18: If You Dare – Part 6

Carrying the boxes with ease, the two had made their way to the Stilinski home without problems and Stiles hadn't complained once about having to walk all the way, which was very suspicious. A Stiles who didn't complain? There have been some glances thrown his way for that. The moment they stepped in through the door, there was a little girl throwing herself at their legs, not sure who she was going to hug first so she tried her best to hug them both with chubby arms.

"DADDY, DADDY STY!" she cried out happily, which made their dog run around them barking too. He couldn't hear the excited screeching but he could see his owners and that was enough for him. Chaos was complete.

Putting the boxes aside, Derek lifted Beth to hug her and hand her over to Stiles while he greeted the Irish wolfhound who wasn't much of a pup anymore. The dog settled down more from the petting so the Hale could lean into his daughter and kiss her chubby little cheeks.

"I makes all pictures," she exclaimed, which meant she had made drawings for them, probably enough to stencil a wall full with since she took after her dad with her artistic tendencies. Then again, her drawings were still at the stages where they needed an explanation to know what they were so they usually reacted very happy and tried not to say what it all was unless she latched into explaining. Like one scratch was a dog, and the other scribble was a house, then that scratch was Daddy Sty.

Being greeted upon arriving like that was the best thing in the world in Stiles' opinion. As he took Beth from Derek with practiced ease, he hugged her close and with closed eyes planted a few soft kisses into her unruly dark locks while inhaling her familiar strawberry scent with that certain pack scent as well. It put Stiles' slightly nervous mind more at ease. He considered the vault a success, but they still had to search the attic and going through his mother's things... he didn't know what to expect or how to react – hence the no complaining on their way here. But now Beth provided the perfect distraction for his restless mind.

Which was still kinda full with the kids topic from earlier too and having their little girl safely in his arms had made that deep worry let up. He imagined parents constantly had that feeling whenever they were apart from their kid. It was funny how now his dad's behavior and countless outbursts like 'you won't know it until you have a kid of your own!' came back to him more often nowadays. Now that he was a dad too. And according to Derek a 'pack mom' as well. Whatever that really meant...

"Sweet pea! God, I missed you and your beautiful drawings! Will you show them to us? Go, gather them in the living room. We'll be right there," he put her down after a smacking kiss to her rosy cheek. Her happy giggle was really heartwarming and Stiles smiled after her with a kinda dreamy expression. Right until he felt a wet nose nudge his hand and he looked down to pat Fenrir's big head, but not before catching Derek and his dad's gaze, who was leaning against the corridor's wall.

"What?!" Stiles blinked from one man to the other.

"Nothing, daddy," Derek said as he and Noah laughed at Stiles' face. They were making fun of him but Derek was happy to see the interaction between the two. How Stiles fully accepted Beth as his own. She needed that, to have two parents. Bumping his shoulder with Stiles to show his fondness, there was still another father in the doorway, not moving.

"Do I need to tell you again, son, how we Stilinskis hug it out?" Noah pulled Derek in for said hug, though the werewolf had a feeling it was more to make sure they were both whole and not sporting any secret holes still. Fortunately, all wounds were closed, inside and out so the hugs of both of them satisfied the older man to sufficiently let them get into the living room where a toddler was spreading out her drawings on the coffee table.

She hadn't been kidding when she said she had made many, and Derek settled on the floor with her so he could give her his full attention, barely paying attention to Noah saying he was going to get some drinks and snacks. Pulling the little round girl to him, Derek kissed her cheek as she babbled about her drawings.

"That's Daddy Sty and he gives lots of kisses to Daddy. Cause you are always kisses. That's Fenny with his bone and that's Daddy wolf," she pointed to a drawing of a black scribble with two red dots placed haphazardly where she thought it would make a good place for eyes.

"They're all beautiful, cub, but I like that one the most."

"You put on fridge?"

