Poison and Wine

*Derek’s POV*

“Come back soon,” Peter said.

He was wagging his fingers at Hailey in a mocking wave. Derek growled and walked over to Peter, grabbing him by the shirt. He lifted him over his head and threw him across the room, watching as his body crumpled to the floor and he swore he heard a few bones cracking.

Derek turned to Hailey and saw her mouth open and she looked scared. She backed out of the house and he turned to Peter one last time and he was clutching his leg and looking up at Derek with a smug look on his face. Still trying to calm down, Derek walked into the entryway, his breath heavy. She took one look at him and walked down the porch steps over to her car. His facial muscles softened and he sighed.

“Hailey,” he said, following her down the steps to the car.

“What did you do that to him for?” she asked, turning around, her face angry.

“I didn’t like the way he was talking to you,” he admitted against his will, putting his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground.

“So say that next time. You didn’t have to throw him across the room!” she said and he shook his head, looking back up at her.

“I couldn’t help it.”

“Uh, yeah, pretty sure you could have,” she said, annoyance in her voice. She opened the car door and tossed her backpack inside.

“You don’t get it, do you?” he asked her, causing her to turn back to him.

“Get what?” she asked. He thought about it for a moment, causing an uncomfortable silence to fall between them. At one point he opened his mouth to say something to her but decided against it and shook his head. “Whatever Derek,” she said, climbing into the car and slamming the door.

She turned the key to start the engine and looked up at him. He just stood there staring at her, his hands in his pockets. He kept his eyes on her as she shifted into reverse and backed the car up. Her heart was pounding out of anger and he huffed wishing he had said something.

He turned back to the house, his eyes red and he shifted. Peter walked out onto the porch and leaned up against the post, crossing his arms and laughing. Derek growled and bared his teeth, fighting the urge to rip his uncles throat out.

“What the hell was that all about?” he shouted. Isaac slowly came into view in the doorway.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Peter said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Don’t fucking start with me Peter.”

“Now, now, is that any way to talk to your uncle?”

“Peter, come on man,” Isaac said, stepping forward.

“Stay out of this, Isaac,” Derek growled. “And you, what is your problem? The other day you were…”

“I was what?”

“Acting like you were my uncle again. The Peter I used to actually like,” Derek said and Peter sighed. “Why would you tell me all that stuff about Hailey being my mate and be so understanding and then go and treat her that way?”

“Am I mistaken or are you choosing her?” Peter asked, arching an eyebrow. Derek took a step back and shifted back to normal.

“I… I don’t know… not yet,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing together.

“Can I say something?” Isaac asked and Peter and Derek turned to look at him. Derek nodded his head and Isaac took a deep breath. “In the time I’ve known you, Derek, and being part of your pack… I’ve never seen you like this about anyone. You’ve tried to help people and keep them safe but you’ve never gone to extremes. Hailey means something to you and you know she cares about you. If you let her go you’re going to regret it.”

“I know,” Derek said, surprising Isaac who was expecting him to get angry.

“Then what’s the problem?” Peter asked.

“If I choose her now… and something goes wrong with this whole Jackson situation or Gerard comes back ready to fight I can’t risk losing her. Obviously I care about her but if something were to happen… if she died I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Or even if I died I can’t put her through that.”

“Not to be all negative or anything but even if you don’t choose her yet something could still happen to her,” Isaac said and Derek closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Just listen to your instinct, Derek,” Peter said. “If you decide to choose her… you should do it sooner rather than later.”

****

Monday morning, Hailey pulled into the parking lot in her brand new car, a little blue Prius. She spotted Stiles’ Jeep and was lucky enough that there was a spot right next to it. He turned from where he had been leaning against the hood at the noise and smiled when he saw Hailey in the driver’s seat. She grabbed her bag and climbed out, smiling at him.

“Nice ride, Miner,” he said as she walked over to him, leaning against the hood of his Jeep as well.

“Thanks Stilinski,” she said with a laugh.

“How was your weekend?”

“In one word, interesting,” she said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Would the cause for that be a tall, dark, and handsome werewolf by the name of Derek?” he asked, walking towards the school when the first warning bell rang. Hailey followed after him and sighed.

“Possibly,” she said, walking through the door as Stiles held it open for her. “I met Peter and Isaac.”

“What happened?” he asked as they made their way through the crowded hallway.

