Chapter Text
“-and I know you hate when you don't have a heads up, but I just really need your help today.”
“Laur, it’s fine. I’m already up, I’ll be there soon,” Derek interrupted her mid-rant. He had his iPhone precariously tucked between his shoulder and his ear while he searched through his closet. “As long as I get this Saturday off.”
Derek smiled when he heard Laura’s huff on the other end of the phone. “That’s not how favors work. Besides, it’s date night and Cora is keeping the kids so you're the only one left to man the store for me.”
“It was worth a shot,” he grunted out as he jumped into the pair of black jeans he chose for that day. “Alright, I’m hanging up. Tell Gracie that her favorite uncle has a surprise for her after he gets off. It might make her feel better.”
“Thanks, Der. You’re the best. I’ll see you when I can go in, alright? It’ll probably be around lunch. Eric said he would take the rest of the day off after his lunch break.” Derek could hear whining over the speaker, letting him know Gracie was near. “Oh, and Derek, you better not bring her anything with too much chocolate. You know you're teaching my children bad habits, not to mention you are not the one that pays the dental bills for two children. Derek? Are you even listening?”
Derek put his phone on his dresser right when his sister said “Oh, and.” Nothing good comes after “Oh, and.” He’ll just let her figure out he's not listening anymore by herself. He shrugged on a black t-shirt that was sufficient enough for work and set off to the bathroom to finish up getting dressed. Derek’s phone dinged as he spit his mouth wash in his sink. He unlocked his phone to see a video from Laura with his niece and nephew, still in their pajamas, saying, “Thank you, Uncle Derek!” Gracie’s cheeks were flushed and her hair a mess. Aiden didn't seem to look much better. Derek figured Aiden won't be far behind Gracie in getting sick.
He sighed. When Derek woke up, he wasn't expecting to have to go into work at five in the morning. Laura, his older sister, had called him at 4:37 to ask Derek to open the shop as his niece had come down with a stomach bug. Before Laura even finished her speech about how Derek owes her, Derek was out of bed, walking to his closet in search of pants. He left his apartment down the street from Moon Bean at 4:55 to the still dark streets of Beacon Hills. He had to hurry his walk to the shop and rush baking the pastries to be ready for open at six.
Laura took over ownership of Moon Bean three years ago and the rest of the Hale family children work there to help out. They had a few non-family employees of course, but the bakery was a Hale thing. Moon Bean was Seth Hale’s passion project. Talia Hale was the best lawyer in Beacon Hills and Seth ran the best bakery in California (every Beacon Hills resident would agree to this). They were the town’s “it” couple, a love match for the ages. Talia and Seth started falling in love their Sophomore year at the University of Central California. They got married right after they graduated college and they both followed their dreams. Derek’s mother opened her own law practice and his father decided to put his business degree towards something he loved all his life - baking. Soon Talia was pregnant with Laura and two years later, Derek came. Cora followed Derek three years after, but at least she was planned. When Talia became pregnant for the fourth time a few months after Cora, Seth was hoping for a boy, but, as he used to put it, he always loved a good deal. James and Alexander were probably the best two-for-one special you could ask for. Derek always loved the way his father told the story of how their family came to be.
Derek shook that thought out of his head as he unlocked the back door to the bakery. He walked into the kitchen and locked the door back. Next to the door were four nails in the wall where the Moon Bean workers left the clean aprons. Underneath was a small wicker basket where they all stuffed the dirty ones before they left. Derek, putting on a parchment-colored apron, made a mental note to bring those home to wash when he left for the day.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Moon Bean serves Banana Nut and Coffee Cake muffins, Bacon and Cheddar scones, and a variety of cookies Seth created that were inspired by each of the Hale kids. Laura was Triple Chocolate Chunk, Derek was Peanut Butter, Cora was Sugar, Alexander was Domino, and James was Oatmeal Raisin. Derek sent up a quick prayer to whatever god was listening, thanking them that it wasn’t a chocolate-filled croissant day as he washed his hands. He already had too much to do in not enough time.