"Yes, we'll put all of them on the fridge. But I think we're going to make a large board for all of your art because the fridge is getting too small." They changed them out and there was a box for her older drawings because Derek didn't want to throw them out yet. He didn't get to have stuff from his childhood, so Beth deserved to have her own box of things to look through when she was older. Or a few boxes. He didn't even have her baby things anymore, they got left behind in DC where he hadn't been allowed to get them.

Beth sighed and leaned in to cling to him. "I missed daddies."

"We missed you too cub, lots and lots."

After hugging his dad too and reassuring Noah that he and Derek won't drop dead any time soon, Stiles joined the father-daughter duo on the floor too to inspect the drawings.

"Aw, baby, these are indeed good and we missed you so much too!" Stiles smiled and playfully booped her cute nose, which of course made her giggle happily, like always. Sharing such loving moments with her was important for all three of them. Not just because they loved Beth, but because it was good for all the supernatural bonds the three of them shared. They were pack and not being together was felt for all of them. Stiles wasn't sure if or how she felt that bond, but he could tell that both he and Derek felt calmer and more sated around her.

Looking over the other drawings too while smiling to himself because yes, Stiles felt more and more like a dad as time was passing by with Derek and Beth, he absently scratched the rapidly growing hound as Fenrir was laying next to them, slowly wagging his tail and appreciating the scratches.

"Is that Grandpa No?" Stiles asked, pulling another drawing closer. He could only guess that it was him from the yellow vaguely star-shaped dot on his chest and because he was accompanied by a pink scribble (probably Beth since pink was her favorite color), appearing to hold hands.

"Yes! He is taking me to pre-school. When can I go back? I miss my friends!" her expression turned from proud to questioning as she looked back and forth between her dads.

Yeah, they were still trying to keep her safe with Noah, Jordan, Melissa and Chris rotating so she could stay in the warded Stilinski or McCall house. While Zepar and the goons were in town, they couldn't risk her getting hurt or kidnapped as 'another test'. At that point Stiles wouldn't be surprised if they tried something like that. After all, they had already tried to hurt/kill Derek twice and Stiles doubted that either he or Derek would stay in control if something happened to their daughter.

"Soon, cub, very soon." They hadn't told her anything, with good reason, because she was way too young to be involved and there was no real way to explain all of it even if they wanted to. The school wasn't closed so they couldn't tell that lie, she was bound to say something about it once she went back. It wasn't official school, she didn't have to go. Derek had started her on it so she could get used to being around kids her age before she had to go to school when she turned five.

"Why? I want now." Beth looked at Derek with an angry frown and she was like a mini him with that look, her green eyes narrowed and her little arms crossed. Clearly she had been copying some of Derek's behavior and she already looked like a female copy of him. The older she was getting, the less there was left of Lydia, which was kind of a relief. Not that it was saying much, Derek changed over the years too.

"I know, but Grandpa No needs some extra attention and we thought you would be perfect for it." At least she wasn't asking why they weren't there, she bought the whole work excuse since she had no idea yet what they were doing. Daddy Sty worked with Grandpa No and Daddy was always home. That's how she said it, which was fine for all involved.

"You can give him extra hugs and be his very best friend."

"’kay," she accepted it with a large grin. "I babysit Grandpa No."

Stiles felt quite amused – like often when he watched those two interact – especially when she resembled Derek so much. No wonder that from the beginning Derek talked about Beth like his carbon copy. It was cute as hell in Stiles' opinion. The frowning the most.

"I'm sure Grandpa No will love that," Stiles grinned.

"What will I love?" the sheriff walked in just then with a tray of juice and some chocolate chip cookies.

"I babysit you!" Beth grinned then her eyes widened. "Cookies!!! Can I have one?" she asked hopefully, eyeing the tray which was put on the space Stiles freed up from the drawings.

"I love that, it's true," Noah smirked and handed a big cookie for her because he was the kind of grandpa who shamelessly spoiled his grandchild – even in front of her parents.

