#laura hale appreciation week

[buckybarnesss]

What are your thoughts on Cora?

cora hale was an underutilized character.

the concept of her is fantastic though and her impact on derek's character was not explored enough after her exit.

the potential and possibility of her character just teases me throughout season 3A.

of course a lot of this is because adelaide kane left due to landing the lead role for reign. and who can blame her for that? given colton, daniel and adelaide all went to the cw i imagine they paid better.

what remains thought is that cora hale is largely a question mark in the narrative of teen wolf.

how did she survive the fire? how did she end up in south america and with who? who exactly did she think was the hale alpha she heard rumors of? how did duecalion and company intercept her? why did the others not know her if she was their age?

in reality cora hale was in beacon hills for a few months as a prisoner and hostage than spent a few weeks with her uncle and brother before leaving. i would also like to know how she attended school considering it seems highly likely she was declared dead at age 11 in the fire.

i wish they'd answered some of those questions. i also wish they'd explored her and derek's relationship more. the guilt, the misplaced anger, the grief, anything about laura.

cora hale's survival is such a huge moment in derek's emotional arc too and we sadly see so little of it after she leaves. for such a short time she makes a huge impact.

i'd love to have explored more of her and peter too because what we saw in frayed and his concerned over her wellbeing when she was poisoned gave peter some needed depth.

cora also is the person to last mention laura hale by name in the narrative. in frayed to peter because you know he murdered laura.

i appreciated she had some animosity towards lydia mostly for being associated romantically with aiden due to his involvement in boyd's death. (why don't people ship her with boyd????)

i also did actually like her burgeoning friendship with stiles. her and him have their weird secret little club of having to endure peter's attempt of manipulation in visionary. they really seemed to vibe. she was going to help him explain the supernatural to his dad after knowing him for like five minutes. hales really love stiles.

it's sad fandom at large sees her (and somewhat rightfully) as erica's replacement and than malia's as hers.

jeff davis should've let her out of the subplot basement though. just because she wasn't physically there doesn't mean she couldn't be talked about.

i just know he has a notebook full of hale backstory. the fucker.

[christinesficrecs]

hi christine! hope you're well. I was wondering if you knew any fics where Stiles thinks Derek doesn't like him but is actually in love with him? Or if you had a tag for it, could you direct me to it? I looked at your tag page and didn't see it but I definitely could've looked over it. Thank you so much!

Sure! You could also try the enemies to lovers tag.

Landslide by reillyblack | 25.5K | Mature

Beautiful? Check. Dismissive? Check. Hated him? Double check.

Stiles was doomed to develop a crush of epic proportions.

The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me (Is You) by distortedreality | 17.9K | Explicit

Derek is fairly certain the new kid is either an incubus or a witch. Turns out he’s actually his mate. Stiles is 98% certain the brooding guy in the leather jacket is fantasizing about stringing him up by his intestines. Turns out he’s also wrong.

A Wild Heart's Desire by mikkimouse | 13.4K

If there's one thing Stiles Stilinski knows, it's that Deputy Derek Hale absolutely Does Not Like him. The only reason Derek even tolerates him is because their kids are worryingly codependent.

So Stiles is understandably confused when a very feral Derek shows up in his backyard after a call gone wrong and proceeds to move in with him.

Between the Drinks and Subtle Things by yodasyoyo | 4.4K

He holds up his free hand, eyes still closed. “One second,” he says through gritted teeth. “I’m just taking a moment to mourn the fact that we could have been fucking since–” He cracks open an eye and glares at Derek.

“Freshman year,” Derek supplies. “I’ve pretty much had the biggest crush on you since our freshman year.”

erroneous manoeuvres by slippingfromreality | 5.3K

“Hey, Stilinski!”

Stiles clenches his teeth. “What do you want, Hale?” he shouts back, not bothering to turn around. The smug smirk that’s most likely waiting for him is already seared into his mind from overexposure.

“A date!” the answer comes, still as loud, and most of the bystanders giggle or snort in Stiles’ direction.

Stiles rolls his eyes. This is the third time this week. He’d complain that Hale’s jokes are getting pretty stale, but he’d probably be milking this situation for all that it’s worth, too, if their roles were reversed. “Wrong aisle,” he grouses back, “try the bakery section. I hear they have fresh tarts.”

Fireman Derek's Crazy Pie [Cheeseburger Baby] by owlpostagain | 17.6K

“He can't blame me for the fact that I live in a building full of people united in the singular effort to ogle Hot Fireman as often as humanly possible."

Laura laughs, loud and echoing in the empty restaurant.

"Hot firemen can make a girl do crazy things," she agrees, nodding towards her brother's name on the menu. "Derek won't let me date anyone from his company, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the eye candy."

"Send them my way," Stiles suggests, finally loading up a forkful of pie. "Apparently I'm incompetent enough that I need to be babysat at all times, because it would be cheaper than dispatching a truck every time I try to use a kitchen appliance."

Broken Nose | 3K

Stiles is convinced that Jock-y Derek Hale hates him. It takes an accidental injury at the beach to turn that all upside down.

Laying Groundwork by 10.9K | Explicit

The one where Scott and Stiles go clubbing and there's this broody Bouncer out to get Stiles-

Or get into his pants. Thank God it's the latter.

[invisible-storyteller]

✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

I was tagged by the legend @hedwig221b, and I said fuck it, might as well try something new.

Words and Fics

331,784 words posted on AO3

6 fandoms represented (and I have many more I want to write for, oh geez)

Most Recent Drop: Thirsty and trapped

Longest Fic (Teen Wolf one): A spark of hope (is all I need)

Top Fics by Kudos (Teen Wolf ones, well Sterek actually :P)

Gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day 

Everybody wants some (Stiles)

Coming out (sorta?)

Fix my car and fix my tubes

Forget me not, Valentine

My personal favourites (I have to mention them, okay? They are my babies):

It wasn't destiny, we chose this (Sterek)

Complicated Feelings (one-sided Sterek)

5 times Derek talked about death, and 1 time he talked about love (Sterek)

A normal weekday in the Argent-Hale household (Petopher)

My fandom fic events in 2023

@syr-monthly and @sterekyrround events:

My Sweet Bloody Valentine (Forget me not, Valentine)

Summer 3 Event (This is what I went to school for)

Spooktober (A spark of hope (is all I need))

other events:

Kira Appreciation Week (Home is a person). 

Teen Wolf Rarepair Halloween Event 2023 (you can find my fics for this here)

Teen Wolf Anchor Down Event 2023 (Come steady me)

Theo Appreciation Week 2023 (Haunted dreams)

Teen Wolf Rarepair Week July 2023 (you can find my fics for this here)

Petopher Event May 2023 (you can find these fics here)

Wow, was I productive. Go me!

Upcoming Events and Projects for 2024

I'm never sure about events because I don't know when I'll be able to commit, but I had too much fun this year with all the events not to repeat something similar next year.

