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theshelbyclan · 4 years

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Mae

Summary: I am Emma, the invisible sister of Danny Whizz-Bang: the ordinary man who passionately believed I was extraordinary

A/N: Anon requested: I’ll star saying this :I love your writing! , so I had an idea for an original character, like imagine if Danny Whizbang had a younger sister (around thirteen years old) who is always been near to the shelbys and it's really close to them all, after her brother comes back from the war she steps up to take care of him but she is not really succesful at it, when her brother dies she is absolutely broken hearted and tommy takes her under his wing. This could be an imagine or a longer fic btw.:) I love this request sooo much, thank you for this wonderful and original idea! I kinda got creative with this character, hope you don’t mind ;)

Words: 2586

***

My name is Emma, but I go by Mae. My mum likes to tell the story of my birth and how Danny was sitting in the hallway with dad, both smoking frantically. Mum had already had a few children, but I was her last one, the unexpected one. When I was born, Danny rushed in and demanded to hold me. When he asked mum what my name was, she told him, “Emma.” But Danny shook his head and said, “No, she looks more like a Mae.” So, I go by Mae.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Danny used to call me. I’d sit on his shoulders and he could walk for hours, until you could no longer hear the factories or smell the smoke. He’d show me the grass and the trees and used to say, “See? The world is bigger than you could ever imagine!”

I cried when he went off to war. He tried to make me feel better by telling me that he was simply traveling the world. “Are you going on one of our walks again?” I asked, full of childhood innocence. “A bit further than that, sweetheart,” he said. “All the way, outside of Birmingham?” “Yes, I’m crossing the ocean. And when I come back, I’ll tell you all about it.” And with a kiss, he left.

But he was different when he came back. He tried to act like the brother I knew, always softly spoken en as gentle as a giant can be, but when he was on his own, he often changed. The war had damaged him beyond repair and even though I tried to bandage the internal wounds as much as I could, he remained emotionally unstable. So I started following him around and whenever he went mad, I was at his side, when I could. Suddenly, Danny Whizz-Bang had a shadow and everybody knew it. It was almost like it’d had been before the war: my favourite brother and I, inseparable. But still, he was different when he came back.

*** One day, I followed him after school, because he wasn’t acting like the Danny I knew and loved. I lost him halfway so I went into the Garrison, thinking he might go there next. As I walked in, I saw Mr. Shelby sitting at the bar, so I faltered a little.

He looked up and noticed me. “Hello, Emma,” he said in that husky voice of his, “How’s your mother?” “Very well, Mr, Shelby,” I replied meekly, even though she wasn’t, “Thank you for asking, sir.” He took another sip of his whiskey, “No need to call me ‘sir’, Emma.” “Sorry, Mr. Shelby,” I replied, without noticing the discrepancy. The Shelby’s were like royalty around here and every child grew up learning they were to be feared and respected at all times. I’d known Tommy since I was little, but I wouldn’t dare to call him ‘Tommy’.

“And where’s your brother?” he inquired in a low voice. I was scared that he could sense the worry in my voice, so I feigned fear and let my shoulders drop. Pretending I was even younger than I was, I mumbled, “I thought he might be here.” And then Thomas Shelby turned and looked me right in the eye. Shivers went down my back and I turned away involuntarily. I couldn’t have been more grateful when another man stepped up from a table and walked over to Tommy to talk to him, freeing me from all inquisitive looks. Slowly, he lit another cigarette and tried his best to ignore the man who was talking to him, but I could see the interest in his eyes. He was like a horse, with ears suddenly standing up. I love horses. Meanwhile, I’d disappeared into the shadows of the Garrison. I was good at that: disappearing. See, I’d realised that girls of my age have that talent. We are still cute, if we want to be. Not quite adorable anymore, but sweet and innocent we can still be, to others. Luckily, I wasn’t pretty, or I’d lose my advantage of invisibility. But we see everything. People think we’re just children but our minds are beyond that stage already, so we observe. The secret is this: we are not yet women, but no longer little girls either. The strange result is that we are invisible to adults, because we fit in neither category. We pass around unnoticed.

Suddenly, my brother came crashing through the doors. He was having one of is episodes again and I rushed out of my hiding place towards him, only to be thrown backwards into the chaos. Tommy and the other man reached Danny first and even though they didn’t seem to like each other before, they worked as one now. With a few exchanged glances, they both knew what to do and they tackled my brother to the floor swiftly, while offering him calm words.