Stiles' own smirk grew too. "Beth, maybe Jordan can help you with babysitting grandpa..." he said.

"Jordie!" Beth squealed excited with a bite in her mouth and began searching through the many papers. "I love him. He's funny and now smells like Daddy Sty and Daddy," she explained and gave a drawing to Derek. "Dat Grandpa No and Jordie kissy in backyard!" she announced.

Stiles snickered shamelessly on his dad's redder and redder face.

“Why would you draw us like that?” Noah frowned a bit confused.

“I have two daddies. Grandpa No has boyfriend too, no?” the little girl looked up at the sheriff confused, clearly thinking that because she has two daddies, Noah must be together with Jordan too because he’s around so much.

“But we’re not…” Noah started, just to be cut off by the Hale.

"Either way… kissies are nice so I guess this drawing will have to go onto the fridge for all to see." Derek was shamelessly trolling the father-in-law, who could pass as a tomato at this point with how red his face got. Yeah, little kids would assume or see everything they weren't supposed to. Stiles and Derek had to find that out the hard way. Which Beth had announced to everybody. At least she hadn't walked in on them having sex, because that was a conversation he wasn't ready to have.

"I love kissies," Beth agreed and proceeded to give them all a kiss, chocolate smears included as she smacked their cheeks with a happy little giggle. Derek meanwhile eyed the juice on the plate and the way Noah had gotten himself a beer. The old man was very good at trolling himself, clearly. The little girl settled in between the two dads as she had to hold the cookie with both hands to take bites, because Melissa baked the biggest cookies Derek has ever seen. Pretty much a whole meal for the little werewolf hybrid munching on it.

Noah's face had lessened with the red and he looked at the two. "I sure hope you boys are having some sort of plan because I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty tired of getting the one call I don't like to get. Jordan told me about the close calls, and I don't like it. I'm too old to be worried about either one of you."

At first Derek thought with ‘the one call’ the man meant to have the call about his son getting hurt but he meant the two of them. That, as usual when the sheriff showed some affection, made him quiet and feel flustered, not sure how to react to it. Stiles was better at dealing with the 'dad' talks the sheriff doled out. Because yeah, Derek was blushing, as usual.

Noticing and feeling Derek flustered and secretly happy, Stiles moved a hand to gently stroke first Beth's unruly locks while she was eating away the cookie happily – covering her lap and the couch with the morsels, of course – then he patted Derek's shoulder.

"Yes, big guy, he cares about you just as much and not just because you are my mate/fiance, but because he secretly likes you and already considers you family," Stiles whispered with a grin, as if sharing a big secret.

His dad snorted then grumbled something behind his beer but eventually nodded. "True. I'm so busted."

The younger Stilinski chuckled shortly from that then looked at his dad as he leaned back on the couch, draping both arms along the back.

"Don't worry, dad. We are working on a plan and will be careful. And finally put an end to this... situation hopefully soon. We are planning on removing our unwanted guests from town. But it's still forming. It's part of the reason we're here too. We... want to go through mom's stuff in the attic in hopes of finding something useful there. We already searched the Hale vault today, which I consider a success."

"I doubt there's anything useful up there," Noah remarked, surprise showing on his face that they wanted to go through that all after this long. "It took me a long time to pack it all up and I gotta admit I didn't look at it all so don't get your hopes up, kiddo. But I guess it'll be good for you."

Stiles hadn't dealt with his mother's death well, both of them had struggled and besides Stiles visiting the grave often, he hadn't talked about Claudia much, in fact he had been the one to pressure his dad into packing it all up. In a drunken moment, the sheriff had done exactly that, shoving all the boxes in the attic to never look at again. Putting the beer down, Noah glanced at Derek who looked as he normally would, whole and healthy, to those who didn't know him.