Seth taught all his kids how to cook and bake as soon as they could see over the kitchen counter with the small, red step stool Laura now uses for Gracie and Aiden. Derek knew how to make these exact coffee cake muffins before he knew how to spell his name. Working in the kitchen was like a second language to the Hale kids, and by 5:30, Derek had twenty-four muffins of each flavor in the ovens. They’d be ready just in time for opening, so customers could start their days in the right way by digging into a hot, fresh muffin before rushing off to work.
Normally, the employee that closed the night before would make up the batter for the cookies Moon Bean sold every day and store it in the refrigerator overnight. If the next day is a scone day, they would also make the dough since it could be frozen. Derek placed the frozen pastries on baking trays, brushed them with egg wash, and let them bake for twenty minutes. All he had to do with the cookies was scoop the dough onto trays and stick it in the oven for twelve minutes. It was Laura’s idea to purchase a fourth oven to better manage the time it took baking all the goods in the morning.
While breakfast baked, Derek went through his morning routine of opening the shop. He turned on the coffee machines, made sure there was change in the register, counted the cups and lids that were stored by the coffee machines, checked the dishes were clean for people that didn't take their orders to go, straightened the chairs, and flicked on the lights. A timer sounded, letting him know to retrieve the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack.
Right after, the muffin alarm sounded and Derek grabbed a pair of oven mitts, whirling around to get the muffins out of the oven. Not wanting them to cook any longer in the tins and be dry, Derek popped all forty-eight muffins out onto the cooling racks. Here, he dusted them all with icing sugar just like Cora suggested they start doing. He had to admit, she was right about it. It makes them look professional.
Derek began transferring the cookies into the display case by the register. He placed the muffins on the shelf underneath the cookies. The twins made fun of Derek constantly because placing the baked goods in the display was his favorite part of opening the shop. He liked creating different designs or pyramids that caught the customers’ attention. Before Laura took over the shop, Derek was in school for architecture. He dropped out his senior year to help Laura with Moon Bean, so he liked to design whenever he got the chance. With a smile on his face, Derek went back to the kitchen to stop the timer on the scones and drop them in the display case along with the sweets.
He stood up from his crouched position on the floor in front of the display case and wiped the flour from his apron. He heard the back door of the bakery close and a voice cry out.
“Laura? I’m here! Wait until you hear who I met in Sociology yesterday. He was the weirdest kid I have ever met, I swe- oh, Derek,” Cora came bursting through the kitchen, tying her apron in a bow on the front instead of the back. “Where’s Laur? Not that I’m not ecstatic to see you or anything.”
“Nice to see you too,” he laughed and grabbed the back of her head to smack a kiss to her hair. The younger Hale quickly pushed her brother off of her and tightened her ponytail. “Gracie has a stomach bug, so Laura and I switched shifts today. I was supposed to be in this afternoon."
“Oh, my poor Tiny. We have to make her cinnamon buns before we leave. They always cheer her up.”
“Way ahead of you, Co. I already told her I have a surprise for her when I get off. I guess you can go in on it if you make the dough,” he teased as he walked to the front door of the building, flipped the sign to open, and turned the lock to open the door. Derek opens the door and sets the door stopper down so it stays open for the morning rush.
“You better be lucky it's for Gracie or you’d be making them all by your lonesome.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. What time do you have class today?” Derek had yet to memorize her class schedule even though it was October.
She peered into the display case and gave Derek an approving look, “I have to leave here at noon when Casey comes in, but my History of Dress class starts at one. I have a three-hour Digital Design lab right after."
Sometimes Derek really didn't miss school, hearing about a three-hour design lab was definitely one of those times. He shuddered, “I hated those. I never understood why we couldn’t design on our own time.”
Cora huffed and checked her baby blue painted nails. You could hear the sarcasm in her voice when she said, “You’d think that would be more conducive to the creative process rather than dropping thirty people into a dusty computer lab, but the great University of Central California knows best. You’re lucky you got out when you did.”
Derek frowned. He never complained to his siblings about having to drop out of school to help with the shop. He was glad to do it. The twins were in high school and Cora needed the money for college. Laura was married and had started her own family, but she dropped out of law school to take over the shop. When she needed help running the place, Derek couldn’t say no. It was just school. He would never complain about helping his family, but sometimes it hurt when they would mention how he wouldn’t be able to finish his degree at UCC. Luckily, the first customer of the day walked in, saving Derek from answering his sister’s joke.
