SIGN-UP FOR PROMPT 617: WING

scottish wildcats look as if a witch w/ glasses turned themselves into a cat

Derek Hale Appreciation Week 2021 Day 4:

Thursday Nov 25 - Character Study // Favorite Scenes

For the other days I’ve done fanfics, but this is going to be more of an essay with quotes and scenes mentioned. It’s going to be a look into the parallels between Derek’s relationship with Kate and Derek’s relationship with Scott and how each one affects Derek overall. This is not going to be proScott just to warn you. Scott is the Kate in the situation. I have evidence to back my opinion on Scott, I’m not trying to cause issues. Anyway on with the controversial character study.

We’ll start with the parallels to do with hunting. We know that Kate is clearly a hunter and a radical one at that. She doesn’t care about following the code at all. She’s willing to kill anyone supernatural or in relation to anyone supernatural, which we can clearly see based on the Hale fire. She’ll use any means to get who she wants, even exploit minors to get information, specifically Derek and Allison as well. Scott tends to side with the hunters, despite being supernatural himself. Part of it is admittedly because of his relationship with Allison, but he also just hates what he is. He always leans towards the hunter side of things, until the end of the series.

Kate is quick to claim that she had nothing to do with the fire, though she clearly did. She also doesn’t feel the need to take responsibility for her actions. She likes to play little miss innocent when it benefits her. Scott is quick to blame anyone else for his actions or things that happened to him. Like when he betrays Derek for Gerard, or even blaming Derek and Stiles for him getting bit in the first place.

Kate thinks she was right to light the Hale house on fire, killing even human children in doing so. Scott also says to Derek that she clearly had reason to do it since they were werewolves, despite not everyone in the house being a werewolf.

Kate always feels like she’s doing the right thing even when there is ample evidence to the contrary, Scott does this as well. Kate feels like she’s in the right to exploit a minor to get the information she needs to kill his entire family. Scott feels like he has the right to side against Derek all the time, even when they really should be on the same side.

Kate gathers evidence to kill his family and Scott gathers evidence to feed to Gerard. Kate sexually abuses and exploits Derek to gather the information she needs to kill his whole family or at least as many as she can. Scott pretends to be in Derek’s Pack to give information to Gerard.

Kate rapes him, Scott bite rapes him. Kate, even if Derek consented, was raping him throughout their entire ‘relationship’. He was a child and she was a fully grown woman. That’s not even taking into account that she was lying about who she was and was definitely using sex as a weapon against him to get what she wanted from him. Scott forces Derek to bite the father of the woman who burned his family alive, the man who was gunning to kill everyone. He physically forces Derek to bite Gerard. Holds him by the neck while he’s paralyzed and forces him to bite the person who was trying to kill them all.

Kate feels like the end justifies the means, Scott does often as well. Kate feels like killing as many of the Hales is a valid reason to rape and abuse a 15 or 16 year old boy. Scott always feels like taking advantage of Derek or hurting Derek is for the greater good, even when there are better ways to handle things, such as going behind Derek’s back when it came to Gerard and making Derek give him the bite.

Kate gets off on Derek's pain and suffering, Scott feels powerful when he hurts Derek. It’s pretty clear in canon how much Kate gets off on the fact that she killed Derek's whole family. Not to mention she also gets off on taking advantage of him. Also she loved stringing him up half naked to torture and cause him any kind of pain she can. Scott clearly feels a power rush when he forces Derek to bite Gerard and shoves it in his face that he betrayed him. Also he seems to slightly get off on getting Derek arrested and blaming him for Peter’s murders as well.

Kate has a Black and white view of the world, so does Scott (only admittedly a slightly different one). Kate feels like it’s her right to kill anyone who is a supernatural creature and only humans actually have rights. Scott feels like his way is always the right way, no matter how anyone feels, also he feels that somehow being humane is letting people get away with things as long as he doesn’t personally have to kill.

Kate always has an ulterior motive when interacting with Derek, Scott often seems to as well. Kate always has an ulterior motive when dealing with pretty much everyone, but it’s clear that she always has an ulterior motive when having anything to do with Derek. Scott seems to also only have anything to do with Derek with an ulterior motive. Only having something to do with him when he can get something out of it.

Kate betrays his trust in a horrible way and Scott does it as well by siding with the bad guys more often than not. Kate betrays Derek and it ends up with most of his family burning to death. Scott will more often than not side with the bad guys, betraying Derek’s trust along with many others.

Kate always acts like the hero in her story and Scott does the same thing. Kate feels like she is the hero in her story, that she did the right thing and had every right to do what she did to Derek and his family. Scott also feels like he is the hero and has every right to do whatever he wants, no matter who he hurts doing so, more often Derek and Stiles.

Kate only wanted him for what she could get from him and Scott only really cares about Derek when he needs him. Kate used Derek to get what she wanted and threw him away after. Scott will pretty much only pay attention to Derek when he can get something out of it.

Now that I have shown the parallels between Kate and Scott I will get into the canon evidence to do with the Scott side of things, since most of Kate’s canon evidence is in two scenes and we all know what she does. So we’ll focus on Scott for this part. To support the first point I will point out the scene in Magic Bullet where he tells Derek to leave him and Stiles alone or he will go to the Argents. The second point is hard to pin down an exact scene that shows it, but if you think about it you can see it throughout the series. The third point is proven in Magic Bullet when Derek takes Scott to see Peter to tell him about the fire and he looks Derek in the face and says that they had reason to burn his family alive, purely due to some of them being werewolves. There are also many points in canon that proves my fourth point, but I will only choose a few, one being him siding with Gerard, giving information to him while pretending to be on Derek’s side. The second is forcing Derek to bite Gerard and not telling him about the plan ahead of time. The third and last one I will list for this point is him leaving with Deucalion, leaving Derek under the Darach’s influence. The fifth point is pretty clear to see in the season as a whole, so I don’t know how to pick a specific scene to prove it.

The sixth point is shown in the scene where Scott grabs a paralyzed Derek by the neck, opening his mouth and forcing Derek to bite Gerard and then making him watch a body rejecting the bite once again. Which was more than likely double traumatising, since he feels the bite is a gift and also the last time we know he has to fully watch a body rejecting the bite was when he had to kill his first girlfriend. The seventh point is also pretty clear in the scene with Gerard. The eighth point is proven both when he rubs his plan with Gerard in Derek’s face after forcing him to bite Gerard and when he is quick and unapologetic about blaming Derek for the murders Peter commited, multiple times. It’s hard to pick out a specific scene to prove my ninth point, but you can see it throughout the whole series and it is also something Deaton breathes life into. The tenth point is hard to pin down a scene for in specific but Scott never really seems to trust Derek so he will frequently only associate with him when he needs something.

My eleventh point is proven by Scott working with Gerard, leaving them to work with Deucalion and working with Theo. My twelfth point is proven by the fact he likes to act like he is amazing every time he ignores a call for help only to still come in the eleventh hour to save the day. And finally my thirteenth point is proven by how he only really has anything to do with Derek when he needs help.

I think Kate might have desensitized him to getting taken advantage of and Scott thrives in that fact. Derek only truly trusts Stiles in a serious way, but he still continues to give Scott chances to be different. Though he doesn’t possibly do so until the very end. We didn’t get enough information to know for sure though. Derek is constantly used and abused, it’s easy to see that it affects him. He is healing though by the end of the series, after going away for over a year.

@softranswolves

I love this more than I thought I would

twoblokesandafuckloadofcutlery:

So I accidentally started playing 25 different pop punk songs in 25 different tabs. Beautiful mistake.

SIGN-UP FOR PROMPT 536: BURN

This week's prompt is: BURN.

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SIGN-UP FOR PROMPT 534: COOKIE

This week's prompt is: COOKIE.

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In order to sign-up, just reblog this post or fill out this form and get writing a fic or ficlet that is inspired by this week's prompt. There are just a few rules:

Be inspired by the prompt of the week!

Reblog the original prompt post to sign-up for the week in order to be included in the masterlist or fill out the form above. Do this by Tuesday morning at 10 am Eastern time!

Your creation must be a part of the Teen Wolf fandom. Crossovers and fusions are welcome as long as TW is the primary focus.

Starting 07/03/2022, RPF will no longer be allowed as part of the challenge.

To be considered a ficlet, your story should be at least 200 words minimum and a maximum of 1499 words.

To be considered a fic, your story should be at least 1500 words minimum, and there is no maximum!

Art is art, and we love it! We will not be reblogging art, only a link, so please just make sure we know to mark the link NSFW if it is.

