Poison and Wine

“Hailey?” came Stiles’ voice. Hailey stirred and groaned, bringing her hand to her head. She blinked a few times before opening her eyes. She looked up to see Scott and Stiles leaning over her.

“What happened?” she asked, sitting up and feeling the plush of Stiles’ bed underneath her.

“You kind of… Passed out,” Scott said sheepishly.

“I did?” she asked and both boys nodded their heads.

“At least you didn’t scream,” Stiles said with a laugh, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Scream? Why would I… oh my God. That was all real?” she asked, her eyes widening as she turned to Scott. “You’re really a… a…”

“Werewolf,” Stiles said, finishing the sentence. Scott looked at Stiles and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I am,” Scott said, shrugging his shoulders. Hailey shifted backwards slightly and immediately regretted it when she saw the pained look on Scott’s face.

“I’m sorry I did that,” she said, slowly relaxing. “It’s not every day a girl learns that one of her new friends is a… werewolf. God, I can’t believe this is happening. This is actually real.”

“I know that feeling,” Stiles said.

“So, Derek’s a werewolf too?” she asked and again both boys nodded their heads. “But you’re not, right Stiles?”

“Right,” he said.

“Are there more?”

“Well there’s Derek’s Uncle Peter. He’s the Alpha,” Scott said.

“The leader,” Hailey said and Scott kind of hesitated.

“Well… kind of. Derek’s an Alpha too. But that’s another story.”

“So what are you?”

“Scott’s kind of a cross between a Beta and an Omega,” Stiles said and Scott agreed. “A Beta is a follower of an Alpha and an Omega is the lone wolf. Something you don’t want to be.”

“Okay,” Hailey said, nodding her head. “So there’s Derek and his uncle, and then Scott. Anyone else?”

“Derek’s Beta, Isaac. There were two others, Erica and Boyd but no one has seen them since they ran off,” Stiles said.

“And then… then there’s Jackson,” Scott said.

“Jackson?” Hailey asked in amazement.

“He’s new to it,” Scott said, anger in his voice.

“When you told us about what happened earlier, you said the eyes you saw were electric blue, right?” Stiles asked and Hailey nodded her head.

“That was Jackson,” Scott said with a sigh.

“Why would he want to attack my brother?” she asked, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

“I don’t know,” Scott said. “That’s what we’ll have to try to find out. We’ve all been trying to keep a close eye on Jackson ever since he turned. Before this there was something else different about him and he went on a killing spree but he was being controlled. This time he’s not and there have been a few unexplained deaths. There’s something deeper going on that we can’t figure out.”

“What was wrong with him before?” she asked and both boys hesitated. She looked from Scott to Stiles and back again.

“He was another kind of mythical creature,” Stiles said. “And we don’t really know how it happened.”

“What kind of creature? I swear if you tell me vampires exist too I’m going to think I’m crazy.”

“No, not a vampire,” Scott said with a slight laugh.

“Though, admit it, that would be awesome!” Stiles said brightly and Scott glared at him. “Sorry.”

“He was something called a Kanima. He was almost reptilian and he had a master who was controlling him to kill people. He secreted this venom that when he touched a person they would be paralyzed from the neck down for quite awhile,” Scott explained and Hailey let out a deep breath.

“Whoa.”

“Yeah,” Scott said. “I know, it’s a lot to take in.”

“No kidding. Another thing I want to know is how Derek knew Jackson was about to attack Aaron. And why he was outside my house the other day. It’s kind of creepy but I’m very thankful,” she said.

“You know I can’t think of anything to explain that,” Scott said. “Derek just has a way of showing up. He’s more experienced in the werewolf department though so he could have heard Jackson or his increased heartbeat or something.”

“Makes sense,” Hailey said, shrugging her shoulders and leaning back against the pillows. It was silent for a moment as she processed everything. “Wait! Does Allison know about all this? About you?”

“Oh she knows,” Stiles said.

“Stiles,” Scott said warningly.

“What?” Hailey asked.