Danny didn’t stop screaming and I became numb from the pain I felt for him. I would share it all, if I could, but there was nothing I could do. When silence followed, Danny quickly apologized to Tommy, cap in hand, muttering the words I had spoken moment before: “Sorry, Mr. Shelby…” I ran after my brother when he left again and took his hand in mine. That always seemed to help. No one else had noticed my presence at the scene, though I could feel a pair of eyes burning in my back when we left. ***

I come from a large family. I had more brothers than I could count and there wee always too many mouths to feed at home. Most of them worked at the factories. They were just ordinary men, living ordinary lives. But Danny had always been my favourite. He wasn’t anything special, but he asked after me every day, even when he got back from France. I never talked much, not in school and never in the streets, but I did speak at home. But me and Danny, we actually talked. Also, he had kind eyes, like my mother has.

I wasn’t there when he stabbed the Italian. I’d been in school because I’d been the first one in my family to go and so I went, every day. I remember that one day, Tommy came into our house. Danny, another brother and I sat hunched over a book. Tommy asked my mother, “Are they teaching your girl how to read?” Mum had laughed a little, “I think she’s teaching them to be honest.” And so I went to school, because Danny told me I was the brains of the family and that was all the encouragement I needed. Meanwhile, my brother unwittingly killed a man with criminal ties, and so Danny’s death was demanded in retaliation.

When I heard, I rushed out of the school building and sprinted through the streets of Small Heath. Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind. “Shhh,” someone whispered in my ear. But I struggled for my life and kicked the invisible assailant, because the only coherent thought in my head was Danny. “Let me go!” I said angrily. “Emma,” he pleaded, and only then did I recognised the voice, “It’s done. Your brother killed a man.” I turned around to face Thomas Shelby and I spoke more words than I’d ever had to him, “He didn’t kill a man. After the war, Danny was already dead.” “We all are,” he nodded. “Where is he?” I demanded. “Safe.” I narrowed my eyes, “And for how long will he remain safe?” Tommy cleared his throat and looked away. All the shyness had fallen from me, “Tell me. I’m not a little girl anymore.” “The Italians deal with death by death. Either they kill Danny in the cruellest way imaginable, or I do it. Quickly.” “You’re going to shoot Danny,” I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t feel. I couldn’t see. “Emma. Look at me, eh?” he crouched down to my level and forced me to meet his eye, “I will find a way. Do you hear me? I will find a way. Trust me, eh?” I didn’t. So for the first time in my life, I reacted on impulse alone and lunged forward. In a flash, I had grabbed the gun from his waist, knowing where he carried it on him. Then I pointed it at the Peaky Blinder in front of me. “Emma…” he sighed, “Don’t make this difficult.” “Difficult for you?” I grunt out through clenched teeth. There was another thing I had noticed about Tommy. When he was stuck or found himself in a position of disadvantage, he changed the subject. He reacted to absurd situations with even more absurd questions or suggestions. This was how remained in control, by catching the other off-guard. And he was trying it right now, “How did you know I carried a gun, right here?” he pointed at the spot on his suit. “I pay attention,” I merely commented, not taking my eyes off of him or the gun. Tommy nodded slowly and stated matter-of-factly, “Give it back to me. If you shoot me, I can’t help Danny.” Something inside me knew he was right, so involuntarily, I lowered the gun a little.

