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Step by Step, We'll Get There	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: S through Z > Teen Wolf Views: 4674 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf nor profit of it. Jeff Davis owns it.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Author's note: I've been having trouble sleeping this past week and a half, so writing this chapter wasn't an easy feat because my brain was so muddled .-. So if it's not completely up to par, my apologies for that. I still hope it's not too awful!
Warnings: hm, nothing in particular I think
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the movie "The Cabin in the Woods" either.
I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 21
"I suspected this might happen," Deaton murmured, nodding thoughtfully.
"And you didn't think to warn me about whatever the hell this was?" Stiles groused; his fingers like claws around his mug of hot chocolate.
He was in the living room of the Hales, trying to warm up after having been in the cold and the rain for at least two hours, if not longer. After finding himself in front of the Nemeton after waking up from that awful nightmare, he'd made his way to the Hales' place, because that one was the closest by. He'd already felt numb from the cold and was completely soaked through; making his way back to his own house would have taken too long.
Talia had been the one to open the door after he'd rung the bell and understandably had been shocked to see him standing there, soaked to the bone at three o'clock in the morning. His dad had been called next and once he'd stuttered out that he'd found himself in front of the Nemeton, she'd called Deaton as well for some reason.
"I don't remember my wife ever sleepwalking to the Nemeton," Dad said flatly. He sat on Stiles' left and had his hand resting on his son's shoulder. For once he didn't remark on Stiles' rudeness towards the druid; he was probably fed up as well with the guy's tendency to withhold information.
"That's because there was never a need for that. She visited the Nemeton regularly enough that it didn't need to resort to measures like this," Deaton replied calmly.
"What measures? Are you telling me that tree gave me that nightmare?" Stiles asked flatly. That nightmare that had felt so real, so horrifyingly real, that he had pinched himself several times already just to make sure he wasn't asleep and that this was reality.
On his other side Derek shifted a bit, but kept his thigh firmly pressed against Stiles'. He'd been the first one downstairs after Talia and had ushered him into the living room where he'd wrapped him in the fluffiest, thickest blanket they had. While Talia had made hot drinks for them, Derek had remained next to him, using his body heat to get Stiles unfrozen again. Well, he hadn't been literally frozen of course, but still, he'd been too cold for his liking.
"In a sense," Deaton said, mysterious as always. Before Stiles could get worked up again, he continued, "The Nemeton is a sentient being and much like people, it has a need for interaction. Interaction for it comes in the form of the bond between it and the Elemental Creature it has chosen. In this case, it has bonded to you, an Elemental Fox. The Nemeton takes care of the place it resides in, but in order to do so, it needs regular interaction with you. I presume you haven't visited it in quite a while?"
"Almost a month maybe?" Stiles replied after a pause. He shook his head. "Not entirely sure, though. But yeah, it's been a while."
And why shouldn't it have been? He guessed he was grateful that the tree had somehow protected him from Theo, but why would he need to spend more time around it? It was clearly flourishing on its own, given that it had still looked massive when he'd stood in front of it just an hour ago.
Deaton nodded contemplatively. "At least in the beginning, the Nemeton needs your presence frequently around it to stabilise itself. It was bonded to your mother before, but that has already been several years and now it needs to adjust to your presence." He hummed. "Because you didn't go to the Nemeton, the Nemeton used dreams to draw you out. That doesn't happen often, but it's not unheard of either."
"I wouldn't call that nightmare a dream," Stiles muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"Just how frequently does Stiles have to see that tree?" Dad asked wearily. "And for how long does he need to visit it regularly? He's following online classes now, but you can't expect him to give up his classes to visit that damn tree."
Deaton cocked his head to the left. "I would say at least the first four months? Each week at least a couple of hours. That should be enough time for the Nemeton to bond properly. After that every two to three weeks I'd say."
"What am I even supposed to do to 'bond' with it?" Stiles asked dubiously.
