TWO.                117
DECEMBER 29. 2011

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CORDELIA LOVED ANIMALS. She had a calico cat named Tinkerbell since she was six years old. So when she was looking at all the cats in the Beacon Hills Animal Hospital instead of the peculiar case of a teenage Derek Hale, nobody was actually surprised. They had dropped Malia and Kira off on their way there, leaving just Lydia, Scott, and Stiles to deal with this new problem. Cordelia didn't deal with these problems. Stiles wouldn't let her.

     Alan Deaton looked down at Derek's unconscious body. "Wow." Was seemingly all he could say.

     Stiles looks up. "Wow? Wow as in, I've seen this before and I know exactly what to do, kind of wow? 'Cause that's the kind of wow we were hoping for." He rambled.

     Deaton looked up. "I think you might be overestimating my abilities."

     Lydia grabs Derek's hands, "He's cold." She stated, looking back at the veterinarian. Deaton began urgently looking over Derek's body, studying everything. "Really cold."

     "Do you think this is permanent?" Asked Scott.

     "I'm not sure a medical diagnosis is even adequate." Deaton mumbled, studying Derek's eyes. He looked at the teens. "This is well beyond my experience."

     "So what do we do with him?" Asks Stiles.

     Deaton shrugs. "Until he wakes up? Probably not much. It might be best to leave him with me. He'll be safe here."

     "You mean from Kate?"

    "If she's alive and she is what you say she is, she won't be able to walk past that gate." Deaton explained to the teenage alpha and his friends. Scott glanced back down at Derek. He couldn't believe that the man that had helped him learn how to be what he was, was now a teenager. Hell, maybe younger than Scott was now.

     Lydia shook her head. "Why would she want do this to him?" She asked.

     "Knowing Kate, it's probably for a reason that won't be any good for anyone but her." Deaton explained.

     Stiles huffed. "And bad for everyone else." He added.

    Deaton nodded, "You guys should probably go home. He doesn't look to be in any danger. So maybe the rest of you should get some sleep?" He gives them all a knowing smile. They all appeared to be exhausted. And from what they've done the past two days, he didn't blame them. "It is a school night. And you all need to start taking care of your own lives again."

     "Someone should stay with you." Scott says.

     "I'll stay." Lydia chirps, Derek's hand tightly holding hers. "My grades are fine. Despite missing a few classes."

     Stiles shakes his head. "I'm so not okay with this." He mutters.

     Lydia rolled her head toward Stiles. "Guys, go."

     "No."

     Scott looked at the girl for a moment. Lydia was a trustworthy friend, that much was obvious. So, he figured she could stay. "Text us if anything happens." He says as he stands up straight.

     Stiles shook his head as he looked between Scott and Lydia. "Nope, still not okay with it. Not going anywhere," He chimed as he crossed his arms. Lydia rose a brow, watching Scott grab the boy and pull him along. Offended, Stiles looks at his friend. "Alright, just because you're stronger, doesn't mean you can drag me around."

     Scott and Stiles walked by where the cats were, seeing Cordelia poking her finger through the cage to pet a small gray cat. It meowed and rubbed its neck against her skin. Its paws pressed harshly against the metal bars. Its claws got caught, pricking her as she tried to set it free. It purred as her fingers brushed over its fur. It just wanted to be loved. Oh so desperately loved as it was ignored by most people in the town that stopped by the shelter. Cordelia could relate in her own way.

Scott knocked on the door, causing the girl to whip her head around. He pushed the door open slightly. The first few cages of cats started to hiss and growl. He wasn't allowed in the room anymore. Not after being turned. "Come on, Cordy," Scott said kindly. The McCall didn't mind Cordelia. She was a lot like Stiles in a lot of ways (which is probably part of why Stiles didn't like her). Cordelia was a lot like a kitten in Scott's eyes. A sweet, innocent creature with lots of energy and bounces off the walls.

     Cordelia looked back at the cat one last time, sliding her fingers away from its cage. She moved toward Scott, following him and Stiles. She was smiling at Scott, skipping down the parking lot as she approached the faded blue Jeep. "Can we get some food?" She called out.

     "No, we're already late," Stiles said plainly. He flung open the drivers side door, standing there with tense shoulders. Cordelia groaned, crawling into the backseat.

     Scott looked over. "Come on, Stiles. We barely ate the entire trip." He gestured to the boy as he climbed in the passenger side. Stiles slid in his seat, looking between Scott and Cordelia.

     "I gotta get her home, Scott," Stiles stated finally. Cordelia noticeably slouched her shoulders, sinking into her seat as Stiles started the engine.

     Monica Collins didn't mind her daughter being out late hours of the night. Monica didn't mind anything at all, really. Not ever since the murder of her husband. Monica spent her days at work and her evenings at the bar. She truly had no recollection of where Cordelia was most of the time. The mother of two went to Hawaii with some coworkers, which was the most eventful thing she had done within the last three months. Three short but everlasting months since the loss of Quentin Collins.

     According to Scott and Stiles, Quentin was a sacrifice by a Darach. Quentin, being a police officer as well as a former navy seal, was sacrificed as a Warrior. Cordelia found it fitting, her dad was always kind of a Warrior to her when she was little.