New chapters from a WIP or series are welcome, but please post your story or chapter in its entirety! Posting a chapter or story that is incomplete just makes readers sad. Choose the closest proper category (fic or ficlet) when you submit your completed work for the masterlist.

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Use the submission form to tell us about your fic by Saturday, April 29, 2023, by 10 am Eastern time in order to have it included on the masterlist.

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The truth

I’ve always been the type to hide my pain. I struggle silently for the most part. Very few have seen me cry. Though many have seen my scars. I’ve not been the one to hide after the fact. I try my hardest to be honest, but I almost never tell people the truth about my scars. They know that they’re self-inflicted, I’d never try to actually convince them otherwise anymore. Though I never really tell them the truth of the reasons behind them. I always give them basic reasons and they accept that. They don’t push so I don’t offer the real reasons. I doubt I’d tell them even if they did. I would not in a million years post this if I thought there was any chance of anyone I personally know seeing this. I’m not sure if I’d be able to post it if I knew more than like ten people would see this honestly. I feel like if I talk a little more about it, maybe I could help someone else. Or at the very least make sure they know they’re not alone in this fight. Most likely I’m going to regret this, but I’ll go though with it anyway. Let me start of with this, no this isn’t me trying to get attention or be all woe is me. If I wanted attention there are plenty of other places I could do that. Here I’m only ever going to be raw and honest. The same way I was with my first post. So I’ll start from the beginning and build up to the present. So when I was young my parents got divorced, though they still almost have always lived together, which means lots of fights, that my brother and I always witnessed no matter how hard they tried to hide it from us. We weren’t stupid, we saw and heard pretty much everything, or mostly I did. Though that’s probably the least of it if I’m being honest. I’ve always been bullied for one thing or another, sometimes for my weight, sometimes for being half black, sometimes for my parents and other things I honestly couldn’t tell you because I don’t even think they knew why. I had a lot of fake friends throughout my life, they mostly wanted my brother even as a young girl. Mostly I ended up getting adopted by my brother’s friends which was great as long as my brother and I were on good terms. When I was in I think second grade, my absolute best friend who was a year older than me and was completely infatuated with my brother, decided to experiment with my body without my permission to do so. I’d love to say that was the only time something like that happened to me, but that’s not true you’ll get to know what I mean later on in this post. So she raped me for lack of a better word while I was sleeping over at her house. I never told a soul until really recently. If you didn’t gather my brother was everything to me as a kid, he was, honestly still kinda is, but we moved the summer of my third grade year. I don’t know what happened, but after that my brother and my relationship really fell apart for a long time after that, still hasn’t been the same honestly. So I lost my only really friend, which made me very lonely and desperate for friends and a place to fit in. I got that, but I also lost that fairly quickly as well. The bullying continued even with the change of schools, not that I really expected anything different. There was a neighbor that lived across the street from me that worked at my school. He kinda became a family friend. Keep that in mind as I tell you the next part. Almost everyday during lunch for close to six months, he would molest me. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, hell I blamed myself about it, so I didn’t tell anyone about it. My friends noticed what was happening and knew it wasn’t right, so they went to the principal behind my back without my knowledge. The principal didn’t do much of anything about it, I mean the guy got fired, but she didn’t tell my parents or contact the police like she was supposed to. So she reinforced inside my head that it was my fault. Also his mother verbally attacked me for telling her other much younger son about it. So I didn’t tell anyone else for a very long time. Since both made me continue to believe I was in the wrong. Though I know now that isn’t true, it took me so long to get to that point. Three years later I told my mom about it and begged her not to tell anyone, then maybe a year and a half later I told both my brother and father about it. He still lived beside me and I still had to deal with him. He moved away finally maybe a year ago. After I had graduated high school. That was spread around school after I talked about it around the wrong person. Eventually everyone knew some version of the story. My entire middle school knew some small part of the story. I was horrified and that made the bullying worse. For a long time I felt completely alone even with friends, there were only two people that actually really made a difference in my life during that time and they both left me in very different ways. One was Harlee my best friend, she stood up for me or kept me away from the people trying to tear me apart. That was before 8th grade when her and her new best friend started bullying me using things only my friends knew. So it hurt so much more. The other one was the best friend I got after Harlee left me. Her name was Kelly, she was such a bright beautiful soul. She was amazing and really helped me begin to heal for the first time in my life. We had lost touch after 8th grade and the next I had heard about her was that she died. She meant the world to me and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss her. She was barely 13 when she died from cancer, I never knew the extreme pain of loss until that day. I couldn’t move for an hour after I’d heard about her passing, besides the sobs ripping through my entire body. I still haven’t gotten over the pain of her passing. That was one of the times I really started to self harm, after that pain. I’d done it a few times before like when my aunt had gotten breast cancer, which she luckily survived, or when I had told someone new about what the guy had done to me. Things were kinda fine for awhile, there was still bullying, but nothing comparable to middle school. I had gotten into a relationship with my best friend and things were serious between us. We had really thought we were gonna get married. We both still live each other, but we’ve both moved on. He got into another amazing relationship, but I didn’t. I wanted to rebel against him which in hindsight made no sense seeing as I broke up with him, but I dated a girl he told me would be no good for me. He was 100% correct, she was terrible to me and for me. That didn’t stop me from staying in that terrible relationship for almost three years. She was abusive to say the least, but it was kinda okay in the beginning. She desperately was trying to buy my love, which I gave to her in a way. She spent a lot of money on me but she was truly awful. Though things never got physical in the beginning. It was over a year into it when she started hurting me. It seems like after we had sex she got so much worse. She would beat me, which I would fight back just as hard, but that I could handle mentally. It wasn’t until she started raping me that I truly knew this wasn’t going to change. I wouldn’t say I was scared of her, since I knew I could take her, but I was so lost by this point I didn’t know who or what I was anymore. I either needed out of that relationship or I was going to end up dead, whether it be her or me I didn’t know. Still it took me a very long time to get outta the relationship. It was the December after graduation I finally stuck to my guns and got out of it. I lost most of my high school years to that girl, but I learned a lot from that experience. I wouldn’t be who I am today without that terrible experience happening. I got a stalker soon after the break up since I almost immediately met a guy online and tried to become fwbs with him. We met up once, did a little bit, but he got almost as crazy as my ex. Eventually I honestly didn’t feel safe anywhere in my neighborhood or town because of them. I needed out, but I didn’t know how. I genuinely hate myself and I felt ugly beyond description. Those external things really destroyed me internally, for a long time throughout most of those things I wanted to die. I hated everything about me and nothing helped. I would self harm and it felt good to me. I know how that sounds, trust me. But for years all I really felt was stress, pain, numb and fake. As bad as it sounds self harm helped temporarily, though I do not at all promote it. You get addicted to it and it’s nearly impossible to quit. It’s not really worth it. Honestly if I could undo it I probably would. Though there isn’t anything I can do now besides fight the urge. Things got better and worse when I moved to the other side of the country. But I think I bore my soul enough for today. Now I’m in an amazing relationship with an even more amazing guy. I wouldn’t change a thing, as long as I get to keep him. He’s helped me heal in ways I never knew possible. I love him with every inch of my body and I wouldn’t trade him for an easier life. I really don’t know how I survived everything, but I promise you the fight to stay alive is always worth it. I’m proof of that. I had almost given up on life and love, then Josh came into my life. My love for him, began the slow process of healing. So I guess the moral is, no matter your history, you have a bright future ahead of you as long as you keep living to get to that point. It’s worth the fight I promise you that. If you ever need someone to talk to I’m here for you no matter what. I love you all and I need you to keep fighting, to keep living. Sorry for the long post, but I think it needed to be out there. I mean it, if you need someone to talk to I'm right here, I promise you that. Please feel free to reach out to me.

