new york wolves } { of skeptical sheriffs and somewhat miracles

[impetere]

Derek: [opening the door to the apartment and showing the Sheriff in] And this is our penthouse.

Sheriff: Very nice.

Stiles: [looks up where he's sitting on the couch with Cora, Alexis, Hal, and Malia?] Hey Dad. See, safe and sound. [his arm was even back to normal at the moment, having relaxed finally after a very interesting attempt at a shower]

Cora: [her head picks up and she looks over at the Sheriff, because this really isn't the way she wanted to re-meet him, but she'll give him a small smile and try not to seem nervous.]

Malia: [is totally there and glances to Hal and Alexis] Maybe we should go watch a movie.

Hal: Yeah, probably a good idea. At least until dinner.

Peter: [coming out of the kitchen, drying his hands] Sheriff, come in. We're glad to have you. Derek, can you take his bags to the guest room?

Sheriff: I'm not planning on staying long. I've got two tickets books on the last flight back to LA for us.

Stiles: Dad...

Sheriff: No, Stiles, I warned you. You're coming home tonight and that's it.

Laura: Actually, can you just ... hear us out? [she stands up as the kids retreat, holding up her hands pleadingly] We think we have something that might help him.

Sheriff: Listen, Laura right? I appreciate all your family has done for my son, but at this point he's becoming a danger to himself and I can't just ignore that.

Stiles: But Dad.... just... just listen.

Laura: Neither are we. But you just got here, Peter made dinner - have you got enough time before your flight to at least eat dinner?

Stiles: You haven't really eaten until you've had Peter's burgers, Dad. Trust me. [not like he's had them, but he can fake it. Cora said they were good]

Sheriff: [sighs and looks at the time] I've got an hour before we need to leave.

Peter: Perfect. Dinner's almost ready

Laura: And maybe, if you're open to it, we could talk about a way that we could maybe help Stiles. Over burgers. And maybe a couple beers.

Sheriff: Unless you know of a miracle cure, Laura, that's pretty impossible. [sighs] But I'll take a beer.

Stiles: [just holds onto Cora's hand tightly]

Laura: Miracle ... not exactly. But kind of along the same lines. [and with that she'll head to the fridge, and grab a couple beers.]

Cora: [squeezes it back, letting her sister do the talking]

Sheriff: [and he's going to give Stiles a look. The look of what have you gotten yourself involved in now, Kid, before following Laura into the kitchen]

Laura: [pulls out three beers, popping the tops off them before sliding a bottle down to Peter and then extending one out to the sheriff] You've been working in Beacon Hills a long time right?

Sheriff: Since I was out of high school. Back then you didn't need a college education to be a cop - just survive the academy.

Laura: Have you ever noticed how some cases ... don't really add up? Animal attacks that don't really feel like animal attacks? Stuff like that?

Sheriff: [sipping from the bottle] If you're going to bring up my record of unsolved investigations before dinner...

Laura: I'm gonna give you the reason why they haven't been solved. And it's ... a little out there, but it's also true. I'm also willing to bet that the number of those cases has gone up since my family left Beacon Hills.

Sheriff: Well, your family did have a way of keeping most of the predators deeper in the preserve by having your physical presence in the house.

Laura: Yep. But the predators that are preying on your townsfolk? Not the kind of predators you're thinking of. And the reason we were able to keep them back was because we were predators in our own right.

Sheriff: I'm not following...

Laura: [deep breath] We're werewolves, Sheriff.

Sheriff: [and she's going to get the very confused Sheriff look] You're what?

Laura: [exhales slowly and she manages to look both sympathetic and apologetic all at the same time, but she says the same thing she said before] We're werewolves.

Sheriff: Uh huh. [and he's putting down the beer.] Stiles, we're leaving right now.

Laura: [moves to step in front of him] I can show you, if you want.

Sheriff: Listen, Laura, I know your family has been through a great tragedy, but I'm not really about to let your fantasy pull my son further from reality than his own mind is doing to him.

Laura: Sheriff, you ever wonder why a family that never gave anyone any trouble just randomly got targeted by arsonists when we were so out of the way from anything that would have drawn attention? That pretty much goes against any arsonist modus operandi there is. Or how Peter managed to survive despite having burns over two thirds of his body? Ever look at a case and think that the explanation that your coroner gave you, the sane rational explanation just didn't make any sense? [she's giving him the most pleading look she can manage] If it's something that could maybe save your son's life, don't you think it's worth it to be a little open-minded?

Stiles: [he's pulled away from Cora to stand in the kitchen with them, looking at his father] Please Dad, Just listen. For me.