My projects (oh, boy, I have a lot! But just the ones I'm most excited about):

Pack Secret Santa (I really wanna finish this in 2023)

College smut: "straight" Derek and "straight" Stiles have a threesome but instead of the girl, they focus on each other and then start hooking up

5+1 where Stiles loves calling Derek his boyfriend, love of his life etc and does it any chance he gets

Sterek Purge!AU with slightly dark!Stiles

Stand-up comedians!AU

Sterek PWP with consensual non-con

Soulmate!AU but Stiles doesn't realize they are soulmates and Derek thinks Stiles is rejecting him because he's in love with Laura

and a bunch of other stuff that I'll never have the time to write

Rules & Tags below the cut!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

If you wanna @0hheytherebigbadwolf since you always bless my page with awesome posts.

[les-scripta]

AO3 History

A couple weeks ago I randomly ended up on ao3's fanlore page and from there I spent the next several hours reading about fandom events starting in the early 2000s. (Yes, I did have other things to do that day. No, my ADHD did not care.)

Although a large chunk of my time was actually spent looking into the wild story of Laura Hale (a real person in the fandom community, not the teen wolf character), the best part was reading about the creation of OTW and AO3. Knowing some of the history behind it all just makes me appreciate it that much more.

Before my fanlore dive, I hadn't really thought about how and why ao3 was created (beyond the obvious). I had no idea that the post proposing the idea (on livejournal!) was in part a response to the announcement of a commercially-owned fanfic site, one that didn't have a single woman or even fanfic reader or writer on the board. And this visionary on livejournal (astolat) wrote about how we "need a central archive of our own" (can't explain how happy it made me to see that phrase in the OG post) for fanfiction, one that's run by and for the actual fan community. It was so inspiring to read all the supportive comments and then subsequent posts and status updates as it went from an idea to a reality. Also, it was amusing to see some of the silly drama and the skeptical "this is bound to fail" reactions.

This was a bit of a ramble but basically I just want to acknowledge the awesome history of ao3 and recognize those folks who made it all happen (as well as those continuing the work).

[wulfnerd]

Sterekdrabbles Challenges – April 2022

[Challenge Blog] [Tag] [AO3]

For 29/04 (group, smart, unite)

your air in my lungs, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles and Derek take advantage of their time alone.

Now He’s Mine, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek has a conversation with someone from his past.

For 29/04 (group, smart, unite; theme: Belief)

I am yours now, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles is found.

maybe you’re the one, sterek, m, 100w ◌ Derek’s happy to be proven wrong by Stiles. 

For 27/04 (type, library, brain)

Give Me a Lesson, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Mr Harris has assigned Derek a tutor. It’s not going to work out as expected.

Baby, It’s You, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek goes looking and is found instead.

For 27/04 (type, library, brain; theme: Belief)

Let Me Save You, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles helps Derek look for a way out.

Where are you?, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Stiles tries and fails to study.

For 25/04 (buzz, conscious, hospital)

this cannot be ignored (but we’ll try), sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles, for a moment, gives in.

haters do what they do, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Office life isn’t always good for a werewolf.

For 25/04 (buzz, conscious, hospital; theme: Belief)

chocolate and a boy with a buzz cut, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Derek waits for Laura and meets a boy.

wake up my love, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek deals with the results of the pack’s latest encounter.

For 22/04 (duck, puny, hall)

Nap Time, Please, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Stiles is hungry, so nap time it is.

In Daddy’s Footsteps, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Stiles is sipping his coffee when his husband and son get home.

Time to Play Pretend, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Stiles hates that his son has to learn a lesson in blending in.

objects in the mirror, sterek, t, 100w ◌ The transition from friends to more still catches Derek unaware. 

For 20/04 (beam, rot, clear)

questions and shirtless werewolves, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles has decided to ask the expert about his ideas to help Scott gain control.

the coming change versus the resistant werewolf, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek’s not sure he’s ready for Stiles.

good to be with you again, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Derek comes home; Stiles has made a small blunder.

oh good, you’re home, sterek, t, 100w ◌ It’s been a miserable week for Stiles without Derek there. 

For 18/04 (wait, gaze, end)

Violet’s Day, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Violet will have to be content with just her coffee, it seems.

lick it off, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Two treats for the price of one.

Don’t Grow Too Fast, sterek, g, 100w ◌ The Stilinski-Hale family are all awake.

Wanting More, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles isn’t good at denying himself. 

For 15/04 (annoy, fret, note)

built upon a single note, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Why scratch a door when you can turn a messenger?

as you are, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek stops waxing.

give a howl for me, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles doesn’t appreciate the lie.

trading secrets, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Who passes notes in class anymore? 

For 13/04 (remember, dinosaur, hollow)

take me out to the (egg) game, sterek, g, 100w ◌ The Stilinski-Hale's go to an egg hunt.

pumpkin seeds and non-seasonal chocolate, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Derek works on being accepted in his home.

pain is moons away, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek watches his pack.

playing tag with godzilla, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Derek’s age is unknowable, even to his son, apparently.

For 11/04 (lock, ajar, light)

not a creature was stirring, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Derek comes home late.

Little Lies, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek doesn’t mean to see at first, and then he does.

no father needs to see that, sterek, t, 100w ◌ John’s getting too old for this.

early morning, good morning, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek forgets the rules; Stiles makes an empty threat.

For 8/04 (sofa, two, draw)

Sick Day, sterek, g, 100w ◌ A day together doesn’t go as planned.

it’s the little things, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Stiles comes home late; Derek’s prepared.

it’s been a long day, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Two sleepy young men rest on the sofa.

let me be your muse, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek is Stiles’ French girl.

For 6/04 (engine, access, encourage)

Rev My Engine, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles takes his Jeep in for a check-up.

You Rev Me Too, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek has a new reason to enjoy his job

just say that you’re mine, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek has a question.

fall to pieces, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek gets a call in the middle of the night.

For 4/04 (mountain, veil, bizarre)

training to be a legend, sterek, g, 100w ◌ The pack joins Kira on her journey.

up against the wall, sterek, t, 100w ◌ The pack readies for battle.

a change of arrangements, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek follows through on his arranged marriage.

thanks, you (really) shouldn’t have, sterek, g, 100w ◌ Erica has cooked tonight. Derek will be sleeping on the couch unless he shows up soon.

For 1/04 (frighten, haircut, helpful)

Fuzzy Candy Dish, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Derek doesn’t know how this always happens to him.

You’re Not Alone, sterek, t, 100w ◌ Stiles tries to support his mother; Derek helps him.

then I saw his face, sterek, g, 100w ◌ A change of hair leads to an awakening.

spiffy new do, sterek, g, 100w ◌ It’s time for a haircut for the littlest member of their family.

[tabbytabbytabby]

For @laurahale-appreciation Week Day 2: Sibling Rivalry

The Hale siblings take a trip to Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains.

[whispering-sumire755]

Dearest Lydia, You taste like meadowsweet and sunshine, press the flowers I braid into your fiery hair between the pages of your books to remember me by.

Dearest Lydia, Your intellect is summ'ry, divine, an ancient Goddess with a volcanic flare, and lips like a shattered glass of wine. Oh, lover, how you enchant me so clearly, how I hope your petals never tear.

Dearest Lydia, I do find myself afraid, sometimes of your fear, your ice, your cold, your closed-up, closed-off, scared. You're a wintery woman who found a way to be kind, and all I am, now, I find, is my love for you, dearest Lydia, angel, mine.

