Chapter Text

Feeling yourself coming out of a deep sleep, you groggily cuddle into Brett, resting your head against his chest, enjoying the heat radiating off him and the sound of his heart beating. The buzzing on the nightstand continues until it fully pulls you out of sleep. Squinting at the glowing screen, you groan, reaching over and yanking it off the side table.

“…Eli…” Your stomach twists. A midnight call from Eli was never good. “What’s wrong?”

His shaky voice comes through. “…Okay, don’t freak out.”

“I’m already freaking out,” you whisper sharply, sitting up. Beside you, Brett stirs, still half-asleep.

“I just… borrowed your brother’s old Jeep. And it broke down.”

“You did what?”

At the sound of your voice, Brett opens his eyes and turns to face you. “Who is it?”

“Eli,” you say, covering the receiver. “He stole the jeep again.”

Taking the phone off you and turning on the speaker, Brett gruffly says. “It’s four in the morning. Couldn’t you have committed a crime at a reasonable hour?”

“I wasn’t trying to steal it; I was going to put it back.”

“How many times do I need to repeat myself? That jeep isn’t safe to be driven on the road.” Swinging your legs out of bed, you quickly throw a jumper on over the vest top you’re already wearing and scramble to find a pair of jeans. “Where are you?”

“Uh… about forty minutes outside Beacon Hills. I’m at a gas station. Tow guy say’s it’s toast, and if I don’t pay the guy that owns this place soon, he’s going to call the cops. Please don’t tell my dad. Could you please come and pick me up?

“You want us to cover for you?”

“No! Just… delay. Until you’re here. Then I’ll call my dad; if he comes straight here, he’ll just freak out.”

Grinning at how wound up you are becoming, Brett sits up in the bed; his cocky smile still has the same effect on you that it did in high school. “Relax, kid. We’ve all done stupid stuff. Just stay out of trouble until we get there and ping me your location.”

Contemplating what to do next, you stand for a moment with your hands on your hips. After a moment of thinking, you start packing a bag, “we may as well stay in Beacon Hill for a night or two. By the time we pick Eli up and take him back home, it will be daylight. Uhh, I love Eli, but he’s making me dread the day we have teenagers. I’ll drive and pack the bags if you want—“

“To take two children from their beds and put them into the car without waking them up?” He chuckles. “Will your dad be okay with us turning up?”

“Of course he will; he loves us…” leaning down you kiss him on the cheek. “We better get moving.”

______

Pulling up at the gas station, you notice Eli’s complexion looks paler than normal, like he was waiting on the earth to swallow him whole. He was lucky no cops have recently driven down the long stretch; the vehicle that once belonged to your brother wasn’t hard to miss. He had parked it crooked underneath a bright flickering light, with neon lights opposed to one of the shaded areas. The jeep's hood was popped, with smoke still curling out from the engine.

“Eli Hale,” your voice sharp enough to make him wince but still not loud enough to wake your sleeping kids. “Do you have a death wish? You could have killed yourself.”

Stuffing his hands into his hoodie pocket, he looks down at the ground; he was used to this routine. “It wasn’t—I was just—”

Brett strolls past you, “wow. You even managed to park it crooked and half-dead. Kid, that’s impressive.”

“I didn’t mean for it to break down.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Brett going over to pay the gas station owner. Eli's reckless qualities remind you so much of Stiles, you often wonder if it drives Derek crazy. “That’s not the point; you weren’t supposed to take it in the first place.”

“Please don’t tell my dad. I know what I said before, but he’ll—he’ll ground me for life. He’ll never let me—”

“—touch a steering wheel again?” Brett finishes for him. He claps Eli on the shoulder with a mock-serious look. “Honestly, he’d be doing the world a favor. Pretty sure you just committed a crime against nature by parking like that.”

Eli shoots him an irritated look. “I thought you were on my side.”

“I am,” Brett grins. “That’s why I’m not taking pictures to one day embarrass you.”

As Eli trudges toward your car, Brett leans down close to your ear, his grin softening into something quieter. “You know this means he’s going to owe us, right?”

“Which one? Eli or Derek?”

You sigh, watching Eli slump into the backseat like a typical scolded teenager, but his face does brighten up when your daughter, who must have just woken up, hugs him. Brett slips an arm around your waist as you walk back together. “Whatever one wants, the task of babysitting a six-year-old and a three-year-old so I can take you out on a date.”

