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Little Robin

Chapter Text

Crimson.  It was the color of blood fresh from the vein.  It covered him in thick streams; but none of it was his own.  Every drop of blood gracing his skin came from his beloved mother; who was now lying on her back with blank eyes looking up at the blue cloudless sky above.  He didn’t understand what had happened.  She had just been smiling and laughing with him a few moments before.  It had been such a beautiful day and she had insisted that they go to the park.  The promise of ice cream had him getting dressed faster than he normally ever did on his own.

She had taken her little eight year old boy to the park.  It was supposed to be safe.  The town was supposed to be safe and she was the wife of a police officer.

Fate had not been on their side that day.  Across town her husband had been apprehending an armed robber.  The man had broken through the woods that led towards the park and when he saw the lone woman and her child. She had screamed and the gun had gone off.

The robber had been trying to cross the road when the police cruiser slammed into his body, knocking the man unconscious.  The driver got out to check the man while the man’s partner got out and began running towards the scene of the fallen woman.

The boy looked up with giant tears in his eyes, tracks cutting through the blood on his cheek.

“Daddy, mommy’s hurt.”

The officer looked down to where the little boy was holding his little hoodie against the wound in his wife’s chest.  They both knew she was already gone.

***

They had left Beacon Hills after that.  The pain was just too much for them.  Everywhere they looked there were reminders of her.

Gotham City became their new home.

***


Gotham City was filled with crime.  The city was filled with murderers, thieves, drug dealers and corruption.  Even the rich were not safe from the darkness that loomed over the city.  The boy and his father were not safe.

No little boy should be forced to watch their mother gunned down and sit in their blood until help arrived.   The once hyper boy had become withdrawn and the one time chatter box had barley spoken a word since the funeral and even then he had only spoken to accept the condolences of the people that didn’t really even know his mother but who felt obligated to come anyway.

Gotham City was no place for a boy like Stiles.  A boy who should have been care free and running around the woods with friends was set on a very different path, a path to become something more.

***

Stiles had learned a lot in the past couple of years since he had moved to Gotham with his father.  He was just a little boy and he and his father didn’t live in the best part of town.  He needed to get himself to school every day; and then home afterwards.  But there was gang violence to contend with; not to mention all of the other low lives that would love to harm an innocent child.

After being saved by Batman and Robin; Stiles had begun to learn how to better defend himself.  He took classes in self-defense at a local gym and learned how to move through the city as if he was swimming through water of flying through air.  Obstacles that might have once prevented his escape from pursuers now aided in it.

The baby fat that once clung to his form was slowly melting away; and despite still only being a child; his build became athletic.  The type of build for a future hero.

***

“All officers please be advices we have a four one seven.  Please use extreme caution.”

Stiles snapped straight up in bed when he heard the call over the radio he kept near his bed.  He had it on every night when his father had to work and he had memorized all the important codes.  He pulled his clothes on and wrote down the address given…just in case.

A few minutes later he heard his father’s voice come in over the radio.

“Officer down.  I repeat, we got an officer dow…”

Bang bang bang.

Stiles’ heart went cold.  His father didn’t say another word.  There had been three shots and his father hadn’t said another word.

His world began falling down around him.

He didn’t even feel his feet moving as he slipped out onto the fire escape right outside of his window and began with the fastest route to where the four one seven had come from.  Four one seven, person with firearm.  His father had been shot.  Was he still alive?

“Please.  Please.”

His lungs burned as he pushed himself faster through the city until breaking through some bushes that led to the park.  His father was bleeding against the side of his police cruiser.  Stiles didn’t think of himself as he ran towards his father and removed his jacket to hold it to the man’s chest over the wound.

“No.  Don’t you die on me.  Don’t you dare die on me!  Mom left.  Mom left us and you’re all I got.  You can’t die on me damn it!”

There was a small click behind him.  He turned slowly to see the gunman pointing the gun at him.  Stiles stood slowly and looked at the man.  The man was so much bigger than him.  Stiles was only eleven.  Stiles felt no fear.

His brown eyes grew dark with anger as he kicked forward, forcing the gunman’s arm up and causing the shot to go wide.  A jumping kick to the chest caused the man to stumble back.  A cough from behind distracted Stiles and he turned to see his father looking at him in awe.

“It’s going to be okay dad.”

The gun went off again; and Stiles expected to feel pain, instead he felt the soft brush of cloth against his skin.  He looked up to see Batman standing over him; protecting him with his cape.  The Dark Knight turned towards the gunman; causing him to run; only to throw take him down with the toss of his bat-lasso.  Stiles enjoyed the sickening crunch that came when the man landed on his nose.

In that instant sirens began to sound and an ambulance followed by police cars pulled into the area.

Batman vanished into the darkness while Stiles stood watching his father be driven away.

***

“The doctors say he may not wake up.  He’s alive.  He’s stable; but he’s in a coma.”

Stiles didn’t look up as a figure loomed over him.  He had been told that someone had expressed interest in taking him in until his father recovered…or raising him if he should not.

The man sat beside him and didn’t say a word.  Stiles turned his head slowly, his eyes widening for only an instant before becoming sad again.

“You’re Bruce Wayne.  I…I’m sorry.  I thought you were the man that was going to be taking me in.”

“I am.”

“What?  But why?”

Bruce turned to look down at Stiles.  “My nest is empty and you look like you could use some guidance.”

Chapter Text

Wayne Manor was creepy.  Stiles had never been inside of a private residence that was quite this big; and certainly not this spooky.  It wasn’t just the décor; which seemed like it came out of some sort of movie or straight out of history or something.  Stiles couldn’t quite imagine where he would see such things…but also because of the lack of life inside of the house.

It was just Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth…and now Stiles.

Bruce had told him about Dick Grayson and Tim Drake who had once lived in the house with him as his adopted sons, but now both had left the nest; leaving Bruce alone with only his butler as company.

Stiles was seriously starting to worry that perhaps Mr. Wayne was a pedophile.  Normal kids his age shouldn’t have to be thinking about such things; but living in Gotham had made him grow up a bit faster than he should have.

“Master Stilinski, this will be your room.”

The bedroom looked out of place in the manor.  The walls were done in a soft blue and there was a plush dark blue carpet that his feet seemed to sink into.  The furniture was very modern and the bed…was so much larger than anything he had ever even dreamed of sleeping in before.  He couldn’t help but run and jump onto it.  His body sunk into it and Stiles felt like he could fall asleep in seconds just lying here.

“I leave you alone now Master Stilinski.  You’ve had a rough few days.  Do try and get some sleep.”

Alfred left Stiles’ bag by the door and shut the door behind him.  Stiles let his eyes drift shut, let himself fall into slumber for the first time since his father had been shot.

