Chapter Text
The atmosphere was silent, the leaves rustling with the wind outside, disrupting the quiet night, the moon light on the carpet coming from the big windows of the big house on the preserve. Outside the woods of the house could tell a story of a huge battle fought not a day ago, a story of loss and tears. The night where a family lost its heart and were left with a huge hole in their souls.
“Papa you have to eat, you know if Daddy was here he’d...” A young girl was saying. She was no older than 15 years old with long limbs, a perfect stance, beautiful raven hair, her skin lightly toned with kisses by a million freckles on top of her straight pointy nose and eyes green as a forest on a rainy summer day. “Sorry, it’s just...” she was talking to a man on a sofa with an empty face, messed jet black bed hair, the same pointed nose as the girl and slightly different green eyes.
“I know Cora” the man said with a defeated voice “You two are still here and I’m going to get better just... Let me grieve darling for the time being let me be...” and he returned to stare at the forest with a longing sad look on his face.
Cora completely defeated got out of the living room and climbed the stairs to her big brother's room. She knocked two times and without waiting for an answer opened the door and walk in.
Lying on the bed in the small room was a tall teenager, 17 teen years old with graceful long limbs on his body, his face once open and fresh was framed by tear streams down his eyes and circles showing that he hadn’t slept the entire night. His face was a little round with small nose pointed up and honey eyes with just a touch of green that were the perfect balance between his parents’ eyes.
“He still won’t eat.” Cora said dejected, sighing thru her mouth as she threw herself on her brother’s bed “I just … I don’t … Dan-Dan, what do we do?” she asked as she began to sob.
“Give him time Cor. We lost Daddy but he lost his mate. It hurts more than we can understand.” Daniel said his eyes starting to fill with tears. “We just have to be a little bit stronger ok? For him and for Daddy.” he said hopeful as he kissed the top of his sister’s head “Now why don’t you rest a little and I will go and check on him. ‘kay?”
“Yeah” she said weakly, her eyes already dropping.
Daniel stood up and went downstairs quickly. He saw his papa on the couch with his legs drawn to his chest hugged by the arms that once carried Daniel everywhere. The man was trembling. Daniel turned around without saying anything and went up the stairs again. When he reached the marble door knob he took a deep breath and turned it. No one had gone to his parent’s room since yesterday, but he knew that the comforter on their bed could help him fall asleep tonight.
Opening the door slowly and he walked inside. The bed was made and showered in moonlight from the beautiful huge window on the right side of the bedroom with a majestic view of the forest.
Suddenly the overwhelming scent of his dad filled his nose as as he approached the bed and pulled the comforter off the bed. Lift the comforters to his nose and breathed in the lingering scent of his parents. As a tear rolled down his cheek his knees gave out and everything faded into blackness...
Standing in a clearing near the woods, Daniel was reminded by the fresh crisp air of his childhood days spent running with the pack, playing wolf with papa and learning how to make sparks fly with his dad.
As he took in the scenery, an overwhelming scent hit him, one that he thought he would never breathe again...
“Dad” he said, quietly as he turned around coming face to face with a goofy smile, impossible honey eyes framed by thick eyelashes, moles painted the milky white skin and hair that mirrored his own. “Dad!” he said louder as he threw himself at the man and cried into his neck while he pressed his nose closer to take in all he could of that scent that was his home.
“Little Dan” the man said placing comforting hands on Daniel’s back as he kissed him on his temple. Whispering soothing words he said “We don’t have much time Dan-Dan you have to listen ok?” his dad asked separating them from the embrace, taking Dan’s face in his hands and keep the boy locked in his eyes. “Son, there is a little box hidden in our favorite book. Look for it, inside you’ll find what you need. Do you understand?” When Daniel nodded the man in front of him become a lot less clear, as if he was fading.
“No Dad, don’t leave again.” Daniel pleaded as he took his Dad’s hands on his own.