Seriously wow

RARE HISTORIC PHOTOS WE MIGHT HAVEN’T YET SEEN

An Exotic Dancer Demonstrates That Her Underwear Was Too Large To Have Exposed Herself, After Undercover Police Officers Arrested Her In Florida

Dorothy Counts – The First Black Girl To Attend An All-White School In The United States – Being Teased And Taunted By Her White Male Peers At Charlotte’s Harry Harding High School, 1957

Austrian Boy Receives New Shoes During WWII

Jewish Prisoners After Being Liberated From A Death Train, 1945

The Graves Of A Catholic Woman And Her Protestant Husband, Holland, 1888

A Lone Man Refusing To Do The Nazi Salute, 1936

Job Hunting In 1930’s

German Soldiers React To Footage Of Concentration Camps, 1945

Residents Of West Berlin Show Children To Their Grandparents Who Reside On The Eastern Side, 1961

Acrobats Balance On Top Of The Empire State Building, 1934

Mafia Boss Joe Masseria Lays Dead On A Brooklyn Restaurant Floor Holding The Ace Of Spades, 1931

Lesbian Couple At Le Monocle, Paris, 1932

The Most Beautiful Suicide – Evelyn Mchale Leapt To Her Death From The Empire State Building, 1947

The Remains Of The Astronaut Vladimir Komarov, A Man Who Fell From Space, 1967

Race Organizers Attempt To Stop Kathrine Switzer From Competing In The Boston Marathon. She Became The First Woman To Finish The Race, 1967

Harold Whittles Hearing Sound For The First Time, 1974

Nikola Tesla Sitting In His Laboratory With His “Magnifying Transmitter” more

And 28 for Sterek please! <3

(Sorry it took so long. It really took on a life of its own. I hope you enjoy it.)

28. “Please tell me you aren’t searching my room for where I’ve hidden the presents”

Sneaking Suspicions

I stroll into my study at the Pack house and find Derek sniffing around the room. I sigh and remove my scent blocker. Derek whips his head to face me and looks guilty. I shake my head and stare at him for a minute.

I sigh and say “Please tell me you aren’t searching my room for where I’ve hidden the presents. You can’t be serious, Derek. Do you take me for an amature? We’ve been together for three years and I’ve been around the Pack for over 5 years. I know I can’t trust you guys to not go looking for them, so I get creative.”

He frowns and says “Would you believe me if I told you that I was not looking for the presents? That I just missed you and wanted to be in here?”

I laugh and say “Absolutely not, dude. You couldn’t do better than that? Sourwolf, you’re losing your edge.”

He pouts slightly and says “Okay, so fine I might have been looking for the presents, but not mine. I don’t know what to get Ally or Issac. So I was going to look at what you got to get an idea on what to get them. I got one for everyone else, even Peter, but I’m struggling with those two.”

I shake my head and say “You could have just asked for my help, Der. So I don’t believe you weren’t looking for your presents. Though if you really need help picking presents for them I can definitely help you.”

He nods and says “Fine, I was also looking for mine, but I really do need help on theirs. I don’t know why I’m stuck on them when I was able to get presents for Peter, Jackson, Malia and Lydia. Who are the hardest people to please in the Pack.”

I laugh and say “It’s because Ally still scares you and Izzy is like your son, but you’re too scared to tell him that, so you’re awkward with him.”

He deflates and says “I don’t think Issac would be okay with me thinking of him that way. Ally does still scare me, but it’s more the fact that her and Lydia are together now and the combination of the two of them is terrifying. You’re scared of them too, don’t even lie.”

I cackle and say “They love me, I’m Pack Mom. I can get away with a lot more than you can. Izzy would love to know you think of him as a son, he calls us mom and dad all the time, Der. He needs the love we give him. Knowing you think of him as a son would do a world of good for him and you should know that.”

He frowns and says “I’m no better for him than his biological dad was.”

I glare at him and say “You absolutely are not allowed to say that. Never compare yourself to that man. You love, protect and support Issac. His father beat him and made him feel worthless. You gave him an out and you did the best you could to keep him safe.”

He shakes his head and says “I abused him too. I can’t give him the love that he needs, in the way he needs it. I’m pretty useless for him.”

I growl and say “Derek Hale, that is bullshit and you know it. He just needs to know you care, that you have his back and that he can depend on you. I can not believe you think that. He adores you and knowing you love him would do wonders for him. He is our son, not just yours, we’re in this together. We handle the things he needs differently and balance each other out. Don’t doubt yourself this way, love.”

He sighs and says “I think you're biased, Sti.”

I clench my jaw and say “We can ask my dad, Chris or even Deaton their opinion if you’d like. They barely even like you and they would say the same damn thing. I thought we were past this. You know what? Follow me, we’re taking a ride.”

I turn around knowing he will follow me and head downstairs. We silently walk out to my Jeep and get inside. I head for Deaton first since I know he might have the most effect strangely enough. I pull into the vet’s parking lot and drag Derek out of the car with me. Deaton is in the front behind the counter when we get inside. Deaton looks up at us in shock and I sigh.

I say “Deaton, I have a question for you. Nothing is life or death, don’t worry. Just an opinion or observation. Do you think that Derek is good for Issac as a father figure? Do you think he is helping Issac?”

Deaton nods and says “I’ve noticed a great improvement in Issac since the Pack settled into itself and Derek has been his father figure. Some of it comes from you, Stiles, but I think more of it does come from the safety that Derek provides him. Since his first father never made him feel anything other than fear, but Derek protects him to the best of his ability at all times.”

I smile slightly and say “Thank you for your observations, Deaton. That was all we needed. Have a good rest of your day.”

Deaton nods, so I pull Derek back out and get him settled back into the Jeep. I head to my father next. Knowing leaving Chris for last will make the greatest impact. I head to the house, grateful dad is off right now, I would not want to do it while he was working. I park in the driveway and drag Derek to the door before letting myself into the house. Dad is sitting in the living room watching baseball like always. I smirk and drag Derek into the living room.

Dad looks at us, sighing and says “What’s going on, Stiles?”

I chuckle softly and say “We have a question. Do you feel like Derek is a good father figure for Issac? Is he making a difference in Issac’s life?”

Dad smiles softly and says “Those boys are good for each other. They’re helping each other heal in a way no one else could. Derek protects that boy the same way he protects you. You and Issac are clearly his main priorities without question. He would do anything for the two of you. He loves the same way you do, he just expresses it differently. You and Issac have the whole of his heart, more than anyone else in the Pack does, including his remaining family. Issac is much happier and more healthy now that Derek has more fully taken him under his wing. You are the mother so you help differently, but the safety that Derek has given him has made that boy heal more than anything else could have. Derek, we might still not see eye to eye, but you need to realize that boy loves you and you are doing wonders with him. You gave him a life and family he never could have dreamed of. Don’t doubt yourself when it comes to if you’re helping Issac. You are. That’s just the facts.”

I nod and say “Thank you, daddio. We’ll let you get back to your baseball. We have one last stop before we’re heading home. I love you daddio.”

Dad chuckles and says “Neither of you be a stranger. Love you too kiddo. Good luck.”

I nod before dragging Derek back out to my Jeep and shoving him inside to make the last stop. I get in and wait for Derek to get settled before heading to Chris’s place. I did it in this order to have the maximum effect on Derek. Hopefully Derek will accept it after Chris is done with him or I’ll have to bring out the big guns, which I would not be looking forward to. The big guns would be Ally and Lyds, along with Issac himself and Danny, his boyfriend. I’m hoping they won’t have to see the doubt Derek has in himself, but I will get them involved if I need to. I pull up to Chris’s apartment building, and drag Derek inside and up to Chris’s apartment. I knock on the door and only have to wait a few seconds for him to answer the door. Chris raises an eyebrow and I just push my way into his apartment. Chris sighs and I chuckle.

I say “Chris, I have a question for you and I would really appreciate your honesty. Do you think that Derek is helping Issac? That he is being a good father figure for Issac?”

Chris sighs and says “You know that I do, Stiles. If I didn’t, you know either me or your father would have fought him for custody of Issac. But we even at the outskirts of the Pack can see how good they are for each other. Derek and I will probably always have our differences, but what he has done for that boy will never be one of them. He gives Issac safety that he has never known. He loves that boy immensely and it’s absolutely not a question to anyone who spends any kind of serious time with the two of them. That boy adores Derek without reservations and Derek has done nothing but protect him to the best of his ability since the Pack settled. Without a doubt Derek has done amazing with that boy. Issac can hug people without fear and handle so much more than he could in the beginning.”

I smile and say “Thank you, Chris. That was all we needed. Have a good rest of your day. We have to get home. I have to cook dinner for the Pack soon.”

Chris nods and lets us leave his apartment. I drag Derek back down to the car and get him into the passenger seat. I get in and drive home. Letting everything sink in for Derek in silence. We get home and I get out and motion Derek to follow, which he does without complaint. I head into the kitchen and start dinner for us and the Pack that are coming over later tonight. I decide on things that can be left alone for most of the cook time since I know it won’t take long for Derek to break down and need me. I settle on a casserole and baked potatoes since they are the most hands off dishes we have the ingredients for. I finish the prep quickly before putting them in the oven and setting the timer. A few moments after I close the oven Derek collapses and I sit on the kitchen floor pulling him into my lap. He starts sobbing harder than I’ve ever seen, I just hold him close, rocking him. It takes a good 15 minutes for him to calm down enough to speak.

