The Archer ➳ Derek Hale {1}

eighteen; betrayal and fire

I find myself in someone else's car for the second time today, but under completely different circumstances. I continue to bounce my leg nervously as I sit in the passenger seat of Derek's Camereo.

When Scott attempted to sit in the front all it took was one look and he knew he had to move. I watch nervously as pull into a parking lot. I read the sign that says 'Beacons Crossing Home' and turn to give Derek a confused look.

I follow Derek as he opens his door and gets out of the car with Scott behind me, "What can possibly be here that's going to prove my family is some evil antagonist in the story that is our lives?"

Derek doesn't respond, of course, but instead he just walks towards the lit up building. I quickly start to follow as Scott jogs to catch up. I shove my freezing hands into my pockets until we finally get inside the heated building.

As we walk past the nurses desk I feel my nerves start to go crazy. Although I loved my family dearly and I felt like nothing could change that, I was still incredibly nervous for whatever was waiting for in here.

We walk down a dimly lit hall until we face a wooden door. I try to look into the room through the window, but the shades were turned just the right way so I didn't catch anything. Derek unlocks the door and Scott follows him into the room.

I slowly follow them again until I'm standing in the doorway. The room is even darker than the hallway, but I can just make out a man sitting in a wheelchair by the window.

I watch as Scott continuously looks between Derek and the man who has yet to move before questioning him, "Who he is?"

"My uncle. Peter Hale." I notice the almost torn look on Derek's face and just seeing him look that way makes my chest hurt. I didn't even know he had any family left from the fire.

"Is he..like you? A werewolf?" Scott asks nervously still looking up to Derek.

I slowly start to walk further into the room and I don't take my eyes off the man in front of us, "He was. Now he's barley even human. Six years ago my sister and I were at school. Our house caught fire and eleven people were trapped inside. He was the only survivor."

I feel my eyebrows crease in confusion and possibly even anger as I finally understand why he brought us here. I take a step back and shake my head lightly, "Are you trying to tell me you think my family did this?"

Derek slowly turned his head in my direction and the look in his eyes caught me of guard, "I know they did."

I turn to leave, but Scott's voice stops me, "Abigail, wait. What makes you so sure they started it?"

Derek scoffs lightly as if the answer was completely obvious, "Because they're the only ones who knew about us."

"Then they had a reason," Scott says confused.

I look down sadly and the quietness of my voice surprises me, "No, there's a code. You can't just kill almost a dozen people just because they are werewolves Scott. That's not how it works."

Derek slightly rolls his eyes at both me and Scott, "That's what they like to say, but I've seen it happen. What reason could there be, Scott? You tell me what justifies this!"

Derek reaches out and grabs the wheelchair pulling his uncle to face us head on. I jump back at the noticeable and horrid burn scars on the entire right side of Peter Hale's face.

"They say they'll only kill an adult and only with absolute proof, but there were people in my family who were perfectly ordinary in that fire. This what they do! And it's what Allison will do!" I look at Derek angered by the words coming out of his mouth and I shake my head quickly and turn to leave the room as fast as I can.

I stop when I see a nurse standing in the doorway, "What are you doing?! How did you get in here?"

"We were just leaving." Derek pulls us both out, but I rip my arm out of his grip. I look back once more at the savorily burned Hale behind me before finally leaving.

As we step outside I grab Derek's arm roughly and pull him back. Scott continues to walk to the black car and I wait for him to be far enough away before I start to talk. Or quietly yell.

"What the hell is your problem?! If you didn't want me around you could have just said so. Instead of dragging me here and making me out to be some killer! I am not my family and I'm sure as hell not my Aunt. My sister doesn't even know about this and if you think for one second that I'm going to let you ruin what Scott and Allison have because you assume my family did this-"

"Assume? I know they did. You can deny it all you want, if you don't want to believe it then I can't make you. I've shown you all you need to know and that's all I'm going to do. It's your choice to believe the truth or keep thinking your family actually lives by some honor code." He gives me one last stare before he walks away and leaving me to stand in cold alone.

---

I push open the front door as quietly as humanly possible before shutting it behind me. I slip of my shoes and sigh at the feeling of finally being home after what I think I can chalk up to be one of the worst days.

I start to move towards the stairs until Aunt Kate's voice makes me freeze. I turn my head to the right and I see her stand in the living room by the fireplace. At the site of her I immediately think back to the sight I saw not even an hour ago.

I slowly and steadily tip toe over to the room and hide behind the wall.

"The one that attacked me was big, it had width and power, but the one I shot was lean and fast." She tells my pacing in front of the empty fireplace. I notice the match in her hand and my heart almost seems to stop. That's just a coincidence. Life cannot be that cruel.

"Well that would be Derek Hale." My dad says in thought while sitting on the couch. I freeze thinking back to the almost death experience me and Stiles shared with him hours ago.

Even though I was rightfully pissed at him i couldn't help but feel good knowing that he was now okay.

"Well how do we know it's just the two of them?" Aunt Kate asks pacing even more now as she starts to think of all the possibilities.

"We don't, yet. But if Derek's still alive he will lead us to the alpha." I watch as Kate bends down and turns on the gas to fire and my heartbeat increases immensely.

"Take the pack leader, take the pack," She smirks at her own little plan begins to develop.

"And we do it by the code." My dad points at her and I feel pride swell in my chest. I knew he stuck to the code no matter what Derek said. I was about to walk away until Kate's laugh stopped me.

"You and the code." She smirks even more and it strikes something deep inside me. Something horrible.

"It's there for a reason, Kate."

She looks down at the match in her hands in thought, "Of course," She strikes the match with her thumb, lighting it.

I watch in horror as she stares at the small flame with a wicked smile lighting up her face. She tosses it onto the wood creating a roaring fire, "I always play by the rules."

I slowly start to back away as her words replay in my head.

I always play by the rules.

Yesterday I may have believed that, but now? I wasn't so sure.