“Derek used his Alpha-ness to make Isaac submit to him or something. Then he threw Peter across the room,” she said, reaching out to spin the combination for her locker. Stiles rested his shoulder against the locker next to hers while she swapped her afternoon homework out for her morning classes’ books.

“Why?”

“Well I was there so they could memorize mine and Aaron’s scents. Isaac handed Derek my jacket but he said he didn’t need it. I joked by asking if he had my scent memorized already and he just growled or whatever and Isaac said that’s a yes and laughed. And he threw Peter across the room because he was being slightly crude towards me but it wasn’t anything appalling really,” she said, closing her locker. Stiles stood back up and she followed him over to his locker. “And when I asked why he did it he wouldn’t answer me.”

“My guess is that there’s something about you that gets to him and he probably doesn’t want to give in to it,” Stiles said, shrugging his shoulders.

“It’s frustrating.”

“Yeah, I know,” Stiles said, giving her a sympathetic smile. “Just try to not let him get to you. It won’t do any good.”

“You’re right. So what about you, how was your weekend?” she asked as they walked towards their Physics classroom.

“I actually had a visit from Derek myself. It was very unpleasant. Lots of threats and growling and claws,” he said, holding his hands up in an attack pose.

“I’m sorry!” Hailey gasped, turning to him and grabbing his arm. “I meant to warn you.”

“It’s alright,” Stiles said with a laugh. “Scott and I should have known better and I never should have brought you to the house without Derek knowing.”

“I never should have asked,” Hailey said as they took their seats. “By the way…”

“Yes?” Stiles asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I kind of told my parents that you and I have an English presentation due this week so would you mind coming over to my house after Lacrosse practice to make it look like I was telling the truth?” she asked, biting her lip. “My Mom’s a really good cook.”

“Sold,” he said, hitting his hand on the table causing Hailey to laugh.

“Hey guys,” Scott said sliding into his chair next to Stiles. Hailey looked up and smiled at Allison as she took her seat next to her.

“What’s so funny?” Allison asked.

“Hailey was just telling me about how anal her Dad was being at the car dealership yesterday,” Stiles said, winking at Hailey who smiled.

“Your parents got you a car?” Allison asked excitedly.

“Yeah! I think they were getting sick of me borrowing their cars,” she said. “However, now I have to get a part-time job to pitch in for gas.”

“If I hear about anything I’ll let you know,” Allison said with a smile and Scott nodded his head.

“Same here,” Scott said.

“Thanks guys,” Hailey said with a smile, turning her attention toward the front when their teacher started to speak.

****

After school, Hailey stayed after to watch the Lacrosse practice and work on her Spanish assignment. She sat at the top of the bleachers, her book resting on her lap. Occasionally she’d glance up at the practice and look around. About halfway through someone came up and sat next to her. She shifted her eyes to the right and saw black leather.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, not looking up.

“I came to watch the practice,” Derek said and she rolled her eyes as she turned the page in her book.

“Well there it is. Enjoy.”

“Hailey,” he sighed and she looked up at him.

“What?”

“I’m sorry about what I did on Saturday. But that’s how it is. Peter says stupid shit that pisses me off and I end up throwing him across the room.”

“Well goody for tradition,” she said and Derek grew silent for a few moments.

“Why didn’t you tell me you got a car?” he asked and she looked up again.

“What do you care?”

“It’s kind of important for us to know so we can find you if something were to happen.”

“Why does it seem like you’re anticipating something to happen?” she asked, laying her pen in her book and closing it.

“Because there’s a large possibility it could. With that first attack on Aaron and us not knowing why… it just doesn’t make sense, Hailey,” he said, shaking his head. “We don’t know if he gave these people the Bite and they all died or if he’s really just killing them for the hell of it.”

“There’s a difference?”

“When you’re bitten it can either change you, like Scott, or it can kill you. With Jackson’s body rejecting the Bite the first time and turning into the Kanima… anything is possible.”

“So basically he could be a defective werewolf,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Exactly. And until we figure out how and why this is all happening we need to be able to keep you and Aaron and your parents safe.”

“What about everyone else in this town?”

“We’re doing the best we can,” he said, apprehensive of where this conversation was going.

“Why focus on us? Is it seriously just because he tried to attack Aaron and the fact that he’s so young?” she asked and he thought for a moment before answering.

“Partly,” he answered truthfully.

“And the rest?” she asked as Coach Finstock blew the whistle signaling the end of practice. Hailey looked up and saw Scott and Stiles making their way to the bench to grab their stuff.

“Truthfully?” Derek asked and she looked back at him.