[thedaughterofkings]

regret nothing

This was technically written for Day Four of the @laurahale-appreciation week, that is Bickering Besties. But because I felt bad about not managing to write anything for the first three days, this not only has Stiles and Laura as besties, but also Alpha Laura, Hale Twins, AND Laura didn’t die, all squeezed into one 2k ficlet. And there’s Sterek of course, too! I hope you enjoy it! And go check out all the other fics written for this great new fest!

Derek regrets nothing as much as letting Laura go back to Beacon Hills alone.

Unfortunately she’s his elder - “By twelve minutes and don’t you forget that, Der!” - and his Alpha to boot, so Derek had had to remain alone in New York City while Laura went back to their old territory to look into the strange animal killings reported from there.

And now Derek has to suffer for his twin’s stubbornness. Because Laura? Befriended a pair of high schoolers the very first night she was back in Beacon Hills. And ever since, it’s been nothing but “Stiles this, Stiles that” with the occasional “Scott this” thrown in to mix things up.

Laura met them in the forest. At night. Where she was alone. Because Derek had to stay in New York City. Derek actually video calls her for once because Laura deserves to get glared at for that, but unfortunately she just laughs at him and says:

“I’m the apex predator, Derek, nothing out there would attack me. I was perfectly safe! Now the same cannot be said about tweedle dum and tweedle dee - Scott even has asthma, can you believe them?”

“I can’t even believe you,” Derek grumbles, but Laura ignores him and continues:

“So I heard them from miles away and decided to check up on them out of the good of my heart and Scott almost had an asthma attack when I reached them, but Stiles tried to attack me with a baseball bat - that’s what he was armed with, Derek! A baseball bat in the forest! What did he think he was going to find there? A bat? To bat away with his bat? A bat bat batting?”

And there Laura has to stop talking because she can’t stop laughing at her own terrible joke and Derek rolls his eyes and ends the call. But he sleeps easier that night knowing that Laura is still alive and well, which is not a given considering how Beacon Hills has treated their family.

The next few calls are similar to the first one. Laura calls to let him know that it looks as though there’s another werewolf at large and that’s how all the animals are killed, but at least she promises that she won’t go looking for it in the middle of the night again, and because Derek wheedles their “twinsies winsies vowsies” promise out of her (they were four when they came up with the name) he’s even inclined to believe she’s going to keep it. More concerning is that she visited Uncle Peter and that something was different about him, even though the nurse said there had been no changes. Nevertheless, Laura is sure that his scent has changed somehow - less rotten, is how she describes it and Derek believes. Her nose had always been the best, even before she became the Alpha.

Most concerning however is how Laura won’t stop hanging out with high schoolers. Not even Derek’s warning that she’s going to get arrested as a creeper deters her.

“Stiles’ dad is the Sheriff,” she says and laughs when Derek exclaims: “That just makes it even worse!”

Laura keeps collecting ever new strays, too, first Stiles and Scott, then Lydia and Jackson, and worst of all in Derek’s opinion, Allison Argent, Kate Argent’s niece. That phone call wasn’t a fun one; Derek shredded three of Laura’s throw pillows during it and Laura had to use her Alpha voice to stop him from booking a flight to the west coast immediately.

“She doesn’t even know about us,” Laura had said, quietly insistent, obviously willing Derek to listen. “She’s just a girl, who had to move into a strange new place and whose family is behaving weirdly. I won’t treat her as if she’s turned bad already, not when I might still do something to help her turn away from the dark side.”

“I thought the dark side had cookies,” Derek jokes weakly, but Laura just shakes her head grimly: “No, this one just has beetroot.”

Stiles is still the one she talks about the most, though. Apparently he doesn’t have many friends besides Scott and with Scott apparently in puppy love with Allison, Stiles has a lot of time on his hands suddenly and seems to want to spend it with Laura. Laura tells Derek of their coffee dates, and how they saw the latest MCU movie in the cinema last night, and Derek honestly thinks they are dating for a hot, scary second, until Laura denies it vehemently, with a loud “eewww no!” for effect. “He’s just lonely, I think,” she says, sobering again. “Scott is his best friend and he’s all but forgotten him because of Allison. Other than him he’s not close to many people; his dad is busy with his job, and his mum died years ago. Honestly, at first I mostly felt bad for him, but he’s actually a great guy. He’s funny and smart and sarcastic and a total softie beneath it all - you’d like him!”

“I doubt it,” Derek grumbles, but Laura refuses to drop it. She keeps singing Stiles’ praises and Derek honestly is a little jealous of the guy. He used to be the one Laura was closest to and he’s prepared to hate the guy just because he has stolen his twin sister. But then Stiles saves Laura’s life and Derek can’t even hate him anymore.

Laura is shot at by Kate Argent and Derek can’t sleep for three nights without his phone pressed to his ear and Laura’s heartbeat coming calm and steady through the line. The bill is going to be insane, but it’s worth it. Stiles is the one who finds her and gets Scott and Allison to steal the wolfsbane bullet needed to save Laura’s life. Laura tries to play it off, but Derek knows his twin and he knows it was close, that he almost lost her.

But Laura promises that she’ll be more careful from now on and insists that Derek should stay in New York and at least finish the semester. So when Peter wakes up and goes on a mad killing spree, Derek has to somehow get himself together enough to study for finals while worrying about the last two members of his family ripping each other apart - literally. The only thing keeping him somewhat sane are the regular messages from an unknown number that let him know that Laura is still alive and doing well. There’s also the occasional random remark upon everything from the history of male circumcision to questions about the New York Mets. Derek rarely replies, but he notes that each message is signed ‘Stiles’.

He did promise Laura to get through the semester, but she’s not here to stop him from rushing through his French Post-Revolution Literature exam, handing it in just after the half mark. His flight is leaving in two hours and he still needs to make it to the airport - his classmates staring after him in dismay because they are nowhere near finished yet isn’t his problem.

Derek arrives just in Beacon Hills in time to watch Peter rip out Kate Argent’s throat and to stop Chris Argent from blowing Peter’s brains out. There’s a group of teenagers huddled at the edge of the clearing, apparently armed with homemade molotov cocktails and in one case a bow and arrows of all things. While Derek is grappling with Chris, who is surprisingly strong for a mere human and slippery to boot, Laura tackles Peter and roars him into submission. Derek almost lets Chris go, the urge to submit to his Alpha is so great. Interestingly, he can see some of the teenagers react instinctively, too, either ducking their heads or presenting their necks. When he looks back towards Laura, she’s flashing her eyes at Peter and his flash back, red against blue and Derek lets out a deep breath of relief. Peter has accepted Laura as his Alpha. It’s something neither of them had thought off - with Peter in a coma when Laura became the Alpha, he hadn’t had the chance to build a new pack bond with her and, waking up, had been for all intents and purposes an Omega. Hopefully he’ll be a little less unhinged now that he is part of a proper, if small pack again.

Speaking of unhinged, Chris has renewed his struggles, apparently realising that all attention is going to focus on him now that Peter is under control. Derek just holds him still as best as he can and waits for whatever Laura has decided to do with him.

