AU post-season one. That is all you need to know.

Stiles awoke from yet another Peter filled nightmare. He hadn't slept well since that night a month ago. The nightmares always came. This was worse than when his mother had died.

Scott should have known something was wrong. He normally would have. But with Lydia and Jackson now wolves, and him still dating Allison, he hardly had time for school.

Derek was busy working out a peace agreement with the Argents and training the two new werewolves. Even though he had declared Stiles pack, Stiles didn't feel comfortable talking to him.

Lydia was just starting to talk to him. He didn't want to appear weak in front of her.

Jackson and Stiles were only now cordial with each other, years of animosity not yet behind them.

Allison had new liaison-y duties to attend to (reporting in between the pack and her family), along with helping train the pack, and spending time with Scott.

But now here Stiles was, hardly sleeping, rarely eating, and not coping at all with what he had to do. He had assisted in murder. Yes, he tried to rationalize it as necessary to kill Peter Hale. But a part of him was sickened by the death. He may have been scared to death of the man…monster, and yes to save his, everyone he loved, and several he hated lives, it was necessary, but it didn't make it feel right. The last thing his mother had told him was that human life is sacred, and never should it be his choice to end another's.

He laid in bed for hours, feeling guilty. Then his alarm went off. He got up and got ready for school. He got into his jeep and started driving to school.

Unknown to Stiles, each of his friends were waiting for Stiles to speak up. They all knew something was wrong, but they wanted to let Stiles come to them first, not try to force him to talk. It didn't help that Stiles was very good at pretending nothing was wrong. His friends (even Jackson) were worried about him.

Sheriff Stilinski had had a late shift that night. He had only gotten in at 4 am. So he was slightly drowsy when he got a call at 7:30. He answered, "Stilinski here." One of his deputies said at the other end, "Your son has been in a car accident. He is currently in route to the hospital."

The sheriff jumped out of bed and asked, terrified of the answer, "How bad?"

The deputy responded, "The car was wrapped around a tree off the road. It looks like he fell asleep while driving."

The sheriff rushed to get dressed and drove over to the hospital. He was thankful that Mrs McCall, a long-time friend of his and the mother of his son's best friend, was on duty that morning. Normally, she was one of the most professional nurses ever. Today, she dropped that and ran over to the Sheriff and gave him a hug.

He asked, "Any news?"

She responded hesitantly, "He in surgery being stabilized."

He waited for more information. Secretly, so was Mrs McCall. The school was informed of the accident. In less than an hour, Scott, Lydia, Allison, and Jackson were there. Normally, he would have scolded them for skipping. Today, he knew they were just as worried as he was. To take his mind off of the stress, he fell back on police instincts.

He stated, "Jackson, I was under the impression you and Stiles were more likely to kill each other than anything else."

Scott chuckled. Jackson said nervously, "We buried the hatchet a couple weeks ago."

The sheriff said, "Lydia, you haven't given Stiles the time of day since 3rd grade. When did that change?"

Lydia said, in her almost arrogant voice, "He sat by me when I was injured for a week. This is me repaying my debt."

The sheriff could see in her eyes she was actually concerned, but naturally didn't want to show it.

"And you must be Chris's daughter, Allison," the sheriff continued. "My son frequently sounds almost jealous of you."

Scott looked typically confused while Jackson and Lydia snickered. Allison said, "Oh yes, I can imagine him being quite jealous of me stealing his Scott. Not that he would ever, you know, say anything to Scott about wanting bro time."

Sheriff Stilinski laughed at that comment. Stiles was so much like his mother, always putting other people first.

Scott was texting someone frequently, Jackson seemed to be texting a number of people, Allison was texting someone as well, probably her parents.

So Sheriff, not knowing what else to do, asked, "Jackson, who are you texting?"

Jackson replied, "You'd be amazed at how many people are missing Stiles at school."

Stilinski replied, "Really?"

Jackson answered, "A number of people are concerned because, in their words, 'Stiles' backtalk is the only thing that makes school worth it.'"

The Sheriff burst out laughing. Stiles' ADHD had combined with typical teen attitude to become something dangerous to the stability of a typical classroom.

The sheriff continued, "Who are you texting Allison, your parents?"

Allison looked surprised by the guess while Lydia was intrigued. Allison responded, "Yes, how'd you know?"