He held up a hand in a surprisingly comforting manner, “You need to let me help Danny, eh? Those fucking Italians are brutal. You can’t get in my way. Stay here. Emma, promise me: stay here.” Completely numb, I nodded. I had no idea why I trusted this man all of a sudden, but I did. Maybe because I grew up with the Shelby’s, the worst family imaginable, but at least we knew them. “Good girl,” he said softly, “When I come back, I will need your help. Just stay here, alright?” And then he vanished. Minutes felt like hours and I couldn’t bear waiting. Silently, I retreated into an alleyway and slid down the wall. There, I hid my face in my arms, which were resting on my knees and just sobbed. I couldn’t lose Danny. After everything that had happened, the brothers I had already lost in the war, I needed him. He came back from France and everything went fucking sideways, but he came back. I needed him to stay. When I heard the gunshot, my heart dropped. The world stood still and my ears were ringing. It was done. Slowly, I got up and walked. Where to, I had no idea. I no longer noticed the people around me and it felt like I was stuck in a glass container, separated from the rest of the people. Apparently, I had walked for hours and when my mind came back to me, I saw trees. I felt exhausted suddenly and let myself fall down in the grass. Within minutes, I was asleep. *** Danny Owens: the man who died twice. I had done my grieving already, outside of Birmingham, under the trees, in the grass. The second time hurt less, or did it? At least it didn’t shock me as much as it did the first time. He was the toughest man I know, because fighting yourself is so much harder than fighting any enemy. I would forever remember him as the kindest, bravest and best man I ever knew. The ordinary man, as he used to say, who told me every day that I was extraordinary. He deserved better. In those months, I never saw Tommy again. He was busy fighting a war with London, the communists and the rest of the world. But still, I trusted he had done all he could for my brother. After everything that had happened, I felt like I finally knew the man behind the peaked cap a little. But then, suddenly, he showed up at our house. “Emma,” he greeted, his eyes soft, “I won’t ask you how are, but I want you to know I tried…” I quickly cut him off, “I know.” His gaze turned glazed all of a sudden and I knew he was thinking of France. Danny used to have that same look about him. “What can I do for you, Mr. Shelby?” I asked politely. And back he was, “I told you the day Danny went off to London that I needed your help.” I frowned, “Why me? How could I be of use?” “You’re special, Emma,” he emphasised. “I’m just an ordinary girl,” I responded, in surprise. Tommy smiled a little, “That day, you said two things to me,” he paused a little and met my eyes, “Two things I remember clearly. One: you told me you weren’t a little girl anymore. And two: you told me you pay attention.” I kept silent and waited for what came next. Truthfully, I felt a little called out by his words. “I’ve noticed you, Emma,” he continued, lighting a cigarette at the same time. “No one notices me,” I said quickly. Again, he smiled. I’d never seen him smile, but this was the second time in mere minutes, “Exactly. You are invisible and you know how to use it. Danny always said his little sister was the smartest little girl he ever saw, and I now believe he was right. Behind that timid façade of a little girl, you observe, analyse and see everything.” He paused for a moment, “Tell me, Emma, what is it that we Shelby’s do?” I cast my eyes down and answered vaguely, “You run Birmingham, sir, everyone knows that.” “Don’t be afraid,” he said in a low voice, “And stop pretending. You know exactly what we do.” So I spoke frankly, “Yes.” Suddenly, Tommy stood up and walked over to the other side of our small room, “I will make sure you can go to school, for as long as you want to. If you want to go to another school, you will. If you want to go to university, you will walk into that university with your head held high. I will make it happen, alright?” I blinked a few timed rapidly. “I want to ask you for a favour in return,” he continued in his business-like tone, “Keep an eye out for me on the streets. If you hear anything that might be of interest to us, tell me. You’re clever; you know what we would like to know. It’s not a condition; I will take care of your education no matter what, so you’re not obligated to do as I ask. That much I owe to Danny. I’m just asking for your help.”

I shrugged and my pigtails flipped into the air with the gesture, “I’m honoured, but…”

He pointed at me, with a twinkle in his eye, “That’s good: the innocent act, but with the cynical thoughts behind it. No need to try it on me though,” he cut me off.

“Alright,” I let the façade slip for a moment and held out a hand, “I’ll do it. But I do have a condition.”

“What’s that?” he asked, walking towards me.

I narrowed my eyes, “Don’t ever treat me like a child that needs protecting. I need a friend, but no replacement for my brother.”

Tommy shook my hand carefully, “I’ll be your friend then, eh?”

“Yes.”

“Come to me when you need anything,” he said softly, almost lovingly, “Even if you just need some company. I’ll look out for you, Emma.”

And for the first time, I smiled at him, as I contradicted him:

“I go by Mae.” *** Masterlist

#Peaky blinders imagine #Danny owens #Danny whizz-bang #Tommy shelby #thomas shelby #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby x reader #peaky blindes season 1 #peaky blinders fanfic #mae #the shelby clan #peaky blinders season 1 #peaky blinders #peaky blinders headcanon #cillian murphy

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wandering-----wonderings · 4 years

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Ok, this scene bothers me slightly, because it's like when the wrote it they didn't really care to double check themselves on it. We never see any pre-Sydney on the show except for when she was a kid and a quick bit of her recruitment during Q&A (1x17); all, to my recollection, silent scenes. In this episode (All The Time In The World; 5X17), they're going back (with non-silent scenes) and showing some of Sydney's life before SD-6.

In this particular scene ... well, let me break it down.

- Put on your dancing shoes. We are going out tonight. - I can't tonight. - "Can't" is not an option. Charlie got us passes for that new club in Silver Lake. - That job fair's tonight. I want to go. - Job fair? Syd! You've four years to figure out what kind of job you want. - My advisor yelled at me 'cause I still haven't picked a major. - Education. Done. Be a teacher like your mom. You always talk about how happy she was. - I thought about that. But I think of teaching as my safety net. - Teaching's no safety net. You know how dangerous it is to be a teacher? Kids bring knives to school these days. - I hate that I could make a decision now that would affect the rest of my life. - Well, I say go with education. Oh, Charlie is bringing a friend tonight - Danny something. We'll pick you up at eight. - I'll see you later. - Sydney Bristow? I was hoping I might have a moment of your time.

First, we have the location. That ''new club in Silver Lake'' is supposed to be ''a new coffee shop that has live jazz in the afternoons'' in ''Westwood''. The time, then, is also off: it should be ''afternoon'' instead of ''tonight''.