At first, he was lost in a void of blackness.  It was the void of dreamless sleep, the sleep of those so exhausted that their minds could not create images to be shown.  Then there was a sound.  It was a screeching and it grew louder and louder before the blackness erupted into a million bats.

Stiles lurched upwards in bed, a cold sweat coating his skin.

The screeching remained.

The young boy turned his head slowly until his eyes met the sight of a small bat resting on the ground and letting out little clicks and screeches.

“Oh.  Poor thing.  God I hope you’re not rabid.”

He slipped out of bed and grabbed a random tattered shirt from his bag before tossing it on top of the little creature.  He wrapped it up so that only its head was sticking out and opened his bedroom door.

Somehow the little beast wiggled free and took to the air; as if flying towards something.

“Hey!  Get back here!  Come on little bat!  I’m trying to help you!”

Stiles growled as he chased after the small bat before it landed on an old grandfather clock.

“I got you now!”

He tossed the shirt over it and this time kept it firmly wrapped in a makeshift pouch.

“I’m just trying to get you outside.  Cool your jets.”

As he turned to head towards the door, he heard a click.  He turned back to see the grandfather clock moving aside to reveal a hidden and incredibly creepy stair case.

“To go or not to go?”

He weighed the options in his head.  On the one hand, he had to free the little bat.  On the other, he wasn’t sure if the passage would still be open when he returned and he wasn’t sure how he had even opened it to begin with.

“Looks like you’ll have to wait batty.”

***

“Are you sure about this sir?”

Bruce sat in costume, sans mask in front of the large computer screen that monitored the city.  Currently it was showing Stiles Stilinski chasing after a bat and stumbling upon the grandfather clock.  Bruce pushed a button that caused the clock to move aside and reveal the passage way.

“You should have seen him that night Alfred.  He wasn’t afraid.  He stood up to that man and his gun, fought him off.  With a bit of focus and a bit more training he could become one of the greats.”

“Like Nightwing and Red Robin.”

“Yes.”

“You miss them, sir.”

“They were my sons.  I know Tim is only off to college and Dick stops by to visit frequently but…”

“But you have an empty robin’s nest.”

Bruce side before standing.  Stiles was almost there.

***

The bat had gone still in the pouch and Stiles really hoped that it was okay.  He could hear some more screeching coming from a short distance away; like there were more bats down here.  Maybe this was where the bat had come from.  Maybe this staircase led to some little underground cave…slash…torture chamber…

Maybe this was a bad idea.

NO.  He needed to see what was at the end of this staircase.

It was a cave.  It was a cave holding high tech equipment.  It was a cave holding superhero costumes.  It was a cave holding trophies from super villains.  It was a cave with bats flying about.  He opened up the pouch and watched as the bat flew out and joined the others.

Perhaps the most shocking was that it was a cave that held Alfred…and Bruce…who was dressed like Batman.

“Oh.  My.  God.”

***

“So, you’re Batman.”

“Yes.”

“As in…THE Batman.”

“Yes.”

“As in the guy that saved my life when I first moved here to Gotham.  As in the guy that saves the city on a weekly basis.”

“Yes.  And I’m in need of a new Robin.”

Stiles stood from where he was sitting in Bruce’s home office.  He started pacing back and forth.

“I’m eleven.”

“Dick was only eight when he became the first Robin.”

Stiles moved to sit back down again.  He looked at Bruce with wide eyes before closing them and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Why me?”

“I saw you that night.  I saw you fighting off the man that shot your father.  You were doing good for a scrawny kid until you turned your back on him to check on your father.  If I wasn’t there you could have gotten killed.  I have a feeling that one day you would end up fighting crime anyway.  Isn’t it best that someone guides you and teaches you how to do it right?”

Stiles couldn’t fight that logic.  He could have gotten killed.

“My father…”

“He has the best medical team available in Gotham city.  He’ll be well taken care of no matter what you decide.  I will watch over you no matter what you decide.”

Stiles leaned forward slowly.  He remembered being covered in his mother’s blood.  He remembered his father struggling to breathe with three bullets in his chest.

“I’m in.”

***

He had thought that he would simply put on the costume and go out running around with Batman.  Sadly, that wasn’t the case.  Bruce spent hours daily training Stiles.  First it was hand to hand, and then it was weapons and gadgets.  Stiles went to bed every night to a deep ache in his bones.

Then Tim and Dick came home.  They had more time to spend with Stiles than Bruce did.  He spent entire days working on learning the craft, even going to special locations where he could learn to use certain features of his cape…like how to glide…and how to use his grappling hook.

Tim worked on teaching Stiles how to work the gadgets; like the zoom feature of his mask and the com link.

It was a full year before Stiles was ready for the field.

***

A light rain had cast the city into a fog all day.  Everything was wet and glistened in the light from the moon and the city lights.

Stiles was dressed in full costume; his cape flapping in the wind behind him as he surveyed the scene through the zoom feature in his mask.  A group of teen hoodlums had cornered an old lady and were trying to steal her money.  Stiles…or rather…Robin rolled his eyes before jumping from the roof.  He grabbed onto a low hanging flag pole on the opposite building and swung around it before landing silently on his feet.  He reached into his utility belt and pulled out the small stick that grew into a six foot long pole and rested it on one shoulder as he walked closer.

“Didn’t your folks ever teach you to respect your elders?”

The group turned to look at the child who had spoken and burst out into laughter.

“And who are you?”

Robin looked down at his outfit and sighed.  It wasn’t the green and red the previous Robins; instead it was mostly black with a bright red R over his heart.

“I’m Robin.”

The group laughed again; giving the old lady time to get away.  A soft flapping in the wind alerted Robin to the fact that Batman was watching from above.

“Well, feel free to laugh if you want.  It doesn’t change the fact that you’re going down town.”

The leader of the gang pulled out a knife and flipped it open.

“Let’s carve us up a bird.”

The group started laughing; as if that was the first time anyone had ever said that to a Robin.

***

Batman stood on the roof with Nightwing and Red Robin; watching as the newest Robin took down a group of five thugs.  Nightwing winced as one of the thugs ended up smashing his head into a wall and falling unconscious.  Red Robin silently cheered as Robin jumped high into the air and did a split kick to two of the thug’s faces.

Batman gave a small half grin as his newest Robin took out the small group of thugs as if it was nothing at all.

***

Thirteen was supposed to be a special occasion.  It was the day you went from being a ‘preteen’ to an actual teen.  For Stiles, it started off sad.

  1. You have a teenage son.”

A few tears slid down Stiles’ face.

“Right now you’re supposed to be giving me lectures about staying out of trouble and not giving in to peer pressure and that.”

He reached out slowly and took his father’s hand.  It seemed so cold due to the cold temperature of the hospital.  His father’s skin felt dead.

“Just open your eyes dad.  Please.  Just open your eyes.  Or…or move your fingers or something!”

