Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Teen Wolf they belong to their creator. I own Jessica Stilinski and anything/anyone else you don't recognise.
Broken and Beautiful
Chapter 01: A Dream?
2005
As she ran back to the preserve the only thing that Jessica Stilinski could hear was screams and sirens. By the time she got to the Hale house it had been roped off so she looked for her father. Sheriff Noah Stilinski, the old man spotted her trying to find him.
“Jess, shouldn’t you be at the McCall's with your brother?” Noah questioned noticing the eighteen year old standing to the side watching as her best friends house went up in flames. Jessica shook her head before she spoke again.
“Derek, he was meant to be at school with Laura...where is he?” Jessica questioned, her father shook his head so she just closed her eyes and looked around. “Dad he’s here…”
“Deputy let her in,” Noah motioned for the deputy to lift the tape allowing Jessica in. “Jess be careful,” Jessica nodded and walked around the outskirts of the house.
“Dad!” Jessica screamed as loud as she could spotting Derek laying on the edge of the property. Jessica ran over to Derek and crouched down beside him as she waited for her dad.
“Can we get a paramedic over here?” Noah called, wrapping one around his teenage daughter while putting his hand on Derek’s chest. “Kiddo he’s still breathing, he’ll be okay,”
“Der, hear that? Dad said you’ll be okay,” Jessica mumbled into her father’s shoulder before she pulled her head away.
Jessica looked around and tried to focus on anything but Derek being in pain but found herself reaching for him only for her father to grab hold of her hands. Jessica struggled against her father pulling her hand free to take hold Derek’s hand.
“Cora...” Derek's voice was strained as he looked at Jess before losing consciousness.
“Dad...I have to find Cora,” Jessica said looking at Noah and then at Derek before looking into the preserve trying to ignore the sirens.
“Go, find her,” Noah nodded, he knew that his daughter was special – his son had the same qualities just untouched.
Jessica closed her eyes and focused turning her head as though she was looking without looking. She opened her eyes and ran, knowing where to find the scared eleven year old girl. Cora was crouched hiding in an old tree stump when she heard Jessica calling her name.
“Cora! Cora it's me, Jessica,” Jessica called, as she reached the tree stump and stood outside of it. “Come out,” Cora stuck her head out of the tree and shook it causing Jessica to get down on her hands and knees and crawl over to her. “Core, come here,” Jessica held her arms open as she stopped right at the entrance.
“Der...Der's dead...” Cora mumbled shaking her head as she crawled out of the stump and into Jessica's arms.
“No, no he's not. He's still alive, I found him just like I found you,” Jessica wrapped her arms tightly around Cora and kissed the top of her head. “Lets get you safe okay?” Cora nodded and curling tighter into Jessica's lap.
“Stay here?” Cora asked, glancing up at the older girl as the tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Just a little while, but then we have to go back,” Jessica nodded before she called out that she'd found Cora.
Four years later, Derek, Laura and Cora had been adopted into the Stilinski’s family. Laura had fought Noah saying that she could do it, but Derek had disagreed – that was their first argument,
“You know, I hear they frown upon that,” Stiles looked at the man laying in the bed on the main floor of his sisters house. Derek, Laura and Cora had moved out with Jessica and Jordan when they were 20 and 13. Laura had been killed in a hit and run with Derek present, she'd been helping him into the car at the time.
“Fuck off Stiles,” Derek all but hissed at the teenager as he rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.
“No, Jess and Jordan told me to check on you,” Stiles was insistent as he sat down on his adoptive brothers bed not planning on moving.
“Of course...where are they?” Derek questioned not moving from where he was hiding under the covers.
“Jordan got called to the station, and Jess took Cora somewhere girly,” Stiles answered as though it was the most obvious answer in the world, Derek could tell the teenager was lying to him.
“Right...and what was wrong with that sentence?” Derek poked his head out from under the blanket, but only far enough that his eyebrows were out.