Sheriff Stilinski said, "You are using a greater number of keystrokes than either Allison or Scott. Either you generally text very formally, using completely proper English, or you are texting someone who would disapprove of less proper language. I've met your father, so I'm guessing they are a little old fashioned."

Allison said, "Impressive work. I can see how you became Sheriff."

The Sheriff said, "Thank you. Who are you texting, Scott?"

Scott nervously shot a look at the others. He stammered, "It's a long story."

The Sheriff, rather confused, asked, "Is it Stiles' secret girlfriend that he sneaks out to see?"

The teens laughed. Scott said, "No, not a girlfriend."

The sheriff asked, "Is it a boyfriend, because I would be fine with that. Stiles didn't need to keep it a secret."

Lydia, Allison, and Jackson laughed. Scott looked horrified. Allison saw his face and asked, "What?"

Scott stated, slightly scared, "The first few times I saw them together, their positions were… they were… I thought he was threatening Stiles, but it could've been…"

The Sheriff questioned, "Threatened? Why was Stiles being threatened by this dude?"

Jackson stated, redirecting the question, "Who hasn't threatened Stiles? Being threatened to death is like eating for Stiles. Largely just to shut him up."

Sheriff Stilinski accepted that answer. Then he asked, "You never answered the original question. Who are you texting?"

So Scott responded, "If Stiles hasn't told you about him, I won't. It is his business to tell you who his friends are. Not mine."

The Sheriff decided now was not the time to push.

The group waited for several hours for any news. Finally, Mrs McCall came over and said, looking concerned and like she had cried, "He's stable but… but…"

Scott asked, scared for his best friend, "What's wrong, Mom? Tell us what's going on!"

His mother said, "He's in a coma right now. And even if he wakes up, he probably won't be able to walk again. His back was broken in several places." Then she broke down in tears. Stiles had been like a second son to her, since his mother had died.

They went to see Stiles. He looked so broken, so weak. He was never this still, not even when he slept. The Sheriff spent all day with his son, hoping that he would wake up. He was convinced to go home at 9 pm that night by Mrs McCall and Scott.

Derek had been waiting all day for the sheriff's car to leave. When it finally did, he snuck in to see his young pack member. Scott was still there as he had promised to stay with his friend through the night.

As soon as Derek walked through the door, Scott said, "Turn him. It will save his life."

Derek said despondently, "It would breach the treaty."

Scott replied, "Fuck the treaty. He's pack, and it will save his life."

Derek said, "Stiles would rather die than break the treaty. He did more for that treaty than anyone will ever realize."

Scott broke down in tears. He needed Stiles, as much as he needed Allison.

Allison said, "Dad, you need to allow a breach of the treaty, just this once."

Mr Argent said, "No, the treaty must be enforced, or else it is meaningless. Stiles said no. So he will not be bitten."

Mrs Argent said, "But honey, I am sure he would consent if he could."

Chris Argent replied, "But we can't know that. So it will not happen. The treaty stands, or Derek dies." He then left the room, signalling the discussion was closed.

Victoria Argent said, "The treaty stands. Humph." She went into her files and pulled something out. It was a copy of the treaty. Allison's mom then said, "I'm not giving you this with explicit instructions to have Lydia read it back to front to find some loophole. I'm giving this to you so you can be fully apprised of all the intricacies of the treaty so you can better fulfil your duties as Argent-Hale liaison."

Allison said, "Thanks mom. I'm not going to go read this treaty back to front to find a loophole. I'm going to go study with Lydia, staying overnight, so we can study for a test tomorrow."

Mrs Argent said, "Good. Drive safe, and see you tomorrow afternoon."

Allison left to go to Lydia's. Lydia was ecstatic to get to read such a complex (sort of) legal document in an attempt to find a loophole.

Allison said to Lydia, hours later, "Found anything?"

Lydia said, "The first 5 pages are about decreasing the number of hunters as months pass, eventually leaving only you and your parents in town. The hunters must have had a lawyer write this up."

Then Allison, who had read the second set of five pages, said, "Wait, look at these. Can you find a definition of consent in this?"

Lydia looked for several minutes, scanning for every instance of the word "consent".

She finally said, "No. Wait a minute…" She ran to her computer to find something. After a couple of minutes, "If we argue that this is a matter of medical consent, Stiles no longer has the ability to communicate his intentions. That means that, as a minor, his medical power of attorney is transferred to his father."