There was no response and a quiet sob forced its way out from between Stiles’ lips.  He took a few deep calming breaths and began to talk to his father.  The doctors had said that talking would help…even if his father couldn’t hear.

“I’m Robin now dad.  It’s amazing.  I save lives and stop crime right beside Batman.  Most amazing of all is that I’ll be joining the Young Justice team now that I’m thirteen.  Isn’t that awesome?  You’d like Bruce, dad.  He’s a kind man and has a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong.  He’s doing a good job of raising me.  He has me attending a private school.  My grades are good.  And the Robin gig helps with my ADD.  You would be amazed what that means for my grades.  I’ve got all A’s.  Bruce is so proud.  He says if I keep it up he’ll get me a motorcycle for my sixteenth birthday.  How awesome is that.  I mean, I already have one but only as Robin.  I can’t ride it out in the open or anything.”

That totally sucked.  It sucked having to be dropped off at school every day by Alfred or occasionally Dick or even Tim when they were home.  Stiles stood slowly and brushed some of his father’s hair out of his face.

“Anyway, I guess I’ll see you soon.  I…I love you dad.”

Stiles leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to his father’s forehead before leaving the hospital and making his way back to Wayne Manor.

***

“SURPRISE!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

The second he had opened the door to the manor he was bombarded by confetti and streamers.  His eyes grew wide as he looked at the group gathered in front of him.  There was his ‘bat’ family, Bruce, Alfred, Dick, and Tim.  Then there was Connor Kent or Superboy as he was known in the crime fighting world.  Clark Kent was there as well with a big grin on his face.  These were the people he had come to know in his two and a half years since being taken in by Bruce Wayne.  This was his family.  Sure it was small; but it was his and they had put this together for him.

He was so happy.

***

The next three years passed with Stiles alternately working with Batman and the Young Justice team.  There had been several times where he had been put in charge of one of the teams sent out on missions.  Then again; he was one of the Robins and they were known for being great team leaders.

The day dawned like any other.  Stiles woke up and popped the kinks of crime fighting out of his back and neck before showering, brushing his teeth, and eating a quick breakfast.  He dressed in his clothes for the day, a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black leather jacket completed with black combat boots and made his way to the garage where his baby was kept.  His baby.  He loved his bike.  She was fast and amazingly responsive.  She was just like his ‘Robin’ bike but a bit more street legal.

“Morning baby.”

He rubbed her side lightly before pulling on his helmet and starting her up.

“Let’s go see dad.”

***

There was a commotion when he arrived outside of his father’s room.  There were nurses and doctors.  Stiles’ heart fell as terror made his limbs grow heavy.  He pushed through the crowd, expecting to see his father laying there dead.  Instead his father was sitting up with eyes open and talking to Bruce Wayne while the doctors and nurses checked over his vitals.

The world spun around Stiles’ head and very suddenly grew black.

Chapter Text

The doctors said it was a miracle.  After nearly six years John Stilinski had woken up from his coma.  No one had expected it to happen.  Everyone thought that he would simply sleep for the rest of his life until the day he passed from the world.  Bruce Wayne never thought the man would wake up; and had begun to take action to adopt the man’s son as his own.  Stiles had never expected that his father would wake up; and had accepted the offer of becoming a Wayne.  Now it seemed like everything was about to change again.

Stiles slipped into his father’s room to see the man getting dressed in real clothes for the first time in so many years.

“What happened that night Stiles?”

Stiles rested his hip against the door and sighed softly.

“I heard the call in over the radio.  When I heard your voice saying ‘officer down’ I just…I ran.  I didn’t think; I just needed to get to you.  By the time I got there your partner was already dead down the street and you had been shot three times in the chest.  I fought the man off for a bit and then you coughed.  I went to check on you.  The man was about to shoot me but Batman showed up and captured him.  You had already slipped into a coma when the ambulance arrived.”

His father nodded slowly.

“Dad?  What’s going to happen now?”

John sighed softly.  “We’re going home.”

“The apartment was sold.”

“That’s not what I mean Stiles.  We’re going back to Beacon Hills.”

***

Stiles’ fist pounded into the punching bag over and over again.  Tim was holding it steady for him and Dick and Bruce were sparing a few feet away.

“Stiles, what’s wrong?”

Stiles jump kicked the bag.  The force caused Tim to stumble back and Stiles’ distracted mind kept him from landing in his feet.  Instead he landed on his ass.  He ran his hands through his short hair and pulled his knees up to his chest.  Tim pulled himself up and moved to sit beside his brother.

“What’s wrong?”

Bruce and Dick had stopped fighting and moved to sit with Stiles and Tim.

“I have to leave Gotham.”

Tim’s eyes grew wide.  “What?!”

Bruce hummed softly.

“Why?”  Dick tilted his head to the side and watched his youngest brother wrap his arms around his knees and pull them closer.

“My father wants to move back to Beacon Hills.  He’s even ben offered a position on the police force.  It’s a desk job but he’s taken it.”

“Well…why can’t you stay?”

“Tim, John is his father.  Family has always been important to Stiles.”  Bruce rested a hand on his youngest son’s shoulder.  “But this is your choice.”

Stiles nodded.  “He needs me.  I’m all that he has left.”

 

***

They stayed in Gotham until Stiles finished his sophomore year in High School.  In those three months; Bruce had worked on finding the Stilinski men a new home in Beacon Hills and modifying it slightly.  The security system was top of the line; and there was a hidden room in the basement which held a large computer system that was hooked into the Young Justice home computer.  On the system, a blinking INACTIVE symbol flashed beside the name of Robin.

Stiles said his goodbyes to his team mates and the people who had become his family; and climbed into the jeep he had saved up money to buy for his father, the trailer hitch to the back carrying his civilian motorcycle while the Robin-Cycle sat beneath a tarp in the Bat cave.

His latest Robin costume had already been moved to the house in Beacon Hills and sat in a glass case in the hidden room.

***

Stiles sat with his feet up against the dash board as he expertly navigated for his father who had insisted on driving from Gotham to Beacon Hills.  They were on a long stretch of highway with no one else around and Stiles was trying not to doze off.

“I’m sorry.”

The teen’s eyes snapped open and he turned his head to look at his father slowly.

“About what?”

“I never should have moved us to Gotham.  I knew it was a dangerous place.  It was no place for a little boy.  You grew up…so fast.”

Stiles shrugged.  “What’s done is done.”

“Then you became part of their family.  You loved the boys like they were your brothers, the butler like he was a grandfather and Bruce like he was…me.”

Stiles shifted so that he was sitting properly.  He looked over at his father with a frown marring his face.

“Dad?”

“I shouldn’t have asked you to leave them.”