“Nothing! Anyway how are you feeling?” Stiles answered, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with saying that their sisters were out doing girly things when neither of them were particularly girly.
“Nothing...” Derek muttered, pulling the blanket back up over his head and trying to block Stiles out.
“Dad doesn’t want you in here all day,” Stiles grinned walking further into the room and planting himself heavily on the bed next to him.
“Well too bad,” Derek muttered, he just wanted to be left alone to mope under the covers. “When he’s missing body parts come talk to me,” Derek added, since the fire he’d lost his left arm at the elbow and his right leg just below the hip due to the damage.
“Hey! Come on at least let me help?” Stiles said trying to pull the blankets down but failing as Derek held on tighter. “Come on dude,”
“No Stiles, I’ll wait till Jess gets back,” Derek growled, struggling with the blankets as Stiles gave a bigger tug.
“She could be hours!” Stiles exclaimed not realising that Jessica had gotten back not long after he'd gone into the bedroom.
“Stiles, are you in with Derek? If you are stop annoying him,” Jessica yelled as she wrapped her arms around Cora and pulled her closer to her as she covered her ears. “Sorry Core,”
“You lying little...” Derek growled again, letting go of the blanket and grabbing hold of the pillow that he'd be hugging and throwing at Stiles as he jumped off the bed.
“Stiles don’t make me come down there!” Jessica called, even though she was already half way down to the hall to Derek's room. “Stiles come and help Cora,”
Stiles grumbled that it wasn't fair, why did he have to be the one that helped Cora out he just wanted to help Derek, but no that wasn't happening. Stiles glared at Jessica as she pushed past him and continued towards Derek's room. Cora could be heard yelling for Stiles to hurry up because she wasn't making the cake on her own.
“Hey D,” Jessica smiled walking into his room and pushing the door shut behind her. “Mind if I come in?” she smirked he could never say no to her.
“Help me sit up?” Derek questioned, he could do it most days but whenever he'd argued with Stiles it took everything out of him.
“Nope, I'm getting in with you,” Jessica grinned, before climbed in the bed beside him after kicking off her shoes. “Told you yesterday that if you didn't get out of bed today I'd be getting in with you,” Jess added, as she pulled the covers up and over the two of them.
“I didn't think you were serious,” Derek blinked turning slightly on his side to face her, Jessica smiled at him before kissing the top of his forehead.
“I'm always serious when it comes to you,” Jessica shrugged, she'd been the one that had helped him when he'd pushed everyone away.
Derek had pushed Laura away so much so that she refused to help him unless he asked her. Cora was stubborn like Jessica and Stiles, Stiles kept trying to get Derek to let him back in but it didn't work. Cora decided that that Derek would let her in when he wanted to. Jessica hadn't given up, she'd refused to be pushed away she didn't care how much of an asshole he was towards her.
“This afternoon, you and I are going into the preserve,” Jessica told him as she took hold of his hand and squeezed it watching as Derek shut his eyes tightly.
“No, I can't,” Derek shook his head, his eyes still shut tightly was Jess moved her other hand to his face.
“D, it's okay to be afraid you know that,” Jessica sighed, she hadn't told him that Jordan was going with them so that they could run together. “Hey, look at me. I told you once that we were in this together and I meant it,”
Derek shook his head again, before reluctantly opening his eyes and looking at Jessica. “Whoever heard of a werewolf with missing limbs anyway?” Derek mumbled, near burying his head in her shoulder as he spoke. “I hate this,”
“I know, but hey who thought a witch and wolf would be best-friends?” Jessica shrugged pulling Derek closer and allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder as he put what was left of his left arm over her body.
Present day - 2013
Stiles woke up with a start, had it all been dream? He had to find out so he scrambled out of bed tripping over the various papers scattered over the ground. Stiles raced down the stairs after gathering himself together and found his father sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee. Stiles had no memory of what had had happened three months earlier, but it also took more than that on some days.
