Soulmates | Derek Hale - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

"Why don't you hate her?"
The time had come for Maeve and Noah to finally talk, and Elizabeth was the topic of discussion.
Maeve was still livid with her mother for lying, but when she arrived and found Noah had forgiven Liz, she was completely baffled.
Noah smiled gently, "Your mother's a complicated person, Maeve."
"But she hid me from you for years," Maeve stressed, nervously tracing the edge of the cup of tea in her hand.
"Liz and I married young," Noah began, "We hadn't been dating for long at the time, only a few months. I knew her my whole life, though, we were both raised here."
Maeve nodded slowly, "Why did you marry her?"
"Your grandfather wanted to send her back to France after she refused the family business," Noah explained, "Liz didn't want to go, graduation was down the road and we were both on our own rebellions from our families. Liz needed help and I had nothing to loose."
"Why did you do that for her?" Maeve questioned, "Why agree?"
Noah sighed, looking up to the sky, "Your mother was the first person I loved, and the first person I felt loved me back. I couldn't let go of that."
Maeve blinked in surprise, attempting to process this new information. She'd never learnt much of Noah's past, most of her knowledge was from Stiles or rumours around the station.
"My father-" Noah hesitated, "My father hurt me for a long time, my mother was too scared of him to do anything about it. The moment I was old enough to leave I did. I was alone for a long time until I met your mother."
Maeve picked at the cup, "My aunt Kate hurt me too."
"Meeting Derek changed everything, didn't it?" Noah questioned knowingly.
Maeve nodded her head, meeting Derek really did change everything. It was painful to think about where she would be if she hadn't met him.
"If you loved her, why did you split up?" Maeve frowned.
"People deal with their trauma in different ways," Noah replied, "I turned to alcohol, I had it bad, I was dependant on the thing for years. I didn't treat your mom how she deserved, she tried to fix me but I was too far gone to listen. We split before we turned to hate each other."
"A few years down the line I started to get my act together, trained to be a cop, tried to put down the bottle. That was when I met Claudia," Noah smiled sadly, "She was able to help because I was willing to be helped by then. I loved her, I hadn't loved anyone since your mother. We got married a few years down the line and had Stiles, I really thought life would be good then on ."
"Then she died and I didn't know where life was going from then. I had Stiles, but I was completely lost without Claudia," Noah mumbled, "Then one day you wondered into the station, your mother soon after. Even though I didn't know you were mine, you were so much like your mother it was hard not to care for you."
"I didn't know what happened to Liz after she left," Noah pointed out, "I liked to think she had got away from her family, but when I saw you with Chris I knew she hadn't managed it."
Noah's face darkened, "They didn't hate you like they hated Liz. I didn't understand it."
Maeve looked to him in surprise, "What do you mean?"
"They hated you more," Noah answered, "I spent weeks wondering why, trying to figure out what you'd done to make them hate you. It was around the fire when it made sense. They hated you because you're a werewolf."
"You know?!" Maeve choked on her tea, letting out a gasp.
Maeve almost dropped her cup, she'd spent years going around the truth and hiding things from Noah, only to find out he knew all along and never mentioned it.
"I married into a hunter family, Maeve, Liz couldn't hide that. I know bits and pieces," Noah chuckled, "Luna tells me a lot, she had me lost when it came to giant lizards though."
"She's such a gossip," Maeve muttered, "You really knew this whole time... Stiles is going to loose it."
"Maeve," Noah continued, "I don't hate your mother because I would've done the same. I wasn't in the place to be a father when you were younger."
Maeve scowled, "But she saw you with Stiles, with me and Luna over the years and knew! She could've said then."
"She was scared," Noah defended, "She didn't want you to hate her, or resent her. You'd been through a lot, Maeve, she didn't want you to have anymore pain."
Maeve sighed, "If you knew when I was born that I was yours, would you of stayed?"
"I would've stayed, but I can't say I would've been a good father, or the father you deserved," Noah told her, "I'm thankful that you didn't have to know me when I was in that place."
"My moms name was Diana, you know?" Noah smiled, "I always wanted to name my daughter Diana, Liz must've listened to me on that one."
