered, finally a joke that wounded his uncles ego.
"I see you and Maeve are back talking normally and not screaming at each other," Peter retaliated, "Anything you'd like to share?"
Isaac looked between the two Hales, "Wait, are you guys back together?"
"I don't know," Derek shrugged, ignoring Peter's smirk,"Maybe."
"Is Maeve alright?" Isaac questioned, spotting Maeve sat in the distance, "What's she doing?"
Derek was already halfway to Maeve by the time Isaac finished talking, Peter could've laughed at his nephews attentiveness of his ex wife.
"That's Maeve's special tree," Peter explained, leaning against a rusted beam, "she's been obsessed with it the whole time i've known he, thinks it brought her to Derek or whatever."
"But it's a tree," Isaac mumbled, "How would a tree do that?"
"Who knows. Maeve's convinced by it, and come to think about it, so was my sister," Peter realised, "Then again, they're both annoyingly paranoid."
Maeve stared at the wood crumbling off the edges of the stump, raising her hand to run along it, "It's powers back."
She'd been drawn to the tree ever since she stumbled across it nearly twenty years ago, and Maeve just knew it was powerful, but then the reminder that it was just a tree clouded her judgment.
Derek blinked in confusion, crouching down beside her, "You've been back here?"
Maeve nodded, closing her eyes as she felt the power of the stump. Recently whenever she'd passed the tree she'd sensed the power that had drawn her in before, and she knew it was growing.
"It's a tree stump," Derek pointed out, watching Maeve cautiously, "Are you alright? You're not paranoid about stuff like this again are you? I thought you got over it."
Maeve sent him a sulky look that resembled their daughter far too much than Derek would like, "Its a tree stump that led me to you, i'm not stupid."
"That can't be proven," Derek argued, letting out a sigh, "Maeve let go of the tree you're freaking me out now. Maeve?"
Maeve froze as vibrations reached her hand, power cursing through her veins. The wolf unsure whether to be afraid or curious over it.
Maeve jumped as he touched her shoulder, gently turning her away from the tree stump, "Maeve?"
Maeve brushed off her jeans, pulling herself up, "I'm fine."
"I wouldn't count going into a trance over a tree fine," Derek grumbled, following Maeve as she made her way back to the car.
Maeve smiled teasingly at him over her shoulder, "Good thing I didn't ask you then, isn't it?"
—
Maeve could finally escape her family's teasing as she walked into the station, but spotting Archie lingering by the photocopier avoiding doing any work, she knew that peace wouldn't last for much longer.
"I didn't know you were working today," Archie greeted, glad for an excuse not to work other than hiding, "Not that i'm not glad to see you."
"Oh I'm not, I'm taking some leave. Turns out there's a lot of paperwork needing to be done before I can leave. I'm going to Italy, there's a healer that could help Peter," Maeve answered, noticing Archie's raised brows, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Archie smiled, "Are you going to tell me what happened last night?"
"Derek and I talked," Maeve answered slowly.
"Talked?" Archie questioned knowingly.
"Mhm," Maeve hummed.
"All night?" Archie teased, earning himself a glare, "Looks like none of us won the bet yet then."
Maeve groaned, looking to Archie in disbelief, "You're still doing those stupid bets?"
"I think it's Jamie's main source of income," Archie joked, reluctantly stopping at his desk as they made their way through the station.
Maeve snorted, grinning at Archie, "See you in a few weeks?"
"Don't you go running off into the sunset with Derek, Diana!" Archie called after her, Maeve laughed knocking on the sheriffs office door before going in.
Maeve smiled at Noah, slouching down in one of the armchairs. But the sheriff stared at her, and Maeve had no idea why.
Since last nights revelations, Noah hadn't expected to see Maeve so soon, and he definitely didn't expect it to be a conversation not telling her about her paternity.
"Noah? You alright?" Maeve frowned, slowly placing the paperwork on his desk.
"Oh," Noah blinked, "Yeah? Yeah."
"I need you to sign these," Maeve informed him, "I'm kind of in a rush, Derek took Luna shopping and its probably ended in a disaster.
Scanning the papers, Noah glanced up at her in confusion, "You're going away?"
"Italy," Maeve smiled excitedly, "I need a bit of a break and it isn't often I can convince Derek to go on holiday."
"Derek's going with you?" Noah questioned protectively.
Noah had always been protective with Maeve, especially after her and Derek's break up, but now knowing that he was her father, his protectiveness skyrocketed.
"Hopefully," Maeve answered.
Noah hesitated, but asked, "You're happy with that?"