“Pops, where's Jess?” Stiles gasped, clutching his chest as he looked madly around the kitchen. “Is Derek in one piece?”
“Woah, slow down son. She's with Derek like she always is first thing in the morning,” Noah answered lifting his coffee to his mouth having a mouthful before setting the cup on the table. “Mostly,”
“Mostly? What do you mean mostly?” Stiles questioned, he wasn't slowing down any time soon. “And Cora, where's Cora?”
“Cora stayed with Isaac, you know that,” Noah shook his head, sometimes his son was impossible. “Now would you sit down,” Noah knew that Stiles was having issues, but he wanted to ignore it unless it became permanent. Stiles looked at his father wondering why he looked so old.
Stiles was just about to sit down when he heard voices coming from outside. He recognised them Jessica and Derek, plus Scott? Why was Scott with his sister and Derek? Scott was at the front door pushing it open after fumbling with Jessica's keys while she was helping Derek inside. Stiles looked at Scott and then at Jessica and Derek, Derek was limping – why was he limping?
“Der, how many times do I have to tell you to wait until we get inside?” Jessica laughed, struggling to keep Derek upright as they made it inside and onto the couch. “Stiles don't just stand there, go up to my bathroom,”
“Why?” Stiles raised his eyebrow, Jessica sighed and left Derek on the lounge before bounding up the stairs two at a time. “Scotty, what are you doing here?”
“We went running?” Scott answered, as though it was obvious. “What's up?”
“Dream...” Stiles muttered before Jessica was pushing him out of the way with a pair of crutches. Stiles watched as Jessica sat on the coffee table in front of Derek and pushed up the leg of his sweat pants.
“So fucking itchy,” Derek muttered as Jessica helped him to take the prosthetic limb and sock off before he gave it a good scratch. “Remind me again why we do this?”
“You need the exercise,” Jessica shrugged before she helped him put the sock back on and pinned his pant leg.
“Not a dream...” Stiles trailed off looking at Jessica who rolled her eyes pushing off the coffee table and going over to Stiles.
“Stiles, did you have the same dream again?” Jessica asked Stiles nodded, he knew that she knew the dream he was talking about. “He has both arms, he just doesn't have his right leg from just above his knee/below his hip,”
Stiles looked at Jessica and then behind them at Derek who nodded before Stiles was being wrapped in his sisters arms tightly. Jessica hugged Stiles tightly, and kissed his cheek before getting him to sit down in one of the recliners. Stiles sat down and looked at his friends, his family as Noah walked past the group nodding on his way to his room to get ready for work. Jessica, Derek and Scott had been going over the same thing with Stiles for the past 3 and half months every couple of days.
“Tell us, what do you remember?” Scott sat the other recliner while Jessica sat beside Derek and smiled at him.
“I remember playing with you...we were eleven years old,” Stiles said, the dream always took him back to the night of the fire at the Hales and he never knew why. He also didn't know why he couldn't remember everything that had happened since on some days.
“What else happens?” Scott prodded as Derek started to fidget with the leg of his pants as he often did after a run.
“I see Jess running, she's scared. Then I see Derek...he's hurt badly...” Stiles trailed off his breathing becoming erratic as as he looked around. Jessica moved quickly and sat beside him, putting her arm around his shoulder and taking one of his hands.
“Hey, hey. Stiles, Der's okay and I'm okay,” Jessica spoke quietly as she got Stiles to start calming slowly. “Keep telling us what you saw,” Jessica sat rubbing circles on his back as he looked at Derek again.
“Cora's missing...but you find her...like you found Derek,” Stiles paused looking at Derek he didn't know how his sister had found both of them. “How did you?”
“Same way I always do,” Jessica smiled at him, Stiles raised his eyebrow before he started to talk again slowly as he watched Derek moving.