"She always got sad when she called me Diana, I never knew why," Maeve remembered, "I started going by Maeve because of it."
Maeve glanced back into the house hearing Derek's car pull up, "Derek's here."
"How'd you know? Oh-" Noah chuckled as he stood, "you werewolves can sense things like that can't you?"
"We have heightened hearing," Maeve explained, holding out her hands, "You're gonna have to help me up, I can't seem to do that on my own anymore."
Noah laughed, helping her up from the chair, "Now how should I be feeling about this baby, happy? Angry at Derek?"
"Ask me again when the baby's here," Maeve sighed, "I think I'm biased, the baby is making my life about ten times more difficult. At least I could get out of chairs by myself with Luna."
Inside Stiles was loudly snoring, he and Luna's cat curled up uncomfortably when Maeve arrived that morning.
Stiles had continued to snooze through most of Maeve's visit, but naturally woke up when Luna and Derek arrived. Stiles gasped for a breath as Luna slammed into his chest, grinning as she lifted her cat up.
Blinking tiredly, he almost fell off the couch in shock at the sight of Derek stood in the doorway, "Dude! Why are you here?"
"Maeve's here," Derek rolled his eyes, sighing as Luna lifted the cat up to his face.
"Look!" Luna exclaimed, mischief looked just as unhappy with her actions as Derek.
Derek scowled, "She's gotten uglier?"
"No!" Luna gasped in offence, "A new collar."
Stiles yawned as he stood up, "She tore the old one to shreds. A violent cat for a violent family."
Derek followed Luna as she ran to hug Noah, sighing in annoyance as she passed him the cat to hold, only to quickly hand it over to Maeve without a greeting.
"I'll never get used to that," Stiles muttered as Maeve made her way over, nodding to where Derek was stood smiling.
Stiles knew he'd have to accept Derek into the family, but seeing Derek in any normal situation was still baffling. Derek would always be sour wolf in his mind.
"You're so dramatic," Maeve rolled her eyes, petting the cat as it snoozed in her arms.
"You've always known nice, happy Derek. I've only known sourwolf," Stiles argued, "The same person who has threatened me on many occasions."
"He won't hurt you," Maeve reminded, "You're family."
"That didn't stop him from slicing open Peters throat, did it, Maeve?"
Derek had only just been walked through the door when Allison kicked up a fuss.
"I'm not talking to him without Maeve."
Despite all of Allison and Maeve's disagreements, she trusted her cousin a hell of a lot more than Derek. And after Derek's tumultuous history with the Argents, he couldn't say he trusted her either.
Stiles and Derek shared an irritated look, if there was one thing they could agree on was not to bother Maeve when she didn't need to know. With the alpha pack in town, Derek didn't want to take any chances.
Derek glared at her, "Maeve's a busy woman, she doesn't just appear to your beck and call."
"I trust Maeve, not you," Allison scowled.
Scott looked between them nervously, "Allison, Derek, please-"
"I'm leaving," Derek announced, turning back to the door.
"Derek!" Scott pleaded, "call Maeve. Please."
Derek huffed in annoyance knowing he'd lost this battle, dialling Maeve's phone, it clicked on after a few bleeps.
"Hello?"
Derek blinked in surprise, "Isaac?"
Stiles looked to Scott, nodding for him to relay the conversation for him, Scott sighed but nodded.
"Could you tell Maeve to meet me at the school?" Derek questioned.
"Uh, yeah-"
"What's going on?" Derek asked suspiciously, "Where's Maeve?"
"She's um, crying?"
Derek, Scott and Stiles shared a look, "About?"
"Sandwiches- I think? Your sisters laughing at her."
Tears over with and one sandwich later, Maeve arrived at the school.
"Are we having secret pack meetings at school now?" Maeve announced herself, grinning mischievously at the strawberry blonde, "Its Lydia, right? Stiles has told me all about you."
Stiles coughed in shock, glaring at Maeve who's bump wasn't hidden by a jacket today, "Hey! Babywolfs out."
Derek scowled, "Stop calling it babywolf."