Laura ignores him to start with, heading towards the teenagers first, kneeling down in front of the brunette, who is white as a sheet but still holding her bow tightly, ready to lift and shoot at a moment’s notice.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Allison,” Laura says softly. “She deserved to die, but I did not want you to witness her death, especially not like that.”

“She deserved to die?” Chris roars and Derek grabs him more tightly to stop him from attacking Laura with his bare hands. “She was my sister, you monster.”

Laura’s back straightens abruptly and she gets up again, stalking towards Chris and Derek predatorily.

“She was a mass murdering maniac, a cold blooded killer, and a rapist to boot. She murdered my entire family and you call me a monster? I know how much your daughter loves you and that is the only reason why you are still alive right now,” she growls, getting right into Chris’ space. “If you won’t listen to me, listen to Allison, but know that: the Hales are back and this is our territory, to protect from people like you and especially your sister. So tread carefully, very carefully. The real monsters here aren’t the ones with claws.”

Here she flicks her claws at Chris’ face, stopping just short of taking out his eyes, and Derek hears one of the teenagers cheer under his breath: “Yes, show him those claws, Laura!”

Then Laura turns to Derek and says: “Let him go, Der. Allison says she’ll keep him in line and I trust Allison.”

The brunette raises her chin defiantly and nods, obviously aware of how significant that is and not planning to disappoint Laura, so Derek releases Chris, who goes straight to his daughter and drags her away through the trees. Allison rips herself free, though, and runs back to throw her arms around Laura in a hug. Derek hears her whisper: “Thank you, I’ll talk to him. He didn’t know about Kate; I’m sure of it. And I’ll talk to mum, too.” Then she runs back to her father and leads him away.

Laura waits until they are out of sight and human hearing range and then drags Derek into a hard hug, mumbling into his neck: “I thought I told you to stick out the semester! Didn’t you have an exam today?”

“I did,” Derek defends himself. “I finished early; it’s not my fault if the exam’s too easy!”

Laura laughs and releases him just long enough to drag him over to the remaining four teenagers:

“Guys, this is my younger brother Derek, whom you all already know about.”

“It’s just twelve minutes, Laura,” Derek mutters, and Laura pinches him in the side.

“As I was saying, my younger brother Derek, and these are Scott-” A curly haired boy who is still looking after Allison and her father, as if they are suddenly going to reappear. “and Jackson-” A prototypical high school jock, who seems to be more than a little shell shocked, but also definitely very much in awe of Laura. “and Lydia-” She’ll definitely be prom queen, Derek thinks, but there’s a shrewd look in her eyes that makes him think that she’ll probably be valedictorian as well. “and last, but so not least,” Laura gestures dramatically and Derek already knows what’s coming because the only one that’s missing is Stiles, Laura’s new best friend. Derek has come up with all sorts of horrible visions of what he might look like, all to fit a horrible sister stealer, but all of them pale against reality. A buzzcut, lickable moles, and obscenely pink lips are the first things Derek notices, followed by the most gorgeous eyes he has ever seen, almost werewolf golden and with a twinkle that holds teasing promise.

“This is Stiles,” Laura finishes with a flourish.

And Derek thinks: “Oh god, he’s pretty.”

And Laura cackles in delight.

[poetry-protest-pornography]

Learning Curve

Laura smoothed her skirt one last time, chasing away an imaginary wrinkle as she glanced at the clock. Again.

Her papers were perfectly arranged, the new markers for the whiteboard lined up in a neat row, and her lecture notes were typed in 14 point Garamond for easy perusal. She was ready. She was going to prove that she could finish her Master's degree and learn how to lead the pack when her mom is ready to step down. Prove that there's certainly no need for Peter to take any of the responsibilities meant for the Alpha-elect; she'll do it all just fine.

The creak of the door opening startles Laura out of her musings, she's a little ashamed to note that her claws have come out. The first students start filing in, claiming seats in the small lecture hall and conversing quietly among themselves as they settle in. She can’t help but smile at the small nods of acknowledgement they throw her way.

Two minutes before the official start of class, Laura starts to write her office hours and email on the whiteboard, as she finishes up, a flurry of motion and the scent of autumn and spice drag her attention toward the door.

A tall, lightly muscled guy with dark hair and wide, amber eyes is half-stumbling into the room. His face is dotted with freckles and Laura is startled again to find herself thinking of tasting them. She's actually leaning slightly in his direction, taking a deep breath to learn his scent.

He recovers gracefully, re-shouldering his bag and catching his notebook before it can fall. Laura tries not to notice the way his forearms flex where his plaid shirt is rolled up. Their eyes meet, and the color of his catch Laura off guard, but more than that, it's how he seems to look into her that takes her breath for a moment.

He tilts his head a little, a familiar gesture that puts Laura oddly at ease. His lips quirk in a quick smile, and Laura feels as though she's been judged favorably.

He sits in the front row, and Laura has to force herself to look away from his hands as they arrange his pens and pencils in front of him.

She checks the clock again, sees that it's time to begin, and moves back to her desk. Taking a deep breath, she finds her earlier confidence and begins.

“Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to Criminal Theory 306, I'm Laura, Dr. Griffin’s teaching assistant, and I'll be leading your Wednesday classes, and I'll be here Fridays as well. If you have any questions…”

***

It takes her less than ten minutes into the bullshit intro class to realize that the kid--Stiles-- is brilliant. He's funny and charming to boot. Laura kind of hates him.

***

Stiles is from her home town, and they know basically all the same people. It should be nice, but it puts her on edge.

***

Doctor Griffin loves Stiles. He tells Stiles his theories are “clever” and “interesting”. He jokes that they're lucky Stiles is on the side of the law, because otherwise they'd all be in trouble. He wants Stiles to consider teaching. He invites Stiles to a lecture that Laura is attending with him.

Laura has been working with Doctor Griffin for a year and a half, and he has never joked about her intellect.

Stiles smiles at Laura like they know each other, like they know each other's secrets. He still smells like everything good about autumn. He laughs with his whole body, and he doesn't notice the way half the girls in class, and at least two of the guys, are halfway in love with him.

Doctor Griffin claps Stiles’ shoulder like a proud father, Stiles smiles, big and genuine, and he winks at Laura. It makes something hot and electric flash through her, but it's all mixed up with jealous ire. Laura grips the back of the chair she's leaving on so tightly it cracks. She winces, but before she can make an excuse to distract her mentor and her...rival?...Stiles sweeps in and redirects his attention away, leading him out of the room easily and throwing Laura a look she can't interpret.

The wave of gratitude chases away the annoyance, but the confusion remains.

***

Stiles wears a tie and vest to the lecture. Laura hates it; no one should look that good in real life. He compliments her dress without being creepy, he even flushes a little when he does it, which of course just makes him hotter. Dammit.

Stiles charms everyone at the little meet and greet thing, Griffin gushes about him and Laura tries to smile politely. When she accidentally makes eye contact with Stiles, he looks surprised, then looks quickly at Griffin, then back to her before his eye twitches in annoyance.

She's totally unprepared for it when Stiles gestures at her and says “Really though, none of us would have any idea what's going on without this woman over here, no offence, Doc, but Laura keeps us all in line.” His tone is light, but he's radiating sincerity, and the words he chose feel deliberate. They also feel pretty amazing.

