spamalot } { of recovery periods and returning home

[littlebitscary]

Derek: [and about five hours later, a pair of hazel eyes blink awake. The world is fuzzy behind them - like his head is wrapped in a thin layer of cotton. He reached up to rub at his eyes, and then paw at his nose]

Fiona: [stirs quietly after she feels him move. One hand comes up to rub her eyes and as she blinks them open she smiles as she sees him awake, catching his hand in hers] Hey. You're awake.

Derek: [he can hear her voice, but it's a bit muffled.] What happened? [his voice is dry and cracking, but thankfully not slurring]

Fiona: Marcus found a cure for the mistletoe poisoning. He says as a result your senses might be a little off for a few days. You should get back to normal though.

Derek: [nods, his eyes squinting to try and see her. His hand went to find her cheek clumsily] You okay?

Fiona: [she'll help him find the way, placing her hand on the other side of his as she leans into the touch gently] Much better now that you're back to being verbal again. It was a little touch and go for a bit.

Derek: I'm sorry.

Fiona: Don't be. It's not your fault. [she brushes her thumb against his hand soothingly] Peter's here.

Derek: [he blinks] I was that bad?

Fiona: [nods slowly] If we hadn't gotten the cure in time you wouldn't be here right now.

Derek: [deep breath, then nods] What... what day is it?

Fiona: Uh. [it takes her a minute, the panic having thrown off her internal calendar] I think it's Sunday?

Derek: [groans] Mason is going to be pissed.

Fiona: Professor Saltzman knows what happened. I'm sure he covered for you.

Marcus: [knocks on the door, having come to check in on them] Sounds like someone's awake.

Derek: [turns his head, tensing a bit. The person is too far away to get any reading off of]

Fiona: [her thumb brushes against his hand again] It's just Marcus. [then to the emissary] His senses are a little muffled, like you said.

Derek: [relaxes] Marcus. Thank you. [because he knows the doctor is the one who saved him]

Marcus: [enters, opening up a water bottle and putting it on the table] You should be back to normal human level senses by the end of the week. [he goes to give Derek a quick exam, pleased with what he's seeing, and then presses the bottle of water into Derek's hands] Your wolf senses we can evaluate when you get there.

Fiona: [shifts a bit out of the way so that he can work, but doesn't go too far so Derek can at least still tell she's there]

Marcus: How do you feel otherwise? Pain? Headache?

Derek: [drinks the entire water bottle down as he thinks] Actually, I'm starving.

Marcus: [chuckles, patting Derek on the arm] I'm pretty sure the entire household is. I'll see if I can order you some room service.

Fiona: [gives him a small smile] Thanks. And Peter said he wanted to know if he woke up. He's staying in our room. [not that she wouldn't go get Peter herself, but with the way Derek's senses are right now, she thought he might be more comfortable if she stayed to identify things]

Marcus: I'll go let him know. I'm sure Victor will want that update as well. You may want to help him shower before the household is awake. It'll help with blood circulation.

Fiona: [she nods a bit, before turning back to him] Feeling up for it?

Derek: [he heard most of that and nodded] Yeah. [and he's actually good to walk - his strength is there, and as he moves his body wakes up more. He just can't really see or hear at a distance]

Fiona: [she nods a bit] He should have clothes upstairs too. [sorry, Derek, you have a hovering girlfriend.]

Marcus: I'll get home something comfortable. [and off he goes to get Peter and Victor.]

Peter: [is the one who arrives with the clothing a few minutes later] Someone's up.

Fiona: [she smiles a bit, before taking the clothes from him and moving into the bathroom] I'll get the shower running so you can talk.

Peter: [gives her the clothes, then sits down next to Derek and pulls his nephew into a hug] You need to stop scaring us, Derek.

Derek: I didn't mean to. I... it was an accident. I tried to control my shift but I was angry and...

Peter: Shh. That doesn't matter anymore. You're safe. But you need to call your mother. She's worried sick.

Derek: I don't know where my phone is.

Peter: Use mine. [he went to dial, turning up the normally low set volume high so Derek could hear, and held the phone to his nephew's ear.]

Derek: [he can hear the ringing fine thanks to the proximity of his ear to it, and the setting. Just waiting for Talia to answer]

Talia: [snatches up the phone quickly. Still hasn't really slept yet, and had been leaning against Thomas's shoulder on the couch. The girls are out - Laura took them for brunch and shopping at Talia's request - and she's just been waiting for news on Derek] Peter?

