Nia's POV
"Dad? Eli? Derek?" I shout as the front door opens.
Talia is back in my bed, fast asleep it's late.
I rush to the door where only Eli and dad is.
Where's Derek?
"Where's Derek?" I ask as I hug them both individually.
Eli looks from my dad to me shaking his head.
"What is it? Where is he?" I ask.
"He didn't make it, Nia." Dad tells me.
I scoff, how many times has he done this to me? To bloody many.
"Yeah whatever." I shake my head as I head into the kitchen to make them something to eat.
"Mom?" Eli cries as he comes into the kitchen.
"Hey, it's okay." I tell him as I wrap him in a hug.
Derek isn't dead. He can't be.
The one time I genuinely need him so he's not dying, not this time.
I'm not raising two werewolves on my own, how do I do that? I need Derek.
"He went up in flames." Eli says and I shake my head.
No he's not dead.
"It's okay." I say leading him back into the living room.
"Nia please listen." Dad says and I scoff.
"I'm listening. I just don't believe it." I say.
Eli's sobs were heartbreaking and I just hated it.
"Mom?" Talia comes down stairs rubbing her eyes.
"Eli!" She rushes over and hugs him and then grandpa.
"Where's daddy?" She asks as she sits with Eli and wipes his tears.
Dad looks at me and gives me a stern look that says 'tell her'.
From the looks dads been sending me and Eli's sobs I know they can't be lying.
I should tell her and get it out of the way? But is it fair to do that whilst I'm in denial?
"Come here Talibear." I nearly choke on the word. What started as a nickname for Derek spread through the family and now he's dead.
"Daddy was in a fire and unfortunately..." I look from dad to Eli. Dad gives me an encouraging nod.
"Daddy isn't going to make it. He passed away. He's sleeping forever." I tell her and she begins to cry.
****
"I know baby, I know." I stroke her hair as she cries into my chest.
She just cries and cries and cries until she falls asleep. We're lying in my old bed, in my old bedroom and I hold her to my chest as she sobbed about the death of her father.
Eli is the same age I was when I lost my mother. So I know exactly what he's going through.
The second I told Talia about Derek he shut up and hadn't cried since and it breaks my heart.
He saw the death of his father, he's allowed to feel whatever emotion passes through him.
Talia snores lightly against my chest.
The door creaks open and Eli steps in.
"Mom?" He whispers.
"I'm awake. I'm just staying with her." I tell him.
I crane my neck to him and once I do he starts to cry again.
My baby.
"Come here." I say turning on to my back and letting Talia fall onto my stomach.
Eli gets into bed beside me and I wrap an arm around him as he cries into my shoulder.
"I know how it feels and how it hurts. I'm right here with you. Talk to me.I'm not going anywhere, I promise." I kiss his forehead.
"He died. It doesn't really make much sense. I've been so mean to him recently because he's been so intense but now he's gone and I won't get that time back." Good god.
"He's not holding that against you Eli, he's been through it he knows how you feel." I run my arm up and down his arm.
"I love you so much and I will never replace the hole where your dad is but I'm not going anywhere. We can mourn together, separately. However you want to. He loves you." I kiss Eli's forehead.
Considering this was my first night without Derek in years.
I wasn't lonely. I had both my kids in my arms.
****
"The first night I met Derek Hale, he saved my life." Oh god I'm crying already.
Real tears.
I've only ever really properly cried when I've been completely overwhelmed.
I'm crying out of pain.
The love of my life. Dead.
"Then he said we were brothers and I thought that he was crazy. But no. No he was right." Talia cries beside me as Scott continues.
Dad puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it for reassurance.
"Eli from that moment on, we were brothers." He says to Eli.
Eli stands and heads out of the room.
"I've got this one." Dad says as he follows Eli out of the room.
No god no I'm going to throw up.
Scott continues to cry but I don't really listen that much as I focus on calming Talia.