He clears his throat and says “Thank you. I really didn’t know I was doing Issac any good. But they all agreed with you and none of them were lying. I never expected them to agree with you. They told me I was doing well, Stiles. They seemed proud of my care for Issac. I thought they all hated me, but they truly believed that I was the best one to take Issac in.”

I nod and say “Of course they did, baby. You’ve truly been amazing for our son. You never needed to doubt yourself the way that you have been doing. I wish I had known sooner how bad you were feeling. I would have stepped in much sooner.”

Issac comes sprinting into the kitchen panicked and says “Mom, what’s wrong with dad?”

I smile softly and say “It’s okay, pup. He’s okay. We just got back from talking to Deaton, my dad and Chris. What we talked about really affected him. But he’s okay.”

Issac sits down with us and says “It was about me wasn’t it? He was doubting himself and the four of you set him straight? I was wondering how long it would take for you to step in.”

I flinch and say “I wish I had stepped in sooner. It took far too long for me to notice and for that I’m very sorry to the both of you. I failed you guys this time.”

Derek says “I should have just talked to you about it or even Issac could have as well. But neither of us did. So we’re all at fault. We’ll be okay. We’re a family and we fit together.”

I smile and say “Hell yeah we do. Issac is our son, without a doubt. Everyone sees it, now we just have to acknowledge it.”

Issac says “I’ve been calling you mom and dad for years and you’ve been calling me pup just as long. Derek is the only one who hasn’t acknowledged it.”

Derek says “I’m sorry it took me so long to realize I wouldn’t cause more harm than good by accepting my position as your father. I was blinded by my insecurities until everyone ripped the wool from my eyes. I love you, pup. I’m sorry it took me so long to say it. You’ve been like a son from the beginning, but I was scared.”

Issac chuckles softly and says “It’s okay dad. I understand. I love you too, dad. Now you both need to realize I’m not your only child.”

I startle and say “Who?”

Issac laughs at me and says “Jackson and Liam, mom. How could you not see it? They’re almost worse than me.”

I deflate and say “I just thought it was a Pack thing. Since Erica and Boyd were the same way for the first year or so. I have no problem having three sons officially outside of the basics of being a Pack parent.”

Derek says “I thought they thought of Chris and Peter as their fathers?”

Issac says “They’re scared to let you know, especially since only Stiles has fully treated me like a son. They couldn’t handle being rejected. Jackson is the most afraid since he thinks both of you would reject him. He’s scared Stiles will still hate him for what he had done before.”

I say “God no. I love Jackson like a son. He’s had shit rough and he didn’t know how to handle things. I would never reject either of them. I love them.”

Derek says “I guess go big or go home. We’ve always been more protective over the two of them, you will always be the one closest to me, but I can love them just as well. We’ll talk to them after dinner.”

I smile and say “You two need to clean up for dinner anyway. So come on. Up you boys go. I need to finish dinner. I love you both. Go get ready for dinner then set the table please.”

Derek gets up first pulling Issac and I with him, making me laugh. I smile lovingly at him and he blushes lightly. I kiss both of their cheeks and hug them tightly.

I say “Go on. Get ready for everyone and set the table. I still have cooking I need to do.”

They nod before rushing upstairs. I chuckle and check on the food in the oven. I make a large salad and green beans to go with the food I already have. Jackson is the next one to come into the kitchen. I stop what I’m doing and hug him to me, he melts into my arms and I kiss his forehead. He shakes with silent sobs and I just hold him closer. I hold him until he pulls away, I wipe his tears from under his eyes.

I say “I’m sorry I never noticed. I love you, Jax. Never question that, okay?”

He nods and says “Thank you, mom. I love you as well.”

I smile softly at him and say “Go get ready for dinner. Then help your brother and father set the table. We’re going to talk after dinner, the five of us.”

He smiles brightly and says “Okay, mom. Thank you. Seriously, I never expected you to accept me.”

I nod and say “Issac told us. I’m sorry I ever made you feel that way. But we’ll talk about it after dinner. Now go get ready please.”

He nods quickly before rushing off upstairs. I smile softly and know I made the right decision. Jackson has been improving, but that was the first time I’ve ever heard him say I love you to anyone. God I failed them, but going forwards I’m going to spoil my boys with all the love and affection that they can handle. I don’t know how I missed it. I finish preparing the food and just wait for the casserole and the baked potatoes to be done. I have a few more presents to get after all. I have to get extra for my boys. Liam and Theo come in next and I drag both of them into a hug. I kiss Liam’s forehead and Theo removes himself from the hug. Theo smiles at me from over Liam’s shoulder and I smile back. I hold Liam even closer and let him choose when to leave the embrace. Liam pulls away and looks at me with tears in his eyes.

I smile softly and say “Go get ready for dinner. We’ll talk after dinner okay. Theo can stay as well, I need to talk to him anyway.”

Liam nods and says “Okay.”

Liam heads upstairs, but Theo stays with me. Theo looks at me nervously and I smile at him. He smiles back, but his nerves don’t ease.

I say “Theo, we’re okay, I promise you. You hurt my son and I will tear you apart.  But I have forgiven you for everything.”

Theo hugs me and says “Thank you. I needed to hear that. I feared the day you realized, because I thought you hated me still. I love Liam with everything I am. I will do everything in my power to keep him safe and happy.”

I nod and say “I know, Theo. Trust me, I know. But we’re okay.”

Theo pulls away and says “Thank you.”

I smile and say “No need to thank me. Now go get ready for dinner, you heathen. We can talk more after dinner.”

Theo nods before heading upstairs as well. I chuckle and pull the casserole out of the oven. I check the potatoes and realize they need more time. My boys and Derek are back down and begin setting the table together seamlessly. I can’t keep the sappy smile off of my face and Derek catches me, smiling back. Theo comes back down and comes straight to me. I smile at him and motion for him to look at Derek and our sons. Theo smiles softly and I squeeze his shoulder.

I say “Do you want to help me finish dinner?”

Theo nods and says “Of course, just tell me what you need me to do.”

I smile and say “Put the dressing on the salad, and when you’re done with that, slice the casserole please.”

He nods and gets to work. I check the potatoes and they’re finally done so I pull them out of the oven and turn the oven off. I set the green beans in the turned off oven to warm them back up while working with the potatoes. Theo is working beside me now on slicing the casserole and I enjoy having him in the kitchen with me in a way I never expected. The silence is comfortable, but far too short lived since soon the whole Pack is here and I sigh. I finish with the potatoes and pull the green beans back out of the oven. Theo finishes with his jobs and stands beside me still. I smile at him before turning around.

I say “Everyone who just got here you have five minutes to get ready for dinner, no arguments and no questions, get going or you don’t get dessert.”

Everyone other than my boys, Derek and Theo head upstairs to get ready for dinner. I laugh softly and motion for the boys to bring the food to the table which they do quickly. I smile at them widely and they smile back. I hug and kiss each of their foreheads before hugging Theo and doing the same thing. I pull away from them and double check we have everything at the table before leaving the kitchen to go into the dinning room. I am grateful our Pack has come together so well, it was difficult, but we made it out with so few tragedies. Well there were some, but the Nemeton didn’t let them stick for long. We’re a strong and healthy Pack and it took years of hard work to get it that way. Especially after Scott’s stint as Alpha. Though we don’t talk about that anymore. We don’t erase him from our history, but we don’t talk or think about him much after what happened. I shake myself out of that train of thought before I upset any of the wolves in the house. The wolves have always been extra affected by my emotions so I have to be careful. Lydia hip checks me and I look around and see everyone back downstairs. I wink at Lydia in thanks and sit beside Derek at the table. Jackson, Issac and Danny sit beside me, whereas Lydia and Allison sit next to Derek. Cora sits a few seats away beside the twins. Peter sits next to Danny with Malia and Kira on his other side. Liam sits with Theo, Mason and Corey. Erica and Boyd take the remaining seats. I smile at everyone and we all get our food, the wolves and coyote as always finish long before us humans of the Pack. I shake my head when we all finish and go grab the cake and cookies I made earlier. Everyone is eagerly waiting for dessert, I don’t understand why they love my dessert so much but I love that they do. I slyly give my sons and Derek extra of each dessert. They smirk when they notice, making me chuckle softly.

Lydia says “So Derek finally accepted his sons?”

I laugh and say “I knew you had to know.”

Lydia says “Of course I did. I’m glad you guys finally got your shit together. The boys were breaking my heart and I did not appreciate that.”