Allison said, "Write down that in legalese, so I can take it to my father."

Stiles had not improved at all by the next day. Allison only barely paid attention in class that day. Making an argument for this was terrifying. Her father was not going to be happy.

Allison walked straight up to her father and said, "The pack has petitioned your decision to not allow the bite to Stiles."

Mr Argent replied, "Have they? My decision stands."

Allison stated, "They would like to direct your attention to Articles 37-54 of the treaty."

Mr Argent looked interested at where this discussion was going. He pulled out his copy of the treaty. "Please continue the pack's petition."

Allison pulled out a notecard from her pocket. She read, "In the treaty, you used the word 'consent' in context of receiving the bite, 17 times. But not once did you define what you meant by consent."

Mr Argent stated, "The lawyers stated that 'consent' was clear enough without any clarification."

Allison continued, "The pack would argue that in this case, the bite is acting as a medical procedure."

Chris Argent said, "I will consent, for the sake of argument, to that point of view."

The Argent-Hale liaison stated, "As such, Stiles, since he is unconscious, no longer has the ability to consent to any procedure."

Mr Argent said, not quite seeing where this was going, "Okay."

Allison said, "As he is a minor, his medical power of attorney now rests with his father."

Mr Argent suddenly understood, and asked, "Are you… I mean, is the pack suggesting that we fully disclose the situation to the sheriff and allow him to decide whether or not to inflict the bite on Stiles?"

Allison said, "Yes."

Mr Argent thought for a minute. He was of the opinion that the parents should be informed any way. Allison knew this. She was utilizing that position to attempt to sway his opinion. So he said, "If the pack is treating it as a medical procedure, a medical professional must also consent to the procedure."

Allison looked crestfallen. Even though officially the pack had prepared this petition, Chris knew that this was Allison's and Lydia's work. He was willing to bet Derek didn't even know about this petition. So he continued, "I think an appropriate medical professional would be Melissa McCall."

Allison dropping the liaison attitude, said, "So, this is going to be left up to Scott, essentially. I'm going to go inform the pack of your decision."

She went upstairs and started texting.

To: Scott

Is Sher w/ Stiles?

From: Scott

Yea

To: Derek

Call pack meeting. Re: Stiles.

To: Lydia

Conditional yes. More info meeting.

From: Derek. To: Pack (Scott, Lydia, Allison, Jackson, Stiles)

Meeting at House ASAP. Re: Stiles

Allison got up and left to go to Hale House. As soon as the pack was assembled, she said, "Lydia and I found a loophole in the treaty, which I have already argued to my father and he has agreed."

Scott said, "So Derek can go bite Stiles? Why are we still talking?"

Allison said, nervously, "The loophole is sort of complicated. If you want the legal jargon, talk to Lydia. But what it boils down to is we have to get both Sheriff Stilinski and Mrs McCall to agree."

Derek said, "I may be Alpha, but this will not be my decision to make. I will not force you to tell your mom, Scott."

Scott said, "So either I tell my mom and Mr Stilinski, or I may never get my best friend back." He thought for several moments then said, "I'm telling them."

Scott convinced his mom and Sheriff Stilinski to meet him in Stiles' Hospital room. He was nervous as all get out.

As soon as his mom got there, he asked, "Would you know when a nurse is next coming by?"

His mom checked and said, "At least half an hour. Why?"

Scott said, "We need to talk, the three of us about Stiles."

The Sheriff said, "Whatever it is, just say it."

Scott said, "Please don't freak out." Before either of the parents could say anything, Scott transformed.

Mrs McCall gasped. Sheriff Stilinski put his hand on his gun. Scott returned to his human form and said, "I'm sort of a werewolf."

The Sheriff asked, "How long have you been like this? Is Stiles as well? What does this have to do with Stiles? Why are you telling us this? Are you connected to all of those animal attacks?"

Scott chuckled and said, "Now I know where the babbling comes from." Then he continued more seriously, "I've been a werewolf since that night with half a body. When you caught Stiles and didn't catch me. Stiles is not a werewolf, though he is pack. I'll explain that later. I was not responsible for any of the animal attacks."

Mrs McCall asked sincerely, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Scott replied, "Oh yeah, that would have gone well. 'Hey Mom, I'm a mythological creature, thought you'd like to know.'"