“Allison comes from a family of hunters,” Scott said.

“I know,” Hailey said. “But what does that have to do with werewolves?”

“Not, like, deer hunters,” Stiles said. “Werewolf hunters.”

“No,” Hailey said, her eyes and mouth wide. “Well that explains the crossbow… But?”

“Her Dad knows about me too,” Scott said. “It was really dangerous for us to be together for awhile but a lot of stuff happened a few months ago and now her family is helping us do something about Jackson. They’re only allowed to kill one of us if we’ve killed a human.”

“So you’re trying to help them kill Jackson?” Hailey asked confused.

“No,” Scott said. “Well… some of the people working with them want to but Mr. Argent understands he’s just a kid and doesn’t want to kill him unless absolutely necessary. We’re trying to figure out what makes Jackson so powerful.”

“Deaton’s going to work himself to death trying to figure it out,” Stiles said.

“Deaton?” Hailey asked, her eyebrows furrowing together. “Isn’t that your boss’ name?”

“Yeah, same guy,” Scott said.

“Jesus, who else knows?”

“Scott’s Mom,” Stiles said. “And Lydia. I think that’s it?”

“As far as we know,” Scott said and again Hailey turned silent. She looked to the right at Stiles’ bedside table to check the time on his alarm clock. She still had awhile until her curfew.

“Your Dad doesn’t know?” Hailey asked, turning to Stiles. He shrugged his shoulders and looked down.

“I haven’t figured out how exactly to tell him. I know I need to though,” Stiles said.

“Does any of this have to do with Allison’s Mom’s death?” Hailey asked, remembering what Allison had said the other day.

“Yeah,” Scott said with a sigh. “Her Mom was trying to kill me and Derek saved me and in the process of fighting with Mrs. Argent he bit her. She decided she’d rather kill herself than become a werewolf.”

“Oh my God,” Hailey said, sadness overcoming her. “Does Allison know Derek is the one that bit her mother?”

“Yeah and she’s not happy about it at all,” Stiles said. “She’s out to kill him.”

“But it’s not like he meant to bite her? Right?” Hailey asked, glancing from Stiles to Scott, her eyes wide.

“Right,” Scott said, nodding his head. “He was just trying to save me and Mrs. Argent was a very powerful person.”

“How does she feel about you working with Derek?”

“She was conflicted at first because she knows Derek and I have to work together to stop Jackson but I’m never around the two of them together. I’m surprised when you two saw him at the Lacrosse game that she didn’t just get up and go after him, actually,” Scott answered.

“Yeah plus the fact that Derek and Peter are the reason her aunt’s dead too,” Stiles added.

“Derek had nothing to do with that, Stiles,” Scott said.

“Okay, how do you explain that?” Hailey asked, beginning to wonder if Allison was right and Derek was trouble.

“Peter killed Allison’s Aunt Kate, but it wasn’t something random. He had a reason,” Scott said. “About seven years ago Kate and Derek were dating. Derek because he was in love, Kate because she knew Derek came from a family of werewolves and she wanted to kill them, against the code.”

“Derek and his sister were at school when the house was burnt to the ground with the rest of their family in it,” Stiles said and Hailey gasped. She could feel tears in her eyes. “Peter was the only survivor.”

“There were kids in that house that weren’t even like us,” Scott said. “Derek’s lost everything and everyone that was important to him, including his sister, Laura.”

“Who Peter killed. It’s why he’s so dark and moody all the time,” Stiles said.

“Oh my God,” Hailey whispered, a tear slipping down her face. She felt so much sympathy for Derek.

“Hailey,” Stiles said, reaching for her hand. She wiped her eyes with her free hand and turned to him. “Listen, I know you like Derek and want to get to know him. But the most important thing right now is for you to be safe. Being around Derek could be really dangerous. Like, life-threatening dangerous.”

“I know but… it’s the weirdest thing,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I just… whenever I see Derek it’s not like anything I’ve felt before. It’s not like any other time I’ve liked someone. It sounds stupid but I can’t explain it.”

