Burning Slowly

Chapter 10

Derek sat silently on the steps leading to the second floor. He flipped to the next page of the book resting on his knee. He was trying desperately to ignore the less than subtle planning going on in the living room. Scott's inside voice was would have been audible without supernatural hearing.

"I'm just saying, he can't take all of us at the same time," Scott said.

Scott's anger and concern were almost choking; the scent practically obliterated what everyone else was feeling. Derek closed his eyes, tried to think of all the ways he'd keep himself from hurting the beta too badly if he got close. Derek wasn't in the mood to be challenged.

"I think that he can. Unless you have a better idea than letting Derek beat us all until we roll over in submission, I think you should just sit down." Lydia stared Scott down, waited until the upset werewolf sat down on the couch next to Allison before going back to filing her nails.

Derek didn't smile, but he wanted to. Lydia was far more aware of the balance of power in the room than any of the others seemed to be. Scott's heart was in the right place, he just didn't know that it wasn't the right time.

"I could try to distract him, lead him away?" Jackson offered. The blonde nodded at Scott.

Derek admired that Jackson was willing to stand by a member of his pack. It wouldn't stop him from stomping the newest werewolf into the floor if he tried.

"I don't think that will work since I'm almost positive he can hear you guys." Allison said. She patted Scott's leg consolingly.

Derek sighed, turned to the next page of his book. Why couldn't the two girls have been the werewolves? His pack suffered from a distinct lack of brainpower, especially with Stiles down for the count, still resting upstairs. At least the plan that Stiles would have come up with would have made him laugh inside instead of roll his eyes.

"I just want to make sure that Stiles is okay," Scott said.

"I know you do, but maybe Derek is right and we just need to give him some space." Allison told Scott as she laid a restraining hand on his arm. Tension drained out of Scott's shoulders and neck, he slumped down further into the couch.

'Good girl,' Derek thought. He didn't want to wash blood out of any more clothes, especially since he hadn't gotten any sleep. His patience was balanced on the edge of a knife. When Stiles was ready to face the pack again he would come down. He had a right to feel the way that he did, but knowing the teenager's sense of compassion, he would feel incredible remorse at the things that he had said, even if many of them had been accurate.

"Stiles's dad called me," Scott told the other teenagers, "he said he was worried because he called Stiles yesterday, but he didn't answer. I told him everything was fine, but at the time I was worried because we didn't know where he was."

"I'm sure Stiles will call his dad when he wakes up" Allison said, "for all we know Stiles is doing that right now."

Derek glanced at Scott as the beta shook his head.

"No, he woke up a little while ago, he hasn't called anyone. I'd have heard him talking. He just spent the last fifteen minutes-"

Scott cut off at Derek's warning growl. It was one thing to be aware of what his friend was doing; it was another thing for Scott to blab that Stiles had been crying again. That wouldn't help the situation at all.

Scott glared at him, but looked away after they locked eyes for a few moments. The young beta was a spirited guy, which was good sometimes. Other times it made Derek want to strangle him.

"Spent the last fifteen minutes doing what?" Lydia asked. She glanced at the hallway at the top of the stairs, twisted her fingers in her lap.

"Nothing," Jackson said before Scott could open his mouth.