"I want my daddy." She cries and it cries to a certain part of my soul. The part that is crying for Derek to come back to me too. The part of me waiting for him to walk through those god damn doors after all this time.
"Get my daddy." She cries as I pull her into my arms.
"It's okay I'm here." I say soothing her back with my hand.
"Mommy tell Daddy to come back." She cries.
My throat swells as I stand to take her elsewhere but Scott takes her from me.
He shows her, his glowing eyes, then hers match and she calms down.
"Wow?" She says confused as she watches Scott's eyes disappear.
"Mommy?" Talia asks confused as we sit back down. She's calmer now just sitting with me and listening to everyone talk about Derek.
It's painful.
Once everyone's stopped talking I head into the kitchen where all the food and drinks are for everyone.
I serve up Talia's plate with everything she wants when I notice something on the wall.
I head over to where the hook was supposed to be and graze my finger over it.
Derek was supposed to fix it! If he were here right now, he be putting that hook up faster than he can turn into a wolf.
I suppose I should let him off, only because he's apparently dead.
"Mommy." Talia comes over to me and pulls at my hand.
"What's up?" I ask and she shakes her head.
"Why is everyone still here?" She asks looking around.
"They've came to just remember daddy and talk to one another." I tell her and she nods. I sit her on the counter top so she can eat her cupcake.
"Once upon a time there was a little girl who was eating the last cupcake that her auntie wanted." Malia says coming over to Talia and I.
Talia giggles but Malia takes a bite of it.
Malia wipes the frosting over Talia's nose before picking her up and rushing into the garden with her to run around and chase her.
I look around for Eli, but he isn't here.
"Have you seen Eli?" I ask my dad as I watch Malia and Talia.
"Yeah, he's gone for a drive. I thought it would be the right thing to give him the Jeep. I applied for a license for him as well." Dad tells me and I close my eyes to stop the blurry tears.
"Is he okay?" I ask and dad shakes his head.
"None of you are, but you'll get through it." He says putting his arm around me.
God this is awful.
How am I going to do this alone? Two kids, two businesses and two werewolves.
I'm so scared. I never planned to do this alone. I obviously planned for Derek to do it alone but me? I can't do this.
But I haven't really got a choice.
"You've done it once before, you can do it again." He says and my eyebrows raise.
"When your mom died you took care of Stiles and I, when it should've been me. These kids are yours this time. If you can do as well as you did taking care of Stiles and I, you're going to be amazing with your kids." He says and I bite my lip and shake my head.
It doesn't feel like that.
Why does he always make me feel like my world is caving in? Why out of everyone does he have to
die all the god damn time?
I know he's going to come back.
He has too.
****
The door opens and I rush over to it hoping it's Derek.
It's not.
"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner." Stiles says putting his arms out.
I rush into his arms and allow myself to cry into him.
"He died. He's gone. He's actually gone." I sob.
"I'm so sorry." He rubs my back.
"The kids are upstairs fast asleep and I just can't sleep." I tell him and he guides me through my own god damn house and to the sofa.
"Hey it's okay." He sits down and listens to me cry about Derek the whole time.
"I don't know what I'm going to do. Eli is a werewolf now, he's transformed them Talia she's only just beginning. What do I say to her? Oh you're a werewolf. Good luck." I say and he scoffs.
"I can help. I helped Scott and I can help my niece and nephew. Don't worry. I booked some time off of work. I want to be here for you guys."
My heart swells along with the pressure in my throat and I just cough to try and clear it up.
"You don't have to do that." I say and he nods.
"I know, but I want to. All those years that you took care of us after mom died, someone needs to take care of you." He says and I laugh.
As if Stiles could ever take care of me, not that I need it.
"I don't need taking care of." I tell him and he nods.
"True but I want to take care of you and be here for the kids. You're my family." He smiles at me.
I sit with Stiles on the sofa for hours and he lets me talk about Derek for hours before I fall to sleep on the sofa with my head on his shoulder.