keeper (d. Hale)

thriving.

"You'll be safe, right?"

"Yes, we promise."

"And you'll call at least once day? No, twice a day?"

Delilah sighed and leaned her head back against her seat. This conversation had been turning in a loop for the better part of 10 minutes and she was trying hard to not lose her patience.

Derek gently grabbed her hand from the seat next to her and placed it on the small arm rest between them. His thumb started to rub soothing circles across hers while he kept his eyes closed. An amused smile was already curling across his lips.

Delilah paused for a moment to glance at the profile of his face. He looked so calm and happy as he continued to stroke her hand in his. It made her want to end the call immediately and smoother his face in a 1000 kisses.

As if knowing what he was thinking, he nudged her hand slightly to bring her back to the conversation at hand.

Delilah blinked her eyes rabidly as she quickly looked away from him and over to Isaac who sat across the aisle with his headphones on and his face glued to the window. He had barely moved an inch since take off and she knew Derek was itching to pull him back so he wouldn't strain his neck.

"You will, right?"

"Noah, you already know we will lose reception when we get to the site," Delilah replied.

"Yeah, but doesn't Derek have one of those satellite phones?"

"I don't think he does."

She looked over to her husband who had an even big smile across his face. Delilah wasn't sure if he was more excited to finally get away or to just be somewhere without reception.

"He does not," Delilah confirmed. "He tends to not want to be found when he can help it."

Derek raised their joined hands to kiss her knuckles. She knew him too well.

"Okay," Noah sighed with annoyance before a beat of silence fell between them.

Delilah relented. "If I get a signal I will, okay?"

"Fine."

"Noah, don't grumble," Delilah chuckled as she pictured him sitting in his office. "Everything is going to be fine."

She could see him rubbing intently at the back of neck as he tried to sort through his thoughts. The man had his tells, without a doubt.

"What ever it is Noah, just tell me so it doesn't eat you alive."

There was a pause before he let out a breath.

"Stiles said-"

Derek cracked an eye open to look at his wife. "Nothing positive comes from a sentence starting that way."

Delilah only smiled. Any news that she got involving Stiles over exaggerating on something, was good news to her. His recovery would be a long one but she would gladly take that over the alternative, even if that meant questioning every little thing she did.

"Sorry, Noah," Delilah said as she shushed Derek as she pulled her hand from his and try to stop the mumbling from her mouth. He nipped at her fingers in return. "What did he say?"

"He said that it was dangerous for you you to go and hang out with a pack Scott knows nothing about. That you're basically walking into the desert blind and then he mentioned something about burning man..."

"Noah," Delilah said to stop him from living every possible terror Stiles might have planted in his head. "The boys are just upset they don't get to come with us this time. Scott isn't in the right head space right now to intermingle with a different pack and neither is Stiles. In fact the only one outside of Issac that we would have considered to come as well would have been Erica but she's already gone to visit Boyd."