Sheriff: [looks at Stiles, then Laura and Peter like they are crazy] You said you could show me. Show me what you have to prove this is real.

Laura: [she holds up her hands, takes another step back] I'm not going to hurt you. [and that's about all the warning she'll give before she'll shift, not completely into the alpha wolf form, but the way a beta would - the only difference is that instead of gold, her eyes are red]

Sheriff: [yup, backing up into the fridge because] You're... how are you doing that....?

Stiles: She's really a..... [trying to get the word] What she said she was.

Laura: Werewolf. [she'll hold it for a moment, before exhaling slowly and shifting back to her normal face again] I'm a werewolf. We're all werewolves.

Stiles: Except Barron. He's just a dog.

Peter: [chuckles from the stove] I understand it's a bit much to take in at once, Sheriff. I think you may need to cancel that flight so that you can have a fuller understanding of this particular situation.

Laura: Please? I'll answer whatever you want to know.

Sheriff: [gives Stiles a look, then sighs and nods] Fine, one night. And I'm pretty sure that this conversation is suddenly steering towards you all wanting to turn my son into one of you...

Laura: We have a doctor who can vouch for us, and explain the whole thing. There are risks, but ... he would get better.

Stiles: I haven't said I would yet. Just for the record. I wanted you to know first.

Sheriff: [looks at then all, then sighs] Alright, but if we're going to seriously have this discussion, I want two things. One - complete honesty. Two - something a lot stronger than a beer.

Laura: Yes, to one. ... I don't know for two. If we don't have it, I can send Derek out for something.

Peter: No need. There is a bottle of whiskey in my bedroom. [looks over his shoulder at Laura]

Laura: [nods] I will go find it. And Marcus. I think we're going to need him.

Peter: Tell him dinner's ready. Let's eat while we talk.

Laura: [nods and off she goes]

Cora: [gets up from the couch with the opportunity of something to do] I'll set the table.

Stiles: [walks over to his dad, putting a hand on his shoulder]

Sheriff: [nope, hugging his son] You really scared me, kid.

Cora: [just lets them have a moment while she puts the plates on the table and glasses and all that] I'll go see if Malia and the others want anything. [and off to the entertainment room she goes]

Stiles: [after a moment] Dad... air...

Sheriff: Sorry, kid. [let's him go, then shakes his head] You really had to fall in love with a werewolf, didn't you?

Stiles: What can I say? I like to look outside the box.

Laura: [returns with Marcus in tow] Sheriff, this is Marcus Whitmore. Marcus, Sheriff Stilinski, Stiles’ dad.

Marcus: Sheriff, pleasure to meet you.

Sheriff: Doctor Whitmore. What are you a doctor of?

Marcus: Molecular biology in the study of morphology.

Sheriff: No idea what that means.

Marcus: [grins] I study how someone's body is made, structured, and grows.

Laura: He's also good if you need medical treatment in a pinch.

Malia: [comes back in with Cora behind her] Three burgers to go? Unless you guys want us out here.

Peter: [ points to the cabinet where the paper plates are] The fries are ready to be taken out so get three plates. Cheese?

Stiles: But do you give lollipops after, that's the main question.

Marcus: Only if the patients are good and don't punch me in the process of being treated.

Malia: Yes, please. [and she goes to fix a plate for fries and a plate to place the burgers on, while stacking up some spares underneath for them to split things up in the other room]

Laura: That depends entirely on the patient. Shockingly, werewolves are worse than humans when it comes to doctors.

Marcus: And being the human doctor, my jaw doesn't heal nearly as fast.

Sheriff: ... You're human.

Marcus: Down to the last DNA strand.

Laura: Marcus is what's called an emissary. He works with the alpha of the pack, provides guidance from a human perspective. Sometimes we need the logic check.

Marcus: We all have our checks and balances in the world, Sheriff. But it's not a job that I get paid for.

Sheriff: So this is like a, hobby?

Marcus: Calling. And when you have a young twenty something student in your class in Columbia offer you a chance to see the world from a rare perspective, the scientist in me cannot say no. Which is why I'm very curious about your son's condition, and how this is going to help him.

Peter: [handing Malia the burgers] Which we can discuss at the dinner table.

Malia: [takes the burgers and the fries and she's off to disappear again]

Laura: Yes. Let's eat. [and with that she will usher everyone to the table. Cora will take the seat on the other side of Stiles, leaving one open for the Sheriff to take]

Marcus: [and he is going to talk Science for most of dinner, talking about how the bite will cause a chain reaction as Stiles' DNA will change to take in the newly introduced code] Now, I will tell you two things. One, the process is painful for a bitten. Beyond the bite itself, there is a period of discomfort as the body changes to take in this. This is also the period where we'll know if the bite is rejected.