     Cordelia's older sister, Virginia, or Ginny, had just moved to Connecticut to go to Yale. She was the first child in the Collins-Stilinski families to go to an Ivy League school. Quentin was so proud of her. He was proud of both of his daughters. But he wasn't around anymore, and he never would be. Ginny seemed to be the same. She hardly called, knowing her mother's slurred speech would turn into an argument. She knew Cordelia wouldn't say anything. She would lie to save face for her mother. That had never changed.

     The Collins house sat on its hill at the end of Elm Street. The plants now dead and becoming one with the ground. Cordelia walked over them as she trotted through the garden up to the front door. The grass was a little longer now. It didn't grow much in the colder months, but Cordelia knew it hadn't been mowed since fall.

     TV roared in the living room, causing Cordelia to tense up as she shut the door. She knew she hadn't turned on the TV. She stayed away from the living room now. Cordelia pushed her hair behind her ear. The faded pink stained her hands. She tiptoed. Her chest felt tight. She poked her head around the corner.

     Monica Collins was asleep on the couch. A can on the floor, tipped over. Their cat, Tinkerbell, licking up from the stain on the carpet. The teenage girl sighed, her shoulders falling as she moved quickly. Pick up the can, clean the mess with paper towels. Turn down the TV to a low hum (Monica never slept in silence anymore. Cordelia then moved to grab a blanket off of her father's old armchair. It was red with a print that made her eyes hurt. She placed it over her mom's body. It was like Monica knew it was Quentin's. Her body relaxed and a smile tilted onto her face. Cordelia couldn't help but smile back.

     She left her mother there. She moved to the stairs, Tinkerbell waiting at the top. Cordelia suddenly felt more tired than ever. She would fall asleep in the shower that night, basking in the warm water that soaked into her skin and washed out the pink chalk. Her head would lean against the shower wall as she dreamt about a reality that wasn't hers. Until she'd wake up an hour later to move her slumber to her bed. Where she'd rot until morning. She'd wish she could rot longer.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

THOUGH CORDELIA DIDNT HAVE MANY FRIENDS, SHE HAD A FEW FOR SCHOOL. School friends are different than real friends. You don't talk to your school friends after the final bell. You don't see them outside of the school hallways. That's what Cordelia preferred now. She liked her school friends. Specifically, a girl named Violet and a boy named Mason. The three met on Cordelia's first day, and ever since have been around each other for classes. It made school easier. It made losing Cordelia's dad a little easier as she had a distraction. It made having to deal with Stiles easier. They were the most normal thing she had.

     Violet was already talking Cordelia's ear off as they hopped off the school bus. "Garrett said that lacrosse tryouts will be soon, he thinks he's going to make first line," Violet explained. The three teens were walking down the sidewalk.

     Cordelia tilted her head. She had showered off the pink chalk and was wearing a dark red long-sleeve, jeans, her black boots, and her denim jacket. Her blond hair whisked over her shoulder as she looked at her friend. "Coach isn't picky about team members, but he is picky about where members go." She remarked. She only knew this because of overhearing Stiles and Scott talk about it their freshman year.

     "Well, it doesn't matter. Garrett is great." Violet said easily. Cordelia pursed her lips, not wanting to push further. "Mason, isn't your friend from Devenford Prep trying out?"

     Devenford Prep. The blond girl stumbled over her feet at the words, trying to hide it with an extra hop and a smile. Mason nods, "Yeah, he said he was."

     Violet smiled, "Cordy, didn't you go to that school?" All Cordelia could do was let out a crackly and pathetic mhm! Violet gasped. "Maybe you know Masons friend! What was his name again?" Cordelia closed her eyes tightly, praying to every higher power again like she did in Mexico.

     "His name is Liam."

     Shit.

     Cordelia faked a smile. "Never heard of him, sorry," She slowly looked away as Mason and Violet continued to chat. It couldn't be the Liam she was thinking of, right? Liam placed 184 on the popularity chart for the US. There was a chance it was someone else! There was at least five Liam's in the school already. Sure, most were in different grades, but still! It couldn't be her Liam. It was impossible. Plus, life wasn't cruel like that, right?

     Cordelia turned her head to see a familiar person walking past. Her eyes widened in surprise as she came to an abrupt stop. Holy shit, she thought to herself as she saw a confused and teenage Derek Hale walking down the sidewalk. She looked around, but found no sign of any of Stiles's friends. She didn't see Lydia or Deaton either. Why was Derek alone?

     "Cordy, you coming?" The blond whipped her head around. Mason and Violet stood there, staring at their friend in obvious confusion. She stuttered, looking back at the boy who should have been nearly ten years older than he was.

     "I'll catch up," Cordelia lied with a sheepish smile. Violet and Mason looked at each other as the blond girl took off running down the sidewalk. Her shoulder-bag hit against her leg as she sprinted. Derek looked confused, oblivious, and lost. Cordelia huffed out, tripping over her feet as she ran. "Derek!"

     The boy turned around. His big eyes danced around, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Do I know you?" He asked the girl.

     Cordelia panted as she slowed down. She hated running. She put her hands on her knees as she looked up. "No, but I know you." She said. Derek frowned. "That sounded more ominous than I meant." She mumbled. Derek shook his head, backing away.