Stiles shook his head furiously.  “Don’t.  Don’t you dare.  You are my father.  You, not Bruce.  You were sick and you couldn’t be there.  Bruce stepped in and took care of me until you were well enough; which you are.  And the ‘butler’ has a name.  It’s Alfred and sure he was like a grandfather, and Dick and Tim were like brothers but Bruce was more like an uncle.  Like a really rich uncle that takes you in when your parents aren’t able to be there.  I don’t blame you for what happened dad.  Sure; I’m sad that I have to leave because they became family and I was going to a really good school and now I have to go to Beacon Hills High but its okay.  I’m with you now.  I have you back and I wouldn’t change that for the world.”

He could see the tears welling up in his father’s eyes.  The man pulled over to the side of the road and shut the car down before resting his head on the steering wheel.

“I missed so much, Stiles.  I missed so much of your life.”

Stiles reached out and rubbed his father’s back slowly before unbuckling his seat belt and pulling the man into a hug.

“Bruce did such a good job.”

Stiles smiled softly.  “He did it for you.”

***

After his father’s mini meltdown; Stiles had taken the wheel.  It had taken them two days to arrive in Beacon Hills but when they were finally there they both sighed in relief.  The town smelled so familiar and looked just the same as it always did.  It was around noon when they arrived and Stiles pulled his bike out of the trailer.

“Hey!  Where are you going?”

Stiles looked up from where he was slipping his leather coat on and smiled softly.

“I need to familiarize myself with the town.  I haven’t been here for ages.  I’m going to see if Scott still lives in the same place too.  We lost touch but…well I could use a friend here.”

John nodded slowly and moved to enter the house which had already been set up with their things.

Stiles slipped his helmet on and pulled out of the driveway to explore Beacon Hills.

***

He started with the iron works.  The place seemed pretty much dead and in a town like this he wasn’t sure if there would be any crime in this area.  He would have to check it out at night.  From there he went to the school and sat around for a bit as the lacrosse team had their last practice before school started again.

He remembered how Bruce had told him to try and be a normal teenager.  Maybe he would try out for the team.

From the school he headed to Scott’s old house.  As it turned out Scott still lived there.

Stiles knocked on the door and waited; only for the door to be answered by a teen with unruly black hair who was puffing on an inhaler.

“Can I help you?”

Stiles tilted his head to the side.

“What?  You don’t remember be Scott.  I am offended!  You were only my best friend from the time we were in diapers until I moved out of town.”

Scott looked at him for a few minutes before realization dawned on his face.

“Stiles!”

“Scott!”

“Stiles!”

“Scott!”

They both opened up their arms and collided in the kind of a hug that long lost friends just seem to fall into.

“Welcome home Stiles!”

***

The summer months were difficult for Stiles.  He missed the missions with his team, and he missed patrolling the city of Gotham.  He wondered if Bruce was looking into taking in another young man.  It never seemed like the man was long without a Robin; not that Stiles minded.  He was going to be changing his name soon anyway.  He, Dick, and Tim had been thinking up names for him.  They had thrown around Black Robin because Tim had gone with Red Robin.  There was also Crow tossed into the mix but then they would have to worry about those comic book guys trying to sue him for taking their hero’s name.

God, he was rambling in his own mind.  He needed to get some action.  His ADD was coming back full force without the crime fighting to keep him in check.

Trying to teach his asthmatic best friend the finer points of lacrosse just wasn’t keeping him occupied like he had hoped it would.

Stiles snuck into the basement and pressed the brick that opened the secret door.  He slipped into his control room and sat down at the massive computer that was hacked into the Beacon Hills Police Department database.  It seemed like nothing was going on.

He spun around in his chair a few times before his eyes landed on his suit.  It had changed over the years.  He had changed over the years.  What was once a strong cotton like material had been replaced with molded Kevlar that showed his abs.  Abs that he had worked very hard to obtain.  He stood and pressed his hand to the glass before pressing his forehead against it.

“Just until college.  Right?  Spend these next few years playing ‘normal teen’ and then I can audition for the Justice League during college and join them afterwards.  Maybe Bruce will give me a job.”

“Two joggers found half of a young female body in the woods…”

Stiles head snapped up when he heard the call come in over his computer.  A dead body?  Stiles was about to reach out and pull his suit out of the case before snatching his hand back.  He burst out of the secret room; completely forgetting the door open as he headed upstairs and grabbed the keys to the jeep.

“I’m borrowing the jeep for a bit so I can hang with Scott.”

He heard his father tell him to have fun before hopping into the jeep and heading towards Scott’s.

***

“We shouldn’t be out here.  We shouldn’t be doing this.  How did you even find out about this in the first place?”

“My father is a police officer.  I heard it come in over the scanner.”

“Your father works the desk.”

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a scanner.  Whoa, get down!”

He pulled Scott down beside him when he saw the lights up ahead of them.  The police were there with their dogs.  Stiles lay back against the incline they were hiding on and turned to Scott.

“Go, head back to the jeep.  There is no sense in us both getting caught.”

Scott nodded and began heading away.  Stiles; instead of confronting the police, climbed the nearest tree quickly and pulled out a small set of night vision binoculars.  He watched the police and their dogs head in the opposite direction before jumping from tree branch to tree branch silently in the direction where Scott had run.

He arrived just in time to see the giant wolf bite his friend.

“Scott!”

Stiles jumped down from the tree and pulled his baton from where it was hidden in his pocket.  He flicked it out to its full length and stood in front of his friend.

“W…what’s going on?  Stiles?  Why do you have that?”

“I’ll tell you later!”  He wasn’t planning on telling Scott anything.

Chapter Text

As it turned out; he didn’t tell Scott anything.  By the time he dropped Scott off at home and bandaged him up, he had wanted to tell him everything.  He wanted to tell him how he had become Robing, how he had saved lives and even the world a couple of times.  He wanted to tell him how one of his best friends was the clone of Superman and how Bruce Wayne was actually batman.  He wanted to tell Scott that he knew exactly what had bitten him and that it was about to change his life forever.

But he didn’t.

He wanted Scott to have one more day of thinking that he was just another normal teenage boy.

It was something that Stiles would never have.  His childhood had ended the moment his mother had died, and he had officially become an adult the second he became Robin.

For now, it was best that Scott didn’t know.

***

It was the night after Scott had been bitten; and the first day of school. 

Stiles woke early and made his father breakfast.  He showered and dressed before pulling on his backpack, helmet, and slinging his leg over his bike.  He started her up and smiled as he felt her purr between his legs.

“I know it’s not Gotham sweetheart; but something tells me we’re going to be on the ride of our lives.”

He flipped down the visor of his helmet and pulled into the street.

***

Jackson Whittemore nearly ran over Scott as he pulled his car into a front row parking space.  Not like he cared at all.  He had been tormenting Scott for years now.  He pulled his sun glasses off and looked at Scott with a frown.

“You better not mess up my car McCall!”

“What?!  You’re the one that almost ran me over!”