Sheriff: Rejected?

Marcus: Just like introducing a new heart or liver transplant, there are instances where it just doesn't take and the body will fight against it. That is the first risk - one that would come no matter what. And almost all patients who reject the bite do die... painfully. Many of them tend to be handled so that they don't suffer long, which is a small blessing. [he doesn't directly look at Derek, but Derek's attention to his burger at that moment would be obvious to those who knew]

Laura: It's a risk we take very seriously, and it's not directly impacted by Stiles’ illness. We're not really sure what the cause is, but even people who are perfectly healthy can reject the bite, which is why we don't run around biting people willy nilly. I wouldn't be seriously considering this if I didn't think Stiles at least stood a chance.

Marcus: And the percentage of it failing is really in the low teens.

Stiles: I'm already dying, so it's not like that's really going to make such of a difference anyway.

Sheriff: [deep breath] Alright, so say it takes then what?

Marcus: Then our next concern is going to be how the new healing factor will affect his brain. I'm going to have him scheduled for an MRI every day - I have my own machine thanks to the good graces of the Kirsanov family so there will be no hospitals involved. We will see if the healing will become a stopgap, which will leave Stiles in his current position with hopefully no future atrophy... or as we hope it will do, start the healing process and rebuild the parts of his brain that have shrunken to give him back full capacity of his brain.

Laura: Even if it does become a stop gap, there is a chance that continued exposure to our healing abilities may allow him to rehabilitate the things that he's lost - even if it's not as good as it used to be. Werewolf healing isn't an automatic cure all. There are illnesses like epilepsy where it simply makes it harder to trigger an episode, and allows them to recover more quickly than they do have one. It's possible it can do something like that with Stiles.

Marcus: And being that he is still fairly early in his symptoms, he hasn't hit the point of no return in from what I've been able to read on rehabilitation and therapy. Now I know no cure exists, but there is a point in which the brain no longer retains stimuli. He's just shy of that, which is why, sadly, we do not have a lot of time to weigh options.

Sheriff: This is a lot to take in, you know.

Marcus: I'm aware. Plus, we still haven't talked about side effects

Laura: There haven't been any major personality changes caused by the disease, which is good. It stands to reason that he'll be able to still manage and control his shifts which is another concern. Shifting in and out of werewolf form is mostly handled through emotional triggers. If his healing doesn't fix the atrophy, it stands to reason that he might not be able to control it easily. It's harder for bitten wolves than it is for born wolves, but it's still manageable.

Peter: And he will be under constant supervision during his early months to train him on this, monitor his responses and find a workable path to teach him control.

Sheriff: And let's just say that he can't learn this... control because of the damage. What then?

Peter: We lock him up on full moons and make sure he doesn't get out.

Stiles: [yup, he's just listening wide eye because what?]

Laura: [nods before jerking her thumb over her shoulder] We have a panic room. And as his alpha I'll have ... some measure of control in keeping him corralled. Since he's my beta, he'll be my responsibility. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone.

Derek: And he's pack, so the rest of us will be there to support him no matter what the future brings.

Sheriff: [nods, leaning back] Alright, so if you're the alpha... what are the rest of you? [the question is to Laura though]

Laura: They're my betas. Alphas are stronger and faster than betas and are the only ones who can turn humans into werewolves. Peter is my second, but that's more pack structure than ... any actual bonus ability. Alphas have red eyes, betas or omegas - wolves without packs - have gold or blue.

Peter: It just means I get to play the diplomat more than anything else in situations that Laura's presence isn't required.

Sheriff: [nods, not thinking there was a reason there would be two different eye colors] Alright. It actually sounds like you have a better structure than some governments.

Laura: [she laughs] Not saying it can't be abused - just because you're an alpha doesn't necessarily make you good or responsible. I just happened to be trained very well.

Sheriff: I remember your mother, actually, so I believe that. She used to be very good at helping the PTA come to decisions.

Laura: Diplomacy is something you need as an alpha. I don't have as much of it as Peter would like, but he can pick up the slack when needed.

Peter: I just tend to be a bit less cushioning in my tactics.

Derek: [coughs. No that's totally a fry going down the wrong pipe]

Peter: Which some appreciate more than others.

Laura: [smirks around her beer at her brother] Basically, being part of a pack is all about team work. Even if you're the strongest alpha in the world, if you don't have betas you can trust and rely on, you're not going to get anywhere.