"You'll know when you're with the Nemeton," Deaton smiled enigmatically before nodding at them. "I wish you all a good night – or what rests of it still."
And with that he was gone, having been rather useless and mysterious as always. Why had he even come when he wouldn't give any clear answers? Sure, he'd explained why he'd had that nasty nightmare and why he'd woken up in front of the Nemeton, but that was literally all he'd done. How was he supposed to know how to bond with that damn tree when he hadn't even known bonding was necessary in the first place?!
"Are all druids that annoyingly cryptic or is Beacon Hills just that unlucky?" he questioned blankly. "Can't we trade him in for someone else? You know, someone who actually answers all our questions?"
Talia sighed and rubbed her temples. "No, we can't 'trade' him in for someone else." She sounded as if she'd answered that question multiple times before.
Stiles was of the opinion that if she got that question so often, she really should reconsider not getting a new druid.
"At least he explained why you sleepwalked," Dad muttered. "We'll figure out the rest later. Let's go home first so that we still can catch a bit of sleep."
"It's nearly morning," Stiles pointed out, but stood up nonetheless after quickly gulping down his chocolate milk. He placed the mug on the table and shrugged off the blanket, stretching his fingers and toes. At least he no longer felt like he was freezing.
"You go to the cruiser already. I still need to ask Talia something," Dad said, groaning when he stood up and stretched his back.
Normally Stiles would have insisted on waiting for him here, too curious about the question, but truth be told, he was exhausted and despite the fluffy, comfortable blanket, he just wanted to crawl back in his own bed and forget what had just happened for at least a couple of hours. So he just nodded and trudged out of the room, aware of Derek following him. He found the shoes dad had brought with him – as he'd been barefoot because of course his subconscious hadn't thought of grabbing shoes before going outside to sleepwalk – waiting for him at the front door and he stuffed his feet inside the battered trainers.
It was then that he realised he was still wearing Derek's old clothes because his own pyjamas had been soaked. "Oh, are my pyjamas dry yet?" he asked startled, plucking at the black shirt.
Considering how muscled Derek was, the shirt hung loosely around his frame; the sleeves drooping a bit over his hands. His sweatpants were the same; he'd had to tie the strings quite firmly in order to keep them on.
"Not yet, think they still need at least fifteen minutes," Derek replied after tilting his head to the left. "But don't worry about it; I'll bring them over in a few hours. You can keep these clothes for now."
"Thanks," Stiles sighed and together they walked outside. He wrapped his arms around himself when the chilly air enveloped him and shuddered when Derek wrapped an arm around him, pulling him against him to share his heat.
It was really unfair how Derek seemed to run hot, no matter the temperature outside, while Stiles felt like he would freeze any minute now again. Oh well, that just gave him an excuse to cuddle up to the Beta wolf, he supposed.
They halted right next to the cruiser. Stiles leant against the door and Derek's hands were warm on his sides.
"You're going to be okay?" Derek inquired; the corners of his mouth twisted with concern.
"Yeah," Stiles sighed and rolled his shoulders. "That tree got my attention, which is apparently what it wanted, so I'm going to guess I'm off the hook for now." He nibbled on his lip. "I think … it's best if I go back later today, see if I can figure out what this bonding bullshit is all about, seeing as our lovely druid has explained shit."
Derek smiled wryly.
"You got time to go with me?" Stiles asked, not really wanting to go alone to the Nemeton. Not that he thought the tree could possibly harm him – didn't seem to want to at least, even though it had given him that fucked up nightmare – but he would feel better if someone else was there with him.
"Of course. Just let me know when you want to go."
"Will do." Their mouths met in a soft kiss and Stiles slipped one hand around the back of Derek's head, treading the soft strands between his fingers. When he tightened them lightly, a grumble of contentment left the older man and the fox shifter grinned in their kiss.
They only broke apart when the front door opened and Derek squeezed his hips gently. "I'll see you soon. Try to catch some sleep."