Stiles didn't comment on his dad's opinion about the boxes, he only exchanged a brief look with Derek. They had agreed not to tell the sheriff how Claudia had essentially saved him from making that mistake in the greenhouse. Stiles didn't want to tear up old wounds and mess up his dad's emotions with that. Especially now when he looked happier and more balanced than Stiles had ever seen him since his mother's death. And they could thank that to Beth, bringing up his dead wife wasn't a good idea in Stiles' opinion. His dad had to worry about a lot already – Including him and Derek. So he just shrugged and sipped from his orange juice.

To the eye of those who did know him, the Hale was paler than usual, looking tired. Same with Stiles though the two did perk up since arriving at the house. Beth meanwhile was too busy noticing anything, having hamster cheeks with the cookie as she was nestled between her dads. "I don't get much of this magic stuff, and I'm not going to pretend that I do but don't ask me not to worry because that's never going to happen."

"We know," Derek said softly, one of the many reasons why they tried not to involve the rest of the small pack too much, since there was much to lose here. Getting Noah involved would end up in heartache, so it was better to be them than innocents getting caught in the crossfire. Patting Beth's hair, the Hale watched her finish her snack and drink as they all chatted about innocent things, focusing on spending time together.

"Daddy dance with me!"

Beth, the clever minx that she was had outed Derek's secret about knowing how to dance and sing by announcing it loudly whenever others dared to say something about being surprised the sourwolf was a dad. She would say he was the bestest because he'd sing and dance with her so now there were attempts of others to get the famed Derek Hale on video like that. They hadn't succeeded yet! The familiar song of ‘Baby Shark’ was put on while Derek and Beth danced and sang to the stupid song, followed by Frozen songs and worse, Lion King. The alpha didn't care how it looked, this little girl was laughing and grinning non-stop and that was all that mattered to him in the end.

Lost in thoughts, Stiles watched and laughed on the singing and dancing werewolf duo – and may or may not have sneakily made yet another video of it purely for later blackmailing material for Derek – before he joined in, catching a few moved smiles from his dad.

It was a good way to tire out the little beast so they could put her down to her nap. It was Stiles' time to shine with reading a story for her and he was just half-way through when she fell into a deep sleep. He carefully put the book down and leaned in to press a soft kiss on her forehead before quietly getting up to take Derek's hand in his. For a few minutes they were just standing there in the door, watching their sleeping cub while holding hands.

"I'll definitely will want more of these mini-tornadoes," he whispered to Derek and turned to peck his lips. "So baby-making is back on the schedule," he grinned and patted his mate's chest before slipping out onto the corridor to head towards the attic door.

"ADHD has a high chance of being passed down through the genes so yeah, be prepared for another tornado." Beth was pretty well-behaved for a toddler of her age, though she was exhibiting werewolf behavior with her restlessness and need to explore and there had been a few biting incidents. That was more because of her being too sheltered and the reason why she was going to pre-school now. Beth was adorable, curious, she would tire them out and test their limits but listened when told. Not that they were strict parents.

***

Derek closed the door behind him softly, following Stiles who had opened the door revealing regular stairs instead of them having to clamber through a hatch. If they had to take boxes with them, that was going to be way easier. The attic was the usual dust covered mess a house can have, where standing up was more a manner of keeping the head down. There was some furniture and old toys and plenty of boxes but at least the boxes had labels or writing on them.

"I guess we should put the boxes we looked through over there to the other side so we won't miss one." And they'd clean up the clutter at the same time with that by putting them all together stacked up. Their shoes left steps in the dust, so it was clear there hadn't been anybody up here in years. "Any idea what we're looking for?"

Despite the fact that Stiles didn't like the idea of passing down his ADHD to their kid, there was a chance of it and if they wanted a baby through a surrogate mother in the future, they would have to take that risk. Still, that soft smile stayed on his face as they climbed to the attic. He went to the further end to open the window so they wouldn't cough from the dust their moving around was going to add to the stale air.