The morning rush passed in a blur. Cup after cup of coffee was made and given to the customer alongside a breakfast pastry in a paper bag with the Moon Bean logo printed on the front. Voices and laughter filled the air as students commandeered tables for study sessions in between classes and adults on their way to work made their way into the line. The smell of freshly ground coffee and cookies filled the air. The warm tones of the dining area enveloped Derek like a hug and everything reminded him of his parents. He loved this place. Since he moved out of the Hale House, it always felt good being somewhere that felt as much like home as his childhood home.
The rush began to slow around 11:00, but it would pick back up in time for lunch with people getting their afternoon caffeine or sugar pick-me-ups. Cora went to the back to get started on Gracie’s cinnamon buns and pop more muffins in the ovens when she saw we were running low. Derek was cleaning the area around the coffee machine, his back to the register.
“Morning, man!” Derek turned to the voice with his best customer service smile, but today was a good day for him so he didn't have to fake it. The man looked like he was Alec and James’ age. He had messy, dark brown hair and the warmest amber eyes. He wore a blue hoodie and had his backpack slung over his shoulder, holding it in place while his keys were dangling in the same hand. His nose was slightly upturned and moles dotted his cheeks. He met Derek’s smile with a lopsided grin.
“Hey,” Derek finally answered. “What can I get you?”
“Can I just get a large black coffee and...” he trailed off, leaning over the display case. “Oh, dude, I can’t choose. What do you like?”
“The banana nut muffins and the chocolate chip cookies are our best sellers.”
“So those are your favorites?” The man looks up at Derek expectantly. Did Derek mention he was really pretty?
Not really. Derek is more of a fan of his own cookie - the peanut butter - and the brownies Moon Bean makes on Wednesdays. Instead of answering, Derek shrugs.
“In that case, I’ll take the banana nut then,” the customer straightened up from leaning over the case and began wrestling his wallet out of his pocket. “It can nut be that bad.”
Derek pauses from tapping the order into the register and looks at the other man with vague disappointment. Of course pretty boy was a dork.
“Nut a good one then? I pecan try again if you want?”
“It’s $4.15.”
The man swipes his debit card and taps in his pin code.
“Can I get a name for your order?”
“It’s Stiles.”
“What the hell is a Stiles?”
The boy sighs like this wasn't the first time he heard that line. “It’s spelled S-T-I-L-E-S. It's not my actual name. My real name is Polish and super hard to pronounce. It was my Mom’s dad’s name. I never met him, but, hey, he has to be pretty cool if we share a name, right?”
“Do you want your receipt?”
“You know, your customer service skills are impeccable. Really unmatched.”
Derek raises an eyebrow. “Receipt?”
“No, I don't need a receipt. No one over the age of 40 ever needs a receipt.”
While Stiles continued on about online banking and how paper records are no longer needed in a digital era, Derek turned to fill a large to-go cup with coffee and placed a lid on top. He grabbed a banana nut muffin with plastic tongs, placing it in a paper bag.
Derek hands the coffee and muffin to Stiles, interrupting his monologue, “I’ll cashew later?
It took a second of Stiles looking at him like he was from another planet before he shot Derek another lopsided smile. He looked at Derek like he wanted to say more, but instead shook his head and lifted his hand in a wave goodbye, turned on his heel, and walked out.
Cora leaned backward on the counter, resting on her elbows. She looks at Derek and rolls her eyes, “That was the guy I was talking about earlier. Ya know, you really didn’t have to ask for his name. There’s no one else in line.”
Busted. Derek felt his face heat, but he decided to ignore Cora’s last comment. He knows he didn’t need the name for the order, but, well...Stiles was pretty cute. He gave her a confused look, “What? What guy were you talking about?”
“Do you just shut off your ears when I talk to you or something? I swear you never listen to a word I say,” Cora hits her older brother with the towel they keep on the counter to wipe spills.
“Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm listening,” he grabs her wrist. “Just stop hitting me. That thing is disgusting.”
“Yeah? Well then it's fit for you, douchebag,” Cora complains, but she sets the rag down and crosses her arms. “When I came in and thought you were Laura, I mentioned a weird guy I met in class yesterday. We take sociology together.”