I nod and say “Yeah I fucked up. I should have seen it sooner. But I didn’t.”

Lydia says “It’s not all on you. So many of us could have said something. We talk about it when you’re not there, but no one knew how to bring it up with you. Even I was unsure how you would react, so none of us said anything. I didn’t know how you felt about Jackson, not enough to be willing to tell you how to hurt him at least.”

I frown deeply and say “God, is that what you guys think I would do? Even if I still hated him, I would never use something like that against him. What kind of person do you guys think I am?”

Lydia flinches and says “I didn’t mean it like that.”

I shake my head and say “Sure. Then how did you mean it, Lydia?”

Lydia says “I’m sorry.”

I nod and grab the empty plates, heading into the kitchen to wash them. I will not let it affect me while the Pack is here, so distraction. Jackson follows me with more plates and we work together silently. Everyone else leaves us alone which I also appreciate, Jackson is the one I need right now. When we finish I pull Jackson into a tight hug and we just stand there holding each other. Soon Theo comes in with more plates and starts washing them silently, leaving us to have our moment. When Theo is done I drag him into the hug as well. I comfort myself with the fact that even though they thought I hated them, they never shied away from affection and believed me when I told them the truth. I steel myself before pulling away and we all head back into the dining room together. I sit back down with Jackson and Theo hesitates to leave my side until I nod that he can go back to Liam.

Lydia says “Stiles, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

I clench my teeth and say “I knew Jackson’s insecurities and history far better than anyone ever knew when we hated each other. I have never and would never take things that far, no matter how I felt. I thought you guys knew me better than that, especially you.”

Lydia says “I’m sorry, I’m just still protective of him, and I wouldn’t take that risk.”

I shake my head and say “It’s fine. I’m done talking about this.”

Jackson wraps an arm around me and says “I never feared he would hurt me with it on purpose, I just thought he would reject me. The fact that you thought he would, upsets me, Lydia. Even with being protective over me, you dated him as well once upon a time, how could you have thought that?”

Lydia deflates and says “You’re right. I don’t know. I think part of me still resents him.”

I sigh and say “For what?”

Lydia flinches and says “For leaving me in the dark while Peter was inside my head, for always choosing Derek over me, for abandoning me after we finally got you back.”

I nod and say “I should not have left you in the dark, none of us should have. Scott didn’t think it was wise at that point to tell anyone and we agreed. I was trying to keep Scott safe from Gerard and Victoria. I chose you over everyone for a long time Lydia, even before you acknowledged me. I’m sorry things didn’t work out, but we’re better as friends and you knew that. I didn’t abandon you, you and Scott were also supposed to leave. You never even asked me to come back. You had my number and you could have at any time called me to tell me to come back. You decided against it. That is not something you can blame on me.”

Lydia says “You’re right. I could have called you and you would have come back. I couldn’t do that to you though. You got out and I didn’t want to be the reason you came back. I didn’t want you to hate me for taking away your chance at the FBI. You made the decision for yourself, for Derek.”

Allison says “Do you also blame me for not telling you or is it just Stiles? I could have easily brought you in the know and decided against it. Even when you asked me.”

Lydia says “I don’t blame you. I blamed Scott the most, but since he’s gone all the blame fell onto Stiles. Also Stiles left me alone crying in my car after promising to be right back.”

I flinch and say “I was busy trying to stay alive and keep Derek above water waiting on Scott to come save the day. Since Derek was paralyzed and we were in a pool so I had to keep him above water. Scott barely made it in time to save us from drowning.”

Lydia flinches like I struck her and says “I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Stiles. I should not have blamed you for it. It took you so long to tell your father, I shouldn’t have thought it’d be any easier to tell me. Especially before we became friends in a real way.”

I nod and say “It’s okay, Lyds. We’ve survived worse. We’ll be okay.”

Lydia nods and says “Okay.”

Jackson says “You need to separate your feelings on Scott from Stiles, Lydia. They are not and have never been the same person. Yes Scott is dead now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still resent him for his failings.”

Liam says “Jackson is right.”

Allison says “I have to agree with them, love. Stiles doesn’t deserve your scorn. He has done more for all of us than he ever should have. He constantly put himself in danger for each of us, when he was the least qualified to fight the way we needed to. He did it without hesitation even when we treated him like shit.”

Lydia nods and says “You’re right. He is the only reason I’ve lived so many times. He saved me many times when there was no one else who could.”

Derek says “He saved each of us at least once. Long before he came into himself. He was thrown in the deep end and still kept pushing through it for everyone else.”

Malia says “Not to mention he was the only reason we won the war. He refused to rest until it was over. He brought Monroe down by himself and made sure Kate and Gerard were gone as well.”

I say “That was for purely selfish reasons. Kate and Gerard for Derek, Peter and myself. Monroe killed Scott and even if he deserved it I was not going to watch her take down anyone else I cared about. Especially since I knew who she was going after next.”

Liam says “You never told us that. Who was she going after next?”

I flinch and say “Do any of you really want to know?”

Everyone nods so I sigh and steel myself for this admission. This is going to hit hard and I don’t know how to make it easier. It’s not going to affect everyone the same way, but Derek it’ll really hurt.

I sigh and say “She was going after Issac and Liam, then I’m pretty sure next was Jackson and Ethan.”

Issac says “Why was she going after me?”

I flinch and say “Oh, pup. You because of your closeness to Derek and Chris both. Liam because of Scott, Jackson because he was an extra difficult threat and Ethan because he had Jackson.”

Derek says “So it would have been my fault that Issac had died if you didn’t go after her.”

I sigh and say “No, the whole war was Scott’s fault. So if anyone other than Monroe and Gerard being to blame would be Scott. Or mine for not being here to fix it sooner.”

Derek says “What do you mean the war was Scott’s fault?”

I flinch and say “Monroe was caught in the middle of a fight with Le Bete and Parrish, Scott left her there in a pile of her dead colleagues even though he should have heard her heartbeat. Liam not hearing it was excusable, but with Scott’s stronger senses as Alpha it was no excuse and Monroe blamed him above all others.”

Lydia says “How did you know that? Only Malia Scott and I were there when she told him that. So how did you know?”

I sigh and say “I asked her what her story was. Before she fully knew what was happening when I found her. Before I killed her.”

Lydia laughs and says “Only you Stiles.”

Theo says “How did I not know you killed her?”

I say “I didn’t broadcast it. I told Derek and everyone else kind of figured it out over time. Peter knew because he was my backup, I would have asked you, but I didn’t want to take a chance of you getting caught. You were good but Peter was the best we had at that point. So for something that important I needed him.”

Theo nods and says “That’s fair. I’ve nearly caught up with him now, but I had nothing on him back then. He’s trained me well now though.”

I smile and say “You are third best in the Pack for sure.”

Theo says “Third? Who’s second?”

I smirk and say “Peter.”

Theo says “Who is first then?”

I smirk wider and say “Who do you think?”

Theo says “Jackson?”

I chuckle and say “No. Though in strength he’s probably first. Because of his extra abilities.”

Theo says “Malia?”

I smile and say “She’s fourth. Though sometimes she is better than you, but not consistent enough to push you out of your spot.”

Theo says “You then. You’re the only other option besides Allison and there is no way she takes the top spot anymore.”

I smile and say “Thank you, but no. I don’t count myself or Derek in the lists. Erica and Boyd take the top spot. I know it’s kind of cheating but they really only work together so ranking them separately is pretty impossible.”

Theo says “Okay. That does make sense. Erica is ruthless and Boyd is crazy smart in a fight.”

I smile and say “Hell yes they’re amazing and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Erica says “Thank you, Batman.”

Boyd says “Thank you, Sti.”

I smile and say “No need to thank me, Catwoman and B. You’re incredible.”

Jackson says “I rank first in strength? Not Boyd?”

I chuckle and say “Yes you do. Boyd ranks third.”

Jackson says “Who is second?”

I laugh and say “Ethan and Aiden. Their merged form keeps them very close second to you in strength.”

Jackson nods and says “Makes sense. Who is after Boyd?”

I smirk and say “Lydia, though some could argue she could beat all of you out, but it’s also about durability and longevity. Her scream could beat you out but she can’t do it for too long or she could seriously hurt herself. Unlike your and the twins' extra abilities now and Boyd is a tank.”

Jackson says “That’s fair.”

Liam says “Where do I rank in the strength list?”