“Yes,” she said and Derek sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He took a deep breath and she furrowed her eyebrows, wondering why he was acting so weird.

“Peter believes that you’re… you’re my mate,” he said looking over at her, her eyes wide. She sat there with her mouth open, not knowing what to say. “Hailey?”

“What… what do you mean your… mate?” she asked.

“As in… the wolf part of my DNA is connected to you. If I choose you, that’s it. You and I would be together for the rest of our lives,” he said and she slowly put her book back in her bag and stood up.

“If you choose me?” she asked incredulously.

“Either I choose to be with you or I let you go and I’m alone forever,” he said, watching as she walked past him to go down the bleachers where Stiles stood at the bottom waiting.

“I uh… I have to go,” she said, pointing down towards Stiles as she swung her bag over her shoulders.

“Hailey,” Derek said, standing up. “You wanted the truth.”

“I can’t talk about this right now, Derek,” she said and she heard as he followed her down the bleachers.

“Hey you okay?” Stiles asked when she was in ear shot, looking up to Derek.

“Come on,” she said, grabbing him by the elbow and walking across the field to the parking lot.

“Hailey!” Derek called, running to catch up, falling into stride with her and Stiles. Stiles leaned across Hailey to look at Derek.

“What’s going on?” he asked and Derek glared at him.

“Shut up, Stiles.”

“I’ll tell you later,” she said, leading him to their cars. “Let’s just go.”

“Hailey come on, what did you want me to do? Not say anything again like the other day?” Derek asked, standing in front of her car as she opened the driver’s side door.

“Can you just go and let me think this over?” she asked, her face falling as she looked at him. “From the sound of it you’re not even sure what you want so at least let me try to wrap my head around this. I’ll follow you out, Stiles.”

She climbed into her car and closed the door. Derek stayed put in front of her car, not moving. Stiles pulled out first and Hailey inched forward to follow him but Derek wouldn’t budge. Hailey revved her engine, which sounded pathetic compared to the Camaro, but he still wouldn’t move. Biting her lip she drove ahead, running over Derek’s foot in the process, knowing that he’d heal within minutes. Through her window she could hear him cry out in pain and saw him grab his foot out her side mirror.

The whole drive home she kept her eyes fixated on Stiles’ license plate. She kept checking her rearview mirror to make sure Derek wasn’t following her. She didn’t think that he would find a different way to get to her house, which is exactly what happened. Stiles climbed out of the Jeep and looked at Hailey as she climbed out of her car and saw Derek’s car parked slightly ahead of Stiles.

“How the fuck?” she asked as Stiles shrugged his shoulders.

“Hailey,” Derek said, walking over to them.

“Do you ever go away?” she asked, not looking at him as she walked across the street to her house, Stiles behind her.

“No,” Stiles answered for him, ducking to the side expecting a blow to the head but none came.

“You need to understand how difficult this is for me,” Derek pleaded and Hailey ignored him, stepping up onto the sidewalk. She stepped onto her lawn and heard Derek’s footsteps stop behind her. Stiles joined her on the lawn and she looked back at Derek, stuck on the sidewalk, unable to move any further.

“I really should thank you for the Mountain Ash,” she said, a smirk on her face as she led Stiles into the house, closing the door once he was in.

“So, you gonna tell me what that was all about?” Stiles asked, kicking his shoes off and putting them next to Hailey’s on the mat.

“When we’re upstairs,” she said, going over to the window behind the couch and pulling back the curtain slightly. Derek had retreated to his car where he sat, looking at the house, and most likely listening to their conversation.

“Hi honey,” Alyssa said, walking into the living room as she heard voices.

“Hi Mom,” she said, turning to smile at her mother. “Mom this is Stiles.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Alyssa said, shaking Stiles’ hand. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Same here Mrs. Miner,” Stiles said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Do you two want a snack or anything?” she asked, pointing towards the kitchen. “I bought some fresh fruit this morning.”

“I’m good,” Stiles said.

“I think we can suffice until dinner,” Hailey said, picking her backpack up and heading towards the stairs.

“Alright. It will be ready around seven,” she said, making her way back to the kitchen.

“So,” Stiles said as he followed Hailey up the stairs. “What are we supposed to do instead of this English project you made up?”

“I figured I’d tell you what that was all about,” she said, pointing to the front of the house. “And then we could just do our other homework I guess. Two heads are better than one anyway.”

