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Fire is burning, dancing, beautiful, warm. It can mean life or bring death.
Some love it and some are afraid of it.
It's neither good nor bad.
It's just what it is.
Never is fire the same for everyone.
But every fire starts with a Spark.
And a Spark is what always was burning in Stiles soul.
His mother was the first one to notice his fascination, his connection with fire. Her little son just handelt it carefully like he knew it was alive and he talked about it as if it were a friend of his. The first time it was just a candle, she didn't think anything about it. It seemed to calm him like nothing else ever could so she let him sit with her and talk to him but it was getting late and it was time for bed. She picked her little child up, blew out the candle and was ready to take Stiles to bed. Imagine her surprise as he started crying like he lost his favorite toy. Her little boy was crying about the little flame like he would never see it again. That was the moment she realized he got a little spark in his soul.
Afterwards she would always light a candle for them. Stiles was never afraid or thought it could play with it. He just let it be and never hurt himself with it.
If someone asked he would say every time that fire is his friend. Stiles' little world was perfect. He got his dad and his mommy, Melissa and his best friend Scott and the little fire in his soul. He was happy.
But Time changes things and not always is it for the better.
As his spark grows into a little flame, so does the illness in Claudia's head. It wasn't even noticeable at first, just small things that happened.
But it got worse. So much worse. It is called Frontotemporal Dementia. And it robbed Stiles, his mother. Claudia changed and forgot about a lot of things, she even forgot her own son and then she died. The sheriff didn't make it on time so the little boy was all alone with his mother, who couldn't recognise her own son, as she died. It was hard but the time after that was way harder for father and son.
Noah found a new friend in the bottom of a bottle of whiskey and Stiles sleeped more often than not over by his best friend and Melissa. Time didn't heal immediately but slowly it did. And after the Sheriff looked up from the bottom of the bottle and remembered he had a 10 years old son who also lost his mother, he started to take care of him again. But this also means no open fire for Stiles anymore. His father was always afraid he would hurt himself if he played with fire and was very strict about it. Never play with fire, it could hurt you or others.
Stiles didn't believe it really, the fire was his friend, not bad. He feels it. But he did listen to his father and after his mother was gone there was no candle burning on the table or windowsill anymore anyway, even the Jack O'Lanterns didn't get candles either, just some electric light. Sure. That's safer for a child who was most time on their own. The sheriff didn't want to come home to a burned down home, and so that's how Stiles lost his touch to fire.
But that wasn't how Stiles turned his back toward the fire, fire was still his friend.
That happened about two years later in the night as the Hale fire happened. It was the first time Stiles witnessed how destructive fire could be.
He knew of the Hales, everybody in Beacon Hills knew of the Hales.
Everyone said this family is as old as this town or maybe even older.
His mother used to be friends with Talia Hale if he remember it correctly and some of the adults, the Sheriff or Melissa or the deputies from station, jokes about they own the town and after some researching on his own Stiles learned it's not that much of a joke, the Hales own a lot of land in and all around Beacon Hills.
But his interest in the Hales was sparked because of the younger Hales. Cora Hale went with them to School and one of her older siblings often picked her up. So yeah, stiles didn't just know of them, he knew them as well.
But then one night the Hale fire happens. It was a really bad fire. Everyone could see it. The night was no longer dark, it was red and orange and bright and big and even the sky took the colors of the fire. It made the night into day.
And Stiles were wide awake. He stood on the window and was awestruck. Immediately he knew it was fire but he had never seen and felt it like this. It was calling him and he wanted to follow. Stiles had to grab the windowsill in a knuckle white turning grib to keep himself where he was. He promised his dad not to do something stupid while he was at work. And going there, where a big fire was burning like he wanted nothing else more? That would definitely make his dad worry about him.
But the longer he stands at the window, the stronger the feeling that this is not right.
Something is terribly wrong.
The fire wasn't calling.
It was screaming. It was raging. It would burn till nothing was left .
This fire was lit to destroy. It's wrong and twisted. Nothing like that friend he always feels with him. Stiles never felt fire this intense but also this bad and he was for the first time in his life afraid of the fire. It was no longer his friend. It was no longer beautiful or safe. It was a monster burning away a whole family and Stiles feel sick. In his head he knows it now but his soul still feels like it would never harm him.
But this is all a lie. He sees it, he feels it.
This. Is. All. Bad.
He even believes he could hear the Hales burning. They scream and howl and can't get out.
Why couldn't they get out? Why wouldn't the fire stop? Why was it so bad and evil? Why? Whywhywhy?
Fire will never be a friend any more. But still he can't go back to bed. He can't look away from it.
He stands there the whole night. Never looking away, never going back to sleep.
After daybreak his father had found him still standing at the window, still staring in the direction where the Hale house used to be.
The sheriff never saw his son standing that still and he hoped he would never see it again like this. He took his son away from the window, sat him down and talked about what happened. But Stiles already knew. The fire burned. The fire killed.
Afterwards he turned his back on it. It will never be his friend again, Stiles swears.
Stiles didn't learn to fear it that night. He just learned it is nothing good.
But in the same night someone else learns to fear it.
Derek was standing outside. His older sister Laura was holding him. They can't go in and no one can go out. They were crying and screaming and howling. Everyone is. Their home, their family, their pack is burning!
How could that be possible? Why is this happening? What did they do to deserve this? It must be some hunters doing, why else can no one get in or out? But that is not right! They never did anything, there are children, humans, human children in there! Innocent and burning!
It hurts! But his pack in there is also hurting, most likely more than he is. But he wanted to help! Want to save it! His baby sister, his cousins and aunts and uncles, his grandparents, his father, his mother, his alpha. They will all be dead, he knows it and he can't do a damn thing to stop it, he knows this too!
He feels his pack bonds breaking. One after another. It's to much and it didn't stop. But the moment his bond to his alpha flickers out, it's the moment everything breaks apart. No one is still alive and he feels hurt but also numb and hollow and his mind can't register what just happened. He's howling, some part of him is still aware of the things happening, of his and his sisters howling, about his new alpha bond with her, about the arrival of the firefighters, the police, the ambulance but everything afterwards is just a blur.
Someone is talking to them, mostly to Laura because he just started into nothing but he won't leave his sisters side and his sisters won't leave him. He must be shaking because someone gives him a jacket. He looks up and is looking at the hard and sad face of Sheriff Stilinski. He takes it. He tries to smell something, anything other than the smoke and fire and burned flesh but he can't. He feels like he is going to be ill. He wants to hide. He wants his mother, his alpha to wake him up and tell him it's all a bad dream but his mother will never do this again.
He's not sure what happens after the fire burned down enough for the firefighter to put it out.
He didn't know how long it took. It could have been the whole night or days.
The next thing he really is aware about is that he and his sister are running to the other side of the country. They know for sure some hunter did this and in big cities it's easier to lose them and it's the fares away from everything, they hope they can start again.
They both have nightmares and they never spend day or night apart. In the night they share a bed and hold each other. They survived, they live. They will live. For all the Hales who can't anymore.
But while they ran Derek realized it was his fault. He did bring a hunter to its home. It's his fault his pack is dead. He is nauseated, he feels sick to his soul. Afterwards the nightmare got worse. He is afraid to tell Laura. She is his new alpha. He should tell her but he simply can't. He will protect her. He swears to all the ones that he killed and can't protect, that he will protect his sister. His alpha. And deep down he wishes to never feel one more pack bond breaking. Little does he know that he will.
~The End?~