And just like that, the alumnae they were talking to are terribly interested in Laura and her thesis, and Griffin is heaping praise on her. Stiles bumps her shoulder lightly with his own, and she returns the gesture. When she turns to flash a thankful smile, she swears that he bares his neck to her.

She doesn't have time to process that, as her mentor poses a question about her research, so she shakes off the shock and lets the thrill of talking about her thesis--and the spice and autumn smell of Stiles-- distract her.

***

They seem to spend a lot of time together, but Laura can't bring herself to be mad] when she comes home from trading ideas and talking about Star Wars over coffee and notices she smells a little like him.

***

Stiles comes in to the first class after break smelling like other wolves, and Laura can't quite swallow a growl. Stiles seems to be the only one to notice it, his eyes going wide as he scrambles to meet her at her desk, hands splayed out in a soothing gesture.

“Laura,” he says, just audible to her enhanced hearing. “I should've warned you, I'm so sorry, but i promise I'm not a threat, I was visiting some friends at home. They uh, know your mom, you can call her if you need to, she knows me, too.”

Laura can tell he's being honest, knows he wouldn't lie to her, really. But there's a sour note in his scent that has her anxious anyway.

He closes his eyes for a long second before putting his hand on the desk next to hers, close enough that she can feel the heat of it. She wishes he would move it the last centimeter.

When he speaks again, his voice is heavy. “Please just… please don't be mad. I don't want us to not be friends.”

“We’ll talk later, Stiles,” she says, it's less comforting than she wants it to be, and Stiles stiffens. She quickly moves her hand over his and squeezes gently before moving away entirely. He smiles, mostly to himself, and Laura feels like she did something right.

***

Stiles knows about werewolves, and knows Laura's whole family, her whole pack. Even the newest members that Laura hasn't met because she's been away so long.

Like with everything else, Stiles has thrown himself headlong into learning everything he can, and Laura is afraid that soon he might know more than she does. It doesn't feel like it did with class stuff though, she's not jealous or threatened by his encyclopedic knowledge; she's fascinated by his enthusiasm and his curiosity.

She might be falling a little bit in love.

***

Laura asks Stiles to read her thesis over Thanksgiving break. They drive back to Beacon Hills together, and it's far more comfortable than it should be.

Stiles wasn't kidding about knowing her mom, and Laura is both flabbergasted and overjoyed to see how easily Stiles and his dad integrate into her family. She's not even surprised when she feels the beginnings of a pack bond forming in her chest; a faint but very real connection tying her to the two men. She knows when she becomes alpha, the bonds will strengthen and become more defined, and she can't wait to carry her pack with her that way.

***

Laura's whole family loves Stiles. He's thick as thieves with her little sister, Cora, has a difficult to define, but intense friendship with her brother, Derek, even Peter is smitten (in his own weird, slightly dangerous way).

She can't blame them.

***

Stiles has notes on Laura's thesis.

They're all, of course, insightful and well articulated. What aren't compliments, are ways she can strengthen her argument, or challenges to her hypotheses and articles that address them.

He tells her “You're kind of brilliant, you know,” and he's smiling in that way that makes her heart beat heavy against her ribcage, and he radiates sincerity and a little bit of awe, and Laura wants to kiss him.

So she does.

***

Stiles kisses back like he argues, eagerly and earnestly and it's perfect.

Laura doesn't hate it even a little.

[thebigoblin]

Moodboard and accompanying ficlet for @laurahale-appreciation Week, Day 6: Resurrection.

Can also be found on AO3.

Wake The Spirit

Laura wakes up gasping for breath on a hard surface. It's something solid with a lot of cracks, little pin-like things poking all over her back as she struggles on top of it.

"Mom?" She doesn't know what's wrong with her. Her mom would, though. She knows everything. Laura hadn't been surprised at all that she'd found her crying in that white room, in the space between worlds; she couldn't be with her all the time, but that was okay. Laura had been used to not having her around.

"Laura," someone speaks her name like a prayer, a whisper of awe. She recognizes that voice.

Her gut tells her she knows what's happened to her. But it's still a shock to her system—she is alive, she is alive again—when she tries to sit up and the person that helps her is Derek. Her baby brother.

He was so young when she'd left, but now he looks like he's been through hell. He's aged so much.

But he's not the only one to help her tilt her world on a different axis. There's a girl, too. She looks familiar in a way that hurts; Cora. It's Cora. She looks so much like mom.

"Cora." She didn't know that her baby sister was alive. How could she not know that?

Cora gives a small cry, a sob that's more like a giggle mixed in with a little bit of sadness. "Hey," she says, and Laura opens her arms. Someone clears his throat then, and Laura turns to see Derek looking away, a man by his side doing the same. "Here." Cora says, and helps her get dressed.

Laura is curious. Derek and Cora, they make sense, they're her family. Of course they would be here. (She thinks about Peter, but that's someone she doesn't want to think about, not right now). But this man, this man who reminds her of Derek's first girlfriend—brown hair, pale skin, moles—is not someone she knows.

But she can smell him. She's not an Alpha anymore, but she still has her sense of smell, and she can smell the ozone on the man. The scent of magic. He reeks of it. And so does Derek, and in a vastly huge quantity than Cora does.

Laura files that information away in her head. Derek has been through hell, but at least he hasn't been alone. That's good enough for her now.

When Derek and the man turn back, Laura opens her arms again, and this time she gets both of her siblings in her arms.

"We missed you." Derek tells her, voice choked up with tears.

"I'm so glad you're back, Lo," Cora agrees. But Laura doesn't know what to think.

There's always a price to pay for magic, and bringing back a soul is no small feat.

She lets her siblings go from her arms, but not by her side. She stares at the man with the tawny eyes, and asks with a deadly calm, "How am I alive?"

The man smiles. Looks at Derek, looks at Cora. Looks back at her. His eyes soften.

"Good things do happen, you know." He doesn't look stressed. His heartbeat is steady.

Laura isn't in the space between worlds right now. She's here, she's with her family, her pack, and this man has helped bring her back.

Laura takes a deep breath. Opens her arms. Smiles.

"Thank you, Derek's boyfriend."

Derek laughs like it's pulled out of him, and Cora says, "I told you! You and Stiles are so obvious," and the man—Stiles, evidently—grins until his mouth is almost splitting his face in two.

"I like you." He says, and Laura hugs him. Hugs Stiles.

Stiles and Derek and Cora. They're here, for her. Maybe she didn't fuck up as bad as she'd thought, if they love her still.

[miscellanyandchaos]

Prompt: Laura didn’t die

Laura follows the smell, the smell of someone oh so familiar. Sure, she’d seen the spirals left in the dead animals and seen the same symbol carved into tree’s in the preserve. She knows what it means, but it’s not what finally brings her out to the preserve in the dead of night. It’s the smell of family, the smell of pack, and she knows it can only be one person. There are only so many of her family left and she’d left Derek safe in New York.

“Peter...” He’s facing away from her, a long unfamiliar coat over his shoulders. He’s standing in the middle of a clearing, the pale light of a crescent moon lighting up his still form. It’s all very dramatic, but then Peter has always had a flare for the dramatic. “Uncle Peter?” She’s not sure why he’s out here, or even if he’s truly conscious, the last time she’d seen him, he’d been still and motionless in a hospital bed.