“I understand,” Scott said. “It’s how I am with Allison.”

“Just… be careful. We haven’t been friends long but I really care about you,” Stiles said and she smiled.

“That goes for both of us,” Scott said.

“The feeling’s mutual,” Hailey said, sitting up and hugging Stiles, then Scott. “Thank you, for telling me everything and letting me know. It really means a lot that you can trust me.”

“No problem,” Scott said. Hailey got off the bed and grabbed her things from the chair.

“I should really get going,” she said, pulling her coat on. “What should I tell Aaron? When he asked me if Derek would be there to save him again if Jackson were to come back?”

“Tell him, that it’s highly possible. But hopefully unnecessary,” Scott said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “And if anything were to happen and Derek doesn’t magically appear you call me right away and I’ll get there as fast as possible. I’ll also call the others in case one of them is closer.”

“Thank you,” she said smiling again. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Bye,” they said in unison. Hailey made her way downstairs and waved to Sheriff Stilinski from where he sat in the living room.

“Bye Sheriff,” she said.

“Goodnight Hailey, drive safe,” he said, smiling at her as she opened the door.

“I will,” she said, smiling back and closing the door. She quickly made her way to the car and locked the doors once she was inside. Her heart hadn’t stopped racing from the moment she had woken up from her little blackout.

“Holy shit,” she said as she started the engine. Her eyes were on red alert the whole drive home. Now that she knew she was paranoid she’d see glowing eyes everywhere. This is not what she was expecting when she moved into Beacon Hills.

****

“Scott told me they told you,” Allison whispered to Hailey as they looked through the bookshelves in the library during study hall the next day.

“Yeah,” Hailey said, biting her lip as she searched for a book to help her with her history paper.

“Do you see what I mean now? About Derek?”

“Yes and no,” Hailey said, turning to Allison and Allison’s lips turned into a thin line. “Listen, I’m truly deeply sorry about what happened to your Mom. I really am.”

“I know,” Allison said, looking down at her feet.

“But did you ever think that Derek didn’t mean it?” Hailey asked, causing Allison to look up at her, her eyes angry. “I’m sorry but… there are two sides to every story, Allison.”

“It’s not right, Hailey,” she said, bitterness in her voice. “You’re going to get hurt.”

“Not if I’m careful,” Hailey said.

“If not you then someone you care about.”

“And that almost happened already, before I knew,” Hailey said, she hadn’t told Allison about what happened to Aaron. “Jackson almost attacked Aaron yesterday and Derek saved his life. If something were to happen again I know I can rely on Scott and I want to be able to rely on Derek again, too. And maybe eventually even this Isaac guy and Peter.”

“Hailey, I’m sorry about Aaron and I’m glad he’s okay but you have to understand where I’m coming from.”

“I do,” Hailey said. “But I don’t have to agree with it and I’m sorry if you’re mad at me for it.”

****

Allison didn’t speak to Hailey for the rest of the day. She wasn’t really mad. She just didn’t know what to say to her. At the end of the day, Hailey took as much time as possible at her locker. Her Mom had called saying she’d be late picking her up. She spent so much time at her locker that the hallways were empty. Hailey sighed and finally closed her locker door and jumped when she saw Derek standing next to her.

“Jesus Christ, Derek! You can’t just sneak up on people like that,” she said, placing her hand over her heart. “What are you doing here?”

“Scott said you know now,” he said, his hands in his pockets.

“Yes,” she said, nodding her head and Derek looked up at her. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Why?” he asked, his eyebrow turning up in curiosity.

“I never got to thank you for what you did yesterday. I really appreciate it. I don’t know what I would have done if…” she said, choking up at the thought of losing Aaron. Derek didn’t say anything; he just nodded his head. Hailey looked up at him and wiped the corner of her eye where a tear had threatened to spill over.

“You can’t like me, Hailey,” he said bluntly. It caught Hailey off guard and she stepped back a little. “Nothing can happen between us.”