Derek: Mom. It's me.

Talia: [there's a shaky relief that sags through her and she leans back against the couch, closing her eyes] How are you?

Thomas: [is sitting up, the shift in Talia's posture being a good thing]

Derek: I can't really see well. Or hear, or smell but Fiona said it'll pass in a few days. But I'm okay.

Talia: Marcus warned us that this might happen. But you're okay and that's what matters. [everything else they can deal with]

Derek: I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to worry you like this.

Talia: Derek, this is not your fault. [there's enough guilt to go around here but it doesn't all lie with him]

Derek: I know, but if I hadn't flashed my eyes, Greg wouldn't have known. I'm sorry.

Talia: Derek, your eyes are an instinctual reaction. Sometimes you can't control them, no matter how hard you try.

Derek: [he nods, and Peter - who can hear the whole conversation because loud cell phone is loud, just rubs his shoulder a bit] I know. But this wouldn't have happened.

Talia: This? Maybe not. But something might have still happened. And you're fine. Don't blame yourself too much.

Derek: Okay. Are the girls okay?

Talia: I haven't told them yet. I wanted to be sure you would be okay first.

Derek: Are you okay?

Talia: I'm fine. Don't worry about me.

Derek: I always worry about you. You're still my mom.

Talia: [amused] I think that's supposed to be the other way around.

Derek: And you've had a lot to deal with lately. [speaking of] How's Dad?

Talia: Good. [she glances over to Thomas as she takes his hand] He's here if you want to talk to him.

Derek: [thinks, then shakes his head] No, it's okay. Maybe later. Right now I need to get something to eat. I don't think I've eaten in four days.

Talia: Okay. I'll talk to you soon, then.

Derek: Love you, Mom. Tell Dad I love him too.

Talia: I will. I love you too. [and with that she will very reluctantly hang up]

Derek: [hands the phone back... in Peter's general direction] So what now?

Peter: Right now, we're going to get you showered, dressed, fed, and then discuss what's best. You obviously can't go back to school this week like this, and it may be better for you both to come home with me for now.

Fiona: [reappears in the doorway where the water's running] There's not much left of the semester. We can probably get a doctor's note to excuse you. [in case he does decide to come back and doesn't want to jeopardize his standing]

Peter: And Victor is going to need to go back to New York, and Nadia has a wedding to plan, and I can't leave Malia alone forever. And your mother may sound fine, but she's probably wanting to see you right now and help take care of you.

Derek: [sighs and lowers his head] Let me think about it?

Peter: [looks to Fiona] It's your choice, Derek, unless Talia makes it hers. I'm just making a reasonable suggestion for you to come home where your pack can help you heal.

Fiona: [moves from the door to sit next to him] Let's just take this one step at a time. First shower, then food, then we'll talk everything else.

Derek: [nods] Okay. [and he stands up, trying not to bump into anything so that he can go shower - Fiona in the shower optional]

Fiona: [she will close the door behind them and at least help him get out of his clothes if nothing else] Want me in there with you?

Derek: [there is a small smile] Normally, the answer is yes. But I don't think I'm going to be any good not seeing what I'm wanting to feel up.

Fiona: [she smiles back] Well, I wasn't thinking that. But I could help you wash your back.

Derek: [chuckles] I'm not going to say no, Fi. Do you have clothes to change into?

Fiona: There's a bathrobe. I probably should clean up once you're done anyway.

Derek: Okay. [and he steps in and does the whole shower cleaning thing]

Fiona: [strips down and joins him a few minutes later, just making sure he doesn't do something silly like get soap in his already bad eyes]

Derek: [probably a good idea. Though the warm water on his face is a good feeling and he's just going to stand with his eyes closed and face in the spray for a bit]

Fiona: [she'll let him take his time, before slipping her arms around his waist from behind and pushing up on her toes so she can press a kiss into his shoulder] You okay?

Derek: Yeah, I'm good. Just getting warm. [his hands on top of hers] You okay?

Fiona: [she turns her head, pressing her cheek against his skin] I will be. [she’s still sorting out her feelings on what she did but having him here is the more important thing. She pauses for a moment before closing her eyes at the next question] Are we okay? [because that's the important thing. Not that he's felt distant for the whole hour he's been awake, but she feels like it's still worth asking]

Derek: [he tilts his head at that, then turns to look at her, his hazel eyes squinting to try and really see her.] Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?