I say “You and Theo share the fifth spot. Though sometimes Malia pushes you guys out. So I’m tempted to have the three of you share the fifth spot. Kira steadily takes the seventh spot with Cora. Peter is eighth and Issac takes the ninth spot though when he doesn’t hold back he’s even with Peter. Danny and Allison are tenth with Mason and Corey taking eleventh. Each of you are amazing no matter where you fall on the list. Almost every one of you top one of my lists.”

Issac says “Am I the one that doesn’t top one of your lists?”

I say “No, pup it’s not you. You are the most likely to be underestimated and make someone very much regret it. And trust me that’s a good thing for us.”

Issac says “Okay, mom. Then who is it?”

I sigh and say “I know I’m going to regret answering this question. But I will answer it anyway. Allison though she takes a close second in two of the lists. And no I’m not going to share who beats her out on those lists or what the lists are. Because I will not start drama.”

Allison says “Lydia beats me out. I know. I’m okay with that.”

I say “One is Lydia, correct but on the other list she’s third.”

Allison says “Who?”

I say “I’m not answering that question. I already said I’m not going to. You’re extremely competitive and I’m not starting a fight.”

Allison says “Do you not have a weapons list?”

I flinch and say “Ally you’re a badass that’s not a question. I do have a weapons list and you are a super close second especially with me out of the running. But versatility also was a part of the equation.”

Allison says “So who beats me out other than you? I know that one isn’t Lydia.”

Danny says “I’d have to assume me.”

I flinch and say “Danny!”

Allison says “So it is Danny.”

I sigh and say “Yes it is Danny. He’s able to use more weapons extensively. And has you slightly on the accuracy in weapons outside of your go to ones.”

Allison says “I guess that’s fair. He’s also a better shot with a gun than I am. I can accept that.”

Lydia says “How did I end up being third on that list? I feel like Mason is getting close to Allison’s level with training with you, your dad and Chris.”

I nod and say “You share with Mason since you’re the only one other than me able to work with the harder and more obscure weapons. Also you build fire and acid bombs regularly. How could you not place high?”

Lydia laughs and says “Okay. That makes sense.”

I smile and say “I know. Corey is also doing phenomenal with weapons training. Only Erica Kira and Malia are on that list with you guys since almost none of the wolves are willing to learn weapons, which is annoying.”

Cora says “You won’t train me.”

I say “You never asked, I’d love to train you. Though I’m not training you with bombs of any kind.”

Cora says “I guess that is fair. You’re not training Erica with them either. We would probably abuse the privilege so you’re not wrong to not let us touch them.”

I say “That and just like Peter and Derek I like keeping you away from fire.”

Cora says “But I don’t have the same problem with fire that they do. So why do I still get removed from the equation when fire is involved? Especially since Malia isn’t.”

I say “Well that’s simple. Derek and Peter would both freak out. Malia is a special circumstance, but you, they already thought, died in a fire so you and fire stresses them out.”

Cora says “Okay. That does make sense.”

I chuckle and say “Exactly. So for their sanity I won’t train you with fire. I know you might want to but for the health of the Pack I refuse.”

Cora says “I understand.”

I nod and say “Good. Maybe you’ll be able to convince Peter to let me train him after you start training. Derek let’s me so I want to train Peter as well. Also I want to train my sons as well. It’s always good to have some weapon training in the life we live.”

Theo says “I’ll do weapons training and try to convince Liam.”

I smile and say “I can’t wait to train you Theo.”

Issac says “I might let you teach me some weapon stuff.”

Jackson says “If you want me to do weapons training, I would do it. It might be fun, Danny loves it and so does Corey. So I’ll give it a shot.”

I laugh and say “Pun intended I assume. Okay boys now it’s up to Theo to convince Liam and Danny to fully convince Issac. I want everyone to train with weapons honestly because sometimes you can’t wolf out in a fight.”

Peter says “Fine, darling. I’ll do some weapon training. Only because I know you worry too much and it would make you feel more secure with Pack safety.”

I smile and say “Thank you, Peter. I’ll probably pair you with Malia just so you know. Though only once I’m confident you can handle it. She’s a little above Erica currently and Erica is getting paired with Cora though I will probably regret that. Jackson will be paired with Corey. Danny with Issac and Liam if they decide to train. Ally and Lyds are already paired up though I might split them if we get more people. And yes Danny can handle having two partners. Theo will be paired with me solely in the beginning. Derek doesn’t always participate, but when he does he’ll be with me and Theo. Ethan and Aiden you should join in. I know you guys will love it. I would love to pair you with Kira. There are so few I can pair with her, but I think you’d thrive with her. Currently only Danny and I can pair with her, though Derek tries sometimes too. Also Boyd if you join I’ll pair you with Erica and Cora. Or Mason if you would prefer. Also Issac you could pair with Mason if you don’t want to pair with Danny in the beginning.”

Mason says “You’re pairing Corey with Jackson? Why not me?”

I chuckle and say “You and Jackson wouldn’t meld together as well as him and Corey and you know it.”

Mason sighs and says “But I want to pair with Jackson. I like Jackson.”

I smile and say “I know you like Jackson, Mason. But I don’t think you would work well together. We can try it though but not in the beginning. Corey is a safer starting partner. You know that Corey is probably the best starting partner outside of me.”

Mason frowns and says “I know you’re right but I want to work with Jackson.”

I sigh and say “Mase, I know. You’ll get to work with him if you both want to. But only after he’s gotten a few months in. Your style is hard for beginners to work with and you know it. The only reason I’m willing to pair Issac or Boyd with you is because I feel like they might end up with a similar style.”

Mason says “Because I’m chaotic you mean?”

I say “Mason I don’t think you’re chaotic. Just difficult to work with without some training. Though to the untrained eye yes probably considered chaotic.”

Mason says “Then let me train with Ally or Lydia and whichever you don’t pair me with can take Boyd or Issac if they choose to participate.”

I nod and say “Okay. Lydia and Mason. Ally can train with Issac and Boyd if they choose to.”

Allison says “Boyd would probably prefer not training with me, Sti. I can train with Mason and Lydia can train with them.”

I frown and say “Why is everyone doubting me today? Lydia training with them would not be ideal. Mason and her would work well though.”

Boyd says “I’d be okay training with Allison. I don’t think I should start with Erica and Cora. Though I would eventually like to join that group.”

I nod and say “See Allison Boyd is good with training with you.”

Allison says “Okay, Stiles. I’ll work with Boyd and Issac if he chooses to as well. Though once a month I want to swap with Lyds and work with Mason.”

I say “Deal. Only if you promise me not to go overboard when paired with Mason. The two of you always cause mayhem together worse than Cora and Erica likely will.”

Allison laughs and says “Fine. I promise we won’t go overboard.”

I shake my head and say “I will revoke your ability to partner with him if you break that promise.”

Allison says “I know you will.”

Peter says “You think Malia and I can be paired together without mayhem?”

I laugh and say “You’ll learn fairly quickly that Malia will not stand for you slacking and will run you ragged if you fail to meet her expectations.”

Malia says “Stiles is correct. Typically he is the only one I’m willing to partner with. Since everyone else doesn’t meld well with me. Which is the only reason I’m not higher on the list. Since Stiles normally has to switch between Danny, Kira, Derek and I. Because we typically work best with him. Though Danny and Kira also work well together.”

Peter says “You really are my daughter.”

Malia says “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Peter says “Trust me it was intended as one.”

Ethan says “You think we could work with Kira who you said typically can only work with you and Danny the two top performers?”

I nod and say “Yes I do.”

Kira says “I agree with him if that helps?”

Ethan says “It does help, but is still confusing. Though I’d be willing to give it a shot.”

Aiden says “Sure. I’ll also be willing to try. It’ll be a fun challenge.”

I smile and say “Great.”

Liam says “I’ll try training mom, but if I don’t like it I will stop.”

I smile and say “I’m okay with that, pup.”

Issac says “I’ll work with Ally in the beginning and maybe join with Danny once I’m more comfortable.”

I nod and say “Okay, pup. Whatever you're more comfortable with.”

Jackson says “Could I work with Mason and Lydia sometimes?”

I say “Not in the beginning, but yes you can.”

Derek says “Why didn’t you pair Peter and I?”

I sigh and say “Because I’m not stupid, Derek. You two would be terrible together. You can’t work with anyone other than me with any regularity.”

Derek says “I guess that is true. Wouldn’t want a repeat of when you paired Mason and I. Or Malia and I.”

I say “Precisely. Though I think eventually I could pair you with Theo. You two would work well together I think.”

Derek says “Possibly. Though we’ll see. I know you prefer working without a partner so hopefully you’ll finally have someone to pair me with.”

I say “I don’t mind having a partner as much anymore. Though yeah I do prefer not having a partner.”