     "Look, I'm just trying to get home."

     A hopeful gleam dances in her eyes. Cordelia stands up straight. "The loft?" She asks.

     Derek shook his head. "What loft?" He asked.

     Cordelia rolled her eyes. "The loft you-" She paused in realization. She looked over Derek again, seeing his lack of age and maturity. He wasn't the same Derek that her cousin and his friends knew. This was the old Derek. A younger, more innocent, naive Derek. "You wouldn't remember the loft because you're a teenager." She whispered as she stared at him. He just stared at her in confusion. Cordelia slowly tilted her chin down, "You're going to the Hale House," She was slow, attentive with her choice of words as she watched his expression.

     "Yeah, obviously," Derek deadpanned, turning to walk away. Realizing it was best she doesn't lose the Hale, her eyes light up.

     "Let me come with you!"

     The Hale turned to look at her. She was young, maybe a year younger than him, at most. Seemingly human, harmless. However, why was a spastic blond he didn't know trying to come to his house? "Why?" He mumbled.

     Cordelia looked down. She needed to think and act fast. "My name is Cordelia. I'm a friend of..." She stared at Derek for a moment, reeling over all the people he may have known during this time. "Kate?" She squeaked out as she shrugged sheepishly. Derek stared at her for a moment, and Cordelia questioned if she messed up.

     Derek's shoulders slouched. He was suddenly less tense, "Come on, I know a shortcut," He said quietly as he turned towards the woods. Cordelia sighed in relief, jogging after him.

     I can't believe that worked.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

STILES AND SCOTT WERE BACK AT THE VET CLINIC. Deaton and Lydia had called, saying Derek had escaped. So, the boys left school and came back. Deaton explained what happened with the adult-turned-teen. "I don't think he's just younger in body. I think he's younger in his mind too." He explained as he looked at his wounds.

     "He didn't recognize either of us." Lydia sighed. "And he looked like he was scared out of his mind."

     Stiles pursed his lips together in thought, "So if you're a teenage werewolf and you're scared, where do you go?" He asked as he looked around.

     "A wolf goes back to its den. But Derek lives in a loft." Scott follows.

     "Not when he was a teenager." The Stilinski countered. Stiles was right, Derek moved there back in the summer.

     Lydia shrugged, "The Hale House?" She offered.

     Deaton shook his head. "He wouldn't remember the fire. It wouldn't have happened yet." The group all look at one another. Scott and Stiles begin to walk away, causing Lydia to look over.

     Lydia speaks up, "Hold on." Everyone looks at her. "Say you do manage to catch up to him? What are you going to say to him? That his whole family is dead?"

     Scott sheepishly shrugged. "I guess I'm going to have to."

     "Oh, good luck with that," Lydia said sarcastically.

     Stiles looked over at the true alpha. "She's probably right. Maybe you shouldn't. You know, at least until we figure out how to get him back to normal." He explained. Scott looked over wildly at his best friend.

     "I can't lie to him." He confessed.

     The human shrugged. "Okay, I'll do it."

     "I don't think any of us can. Remember, he can hear a heartbeat rising." Scott explained to the group. "When we find him, we tell him the truth."

     Stiles paused, seeing his phone ringing. Everyone looks at him, wondering if it is someone important. "It's," He trailed off, rereading the contact. "It's the school?" He gawked at the others, who seemed just as confused. Stiles clicked the answer button, bringing his cell to his ear. "Hello?"

     Principal Thomas tapped his pen on his desk. "Mr. Stilinski, usually I wouldn't call a student, but you're listed as an emergency contact for Cordelia Collins, is that correct?" He asked as he glanced at his computer for what felt like the eightieth time.

     Scott used his wolf senses to listen to the conversation. Stiles furrowed his brow. "Yeah. Why, did something happen?" Stiles asked as he looked between everyone.

     "Well, she didn't show up for any of her classes. Some friends of hers claim she went off with a stranger they had never seen before. He's not a current student according to records." Principal Thomas explained. "I plan on calling your father, but you were the second primary contact after her mother."

     Stiles clenched his jaw, "Uh, don't call my dad. She was, uh, with our cousin. Thank you, Principal Thomas, sir," He rambled before hanging up. He sighed as he looked between them, shoving his hands in his pockets.

     Lydia looked between the boys. "What?" She asked in confusion.

     "Cordelia didn't show up for school. They say she ran off with some stranger," Stiles explained as he scratched his chin.

     Deaton spoke up. "Derek would have passed the school on his way to his home. Your cousin might have followed him." He offered the idea. Scott and Stiles looked at each other, knowing he could very well be correct.

     Meanwhile, somewhere in the Beacon Hills Reserve, Cordelia followed Derek. Something was wrong, and he could feel it. And yet, the blond couldn't figure out what to do. She tried repeatedly to distract him, but nothing would change his mind. Especially when he noticed things were off. Construction hats littered the properties, there was no longer a road that led to Derek's.  "Maybe we went the wrong way," She suggested, stumbling over her footing. "Maybe they're building a house!" She chirped as she passed a large truck.

"No, something happened to my house." He said coldly, storming up the path. Cordelia pushed after him, letting out a groan of annoyance.