Fiona: Because my psychotic ex-boyfriend sold you out to a psychotic hunter who tortured you for two days and then I killed him right in front of you? [most sane people would at least want to take two steps back]

Derek: [and seeing that no one's told Derek about Greg's fate yet...] We can deal with Greg. And you saved my life. Again. You should be the one worried that you're dating the guy who seems to be everyone's favorite kidnap and torture victim.

Fiona: He's dead. We don't have to worry about him anymore. [but that's not the important thing] I just don't like that two out of the three times, you've gotten hurt because of things I did. That should be blowing back on me, not you.

Derek: While I'd be all for being the one rescuing you once in a while, I'm just going to go with the rule of three and hope this is the last time ever.

Fiona: [she sighs softly before nodding] I can do that. [and with that she'll push up on her toes to kiss him, since his aim probably isn't that good right now.] I'm glad you're okay.

Derek: [nope, no aim at all. But once she's there he's good with the kissing and sliding his hand up her back to find her shoulder, then along her neck to her face to hold it.]

Fiona: [she hums softly into the kiss, holding it for a moment, before breaking it to set back down on her feet again] All clean?

Derek: You tell me. I think I got everything. [he could use a good shave, but that's about it]

Fiona: [she doesn't mind him being a little scruffy] All good. Let's get you dried off and dressed. [which will mostly consist of him getting him out of the shower without falling, and handing him the towel and then various articles of clothing to put on]

Derek: [and he is grateful she's not treating him like an invalid and letting him do it all on his own. He just hopes he didn't put anything on backwards]

Fiona: [nope, she would have stopped him first. Once that's done, she moves to the door to hand him off to Peter, if he's still there] I'm just going to finish cleaning up and I'll be back.

Peter: [he is, and thanking god they hadn't gotten sappy or sexy in there] Come on, nephew. Victor's cooking brunch and while you can't smell it, I can and now I'm starving.

Victor: [is downstairs, doing his thing with the breakfast which has everything from French toast to bacon and eggs and fresh fruit to boot. Come. Sit. Feast.]

Derek: [enters the kitchen and he stops, trying to take in the smells. Then smiles] I smell bacon.

Peter: [laughs] Of course you would. [guides Derek to a seat where he won't be in the way.]

Victor: [smiles a bit] Do you like French toast, Derek?

Peter: You need to come closer. He can't really hear you unless you're right near him. He just has a sixth sense to find bacon.

Victor: [nods before fixing two plates, one with French toast, one with just eggs, bacon and fruit, before handing them both to Peter] Wave them under his nose and let him choose. I'll eat the other one.

Peter: [does so, and Derek grabs Peter's hand with the French toast. He puts it down in front of Derek, putting the other in the open spot for Victor.] He wants the toast, but if you have extra bacon, I'd suggest giving it to him or you'll have to deal with his pouting later.

Derek: [ and he's trying to reach for a fork and knife and wow Peter moves fast to stop him from grabbing the knife the wrong way] What?

Peter: No knives. No anything sharp. You are regulated back to being five and I'm feeding you and don't even think about complaining about it. [and he starts cutting Derek's toast]

Fiona: [comes in a few minutes later, pulling her wet hair up into a ponytail] Who's five?

Peter: Derek, because he's hopeless and I'm not going to have him cut off his finger trying to eat breakfast. [And he's putting the piece of toast at Derek's lips, and Derek sighs and eats it]

Derek: And here I was happy you were here.

Fiona: [smirks a bit before moving closer] Want me to take over? He might appreciate it more from me.

Peter: Please. You're welcome to take him. [stands to go get his own plate.] What do you want to eat, Fiona?

Fiona: ... Everything? [she takes Peter's seat and reaches for Derek's hand, grabbing a piece of bacon and placing it in the palm of his hand, letting him do most of the heavy lifting, but guiding his hand gently to make sure it found his mouth.]

Peter: [goes and holds out a plate for her next to Victor to get Fiona her meal first. He'd wait until everyone was fed before he got his and sat with Victor.]

Derek: [looks in Fiona's direction and mouthed a thank you before he went to eat the bacon]

Fiona: [smirks a bit before leaning in to kiss his cheek]

Nadia: [wanders down, sleepy] I smell bacon. I hope you have a whole pan for Nik.

