A Beauty and A Beast

Tale as Old as Time

Jackson, Isaac and Boyd followed the Alpha into the West Wing as Scott, Erica and Lydia followed Stiles back to his room. "I don't think I can do this." The Alpha muttered as he took off his clothes in the safety of his room. Boyd pawed at the faucet of the Alpha's tub until water began to fill it. "You're being ridiculous!" Jackson nipped at the Alpha's ankles until he stepped into the tub. Boyd and Jackson began to scratch at his back with soap on their paws. The Alpha took care of his front. "Tonight is the night Alpha! I can feel it!" Isaac yipped as he paced beside the tub, tail wagging. "I'm not sure I can do this." He repeated himself. "You don't have time to be timid. You must be bold, daring." Isaac puffed out his chest to prove his point. "Bold. Daring." The Alpha muttered to himself as he poured water down his back to rinse himself off. He got out and shook himself dry. He rubbed at his face. "There will be music. Romantic candlelight and when the time is right, you confess your love to Stiles! Then you'll kiss and we'll all go back to being human!" All tails wagged til there were only colored blurs in the air. "Yes, I will. I will. I...won't. No, I can't." The Alpha turned away from his pack mates. "You care for Stiles, don't you?" Isaac butted his head against his Alpha's legs. "More than anything." All three wolves were shocked to hear the vulnerability in their Alpha's voice. "Well, you need to tell him." Isaac said softly, rubbing his side against the Alpha's legs.

"I don't know if this was a good idea." Stiles muttered as Lydia scrubbed at his back. "You're gonna look so pretty Stiles!" She squealed as she rinsed off the soap. "I don't think so." Stiles mumbled as he pulled his knees to his chest, staring at his feet. Lydia left, the door closing behind her, frightening the boy out of his thoughts. He finished cleaning himself and pulled a towel around his waist. He opened the door and was immediately tackled. He spluttered, trying to get hair and fur out of his mouth as he was pushed, shoved and stuffed into something. Judging by the free space between his legs, he was now wearing a dress. Lydia slapped a bow in his hair. "There! You look so...so..." Stiles looked at himself in the mirror. "Stupid." He finished for her. He was wearing a yellow dress with a white veil around the skirt and a pink bow in his hair. "Not quite the word I was looking for." Lydia muttered, disappointed. Stiles tore out the bow, wincing as it got caught in his untamed hair. Stiles took off the dress and threw it at Lydia, standing only in his boxers. Erica tugged at Lydia's apron and the redhead knelt down. Scott's ears perked as he heard the blonde wolf's plan. All three grinned evilly. Stiles felt afraid, very afraid for his life.

Jackson, Boyd and Isaac looked pleased with their well groomed Alpha. He wore a blue suit with yellow accents and a white frilly shirt underneath. "I still don't know about this." He grumbled to apparently deaf ears when the door opened. Scott poked his head out. "Your man awaits." Isaac, Boyd and Jackson pushed the Alpha to the door. "No time!" Jackson barked. "To back out!" Isaac added. "Now Alpha." Boyd finished as they pushed the Alpha out of his private wing. The door shut and the Alpha growled as he followed Scott to the ballroom. He walked to the end of the stairs and his jaw opened as he saw the human. Stiles blushed at the Alpha's reaction. He was dressed into a gold vest that had extra fabric that flowed down his back with a white button up collared shirt underneath. His blue pants had yellow stripes down the legs and his brown hair had been tamed.

All in all, Stiles was the most beautiful creature the Alpha had ever seen.