Derek came to an abrupt stop, and Cordelia followed, the two of them looking at their surroundings. She hadn't been to the Hale House before, but she knew what it looked like from articles.  A large beautiful house, one of the nicest in Beacon Hills. Three stories, grand staircase, wood floors sounding off pitter patters of children's feet. A basement filled with werewolf lore and protection. Then it was bones of a structure. But now? Well, now it was nothing but a foundation and piles of wood.

What was once Derek's home, was nothing.

"Derek," She tried to say something, but the boy ran towards the fence that now surrounded his home.

Cordelia sighed in frustration, stepping through the now broken fence, staring at the young boy who looked around in distraught. He was so confused. What happened while he was gone? Where did everyone go? Derek glanced at the petite blond, who he could tell was probably more than oblivious. He was wrong, but he didn't know that.

Cordelia stepped closer as Derek kneeled down, holding a piece of wood. "I'm sure everything's fine," She whispered, "Maybe they're remodeling." Derek shook his head, and Cordelia pursed her lips together tightly. She slowly sat on the ground, looking at the leftovers of the house.

     "I don't know what happened," Derek whispered. "I don't know where everyone is. My mom, my sisters..." Derek trailed off as he slouched his shoulders. Cordelia could see it. The fear, the heartbreak, the confusion. To this version of Derek, none of this had happened yet. He had no idea the truth. The truth of what happened to his mom. Or what Peter did to Laura. Or any of it.

     "We'll figure it out," Cordelia reached over, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. Derek seemed unsure. Cordelia needed to get him back on track. "Maybe we can talk to my cousin! He's smart and knows everything about Beacon Hills," She rambled as she smiled kindly.

     Derek turned to her questioningly. "Why are you helping me? Why did you follow me here?"

     Her mouth hung open as she struggled to form a sentence. She didn't know how to explain it at all. "I followed you here because Kate told me you and I would get along. Plus, my house isn't that far from here." She rambles as she looks around the woods. She nodded her head, "But, I want to help you because you seem like someone who I could trust. And you need help, whether that be finding your family or just someone to talk to."

     The words hung over Derek in a way he hadn't expected them to. They were warmer, comforting, kind, and genuine. That much was true as Derek looked at the girl's face. His werewolf senses weren't great but he had learned much about reading faces. And Cordelia's? Was perhaps the kindest, most angelic face he'd come across.

     Derek looked up again. The two of them sat there for a moment, in front of the remnants of Hale House. The emptiness of what was his home now filled his chest, achingly so. He played with his fingers, his eyes focused on his lap so he wouldn't see Cordelia's face. He wasn't good at hiding his emotions. "Can I just have a moment?" He asked quietly, his eyes tracing over what was once his front door.

     Cordelia smiled sadly. She felt so bad for him, but she didn't have the guts to tell him the truth. She wasn't the person to do so. She barely knew herself. Cordelia happened to look behind her, hoping to find a place to sit and wait for Derek. Instead, she noticed two police officers approaching their direction. Deputy Parrish and Deputy Haigh. Cordelia recognized them from the few times she stopped into the sheriff's office with her dad.

     "Derek," She shakily said. Derek noticed the nervousness in her voice, causing him to turn his head. Confusion continued to lace his features.

     Deputy Jordan Parrish was the first to speak, "Sorry, but you can't be here." His tone was kind, but still stern.

     Deputy Haigh cut in, "Hey, dumbasses. You ever hear of no trespassing?" He asked harshly. Cordelia frowned. Her dad always said Haigh was a major douche. She should have known he was telling the truth.

     "This is my house." Derek snapped. The words came out, and an awkward feeling settled on Cordelia. She closed her eyes, slowly pinching the bridge of her nose.

     "Nobody's been here for years, kid. Now get the hell out of here."

     Jordan Parrish looked over, "Haigh... Maybe a slightly gentler touch." He cut in. Jordan, who Cordelia always found quite kind (and handsome), obviously could tell that something was wrong with this teenage boy. He was mentally unwell, that was for sure. A hand wrapped around Cordelia's wrist. She turned, and Derek was holding onto her. Protectively? Fearfully? She couldn't tell. What she did know, was that Derek didn't want her to move. He didn't trust these cops. "Are you all right? We can help you if something's wrong."

     Panicking, Cordelia awkwardly laughed. "It's just a big misunderstanding-"

     "What happened to my house?" Derek asked. Haigh rolled his eyes as Cordelia sighed. "Where's my family? Where's my mother?"

     "All right, let's go. Now." Haigh snapped. The deputy grabbed Cordelia's arm, yanking her off the ground forcefully.

     The blond yelped in pain, stumbling back. Her voice immediately caught Derek's attention. Derek jumped up, grabbing Haigh's arm and pushing it back. The surprising amount of strength sent Haigh a few feet back, and he let go of Cordelia. The girl stumbled behind Parrish, who was just trying to de-escalate the situation. "Hold on, just take it easy." Derek turned to the two others. "Haigh, would you-" Jordan looked at the taser in the Deputy's hand. "Don't!"