Peter turns slowly and Laura can see that the scars on his face haven’t healed. He’d always been handsome, at least as far as Laura could tell considering he was her uncle. He’s good looks haven’t disappeared, they’ve just been twisted a little. 

“Hello Laura.” And god, he sounds so calm, so smug and self satisfied, just like he always had before the fire. Fuck, she’s going to cry.

“Uncle Peter...” She tries, but the words won’t come. She steps forward and he smiles, big and wide and all teeth. It’s a little scary, in a way he never has been before. But this is her uncle. 

Laura throws herself across the clearing at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and burying her face in his neck. He smells of Beta and pain and maybe even grief, but Laura draws in huge panting breathes, wanting to memories him.

“I’m so sorry, Uncle Peter. We should have stayed, I should have been here. But Derek looked like he was ready to throw himself off a building. What was I supposed to do?” She gasps, feels the tears sliding down her face. “I didn’t want to leave you.” It has felt so wrong to leave him in the hospital all alone, hurt and vulnerable. But she’d had to think about Derek, he’d needed to escape, to be away from the source of their tragedy or he’d never stop blaming himself. Not that Derek had stop blaming himself, and Laura wasn’t sure he ever would. 

“Laura...” Peter voice is hoarse, he sounds tired and so very old in that moment that Laura has to look up at him. There are tears in his eyes and Laura feels her heart break all over again for what they’ve lost. She cups Peter’s face, strokes his scarred cheek and just takes him in.

“We’ll find them, Peter. I’m not going to let this go. Not until they’re buried so deep in the ground that not even the worms can find them.” Laura’s never been much for vengeance, not until now. Not until hunters had burned her family alive, but there isn’t a moment she hasn’t thought about it since they moved to New York. She has a plan, but her need for vengeance, her need to see her plan through has never been as strong as it is now, standing face to face with physical evidence of what they’d done to her family, what they’d done to Peter. Derek’s scars aren’t visible, locked away inside him where even Derek won’t go. But Peter where’s his scars on his face and Laura intends to see to it that everyone that had a hand in hurting him and Derek will die a slow and painful death.

“Laura...” A tear slides down Peter’s face and Laura brushes it away. “I... Do you have a plan?” 

“Yes, but I think you should tell me your’s first and then you can poke holes in my plan until we come up with something better.” Laura smiles a little through her tears, knowing for a fact that Peter already has a plan, the freaking vengeance spirals weren’t for no reason.

There’s silence for a long moment, then Peter takes Laura’s hands and pulls them away from his face. 

“Alright Alpha Hale, lets see what you’ve got.” Peter smiles and it’s wicked and smug, just like she remembers. For the first time in a long time, Laura feels like she’s actually fixing something or at least on the right track. Peter Hale is ruthless and Laura has never been so glad to have him on her side.

[ocdindeed]

Laura Hale Appreciation Week 2020

Wrote a new fic in a new fandom (for me, anyway)! It’s part of the “Laura Hale Appreciation Week 2020″ run by @clotpolesonly​ (Thank you for creating this!) This fills the final prompt of “Dealer’s Choice” but I suppose it fits into “Magical Mishap” too.

---------------------------------

THREE CLICKS & I’M HOME

Words: 30,883 - Chapters: 3/3

Fandom: Teen Wolf -  Laura Hale & Derek Hale | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski

Rating: Teen+ - Categories: M/M - Tags: Family Hale Feels, POV Laura Hale, Post-Season/Series 04, Parallel Universes, Magical Accidents, Alternate Universe - Future Fic, LHAW20

Summary in simple words: Stiles magically summons Laura from a parallel universe.

Summary in not so simple words: After a tragic event, Laura’s life is relegated to pack life and staying put. But then a blue moon and a kid with a heart full of love who believes he can do magic turns Laura’s world upside down. She is reunited with her brother who was long gone but never forgotten, and the Hale family is whole once again. Like all magic, it has a cost, and Derek’s happiness is not something Laura’s willing to sacrifice.

Read it on the AO3 at: Three Clicks & I’m Home

[softranswolves]

Welcome to Derek Hale Appreciation Week 2021!

What is it?

A week celebrating and recognizing our resident angsty werewolf, Derek Hale

When is it?

November 22-28, the last full week of November

What can you make?

Any piece of fan work! Be it fanfiction, poetry, edits, gifs, artwork, it’s all welcome! No minimum or maximum participation or word count either.

How do you get featured?

Just tag @softranswolves and #derekweek21

What are the daily prompts?

Each day will have both a more extended or complex prompt as well as a simpler one; either can be used for visual or written media or both can be ignored! :)

Monday Nov 22 - Pre-Canon Years // Colors

This can be anything from childhood memories to pre- or post-fire to Derek's time in New York with Laura.

Tuesday Nov 23 - Missing Moments // Favorite Quotes

What scenes do you feel are missing from the show? Could be events we hear about but never saw fleshed out, or something that you think should've fit in that wasn't shown.

Wednesday Nov 24 - Complete AU // Lyrics

So many possibilities! How do you think Derek could fit into a different world? Maybe it's our world without the supernatural, historical pirates, or a fantasy land.

Thursday Nov 25 - Character Study // Favorite Scenes

Really dig in deep to Derek’s psyche today. You could look at just one conversation or choice and how it affected him, or maybe an overall look at his evolution over the series.

Friday Nov 26 - Fix-It Friday // Poetry

What Derek scenes or events do you wish had gone down differently? Now’s your chance to alter canon to fix something that happened!

Saturday Nov 27 - Post-Canon // Happiness

The last we see of Derek, he came back to Beacon Hills to help fight the beginning of the hunter war and the Anuk-Ite. Where has he gone now, and what's he doing with his life? Maybe he's still in Beacon Hills, or perhaps went on a roadtrip, or got out of the country.

Sunday Nov 28 - Dealer’s Choice // Sadness

Today’s a free-for-all! Get your creative juices flowing and create anything you’d like focusing on Derek!

[tabbytabbytabby]

For Day 1 of @laurahale-appreciation Week: Laura Didn’t Die

A future pack gathering

[stacinadia]

For @laurahale-appreciation​!  Originally written for the theme Laura Didn’t Die, I needed an extra day to work on it, so now it’s for the theme Alpha Laura, which also qualifies!  This is a prequel to Meeting Again, when Laura and Peter fight.

Title:  Alpha Roar

Rating:  T

Warnings:  Canon-typical violence

Theme:  Alpha Laura

Words:  2446

Summary:  Laura ran away years ago, but she's not running anymore. 

Also at AO3.

**********

“Are you sure you don’t need me to come, Laura?”

Laura smiled gently at her younger brother.  Derek was normally a pretty independent werewolf, but he became slightly clingy whenever she had to travel away for any sort of alpha business.  They were pretty much the only family either of them had left since the fire.  

“Alpha business” rarely happened, luckily, ever since the two of them had moved to New York to try and get away from all the bad memories.  Since they weren’t living in their own territory anymore, they weren‘t really an active pack.  One of the New York packs permitted the two siblings to live safely in their own territory as long as they didn’t try to take over, but occasionally, Laura‘s presence was required at some meetings as another alpha.  