Their little bitch fest was ruined when the sound of a motorcycle grew close.  The driver parked right between them; causing both teens to look on in awe.  Jackson examined the bike; his eyes growing wide at what he saw.  The bike was one of the most expensive on the market.  No one in town had enough money to own one of them.

The bike’s owner turned it off and proceeded to remove their helmet and run their hand over short hair.

“Hey.  I’m Jackson Whittemore.  Are you new in town?” 

“Stiles?!  What the hell!?”

Stiles looked at Jackson’s extended hand and frowned.  He could tell just by looking at the kid that he was the typical spoiled rich brat.  Stiles turned his head quickly to look at Scott and smiled brightly.

“Scott!”

He kicked out the stand and swung his leg over the bike before moving to pat his friend on the shoulder.

“What happened to the jeep?”

Stiles frowned.

“The jeep is my father’s car.  I borrowed it last night because I didn’t think you would want to ride on the bike with me.”

“Wait.  Stiles?  As in the Stilinski kid that left town when we were eight?”

Stiles turned to look at Jackson, trying to hold back a twitch that he could feel forming in behind his eye.

“Yes.  Why?”

“How could you possibly afford a bike like that?”

Stiles looked at his baby, wanting to pet her shiny black paint job.

“My father was in a coma for several years.  Bruce Wayne took me in as my foster father.  He got me my baby on my sixteenth birthday.”

Jackson laughed.  “You’re joking right?  Bruce Wayne?  Like some billionaire would take in a kid.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow.  “I was the third kid he took in over the years.  The first he took in was Dick Grayson, the second Tim Drake.  He adopted both.  I mean, this is all common knowledge.  It’s kind of sad that you don’t know.”

Stiles shifted his bag over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around Scott’s neck.

“Let’s go.  I need to get my stuff in the office.”

 

***

Stiles sat beside Scott during their first class of the day.  He wasn’t paying attention to the actual subject matter though.  He had learned most of this the year before while attending the most expensive and highly regarded school in Gotham.  Instead he focused on Scott who seemed to be hearing something from another location.  Stiles realized what was going on when Allison was introduced to the class and took the seat right behind Scott.  Scott handed her a pen; as if knowing that she needed one.  She had probably said it while in the hall or something.

Stiles narrowed his eyes slightly at the girl.  He had just gotten his friend back and he could already tell that he was about to lose him.  This was going to make telling Scott about the werewolf thing all that much more difficult.

***

The third class of the day was English.  Stiles looked at the teacher’s name scrawled on the board and felt his face grow pale.

Mr. Grayson was scrawled on the blackboard in Dick’s hand.  Stiles felt his eyes falling shut and a groan falling from his lips.  Of course Bruce wouldn’t send him away to Beacon Hills without someone to watch out for him and see how he adjusted.  He plopped down beside Scott and buried his head in his arms.

“Stiles?  You okay man?”

Stiles pulled his head up and looked at Scott with a grown.  “I know Mr. Grayson.”

“Hello class!”

Dick entered the room dressed in a nice pair of slacks and a white button down shirt with a simple blue tie.  His eyes sparkled in amusement when he heard Stiles groan once more.

“My name is Mr. Grayson and I’ll be your new English teacher this year.  Do any of you have any questions?”

A girl with strawberry blonde hair and cherry red lips raised her hand as she gave a seductive little smile.

“Yes, Miss?”

“Lydia Martin.  I was just wondering…where did you live before coming to Beacon Hills?”

Dick smiled brightly.  “I grew up in Gotham City…”

Stiles tuned out the rest of his brother’s little speech, more interested in looking at the beauty that was Lydia Martin.

***

Stiles had played lacrosse back at his old school; even if the sport wasn’t all that big in Gotham.  His father had played the sport when he was in high school and Stiles had used it as a way to feel closer to the man.  Now that his father was awake, he wanted nothing more than to make the man proud on the field.

It was easy enough to make first line.  He was incredibly fast and agile from his time as Robin.

Jackson didn’t look pleased that Stiles made first line.  Probably because of the snub earlier in the day.  However; when Scott made first line; Jackson seemed livid.  He would need to keep a close eye on the kid so that he didn’t find out Scott’s new secret.

***

“Stiles.  Do you think you can borrow the jeep again?”

Stiles looked up from where he was about to pull on his helmet.

“Sure?  Why do you ask?”

“Well, I dropped my inhaler in the woods last night and if the police find it…”

“Gotcha.  I’ll pick you up at your house.”

***

“You’re trespassing on private property.”

Stiles looked at the man standing before him and Scott and searched his mental database for an identity.  He had kept up with information on the happenings of Beacon Hills while in Gotham and this man’s face seemed familiar.  The name Derek Hale came to mind and the image of a house burned to the ground.  About six years before there had been the report that the Hale family had died in the fire; with only Derek Hale and his older sister Laura surviving.

“We’re sorry.  I’m just…I dropped something around here last night and…”

Scott’s hand rose automatically as the inhaler sailed through the air and into his hand.

“Um…thanks.”

***

The house was a burned up shell that looked like it would crumble in a strong wind.  Stiles sat up in a tree as he watched the house; fully suited up.  A form appeared in the tree beside him; dressed in its own suit.

“What are you doing here Robin?”

“I could ask you the same Nightwing.”

Nightwing looked at him with a frown.  “Is this about that dead girl?”

Robin sighed.  “Yes.  I brought Scott out here last night to look for it.  He was attacked by an alpha werewolf.  He’s turning.”

Nightwing sighed and closed his eyes behind his mask.  He remembered running into a rogue pack with Red Robin and Robin a few years back.  If it hadn’t been for Superboy and Superman they would probably be dead.  One on one they could handle a werewolf; but three on one was pretty much a death sentence, even for them.

“And why are we here then?”

There was movement inside the house and a man stepped outside.  The man was Derek Hale.

“Because he’s one of them as well.”

Derek looked up into the trees at the two members of the bat family.  Robin jumped down first and landed silently on his feet.  Nightwing followed behind and stood just in front of Robin.

“It’s okay Nighty.  He isn’t the one that attacked last night.”

Robin pushed Nightwing away and moved to stand in front of Derek Hale who had yet to say a single word.  Robin reached up and removed his mask; revealing his identity.

“Derek.  I need your help.”

“I know.”

“Well that makes things a bit easier.”

“Not really.  Because I need your help too.”

Nightwing rested a hand on Stiles’ shoulder.

“Are you sure about this?”

Stiles nodded.  “Yes.  Go home and get some sleep.  This town is…really kind of quiet so you won’t need to patrol.”

Nightwing frowned but nodded and took to the trees again; leaving Stiles and Derek alone.

“So, just to be clear; what do you need my help on?”

“The one that bit your friend; killed my sister.”