Sheriff: And yet you're willing to bring my son into the fold.

Stiles: Hey!

Laura: [laughs] From what I can tell, Stiles is smart, loyal, a good heart - they're all things that make for a great beta. My sister doesn't get drawn to people easily - and usually when she does they're good ones. I trust her judgement.

Cora: [oh look, Cora is going to pay a lot of attention to her food. She was hoping that she could make it out of this without too much of he focus being on her]

Sheriff: Well, I have to ask then - what happens to my son if for any reason these two break up.

Stiles: Dad.

Sheriff: No, I want to know, Stiles. You two are young, and it happens. You know that. I want to know what happens if it's a bad breakup and where you stand then.

Laura: I've thought about that. And his status in this pack isn't dependent on his relationship with Cora. As long as Stiles wants to stay, he's welcome, but if he wants to leave ... there's another pack here in the city that we work with. Victor's already said he would be willing to take him in. He'll be here if we decide to do this, so you can meet him for yourself if you like. He's a good man, though - one of our allies, and he's the alpha that Marcus works with closely.

Marcus: That twenty something student of mine also being on in the same. He comes from a family line very similar to the Hales.

Peter: And also, if he wishes to return to Beacon Hills, we can talk to one of the packs out there to see if they will take him in.

Stiles: [nope, just going to hold Cora's hand under the table.]

Cora: [squeezes his hand gently under the table because she has no intentions of letting him go anywhere, but she knows it's questions they have to ask]

Laura: The most important thing here is Stiles’ health. If it comes down to that, we want him to at least be able to survive to make that choice, or, alternatively, given the opportunity to die on his own terms, rather than wasting away.

Sheriff: [ looks over at his son] Stiles? What's your opinion on all this?

Stiles: [deep breath] I'm dying. That's a given, so I mean, I'm not...I don't see how now or later matters. I just... I saw what Mom went through. I remember it... and I don't... I don't want you to go through it again. Or let Cora or Hal or Scott see it like that. If I'm stuck like this... and not getting better I'm okay... I just I don't want to get worse. And I mean... being a ... it isn't a bad thing. Not like movies make it. Right?

Cora: [shakes her head] No. Just means you're different.

Derek: And different doesn't mean bad. The bite's really a gift. If everything goes right, you'll be stronger, healthier, and faster than you ever were. That you ever could be.

Peter: But it comes with responsibility too. You use those gifts to take care of people who can't take care of themselves when problems from our world will affect the humans. We take care of the town we live in.

Sheriff: Like you used to in Beacon Hills?

Peter: Precisely.

Stiles: With great power comes great responsibility.

Cora: [small smile] Exactly.

Sheriff: This is your call, Kid. You want to do it, and I'll figure out how to live with a werewolf as a son.

Stiles: You sure?

Sheriff: Hey, at least you're not going to be a vampire. Or a zombie.

Cora: Or a wendigo.

Laura: [makes a face at her] We're eating.

Sheriff: [ is about to ask, then shakes his head] No, you can tell me what that is later.

Peter: Good choice.

Laura: Stiles, why don't you sleep on it? Because this all happened really fast, and while we do need a decision soon, you don't have to rush this. And you shouldn't.

Stiles: [nods] Okay. [he should call Scott too. If for only because he misses his best friend]

Peter: Sheriff, we do have a guest room that will be at your full disposal. And we will make it into a room for Stiles. Though we will be needing him to stay here for the summer if he does go through with this.

Cora: Just to help him adjust and make sure he can handle the full moons.

Stiles: Well, it's save on room and board at school since I'm probably losing my sport scholarship.

Laura: You won't have to give up sports entirely. Sports are actually really good for us - it gives us somewhere to channel some of the aggression that comes with being a wolf in a healthy way.

Stiles: Oh. That... I like that. I miss lacrosse.

Sheriff: I'm just worried about how we're going to explain to the doctors on your sudden miracle cure.

Marcus: Leave that part to me. All I would require would be for you to make me Stiles' primary care physician - I have that license to be able to avoid questions and have my own private office.

Laura: Yeah, medical professionals we can handle. There's always a way to explain things without getting supernatural.

Marcus: I can use enough obscure medical terms that I can make even the most seasoned medical expert's eyes cross. [grins because he's so proud of that fact]

Sheriff: [laughs, relaxing a bit] Alright. I believe that.

Laura: Packs have been hiding in plain sight for a long time now. We've gotten very good at it.