"I'm not sure..." Stiles paused there and looked around. He smiled a few times when he recognized long-forgotten furniture and objects from his childhood then zoomed in on the boxes with his dad's handwriting. "I guess we'll know when we find it? Mom only told me that I should go through her stuff," he said with a light frown, walking to the stack, careful not to hit his head on a beam.

He hesitated for a few moments, taking a deep breath. He hadn't seen most of this stuff since after the death of his mom and he was sure there were more things in there he didn't even know existed. Reaching out for the first box, he sighed and opened it up. It was filled with clothes in nylon bags so he set it aside and went for the next.

This wasn't easy for him, just like when he occasionally took out his mom's treasured perfume bottle time after time to smell it and remember her scent. That faint scent hit his nose occasionally when he opened and went through box after box. More clothes, books on gardening, raising kids, romance novels, bags and shoes, a sewing machine and fabrics for clothes...

After a while Stiles was starting to doubt that there was anything useful there, but then...

His hovering hand stopped over a box labeled 'heirlooms'. It had a curious vibe around it. Pulling it closer, it felt heavy whatever was in it. As he opened it, he understood why. There was a wooden trunk in it. It looked dark-brown and worn down. Like something that's been passed down in her family for generations. And there were interesting symbols carved in it. Hovering his hands over it, the magic reacted.

"I think this is it. It contains some magic..." he murmured to Derek and with the wolf pulling the box off and to the side, Stiles lifted and put the trunk on the floor. Stiles' heartbeat picked up in anticipation and suddenly his palms got all sweaty, the fine hairs on the back of his nape standing on end while his skin was tingling there. Fingers itching to touch the wooden surface again, he knelt down in front of the trunk and twisted the rusty key in the lock.

"Here goes nothing..."

Derek mostly closed the boxes Stiles had gone through and put them aside to stack them neatly to create space. It wouldn't feel right if he was the one going through the stuff owned by his mate's mother, especially with the way Stiles would carefully touch whatever was in there, no doubt having many memories. The whiffs of perfume hit his sensitive nose sometimes, and each time Stiles would sit still for a moment to inhale it, slender fingers stroking a book or fabrics. It wasn't often that the Spark was this quiet, not once trying to engage Derek into a conversation.

Not until he found something that might be useful. Apparently something magic even though the werewolf couldn't tell if it was. A box with a key. It could be jewelry or some crystals, it could be nothing as Noah had warned them. Eager hands were lifting the lid and the scent of something powerful warped around them – old and powerful. There were many items in there, like a golden scythe, a hazel tree branch carved with symbols, a silver tree branch with bells tied to it and this leather pouch with a Triskele painted on it. It was mostly looking like a druid's kit, which would make sense since Deaton had hinted at the fact that the Spark must have been inherited from Claudia. But that didn't explain why his family's symbol was part of it. What the hell was going on here?

Puzzled, Derek knelt down next to Stiles to reach for the pouch tentatively in case it decided to give him that feeling of wrongness again. Not the pouch, but definitely the wooden trunk did, though.

"It's made of Rowan," the wolf explained when he pulled his hand back as if he had gotten a shock. As his mate opened the leather pouch, white stones were inside it, clearly made out of bone and into each stone a rune was etched. "Those are stones used with Seidr magic." Stiles' family had druids in the past, powerful druids with ties to where Derek came from as well, tied to the ancient Celts.

The emissary was staring at the pouch in shock and felt compelled to pour its content into his palm. He half-heard what Derek said. "Magic of the telling and shaping of the future?" he murmured, remembering from his studies what that particular kind of magic was in Norse mythology. He wanted to ask more, but the second the bones touched his bare skin, a vivid picture flashed in front of his suddenly amber eyes.

He gasped and let the rune stones drop into the old mortar inside the trunk, the Spark's shimmering irises not being able to look away.