     Cordelia's eyes widen as the taser strikes Derek's side. The boy yells out in pain, his body falling to the floor. "Derek!" She yelled as he fell. She quickly rushed over, trying to calm him down. She looked over at Haigh, who was being pushed back by Jordan. Panic was flowing through her, and Cordelia wasn't sure she'd figure this out on her own.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

DEREK AND CORDELIA SAT SIDE BY SIDE ON A BENCH. Cordelia looked at the handcuff keeping her in place. Sheriff Stilinski hadn't come to see her or Derek yet and didn't know it was her that got into trouble. Jordan Parrish walked over, fiddling with keys. He kneeled, looking behind him before back at the two teens. "The other deputy thinks I'm an idiot for even asking, but I have a feeling if I take these cuffs off, you're going to be okay?" Cordelia tilted her head slightly. "And I think you'll help us figure out what happened to your family so that we can get you out of here. Am I right?"

     Cordelia and Derek look at each other, and the boy nods. Jordan does Derek's cuffs first. He scoots over, doing Cordelia's. "The other deputy's the idiot." Derek deadpanned. Cordelia tried to hide her laugh, but instead snorted as she turned her head into her shoulder.

     "I can't argue with that." Jordan chuckled as he pulled the cuff of Cordelia.

     "Parrish, get over here," Haigh called. Cordelia watched Jordan walk around a desk. "I ran this kid's prints eight times. This is all that comes up."

     Cordelia's eyes widen, realizing what the prints would say. Deputy Parrish frowned. "Derek Hale?"

     Sheriff Stilinski walked over, "Did you say, Hale?" He asked. He slowly looked up to look at Derek, but instead, his eyes fell on the blond next to him, "Cordelia?" He stared at his niece, the daughter of his sister, the youngest child in the Stilinski bloodline. She hadn't been in the station since shortly after the Nogitsune attacked her. And before that, she hadn't been there since before her dad passed.

     "Hi, Uncle Noah," Cordelia said with a sheepish smile. She clutched onto the bench nervously.

     Noah looked down at the computer. Derek Hale's mugshot from almost a year ago was on their screen, and it certainly didn't look like the boy sitting next to his niece. But in a weird way...it did. It looked like Derek if he had a younger brother. Noah thought back to the Hale fires. Cordelia furrowed her brow, weirded out as she watched Noah walking closer, staring at the boy's features. He tried to think back to those years ago, remembering a boy looking eerily similar to this. Noah glanced at Cordelia, who waved awkwardly. Noah turned back to the computer, looking back and forth again.

     The sound of the department doors opening and closing, followed by running feet caused most of the room to peer over. Stiles and Scott came running in, stumbling to a slow stop. Cordelia, teenage Derek, and Stiles's dad. Cordelia closed her eyes, grimacing. Noah seemed to piece together that this was something...out of his caliber, and turned to his deputies. "I'll handle this."

     Cordelia stood up quickly as her Uncle waved her, Scott, and Stiles into his office. She cheerily followed, seemingly not worried about the situation. She let the door slam behind her, standing next to Scott, her hands clasped. Sheriff Stilinski looked between the three teens. "I want you to be honest with me." He leaned against his desk, looking at his son, and then Scott. "Absolutely and completely honest." Everyone quickly nods. Cordelia smiled cheekily, unsure what his question was going to be. "Have you been time traveling?"

     Stiles paused, shaking his head. "Hang on, what?"

     Cordelia's eyes widen in surprise. Noah waves his hand. "Because if time traveling is real, you know what? I'm done. I'm out." Sheriff Stilinski glanced at Stiles. "You're going to be driving me to Eichen House."

     Scott pointed to where young Derek was outside. "We found him like that." He defended.

     The sheriff shook his head in confusion. "Where? Swimming in the fountain of youth?"

     "No." Stiles blurted, as if that was obvious, "We found him buried in a tomb of wolfsbane in an Aztec temple in Mexico underneath a church in the middle of a town that was destroyed by an earthquake." He rambled. Scott grimaced, knowing they hadn't told any of their parents that part of the trip. Cordelia pursed her lips together, turning her body slowly to look at her uncle.

     Noah Stilinski stared at his son in disbelief. His mouth opened and closed as he thought about the weekend his son and niece were gone. "You told me you were camping!" He whisper-shouted.

     Cordelia shrugged, "To be fair, we were." She pointed out.

     "In Mexico," Stiles added. Noah pointed at his son in anger.

     "I let you bring your cousin, thinking it would keep you both out of trouble! But instead," Noah waved his finger in anger, and Cordelia bit her tongue nervously.

     Scott spoke up, trying to get the conversation back on track. "Derek's been aged backwards. He can't remember anything." He explained. Cordelia nodded, looking at the Sheriff.

     "We just need to talk to him," Stiles adds.

     Sheriff scoffed. "Yeah, well, so far he's not talking to anybody." Scott turned around, looking at Derek through the glass.

     "He'll talk to me," Scott states finally. He makes a step towards the door, and Cordelia turns around to look at the teenage boy in the hall. Noah moves around the kids, calling Derek in.

     Derek sat down in front of the three teens. He studied each of them in confusion. Stiles leaned onto the desk as Cordelia sat in Noah's chair, fiddling with her blond hair absent-mindedly. The Hale furrowed his brow, "Why would I go anywhere with you?" He asked. Derek glanced at Cordelia. She reminded him of someone from school.