Maeve ignored her brother as thankfully no one paid attention to his comment, looking to the girls wrists, "What am I looking at?"
"I don't see anything." Derek huffed, looking as well.
Scott sighed irritably, "Look again."
"How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?" Derek questioned bluntly.
"It's the same on both sides. Exactly the same." Scott explained, pointing to their arms.
Maeve traced the bruise on Allisons arm, "They are awfully similar. A woman looking for Scott did this? Did you know if she was human?"
"Didn't give us a reason not to," Allison replied.
Maeve shrugged, sharing a look with Derek, both were at a loss at how to find Boyd and Erica.
"It's nothing," Derek told them.
"Pareidolia. Seeing patterns that aren't there. It's a subset of apophenia," Lydia analysed.
"Lydia, we can see the pattern, we're not stupid," Maeve rolled her eyes, "We're just saying a bruise isn't our most helpful lead right now."
"They're trying to help," Scott defended.
Derek grew irritated, pointing at the girls, "These two. This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic Uncle. Thank you. And this one, who shot about 30 arrows into me and my pack who also had a psychotic aunt who tried to kill us."
"She's Maeve's aunt too!" Allison exclaimed defensively.
"I didn't ask for her to try and kill me," Maeve grumbled, "And I think you'll find she'd deny any relation to me."
"Okay, all right, now, come on. No one died, all right?" Stiles interrupted, "Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay, a little mangling, but no death. That's what I call an important distinction."
"My mother died," Allison glared pointedly at Derek.
"Your family's little honour code killed your mother. Not me," Derek argued.
"That girl was looking for Scott. I'm here to help him, not you," Allison reminded.
Derek shared an exasperated look with Maeve, "You wanna help? Find something real."
"Derek, Maeve... Give her a chance. Okay, they're on our side now. Maeve, she's your cousin, your family, you have to trust her!" Scott defended, following the couple out into the hallway.
That strung a wrong cord with Maeve.
"Like I have to trust Gerard and Kate? Because they're family?" Maeve replied angrily.
"You know Allison isn't a bad person," Scott sighed, faltering under her glare.
"She was hellbent on killing my husband a few months ago, Scott," Maeve pointed out, "She's angry her mother died because Derek bit her, but would let Luna loose her father because of some revenge."
Stiles stumbled out of the room whilst Scott tried to nicely convince Derek to hello them.
"You've doubled!" Stiles exclaimed, patting her stomach in amusement.
"Its called popped," Maeve corrected, whacking his hand away, "And I would appreciate it if you didn't remind me how fat I'm getting every day."
"Love you," Stiles smiled innocently.
"Hmm."
Maeve was pulled across the street after getting a phone call from Luna's school, Derek promising to meet her there after he'd finished talking with Scott. More like arguing with Scott.
Maeve reached Luna's classroom after what felt like hundreds of staircases, spotting her daughter and Samuel Deaton sulking on a bench outside of an office.
"Darling, are you alright?" Maeve frowned, hugging Luna and Sam, "Sammy?"
Maeve often found herself taking care of the youngest Deaton, with Alan busy at the clinic, his mother Jane was a surgeon and Archie was piled with work down at the station.
Luna's fists clenched, angrily muttering, "They were awful!"
"Someone was being mean to you?" Maeve stressed.
Maeve found it hard to believe someone could be mean to Luna without her daughter kicking off a fuss, seamlessly admitting that Luna had inherited both her parents anger issues. She just hoped her next child had a more relaxed temperament.
"No, they were mean to Suzie," They both replied grumpily.
Maeve nodded slowly, "Why are you both in trouble then?"
"Well, dickface-" Luna started.
"Luna!" Maeve gasped, "How many times must I tell you? Enough with the swearing!"
"Edward pushed Suzie off the slide," Luna summarised, "So I pushed him off the jungle gym."
"And you?" Maeve glanced over at Sammy.
"He pushed Luna back," he responded, shrugging, "So I punched him."
Best friends since Luna was born, they were naturally overprotective of each other, but Sam was always the first to jump in and defend Luna, even if she were in the wrong.