Second, Sydney doesn't go to a job fair. Earlier, before this scene in the book (Recruited), she's perusing the paper for a job - doesn't find one. Francie gets her on at the restaurant she works at, Les Amis Cafe. The end of her waitressing days also happened before this scene. The excuse for not going with Francie and Baxter is that she's swamped with homework - which, isn't untrue.

Thirdly, ''I still haven't picked a major'' is wrong, too. In the book, it reads: ''Only one thing was wrong with her mental picture. It wasn't happening for her. Not good for an education major.'' Francie also says to Sydney, ''So you're serious about this master teacher plan, huh?'' So, yeah, I'd say Sydney's planned on the teacher thing for a while.

Fourth, and my main problem with this, is that Charlie and Danny are never mentioned in the books. Francie is dating a guy named Baxter and (earlier in the book) she encourages Sydney to ask out her crush (Dean Carothers) to a party - it doesn't go well. No Charlie, no Danny. Now, this could all be solved by saying that not everyone read the books and the writers wanted to use characters that people would remember from season 1. Ok ... but, we knew about Noah Hicks (Sydney's first real boyfriend) in season 1. So, what, she met Danny and was just friends with him, got recruited, had a relationship with Noah, and then after Noah left she went to Danny? The problem with that is, again, Danny was never mentioned in the books. Too, I'm sure just using the names in the books cost money; which may be why they chose not to use Danny or Charlie - or Will or Marshall for that matter. (They have a Graham Flinkman and it's my personal belief that he is Marshall's older brother; that Graham either retired out - or worse - and then SD-6 recruited his just-as-brilliant younger brother to replace him. That seems like something right up Sloane's alley, anyway.)

My point is, the season 5 scene happened after the books were written and it was an exact scene; the same scene portrayed in two different ways. If they were going to shoot a scene for the show that they'd already written in the books, why weren't they consistent?

Unless they wanted someone to notice. I vaguely remember reading something about The Box part 1&2 (1x12-13 - the one with Quentin Tarantino in it) that they made mistakes in the episode on purpose to see if anyone could find them. As much as I re-watched the series, I could point out a lot of them; now, the only one I remember right off is in one scene, the woman has zip-ties on her belt, the camera focuses on someone else and when it comes back to her she no longer has the zip-ties.

I'm being picky aren't I? Oh, well, I've already started - might as well do the other memories.

Now this 'memory' I don't have a problem with - because it's a deleted scene. First, yes, Sydney did have to take a lot of tests and, yes, she did better than anyone. She was a little out of character, though. What's wrong with it is that Sydney doesn't meet Dixon until Noah Hicks introduces her to him (very briefly) in the third book (Disappeared). So all the tests she took, she took them before she met Dixon. She did bump into him on the way to Sloane's office in the first book (Recruited), which was actually shown in 1x17 (Q&A), but we don't really know it's him because no name was used, just a description. ''...bumping shoulders with a tall, dignified-looking black man.'' Again, it's a deleted scene, so maybe the reason it got cut was that they realized it didn't work with what they already had out there. Which begs the question: why didn't they do that with the Francie and Sydney scene?

Speaking of the 1x17 scene, she did start out at a desk job on the twentieth-floor. A difference is that the book says she had to sign ''about two dozen nondisclosure agreements'' and the episode has that number at ''about five-hundred'' - big difference if you ask me, but she might have had to sign more over time that totaled to ''about five-hundred''. Another thing, is that Wilson (her handler and recruiter into SD-6) didn't take Sydney from the hallway to Sloane's office; she was in Wilson's office and he took her to Sloane's office from there, and that was when the shoulder bump happened with Dixon. The hallway scene is actually more reminiscent of when Wilson took Sydney (to his office) to meet Pilar and Yoav, her weapons and hand-to-hand combat instructors, respectively. Other than that, it was pretty accurate.

This could have happened, plain and simple. There's nothing (to my current knowledge) that says whether or not it did or didn't.

In the book it says Jack was in car with Laura/Irena, and in the scene ... well, it doesn't say he wasn't, he was just telling Sydney her mom died. So, yes, this could have happened and it fits both the book and show, but wasn't this something that they actually varied with on the show? Like, it was a bridge then it was a road, he was in the car then he wasn't. That part I can't remember.

Also could have happened. It doesn't go against the other scene they had of her putting the puzzle together when she was under hypnosis. What's intriguing is how Jack is acting. He's a little colder in the hypnosis scene than he is in this scene, but that actually fits with his relationship with Sydney becoming as strained as it was. In the memory when Sydney first learned of the puzzle, and at her birthday party (which may or may not be an entirely accurate memory), Jack was warm and kind to her, and by the time Sydney has gone through the project and is able to build a gun he's starting to become cold and detached. Project Christmas itself is most likely the reason why. After all, taking your young child to Build-a-Gun workshop and then erasing her memory is bound to have an effect on anyone.