     "There was an accident. You lost some memory, but we can help you get it back." Scott explained. Stiles looked at an envelope on his dad's desk. He moved some out of the way, seeing an envelope from Eichen house. The insane asylum he went to after he attacked Cordelia, where he tried to protect his friends from himself.

     "How much memory?" Derek asked.

     "A lot. But you can trust us." Scott said slowly.

     Derek watched as Scott kneeled in front of him. When the McCall's eyes glowed red, Derek was shocked. "You're an Alpha." He said in realization.

     Derek looked at all three of them  "Okay, who are you people? And who is he? Who are you?" He pointed to Stiles, who finally came back to reality after discovering the Eichen House bills.

     "Oh, we're the guys keeping you out of jail," Stiles said sarcastically.

     Scott looked over. "Let us help you."

     Derek protested, and Stiles scoffed. "Okay, dude, you almost tore apart two cops back there. You need to listen to us. And that starts with no fangs, no claws, no wolfman. You got that?"

     "I'm fine as long as it's not on a full moon," Derek argued.

     Cordelia cocked her head to the side, finally speaking up. "You still have trouble with the full moon?" She asked in confusion.

     Derek snapped his head at her. "I said I'm fine."

     "All right, you coming with us or not?" Stiles asked, impatient.

     "You want me to trust you? Where's my family?" Young Derek glanced at everyone, eventually glancing at Scott.

     Scott looked back at Stiles and Cordelia. This was the time. "There was a fire. And," He started, Derek's eyes softened, glossing over while he waited for Scott to say the rest. Scott paused, looking over at the boy "They're not here anymore." Scott lied. Cordelia's expression contorted into confusion. "They're fine. Just had to move out of Beacon Hills." Stiles and Cordelia shared wary looks, glancing at Scott at the same time. "And we're going to take you to them as soon as we figure out how to get your memories back."

     With a deep exhale, Derek nodded. "Okay." He said finally.

     The three teens all gather back together at the front desk. "I shouldn't have done that. I lied my ass off." Scott said.

     "Just a bit." Cordelia shrugged, causing Stiles to nudge her to make her stop talking.

   "Hey, your ass is fine. You saved him a ton of unnecessary pain." Stiles reassured his friend. "We'll figure this out in a day or two, he goes back to being old Derek, everyone's happy. Except for Derek, who's never happy."

     Scott sighs, shaking his head. "It's just another person that we're lying to. I always feel like it's always been better when we tell the truth. With Lydia, my mom, your dad." He explained to Stiles. Cordelia tilted her head to the side as both boys looked at her.

     "What?"

     Stiles ignored the blond. "Yeah, but that is Derek Hale in there." The three teens all slowly look over at Derek talking to an officer. "He may be a kid right now, but he's still Derek Hale, Scott."

     Scott sighs, looking at his two best friends. "All right. Take him to my house and don't let him out of your sight." He says to Stiles.

     Cordelia looks at the True Alpha. "And where are you going?" She asked.

     Scott looks over. "I'm going to go talk to the guy we should have gone to before." He remarked. Cordelia and Stiles shared wary looks.

     Stiles hits Scott's arm as he walked away. "Uh," He pauses, watching Scott just leave completely. "Yeah, I hate that guy." He called out. Cordelia chewed on the inside of her cheek. She had never met the guy Scott and Stiles were talking about, but she heard enough to know she didn't want to.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

TEENAGE DEREK HALE SEEMED VERY FOND OF THE COLLINS GIRL. He talked to her way more than he talked to Stiles. At the McCall house, Stiles looks back at Derek. Derek and Cordelia follows him inside, Cordelia shutting the door. "We're going to wait here for Scott. We're going to sit quietly. We're not going to call or talk to anyone."

     "Do I talk to you?" Derek asked Cordelia.

     She smiled wide. "Yes!"

     However, Stiles cut in. "No." He snapped, grabbing Cordelia and moving her over to his side. Stiles put himself between Derek and Cordelia, glaring down the young Hale. Cordelia rolled her eyes, pulling her arm out of Stiles's grip.

     Derek rolled his eyes. "Fine." He looked up, "Who's going to talk to him?"

     The pair of cousins jumped in shock when they saw Rafael McCall standing there in the dark. Both of them let out strange sounds and mumbled as Stiles waves his arm. "Are you getting taller?" Stiles hissed.

     Agent Mccall looked at his son's friends. "What are you guys doing here?"

     "We're waiting for Scott," Derek answered promptly.

     Rafael looked at the boy. "Yeah, so am I. We're supposed to have dinner." Cordelia tilted her head, feeling slightly bad for the man. "I brought extra. You guys hungry?"

     Derek nods. "Yeah."

     Stiles shook his head. "No. We're not hungry."

     "No, I'm starving," Derek argued.

     "Neither of us are hungry. Thanks, though." Stiles followed. Cordelia looked over, raising a brow.

     Agent McCall shrugged. "Okay, well if you're not hungry, Stiles, your friend can still eat with us. What's your name?"

     Derek goes to say his name, but Stiles answers first. "Miguel!" He stuttered, "My cousin Miguel. From Mexico." Cordelia's jaw drops when Agent McCall starts speaking Spanish. "Oh my God," Stiles mumbled.