"I... I just saw you. In the future, I think. You... you were emerging from my flames in beta form... to attack our enemies..." he whispered, still breathing heavier. He had no idea how he had ended on his butt or how long it took him to see that picture. It felt only like a second to him, but maybe... judged by Derek's frown... it might have been a bit longer. "What the hell?" Stiles blinked questioningly at his mate then took a closer look at the pouch, running a finger on the golden triskelion on it. "It's your family's insignia. What... is it doing here with my mom's stuff?" he asked all confused.

Of course, he remembered Deaton mentioning that his mother had the potential to become a Spark and Emissary, but chose a normal life to have an unsuspecting husband and him. And it wasn't a coincidence either that his mom's ghost wanted him to search the attic. She wanted Stiles to find this trunk.

Sometimes they really shouldn't touch objects that already screamed magic just from looking at them. That was the thought going through Derek's head when Stiles had completely zoned out with the stones in his hand, plopping down on the floor heavily with that eerie blank look in his eyes. His first concerned calling of his name hadn't resulted in anything and he hadn't dared to touch so he had waited, hovering. It had been about two minutes tops but it had felt like it lasted a lifetime before the human was back in the now with a few blinks, the eyes refocusing.

"I don't know, Stiles. None of it makes sense. Why would you see me when you touch old stones hidden in the attic?" The Hale had never seen those in his life so he couldn't say why his family's insignia was on it. The only one who was able to answer that was Claudia but she hadn't shown herself anymore, probably needing time to have enough energy. He didn't know where ghosts went but they didn't always show, sometimes they were just gone. However, it wasn't that the Hales had the lone rights to the insignia. "Triskelle is from the Celts, so it's probable that this has nothing to do with my family."

Probably. He wasn't sure what to think about their 'fates' being intertwined long before they had even been born, as if they were some sort of prophecy. Because that would suggest their attraction had been for some greater purpose and Derek didn't like that thought. They were together because they made more sense together, because life was better with Stiles in it. Not because this was bound to happen. Stiles knew how Derek felt about fate, but he had to admit that this was going to need some more looking into.

"Whatever we'll find out, it's not going to change anything between us."

"I don't know either why I saw you. And why would anything change things between us? We love each other and there's that. Nothing can come between us like that," he said with a serious look in his eyes, the irises still slightly glowing. Then with a small smile he turned back to the trunk and took a deep breath. He carefully, one by one, put the rune stones back into the pouch, glad that this time no other images flashed in front of his eyes.

After taking a closer look of each item, he carefully put them on the floor next to him. "These have old magic attached to them. Ritualistic magic. But they weren't used for a long time. Or at least that's what I'm picking up from their vibes," he told Derek and reached for the last object in the trunk.

It was a folded piece of red cloth with a golden pattern. Curious, Stiles unfolded the aged fabric to reveal another Celtic symbol. "A Triquetra?" he asked with a light frown. "Another trinity. Similar to the Triskelion. It has many meanings throughout the different religions but if you ask me, since it is very likely Druid, I'd say it symbolizes the earth, sky and sea or body, mind and soul. A unity. I read that it was used in many rituals so I'm guessing this is a ritualistic cloth," he concluded, gently folding it back as it was.

Stiles was about to start putting the objects back into the trunk when he noticed an irregularity at the bottom. He was lucky to notice it in the half-lit attic, but it definitely caught his attention. He stroked his finger along it and used his phone's flashlight function to take a closer look. "A false bottom!" he exclaimed excited and tried to find a way to open it. As he stroked his fingers along the bottom, he noticed the same Triquetra symbol's tiny version carved in one corner and as his fingertip touched it, a spark sizzled down from his finger into it, making it light up for a second.

With wide eyes Stiles watched and listened as the false bottom made a clicking sound and moved to the side enough for him to stick his finger in and lift it. He gasped for air when he found another book. It had a soft red leather-bound cover, a leather-string from the same color keeping it closed. There was no title or marking either on the front or the side. His fingers hesitated for a moment over it before he finally lifted it out from its place.