Now, this memory could have happened because there's no mention of her telling him she works in a bank in the books; so she must have told him at some point because he seemed to already know when he (finally) made a book appearance. ''She had barely even heard from her father since she'd started college.'' Although, we don't get to read how there first dinner went (in Father Figure) since it has her meeting him right as the chapter ends. After that he's trying to get her to focus on school - like he did in the episode but he was trying to be more stealthy in the book. Granted, everything that happened between them in the book would have been too long to show, so this memory kinda sums it all up. However, there is the small issue of where the scene happened. In the memory, it shows Sydney coming through the door and saying ''Dad? Are you home?'' The books, on the other hand, say ''His home base was still L.A., but he didn't even keep an apartment anymore, choosing instead to live in hotels on the rare occasion he was actually in town.'' Now, we don't see the outside of where 'home' is, so it could be a hotel. Although, with as much as he travels and how little she sees/hears from him, I doubt she'd have a key to get in - and what kind of spy leaves the door unlocked. Also, it doesn't really look like a hotel from the inside, and I don't recall ever having been in a hotel room that had a hallway in it; not to say that they don't, but if Jack just got a room for himself then I'm imagining him going for something basic. So books say hotel, memory indicates a house.

Could have happened. It didn't happen in the books, but doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Ok, I'm done now. I know I'm being too picky. I just love this series so much. They were the first ''adult books'' that I read and I guess it kinda just stuck with me. Which, technically, they're classified as ''teen fiction'', but there was crushing and kissing and kick butt-age and, of course, spy-drama, so at the time I was reading them they felt very adult.

#Alias #All The Time In The World #5x17

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moretomhardy · 7 years

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Swing For the Fences

Written for this writeworld visual prompt.

Stiles paced back and forth in front of the fence, rifle slung over his shoulder. He stopped occasionally to blow into his hands, warming his fingers in the bitter cold of the winter pre-dawn.

The sun had just started to paint the area beyond the reach of the floodlights in a confusing jumble of half-seen shapes when one of those shapes broke off from the rest and came towards the fence. Stiles had his rifle trained on the shape long before it got close enough for him to make it out as some sort of a dog. It seemed to be running funny -- likely injured. Stiles started to relax and bring his rifle down when he noticed a few human-shaped silhouettes emerging from the dim fog behind the dog. Stiles raised his rifle again and watched as one of the human figures raised their own weapon and fired at the dog, who stumbled and nearly fell before resuming its beeline towards Stiles at a slower pace than before.

Stiles decided the humans were probably within hearing range considering the frozen stillness all around and shouted, “Stop or I’ll shoot! You’re trespassing on occupied land!”

The human shapes came to an uneasy halt just at the edge of the floodlights’ range, clustering among themselves and likely deciding what to do next. The dog kept on coming, not that Stiles expected anything less of a hunted animal. It made a pitiful picture as it approached, limping on two legs. Stiles was about to return his full attention to the humans when the dog started to suddenly shift, and holy shit, that was not a dog at all. Since when could werewolves turn into actual wolves? No one had seen fit to inform Stiles of that possibility, and he was going to be pissed as hell at the lorekeepers when he got off duty.

The werewolf completed his shift back to the human side of the spectrum just a few yards away from where Stiles was keeping guard. “Don’t get any closer, I’ll shoot you too if I have to,” Stiles snapped, training his rifle on the werewolf’s blood-smeared chest.

The werewolf tried to take a step on his injured leg, only to collapse into the icy snow. “Please,” he said through gritted teeth, one fang conspicuously missing from his mouth of shifted teeth. “Please don’t let them take me.”

“Why don’t you tell me why they’re chasing you?” Stiles gestured back towards the cluster of human shapes with the mouth of his rifle.

“I’m a werewolf,” the werewolf grimaced.

“Great, hunters,” Stiles muttered, “just what we need.” Stiles risked taking a hand off of his gun to push the talk button on his radio. “Danny, are you up there?”

“Yeah,” Danny’s voice came back tinny through the walkie talkie, “what’s going on down there?”

“I’ve got a beat-up werewolf here who wants in and a group of hunters out on the horizon trying to decide if they want to pursue against my warning or not.”

“You’re a magnet for trouble, Stilinski, I swear,” Danny sighed. “You trying to let this werewolf in, or do you need help keeping him out?”

“I wanna bring him in.” The werewolf gasped and crawled a step closer at Stiles’ statement.