Derek: [and that's his phone going off] Shit, sorry... it's work. [and he's up and heading to the patio]

Laura: [watches him go before turning back to the Stilinskis] So, is there anything else you need to cover with Stiles here, or can we release him and Cora back into the wild? [and by wild she means the entertainment room to hang out with their friends]

Sheriff: No, not unless he has questions.

Stiles: Nope, I have my own google search right here. [points at Cora]

Laura: [nods] Okay. Go. Be free.

Cora: [gives her sister a grateful look, before picking up their plates and helping guide Stiles back towards the entertainment room where Malia and the others are hiding]

Laura: [waits until she hears the door close before ...] Do you have anything else you want to ask me? Something you didn't necessarily want to do in front of Stiles?

Sheriff: Let's say he doesn't ever get control. What happens to him then?

Laura: That would depend on the level of control he has. Struggling with the full moon is normal. Even some born wolves have trouble with it for far longer than others - everyone is different. If he never gets control on full moons, that's something he'll have to live with, but we have ways to handle that. As I said, we have a panic room. Outside of the full moon, it may take a lot of work with figuring out what exactly is triggering his shifts and finding coping mechanisms to work with that. Monitoring his heart rate, things like that. That's when stuff like sports will probably be an issue.

Marcus: [ leans forward] But in all fairness and open disclosure, there is a chance that this process and the DNA changes may affect him in a way that would render him more... rabid than most wolves. It's very slim, but it is there. Humans who undergo the change do become more aggressive and territorial naturally - it's the wolf side of them.

Laura: And while they haven't been a lot of personality changes, it's possible that depending on the areas of the brain that were effected, those changes could be amplified in a negative way. I noticed that most of the physical issues have been on the right side?

Sheriff: Yeah. It's the side of his brain that also deals with language. It's also why he stutters now and has a hard time remembering or saying certain words.

Laura: That's actually good for us. Emotion-based issues are usually seen more when you're dealing with damage on the right side of the brain. Controlling your shift usually comes with an emotional trigger. If he still has enough control over his emotions, then we can teach him control. But every person is different and even if his brain is perfectly normal, emotional triggers may not work. That's why we'll work through it and find something that works for Stiles, whether it's a person or a mantra or whatever else. The idea is to find something that helps him keep a hold on his humanity.

Sheriff: But let's go worst case scenario - he goes rabid, or can't get it. Beyond the panic room... when does he become a liability?

Laura: [that's the hard question] We're in a ... very delicate position here. This isn't our territory and we're here because the local alpha said we could be. If he hurts someone, or draws heat from hunters back on them, then we'll have to make some considerations, but that's something I would have to deal with more than him. As I said, he's my beta, my responsibility. But the chances of him going rabid or not being able to find some way to control this are very, very slim.

Marcus: Those odds are even slimmer than him rejecting the bite. Theoretically.

Laura: A lot of it is how much Stiles wants to get control. It's a discipline. It's something he'll have to learn and work at pretty much for the rest of his life, whether he struggles with it or not. I still struggle with it, sometimes. Derek still needed to be restrained for full moons until he was eighteen. There's no fool proof formula, but if Stiles wants it and works at it, he can do it.

Sheriff: [nods] Okay then. I mean, it's his choice either way, but if he can do it...I can figure out how to handle it.

Laura: [she nods] We know it takes a lot of adjusting to so ... it's okay if it takes a while to really wrap your head around it.

Peter: And Sheriff, I will be here and if you ever need help on dealing with raising a werewolf from a father's perspective, I have four that I can draw reference to. Well, three. Laura and I aren't that far in age.

Laura: And to be honest, Stiles probably counted for three as a human.

Sheriff: [laughs] You obviously have spent time with him.

Laura: [grins] We had a very lively debate regarding zombies versus aliens for the end of the world. I still stand by my position, he will not sway me.

Derek: [comes back in, a bit flustered] Sorry, I need to go. We got a complicated case in and they need me.

Laura: [nods] Thank you for running all over creation today.

Derek: No problem. That's what the little police light is for in midtown traffic, right? [smirks as he grabs the rest of his burger and heads for the door]

Laura: [smirks in return and watches him go, before exhaling slowly and turning back to the Sheriff] Anyway. Peter cooked, so I should clean up. But you boys are free to continue discussing. I'll be in hearing distance.

Marcus: I actually have two text messages from Victor that I need to reply to, and should probably do that in person. But Peter has my number if you or Stiles have more questions.

Sheriff: Thank you, Dr. Whitmore.

Marcus: No, please, Marcus.

Laura: [gathers up dishes and things to take to the kitchen as she goes]