His heart skipped a few beats in anticipation as he sat back on his ass and turned half-way to Derek with it, rubbing the leather with his thumb, that curious prickling back on his skin as he was holding the book. It wasn't really magic like with the black book they had found in the vault. No, it was softer and a more personal kind of vibe and Stiles just knew to whom this belonged.

With slightly trembling fingers he opened the string and then the book too. He only had to take a glimpse at the front page, the curls of the letters written there, and he knew he was right. Picking up the small long-dried four-leaf clover, he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"It was my mother's diary..." he whispered hoarsely. "This was the very first clover with four leaves that I had managed to find for her as a little boy. I didn't know she kept it... Did you know they say they bring luck?" he chuckled wetly as the first teardrops, which he's been holding back since they opened the first box, finally fell onto his jeans-clad thighs.

Some things hidden weren't magical or dangerous, sometimes they were personal, too personal for it to fall in the wrong hands. Obviously this diary had been placed there for Stiles. Maybe Claudia had known he had the same kind of Spark in him as she had. Or maybe it worked like the Hale vault's lock did, where it somehow recognized the claws of a Hale and would only open for them. Either way, this was meant for Stiles and Derek wasn't going to ask what was in it unless Stiles wanted to share it. He fully trusted his mate to tell him whatever was important to need to know.

"Yeah, I know." Reaching out, Derek's hand clasped Stiles by the back of his neck, caressing the nape with his fingers. It was an encouragement to either keep going or to let the tears fall or both. Or nothing at all, it was up to Stiles, Derek was here for support and give him whatever he needed. "It worked for her, she had you." That made Stiles smile.

Unfortunately a clover wouldn't help against the disease she had and from the little he knew, it hadn't been easy for the Stilinski family to watch her deteriorate so rapidly. He only knew the fear when they all had thought Stiles had the same illness, the long wait in the hospital with Scott and the devastating result the scan had given. The idea of Stiles soon not remembering who they were, it had been a scary one. Maybe even scarier than the truth of the Nogitsune.

"I'm sure if you want to keep some of her things, your dad won't mind." Some clothes maybe, besides the chest, though it didn't seem like there had been anything with it all packed up except for the current box. Derek had no idea about keeping personal items since he hadn't held onto them since the fire. It had been easier not to have something worth losing. He had stopped treasuring objects but he could understand why others felt the need for it, especially items linked to familiar scents.

Taking a few ragged breaths while the tears kept falling, Stiles closed his eyes and leaned into the caresses of the big hand. Its warmth was just as grounding to him as always and he felt grateful for Derek's support. He was glad he had his mate with him right now and he let Derek feel that through their connection.

"I know. He won't mind and I believe this was left for me anyways," he sniffed and wiped his eyes and face into his Henley's sleeve, trying to collect himself as he put the clover back into the book, tying it closed with the leather string. "I'll read it later," he added and started carefully packing everything back into the trunk. What he didn't say was that right now he couldn't handle reading his mother's thoughts, even if he was curious what was in the diary. "We'll definitely take this trunk to the loft and into the greenhouse. I'll do some research on the objects or maybe there's going to be something about them in the diary."

It was a long and emotional day for sure and it was still just early in the afternoon. But Stiles wanted out of the attic to breathe some fresh air and pull himself together emotionally too. So with Derek's assistance the trunk went back into the box and after getting one or two more items from his mom's stuff, they moved what they needed to their room to be picked up tomorrow when they actually had a car with them. By now the assholes at the school had to have figured out that they weren't there anyway and they are going to have to get the Camaro from there too.

They didn't leave the Stilinski house until Beth was awake so they could hug her tightly and say goodbye again, which was hard on them both. She cried, they... cried on the inside but it was for her own good. This was to keep her safe, hopefully there was an end to it in a few days at the most. Not seeing her had made it easier in a way and harder. None of this was a good thing and they both already had too many rough days lately. The boxes were left at the house, because they had some training left and no doubt by the time they'd be at the loft, they weren't going to be up for the research anymore.

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