The parents chuckled lightly. Scott said, "The reason I'm telling you now is because there is a good chance that, if we turn Stiles, he would heal."

Mrs McCall said, "Why are you asking at all? You have been doing stuff without either of us knowing for years."

Scott said, "My Pack has a treaty with Argents that, among other things, prevents us from turning people without full consent."

The sheriff asked, "What are the Argents, vampires?"

Scott laughed and said seriously, "No, they are werewolf hunters, have been forever."

Mrs McCall said, "They are the silver that kills werewolves, aren't they? Their name means silver."

Scott said, "Yeah. You know French?"

Mrs McCall responded, "Latin. Close enough for the connection to be made."

The Sheriff said, "Back to werewolf stuff, please." He paused and said, "Argents hunt werewolves. The Hales must have been werewolves!"

Scott said, "Yes, but they didn't kill anyone, at least, not before the fire. Peter Hale went mad after the fire. He started killing everyone connected to the fire. He's the one who bit me."

Mrs McCall asked, "What happened to Peter?"

Scott shifted uncomfortably and said, "Me, Jackson, Stiles, Allison, Mr Argent, and Derek Hale ki…put him down." He could not bring himself to say "killed".

The Sheriff said, "I understand you had to. You should have called me. I would've helped."

Scott said, "Stiles wanted to protect you from the supernatural."

The Sheriff thought Stiles was so much like his mother, always putting other people first, trying to protect them.

Then the Sheriff said, "Wait, Derek Hale? Is that who you were texting the other day? Him? You think he and Stiles are in a relationship?"

Scott said, "I doubt the relationship, but I was texting him. He's the Alpha, the leader of the pack."

Sheriff Stilinski said, "You've been talking to someone who… wait, Peter was the one who did all that stuff, not Derek right?"

Scott said, "Yea, all Peter. Well, except for Kate Argent. But she tried to kill him, and breached the Code."

The Sheriff asked, "The Code?"

Scott said, "The Code is the rules that the Hunters follow. The basis of The Code is that they 'hunt those who hunt them'. It's also the basis of the treaty with them. We won't hurt humans, they won't hurt us."

Sheriff said, "You can bite him if it will save him."

Scott said, "Oh, I can't turn him. Only the Alpha has that ability."

Sheriff said, "Call him. He can do it."

Scott said, "He didn't want to rush your decision. He's waiting until tomorrow for your decision. Mom, you are going to also have to approve of the procedure. Plus, you guys need to hear the risks."

Mrs McCall asked, "Risks?"

Scott said, "If Stiles' research and Lydia's math is correct, which I'm willing to bet it is, Stiles has about a 62% chance of successful infection."

Mrs McCall said, "What is does failure mean?"

Scott said, nervously, "29% chance of death and 9% chance of something else entirely, something that we can't really predict."

Mrs McCall, in full nurse mode, said, "71% survival rate. Not excellent but…"

The Sheriff said, "But what?"

Mrs McCall said, "The doctors say he only has about a 25% chance of waking up at all right now. They weren't going to tell you until the end of the week, when his chances go down even further."

Scott then said, "Then there are the dangers of the full moon. We don't have full control of ourselves during the full moon. We are easily provoked, short-tempered, and then we sort of have to change that night."

Mrs McCall said, "So, you guys have a period, a violent period, but a period none the less."

Scott chuckled at the comparison, and said, "I guess."

Sheriff said, "What is your opinion, Melissa?"

Scott's mother said, "I would say that this 'procedure' has potential. I would recommend it as it is the only real treatment option."

Stiles' father said, "I'll think about it tonight. I'll give my answer in the morning."

Sheriff Stilinski was in quite a state that night. So he was really not in the mood when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to find Derek Hale.

The sheriff begrudgingly let him in.

The Sheriff said, "Scott told me pretty much everything. The rest was contained in the research upstairs. I found it impressive how much not porn I found on his computer."

Derek did something that was almost a smile. The sheriff could see that the man…werewolf…was still deeply affected by the loss of his family a decade ago.

Then Derek said, "Scott… well, he may be in my pack, and he may be a good kid, but he still has issues seeing the bite as a gift. He would rather be typical than be a werewolf."