     "We're gonna die," Cordelia whispered.

     However, to their surprise, Derek started speaking Spanish, replying to Rafael's comment. Cordelia looked at him in disbelief, now finding Derek slightly impressive. "Fantastic. Egg roll?"

     "Hell, yeah." Derek chimed, walking over.

     The cousins watch as they begin pulling out food. "Fantastic! Egg roll." Stiles said, walking over. Cordelia sighed, pushing her hair over her shoulder and walking towards the table.

     Stiles clenched his jaw as he watched Derek side-eye Cordelia. Watching a younger version of the guy you don't like very much check out your cousin is not a fun sight. Stiles learned that this very moment. Cordelia smiled politely at Mr. McCall as he handed her food, letting her sit down across from Stiles.

     The three sat at the table, awkwardly eating in silence. "So, uh, Miguel. What did you say your last name was again?" Rafael asked. Cordelia looked at her food, wishing it would eat her whole instead.

     "Oh, it's Juarez. Cinqua, Tiago." Stiles answered. Cordelia exhaled slowly, closing her eyes and praying this was all a dream.

     Agent Mccall rose a brow. "That's a mouthful. How do you spell that?" Everyone looked at Stiles, considering he was answering everything.

     "Phonetically."

     Derek looked at Cordelia for a moment. His eyes were flickering with curiosity. He reminded her a lot of a couple different people. A girl he crushed on, and a girl he ran into sometimes after basketball. The blond looked up for a moment, noticing his eyes on her. She teamed up, and she looked intently at her food. She now seemingly refused to look anywhere else, attempting to hide the color pink tinting her cheeks. The teenage Hale rose a brow, glancing at Rafael's badge on the table. "Mr. McCall, you're an FBI agent?"

"He's low level. Very low level." Stiles followed. "He doesn't even have a voice."

"So do you investigate murders?" Derek asked. Stiles glanced at Cordelia, who shrugged in confusion.

Agent Mccall nodded. "Sometimes. When it's a Federal crime." He answered.

"What about fires?"

Cordelia choked on her food as she dropped her fork. Stiles looked around. "Oh my God, I wonder where Scott is." Stiles hummed. "Shouldn't Scott be here by now? We should call Scott."

"I wanna call Scott!" Cordelia chimed in between chokes. She smacked her chest, clearing her throat loudly.

Agent Mccall looked over. "What kind of fires are you talking about?"

Stiles nervously laughed as he pulled out his phone. Derek looked at Rafael. "What do you know about the Hale family?" He asked. Cordelia sighed, sinking in her chair.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

DEREK SHOVED STILES INTO A WALL. The human boy grunted as his face was pressed into Scott's bedroom door. "Okay, I didn't lie. I omitted certain truths." He explained. Cordelia told a few feet away, her eyes wide with panic. "Vital truths now that I think about it." Derek looked at Cordelia. The blonde had a sad look in her eyes, and something told him she was the only one truly sincere.

"I don't want to talk to you," Derek said, pushing away from Stiles. "I want to talk to the Alpha. I'll talk to Scott and Cordelia."

Stiles nodded, "Okay. I'm going to go get him." He said, looking at his cousin. "My phone's downstairs. Going to call him real quick." Cordelia nods in agreement. "You guys stay here, just don't move, okay? Don't move."

Stiles walked out of the room, leaving Derek and Cordelia. "You lied," Derek stated. The blond girl swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Actually, I barely know anything about you, so it's hard to lie," She said honestly. Derek looked at her. She was being honest.

Sighing, Derek sat on the bed. "What do you know about it? The fire?"

The Collins girl pursed her lips into a thin line as she sat next to him. "Not a lot. Just what Stiles told me." She answered honestly. "A lot of people died. But your Uncle Peter and Cora survived." Derek looked at his fingers in his lap, feeling guilty.

"Do you know who did it?" He asked. Cordelia looked at him with sad eyes, answering him without saying a word. He scoffed, trying to hold back tears as he looked down at his hands.

Cordelia looked at her shoes. "I'm so sorry." She said softly. Derek looked up, studying the blond. Cordelia was observant, so even when she didn't look at him, she noticed. She noticed everything, and her heart began to pick up. She awkwardly stood up, walking towards the bedroom door.

Derek used his wolf senses, hearing her heart rate. "You're nervous." He said lowly. Cordelia stared at the door, mentally cursing when she realized he still had supernatural hearing.

"Well, yeah," She mumbled. Derek slowly stood up, causing Cordelia to spin around.

"Why?"

Cordelia threw her hands up slightly. "Because you're looking at me like that and the real Derek would probably throw up. You're not actually a teenager. It's 2012 you're literally 24 but because of some crazy lady she kind of...reversed you?" She rambled, clamping her lips together tightly. Derek stared at her, and she stared back. Teenage Derek liked her. And he was just told he's not even a teenager.

Before Derek could say anything, the bathroom door swung open, causing them to jump in surprise. Kate Argent slowly walked out, looking between them. "Aw, that's cute." She pouted. Cordelia's eyes widen.

"Kate?" Derek whispered, shocked.