"You too." They shared another quick kiss and then Derek trotted back to the house, nodding at dad when he passed him.
Dad raised an eyebrow at him when he reached the car, but when Stiles simply quirked an eyebrow, he shook his head and unlocked the cruiser. "Come on, let's go home. We've still got a few hours left before we officially have to be awake."
The Nemeton looked less ominous during the day, even with the sky overcast and threatening with another bout of rain. Some birds were arguing with each other, their voices shrill and loud, piercing the peaceful quiet.
"So …" Stiles planted his hands on his hips and looked up at the large tree, of which the branches shuddered in the wind. "I'm here. How the hell am I supposed to bond with you?"
Next to him Derek snorted. "I don't think it can actually answer you."
"It'd be a lot easier if it could," Stiles grumbled, scowling.
Seriously, what the hell was he supposed to do now? He was giving up his morning of studying in favour of coming to the tree after having helped Derek move into his new apartment, but now that he was here, he had no clue what to do. Unlike what Deaton thought, he wasn't hit with a sudden epiphany about how he should bond with the Nemeton. Did the druid even know how that bonding should be done or had he been talking out of his ass last night?
"Whatever," he huffed and promptly sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. "I'm just going to sit here for a while and I don't know, we can talk or so. Maybe that'll be enough to bond with it."
Derek looked sceptic, which Stiles couldn't really blame him for because he was sceptic as hell too, but sat down as well and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"I don't know. Your work?" Stiles shrugged and laughed at the deadpan look he got in return. "What? You got anything better in mind? We're going to be here for a little while after all."
"Work's okay," Derek said after a short pause. "Got a new project yesterday actually."
"Oh, what's this one about?" Derek worked as a translator for both literary and technical works. The guy was ridiculously well versed in at least four languages, not including English, and the translation business allowed him to do most of the work at home, which was perfect for someone who didn't like being around other people for too long except for when they were pack.
"A technical manual for mixers. They've asked me to translate it from English to French," Derek replied and gave a small self-conscious smile. "Not as interesting as some of the other projects I've done in the past, but it pays well and the deadline is decent."
"That the only project you're working on?" Stiles asked curiously, supporting his chin with his fist. His butt was slowly growing numb from the cold underground, but he stayed stubbornly seated. He had no desire whatsoever to be subjected to another horrific realistic nightmare, so he was going to stay put here for a while.
Damn Nemeton. Damn Deaton for being such a cryptic asshole.
"Yeah, I finished the other projects on Monday, so for now that's the only one I'm working on," Derek answered. "How's your classes going?"
They sat talking there for a while, losing track of time. The Nemeton did nothing out of the ordinary, didn't try to seemingly hug him again like last night. For all intents and purposes it just looked like a giant tree.
When the sky became too dark, they left, not fancying being caught in the rain. Before they left the clearing behind, Stiles turned his head and stared at the Nemeton. The branches swung back and forth in the wind, which was picking up speed, and some of its leaves broke off and twirled gently down onto the ground.
He would know when he was in front of the Nemeton, huh? What a load of crap.
One week later had him visiting the Nemeton on Saturday on his own. Derek was busy with a new translation project, one which was a lot more work than the technical manual had been; dad was on a shift and Scott had a Skype date with Kira before he needed to go to his work.
Stuffing his hands in his pockets, shivering when a gust of wind blew past him, he sighed and ran his tongue across the back of his teeth. Man, what was he doing here?
"So I've got no clue whatsoever what I'm supposed to do," he said aloud, wrinkling his nose. "Deaton says I would know when I stood in front of you, but well, that hasn't been the case so far. He says you need to bond with me, but how does that even work?"
Of course there wasn't any answer, save for some birds chattering agitatedly in the woods behind him and some squirrels dashing underneath the bushes, probably preparing their food stash for the winter.