“Okay,” Stiles said, walking into her room and sitting at the foot of her bed. Hailey dropped her bag and closed the door. She made her way to the bed and sat on it, leaning against her pillows.

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Remember this morning when I told you Derek wouldn’t answer me when I asked him why he did that stuff to Isaac and Peter?”

“Yeah,” Stiles said, shrugging his shoulders. He scooted back on the bed to sit next to Hailey.

“Well he showed up at practice and was asking about my car and why didn’t I tell him about it. I just couldn’t understand why he was going to all these lengths to protect us when nobody knows the reason why Jackson tried to attack Aaron. So I asked him if that’s the only reason and he said that it’s partly it.”

“What’s the other part?” Stiles asked, turning his head to look at her.

“He told me that Peter thinks that I’m Derek’s mate,” she said slowly, turning to look back at him. Stiles’ eyes widened before he furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side.

“I always wondered if that was a real werewolf thing or just one of the many stories that were made up when I was researching this stuff,” he said, curiosity in his voice.

“Well apparently it’s a real thing,” she said. “So he says this and then goes on to tell me that either he chooses me and we’re together forever or he lets me go and he’s alone for the rest of his life.”

“Whoa, heavy,” Stiles said.

“Right?” she asked, sitting up a little straighter. “How else am I supposed to react to something like that?”

Just then her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to see she had a text message. Derek was flashing on the screen and she showed that to Stiles, rolling her eyes. She opened the message to read: You talk about it calmly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said, shaking her head.

“What did he say?” Stiles asked and Hailey turned the phone to show him. “What a creep.”

The phone buzzed again and Hailey looked to see another message from Derek. She held her hand up to her mouth to keep from laughing because she didn’t want to encourage Derek. Stiles raised his eyebrows and she showed him again.

“Shut up, Stiles?” he read and rolled his eyes. “Nice one wolf boy, like I’ve never heard that out of your mouth before.”

“Okay,” Hailey said, shaking her head and setting the phone down, not bothering to reply. “But really… you can’t tell me something like that and expect me to be okay. He doesn’t even know if he wants to choose me.”

“Would you hate me if I said that I can see where both of you are coming from?” Stiles asked hesitantly and Hailey shook her head.

“No, I wouldn’t hate you,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m just glad I can talk to you about this. I can’t tell Allison about this or else she’ll flip.”

“This is why I’m your best friend,” he said smugly.

“I just don’t know what to do. I can’t ignore him forever,” she said with a sigh, sitting up again and crossing her legs.

“Just tell him you need to process it and whatever other information comes to mind,” he suggested. Hailey reached over to her phone and called Derek.

“You know I can hear you just fine, right?” he asked and Hailey rolled her eyes.

“No shit,” she said. “But I’d feel pretty fucking stupid just saying what I need to say and waiting for a text message from you.”

“Fair enough,” he said.

“Okay, so… here’s the thing. I need to think and process all of this… and you need to think, too. You need to figure out what you want, Derek. Otherwise it’s not going to get any better for either of us.”

“It’s not that easy, Hailey,” he said and she picked at a loose thread on her comforter.

“It really is though,” she said and she heard him sigh. “Either you want to be with me, or you don’t. You have to realize I’ve known about the whole werewolf thing for less than a week. I have to adjust to the fact that I know five werewolves, a werewolf hunting family, a vet who seems to know about more weird shit, and a whole lot more.”

“I know,” Derek said.

“So let me take some time to figure it out okay?” she asked and it was so silent she thought maybe he had hung up. She pulled the phone away from her ear and saw the call time was still running.

“Alright,” he said finally and she nodded her head.

“Okay. Thank you,” she said. “Now can you please leave so people don’t think you’re some kind of perv or something? My Dad’s already wary of you.”

“He is?” Derek asked, sounding slightly amused.

“Yes. So if you value your life I suggest you leave before he gets home from work.”

“Fine,” he said and she heard him start the car. “I’ll see you, Hailey.”

“Bye,” she said, hanging up and tossing her phone to the foot of the bed.

“Well, you’re not screaming,” Stiles observed.

“It was fine, I guess. I’m actually surprised he agreed to leave me alone so I can think it over,” she said and Stiles nodded his head in agreement. “This werewolf stuff… it’s complicated.”

“Welcome to my life,” Stiles said, reaching for his backpack and pulling out his math book. “Now, how about some pre-calc.”

“Boy, you really know the way to a girl’s heart,” she said with a laugh, pulling her book out and flipping to their homework.