Stiles’ eyes grew sad.  “I’m so sorry.  I know what it’s like to lose a loved one.  My mother was killed right in front of me and my father was shot and left in a coma for years.  It’s a pain that never really goes away.

“She was all I had left.  The rest of the family was killed in a fire.  It was just the two of us.”

Stiles stood straighter and took in a deep breath.

“Okay.  Help Scott learn how to control being a werewolf and I’ll help you track and take down the alpha.”

Stiles held out his hand to Derek.  The wolf looked at it for a moment before grabbing his hand for a firm shake.  The deal was made.  Tomorrow; it would all begin.

Chapter Text

“The other day Jackson pinned me to the lockers and asked me where I was getting my juice.”

Stiles smirked.  “Did you tell him that your mom does all of the shopping?”

“Yes, but he meant steroids.  I don’t take steroids.  Why would he think I take steroids?”

“Well from what I heard; you became amazing at lacrosse overnight.  That doesn’t just happen without a bit of help; which is why you and I need to talk.”

Stiles had borrowed Dick’s car for this.  Sadly, Dick was playing the poor high school teacher so it was a piece of junk.  He was driving Scott around for a bit for this conversation and then he would take Scott to Derek.

“Sure, we’ll talk.  Anyway; do you think Allison likes me?”

“You need to forget about her for now Scott.  Seriously.  What I’m about to tell you will change your life forever.”

Scott looked at Stiles with a raised eyebrow.

“Well what is it?”

“I know what attacked you the other night.  I know why your wound healed so quickly and I know why you’re stronger and faster and have better senses and no longer suffer from asthma.”

Scott shifted in his seat to look at Stiles.  “Really?  What is it?”

Stiles winced.  He knew this part was going to be the tough one.  “You were bitten by a werewolf.  An alpha actually.  Only the alpha can turn humans into werewolves.”

Scott started laughing softly.  “That’s great man.  Really.  But what was it that really attacked me?”

Stiles looked back over at Scott with serious eyes.  He kept looking at Scott even though he was driving.  “I’m dead serious.”

Scott began to look panicky.  “Whatever you say man.  Just keep your eyes on the road.”

Stiles looked back at the road and took a sharp turn down a dirt road.

“Where are we going?”

“To meet up with Derek Hale.  He’s a werewolf too.  He’s a beta, like you.  He’s going to teach you how to control it.  This means that you can’t be with Allison.  You need to focus on this Scott.  This is life and death.  There are hunters.  They kill werewolves and most of them don’t care if the werewolf has never hurt anyone.  Anyway; the alpha that bit you is the same werewolf that killed the girl in the woods.  That girl was Laura Hale, Derek’s sister.  The three of us need to work together to find the alpha and take it down.”

“I can’t believe you really believe this stuff.”

“I’ve fought werewolves before. Hell; I’ve fought a lot more than werewolves.”

Scott scoffed.  “Next thing you’re going to tell me is that you’re Batman.”

Stiles was silent for a few beats.  “Robin actually.  Batman taught me how to fight and protect people after my father was sent to the hospital.”

Scott looked at Stiles and wanted to say that his friend was insane; but he remembered the night in the woods when Stiles fought off the werewolf.

“Oh my god, you’re serious.”

Stiles remained silent as they pulled up outside of a burned down house and shut off the car.

“We’re here.”

***

The house had seen much better days.  Looking at it now; it was hard to imagine that it once held a happy family.  It once held the sounds of running footsteps and children’s laughter.  Stiles could still see the afterimages of children running and playing.  The wind picked up and stirred the leaves; adding to the image in his mind.  It was a sight all too common in his line of work.  Stiles took a sigh before looking up at the broken second floor window.  There was a flutter of a charred curtain and the flash of two blue eyes.

It was only a few moments later before Derek was making his way off of the porch to stand in front of them.

Silence surrounded them; broken only by the sound of rustling leaves in the afternoon breeze.

“Did you figure anything new out?”  Derek was looking at Scott as he spoke, but it was clear to both teens that the question was meant for Stiles.

“Yes and No.  I’m a bit restricted in my movements.  My father…he doesn’t know about my extracurricular activities.”

“You should tell him.”  Derek’s eyes turned from Scott to look directly into Stiles’.

“I can’t do that to him.  He lost my mom to crime.  Crime almost took his life and now he’s working the desk permanently.  If he found out that I’ve single handedly taken out entire gangs…he would lock me away and never let me out.  Granted, Batman would probably come rescue me but that’s beside the point.  Besides; it’s dangerous enough that the two of you know who I really am.  I almost lost him once before Derek.  I can’t do that again.”

Something shifted behind Derek’s eyes and he nodded.  “I can understand.  If I was in your position I would do the same.  But your father isn’t safe as long as the alpha is around.”

“I know that!”  Stiles reached up and gripped his hair now while gritting his teeth.  “Nightwing and I are setting up traps tonight.  But there is more.”

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Derek.  It was a picture of a deer with a spiral carved into its fur.  Realization dawned on Derek’s face.

“Where did you get this?  What is this?”

“Park rangers found the deer body a short time before your sister came to town.  Do you know what it means?”

“A spiral means revenge.”

At this point Scott was feeling a bit left out.

“Wait…so someone wants revenge?  His sister came here because someone killed a deer and wanted revenge?”

Derek and Stiles suddenly realized that Scott was there as well.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that Scott.  This is Hale territory.  It has been for a very long time.  Beacon Hills belonged to the Hale pack.  If another werewolf put up the symbol for revenge then they either wanted revenge against the Hales or…they wanted it FOR the Hales.”

“You think this is connected to the fire?”

“It’s possible.  I’m sure your family had ties to other packs.  They could have found something out about the fire…like the fact that it was arson.  They may have wanted revenge.”

Derek shook his head slowly.  “We were never close enough to other packs for them to want revenge.  And the only ones left in the Hale pack were my sister, my uncle, and I.”

Scott perked up.  “So maybe it was your uncle!”

Derek snorted.  “That isn’t possible.  My uncle is catatonic and has been in the hospital since the fire.  He can’t move on his own.  He can’t eat on his own.  He can’t do anything.  He hasn’t even healed.  Besides, he would never kill Laura.  Whoever bit you killed my sister.”

Stiles took in a deep breath, already planning on hacking into the camera system of the facility where Peter Hale was staying.  They needed to be sure about this and even though Peter was catatonic…he was their only suspect.

“We’ll figure something out.  I promise you Derek; we’ll catch your sister’s killer.  But we’ll need Scott’s help to do that.”

Derek nodded slowly.  “I’ll see what I can do.  Leave him here.  I’ll drive him home later.  Go do your homework and then see what you can find out.”

As Stiles got back into his brother’s car, he couldn’t help but notice how Scott looked like a kicked puppy being left alone with their kicker.