“Listen Dan- Dan, if you do this I might be able to return to you but it is all up to you.” His dad said as he looked at him with the saddest smile he had ever seen on his face. “I hate to put this on you, kiddo, but it was the only way I found with the time we had, please forgive me for what I’m about to ask of you but I know you can this …”
“Daniel... Daniel! ” He could feel a pair of hands on his face, but they weren’t as comforting as the ones before and the voice wasn’t as calm as his dad’s. Suddenly as he came into awareness, the rush of emotion flooded Daniel and he snapped his eyes open. Standing up as quickly as he could, as his Papa grabbed his shoulders and rub them slightly he said “Daniel, are you ok? You fainted.” his Papa’s voice gruff and desperate “You can’t do that little man.” Feeling his Papa’s warming comforting arms around him, the impact of the dream hit him.
“Papa... I saw him... I saw Dad...” Daniel slipped out of his Papa’s embrace and ran to his bedroom. Going straight to the bookshelf and looked for His Dad and his favorite book, a very old worn copy of Little Red Riding Hood, the one that his Dad had passed onto him, it was a gift from his mother Amelia Stilinski.
“Where is it? Where is it?” He said as searched through all the books, when he found it he tore open the cover to find... nothing. Letting out a frustrated growl out he tore all the shelves from his bookshelf. The dream had to be real, it all felt so real and the scent. There is no way he could have dreamed that up.
“Daniel, what are you doing?” His Papa asked with a confused and worried look on his face, just as his sister woke up from on the bed on the other side of the room and rubbed at her eyes.
“I’m looking for a box, Papa please.” Daniel pleaded. “Dad left it in a book, I saw him. He told me he did.” He said as his sister was climbing of the bed she huffed and said “Like this one Dan-Dan?” pointing at her feet, where a black box was under her foot. “Yes!” he exclaimed as he rushed forward to retrieve the box.
The three Stilinski-Hales sat on the bed, Daniel in the middle, with the box in his lap he looked to his Papa and Sister, who nodded and waited for Daniel to open the box. When he opened the small flat box he found two things, a little chain with a triangular charm on the end, black with an engraved triskelion and a letter addressed to him. He quickly took the token in his hands feeling magic radiating from within it. With trembling hands and the token between his fingers, he took the letter and read:
Little Dan-Dan,
You are probably wondering what is up with your crazy old Dad just about now, am I right? I mean the dream and this box I left from the beyond the grave is just a little too eccentric even from your old man.
You have to believe me when I say this is the last thing I wanted to put on your shoulders, but this is the only way I found that would bring me back to you guys. You know that your SourPapa over there would just go crazy without me and probably already has. Give him some slack; you know he loves you both very much.
Time for a little story, I have been trying to preparing for this a long time because the more peaceful thing got, the more preoccupied I felt. Some 20 plus years ago something happened to our pack, a huge fight broke on our territory, just like the one I lost my life in; I got marked by that same person all those years ago, with the promise of Revenge.
As you know, a Stilinski-Hale is nothing but prepared! This little token will take you to the time where the first mark was made and where you can take the opportunity to end this nightmare once and for all. I know what I’m asking and what I’m asking is for my own selfish reasons, as you know my children. (I know Princess Cor is right there with you little Dan) I grew up without your Grams Amelia and as awesome as Grand Pop is at everything, I saw him struggle with me, his health and his loneliness without her. As I write this, it breaks my heart because I know that I will leave you two and just as importantly I will leave my whole heart and soul with your Papa.
If you choose to do this, you’ll be taken about two weeks before the attack. Dan-Dan, you’ll see us young and careless, bantering and sassy. It’s important you not tell past us who you are. You have a choice to make kiddo and know that no matter what you decide, that you three are the best thing that could have ever happen to me, you are my heart, soul, skin and bones, you are my happiness and love and no one will take away that you all were part of my life. I’ve my heart with you and know that you were completely and absurdly loved with all that this guy could give.