Peter: Let me guess, you guys go through a whole pig a week? [smirks at Victor]

Derek: At least I'm getting my share before he gets here this time. [reaches for another piece somewhere on his plate]

Victor: [he laughs, before shaking his head] Only when I make brunch. [but he's already fixed his sister a plate and handed it off to her, which she takes with a brief kiss on the cheek]

Fiona: [gently guides Derek's hand in the right direction with a little nudge so that he can do most of it on his own]

Derek: [he can actually get the food into his mouth - it's within his sight limits. It's finding it at the plate level that's hard. But he nods, trying to focus on sounds to make out who was in the room]

Peter: [goes to hand Fiona her plate when it was up and ready, and then got his own plate of a little of everything. and finds a seat somewhere near Nadia's vicinity]

Fiona: [Yep, she gets that, which means she's guiding him to the food and makes sure he's not grabbing someone else's]

Nik: [wanders in and just goes right for a giant pile of bacon with some eggs on the side from his brother. He accepts it with a grin before going to find his seat at the table]

Derek: [ no clue the others are there. , just focusing on his food]

Fiona: [Nik and Nadia will cycle out, as will Victor with some small talk, and eventually it will just be him, Fiona, Peter and empty plates] So. What do we do now?

Derek: [rubs at his nose again, then looks at Fiona] I think we pack to go back home. For now, at least. [looks in Peter's direction] I can't go to school like this. I can't even read right now. I'm a liability like this.

Peter: [is quiet, letting the two of them talk]

Fiona: [she nods, giving her hand a squeeze in agreement] Okay. I'm sure they'd let us use the jet so we can leave whenever you're ready. Marcus can write you a note for medical leave.

Peter: Nadia still has to fly me back to San Francisco for my car. I can drive you back the rest of the way. [because leaving them in LA to get their own way home wasn't an option in Peter's head]

Derek: I at least know my way around the house blind there.

Fiona: And if Talia will let us, when you're better we can move back into my place. I think Laura and Jason are moving into the house soon.

Derek: We have until the wedding to figure out what to do after that. But if you want to stay for a bit with Leah, Fiona, I'm not going to blame you.

Fiona: [she shakes her head] When the wedding comes, I'll see plenty of her. I'm pretty sure she's going to be living with us for the two weeks leading up to it.

Derek: Something to look forward to then.

Fiona: Mmm-hmmm. [she pushes up to kiss his forehead] I'm gonna go pack up Bob.

Peter: I'll ask Nadia if she wants to join us or stay here. [looks at Derek] You just.... sit. Stay.

Derek: [looks over at Peter, still managing to glare]

Peter: [ruffles Derek's hair] Good boy.

Fiona: [will wrangle the dog, pack their stuff, and make sure they're all ready]

Nadia: [is in her room, flipping through a book]

Peter: [knocks on the door] Hey, got a sec?

Nadia: [looks up with a small smile] Of course.

Peter: Derek's made his choice and we're going to take him back to Beacon Hills so he can recover there. However, I have a very nice car waiting at an airport that I need to recover. Would you like to join us on the trip? I wasn't sure if you still had business in San Fran to finish.

Nadia: [she smiles a bit at that, before shaking her head] With Victor being down a beta I think it's best if I stay here. But I'll talk to the pilot and he'll take you wherever you need to go.

Peter: Thanks. [he thinks for a moment, then closes the door and leans against it] Did you tell Victor about what happened on the plane?

Nadia: [her eyebrows climb slightly before shaking her head] No. I haven't told anyone.

Peter: Because I got the whole hurt my sister and I will kill you speech.

Nadia: [a giant eye roll] Really? What am I, sixteen?

Peter: I'd have to be worried if you were sixteen, seeing that I'm already past forty.

Nadia: [she shakes her head] I will speak with him.

Peter: Don't worry about it. If I had a younger sister, I would do the same. But don't be surprised that he knows.

Nadia: Victor has a way of knowing things before we know them. He always has.

Peter: [pushes off from the door and goes to sit on the bed next to her] Thank you, by the way. For helping me calm down.

Nadia: [she nods as she reaches for his hand, giving it a small squeeze] Of course. I'm glad I could help.

Peter: [takes it, threading his fingers with hers] So when will you be back on my coast?

Nadia: [smiles a bit] Leah and I will be flying out to begin wedding prep in a few weeks.

Peter: Do you think I could steal you away for dinner one night while Leah is with her sister?

Nadia: [her smile widens and she nods] I would like that a lot.

Peter: [grins as well] Good. Then it's a date.

Nadia: Good. I'll call you when I'm in town.

Peter: Good.

Nadia: [she nods, tipping her head to the side slightly] Have a safe flight.

