Instinct || Derek Hale.

thirteen.

Warnings: Strong language.

***

Alex.

A million thoughts raced through Alex's head as she walked out of Derek's loft. As she expected, there was no sign of Derek. Instead, she and Stiles had been greeted by Peter and Cora, who had informed them that Derek hadn't been seen or heard from since the incident with Boyd. Since Scott had been dropped off at Allison's, Alex was left alone with Stiles. She had him give her a ride home, where Alex was relieved to find her mother's car in the driveway.

"Do you think what Peter said was true?" Stiles asked quietly before Alex could exit the jeep.

"Some of it." Alex nodded. "But you never know with Peter. He's not exactly trustworthy. Don't think too much about it."

"It just explains a lot, I guess." Stiles said.

"You mean it explains why Derek comes across as a cold-hearted asshole?" Alex smirked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Stiles nodded.

"I'll see you later, Stiles." Alex smiled. "Thanks for the ride."

Stiles nodded and waved goodbye to her as she got out of the jeep. Alex shut the door and waved back at him before turning and heading inside. Once the door was closed, Alex dropped back against the wood and let out a long, deep breath. Contrary to what she'd told Stiles, Alex was thinking about Peter's story a lot. More specifically, the effect the events of the story would have had on Derek.

Was losing Boyd triggering Derek to remember those horrific events?

The next day, after an incredibly brief excuse to her mother, Alex was able to get Melissa to agree to lend her the car again. There was only one destination Alex could think of to search for Derek. One she'd been thinking of all night. So that's where she headed. At first she worried she wouldn't be able to find it, or she would and Derek wouldn't be there. Then she worried that he would be there and he'd be mad at her for not giving him the privacy he clearly wanted and needed. By the time Alex had argued in her own mind whether this was a good idea or not, she was pulling up to the Beacon Hills abandoned distillery.

She took a deep breath before climbing out of the car. Now that she was here, she was starting to see the major flaws in her plan. She was probably the last person he wanted to see. In all honesty, she wasn't sure why she was here. Was it for her own peace of mind? For Scott or Cora? Or was it her own purely selfish desire to see him again? Something about Derek seemed to keep drawing her to him, no matter how much she resisted.

Alex looked around the empty buildings and tried desperately to ignore the shudder than raced down her spine. She closed the car door and headed towards one of the warehouses that was open. It seemed empty, but Alex peered inside, creeping in further and further until she was standing in the middle of the room. She looked around again, taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart.

"Alex?"

Alex almost jumped out of her own skin. She let out an involuntary squeak of surprise and spun around to find Derek staring at her. His face was void of any emotion, except a hint of confusion.

"Jesus, Derek. You scared the shit out of me!" Alex scolded, placing a hand over her heart.

"What are you doing here?" Derek asked.

"Looking for you." Alex sighed. "Everyone's worried about you."

"Everyone?" Derek raised a brow.

"Yes, your sister, your uncle, your friends." Alex listed.

"And yet you're the one to find me?" Derek said, folding his arms across his chest.

Alex looked away for a moment before nodding her head. "Okay, I get it. I deserved that."