Forever yours,
S. Stilinski-Hale
As the sun was nearing the break of dawn, tears streamed down the Stilinski-Hale’s cheeks, the letter stained with Daniel’s. With a firm grip on the token, he stood up and walked to his closet and took out a duffle bag.
“What do you think you are doing Daniel?” his Papa asked “We have to talk about this! You could be in danger, you have no idea how this magic works or how relentless those that killed your father are. Please stop for a second and think about what you’re doing.”Daniel turned around to see his Papa with pleading eyes and Cora sitting next to him with his Papa’s hand between hers.
“What is there to think about, Papa?” Daniel almost shouted. “He is my dad, this is my choice not yours and I’m going to take it. I can’t live in a world where I could do something to return him to us and not do anything about it!” He was now pacing his room throwing things into his duffle bag, just necessary clothes and toiletries.
He took a step towards his family and crouched in front of them taking their hands.
“You have to trust that I will do everything to bring him back to us, ok?” Daniel pleaded.
His Papa looked so broken and small, like they had never seen him before “I can’t lose any more of my family, I can’t take it” breaking down into tears, he held his children and sobbed quietly while they held him back..
“You won’t Papa, I promise. I come back as soon as Dad is safe.” He separated himself from his family and looked over at the window; the sun was breaking on the horizon. It was the perfect time to go. He wasn’t sure where he should he go to travel to the past but the clearing in front of the house where his dad had died would be the best place to go.
---
They stood in the clearing in front of the Hale house, Cora and Derek standing in facing Daniel. He had his duffle bag in one hand, in the other the token from his Dad.
“Son, you might see or hear things that I’m not proud of.” His Papa spoke. “You have to know that I had a really rough time for a few years before your Dad and I were… us and I’m scared that that would change all the things we’ve built as a family.” His Papa said with a look of sorrow on his face.
“Papa, nothing ever will change how I feel about you, our family and our pack. Nothing.” With that, he took a step and embraced his papa as tightly as he could, talking as much of his scent as he could.
Daniel broke the hug and looked at his little sister “Take good care of Papa, Cor.” he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t let him wallow away and be all a SourPapa and make sure that Grand Pops eats right and the pack trains hard, after all you are the alpha to be, ok?” With misty eyes he hugged his sister just as tight and took a step back. Placing the long chain on his neck he tried to wave goodbye but everything went black for the second time.
---
A bright red spot hovered above him, his ears were pounding with the noise of the forest and the strong scent of wood was in his nose.
Daniel opened his eyes and found himself on the dirt path of the forest that leads to his house. He stood up and took a look around. The sun was high in the sky, that meant that it had to be almost noon, he started walking down the path towards his home. When he got to the clearing where his house should have stood, he took a deep breath and took in the half finished house. He thought that this must be when the renovation were done and he guessed that no one lived there for the time being.
Feeling something move in his pocket, He pulled out a piece of paper scribbled with his Dad’s writing:
Dan-Dan,
If you are reading this, you are in the past rewriting my history and for that I am forever grateful. The token I gave you will mask your spark, your wolf and scent. This will help with some awkward questions, it will also allow you to lie to people without being interrogated any further. It holds some of my spark as well if you ever need it. ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES, KIDDO. Take the road to Grand Pop’s house, this token will tweak his memory a bit, he will think you are a cousin from my mother’s side. So from now on you are Daniel Stompman, ok? Now the part where you make 18 year old me believe it will be a bit more difficult. Be careful and take care of yourself. Keep the token hidden at all time, once you fulfill your task you will return to the future to your Papa and hopefully me.
I love you,
SSH
After taking the note and destroying it with a lighter he had in his duffle, he started walking towards his Grand Pop’s house, not knowing what to do and hoping that this Stiles would not ask too many questions.
---
When he was finally in front of the Stilinski house he took a deep breath and walked to the porch stopping in front of the door, just as he was about to knock the door flew open.