I love you, Im sorry - Derek Hale

12

The days following the battle with the Kanima's master were filled with a sense of quiet relief, though the aftermath still lingered. Beacon Hills was safe—for now—but the fight had exposed something much deeper than just the physical danger they faced. It had laid bare the fractures within Vivian's family, the emotional wounds that had festered for years. As the threat of the Kanima dissipated, something else began to heal: the connection between Vivian, Derek, and Alexis.

The night after the final battle, as the pack and the Argents gathered at the Hale house, the sense of unity between them was palpable. Derek, Scott, and the others had played their part in stopping the Kanima, but Vivian had been instrumental in facing the master and cutting through the layers of lies and manipulation. It had been a fight unlike any other, not just against physical enemies, but against the ghosts of their pasts.

For Derek and Vivian, their relationship had been torn apart by secrets, betrayal, and years of distance, but in the chaos of battle, they had found something more—something that had been buried beneath their anger, their pride, and the grief they had carried for so long. They were both changed, and they knew they had to face the remnants of their past if they were ever to rebuild something together.

The following days were a blur of conversations and moments of quiet understanding. But it was on the front porch of the Hale house, one evening just as the sun dipped below the horizon, that everything finally shifted. The lingering tension between them—between Derek and Vivian, and between them and Alexis—was still there, but something had changed. There was a new sense of possibility hanging in the air, something that neither of them could deny.

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Vivian stood at the edge of the porch, her arms crossed, watching the last rays of sunlight fade into the darkness. She had always loved sunsets, the way the light bled into the sky, leaving behind the promise of a new day. But tonight, it wasn't the beauty of the sky that held her attention. It was the quiet sound of Derek's footsteps behind her, the way he moved now—carefully, almost as if afraid to break the fragile peace between them.

She didn't turn to look at him, though she could feel his presence like a steady warmth. There was something about the silence that made her feel closer to him than words ever had.

"It's strange," she said after a long pause, her voice soft but thoughtful. "The way things have changed. How we've changed."

Derek was silent for a moment, then answered in his low, steady voice. "I don't think either of us saw it coming, did we?"

Vivian shook her head, though she wasn't sure whether she was shaking it in disbelief or relief. "I don't think I believed it could change. Not after everything."

Derek took another step closer, his boots making a soft sound on the porch. She still didn't look at him, but the closeness was enough. He stood next to her now, just a few inches away, and for a moment, the world felt like it was holding its breath.

"I don't know how to make up for all the things I've done," Derek said, his voice quieter now, laced with a vulnerability that she hadn't expected to hear. "I know it's going to take time. I know I've hurt you, and Alexis... I can't undo that."

Vivian finally turned to face him, her eyes meeting his, and she could see the honesty in his gaze. There was no arrogance there, no distance. He was speaking from a place of raw truth.

"You don't have to undo everything," she replied, her voice thick with emotion. "You can't. And I can't either. But I think... I think we can try to rebuild it. We can start over, little by little."

Derek looked at her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers as if trying to find the piece of him she had once seen so clearly. He didn't speak at first, but his hand, almost instinctively, reached out for hers. It was a gesture that spoke louder than words. He wasn't asking for forgiveness, not yet, but he was offering something else: a chance. A chance for them to start again, without the weight of everything that had torn them apart.

Vivian felt her heart flutter in her chest, the ache of years of silence, of unspoken words, finally beginning to dissolve. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and allowed herself to meet him halfway.

"I never stopped loving you," she whispered, her voice barely audible against the evening wind.

Derek's eyes softened, and a faint, genuine smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It was the kind of smile she hadn't seen in years—the one that reminded her of the boy she had once known, the one who had held her hand with such certainty. "I never stopped loving you either."

In that moment, all the things they had fought through—the misunderstandings, the pain, the guilt—seemed to fade away. There was only the here and now. Only the feeling of his hand in hers, steady and warm.

"Do you think we can do this?" she asked, her voice full of hope, though she couldn't fully hide the vulnerability beneath it.

Derek nodded, his grip tightening around her hand, not out of force, but as if to anchor them both. "We have to."

Just then, the sound of footsteps broke the quiet, and Alexis appeared from the shadows of the house. Her gaze was soft but expectant, and Vivian couldn't help but smile as their daughter approached.

"You guys... okay?" Alexis asked, her voice tentative but filled with genuine concern.

Vivian and Derek exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. They didn't need to speak the words out loud. Alexis had seen it, felt it. She had witnessed the slow shift that had taken place in their relationship, the way they were learning to trust again, to move beyond the wounds of their past.

Derek smiled, a real smile this time, and crouched down in front of Alexis. His eyes were full of warmth, full of something deeper than just affection. It was something more profound, more real.

"We're good," Derek said, his voice soft. "We're better than we've been in a long time."

Alexis blinked, then looked between them, her expression thoughtful. The way her eyes lingered on Derek before she spoke made Vivian's heart skip a beat.

"I'm glad," Alexis finally said, her voice quiet but sure. "Because... I think I'm starting to understand what it means to be a family. Not just by blood, but by choice. By love."

Vivian felt the words sink deep into her heart. Family. It was a word she had held so close to her chest for so long, a word that had been broken, scattered by the chaos of their lives. But now, she could feel it again—alive, whole, something they were building together.

"Me too," Vivian whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Derek stood up, his eyes never leaving Alexis. "You're a part of this, Alexis. Always."

And then, without warning, Alexis took a step forward, her eyes wide, full of something that was half fear and half hope. She looked at Derek for a long moment, then said, "Dad?"

The word hung in the air, but this time, it wasn't just a question. It wasn't tentative or unsure. It was real.

Derek's heart swelled in his chest, and without hesitation, he pulled Alexis into a hug, wrapping his arms around her like she was the most precious thing in the world. "Yeah, kid. I'm your dad."

Vivian felt a tear slip down her cheek, but it wasn't out of sadness. It was out of something else—relief, love, gratitude. She watched them embrace, her heart full to bursting. For so long, she had feared this moment—feared that the distance between Derek and Alexis would never close. But now, as she stood there watching them, she knew they were finally whole.

The family they had once been was beginning to rebuild itself—one step at a time, one moment at a time. And though the road ahead would still be difficult, with challenges and complications that they would face together, in that moment, there was only one thing they needed to remember: they were family. And that was enough.

And as they stood there, together—Derek, Vivian, and Alexis—the night air felt different. It felt like a beginning, a second chance, a promise for the future.