He didn't let himself be deterred by the silence. "I mean, obviously something made you come back to life. My memory hasn't come back completely, but I remember falling down at your stump and the next moment you apparently started growing. So I guess I should say thank you for helping me?"
He clucked his tongue and huffed, rubbing his forehead. "Look at me, talking to a damn tree," he mumbled. "Jackson would have a field day with this shit." He threw his hands up in the air. "But that's all I can think of to do. Talking is one of the things I'm good at, so I guess you'll be graced by my marvellous voice until I figure out just what the hell I'm actually supposed to do in order to let you bond with me."
He stayed quiet for a while, staring unseeingly at the thick trunk. "I wonder if my mom knew what she was doing," he muttered and ducked underneath the low hanging branches.
He sat down in the hollow formed between two massive roots, his back resting against the rough bark of the tree. Sitting here, the branches seemed to create some kind of shield around him and the usual sounds of the forest life seemed a bit muted. He breathed out slowly and leant his head against the tree, closing his eyes. Pulling his legs up, he clasped his arms around his knees and just listened to small animals scurrying around and birds swooping low over the ground before taking off high in the sky. The leaves rustled and the branches creaked once in a while when a particular strong burst of wind rattled through them.
It was late October, but for once the cold air didn't bother him. Sitting here against the Nemeton made him recall the days he'd spent here with his mom, back when she'd still been able to move around freely. Before she became too sick. They'd often just sat here against the trunk, telling stories and sharing food mom had stored in a small picknick basket. Sometimes dad had joined them, humouring them, even though he'd never understood his wife's and son's fascination with the tree.
Stiles hadn't either. He'd liked the tree, had loved coming here, because he'd seen how this place made his mom happy. This was the place where they had played and run around on so many days, where she'd taken him to celebrate his good marks and to comfort him whenever his day at school hadn't gone that well. This clearing had been their home away from home, even during autumn and winter. It had been their special place. It had been so special mom had stubbornly insisted on coming here until she could no longer physically do it. She'd fought until the end to be here, but eventually her stubbornness had been defeated by her sick body.
Sometimes Stiles thought that not being able to be here had made her illness progress faster than it should have done.
"Why do you like it here so much, mommy?" he remembered asking her once on a rainy September day. He'd been six years old at the time.
She'd laughed and stroked his hair back. "Because it's nice here, sweetheart. This tree takes care of us."
"How can it take care of us?" he'd demanded, throwing a suspicious look at the tree. "Does that mean we have to take care of it too?"
"Sure, that's the only right thing to do, don't you think so?" At the time he hadn't noticed how she'd avoided the first question.
"How do we take care of it then? Does it need candy or food or something else?"
"It's really simply, honey. If we're happy, the tree is happy," she'd smiled.
"That's all we have to do?" Even then he'd been sceptical.
"Yep, that's all we have to do. As long as we're happy, the tree is happy. It's that simple," she'd confirmed and had kissed his forehead before challenging him to catch her and shifting into her fox form.
He opened his eyes and gazed at a bug slowly crawling over his right knee before he flicked it away.
"As long as I'm happy, hm?" he mused.
Another gust of wind made the branches shudder and creak.
"So how many people are going to be there tomorrow?" Stiles questioned, plopping down on the couch and dropping his feet on Derek's lap. He grinned when Derek stared pointedly at his feet and in response he wiggled his toes.
Derek rolled his eyes but instead of shoving his feet off of him, he simply gripped his ankles gently and started massaging there. "My parents and my sisters obviously. Uncle Peter too unless he decides not to. Erica, Boyd and Isaac said they would be there as well. Maybe some of my other family members, but that's still undecided. What about your dad?
"Normally he will be there, but whether he stays will depend on how many people are going to pull stunts tomorrow."
Halloween was one of those days where people seemed determined to outdo each other in pulling stupid or dangerous stunts and usually the deputies had their hands full with pulling drunk people off the streets and breaking up fights or collecting kids who took the 'trick' part a little bit too literal.