Theo says “You want to train me to be Derek’s partner? He’s even more difficult to pair with than Kira? You would trust me working with Derek?”

I smile softly at him and say “You’re one of the few I would trust to have Derek’s back the same way I would.”

Theo says “Thank you. I think that is the highest praise you could give. The trust you have in me is much appreciated.”

I chuckle and say “You’re probably right. I trust you, Theo. You’ve earned it.”

Peter says “Do you trust me?”

I laugh and say “Overall yes. With Derek? No. Your view of Derek has improved but the two of you still have a long way to go. Though at least you both see each other as family again.”

Peter says “That is justified.”

Ethan says “Do you trust Aiden and I?”

I say “Yes I do. You’ve been great since Aiden was brought back to life. You fit well within the Pack.”

Lydia says “Who do you trust the least in the Pack?”

I sigh and say “Honestly currently, you. But typically probably myself.”

Lydia says “Oh I honestly kind of thought you were going to say Ally or Peter.”

Derek says “He just said he trusted Peter and he is comfortable letting Allison pair with one of his sons for weapons training, despite the history there.”

Lydia says “That is true.”

I say “Any other questions?”

Liam says “Who is allowed to learn bombs in the Pack?”

I say “Currently, Mason, Corey, Lydia and I, though I have a few I’m willing to consider teaching how to use them as well. Though I’m 90% sure I’ll teach Theo and possibly Jackson or Boyd as well. I’m not sure if anyone else. Well that’s not true, Malia is currently learning but we’re still deciding if she wants to continue on with that training.”

Liam says “Allison isn’t learning it?”

I say “We both agree that she isn’t going to.”

Theo says “You would want to train me with bombs?”

I say “I think you are the best one to teach outside of the ones currently doing so. Boyd and Jackson I’m less sure of. Though I’m leaning towards trying with them.”

Theo says “Holy shit. You truly trust me. You’re so careful about who you allow to train with them.”

I say “I really do. I’m just not sure how you would handle it. Whether you’d actually want to, that’s why I’m not 100% sure.”

Theo says “I would be honored. I’m willing to train with anything you think I should.”

I smile and say “Remember that. I will try to train you with everything I know. At least the beginner level, then you’ll get to decide on which ones you want to continue with.”

Theo says “Sounds great, Sti.”

Jackson says “You might train me with them? Why aren’t you sure about Boyd and I?”

I say “I’m not sure you and Boyd would have the stomach for it. Not in an offensive way. I don’t think you’re weak, it just takes a level of disregard that I’m not sure you guys have the stomach for.”

Jackson says “Okay. I can understand that.”

I nod and say “But we can always try and stop if you guys don’t like it.”

Jackson says “That makes sense.”

Aiden says “Why is Kira difficult to work with?”

I laugh and say “Well two reasons. The first reason is she’s supernaturally gifted with the weapons she predominantly works with. The second is she is painfully shy about her abilities when it comes to working with anything new so she needs someone willing to keep her going when trying new things.”

Aiden says “You think we would be able to work with her as beginners though? Why?”

I say “Because I have a feeling you guys will thrive together. The two of you will be able to pick things up quickly from her and I think you two would be able to encourage her outside of the weapons she’s used to in a way that Danny and I just can’t. We’ve been working with weapons for our whole lives practically, so it’s hard for us to connect on that with her unlike you guys.”

Aiden says “What makes us special though?”

I say “You guys already fight better together and are used to battling in a team more than anyone else is. And in a fight you both typically gravitate towards Kira already. So training together would help you guys do better in fights since you already fight together in a way only Boyd and Erica currently do outside of your group.”

Kira says “We already work well together and this would just give us an even stronger advantage when fighting together.”

Aiden says “Okay. I’ll have to trust you guys know what you’re talking about. Hopefully we’ll work as well together as you believe we will.”

I say “We’re right, I'm very sure of it.”

Aiden says “Okay, Sti.”

Jackson says “Hey Mason Corey and I also regularly fight together in fights.”

I say “That’s different. You guys in a fight only watch each other’s back. With Erica and Boyd and Ethan, Aiden and Kira, they build off of each other in a fight. You guys protect each other in a fight. They truly work together and off of each other, they seem choreographed and know which way to work with each other’s strength to inflict maximum damage.”

Jackson says “Oh.”

I say “I wish I could train groups to do what they figured out on their own, but I don’t work that way. I’m better working on my own. Derek also isn’t the best at working with others, so neither of us know how to train others to work the way they do.”

Lydia says “You, Ally and I work that way, Stiles.”

I say “What do you mean?”

Lydia laughs and says “We work off of each other in a fight. We always have. Especially you and Ally.”

Allison says “We really do. We’ve always worked off of each other in a fight.”

I say “Oh. I did not see that. But I can see what you mean thinking back.”

Derek says “Also Peter and Malia also typically do so as well.”

I say “You’re right about them, but they’re more of hunting partners than I’m comfortable with others being.”

Derek says “I can see that.”

I say “Yeah. I guess there are three groups the others can watch and try to mimic in their own way with whoever they’re most comfortable working with that way. Lydia, Allison and I, Erica and Boyd and lastly Ethan, Aiden, and Kira.”

Derek says “Pairing Peter and Malia is going to strengthen the way they hunt together, you know that, right?”

I sigh and say “I know, but they’re the only pairing that makes sense for either of them. Also we benefit from how they fight, there is no denying that. Even though I don’t want anyone else to emulate that, well outside of you and Theo eventually. Since you both also thrive in the more animalistic side of things. Not everyone does, so emulating their style could get others seriously injured.”

Derek says “Then why couldn’t I handle being paired with Malia?”

I chuckle and say “You guys don’t have the relationship needed for that kind of style. The trust you guys have is surface level. Not the level of trust needed for it.”

Derek says “You think Theo and I will have an instinctual level of trust?”

I laugh and say “You already do. Do you not realize that he is currently your second? It’s no longer Boyd or I like it used to be. After the war was over it changed to Theo. Did you never realize that, Der?”

Derek tenses and says “No, I didn’t know. How could I have not noticed it? Did everyone else realize it?”

Theo says “I did not know.”

Liam, Jackson and Issac say “We realized.”

Lydia says “I knew.”

Peter says “I wasn’t sure.”

Allison says “I did not know either.”

Boyd says “I knew, but mostly because Erica knew.”

Kira says “Ethan Aiden and I knew.”

Cora and Malia say “We didn’t know.”

Mason and Corey say “We knew, though not in the beginning.”

Danny says “I knew.”

Derek says “I think it’s ironic that Theo didn’t know either, but so many others did. How did it even happen? When did it happen?”

I say “You guys had each other's back after the war. You both protected each other. Theo took care of a threat to you and I and that is what cemented it. Neither of us noticed, but Theo did and he took care of it for us. So for almost three years Theo has been your second with neither of you knowing. It’s also when I accepted Theo wasn’t going to turn his back on us once the war was over. When I was okay with him and Liam falling for each other.”

Liam says “Wait, what do you mean?”

I say “Theo killed someone trying to kill Derek and I.”

Liam says “Not that. Why would Theo and I falling for each other affect you?”

I say “Just because I didn’t realize you and Jackson thought of me that way, doesn’t mean I didn’t always consider the two of you my sons. Well Jackson when he came back home,  but the point stands. You have been my son for a long time.”

Liam says “I didn’t know.”

I say “I adopted you after you were bit. I felt responsible so I told myself I’d keep an eye on you. Also you are an adorable angry puppy and I love that about you.”

Liam says “I’m unsure if I should be offended or not.”

Jackson says “Hey at least it didn’t start because he felt sorry for you like it did with me.”

I say “Jackson I didn’t adopt you because I felt sorry for you, idiot. I love you, part of me always has. When you came back you were more sure of yourself and weren’t attacking me so I finally felt secure enough to let myself love you fully since it wouldn’t kill me anymore.”

Jackson says “I didn’t know. I’m sorry I never separated you from Scott until right before he died. I hated him and definitely took it out on you.”

I say “It’s okay, Jax. We’re good now. Scott and I were inseparable back then so it was easy to see us as the same person. Trust me, it was a struggle for even our parents to think of us as separate people for far too long. It was easy to assume based on how close he and I were that we would have the same beliefs and be far too similar. Though it couldn’t have been further from the truth. We were so close because we felt the other was the only one who could understand each other, especially after my mom died and Scott’s dad left. Though Theo proved that we were wrong. Our relationship was always unbalanced, I always cared more about him than he did about me.”

