Chapter Text
"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." -John 15:13
Season 3!
Season Tres!
Season Drei!
Season Trois!
Season..
Ok that's as far as his knowledge of foreign languages extends. But still! Season 3! Holy shit! Their show has been renewed for another season and in no time they are all coming back to begin shooting. It's just....crazy.
He remembers walking into the conference room for the first reading of the first episode of Teen Wolf.
He's nervous, hands sweating waterfalls. He had researched everyone he would soon be working with as soon as he got the call that he booked the part. The amount of talent he would be surrounded with was intimidating.
He was just some kid who made home videos to upload to youtube. God, he could crawl in a whole with embarrassment at some of the dumb stuff he put on the internet. Hopefully he never has to see those again.
Anyways, he was ready to hightail it right out of there in the first few seconds until Tyler Posey, whom he had connected with at auditions, spotted him and with a huge ass smile ran over and lifted him into a hug.
"Dude we made it!" Posey said with so much excitement he couldn't help but feel the nerves ease away as he laughed.
"Yeah man! Haha we did!"
Posey sets him down as Crystal Reed comes over with a big smile, before he jumps at the sudden hand clapping down on his shoulder.
He turns to tell the person that they about gave him a heart attack, before he is met with the blinding smile of perfection itself, Tyler Hoechlin. He immediately laughs aloud and jumps/hugs the huge shared baseball-enthusiast, as Hoechlin wraps his arms around him, the guy's loud laugh ringing into his ears.
"Told you that you'd make it" Hoechlin says earnestly in his ear.
He pulls back and punches his arm lightly against the stubble-face actor's bicep. "More like told you that you would make it. Derek Hale!"
Hoechlin just smiled slightly bashful and shook his head in response.
Seriously, the guy was gorgeous but also too freakin modest. When he met him at the same audition with Posey, Hoechlin was trying to downplay his amazing acting chops. Pffft, you don't get a part in Road to Perdition because you were just 'ok'.
Crystal suddenly loops an arm around his shoulders, gorgeous smile greeting him. "Look like the gang's all here." She was there at the same audition and maybe it was the way they all connected that Jeff Davis saw something beautiful.
He smiles and loops an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, and can't wait to begin." All of them smile in agreement as more people come over to introduce himself.
As they began the read through, his nerves kicked back in, which made him mess up a few lines, but Hoechlin was sitting right next to him, squeezing his knee in encouragement to just relax and keep going. He eventually got into his swing.
Wow, that was almost two years and they've come so far. Last season was a bit of a roller coaster, moving from season one as a comedic teen show to a more suspenseful, little darker version that had fans's hearts racing and blood pumping. He can't even imagine what this season will be like. His twitter followers are already message him constantly for any updates as filming is due to begin soon.
He exits his email and shuts his laptop closed, stretching a bit after sitting in the chair for so long. His trailer is already set up, his gaming system already hooked up and ready to use. Sadly he has to wait a week an half for all the other cast mates to show up in order to play. The only people on set are him and some of the writers, even Jeff and a few technicians.
He had been here in LA for about a week already due to a film audition that he hopefully will get. The movie The Intern had put him more in the limelight so he's hoping that he's good enough to receive a second callback. It's a great movie, The Maze runner, based off of one of his and his dad's favorite book series. So he just really wants to be good enough for this one.
He opens his trailer door to got outside and-jesus! The light temporarily blinds him, which he guesses this is what he deserves for staying in doors so long. But hey, he doesn't really have anyone to hang with and he's borreeeddd. Plus at least here there's people milling about rather than being all alone at his new apartment. Too bad, Jeff and the writers are too busy writing and whatever else they do.
He strolls around the backlot of the studio, passing Holland's and Hoechlin's trailers as he heads inside in the studio. His eyes are met with the high school set, empty classrooms and silent locker-filled hallways he travels through in boredom. He waves at a few light and sound technicians who are setting things up for filming as he moves through a doorway into another set that is Stiles' room.
He can't help the smile that graces his lips and he jumps on the bed, snuggling into the familiar sheets. He's spent countless hours filming here, whether for dream sequences, researching on the computer, or just struggling to sleep. It's his home away from home funny enough.