“Okay, I’m sending down Allison and Boyd. Bring him straight in to headquarters.”

“He might need to see a medic first.” Stiles looked doubtfully at the wolf’s twisted left leg -- that thing wasn’t bearing weight any time soon.

“He can see a medic once we’re certain he won’t try to kill everyone in camp. He’s made it this far, I’m sure he can wait a few more minutes.”

“Then I’ll direct Boyd’s complaints back to you when he has to carry this guy around camp for the next couple of hours.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Stiles. Let me know when you’ve got him inside. Over and out.”

“Well, there you go.” Stiles returned both hands to his rifle. “I’ve gone and stuck my neck out for you, so I hope you appreciate it. You’re not actually here to kill anyone, are you?”

“No,” the wolf panted, skinny sides heaving under a thick layer of grime and streaks of blood. “I just wanna get away from them.”

Stiles lifted a calculating glance back towards the hunters, who were still clustered together, unmoving. “Were you a prisoner of theirs?”

“Yeah. Until the blizzard broke up their mountain ash lines enough for me to get away.”

Stiles made a considering noise. “Did you kill anyone on your way out?”

The wolf shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. Probably not.”

“Well, no one could fault you for that if you did. Torturers don’t deserve life in the first place.”

The wolf grunted and silence overtook the morning again for a few moments while Stiles kept a weather eye on the clump of hunters. “What’s your name?” Stiles broke the stillness again.

“Derek Hale.”

Stiles’ eyebrows shot up. “Hale as in the big bunker up north?”

Derek grimaced. “Not any more.”

Stiles’ breath caught. “Someone took it down?”

“The whole thing,” Derek nodded. “I’m probably the only one left.”

“I’m sorry, buddy.” Stiles tried to think of something better to say, but he cut himself off when the snow crunched behind him. He whipped around to see Allison and Boyd’s dark shapes emerge into the cold.

“Found a stray of your own to match Scott’s, I see,” Allison called as soon as she was close enough.

“He’s not the only one who’s allowed to make new friends,” Stiles called back, slinging his rifle over his shoulder to get it out of the way. “How do you want to do this?” he nodded towards Derek’s crouched form. “He’s not much good for standing at the moment.”

“Then how did he make it here?” Allison frowned.

“Hey, fun fact, werewolves can turn into actual wolves, who knew?”

“Really?” Boyd’s eyes actually lit up with interest because werewolves were not impressed with subtlety.

Allison’s frown deepened. “Then how are we going to get him over if he can’t walk to the gate or climb over himself? Are we supposed to go all the way around to carry him in?”

“I don’t know,” Stiles trailed off. “Hey, buddy!” He called. Derek’s eyes immediately snapped back to him from where he had been studying Boyd. “You think you can climb up the fence and kind of pitch yourself over if Boyd here promises to catch you?”

Derek studied them both for a moment before nodding.

“Great, then let’s try that first.” Stiles clapped his hands and shooed Boyd closer to the fence. Boyd rolled his eyes, but he followed Stiles’ direction, watching with patient eyes as Derek crawled to the foot of the fence and looked up the fifteen feet of chain link.

Allison stepped closer to Stiles to quietly ask, “are you sure he won’t fall off while he’s still on the other side?”

Stiles shrugged. “I think he’s made of hardier stuff that that. He got this far, after all.” Stiles decided he would keep the whole lone-survivor story to himself for the moment.

The humans both watched as Boyd reached through the fence to help the wolf get started with his climb. His leg got knocked against the fence at one point, and his eyes flared ice blue as he grit his teeth against the pain. Allison sucked in a shocked breath.

“Born werewolf…” Stiles mused, “maybe that’s why he can shift all the way.”

“Stiles, that means he’s dangerous,” Allison snapped, though she kept her voice so low Stiles could hardly hear her. “Born werewolves are more animal, not as motivated to fight the shift.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it. For now, he’s a beaten animal who deserves that we at least try to help him.”

Derek had started climbing by then, and his head was about a foot above Boyd’s. It was slow going with only the two good limbs, but he was able to use his bad arm just enough to keep himself from tumbling completely off the fence. He got to the top after a few minutes, and navigated the spikes studding the peak by simply laying his body over them with a werewolf’s familiar disregard for bodily injury. He got his whole body laid out along the top of the fence where he could easily roll off into the inside, then just lay there, panting, for a moment, evidently uncaring of the several spikes driving through his chest and stomach.

“Come on,” Boyd coaxed, holding out his arms, “I’ve got you.”

“I’m going to shift,” Derek said, and rolled off the fence towards Boyd. His body twisted into it’s wolf-shaped form before he hit Boyd’s arms, which prevented his grotesquely injured knee from taking much strain as Boyd caught him. Derek-the-wolf huffed a few heavy breaths with his eyes squeezed shut before turning to look at Stiles.

