How to build better friends

How to lose friends

A true resurrection was not Stiles' intention at all. It had taken most of his powers to do it, but they were alive. Breathing. With bodies. The problem with that, not that Derek reuniting with his family is a problem, is that they are dead-legally. And it would be impossible to prove they weren't after the fire shocked the majority of the populous in Beacon Hills. Unlike before, Stiles wasn't connected to them magically, but could almost feel Talia standing there. After he had come to, things felt like they were going much faster around him. He couldn't keep his eyes open.

"Lydia!" Isaac cried out, running to her.

"Isaac, shut up!" She hissed sleepily and he gave a chuckle back at her.

"What year is it?" Talia asked quietly, her family was watching the scene haplessly while they looked around at their home.

"2012," Derek told her, he gingerly laid a barely conscious Stiles down and stood up all the way. Talia pursed her lips like she wanted to say something, but couldn't figure out what to say. Then they moved to each other like robots before embracing each other hard. A small amount of tears dropped from Derek's face as he embraced her, "I missed you, mom!"

"Awe, I missed you, too." It was a long time before Stiles had the strength to stand. The moment was fast and slow somehow. As if the world stopped for Derek, that he and his mom would never break apart. The other Hales hugged each other.

"Umm, I don't-Do you mind if I ask you something?" Stiles spoke up, after what felt like a solid five minutes.

"Are you the person that brought us back to life?" Talia looked the warlock over, not enraged per se, but visibly unnerved.

"Yes, one of the four of us, but it was mostly me," Stiles nodded, she waited patiently for the question to be asked, "what do you remember?"

"I remember the fire, I remember being dead a little bit, I was a little incoherent, but I came to some sort of clarity. Like a heavy towel was taken off my head before I landed here."

"I've never brought someone all the way back to life. I didn't even know that was possible."

"I don't know how to feel about it, either," she had stated like she was upset. Peter was still incapacitated from hearing both banshee wails from both sides with his werewolf hearing. Avoiding the awkward silence that followed Talia's feelings on what just happened, Stiles grabbed his journal from the ground.

"Derek?" A woman Stiles' faintly recognized as Laura, stepped forward. Having only seen her top half when she was in two pieces, Stiles felt a little sick remembering it all-or maybe that was the exhaustion. It was a Hale family reunion that felt wrong to intrude on. Heaving Peter up onto a tree, the spark walked over to Lydia and Isaac.

"We should go."

"Excuse me?" Isaac looked up angrily, "I still haven't forgotten that you sent Lydia to Peter without telling her." It was maybe better to look sheepish, or even apologetic, but with the given circumstances, Stiles didn't even know how Isaac could be upset. Isaac's anger had him heated, getting himself worked up that nothing was going right.

"Fine, paint me out to be the bad guy and believe the worst possible thing would happen. You know, I like to think we've moved past the stereotypes with you guys. Peter isn't some big bad alpha werewolf who killed Laura, anymore." Laura tensed a little bit, "Lydia isn't some helpless, clueless, little princess any more. I'm not an evil person who summons the dead to run a dnd campaign," looking at Talia a little angrily, "I fucking preformed a miracle tonight because the stars aligned and decided Peter of all people was going to win, today." Stiles flipped both Isaac and Talia off before strutting out into the path away from the burnt down home. Trusting that Derek had the room in his spare homes and billions to house and hide all his newly resurrected zombies. Except they aren't zombies, they are fully formed people.

That anger followed him. It was never going to end with people being happy, just upset. Peter needed Lydia for his plan to work, and knowing him, this was not the end of it. A small hope in Stiles' heart twinged at the moment, would Derek choose him? Over his own mom who he hadn't seen in a decade? Which wouldn't be likely for obvious reasons. The night had turned into shit so quickly and somehow even the good deeds made Stiles feel like shit. Getting home was a blur. Not even sure what he had planned on doing after, but it was most certainly not sulking in his room while the pack got their happily ever after.

Stiles didn't remember falling asleep, but was woken up to some tapping on the window. Derek had slid into the room quietly and very carefully closed Stiles' door. He stared at a little awkwardly, but happy. It was as if a burden was lifted from his shoulders as he steadied his gaze on Stiles, "I'm still the alpha. We can't change that, but I feel like my mother is..." Stiles couldn't decipher his look.

"I don't know Derek, I can't help you this time. To my knowledge, there is nothing I know to transfer-"

"I'm not asking for help Stiles, I'm asking for support." He had gotten this determined look. Stiles realized that he was spiraling into this negative train of thought since the resurrection. Not that spiraling was not nice and numbing or relaxing. This was one of those moments where he was supposed to help Derek out emotionally, but completely overlooked it.

"Oh, I don't know what to say. If I could fix it all for you, you know I would," he gave a smile at the words.

"Back at the house, look... I am sorry my mom, you know-"

"I understand Derek. I know. It was Peter's plan. It was his plan and his emotions that I used. It's just all not right anymore, I thought that after it was done, things would be better," Stiles' got a sickly stomach feeling that things were about to get worse again, "and I gave up so much to bring them back. I am not even sure I can bring anyone back anymore," his words felt foreign. As if that was the thing that really made him worried this whole time. Subconsciously knowing that he'd done too much. He'd spent too much doing that ritual.

"I know you gave a lot up for this, but you have no idea how grateful I am that you brought them back Stiles. I can't-" He stopped himself from talking to suck up a big gulp of air. That's when he got a call on his cellphone, he had to take a few breaths before he answered, "Hi, mom." He said it like it was a refreshing drink of water after climbing a mountain. After a few seconds of her talking, his face fell, "Yeah, I'll be right there," he hung up.

"What is it?" Stiles asked a little worried now.

"It's nothing, just some pack business," he said like that wouldn't hurt.

"Just some pack business? After all I did for you, after-"

"It's not like that Stiles, I don't want you in the middle of this."

"God, you're worse than Scott! I shouldn-"

"Stiles, this is-" But all Stiles heard was static. His head unfocused. A lens on his life zoomed out and he felt like he was on the outside of a glass container, watching everything happening from a distance. Derek was launched back as if he ran full force at a mountain ash circle.

Stiles didn't wait to pick him up either, he just walked out of his room, his house, and left.