“Cora, why would I remember some off-handed comment from six hours ago about some random guy in one of your classes?” He matches her stance and raises his eyebrows.
“Oh, my God, you socially inept creature. How are we related?”
“Oh, goody, are we bullying Derek today?” The pair of siblings look up to see their older sister walking through the kitchen, tying her soft brown hair into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. “Can I go next? You need a different haircut, that one does nothing for your bone structure. It’s too…” Laura rose a hand, motioning to his hair, “fluffy.”
Derek rubs a hand into his hair self-consciously, “it's not fluffy. It's just…” Maybe it is too fluffy. “Anyway, you have no business bullying me when I was dragged out of bed at 4:30 in the morning as per your request to open the shop.”
Laura gives him a disapproving look that only mothers can master, but grabs his right hand in both of hers anyway, “I know, brother, and I thank you. I wouldn't know what to do without you.”
Cora makes gagging noises and Derek makes a mental note to book an appointment for a haircut because he loves his sisters.
Well, he did love his sisters until Cora gasped and grabbed Laura’s arm to tell her all about the Weird-Sociology-Classmate-With-Pretty-Eyes and how Derek totally has a crush on him because, oh my gosh, Laura, he asked for his name when he didn’t have to and made an actual joke.
Laura looked shocked. Her jaw dropped open and her eyes looked like saucers. “You? Made a joke? To a stranger?”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Derek started untying his apron strings when he heard the timer go off for Gracie’s present and began walking to the kitchen. “I’m going to your house to give your kid sugar as payback.”
“DEREK SETH HALE, IF EITHER GRACIE OR AIDEN HAVE ANY CAVITIES AT THEIR NEXT DENTIST APPOINTMENT, I'M BLAMING YOU AND ONLY. YOU INSUFFERAB-” and Derek shut the door to the kitchen closed on his sister’s rant, a box of fresh cinnamon buns and a basket of dirty aprons in hand. He sets off on his walk back home, determined to get the cinnamon rolls to the Hale House before they get cold.
--
Driving through the preserve was never the same for Derek after he moved out of the Hale House his junior year at the University of Central California. Don’t get him wrong, Hale House was always home and the preserve welcomed him back each time like a hug. It’s just never the same coming back to the place you grew up after moving away. It feels distant.
The old Hale House in the Beacon Hills preserve has a rich history. Every generation of Hale since the California Gold Rush lived on the preserve in either the Hale House or the cottage by Lake Harmony. Harmony was a small body of water on the preserve named after Grandma Hale’s aunt that passed when she was a baby. All the Hale kids spent their summer days playing in Lake Harmony while Derek’s uncle Peter supervised from the cottage when he visited Beacon Hills for the warmer months.
Grandma Hale gave her son Seth the entire preserve, including Hale House, when she passed away in February 1996. Peter lives in New York with his daughter Malia, so it made sense for Seth and Talia to inherit the property. Talia and Seth moved in that June. Hale House is where all five of their children were born. Derek tended to avoid the first-floor bathtub after witnessing his sister Cora being born in it when he was three. There are just some things you don't need to remember while trying to relax in a warm shower.
Derek shook the thought of his sister as a fresh newborn from his head as he exited his Camaro, carefully holding the box filled with Gracie’s cinnamon rolls. He didn't bother knocking, he just opened the front door and walked in.
He was kicking off his shoes at the door when he heard, “Derek, that you?”
Derek headed towards the voice in the kitchen just as Eric came out, slinging a dish towel over his shoulder. “Hey, man. I brought a get-well treat for the kids.”
“Please tell me those are cinnamon buns,” Eric’s eyes were bright with hopefulness, looking at the white pastry box cradled in Derek’s hands.
Derek smiled, “You know I wouldn't have brought anything else for a sick Gracie. She upstairs?”
“Yeah, they both are. We just finished up lunch,” he gestured towards the kitchen. “She didn't eat much. Still feeling too cruddy.”
Derek nodded, “How’s Aiden? He looked a little flushed in the video Laura sent this morning.”
“He’s doing alright for now, but we’ll see. The virus came on fast last night for Gracie.” Eric gestured towards the stairs before turning back towards the kitchen, “Go get the kids before those get too cold. I have to finish these dishes.”