The Alpha gulped as he picked up his jaw. Stiles descended down the stairs, not meeting his eyes. "I look stupid, I know." He muttered to the Alpha's shoes. "No, you don't." He gently lifted the young man's chin so whiskey met red. "You look enchanting." Stiles' blush darkened. "Thank you." The Alpha let go of his chin and offered his arm to the human. Stiles slipped his arm in the Alpha's and they walked to the center of the floor. The pack sighed from behind the door. They enjoyed Stiles and were all glad he made the Alpha so happy. They separated and the Alpha held out his hand. Stiles slipped his into the Alpha's and Stiles was pulled in close. The human closed his eyes and sighed. There was something comforting about the Alpha, Stiles decided as the Alpha began to sway them back and forth to the beat of their hearts. Jackson shoved Lydia who in turn nudged Boyd who pressed his nose against Erica who bit Isaac who yelped and got Scott's attention. "We need music." Jackson whispered, looking pointedly at Lydia. The redhead faked a groan before the wolves at her feet began to harmonize softly. "Tale as old as time." The Alpha's ears perked and he stared at the direction of the door. "True as it can be." Now Stiles could hear it. He lifted his head from the Alpha and looked confused. "Barely even friends then somebody bends unexpectedly." They shared a perplexed look. "Just a little change. Small to say the least." Stiles blushed as he realized what was going on. The Alpha would've growled if he wasn't so hypnotized by the embarrassed younger man. "Both a little scared, neither one prepared, beauty and the beast." This time, the Alpha did growl. Stiles jumped a bit at the unexpected sound. "Hey." Stiles whispered, pulling lightly at his hand. The Alpha looked down at the slightly shorter man. "Eyes on me, Sourwolf." Stiles grinned. "'M not a Sourwolf." The Alpha grumbled softly as he spun Stiles around, making the human laugh. "You are so a Sourwolf." Stiles giggled. "Ever just the same. Ever a surprise." The Alpha pulled the human back to him. Stiles' giggles had died down and he was sharing secret little looks with the Alpha. "Ever as before, ever just as sure as the sun will rise." They danced in the middle of the floor, paying little attention to their surroundings. "Tale as old as time. Tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange. Finding you can change, learning you were wrong." Stiles never felt so happy in his life. "Certain as the sun rising in the east. Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the beast." The Alpha never felt so safe in his own skin, as a beast. Isaac gave a little yawn. "Let's go to bed." Lydia whispered as she ushered half asleep wolves back to their respective rooms. "This was a good idea, Alpha." Stiles murmured as he laid his head on the Alpha's chest. "Derek." Stiles looked up, resting his chin on the Alpha's chest. "Pardon?" The Alpha gave a small smile. "My name is Derek." Stiles tested the name. "Derek. Suits you." Derek barked out a laugh. "What?" Stiles half whined. "Only you would say who's name suited whom." Derek chuckled. Stiles slapped his arm. "Shut up."

Derek led Stiles out to a balcony that overlooked the garden under a starry night. Derek had an arm around Stiles' waist who was leaning into the wolf's heat. "Stiles?" The human hummed. "Are you happy here? With me?" Derek asked, pulling away from him. Stiles bit his lip. "I am." Derek sensed his hesitation. "But?" He pressed softly. "If I could only see my father again, just for a moment. I miss him so much and I want him to be okay." Derek looked disappointed only to remember he could help the man he loved. "There is a way. Follow me." Stiles was confused as Derek pulled him along behind him. They entered the West Wing. "I don't understand." Stiles said as Derek let go of him. Derek handed him a mirror with a climbing rose border. "It's lovely but I still don't comprehend." Stiles said, getting a little frustrated. Derek covered Stiles' hands with his own, trying not to think about how beautiful Stiles' looked compared to his ugliness. "This mirror will show you anything, anything you wish to see. Just ask." Stiles gave him a 'how foolish do you think I am?' look. "Trust me." Stiles sighed and hesitated. "I'd like to see my father please." The mirror shone green and Stiles turned his head to avoid being blinded. The mirror revealed a fallen John in the woods, coughing and lost. Stiles gasped and almost dropped the mirror if it hadn't been for Derek's hands. Derek put the mirror down after taking it out of Stiles' hands and pulled Stiles in for a hug. "Papa. He's sick, Derek. He may be dying and he's all alone." He sobbed into Derek's clothes. Derek rubbed Stiles' back, looking at the wolfs-bane flower. His head was swimming with memories and emotions. "Then...then you must go to him Stiles." Stiles looked up at him, tears full of unshed tears. "What?" He barely breathed. If it wasn't for Derek's wolf ears, he wouldn't have heard the man. "I release you from your promise." Stiles was in shock and happiness and yet a little regret. "You mean..." Derek finished his sentence. "You're free." Stiles hopped out of Derek's loose grip and tightly hugged the surprised alpha. "OH THANK YOU DEREK! Hold on Papa. I'm coming!" Stiles let go of Derek and ran for the entrance. "WAIT!" Stiles froze. Derek slipped a silver ring onto his finger and the mirror into a knapsack. "Take these with you. To remember the pack and...me." Stiles admired the silver ring decorated with playful wolves. "It's perfect Der." He smiled. He pressed a kiss to Derek's furred cheek before rushing out to his room. Stiles didn't see the depressed look on Derek's face as he slumped down to the floor. Scott padded in, nudging Derek with a shoulder. "Well, well, Alpha. I must say everything is going just peachy. I knew you had it in you." Scott teased his Alpha lightly, still terrified of being mauled. "I let him go." Derek's voice was muffled from where he hid his face in his arms. The sadness was suffocating. Scott laughed. "Yes, splend-" Scott froze mid sentence. "You did what?!" He roared. "I let him go." Scott was shocked. "But why?!" The pack was slowly coming in, drawn in by Scott's yelling. "I had to." Isaac whimpered. "Stiles left? Why?" Derek peeked at his childish Beta. "Because I love him."