Maeve was silent for a moment, but nodded with a small blush, "yeah, I think I am."
Noah handed her back the signed papers, "Listen, we really should talk when you get back."
"Okay," Maeve hummed suspiciously as she made her way to the door, "Oh! Collins has took some of my cases."
"Have a good time Maeve," Noah waved, smiling as she stumbled over thin air.
"Bye Noah!" Maeve called before letting the door shut.
Noah sighed, leaning his head in his hands. What a mess.
—
Trying to lower Maeve's stress levels, Derek took Luna shopping. He regretted his decision immensely.
There was one skill Derek was lacking and it was knowing when to say no to his daughter,
"But I have to have it!"
Derek eyed the elephant plush in her hand, "Your mother sent us here to get clothes, I don't think toy elephants count."
Luna scowled in frustration, hugging the elephant closer, "Mommy told you to buy clothes for me, I didn't get that order."
"Yes we'll you're not the one paying for it, are you?" Derek sighed, taking her hand and pulling her along to the clothes section of the store.
Clutching onto the bear, Luna skipped ahead, "I'm seven, obviously I'm not paying for it. So? Can I get it? Please. Please. Please-"
Rubbing his temples, Derek was assaulted by bright colours of the clothes, "If you get the bear will you cooperate so we can leave this place?"
"Yep!" Luna grinned in victory, waving the elephant in the air, "I'm going to call him Derek!"
Derek wanted to hit his head against the wall, "Please don't call it Derek, Luna, your mother will taunt me about it."
"Then he will he called Derek," Luna decided, eyes lighting up at a pink glittery skirt, "Ooo, Daddy, look! Isn't it pretty?"
Derek winced at the epitome of girly in a skirt being tossed into his arms, "it's lovely?"
Luna took that as his approval and darted off to another clothing rail.
"I don't know what Maeve's talking about, you're tiny how are you growing out of your clothes?" Derek frowned.
"I am the eighth tallest in my class!" Luna defended.
Checking the size, Dereks frown deepened, "this is age six, aren't you supposed to be getting a bigger size?"
Luna huffed dramatically, putting her hands on her hips, "I grew out of a five, Daddy, honestly. Mommy says I'm small for my age, but I'm determined to catch up!"
"I don't think it's up to you to decide what height you grow to, Lu," Derek argued.
Luna scowled causing Derek to internally groan, knowing he'd either just started an argument or a tantrum, or, much to his terror, both.
Luna's lip trembled, and Derek quickly blurted our, "Pick whatever you want!"
Luna's tears vanished, grinning, "Anything?"
"Yes?" Derek answered slowly, soon finding his arms stacked up to his neck with clothes.
He really should've said no.
—
Derek could've kissed the floor as he walked into Maeve's loft, looking around for the woman in question, "Hello?"
Luna headed straight for the tv, forgetting all about Derek.
Maeve walked out of the kitchen munching on an apple, stopping in place at the state of Derek "What did you do buy the entire store?"
Maeve shielded her smile, Derek looked almost pitiful drowned in shopping bags and stacks of books under each arm.
"Daddy said I could buy whatever I wanted," Luna smirked at her mother, "So we went to lots of shops, it was so fun!"
"Did he?" Maeve looked to Derek playfully, taking some of the bags from him.
Derek, desperately in need of a nap, sat down on the sofa and didn't plan on moving for a long time.
"Yup," Luna pointed her elephant at Maeve, "Look at my new teddy, it's called Derek!"
"It's cute," Maeve grinned, curling around Derek as she sat down, "but your dads cuter."
Derek groaned at her words, hugging Maeve tighter to try and silence her.
"Don't like being compared to a teddy bear, Derek?" Maeve teased, leaning her head on his chest.
"Never make me take her shopping again," Derek whispered, checking Luna was occupied with the television.
"You've got to learn to say no," Maeve whispered back, Derek didn't have to look at her to know she had a smug look on her face.
Luna paused a brightly coloured show that would probably give Derek a migraine later on, looking at her parents curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Hugging," Maeve replied, leaning back into her human pillow.
Luna squinted, "Why?"
"People can hug if they want to," Maeve defended, telling herself not to moan as Derek ran his hand through her hair.
"But why do you two want to?" Luna continued, sitting up with a gasp, "Are you back together?"
That was a conversation Maeve and Derek had yet to have, and truthfully both were terrified of having it, not wanting to disrupt the happiness that they had created it the short amount of time.
Maeve stumbled over her words for a second, answering with a squeak, "uh, there's a good chance of that happening - yeah."
Derek smiled, feeling Maeve relax into his arms, but quickly tense at Luna's next flood of questions.