***

Stiles didn’t do his homework when he got home.  It was still early in the school year and they only had some reading to do anyway.  Instead he snuck into the hidden room in the basement that held his monitoring equipment.  He sat down in his chair and cracked his knuckles before getting to work…only to be highly disappointed with the hospital’s security.  Really; it hadn’t given him any trouble at all. 

Small towns really needed to learn that they needed better security.

Luckily the hospitals had cameras in every hallway and in every room.  It wasn’t hard to find Peter Hale’s room and the hallways that surrounded it and begin recording the feed.

For Derek’s sake…he hoped this lead was a dead end.

Chapter Text

It had only been fifteen minutes and Scott was already exhausted and covered in sweat and dirt.  He was currently lying on the ground and contemplating the shapes in the clouds and wondering if he had a concussion when the shadow of Derek Hale loomed over him.

“Well, this isn’t working.”

“Clearly.  Maybe I’m not a werewolf.”

Derek snorted.  “Oh, you are.  I can already smell it on you.  Tomorrow night is the full moon.  When it rises; you’ll change.  I want you by my side when that happens.”

Scott slowly pulled himself into a sitting position and looked at Derek with an annoyed look.

“You can’t be serious!”

“I am!  Alpha’s have control over their pack.  You were turned so you’re automatically part of his pack.  The alpha will call to you.  If you’re not by my side then I can’t keep you from hurting someone.”

“You mean I could kill someone.”

“Yes.  And I’m pretty sure that the killings have only just begun.  Scott, wolf’s hunt in packs because they’re favorite prey is too big for one to bring down alone.  They’re stronger together.  The alpha will call you.  But we can use that to our advantage.”

***

The entire day of the full moon, Scott felt as if something was shifting beneath his skin.  He was on edge and it was only made worse when he saw the new girl flirting with one of the other Lacrosse players.  His new hearing told him that they were going to a party at Jackson’s that night.

“That should be me.”

Stiles looked from Scott to where Allison, Jackson, Lydia, and the unknown boy were talking.

“I’m sorry man.  This is my fault and I’ll totally make it up to you somehow.  Hey; maybe when this all blows over I’ll put a good word in for you with the Justice League.”

Scott scowled, his eyes briefly flashing yellow as he looked at Stiles.

“Or not.”  Stiles patted his friend on the back before heading to their next class.

***

His vision was tinted red.  He could see and hear so much better.  He was picking up on scents that he never thought possible before…like the family of rabbits cowering in their burrow and the deer that had caught their scent on the wind.

He had met up with Derek just as the sun was setting; but now he couldn’t even register that Derek was there.  He knew in the back of his mind that he was running beside him; but it was the howl in the distance that had called him and he couldn’t keep from following…

“Scott!”

***

He woke up cold and confused; lying on the floor of the burned out Hale home.  His shirt was ripped up and there was dried blood on his shirt.  He sat up slowly only to see Derek standing in front of him with a clean set of clothes.

“What happened?”

“What do you remember?”

Scott frowned, trying to think back to what had happened.  He shook his head slowly.

“I remember being here and then nothing.”

Derek nodded slowly.

“Your mind was clouded by the alpha’s call.  You may not remember what happens the next few times you shift if it’s because of the call or on the full moon.  He’s controlling you.”

“Did I hurt anyone?”

“No.  But eventually we were getting too close to the alpha.  I had to take you down.  I’m sorry about that.”  Derek gestured to the blood on Scott’s body. 

“As long as I didn’t hurt anyone, I’m okay.”

“Good.  We got a call from Stiles.  He demanded we bring breakfast so let’s go.”

***

It was a blank wall.  Derek logically knew that Stiles was on the other side, and the coffee was getting cold.  He couldn’t hear anything on the other side, he couldn’t smell anything on the other side though Stiles’ scent moved up towards the wall and stopped.

Suddenly a section of wall whooshed open and Derek could only roll his eyes as Scott jumped with a small yelp of surprise.

“Really?  You knew there was a door there and you weren’t expecting that?”

Scott blushed before pushing past Derek and into the room.  Stiles was sitting at the computer with his fingers tapping away at buttons that didn’t look like the normal keys on a computer.

“It’s about time you showed up.  Coffee, now.  I’ve been up all night!”

Derek grunted and walked to Stiles’ shoulder before handing him the coffee.  He watched as the teen took several gulps before shaking himself awake a bit and pressing the button that shut the door again.

The two wolves took a moment to look around.  The computer took up an entire wall, but there was so much more in the room.  Glass cases surrounded gadgets of all sorts and several ‘Robin’ uniforms starting from Stiles’ first to a simple picture of the one that was currently being worked on.  The only one missing was the one that he was currently dressed in…sans mask.

“Why are you dressed like that when you are only at your computer?”

“In case I saw something and had to get out in a hurry.  Like I said; I’ve been up all night.”

Stiles rubbed his face and took the box of doughnuts from Derek before biting into one.  He hummed in delight before noticing how Derek’s eyes shifted to glowing blue.

“You said you found something.”

Stiles licked his lips and nodded with a frown.  “Yes.  I set up surveillance at the hospital.  More specifically it is around your uncle’s room.”

Derek was growling now and about to lunge at him until he realized that Stiles had said he had found something.

“What did you find?”

Stiles pressed a few buttons until the image of Peter Hale sitting in his wheel chair and looking out the window appeared on screen.  A nurse walked in and turned his chair around, facing it towards the camera for a moment.  Peter’s eyes reflected in the camera.  The nurse wheeled him from the room and down several halls until a blank screen appeared.

“I don’t get it?”  Scott grabbed a doughnut of his own and bit into it; a glob of Boston Cream falling onto his shirt.  He lifted it to lick it off.

“Why was she taking him out so late at night?  He should have been in bed.”

“Exactly.  Also, where did she take him?  I followed their progress but it just stops.  Turns out that several cameras are down.  Nightwing is going to pose as a maintenance worker and fix them up.  Now, it shows them coming back as well.”  Stiles hit a few more buttons and another video played.  This one was of the nurse bringing Peter back several hours later and putting him into bed.”

“The alpha called Scott last night.  The call fits in with the time where Peter wasn’t in his room.  But…he’s catatonic.  It couldn’t have been him.”

“I think we need to check out this nurse.”  Scott leaned in closer to the screen and examined the image of the nurse on the screen.  “I can ask my mother about her.  They work at the same place.”

“That won’t be necessary.  I’m not new to this game Scott.  I already did a basic search.”

“What did you find?”

Derek had pulled up a second seat and was pressed close to Stiles; watching as he fingers moved over the keys.  He was trying to figure out how the advanced computer system worked in case he would ever have to use it himself.

After a few keys were hit; the image of the nurses ID photo popped up on screen with her name. 