Admittedly Stiles had been one of those kids who tended to go a bit overboard with trick or treating, but at least this year he wouldn't be out there performing any shenanigans, because he'd been invited to spend the full moon with the Hales. That meant stuffing his face full with wonderful food prepared by Talia herself before shifting and chasing – or being chased – after the others. He hadn't run around during the full moon with others since his mother had passed away, so he was really looking forward to spending the full moon with the Hales. It'd be even better if his dad could join them, because he could use some unwinding of his own.
Speaking of unwinding …
"You want to watch a movie before we go to sleep?"
Derek's eyes flashed for a couple of seconds before he got himself back under control. "Sure – but your dad did agree to you staying the night here, right?"
"For the fourth time, yes, he did," Stiles groaned and thumped his head against the arm of the couch. "Do you think I would be here if he'd said no?"
The other man didn't say anything but just offered him a very pointed look, complete with both eyebrows raised, which okay yeah, that was fair, he guessed.
Ever the mature one, he stuck out his tongue. "Okay, yeah, I see why you're suspicious, but I swear he okayed this! You can call him if you want, but I didn't sit through a whole hour of awkward sex talk- for the second time I might add! - for you to remain suspicious!"
The corners of Derek's mouth twitched. "He gave you the sex talk?"
"In torturously full detail," Stiles said slowly, widening his eyes. "It wasn't pretty for either of us and I would very much appreciate it if you would stop make me remembering it, because I'm doing my hardest here to supress that horror."
"Poor you," Derek smirked; his smirk widening when Stiles kicked his leg.
"You better be damn appreciative for what I'm willing to do for you," the Omega grumbled, crossing his arms and scowling at him. "That's a full hour I'm never going to get back!"
"Oh, don't worry, I appreciate it," Derek murmured and swiftly bent forwards to kiss him.
Before Stiles could deepen the kiss, though, the older man pulled back and laughed at his pout. "Which movie do you want to watch?"
"Why not choose the appropriate theme for the time of the month and go for a horror movie. Like The Cabin in the Woods," Stiles replied with a grin, sitting up. "They're airing it tonight and it's been a while since I last watched it. Last time I watched it was with Scott and he got too creeped out by the ending."
"What doesn't creep him out?" Derek rolled his eyes, but leant forwards to snatch the remote from the table. "Is there any horror movie that doesn't freak him out?"
"Eh, probably not. He's a sensitive soul," Stiles said wisely and stood up. "Please tell me you've still got that huge bag of chips in the kitchen."
"Should have, unless Erica or Cora swiped it when they were here a few days ago," Derek replied absently, surfing through the channels to locate the right one.
"They'd better not," Stiles muttered and walked into the kitchen which was only separated from the living room by the kitchen table.
He let out a noise of triumph when he located the large bag in the back of the cupboard and dumped it into a huge bowl, snagging a bottle of Cola with him on his way back to the couch.
"All right, we've got snacks and drinks, so we're all set to go," he announced, sitting down next to Derek. He put the soda on his other side and the bowl on both their legs so they could share. Trying not to get too distracted by Derek's warmth and scent, he said, "Press play so we can get grossed out."
Derek snorted, but pressed play nonetheless, throwing one arm around Stiles' shoulders. Which Stiles was perfectly fine with, because one, it just pressed him closer against the wolf and two, cuddling! Hell yeah, he was all for that!
He didn't care whether that sounded lame; cuddling was awesome, especially when it was with his boyfriend.
Snacks, a nice horror movie and cuddling with his boyfriend – ingredients for a great evening.
And maybe afterwards …
He grinned and pressed himself closer against Derek. He was really looking forward to his first night at Derek's place.
Staying the night at his boyfriend's apartment and attending the full moon party with his family tomorrow. It couldn't get better than that.
AN2: I know the chapter isn't that overly long, but I decided to end it at this nice note instead of leaving you all with another cliffhanger (am I not nice now? LOL)
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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