"Samuel," Maeve sighed disappointedly, "Is this the same kid you hit with the book, Lu?"
Noticing her daughters silence, Maeve repeated herself, "Luna."
"Yes... But he's a bully!" Luna protested, kicking her feet against the floor, "I won't let him!"
"I'll talk to your teacher," Maeve sighed in defeat, knocking on the door of the classroom, "Wait for your dad."
Walking into the room, Maeve paused spotting who sat behind the desk, "You're my daughters teacher?"
"Maeve Argent?" Milo questioned, blinking in surprise.
"Hale," Maeve corrected, scowling as she sat down in front of the desk.
"Luna's your daughter?" Milo continued, "Luna? Tiny Blonde spitfire? Sort of scary?"
Maeve paused sarcastically, nodding, "Last time I checked, yeah."
"She's got her mother's spirit, that's for sure. Come to think of it, she looks just like you," Milo muttered, "I don't remember you being pregnant senior year."
"I had her after," Maeve answered vaguely.
"Its been, what, almost a year since I saw you last? You failed to mention her then too," Milo pointed out.
"Around about," Maeve replied stiffly, "We hardly had hows life been conversations."
"We had fun, didn't we?" Milo smirked lazily, "Or am I not allowed to talk about that?"
Maeve glared, "I'd prefer if you didn't."
"Got something to hide?" Milo questioned, "From Derek maybe?"
"Stop acting like it meant something," Maeve hissed, "You and I both know it was a lack of sense on my part."
"You seemed pretty happy about the whole thing," Milo pointed out.
Maeve smiled sarcastically, "Don't look so smug."
Milo shrugged, teasingly, "What's wrong, Maeve? Derek not please you as well as I did?"
Maeve tensed, clenching her fists. Her anger was already an issue and her heightened hormones made it far worse. Thankfully Derek entered the room next, and by the look on his face, was ready to turn around and leave spotting who was sat at the desk.
"Milo, kiss anymore unsuspecting teenage girls since I last saw you," Derek greeted, earning a glare from the teacher.
Milo bit back his retort. No but I kissed your wife.
"It's been a while, Derek," Milo greeted politely, noticing Maeve's warning glare in his direction.
Deciding to jump right in and avoid an argument, Milo handed them some school work folders, "Samuel and Luna both will he suspended until the end of the week."
"Suspended? For pushing over a kid?" Maeve exclaimed.
Derek, who'd only got a brief explanation from Luna on what happened, was slightly confused. But not surprised his daughter had got herself suspended.
"We have a zero violence policy," Milo explained, pointing to the obnoxious 'no violence' poster above his desk.
Derek scoffed quietly, sitting back in the chair, "Of course you do."
"But suspended? They're seven and nine! Wouldn't a detention be more effective?" Maeve questioned.
"Its policy," Milo replied, "They will talk about their consequences when they return next Monday."
Derek decided it was best to leave now before Maeve started shouting about school rules, helping her up from her chair.
Milo's eyes widened spotting her stomach, "Congratulations."
Maeve simply nodded, hurrying to catch up with Derek who was already half way out of the room grumbling about his dislike of his daughters teacher.
Leaving the classroom, Derek held Luna's hand, steering her away from the room whilst Sam and Maeve trailed after him.
"Luna, I changed my mind, you can torment this teacher," Derek told her, Luna grinned playfully.
"Derek," Maeve warned.
Derek shared a devious look with the kids, "Obliterate him."
"Derek!"
—
"I said no!"
Maeve walked down the steps of the motel building angrily, Talia close behind watching her daughter in law cautiously. She'd let Derek go meet the pack an hour ago only to get a text from Isaac saying they were planning on putting him in an ice bath to look into his memories.
Needless to say Maeve didn't take that well.
"Maeve-"
Maeve clutched her phone irritably, "Derek, you can't put a claustrophobic person in a ice bath! Its cruel!"
"How else are we gonna find out where boyd and Erica are?"
"Put me on speaker," Maeve demanded, waiting a few seconds before speaking, "If you put isaac in that water you will all seriously regret it."
"Maeve! We don't have a choice." Stiles voice rang out of the phone next.