"A'hem"
He looks over to Bill, the set manager looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a pointed look.
"Don't you have a trailer you can sleep in? One that won't mess any sets up?"
He shrugs and smiles innocently, getting up gently from the beg, smoothing the sheets. Bill just shakes his head with a chuckle and ruffles his hair like a kid as he passes him. He's pretty lucky people seem to like him around here, allowing him to goof and whatnot.
He wanders over to an office hallway when he bumps into accidentally, papers going flying everywhere.
"Oh shoot man! I'm sorry!"
He sees its Dave, one of the writers waving off the accident with no hard feelings, but letting a sigh out at the sight of hundreds of papers scattered all over the hallway.
"It's ok Dylan, wasn't looking where I was going either. Suddenly, I wander why I wanted to become a writer when we have to deal with all this?"
They both laugh as Dave bends down to collect some of the papers, making him immediately join in the effort cause it was partly his fault in the first place. Dave's focused on the ones closets too him, while he picks up the ones nearest to the door as his eyes glance at them absentmindedly.
[LYDIA enters the room, eyes looking widely around. Her hair flutters softly behind her.]
He rolls his eyes, because Holland's character even in panic is glamorous. He picks up another sheet.
SCOTT: " I'm a hot girl?
STILES: "You are the hottest girl."
SCOTT: "...I'm a hot girl!"
ISAAC: "Yes, you are."
He snickers and picks up another one, smile still playing at the corners of his lips before it's wiped clean off as he reads the scene.
Final of the finale scene:
[The gun goes off as the sound reverberates around the loft.]
[The pulsing sound of a heartbeat plays silently in the background.]
[DEREK touches the wound in his chest, blood seeping down his shirt slowly. He isn't healing and looks up slowly, eyes wide in panic and terror at his masked assailant. He slowly slides down to the floor as blood drips down the corner of his mouth. This is the end for him, and he knows it. He falls down on his side as his masked assailant leaves the room. He's alone and wishes he could have someone there to not have to be at the end alone. After a moment of harsh breathing, his eyes slip shut as DEREK dies, blood seeping onto the ground below him. The camera pans up with a full shot of him on the floor.]
[The heartbeat stops and all is silent.]
End of finale.
He can't breathe. He just can't. This...this is...wrong...this can't be. No...it...
"Hey Dylan?"
He looks up to see all the sheets cleaned up off the floor and Dave looking at him with a smile.
"Can I have those?" Dave's head nods towards the sheets he's holding in his hand.
He nods numbly and hands them to Dave, who puts them in a box with the others. He stands slowly, words still caught in his throat as Dave pats him on the shoulder with a "thanks Dyl" and walks around him to go wherever he is going.
Derek dies...Derek dies...Derek...dies...
He blinks his eyes, feeling a stinging grow more intense as the seconds pass. His heart literally hurts in his chest. God, Tyler...he can't be taken off this show. Derek is such a monumental character of this show and if he's gone...they won't last. They couldn't last without Hoechlin. He refuses to last with Derek Hale being on the show. Did Hoechlin want off? No! He would have said something, he would have. Geezuz Christ! What is Jeff thinking?!
He shakes his head and immediately looks around crazily to wherever Dave was heading. He's gotta put a stop to this! He turns in circle a moment before taking off the way Dave went, technicians looking at him concern as he runs in desperate attempt catch Dave or Jeff or any writer who will listen to his arguments!
He runs into an office hallway and sees the conference room door with the sign of 'Writers writing, do not disturb' on it. He breaks into a sprint and passes a secretary looking at his in confusion before he opens the door and shouts,
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!'
Jeff, Dave and the other writers are sitting around a conferenced table covered in scripts and papers. All of them are looking at him confused as to his sudden outburst. They obviously know he is a bit of a goofball and weird sometimes but this is important! Life or DEATH important!
"Jeff, man you can't do this! Derek can't die!"
At that point everyone sighs quietly in understanding before Jeff motions at him to close the door. He nods frantically and closes the door behind him before walking around the table towards Jeff.
"Dylan..." Jeff tries to start, but he cuts in immediately.