Peter: [he nods and goes to stand up, then stops himself and turns to her, his not entwined hand going to her cheek and cupping it as he gently kissed her]

Nadia: [she closes her eyes into, taking the moment to enjoy it while she had it]

Peter: [his hand slipped around to cup the back of her head, taking his time kissing her and just getting to know his way around her lips]

Nadia: [she hums softly into the kiss, her free hand moving to his shoulder to steady herself]

Peter: [his hand holding hers squeezes it, not really wanting to pull away but eventually he does, staying close and just looking in her eyes]

Nadia: [the hand on his shoulder moves to the side of his face, and she gives him a small smile as she holds his gaze] I'll see you soon.

Peter: I'll see you soon. [and he finally goes to pull away, letting go and just heading for the door. He gives her a smile over his shoulder, and then he's out the door and heading down to find Derek and Fiona]

Fiona: [has got Bob on a leash, a pile of bags next to her, and is sitting on the couch with Derek while they wait. She turns when she hears Peter coming and gives him a small smile] Ready to go?

Peter: I'm ready. Nadia will call the pilot and have it ready to go when we get there. Derek, you may want to say your goodbyes.

Fiona: Nik's giving us a ride to the airport, so that one we can wait on. [she glances to Derek] You want me to go with you?

Derek: Unless you want to watch me walk into walls...

Fiona: [laughs softly before helping him up] Come on. Victor's in his office.

Peter: I'll put the bags in the car.

Derek: [gets up] Maybe we should give Bob some guide dog training.

Fiona: [smirks a bit as she leads the way] I don't know. He might walk you into walls for fun. He's got a terrible sense of humor. [There's a beat] Step up.

Derek: [and he's going to follow her directions until they get to the office and runs his hand along the door a moment before knocking on it]

Victor: [from inside] Come in!

Fiona: [opens the door for them and leads them inside]

Victor: [looks up with a smile] Derek. What can I do for you?

Derek: [he heard something, but he could figure what Victor was asking] I wanted to thank you, for letting us stay here. But right now I think I need to go home. Knowing my mom, she probably wants me home too. I know it's a quick change, but I think it's the right choice.

Victor: [steps up and gets out from behind his desk, making his way closer and extending his hand to him, clasping his gently] It really was a pleasure having you. I'm sorry it couldn't end on better circumstances.

Derek: Seeing I'm alive and standing here, it's better than other circumstances. [he puts his hand on top of their clasped hands] You did everything you could to take care of me, Victor. I'm always going to be thankful for that. I'll see you at the wedding. When I can actually see you and you're not a shadow figure.

Victor: [he laughs softly before nodding] I will see you then. Take care, Derek.

Derek: [smiles, then lets go, turning his head to find Fiona]

Fiona: [her hand finds his shoulder and she leads him back out again, heading to the main room where Nadia and Nik are waiting with Peter.]

Nadia: [meets him halfway, pulling him into a hug] I will see you in a few weeks.

Derek: [hugs her back, his nose picking up something at that close distance that he is definitely logging into the back of his head for later, and presses his cheek to hers] See you in a few weeks. You take care of yourself and kick Nik around the yard a bit for me. Can't let him get lazy with me gone.

Nadia: [she laughs] Consider it done.

Nik: [snorts] Come on. Let's get this show on the road.

Fiona: [laughs a bit before taking Derek's arm as Nadia pulls back] Let's go.

Peter: [goes to sit in the front with Nik and they get to the airport and he's going to work with the bags and talking to the pilot]

Derek: [to Nik] So if you ever want to come out to Beacon Hills and open a werewolf boot camp, my mom has a beta that probably would do well with a bit of your training.

Nik: Well, Fi wants me to drive her SUV out. It'll take me about a week, but I'll have to be there for the wedding anyway.

Derek: You'll always have a place with us. [and since he's actually close enough and knows Nik well enough, he pulls Nik in for the whole bro style hug]

Nik: [has no probably returning that hug, clapping him on the back with a nod] Be safe out there, man.

Derek: I will, and I'll see you soon. [he pulled back, and for a moment hesitated, because while the decision to go home was easy, he didn't expect it to be so hard to leave DC now that he was near the plane]

Fiona: [makes her way over, slipping her hand in his] It's not forever. It's just for right now. [not that she doesn't think they have a bigger decision to make later, but this at least will make it a little easier for right now]

Derek: [takes her hand and squeezes it, and nods] Yeah, I know. [and he was going to just let her lead him onto the plane. Once he was seated, it wouldn't be long where he was falling asleep in his seat, still exhausted.]