"Are you getting married again?!"
"Slow down, Miss," Derek answered before Maeve could go into a panic, "Lets not get ahead of ourselves."
Maeve shut her eyes, hoping for the end of Luna's curiosity, but they quickly flew open as Luna asked, "Does this mean I can have a brother? Because I'd really like one."
Derek glanced down at Maeve, checking she was alright.
"We've had this conversation, Luna," Maeve reminded sternly, letting out a sigh.
It's not that Maeve didn't want anymore kids, because she'd love to, especially with Derek. It was just after loosing one, she was terrified of it happening again. But that couldn't be easily explained to a seven year old.
Scowling are her mother's obvious cue to end the conversation, Luna glanced at her cat that was sniffing around at Dereks feet, "Who's going to look after mischief when we're gone?"
"I think it's only fair Stiles does since he's the reason you have the damned cat," Derek glared at the cat, "Sweetheart, get it off me."
"But he's saying hello!"
"He can say hello from across the room. Get it off."
"It's a cat, Derek, calm down."
"It's a demon, that's what it is."
—
After Derek's tantrum over the cat, and Maeve wondered how he had the cheek to say she was the blame for Luna's tantrums, when it was obviously him, she and Luna found themselves delivering said cat to Stiles.
Stiles practically gaped at Maeve as he opened the door, "Maeve!"
Stiles, who was sworn to secrecy, was utterly terrified of talking to Maeve, afraid of spilling everything he learnt last night.
"Hi Stiles," Maeve greeted, "You alright?"
"Yes," Stiles squeaked awkwardly.
This was going to be harder than he thought.
Luna stepped towards her uncle, depositing the ginger cat into his arms.
"This is mischief, he's your responsibility whilst we're out of town," Maeve instructed, cutting him off as he went to protest, "Don't complain it's your fault we have him in the first place. So you'll happily babysit him for us."
Covering Luna's eats, Maeve grinned innocently, "Don't kill it, Luna would hate you forever."
Holding Luna's hand, Maeve led them back down the driveway, "Bye uncle Stiles! Bye mischief!"
Holding the cat out at an arms length, stiles shouted after his sister, "I can't look after another person, Maeve! Maeve! Don't leave!"
"It's a cat!" Maeve laughed.
Stiles dodged a swipe of mischiefs claws, "Exactly!"
"Scott wants to be a vet, you'll be fine!" Maeve shouted back, waving in amusement as she climbed back into her car, "Have a good summer!"
Stiles watched Maeve's car speed off, looking down at the cat nervously, mischief peering up at him innocently,
He was doomed.
—
Maeve thought getting through the airport would be bad, but turns out even getting there was a struggle. Peter was being a drama queen as per usual, Luna mimicked his behaviour perfectly, Lorraine tearfully bid them goodbye in a performance that deserved an Oscar, Dean got car sick and to top it all off, Derek sulked the whole drive there because they were leaving.
Finally making it past security, naturally Luna declared Peter to be a serial killer for the whole room to hear, and if it weren't for Maeve being a cop they'd probably be detained right now.
Reaching their gate, it was time to say goodbye to Derek. And for some reason, Maeve felt much more emotional leaving him,
Derek hugged Luna tightly, kissing the top of her head, "Behave for your mom, alright?"
Luna nodded, picking up her backpack before running over to watch the planes in the window, "Bye daddy!"
Derek turned to Maeve next, suddenly growing anxious, "If anything happens-"
"Call you, I know," Maeve smiled, "Promise me you'll think about coming?"
Derek nodded, like with Luna, he couldn't say no to her, "Don't give me a reason to have to come."
"I'll try not to," Maeve grinned innocently, her smile faltering as she reached for his hand, "I'll miss you."
Those words were like music to Dereks ears, "At least you don't detest me anymore."
"I never detested you," Maeve rolled her eyes, "I was just unexplainably angry at you."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" Derek teased.
Maeve shook her head, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him, forgetting she was in an airport full of people.
The remaining Hales quickly noticed their actions.
Dean spat out his drink, blinking in confusion, "When the hell did that happen?"
Luna smiled at her parents before returning to looking out the window.
Peter simply smirked, "I suspect we'll have to get used to seeing that again."
Breaking away for air, Maeve smiled shyly before pecking his lips, stepping back, "Bye."
Maeve hurried back over to their gate, waving goodbye to Derek as he hesitantly walked away.
Turning around, Maeve was met with peters teasing smile, "You just kissed Derek."
Maeve blushed, proud of her actions, "I just kissed Derek."