Now it was one of those few times.  But this time, she was returning to their family‘s old territory in California. 

She didn’t tell the specifics to Derek so he wouldn‘t worry more than he normally did when she was away, but she’d found out about a spiral being burned onto a dead deer in their old town of Beacon Hills.  It was the werewolf symbol for revenge, and she needed to know what it meant and who it was a message for.  

“I‘ll be fine, Derek,” she told him gently, putting a hand on his shoulder.  “I won’t be gone long.  I’ll probably be back in less than a week.”

Derek hugged her tightly and buried his face in her neck, despite the fact that he was now taller than her.  She smiled fondly as he began scenting her.  She turned toward her brother’s exposed neck as well and breathed in his scent as well, feeling a sense of contentment and pack as their combined scents washed over her.  From the scents wafting off of him, she could tell that her brother felt the same way.

“You promise, Laura?”  Derek’s voice was so soft, she might not have heard it if she didn‘t have enhanced senses.

“I promise.”  She kissed Derek on the cheek, then picked up her suitcase and left their apartment to go hail a cab to the airport.  “Love you, Der-bear!” she shouted as she pressed the button for the elevator.

“Don’t call me that, Laura!”  

She chuckled at her brother’s whining as she stepped into the elevator.  He was such fun to tease.

**********

She was back in Beacon Hills by that afternoon.  Finally being back in her family’s territory - her territory - filled her with purpose.  Her alpha instincts made her want to check out the town and the preserve and make sure that it was all still okay after all these years.  She wasn’t expecting to feel this way upon her return.  A wave of guilt washed over her not for the first time that maybe she and Derek never should have left.

She could tell that no other alphas dared to take the Hale pack’s territory while she was gone.  Her mother had been one of the most respected alphas in California, so that probably had a lot to do with it. But she knew that someday, some pack or alpha was going to try to take Beacon Hills for themselves.  Laura realized that she didn’t want that to happen.  

Despite the fact that no other packs were present, Laura was on high alert that evening as she felt drawn to the preserve where the remains of her family’s burned down house were.  If another pack wasn‘t here, perhaps hunters had left the deer in the hopes that she would return.  She growled softly.  A hunter was the one who had set the fire that killed her family, and she would make sure that no hunter would ever harm another Hale for as long as she lived.  

She continued to slip soundlessly through the preserve, the trees still so familiar to her despite not being here for so long.  As she neared the remains of the Hale house, she saw a figure in a robe standing with its back toward her, most likely a male judging by the silhouette.  She slowed her silent steps to observe the man.  But what made her actually stop in her tracks was that the back looked very familiar…

“U…uncle Peter?” she whispered in shock.  “Is that you?”

Uncle Peter, her mother’s younger brother, had been the only one who had survived the massacre of their family.  But despite the fact that he was a werewolf, his body had been horrifically burned, and he’d been in a coma which the doctors hadn’t been sure he’d ever wake up from.  Laura had gotten reports over the years from the hospital when she was in New York occasionally updating her on his condition, but he had never shown any sort of signs that he was coming out of it.

The figure turned around then, and Laura gasped when she saw that it really was Peter.  His face was still badly scarred from the fire, though it had healed somewhat from when his body had been first pulled from the wreckage of their house.  It was likely that his body had also partially healed as well.  She barely had time to inwardly marvel that he had finally come out of his coma before he leaped towards her, his clawed hand only lightly scratching her cheek as she backed up in shock.  She could already feel her skin knitting itself back together.

“It’s me, Laura!” she cried out as she dodged another swing.  “Your niece!  Don’t you recognize me?”

A growl was the only response she got as his fangs dropped and he started to half-shift, his eyes flashing blue as his sideburns grew and his clothes tearing.  He lunged toward her, aiming for her throat.  Laura finally let loose her own claws as she prepared to fight one of the only living relatives she had left.

She didn’t understand what was happening.  Uncle Peter had always been more sneaky and underhanded than her mother and the rest of the Hales, but he had always been on the family’s side and would have protected them with everything that he had.  Laura didn’t know what Peter had endured during the fire, as she and Derek hadn’t been home at the time, but hearing his family, his wife and child, dying all around him couldn’t have been good for his psyche.  But was her uncle insane enough to attack one of his only family left?

Peter was clearly fighting to kill.  There was no doubt about that.  He kept aiming for her neck, one of the most vulnerable parts of a werewolf.  But Laura was only trying to subdue.  She flung his body into a tree and tried to slip through the woods unseen while he was still getting his bearings.

But Peter appeared suddenly in front of her yet again, and Laura stopped abruptly in her tracks.  He slammed her into a tree behind her with one hand, his claws digging into her torso.  He lifted his other hand as he prepared to swung his claws towards her neck, an attack that Laura wouldn‘t be able to dodge.

Laura feared that this might be the end.  Her throat would be clawed out by her uncle, and she would be joining the rest of her family in the afterlife.  Derek would be left all alone in New York with no idea what had happened to her.  Would he return to Beacon Hills, too, looking for her?  Would he meet the same fate as Laura?  

But she couldn’t leave Derek behind.  She was his alpha and he needed her.  And despite the fact that he was trying to kill her, she knew that Peter needed an alpha, his alpha, too.

She remembered her mother telling her about an alpha’s roar which would make everyone of lower rank, and possibly some other alphas, submit immediately.  It was the only thing she could think of to try.  As Peter’s claws neared her neck, she gathered up every ounce of alpha power inside her and roared.  She could feel her face transforming into her partial shift and she knew her eyes were glowing red.

Peter immediately stopped and released her, baring his neck to her in submission and flashing his blue eyes.  “Alpha,” he murmured, lowering his head.

Laura was silent for a few moments, trying to catch her breath and processing the fact that the alpha roar had actually worked.  Her face transformed back to human.  “Uncle Peter, why?” she asked quietly.

Peter was breathing heavily from the exertion of the fight as well.  “Had to…” he said.

“Why?”

“Had to become alpha,” Peter explained.  “Can heal faster as an alpha.  And then kill everyone who killed our family.  I want revenge!” he roared out.

“Revenge won’t bring them back!”  Laura shot back at him.

“Talia would have said something like that, too,” Peter mused.  “But I had six years of just laying there in that coma, abandoned by my alpha,” he spat derisively.  “I had to take control myself.”

Laura was horrified as she realized what Peter said was true.  She’d abandoned a packmate who needed her to a long-term care hospital because she couldn’t stand being in the town where her family had died, despite it being their territory.  “We…  I…  I didn‘t mean to,” she whispered.

Peter snorted.  “Yeah, that’s why you and Derek visited me so many times in that hospital.”  He shook his head.  “Stupid, foolish boy,” he muttered.  “Got everyone killed.”

Laura knew that Derek still believed the same thing, that it had been all his fault that Kate Argent was able to kill their family because he‘d given her information about them, thinking that she’d been in love with him.  After he’d finally admitted it to her a few months after they had moved to New York, she’d worked hard trying to convince him that it wasn’t his fault, that he had been deceived, too.  “It wasn’t his fault,” she told her uncle.  “Kate would found some other way.”

She reached out to her uncle, but he jerked his arm away.  Laura didn’t let that deter her.  “Uncle Peter, I did abandon you, and for that, I’m so sorry.”