“How do you know if I like you or not?”

“I can hear your heart beat,” he said, pointing at her chest. “It beats faster every time you see me.”

“That’s why you looked directly at me that first day I saw you out the window,” she said and he nodded his head. “You heard my heart skip a beat.”

“Yes. Like I said, nothing can happen between us.”

“And why not?” she asked defensively.

“Because,” Derek said stepping forward, his face angry. “I can snap at any moment. It’s not just the full moon that triggers the change; it’s anything that gets my heart racing. Like fear.”

“Or lust,” Hailey said softly and Derek grabbed her shoulders and held her against the lockers.

“It’s not safe,” he said, his voice deep, almost a growl. Hailey’s heart raced, this time out of fear and she could feel Derek’s grip tighten. “I could injure you without meaning it.”

“Scott seems to be able to stay with Allison just fine,” Hailey said and she winced when Derek’s eyes flashed red again.

“Scott and I are different. Allison is what keeps him grounded.”

“So what keeps you grounded?”

“Anger,” he said, letting go of her shoulders and stepping back. Hailey’s shoulders hunched forward and she turned her head away.

“What’s going on?” Stiles asked as he came down the hallway, a Lacrosse stick with a torn net in his hand.

“Nothing,” Derek said, looking at Hailey once more before walking down the hallway and leaving. Stiles stood silently watching as the double doors closed behind Derek. When he turned to Hailey she was on the floor, her books by her side, and she was sobbing.

“Hailey,” he said, dropping the stick and sliding over to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she winced. He quickly pulled away. “What did he do?”

Hailey turned her head to look up at Stiles, tear stains on her cheeks. She reached her left hand up and pulled the shoulder of her shirt down and Stiles gasped. Bruises were already starting to form on Hailey’s skin in the shape of Derek’s fingers from the grip he held on her.

“Hailey,” Stiles said again, this time a sigh. He wrapped his arm around her waist to avoid her shoulders and she let her head fall on his chest as she cried.

“Why won’t he let me in?” she choked out.

“That’s just how Derek is,” Stiles said, shrugging his shoulders. “The last time he let someone in, he got hurt badly. He’s not going to risk that again.”

“But this time he has nothing to lose,” Hailey said.

“Just don’t push it. If this is what he does just talking to you, maybe it’s better to stay away. It could be worse. He could lose it, Hailey. He could kiss you and end up clawing all down your arm or worse.”

“I know,” Hailey said. “But I think I know how he can change that.”

“How?” Stiles asked and she sat up to look at him.

“He needs something else to keep him grounded. He can’t rely on anger.”

“And you think that something is you?”

“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “It could be me, it could be something else. But he’ll never know if he doesn’t at least try to change it.”

“What are you going to do?” Stiles asked, standing up. He held his hand out to help Hailey up then bent down to get her books.

“I’m not sure yet. But I’ll figure something out. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Alright, just be careful,” he said, turning back down the hallway to grab the Lacrosse stick.

“Stiles,” Hailey said softly causing him to turn around. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he said, smiling at her before making his way to the equipment room. Hailey smiled before turning back to leave the school. As she was walking down the steps her Mom pulled into the parking lot.

“Hi honey,” Alyssa said as Hailey opened the passenger side door. “Are you alright? You look like you were crying.”

“I’m fine, Mom,” Hailey said, her voice steady.

“Okay,” Alyssa said, turning the car around.

As Alyssa drove, Hailey rested her forehead against the window and watched as the trees bordering the school blurred. The car stopped at a stop sign and Hailey saw Derek standing at the edge of the tree line like he had been at the Lacrosse game. The car started moving again and she watched as Derek turned and started running into the woods.

Hailey grinned as her mother drove through the almost familiar streets. Derek had said nothing could happen between them. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want something to happen between them. This thing she felt for Derek, it wasn’t just some high school crush. She was drawn to him; emotionally and physically. It’s like she couldn’t help it. Derek Hale was going to get a new friend, whether he liked it or not.