Derek saluted Eric and left the kitchen. As he reached the staircase, Eric popped his head from the kitchen doorway, “You better have put one of those in that box for me, Hale!”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll see,” he rolled his eyes. Of course he made sure there was enough for him to have one. Eric’s last name may be Cassidy, but he’s still a Hale, and Derek would never do something as monstrous as depriving his family of cinnamon buns.
Derek stood in front of the door with the small wooden sign hanging on a thumbtack. It’s covered in sparkly rainbow pom-pom balls that spell out “Gracie.” Derek had hot glue burns all over his hands from that craft day. He rapped his knuckles lightly on the doorframe, “Tiny?”
“Zio?” a small voice came from inside the room.
Derek smiled at the Italian word. Laura was teaching Gracie and Aiden about their Italian great-grandmother. “Yeah, it's Der. I heard you were feeling yucky. Want to open the door for me?”
He heard a slight crinkle of bedding and the shuffling sound of feet. As soon as the door opened, Derek had an armful of a mini Laura Hale-Cassidy. He put his large hand on the back of her head and pulled her in tighter for a hug, making sure the box of pastries didn’t get jostled. He pulled back and crouched down so he’d be at eye level with his niece, “How are you feeling?”
“Not good. M’sleepy.”
“Yeah, your mom told me you were up for a while last night. I’ll tell you what,” her glassy blue eyes look up at him, “I have something that will make you feel all better.”
Gracie started to smile and began shuffling her tiny feet, “Really? What is it? Can I have it now?”
“How about you go downstairs and ask your dad for some plates while I get your brother. I’ll meet you at the table and we can all have it then.” You could barely tell she was feeling bad anymore. Derek’s niece loved surprises, especially from Moon Bean. She inherited Cora’s sweet tooth.
“Okay,” she hopped again and walked to the stairs to find her dad.
Aiden’s room is across the hall from Gracie’s, so Derek turned around to knock on his nephew’s door. It was cracked open, but Derek didn’t want to barge in.
“Cub?” Derek asked. Aiden’s door hanger had a grey piece of wood with moon and star stickers on it. An outline of a wolf howled in the corner.
An excited gasp sounded on the other side of the door. A wild, blonde blur came running out, “Dee!”
Derek grunted when Aiden crashed into his body. The young boy had only been walking for four months, so accidents like that happened frequently. “Hey, buddy. I brought you a treat.”
Another excited gasp. Aiden was quite an animated one-year-old, “Yes! Tank you!”
“Of course. Anything for my favorite nephew.” Aiden was his only nephew, but the sentiment is still the same. “Wanna come downstairs with me to find your sister and dad?”
Aiden raised his arms in response. Derek is so whipped. He grabbed his perfect nephew around the middle and hoisted him up on his hip. Aiden started growling.
“Alright, alright,” Derek laughed. “No need for growling, Cub. I’m going.”
There’s a reason Aiden’s nickname is Cub. While Gracie’s first word was “tiny” (mainly because everyone that ever met her would always say, “Oh, my God! She’s so tiny!”), Aiden didn't start speaking really until after his second birthday. Before that, he growled like a wolf or said “Mom” or “Dad” with the occasional “Co” thrown in because Cora was his favorite. It was obvious the Hales would start calling him Cub after the long year of deciphering what each growl meant. Derek is certain he could work at a wolf sanctuary now.
The two made their way downstairs, Aiden still growling in Derek’s ear. The toddler decided to put his mouth directly next to Derek’s ear and let out his loudest growl yet. It made Derek seriously reconsider how perfect his nephew was after all.
“Aiden Hale-Cassidy! What did mom and I say about growling at family?” Eric appeared at the foot of the stairs, taking his son from Derek.
Aiden pouted, his big blue eyes looking up at his dad. “'M sorry.”
“Apology accepted, Cub,” Eric set Aiden on the ground. “Let’s go to the table so you can have your treat. Gracie is already waiting.”
The three walked to the dining room table. Soon Aiden was strapped into his booster seat and Gracie was waiting patiently for her cinnamon bun, fork in hand. Derek opened the box and dished the pastries out on plates for his family. They immediately dug in. Cora’s cinnamon buns are always the best. He saved one in the box for whenever Laura got home from the shop because Derek is the best brother.