"Give me half an hour," Maeve glanced at the door numbers as they walked down the hallway.
"What? Where are you?" Derek asked in concern.
"Finding out where Boyd and Erica are," Maeve answered vaguely causing Talia to smile.
"Maeve-"
"Don't worry I'm not alone, I'm with your mother," Maeve tried to assure him.
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
Talia rolled her eyes as Maeve hung up, "Bye boys."
Her son didn't think Maeve was safe with anyone but him. Talia knocked one the door, standing in front of Maeve protectively. Having the job she does, Maeve had the connections that were always useful. Finding people was one of them.
"Hello Braeden," Maeve greeted the woman as the door swung open, "I think we're due a chat."
—
"What do you... what do you think you're gonna do, Derek? You gonna punch through the wall?" Stiles teased.
After getting the information out of Braeden they'd all hurried to the loft to make plans to break into the loft.
"Yes, Stiles, I'm gonna punch through the wall," Derek replied, slowly standing tall.
"Okay, okay, big guy. Let's see it. Let's see that fist. Big, old fist. Make it, come on. Get it out there. Don't be scared. Big, bad wolf," Stiles taunted, grinning as Derek held up his fist, "Yeah, look at that!"
Derek looked to Maeve, pleading for her to intervene, but Maeve simply hid her smile behind her hand.
"Okay, see this? That's maybe 3 inches of room to gather enough force to punch through solid co..." Stiles fell down against the table with a smack as Derek punched his hand.
"He could do it," Stiles wheezed, stumbling away to the couch, flopping down beside Maeve, "Ow!"
Maeve rolled her eyes, "Don't be a baby."
"I'll get through the wall. Who's following me down?" Derek raised his brows at the pack.
Peter shook his head, holding out his hands, "Don't look at me. I'm not up to fighting speed yet, and honestly, with Isaac and Maeve out of commission, you're not looking at very good odds for yourself."
Derek turned to Kieran and Laura, who were quietly bickering over a bag of crisps that entire time.
"Kieran?" Derek asked hopefully.
Kieran shrugged, nodding, "Why not?"
"I'll come," Laura agreed.
"I stand by what is said," Peter called over, "The odds are still low."
The siblings stared at Peter in offence.
Derek sighed, glancing to Laura who grinned, "Onto the battle field we go!"
"Were not going on a freaking holiday, Laura," Derek grumbled, turning to Peter, "So in your mind I'm supposed to just let them die?"
"One of them is already dead." Peter shrugged.
"Can we have some optimism, please?" Maeve complained.
"Do I have to remind you what we're up against here? A pack of alphas. All of them, killers. And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha. I'm sure Erica and Boyd were sweet kids. They're gonna be missed."
"Could someone kill him again, please?" Stiles whined, himself and Maeve watching the group with matching looks of annoyance.
"We've tried," Maeve mumbled, "He just keeps coming back.
"Derek, seriously? Not worth the risk," Peter spotted his sister in the doorway, "Talia, talk some sense into him? He's setting himself up for failure."
Talia scowled, "Derek knows what he's doing. We're here to help him, not criticise his every move, Peter."
Talia was shocked to learn her son was an alpha when she returned, in packs like the Hales they spend years training the next alpha, Laura had been the first in line, Derek hadn't had a clue how to run a pack. Talia knew she had to teach him, and fast.
Whilst Talia and Peter argued over Derek's capabilities as an alpha, Derek and Maeve snook off to the kitchen.
Maeve shut the door behind them, turning to face Derek, "I-"
"You're not coming," Derek interrupted.
Maeve would admit she was feeling left out from the pack now she was pregnant, she knew she could protect herself but they just couldn't take that risk.
"I could," Maeve argued, "I handled that alpha bitch."
"Maeve, we have to break into a building- climb through a wall," Derek told her softly, "You waddle instead of walking."
"Fine, but-" Maeve frowned worriedly, "Is this a good idea? Have you thought this through?"
" Hey," Derek pulled her into his arms, running his hand across her cheek, "I'll be okay."
"Promise?" Maeve asked quietly, leaning against his chest.