Peter looked surprised that she was admitting to that.  Laura was relieved to see him listening.

“I was an alpha at eighteen, barely out of high school.  I was scared because my family was dead, and my only relative who had survived the fire was in a coma, and we had no idea if you would ever come out of it.  That doesn’t usually happen to werewolves, so we had no idea what was happening to you.  So I just ran away with Derek.  I know now that I never should have done that.  I can feel the land calling to me.  I wasn’t ready back then, but I think I’m ready now.”  She reached out to Peter, but this time, he allowed her to touch his arm.  “I don’t know if I will ever be able to make it up to you, but I want to try.  It’s just the three of us now, and we should stick together like family should.  I‘ll become the alpha I should have been.”

Peter stared at her for a few moments, then started chuckling.  “That was a good speech, niece,” he said, a twinkle in his eyes that Laura remembered from before the fire, when Peter was the cool uncle who let them get away with things.  

But then a faraway look came to his eyes.  “I didn’t want you to die, Laura,” he said.  His heartbeat was steady, so Laura knew that it was the truth.  “All I could think of was killing an alpha, and you were the only one I could think of.  I…  I just wanted to make them pay.  Make them all pay.  That‘s all I could think of for years.”  His head bowed forward and his voice took on a watery tone.  “My sister and her family.  My wife.  My child.  They didn’t deserve this…”  A sob came from the man as his shoulders shook

Laura immediately wrapped her arms around Peter as tears streamed down her cheeks as well.  “None of them did,” she whispered back.  She could feel the pack bond with Peter growing stronger as she gently scented.  He smelled of smoke, sadness, and regret, but underneath it all, he smelled like pack and family.

The two separated, and Laura could see Peter’s burns looked a little better.  “I won’t leave again, I promise,” she vowed.  “I’m going to call Derek, and we’re all going to be together again.  We’re going to stick together like a family should.”

Peter grinned.  “I like the sound of family.”

“Me, too.”  A thought occurred to Laura.  “Were you the one who burned the spiral on the deer?  How long have you been awake?”

“Well,” Peter drawled, looking embarrassed.  “A nurse at the hospital helped me.  She burned the deer for me and she helped me get out.”

“She doesn’t know about us, does she?”  Laura quirked an eyebrow, shooting Peter a stern look.

Peter’s response was to whistle innocently.  Laura didn’t buy it for an instant.  “Well, we’ll worry about that later,” she said, waving her hand.  “For now, I’m going to my hotel and calling Derek to return here as well.  Do you need to get back to the hospital, Uncle Peter?”

“I suppose,” he shrugged in response.  “They’ll be missing me, I’m sure.  I’ll have you know I was quite popular with the nurses, even in a coma.”

Laura laughed.  Now that sounded more like the Uncle Peter that she knew and loved.

**********

Laura sighed in relief as she sat on her hotel bed.  It was all over with no blood being shed and the living Hales were unified once again.  She mentally vowed to become the sort of alpha that her mother had been, now that they were back on their own land.

She grabbed her phone and called Derek, who she knew that, despite the fact that it was about 4am in New York, he was probably anxious with his alpha and sister away.

“Laura?” came her brother’s sleepy yet anxious voice.  “Is everything okay?”

Laura smiled.  “Everything is perfect, Derek.  Our uncle is awake and healing.”

She could hear rustling as she pictured Derek sitting up in bed.  “Uncle Peter‘s awake?” he asked, sounding a little more alert.

“Yes,” Laura said.  “Now pack up whatever is absolutely necessary and come back home.  The Hale pack is returning to Beacon Hills.”

[thedaughterofkings]

watching, watching, watching

Written for Day Six of the @laurahale-appreciation week: Looking through her eyes, so here’s my 755 words take on that prompt! Laura is going to come back and haunt them all.

It had been bad enough to die - killed by her own uncle nevertheless. Coming back as a ghost would have been cool at least, rattling some cabinets, writing ominous warnings into fogged up mirrors, and possibly even a creepy nursery rhyme or two. But this? Seeing it all, but unable to do anything? Laura is going to crawl out of her grave if it kills her. Again.

First Peter bites a poor unsuspecting kid, and then all hell breaks loose. And right in the middle is her poor Derek. Her brother tries so hard, trying to catch Peter, trying to teach Scott - who is a little piss baby whose ass Laura would have kicked into gear already if she could (she knows she’s being harsh, but that’s her brother being accused of murder and worse, when he’s only trying to help), trying to keep himself and everything else together. But for every step he climbs up on the endless mountain that is life, someone pushes him back down.

And Laura can just watch, mute, and powerless, and helpless.

She has to watch as Derek kills his only remaining family member, and how he struggles with the new power that’s passed on to him, and with the guilt that comes along with it. She has to watch as Derek tries to build a pack, choosing people like him, people who are lonely, hurt, helpless, for whom the bite is truly a gift, and how it all too quickly falls apart around him again.

Laura watches impotently as Peter uses the girl he bit to claw himself back to life and how this torments Derek, how he’s torn between his relief at having family again on the one hand and the knowledge that he will never be able to trust that family on the other hand.

Laura sees Derek being used and abused, by hunters as much as those who were supposed to have his back. The day when Scott forces Derek to give Gerard Argent the bite Laura rages like never before. If she could only pierce the invisible veil separating her from the world of the living, Laura would wring that little brat’s neck!

It only gets worse though, Derek’s new pack abandons him, and Derek still tries to save them, tries but fails, Erica’s body all he can bring back to her parents. What really breaks Laura’s heart, though, is the reappearance of Cora. Her little sister survived the fire and Laura didn’t know, didn’t feel it, didn’t try to find her, did nothing. All the years when Laura and Derek had each other, Cora had no one, was all alone in the world, and Laura can’t help thinking it was her fault. Derek is the one who bears the brunt of Cora’s anger, Cora’s blame, though, and he just accepts it, like he accepts every other blame and guilt people put on his shoulders.

And again, Laura can just watch.

There is one ray of hope in all the doom and gloom that is Derek’s life and Laura greedily soaks up every little bit of it, every little appearance of one Stiles Stilinski.

The beginning is a little bumpy, ‘This is private property’ vs. ‘Dude, that’s Derek Hale’, murder accusations vs. growled threats, ‘I’ll rip your throat out with my teeth’ vs. ‘my house, my rules’. But that becomes hours treading water in a pool, a careful hand on a shaking shoulder, steadfast support where only rejection was expected. And Laura gets to watch them build trust and friendship and perhaps even love between each other and it’s honestly the highlight of her ghostly afterlife.

Sadly, Laura doesn’t have to wait long for the absolute low: Cora falls sick and Laura now has to watch two of her siblings suffer, and despite the overwhelming urge that fills her to do something, anything, she’s paralyzed and powerless, cursed to watch but not act. And Laura wishes she knew how Peter came back to life because if ever her family needed her most, it is now. So she watches and wishes and wills, watches Derek take Cora’s pain, wishes she could help when he extends ever more power, more than he has, eyes glowing red, but slowly turning blue, wills herself back to life. And as Derek gives up his alpha power to save his family, Laura gasps and opens her eyes, glowing red in the night.

No longer just watching, but once again living.