“Aw,” you say while playfully swatting at his chest and rolling your eyes. “Flatter me all you want, Mr. Talbot, but I’m still driving.”

______

Pulling up into the driveway where both your dad and Derek are standing, arms folded, the smell of nerves fills the air, except it wasn’t just Eli’s scent you could pick up. It was Brett’s as well. Even after all this time, he was still scared of your dad.

You open your mouth to tell Brett there’s nothing to be worried about, but when his eyes suddenly widen, you notice your dad has his gun clipped to his belt.

“It’s empty, babe.”

You swing open the car door and rush over to your father, who pulls you into his embrace. “There’s my girl, and my grandbabies.”

Soon as Brett helps your daughter, Claudia, out of the car, she rushes in your direction. Behind her, you notice Eli getting out of the car slowly while holding Nico, most likely as a shield.

“Grampa! Grampa!” Claudia runs to your dad with her hands in the air.

Picking her up, “how’s my little princess?”

“Daddy won’t let me eat the candy he got us at the gas station.”

“Oh.”

Seeing Brett tense underneath your dad’s glare, you whisper, “cut it out. Besides, it’s far too early in the day to be eating candy; you can have it after your lunch.”

Before you can follow him into the house, Derek steps in front of you with his arms crossed over. “You picked him up?”

“What was I supposed to do? He called us and I didn’t want to worry you.”

“He’s my son. Next time, he calls me.”

Brett shrugs; the cocky expression on his face was only winding Derek up further. “Don’t take it personally, Hale. The kid just knows we’ve got better snacks.”

You shake your head as Brett eats the same type of candy he refuses to let the kids have so early in the day.

“This isn’t a joke.”

When Derek lets out a low growl, you push him lightly on the chest, gaining his attention. “Enough. Eli’s safe. That’s what matters.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Derek looks over your shoulder; Eli is still standing there holding Nico up in a way that hides his face. “Hand the kid over; you’re coming home with me. Now.”

______

From the moment you crossed into Beacon Hills, an uneasy feeling has been creeping in. You’d made peace with Stiles never returning to your hometown, and the ghosts of the town no longer haunt you the same way they used to.

A couple of nights was the maximum that you’d stay; usually your dad would come and stay with you during his time off work, and Derek would bring Eli and Malia to visit your family. You lived in the constant fear of any hunters lurking in Beacon Hills and then discovering Brett is still alive; however, never returning would be selfish, especially with your dad working all the time.

Glancing outside, you smile watching the kids chasing Brett in the back garden with water guns. Deciding to ignore the feeling, you grab a couple of towels and go for a shower.

______

You feel Brett smiling as he smashes his lips against yours, his hands roaming freely as you move awkwardly to straddle his waist in the backseat of the car. The windows were tinted so you weren’t worried about anyone looking in, and you’ve parked in the woods.

Smugly he tilts his head back. “Are you sure we won’t get caught?”

“Shut up and don’t stop.”

After catching up on a couple of hours of sleep and showering, you discovered Brett had asked your dad to watch the kids so he could take you out to dinner. However, you only made it halfway to the restaurant when Brett pulled over.

“You know these,” he pings the thin straps of your dress against your skin. “Drives me crazy.”

It was your turn to laugh now. It was a sweet simple v neckline dress that stops just above your knees. It wasn’t overly revealing, but you knew it would get Brett hot and bothered.

Brett's eyes briefly flicker between his human and werewolf color as he pulls the straps far enough down until your breasts are completely out. “I can smell your scent changing already.” Caressing the bare skin of your chest, he abruptly moves his hand between your legs and lets out a low growl. “I need to feel you.”

A sinful noise escapes you when he closes his mouth around your breast. Brushing the damp fabric of your underwear to the side, Brett puts two fingers inside you. Desperate to feel the high you are longing for, you grip hold of his shoulders and start to rock your hips against his hand, but then suddenly you freeze.

Something was wrong.

The roar came out of nowhere; it wasn’t one of anger or fear but sadness. And a complete mood killer. Just as you start to remove yourself from Brett’s lap, his phone starts to ring.

He takes a few calming breaths before answering. While fixing your boobs back into the front of your dress, you can hear Derek on the other side; Eli was missing.