Maeve wasn't surprised at how quickly she'd become attached to Derek again, it was easier not having to worry about him whilst in Italy, but now back in the danger she was extremely anxious about his wellbeing.
Derek kissed the top of her head, "Promise."
"I can't take waiting around like this, you know? It's nerve-racking. My nerves are racked. They're severely racked. Racked," Stiles paced around the living room, stepping over one of Luna's toys before he tripped over.
"I could beat you unconscious and wake you when it's over," Peter suggested, handing over some fake money to Luna who sat on the opposite side of the coffee table.
Luna took the money with a grin, sliding half of it under the table as she rolled the dice whilst Peter wasn't looking. Maeve watched her daughter with a smile, rolling her eyes.
Sitting down with a huff, Maeve asked, "Can we limit the violence, Peter?"
"I just... " Stiles sighed, "I don't understand the bank, though, okay? Wha... like, why wouldn't they chain them up in some underground lair or something? They're an Alpha pack, right? So shouldn't they have a lair?"
"Lair?" Maeve laughed.
Stiles' views on werewolves never failed to amuse Maeve.
"They're werewolves, not bond villains," Peter reminded, carefully moving his game character.
"Wait a sec. Wait a sec!" Stiles paused in thought, "Maybe they're living there. You know? Like, maybe the bank vault reminds them of their little wolf dens."
"Wolf dens?" Peter and Maeve questioned.
"Yeah, wolf dens. Where do you live?" Stiles asked Peter.
"In an underground network of caves hidden deep in the woods." Peter joked, Luna blinked in confusion.
Stiles and Luna gasped excitedly, "Whoa, really?"
Peter smirked in amusement, "No, you idiots. I live here."
"I'm not an idiot!" Luna glared, pushing up from the ground, sulkily walking over to sit with Maeve.
Maeve smiled in amusement, pulling her daughter into a hug.
"How many people live in your apartment?" Stiles turned to his sister, "Thats like, almost the whole pack in here."
"Derek and I own the building, we don't have everyone cooped up in the apartment like these wolf dens you speak of," Maeve corrected.
"Mini wolf dens!" Stiles exclaimed.
"Stiles," Maeve sighed, "Don't."
—
"There, that's it."
The adults stood around the desk anxiously, papers scattered across it. It took one look at the blueprints for Talia to notice something was wrong.
Talia's eyes widened in realisation, "Hecatolite."
"Is that awful? That sounds awful," Stiles asked nervously.
Maeve frowned, "Its awful."
"Get 'em on the phone. Call them. Now!" Peter suddenly exclaimed causing Stiles to jump.
"Okay, why?" Stiles questioned, hurriedly tapping Scott's contact.
"Just call them!" Maeve shouted.
"Cause Boyd and that girl aren't gonna kill each other. They're gonna kill Derek and Scott," Peter explained grimly.
"Stiles, now is not the best time!"
"Scott! Scott! No, listen to me, okay? Look, you gotta get outta there. Look, the walls of the vault are made with a mineral called hecatolite. It scatters the moonlight," Stiles exclaimed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you have to get out of there before they maul you to death!" Maeve growled.
"Look, it keeps the moonlight out, okay? They haven't felt the full moon in months," Stiles informed, letting out a grunt as Peter stole the phone from his hand.
"Okay, think of it like the gladiators in the Roman colosseum. They used to starve the lions for three days, making them more vicious, more out of control. Deucalion has kept them from shifting for three full moons, diminishing their tolerance to it," Peter warned.
"Scott, they're gonna be stronger..." Stiles added, huffing as Peter jumped in.
"More savage, more bloodthirsty, Scott, they're the lions. They're the starved lions, and you and Derek just stepped into the colosseum," Peter finished.
"Derek, we got a problem, a really big problem!"
"Cora?"
Maeve froze, meeting Talia's gaze as the older woman slowly eased herself back into a chair.
"Who?"
Laura's voice rang out, "Cora?"
"Derek?"
Tears gathered in the Hale women's eyes, it was like a blow to their chests hearing Cora's voice. They had the confirmation they needed. Cora was alive.