The Sheriff responded, "There is no such thing as a free lunch. The power you have has its own weaknesses. The blessing is a curse and the curse is a blessing. Neither is wrong, but neither is right. You have never been human, so seeing the darkness first doesn't make sense to you."

Derek tilted his head and said, "You see things in a unique way, much like Stiles."

The Sheriff said, "Do you know about Scott's family?"

Derek said, "I know he doesn't talk about his dad."

The Sheriff said, "His father is a jerk. His mom has had bad luck with relationships. Every time Scott's mom got something big without any work, it went bad. Way bad. So, whenever good things happen to Scott, he waits for the disaster. So yeah, he got good at lacrosse suddenly, but then he became something that goes bump in the night. He's gotten to the place where he would rather have nothing spontaneous good happen just so the shoe won't drop. "

Derek asked, "How bad is his father?"

The sheriff said, "Since Melissa kicked him out, 12 years ago, he hasn't come back once. Scott probably only thinks of him slightly fonder then he does his sire Peter."

Derek said, changing the topic, "Stiles is a good kid. He has saved my life more than once. He helped Scott deal with the whole wolf thing, even at the risk of his own life. He's in the pack because I want him there. Everyone else are wolves, except Allison, whose there because Scott and her are dangerously in love."

Sheriff Stilinski said sternly, "What are your intentions towards my son?"

Derek did that almost smile again and said, "I heard about that conversation. I realize now that my threats were a bit excessive and could be construed as something else entirely from the outside. On a good day my feelings towards him are brotherly."

The Sheriff dared to ask, "On a bad day?"

The Alpha responded, with a slight smile, "Chloroform has crossed my mind."

The Sheriff chuckled. Shutting Stiles up was a skill. He asked, "So, if I allow the bite, you will have some level of control over him, right?"

Derek said, "Honestly, I doubt it. My Uncle could only really control Scott for a short period. And Scott is nowhere near as strong as Stiles."

The Sheriff felt a small amount of pride well up at someone telling him how strong his son was. Most of the time it was that Stiles was annoying, or couldn't focus, or not living up to his potential.

They spoke for a few more minutes and then Derek left. The Sheriff felt a little better after that about the bite itself.

Sheriff Stilinski had decided by the next morning. He called Scott and said, "Have it arranged for 4:30 this afternoon."

Scott said, "Yes, sir."

At 4:17, he walked into his son's room. It was quiet. They had had to put in a feeding tube earlier. He said, "Stiles, I am going to save you. Please do this for me. Please make it through. You know I can't handle it without either of you. Please don't hate me for the decision I made."

At 4:21, Mrs McCall came in. She silently stood there, waiting.

At 4:26, Derek came in and said gruffly, "Argent's coming to double check the full disclosure." He obviously didn't like Chris.

At 4:29, Chris Argent came in. He asked, "So they gave you all the information?"

Melissa said, "Yes, Chris. Scott told us everything."

Mr Argent questioned, "Wolfsbane, death chance, everything?"

The two parents said simultaneously, "Yes."

Then the Sheriff said, "Go ahead, Derek."

Derek transformed, pulled off the covers, and gingerly bit Stiles' abdomen. He then covered up the boy and waited.

The Sheriff asked, "How long 'til we know?"

Derek replied, "Tomorrow at the earliest."

The other adults left the Stilinskis alone. After a couple of hours, Derek came back and said, "Even when the bite takes, it will be a while. It took my uncle years to heal from the fire. Stiles has massive internal injuries, head trauma, damaged spinal cord, and a broken back. It will take a long time to heal."

The Sheriff asked, "How long do you think?"

Derek said, "From Stiles, a month. He will be fine. He just needs time."

At that moment, he felt something touch at the edge of his mind, just out of reach. He smiled slightly and said, "It was successful. I can sort of feel him." It was the first time he felt the pack consciously. He focused on the feelings and felt that Lydia was studying, Jackson was doing homework, and Allison and Scott were making out. He visibly shuddered as he withdrew from the pack. Stiles was just there, though. No emotion. No feeling what so ever.

The Sheriff asked, "What do you mean you can feel him? And what made you shudder?"

Derek said, "New Alpha ability. I can feel them. Know what they are doing. I now feel like a creepy stalker."

The sheriff chuckled softly. Derek left him in peace.

That was a long, meandering chapter. Next up, waiting. He he.