Eric gave him a weird look, mouth completely full with cinnamony, sugary dough, “You're not eating one?”
Derek sighed. He patted his stomach where he’d gone a little soft the last couple of years, “I decided to start cutting back. I don’t have the same metabolism I had in college and working at the shop isn’t helping matters.”
Eric gave him a sympathetic smile, “I get it, dude. You should come work out with me sometime. I get up before the kids every weekday and run through a program my buddy from work’s trainer gave him. It’s not too bad.”
Yeah, not too bad for him. Eric is perpetually in shape. He could eat a thousand cinnamon buns, do a single jumping jack, and still have abs that could cut diamonds. Derek isn't afraid to admit he was jealous. Derek had to eat clean and work out with regularity to keep his physique. He still works out every day, it’s just the clean eating that he struggles with.
“Thanks, but let me think about it. You know I hate getting up early when it’s not my day to open.”
“Sleepy Derek is a grumpy Derek!” Gracie declared, mouth covered in icing.
Derek laughed at his niece. Eric didn’t think it was as funny as Derek did, “Grace, we just cleaned you up. Wipe your mouth.”
Gracie huffed, but she picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth as she was told. There was no denying that Gracie was related to Cora Hale.
After the kids were finished and the kitchen was clean again, Derek and Eric settled on the couch for a Super Smash Bros game that Derek was sure he would lose. Derek had never won a Super Smash Bros game and just pretended to know what was happening on the screen while Eric has gone completely undefeated since buying the game.
“Why are you looking to get fit again anyway?” Eric asked. He just knocked Derek off the platform and Derek had to make a quick recovery. “You got a girl I don’t know about?”
“Or guy,” Derek corrected. He’s been out as bisexual since he was nineteen, but it’s not like he’s actually had a serious relationship with a guy. Or girl for that matter. He’s been too busy. “And no. I don’t think that will ever be the case. I just feel better when I’m in shape.” And that’s true. Derek devoted so much time in high school and college to eating right and exercising. His body just didn’t feel the same anymore. It wasn’t a weight thing really, Derek just wanted to be back where he was.
Derek’s character finally died. “Yes! Ha! I’m still undefeated.”
Derek got up from the couch, cracking his neck and back, then his fingers. “Like you didn’t know you were going to win,” he checked his phone’s home screen for the time. “I have to get going. I want to get a couple of miles in before it gets dark.”
Eric stood to hug his brother-in-law goodbye, “Be careful on the way back.”
Derek pulled out of the hug and nodded. He grabbed the keys to his car and was almost at the door when Eric said, “Stop me if I’m overstepping or being an overprotective older brother, but you know you can live your life now right?” His face was serious. “The boys and Cora are in college. They’re doing good, Derek. You can focus on your future now. Get a girlfriend or a boyfriend. Live a little.”
Derek’s heart clenched and he could feel his brow furrow. His hand tensed on the knob of the front door. His next words came out rough, “Yeah. Yeah, I know man.”
He opened the door and walked out into the cool October air to his vehicle.
It's not that Derek thought he couldn’t move on with his life. He knew he deserved happiness, and love, and success, and all the buzz words motivational speakers use, but he just didn’t know how to proceed. He dropped everything when he was 21 to take care of his family. He didn't have a backup plan because it all happened so suddenly. So what could he do? It was no use for him to dwell on his past. So Derek continued existing in limbo with no real direction for the future.
Derek would much rather focus on the now. He loved the bakery, he loved his family, he loved...his car? Okay, okay, all he did is work and hang out with his siblings and a couple of friends here and there, so what? He liked it and that's all that mattered. Sure, Derek wanted to graduate from the University of Central California like his parents and become an architect. Sure, he would have loved to create something beautiful that would last forever. Sure, he would’ve liked to own his own firm like his mom and just create for the rest of his life, but things just don't work out like you want them to sometimes.
He ran for much longer than he planned. He ran until his lungs ached and his calves felt as if they would shatter because every time he would try to stop, he’d hear the sound of glass shattering. When he finally came to a stop in front of his apartment building, Derek clutched the handrail of the stairs leading up to the door.
Whether he was catching his breath or trying to catch himself, Derek didn't really know.
He knew in the back of his mind that running from his past wasn’t healthy. He knew something had to change.