"Hey, Handsome." Kate chimed with a smirk. Cordelia's eyes were wide. "You're cute, very pretty girl." Kate walked towards Cordelia, who swallowed nervously.

Cordelia closed her eyes as Kate played with her hair. "I got great genetics. Wish I could say the same for you," She commented, sarcastically smiling at Kate.

The Argent narrowed her eyes. "You're just like your cousin. Can't keep your mouth shut. Kate raised her elbow, hitting Cordelia in the face. The blond fell back at the impact, falling unconscious. Derek flinched in surprise, looking at the huntress in a panic. "Been a long time. Longer than you think."

Moments later, Stiles comes up the stairs, on the phone with Scott. "No, he's in your bedroom with Cordy, he'll be totally fine. To be honest, I'm starting to miss the old Derek. So, if you actually think that Kate's coming to find him," Stiles opened the door, stumbling when he saw Cordelia on the floor and Kate's retreating figure in the window. "You might be right," Stiles said into the phone.

He leaned down, "Cordy, come on, wake up," Stiles said as he shook the blond. She had a bloody nose, and her eyes slowly opened. "You okay?"

The blond sat up, wiping her nose. "My face hurts," She whined, looking at Stiles. The boy hoisted her up, the two walking down the steps. "Where are we going?"

"To get Lydia and Kira, then we're going to find Derek."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

THE BLUE JEEP SPED INTO THE PARKING LOT. Kira jumped out, grabbing her sword as the banshee and the two humans clambered out of the car. Cordelia looked around, seeing only two other cars in the parking lot. She recognized one of them, leaving the other to be Kate Argents. Stiles and Lydia ran ahead, assuming Cordelia was right behind them.

The blond looked at the back of the trunk, knowing an Argent had to have a gun. She may be supernatural now, but she was still a hunter. It was like, their basic nature. Cordelia looked back at Stiles's jeep, opening the trunk to grab her winter formal dress. It was a sparkly black that she had gotten a few weeks ago. She opened up the plastic, tugging the coat hanger out. She quickly undid the metal hanger, forming it into a hook. She walked around to the passenger door of Kate's car, inserting the hanger in between the weatherstrip and the window. Cordelia sticks her tongue out as she struggles to find the bottom edge of the window. When she does, she lowers the hanger two inches. She cheekily smiles as she hooks on to the locking pin, pulling it. The clicking sound causes Cordelia to pull the handle, the door of the car opening.

"These guys really should've brought me in sooner." The girl chimed casually. She pushed herself into the car, climbing to the back to get to the trunk. When she does, she sees a multitude of weapons. "Okay, Cordy, take your pick," She said to herself. She had only shot three guns, all her dad showed her. She didn't know much else than how to shoot and load. So, Cordelia grabbed a gun that looked the closest to one she shot, and grabbed the matching bullets.

"You seriously need to find something better than a baseball bat," Lydia commented to Stiles. She turned around to say something to Cordelia. "Wheres Cordy?"

Stiles spun around, seeing no sign of his cousin. "Oh, hell," He mumbled in frustration.

Meanwhile, "Kira!" Scott McCall shouted as the girl he likes looks back. The Berserker (apparently the thing that attacked Malia, Kira, and Cordelia in Mexico) slammed her sword out of her hand, sending Kira flying back to the ground next to Scott and Malia. There was two of them, and from the little bit that they knew, it was that they had a very slim chance defeating even one of these strange creatures.

"Hey, asshats!" Everyone looks over at the steps, where Cordelia stood, aiming a large shotgun. It was a military gun, and she pulled back as she fired. The Berserkers stumbled at the impact, but so did Cordelia. She fired again, and again, watching the Berseker's coming closer. However, she slowed down when another figure came running in, fighting the creatures. She lowered her weapon, eyes wide.

It was teenage Derek, fighting the creatures in order to help Scott and Cordelia. He dodged their movements with ease, easily more skilled than the other three creatures. He paused for a fleeting moment to look at the others. Scott looked at him with wide eyes.

Malia Tate crawled over to the blond. "How the hell did you get here? And where did you get that?" She gawked at the large gun in the girls hands.

Cordelia looked down. "Stiles drove me, and I broke into Kate's car." She said easily. Malia and Cordelia looked back as Derek fell into the lockers. She held onto her weapon, unable to do anything. She couldn't. She knew if she did, she could hurt him. She watched as something was happening. His face, even in the shadows, she could see was changing. Cordelia stepped back, worried they'd come closer.

Until a pitchy roar/howl fills the air.

The Berserkers stop fighting the Hale. Almost immediately, they go running in the direction of the sound. Kate, Cordelia realizes. The sound they heard, was her summoning her creatures. They were fleeing. Cordelia holds the shotgun tightly as she looks between Scott, and then Derek's figure. He was kneeled on the ground, his back facing the others as he stared after the Berserkers. She watched as the Hale stood up slowly. Scott pushed himself up off the ground slowly. "Derek?"

The figure slowly turns around. Cordelia
let out a breath of relief, seeing teenage Derek was now the real, current Derek. The normal Derek. The Derek Scott knew. That is, until they saw his eyes. They weren't blue. They were yellow. Cordelia's eyes widened in confusion.

"What the hell?"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━