“Alright,” Boyd said, looking down at Derek in awe, “we take him to command, yeah?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan. Allison, do you want to stay here to keep an eye on those hunters?”

Allison nodded. “It’s almost time for my shift, anyways, that’s probably why Danny sent me.”

Stiles and Boyd set off towards headquarters, Derek lying quiescent in Boyd’s arms.

“He’s so calm,” Boyd remarked after a moment.

“I think he’s just happy to find a place where there’s a werewolf walking around freely. He said he’d been kept prisoner by those hunters.”

Boyd made a considering noise and carefully adjusted Derek to sit higher on his shoulder. “What’s his name?”

“He said it was Derek.”

“Do you think he’d teach me how to shift like this?”

“I dunno, man, I don’t even know if it’s something you can teach.”

“I think I’ll ask him, once he gets adjusted.”

“Yeah, it can’t hurt to ask.”

Stiles shoved open the heavy doors of the command building, where his dad, Chris, and Satomi were already standing, sleep-rumpled yet serious.

“Aw, hell,” Stiles head his dad mutter as Boyd walked in behind Stiles, carrying a wolf that easily weighed over 150 pounds.

“This is the werewolf?” Chris asked, forehead already puckered in a frown the mirror of the one his daughter had worn outside.

“Yeah,” Stiles answered, “he said his name was Derek Hale.”

Satomi’s face crinkled in worry as she paced forward. “Poor child,” she murmured, raking her eyes over Derek’s body. “I wonder what has become of the Hales?”

“Uh, he said -- he said they’d been wiped out, everyone but him. And he’s apparently been kept prisoner by a group of hunters until very recently.”

“Those were the hunters Danny said were keeping well back from the fence?” Dad asked.

“I think so.”

“Does the creature speak for itself, or only through Stiles,” Chris asked, exasperated.

Everyone turned to stare expectantly at Derek, who merely blinked muzzily at them in return.

“I think the whole running-for-his-life thing kinda took it out of him,” Stiles remarked.

Chris made a frustrated noise. “Well we can’t let him stay if he won’t even change back to human. We have no idea what kind of danger he could pose to us, and --”

“Chris,” Satomi interrupted, “if you’ll allow me, I have a different means of speaking with my fellow wolves.” She brandished her claws meaningfully.

“Very well,” Chris growled, “do what you must to get some answers out of that creature.”

Satomi smiled placidly and stepped in close to Derek and Body. “Derek,” she said, “if you are who I think you are, then I once knew your mother, Talia.” That certainly got Derek’s attention. “Yes, I thought so. She once assisted me in a time of great need, and I would like to extend the same courtesy to her son, if I am not to be allowed to return the favor to the woman herself. Now, I have but to convince my friend here of your good intentions and you will have sanctuary here for as long as you should desire. You can choose either to shift back and answers his questions, or you can stay as you are and let me look for myself.” Satomi held up her clawed hand again. “Choose whichever way you find easier.”

Derek stared at her for a long moment before bowing his head forward, exposing the back of his neck for her claws.

“Good,” she murmured, reaching forward to drive her nails deeply into his spine. “Hold him still, Boyd,” Satomi encouraged when Derek twitched in pain. She was silent for a long moment, eyes flickering rapidly behind closed eyelids while Derek whined and squirmed in Boyd’s grip. Finally, Satomi withdrew her claws and blinked her eyes open. She steadied herself on Boyd’s shoulder for a moment when she started to stumble. Her face was drawn and weary when she looked down at Derek again. “My poor child. You have had a long year, but the spring has come at last, even for you. Boys,” she looked between Stiles and Boyd, “take him to Melissa, tell her he needs Blue Monkshood to heal. Then find him somewhere to sleep where he can be around others, but won’t be too much disturbed.”

Boyd nodded and turned back towards the doors. Stiles only had to take one glance at the thunderous frown on Chris’ face to know he didn’t want to be around for the coming argument, so he left that in Satomi’s capable hands and hurried to open the doors for Boyd.

Melissa was shocked at the sight of Derek. “I’m not a veterinarian,” she said, eyes fixed on Derek, “I don’t know if I’m really qualified to treat a wolf.”

“He’s still a werewolf, all he needs is a little jump-start on the healing front,” Stiles shrugged.

“Satomi said he needed Blue Monkshood,” Boyd said as he carefully set Derek down. Derek groaned as he rolled off of his bad leg.

“Okay, I guess I don’t need to be a veterinarian to burn a little monkshood.” Melissa turned and rifled through her supplies, coming back with an elaborately carved wooden box. “Boyd, if you could help me apply it.”