Derek took hold of the crutches from the beside the couch and slid forward before pushing himself to an upright position and off the couch. Derek then slowly made his way into the kitchen and set about making breakfast while listening to Stiles talking. They'd all gotten into somewhat of a routine when it came to Stiles. Scott could see Stiles' brain ticking over trying to make sense of everything.
“Stiles, you don't have to remember right now,” Scott told him, knowing that if he remembered too much of the dream at once it would overwhelm him more.
Jessica nodded to Scott, hugging Stiles tightly before she stood up and joined Derek in the kitchen. “He'll be okay, won't he?” Jessica questioned resting her head on Derek's shoulder causing him to lose his balance slightly.
“Yeah, we'll work it out,” Derek answered, dropping one of his crutches to the ground and gripping hold of the counter. “Not your fault,” Derek added, sometimes he still got a shooting pain in his leg. “Just happens,”
“I know D,” Jessica smiled, before she leant around him and grabbed a coffee cup. “Why, why does it only go back to the year of the fire...the year we took you in?”
“I don't know, I wish we did,” Derek answered letting his other crutch fall to the ground, making him using the counter to guide himself around. “Can you grab the eggs? They're the one thing I don't trust myself with on one leg,”
“Of course,” Jessica smiled at him before she heard her father telling them that he'd be back late that night. “Later pops,” Jessica called walking over to the fridge and grabbing the eggs, Derek had already gotten the bacon out.
Stiles sat curled up in the recliner, he usually ended up that way after talking about the dream for a short time. Scott was always there, always sitting with him until it passed. All Scott could do was watch, Stiles panic attacks when he couldn't remember what was real and what wasn't. He couldn't remember his relationship, he wouldn't until whatever had happened was broken.
“Scotty...” Stiles mumbled, almost like a frightened child from where he was curled up. “What's going on?”
“Hey, there you are,” Scott smiled at him, moving from the other recliner and crouching down in front of him. “It's okay Stiles,” Scott put his hand out and moved to touch his leg, but Stiles curled into himself more. “Jess, it's happening again,”
“I'm coming, come help Der with breakfast,” Jessica smiled at Derek, they had some what of a routine as his good leg slipped out from under him. “Hurry!” Jessica called out as she set the eggs on the table and tried to catch him.
Within seconds Scott was in the kitchen catching Derek and steadying him to his feet. Derek nodded to the younger wolf who made sure he was upright before bending down and picking up the crutch. Derek gratefully took it before the two of them continued to make breakfast. Scott made the coffee, while Derek worked on the bacon and eggs. Jessica traded places with him and went and sat with Stiles again.
“Stiles, hey,” Jessica sat beside him and put an arm around him and before long he was clinging to her again. “Look at me,”
“What's going on?” Stiles questioned, tilting his head slightly and looking up at her.
“We're trying to work that out, I promise. You've been helping us too,” Jessica told him calmly, she wanted her little brother back the smart ass all the time. Not someone who was terrified for the first few hours of a morning.
“Jess...is...are Derek and Cora?” Stiles stumbled over what he wanted to ask, Jess looked at him wondering for a second before she closed her eyes.
“Dad was their guardian until Derek turned twenty-one, but even now he's still their guardian...Laura wanted it,” Jessica explained, that was one thing that Stiles knew was true that Laura was gone. “He always knows where we are,”
“You and Jordan?” Stiles asked slowly sitting up but not untangling his body as he smelled the bacon cooking.
“Couple of years,” Jessica answered, she couldn't even remember when she and Jordan had started seeing each other she knew that their father hadn't been happy about it initially. “Same with Core and Isaac,” Stiles looked at Jessica and then into the kitchen where Derek and Scott were finishing breakfast. “You can go help them if you want?”
Stiles shook his head, he wasn't ready to move from where he was not yet at least he still had a dozen images running through his head none of which made sense. He knew the fire had been real, that Jessica had gone and found Derek and Cora. It was the other things that made no sense, what was his sister, what were Scott and Derek?