“Irene Mathers.  She’s 30.  Her nursing degree checks out but there were a few hits in her medical files.  She was treated for a personality disorder.  She set a former boyfriend’s car on fire leading to her treatment.  She’s been on medication for years.  Now, personally I wouldn’t let someone with that kind of medical history or criminal record work in a hospital; especially with catatonic patients.  Now…trust me about this because I had a few nurses and doctors pushed out of my father’s case over the years that he was being cared for.”  Stiles sat back in his seat and turned to look at Derek who was now pressed even closer to him.  “Dude.  Personal space.  Respect the bubble.”

“The bubble?”

“Yes, the bubble.  Everyone has one.  It’s usually about the distance that your arms can reach out and…oh look…I can touch you without even trying.  You are way too close.”  He had reached out and was poking Derek in the cheek.  The wolf growled before pushing back his chair, standing, and crossing his arms over his shoulders.  “Don’t be such a sour wolf!”

This only caused another growl.  Stiles stood and rubbed the back of his neck before taking another drink from the coffee.

“So; now you know everything that I’ve got so far.  Maybe Miss Mathers is the alpha.  Either way; whatever she’s doing with Peter is bad.”  Stiles stood and stretched his arms over his head; causing his muscles to pop.  “Now get out of my house, I’m going to bed.”

He slipped behind a screen that neither of them had seen and slipped out of his uniform and back into his every day clothes.  Derek growled when Stiles came back out.

“Do I need to get the pepper spray?”

Derek grabbed Scott by the back of the neck and led him out as Stiles waved good bye.  He let out a sigh after the door shut closed behind them before walking back to the computer and bringing the video to the point where Peter Hale’s eyes flashed at the camera.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

***

Stiles pulled up outside of the school and removed his helmet before looking up at the building.  He wondered what his life would have been like if he had never moved from Beacon Hills.  Would his father be dead?  Would his father still have ended up in the hospital?  Would Scott have ever been bitten?  He couldn’t imagine that he would have gone looking for the body in the woods…but what if he had.  What if he had done the same thing and been unprepared for what was about to happen?

He closed his eyes and took a big breath…and pushed all of the ‘what if’s out of his mind.  Bruce had taught him that you shouldn’t think like that.  It would only lead to you to second guessing everything you did from that point on; and when a hero second guessed themselves; people tended to die.

He tossed his leg over the side of his bike and fixed his bag over his shoulder before heading into the fray that was Beacon Hills High School.

It was only a short time after he entered that he felt a female hand slip into his own and pretty eyes blink up at him.

“It’s Stiles right?”  Stiles raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lydia Martin.  In a past life he knew he would be dying of happiness that she was talking to him, but that was his old life.  So much had happened since them.

“Lydia.”

“Oh!  You know my name.  I didn’t think that you did.”

“Everyone knows your name…and you know that they do.”

She smiled softly with her red painted lips and wrapped both of her arms around his; pressing her chest against his arm.  Stiles sighed.

“I’m not going to be the guy you fall on to make your boyfriend jealous.  Besides; you’re not my type.”

He pulled his arm from her grasp.  Lydia opened her mouth in shock and watched him walk away.

“I’m everyone’s type!”

Neither noticed how Jackson had seen the entire exchange.

***

Dick looked up from grading papers to see his little brother standing over him with a serious look on his face.  The original robin sighed and leaned back in his chair as he looked up at the youngest member of the team.

“You have that look on your face.  That look when you’ve found something and you don’t like it.”

Despite everything that they had been through; Stiles still had a way about him.  He tended to be carefree at most times; as if nothing was wrong and everything was just amazing.  Stiles…loved life.  But when it came to the job; he could become deadly serious.  In their line of work; you had to be.

“You’re doing it after work right.”  Dick knew that Stiles meant fixing the cameras so that they would get the full picture.

“Yes.”

Stiles nodded slowly.

“You think it’s Hale, don’t you.”

Stiles closed his eyes.  “For Derek’s sake; I hope it’s not.”

***
It was simple enough to get in and fix up the cameras.  Of course, there was always the chance that these particular cameras would be decommissioned again; so he set up small secondary cameras to cover the halls.  As he slipped out of the hospital he pressed a small device in his ear.

“It’s done.  The feed should be up now.”

***

Derek Hale sat outside of the Stilinski house.  He knew Stiles knew that he was there.  He knew that there were hidden cameras all over the property.  He knew that Stiles was down in his special little surveillance room; probably watching him at this very moment.  Derek sat, back against an old tree and hidden in shadow as he contemplated the existence of one Stiles Stilinski.

He remembered the boy from back before everything had happened.  He had a younger cousin would have been Stiles age.  The two were in day care together and Derek would go with his aunt to pick the little girl up.

Stiles had been a happy and energetic little boy who often liked to pretend that he was batman.  Now a secret smile graced Derek’s lips at the thought that the boy had gotten to meet his hero and become one of his Robins.  Still; the memory of those gleaming eyes once so filled with innocence tugged at Derek’s heart.

Both of them had been so horribly broken; but Stiles had the strength to do what Derek never could.  Stiles had become a hero…when all Derek had done was hide.

***

He was sitting there again.  It had happened a lot for the past few nights.  Stiles minimized the hospital surveillance feed and made the image of Derek larger so that Derek seemed as large as life against the screen; even if his image was only black and white.

He watched the secret smile come to the werewolf’s lips and began to wonder what Derek could possibly be thinking about.  Perhaps he should go out there and ask him.

It was so late, and his stomach rumbled; reminding him that he hadn’t eaten anything.  Stiles sighed and stood before heading towards the kitchen to make a couple of sandwiches and grab some drinks before heading out into the night.

It was only a short time before he plopped down beside Derek.  The werewolf was looking at him curiously; but gladly accepted the food and drink when it was handed over.

“So, three nights in a row.  I’m beginning to think that you either have no life of your own; or that you got a thing for me.”

A low growl slipped from Derek’s chest; but there was no real malice behind it.  Stiles figured that was just the way Derek communicated. 

The teen bit into his sandwich before popping his soda open with one hand and taking a long swig before licking the sweet residue from his lips.  Derek watched the movement from the corner of his eye.

“You know; we have a guest room if you need a place to crash.”

“I have a place.”

Stiles turned to look at Derek with sad eyes.

“No.  Derek you have a tomb and we both know that your family would want you to get away from there.”

Derek growled again before the two went back to silently eating their sandwiches.  When they were done; Stiles took the trash before handing Derek a small key.

“You know how to get into the nest now.  It’s a warm, dry place when you need one.”

Derek watched as Stiles stood and walked back into the house to go to bed and rest before school the next day.

***

In the dark of the night; two wolves met in a school bus; their trembling prey standing between them.  The younger and weaker of the two reached out; trying to get the prey to safety; only to get slashed across the chest while the alpha moved in for the kill.

In the clouded mind of Scott McCall; it seemed to be only a dream of going insane under the moon and killing Allison Argent.