Boyd nodded as Melissa pulled out a lighter and incinerated a small pile of the dried monkshood. Boyd scooped up a generous pinch of the hot ash and pressed it to the ugliest part of the wound on Derek’s knee. Derek let out a low howl as his leg finally twisted back into the right position under a gossamer spark of blue fire.

“Was that it?” Melissa asked.

“I think his front leg on the other side had another one,” Stiles piped up while Boyd gently flipped Derek over. Boyd pressed most of the rest of the ash to a weeping sore on Derek’s forearm, and Derek whined as it healed over, bones snapping back into place with a sound even Stiles could hear.

“Anywhere else?” Boyd asked, and Derek shook his head. “Good. Let’s get you some rest.” Boyd scooped Derek into his arms again, much easier this time now that he didn’t have to navigate around open wounds and broken bones.

“I want to see him again when he feels better enough to shift back to human form,” Melissa frowned, watching Boyd carry Derek away with a sharp eye.

“I’ll make sure to bring him back first thing, don’t you worry,” Stiles assured.

“You’d better.” Melissa turned to Stiles with a fond smile. “Of course you had to go find your own stray after Scott found Isaac.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that,” Stiles frowned. “It’s not like I was looking for trouble, he found me, not the other way around.”

“Of course.” Stiles noticed that Melissa didn’t stop smiling. “Now go on, and make sure you get some sleep too. I know you were awake all night at the fence, and I think you’ve already got your month’s worth of trouble, so no need to go searching for more.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Stiles grumbled. “I’ll see you later on, whenever Derek shifts back.” Stiles made his escape before Melissa could embarrass him any further and hurried to catch up to Boyd.

“Where are you planning to put him?” He asked once he’d caught up with Boyd’s long strides.

Boyd shrugged. “I’m not sure. We don’t really have any free beds right now.”

“He could sleep with me,” Stiles said, trying his best to look innocent.

Boyd shot him a look that said he didn’t buy it for a second.

“I mean, Satomi did say he should be close to people. And almost everyone will be out at work all day except for me, since I’ve got the night shift this week.”

“That is true,” Boyd frowned.

“Of course it is! It’s the perfect solution,” Stiles crowed.

Boyd shrugged. “Not that it matters much to me. Just don’t crush him in your sleep.”

“Please,” Stiles scoffed, “he weighs more than me even when he’s half-starved, I couldn’t crush him if I tried.”

Boyd snorted and waited for Stiles to open the dormitory door. “Well, here you are,” Boyd said as he walked inside, “one wolf in your bed, just like you wanted.” Boyd carefully set Derek down on Stiles’ bunk and backed away a couple of steps. “Stiles will be here with you all day. I have to go out to work, so let him know if there’s anything you need.”

Derek nodded, and Boyd gave him one last look before turning and walking out of the dormitory.

“There we go, bud,” Stiles sighed as he stripped off his boots and outer-garments and hung his rifle on the wall. “Just you and me. And I don’t know about you, but I could sleep for days right now.” Stiles turned back to the bed to find Derek watching him from where he’d curled himself to bury his nose under his tail.

“Oh my god, you are just too cute for words,” Stiles grinned. He crawled in from the foot of the bed and scooted Derek around until he was able to pull the covers over them both. “I don’t know if this is going to make you super hot when you’ve got all that hair, but I’m not sleeping without covers. Feel free to get out and sleep on top if you want.”

Derek didn’t reply except to burrow further into the blankets.

“Okay, I guess we’re in agreement.” Stiles settled a cautious hand on Derek’s shoulder and smiled when it wasn’t shrugged off. “Sleep tight,” Stiles murmured, burying his face into his pillow.

And if he woke up with his face buried in an attractive, human-shaped pillow instead, he wasn’t going to be mad about it.

#sterek #mth writes #au #ficlet #eternalsterek #writeworld

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wandering-----wonderings · 4 years

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Ok, this scene bothers me slightly, because it's like when the wrote it they didn't really care to double check themselves on it. We never see any pre-Sydney on the show except for when she was a kid and a quick bit of her recruitment during Q&A (1x17); all, to my recollection, silent scenes. In this episode (All The Time In The World; 5x17), they're going back (with non-silent scenes) and showing some of Sydney's life before SD-6.

In this particular scene ... well, let me break it down.

Unless they wanted someone to notice. I vaguely remember reading something about The Box parts 1&2 (1x12-13 - the one with Quentin Tarantino in it) that they made mistakes in the episode on purpose to see if anyone could find them. As much as I re-watched the series, I could point out a lot of them; now, the only one I remember right off is in one scene, the woman has zip-ties on her belt, the camera focuses on someone else and when it comes back to her she no longer has the zip-ties.

I'm being picky aren't I? Oh, well, I've already started - might as well do the other memories.