A Coward 'Till The End, Lies.

Xander lies flat out on his dorm bed wearing just a pair of grey sweats and a smile. Stiles is stood at his feet, Xander's discarded shirt the only thing covering her beautiful ivory skin.
His smile stretches into a grin.

“Come here beautiful.”

Stiles giggles and begins crawling up the bed, pressing the sweetest of kisses to his nose before dropping her weight on him and snuggling into his arms.

“I love you Xan.”

His arms tighten around her waist, his heart, feather light in his chest, he's never been so happy, he's...

“Fuck!”

A sharp impact to his ribs wrenches him from his dream, his scream staining the dank air with his agony.

“Oh fuck.” he mutters again, trying to drag his hands to grasp his wound but finding himself bound on what he gathers is the damp floor of an abandoned warehouse.
There are white spots dotting his vision, his head's swimming likes he's drunk his way through an entire liquor cabinet and there are ropes digging into the tops of his thighs.
He can't even feel his feet besides from the phantom tingle of pins and needles threatening to take them over.
His whole body heavy and limp, still fighting off the after effects of Kanima poison.

Even if he wasn't bound he doubts he could escape.

He stops struggling the second he realizes its useless, lets his whole body sag onto the freezing concrete. The Tannins have him, there's nothing he can do now but wait.

“Ah, I see you're finally awake Alexander.”

Xander snaps his gaze up to the shadow across the room. It moves slowly towards him, like a demon materializing from the smoke until the one bare light bulb swinging from the ceiling lights up his fathers face, twisted into a sneer.

Gods help me.

“Now, now, now, son. Is that any way for a Tannin to behave. I can practically smell the stink of your fear from here.”

Xander's heart is pounding ruthlessly against his rib cage. If they've got him then they know about Stiles. Do they know that she's pregnant?! Do they know it isn't his? Do they know the baby is Hale's? That the baby is a werewolf? Shitshitshitshit.

Nathaniel Tannin takes a step closer to his son, crouches down and tilts Xander's chin up with one taloned finger, studying the face of his son whom he hasn't see for five years. Well, not in person anyway.

Xander schools his expression, pushes down his pain, silences even Amara's taunting voice in the back of his skull. He needs to be totally focused. Completely in control. Nathaniel cannot win this.

His father's face softens into an almost gentle smile, if it wasn't for the blood lust in his eyes you'd think he was nothing but a concerned dad.

“I see you've been busy since we last spoke. You're getting top grades at collage, been offered some very important sounding jobs, made some nice new friends and such a pretty little girlfriend.”

Xander's jaw tightens.
Please let this just be about me, pleasepleaseplease.

“Stiles right? That's what she likes to be called?” Xander doesn't move an inch. “She's the sheriff's daughter right? Ms Genim Stilinski. Beautiful girl, she's got such fire too. You have very good taste.”

Nathaniel hand curls tight around his son's jaw for just a second before he uses his grip to roughly push Xander away, his back smashing against the concrete floor with a sickening crack bruising his spine. The groan that spills out of Xander's mouth brings a twisted smile to his father's face. There's blood in Xander's mouth from accidentally biting the inside of his cheek and he swallows it down almost choking on the coppery taste.

Every hit he takes is one Stiles won't have to.

“She's also extremely pregnant.” Nathaniel's tone is casual and it spills terror through Xander's blood like ice. “Yours?”

Xander nods, manages to cough out a fragile yes.

“Hmm,” Nathaniel muses straightening up to his full height and strolling towards a table Xander hadn't noticed, pressed up against the far wall. He pauses, picks up something that looks way too much like Xander's own dagger for his liking before stalking back to his son.

Xander squirms so he's facing his dad, fear spiking at heart as he keeps his face smoothed into a mask of indifference.

“Well it seems a congratulations is in order then son. A father at 21,” Nathaniel lets out a low whistle studying the point of Xander's blade. “You must really love this girl.”

Xander nods, his hands clenching into fists.

“Looks like you're finally going to get the perfect little family you always wanted, now, now don't look at me like that, I'm proud of you son. You took your own path, you've found the girl of your dreams, fallen in love, gotten her pregnant. Perfect.”

Xander studies his father with wary eyes. What was he doing? What was his angle? Why was he here in Beacon hills of all places?

“The only problem though son.” Nathaniel smiles at the blade in his hands one last time before meeting his son's glance with glowing jade eyes.

“I don't believe a single thing out of your mouth.”

The knife swishes though the air slicing through Xander's flesh like a hot knife through butter, splattering the concrete with a deep slick red. Xander gasps at the incredible pain even as the wound slowly knits itself back together.

“I'm sure I raised you better then to lie to your elders son.” Nathaniel scolds admiring the blood staining the icy white handle of his son's dagger. “I guess I'll have to work on re-educating you.”

XXXXXX

Stiles shoots up out of her bed gasping for air and clutching at her stomach.

The pale glow of her old beside lamp brightens the room slightly from behind her before strong warm arms encircle her, cradling her against a solid chest.

“Baby what's wrong?” Derek asks, concerned, as he smooths her hair in a soothing sweep.

Stiles gulps in the air like a drowning man. Her head pounding out a mantra of XanderXanderXanderXander.

“Something wrong.” she whispers, wide eyed, her voice dripping with the fear gripping her heart.

Derek takes a worried glance at his phone on the bedside table. It's 3am. He has no missed calls or messages. Everything seems fine, his pack would notify him if anything was wrong, he'd be able to feel it if any of them were hurt.

“The pack's fine Stiles I pro...”

“It's Xander.” Stiles interrupts, turning around to face him, she looks terrified. “He's not home, check the house. He's not here, we can't feel him.”

Derek raises an eyebrow at that. “We?”

Stiles flushes pale pink, “Me and the baby, or maybe its just Jarvis, but, we can feel Xander when he's around us or in pain or what? What's that face for?”

Derek is literally glowing. The smile on his face would've melted Stiles into a big ol' pile of goo if she wasn't freaking out. “Our baby is an alpha.” he whispers in awe. “Our baby isn't even born yet and its an alpha.”

Stiles stares at Derek like he's gone mad, “Yeah um, lets pretend I don't know what that means, actually yeah, I have no idea what that means unless...” Stiles pauses and her eyes grow wide. “Oh! Ooh!! I get it! Jarvis is an alpha and he/she see Xander as pack the same way you see Scott as pack! So we can tell if he's around or when he's in... pain. Holy shit Derek we need to find him!! The feeling that woke me up was as if something had just slashed my chest open!”

Derek's on his feet in seconds, his phone already ringing Lydia's number. He freezes at the spike of fear that stutters Stiles' heart.

“We need to find him Derek,” she whispers, and he swears her eyes flicker red for a split second.

“The hunters have got Xander.”

XXXXXXX