"No. I mean c'mon, Derek Hale is an amazing character with this background story and struggles and feelings. You can't kill him off!"
Jeff sighs back into his sheet. "Dylan, you weren't supposed to find this out," Dave shoots him an 'I'm sorry look' and shrugs his shoulder, "but yes, we worked on this for months. This is how its planned out. I know its hard to deal with but.."
"Did Hoechlin want this?! Does he want off this show?"
It's silent for a moment before Jeff shakes his head. "No, he doesn't want off this show. This plot hasn't even been told to him yet, only you and us know and now probably the secretary too." Jeff smiles a little but this isn't the time for smiling! Tyler, he means Derek is dying!!! Dying!
"Please don't do this!" he begs out as Jeff looks at him with surprised eyes. "Please c'mon! Tyler needs this job!...I mean, not to say he can't get another job, cause one look at his adonis face and he can do anything!" He shakes his head at his ramblings before clasping his hands together in a pleading and looks at him with fervent eyes. "Please, please please. I'll do anything just don't kill Derek! Everyone loves him, just please..."
Jeff bites his lip, looking at the other writers who all wore looks of either sympathy for him or conflict. It suddenly hit him that this idea of someone dying was a done deal already set in place and that they were going to do it anyway. Heck, shooting began in under two weeks.
But Derek can't die, he just can't. This isn't just about how it would affect the show, which he knows it would literally hurt everyone and cause their audience to be distraught and upset, but it would also affect Tyler. And he's such a damn great actor, never given enough credit for playing the role of Derek Hale, a damaged soul who wraps himself anger and grief like a worn coat yet is so different from the giddy, lively person Tyler actually is in real life. Taking this part away from Tyler would be such a devastatingly cruel loss, and it's that thought that makes him say what he blurts out next.
"Kill me!" Everyone in the room looks at him with wide eyes and open mouths, even Jeff looks ready to argue, but he cuts in.
"Kill my character. Ty-Derek is such an amazing character and you can't get rid of him. He's the original wolf of Teen Wolf, born a werewolf and mentor to Scott and the rest the pack. Killing him, well no would survive the loss. His whole pack would be lost without their Alpha. And I know we move on quickly from death in this show, but his death would be impossible to move past. We're not unfeeling robots, we're kids high school who hurt for those we lose just like everyone else."
He swallows, before he looks with a determined look in his eyes into Jeff's. "Kill Stiles...let him take Derek's place. if you want, you can let him die a hero's death, like..." he searches his mind for a moment, "something to do with his magic! You know he was discovering it last season so now could be the turning point! But, he's also human so his death will just be a show of how fragile human life is."
Jeff stares at him with apprehension and a torn look in his eyes, the other writers looking at one another and him as they silently argue in their minds about the idea.
Jeff speaks up, "You know that Stiles dying would just as much impact the show as Derek would?"
He waves off the thought. He plays the spaz, the klutz, the weakling. The nerd who never gets the girl. He's more a of a nuisance then a helpful point. Suddenly it hits him, is he thinking more of Stiles or himself at the moment? He shakes his head at his thoughts and answers Jeff.
"The fans will move past it, but they love and care more for Derek." It's true, at comic con all the fans love getting pictures with Hoechlin. "You've still got like a week or so left to change it and revamp, it'll work."
Jeff and the other writers look like they want to argue, but he whispers out in the most serious voice, "Please."
They all halt their arguments and look to Jeff who looks down at the script one more time, staring at it as he makes up his mind. Everyone has a say, but Jeff gets the final vote as the creator. Finally Jeff looks up and slowly nods.
"Okay."
He breathes out a sigh of relief and sits down in the closest black leather chair. He nods slowly, feeling glad they'll accept his idea. "Ok."
Jeff and the other writers immediately start pulling out their pens and scratching out Derek's death scene. He listens as they brain storm ideas and start laying out the foundation, switching some scenes around and incorporating elements of Stiles' magic on the idea board to lay into the groundwork of the season.
Dylan sits there and soaks it all in, ignoring the slight twinge he feels in his chest. 'This is for the best,' he thinks. 'Derek Hale will live and Tyler will stay on the show.'
It's for the best.