Jackson says “You’ve never talked about this before. Why have you not talked about this before? Why are you talking about now?”

I sigh and say “I never wanted to bring him up myself, not in a real way. We all feel so differently about his passing, so the less we talk about it the better in my mind. It felt like the right time to talk about it since others had brought it up.”

Jackson says “So you’ve never talked about it with anyone before, you’ve just let it stay bottled up for over three years?”

I nod and say “I can’t talk to dad or Mel about it because they have very different feelings than I do, the Pack is all so indecisive on how to feel about it and Derek had been betrayed too many times by Scott for me to feel right bringing up my feelings about what happened. So I just ignore it for the most part, especially since I also don’t truly know how to feel either. On one hand he was my best friend for most of my life, he was like a brother to me, but on the other he was also definitely not as good of a person as he pretended to be. What he did to Derek the day we got you back was the beginning of the end of our relationship. He did too much to everyone for me to really forgive, he was more like feral Peter than I like to acknowledge. Then he was against me after the third hardest thing I had ever done and that made it an easy choice to go for my father instead of him.”

Jackson says “Why are you so torn though? It’s okay to be sad he’s dead, even if you never could have loved him the same way as when you were younger. So why are you torn on it?”

I flinch and say “About that, there is something about Scott’s death I never told you about. Peter and I are the only ones alive that know and I was never sure of if I should tell anyone else. Scott sacrificed Alec to possibly survive, he gave this poor terrified child to Monroe in hopes that she would spare him. Instead she killed them both and laughed at Scott’s pleas to spare him. I was there, though not physically sadly, I was astral projecting and watched it all unfold, horrified. That’s when I went to Peter to plan an attack on her and her minions in a major enough way for them to back off. Especially when she said who she was going after next.”

Allison gasps and says “He did what?!”

I flinch and say “He gave Monroe Alec to attempt to save himself and him alone. I couldn’t tell anyone with good conscience while Mel was here, because someone would have told her. I didn’t want her to have to have that be how she remembers her son. I wish it wasn’t what I have to remember him as.”

Jackson says “Mr. Holier than thou did that?”

I nod and say “He really did, I couldn’t believe it myself and I thought I knew all of his darkness.”

Jackson says “That’s why you’re so particular about who can pair together now and that you want us to train in every single thing you can imagine, isn’t it? Because of what Scott did. It affected you more than we could imagine, didn’t it?”

I curl into myself and say “This was someone I thought I knew completely, someone I grew up with, someone I still trusted despite all he did. If he was capable of it, I wasn’t sure who else would do the same thing. That’s why I also have trouble letting Derek partner with someone I’m not sure beyond what I felt about Scott that he is safe with him.”

Theo says “I’m the only person you trust that way?”

I say “When it comes to this kind of thing? Yes absolutely. But with emotional stuff, my sons for sure are top spot. No questions asked, though the four of you are the only ones I’m fully able to trust that way. I don’t exactly doubt any of you, like I said before I do trust all of you, but not enough to risk Derek, only myself.”

Derek says “So to you, I’m more important than you are?”

I nod and say “Absolutely and I will not apologize for it either.”

Derek says “Marry me?”

I look at him and say “Yes, but really that’s how you decide to ask?”

Derek blushes and says “Technically I had a plan, but I didn’t want to wait.”

I chuckle and say “Okay.”

Derek says “You accepted that too quickly, why aren’t you laughing at me or saying something sarcastic about being too impatient to stick with my plan?”

I smile and say “I’ve almost done the same thing many times, but I knew I had to let you do it or you’d be upset.”

Derek says “You wanted to propose to me?”

I chuckle and say “Far too often. If you asked even on the day that we got together I likely would have said yes. It wasn’t ever a question for me once I was sure about my feelings.”

Lydia says “You both are the most ridiculous people I have ever met.”

I laugh and say “That it’s you saying that, not Peter, is sadly not as surprising as I wish it was. And Peter is super butt hurt because Chris won’t marry him. You really do resent me for ending up with Derek.”

Lydia says “That’s not true.”

I sigh and say “I don’t need advanced hearing to know that was a lie. Lyds, you wanted to break up with me anyway and you’re happy with Ally. Why does it matter that I’m happy with Derek?”

Lydia looks down and says “I don’t know. I just don’t know, Stiles. I’m sorry.”

Jackson says “I know why. It’s because for as far back as we remember you have been in love with the idea of Lydia, so she’s used to being your first priority. She doesn’t like that someone took that place and he brought many others with him. Also it doesn’t help that she feels like you upgraded while she didn’t. No offense Ally.”

Lydia flinches and says “Jackson, was that really necessary?”

I frown and say “Holy shit. That means Jackson is right. I don’t understand the last part, but I can understand the feeling resentful about being replaced after a decade. Though that also explains why you didn’t want to tell me about Jackson and Liam. It wasn’t really about you thinking that I would purposely hurt him with it, it was that it would move you even further down the list.”

Lydia flinches and says “I’m sorry, Stiles.”

I sigh and say “Maybe you should talk to Marin, Lyds. This isn’t healthy for you or Ally. You need to move forward without needing me for validation.”

Lydia flinches and says “You’re right. It really is about validation and my ego. This is the first time I’ve actually let myself be honest about this so I don’t think it has actually affected Ally until tonight. It’s just you had kept me going through everything, you were the one that always saw through me and it’s hard not having that anymore. It isn’t even just about you not being in love with me anymore, it’s about the fact that I feel like there is a wall in between us now and I lost the person who has always saved me when it was necessary. You are the reason I’m alive today and I don’t recognize you half of the time. There is a disconnect between us and I don’t know why it’s there.”

I flinch and say “Oh fuck. I know what it is. Our magics had been mixed for a long time and I have too much control over it to have it accidentally merging with someone else’s now. So it has been affecting you because we no longer are connected in that way. I had no idea that you would even notice a difference.”

Lydia says “Oh. So it’s not just that I’m a bad person. It’s also my creature affecting my emotions because essentially my balance was thrown for a loop?”

I flinch and say “I’m sorry, Lyds. If I had known it was affecting you negatively I would have made sure to keep them merged. Because it doesn’t cause any harm to continue to have it connected, since it really does just create a balance and if needed technically we could pull from the other’s pool of magic as well. I never even considered it could have affected you in such a way. I have been failing all of you recently, this is why I trust myself the least.”

Lydia says “It’s not your fault, Sti. You couldn’t have known without me acting out of character or telling you. You’ve been doing so much for the Pack, it’s understandable that things would slip through the cracks. You still have too much responsibility on your shoulders since even Peter and Derek rely heavily on you for practically everything. Especially since you are the one with the most knowledge and resources now. Peter and Derek try their best but you still are doing most things single handedly. Mason has also been trying, but with school and such he’s been struggling. Not to mention the fact you’re working with your father, Deaton, Chris and other Packs in the area when they need help that they can only truly rely on you for. You have so much on your plate and if we’re having problems we should just actually go to you with them instead of ignoring it until you finally notice it and force it out in the open.”

I flinch and say “Lyds. I didn’t know anyone even realized, not even you. I thrive in it, but it has been difficult to do alone. When Mason was actively working with me it helped more than I realized until the help was gone. I also don’t know who else I would feel comfortable helping with this other than Mason. Mason is most similar to me, so we work well together. Peter no longer has the ability to deal with these things and Derek is bad at dealing with people. I’d consider Theo, but now that everyone is aware of Theo being the Second, he’ll have new responsibilities to do with that. Liam is too high strung, Issac is still too reluctant near strangers, Jackson might be a possibility, Erica and Boyd have their own responsibilities, you are too much of a control freak, Ally is too Hunter, Malia is practically mini Peter, Corey is already struggling with school without adding anything else, Kira is too awkward around new people, the twins are already working with my dad, Danny has his business to run and Cora is too much like Derek and Peter to handle dealing with people without someone being harmed. I’m happy doing it on my own, don’t get me wrong, but it does get to me sometimes. Especially since Brett and Deucalion only trust me to help when they need it and they need help far too much for as competent as they are as Alphas. Though most of their pack mates are either fairly new or traumatized by the war. But they also have had them for enough time for them to be trained well enough to deal with some of the things on their own. Hell I trained them more than Brett and Deucalion did. Brett I understand, but Deucalion was an Alpha for most of his life. It is ridiculous that I’m training three Packs, especially all separately. I can understand them not wanting to train with us, but each other should be fine. They’re all at the same level and are nearly the same in general.”

Lydia says “Why don’t you tell Brett and Deucalion that? That you want to train their Packs together if you are going to continue to train their betas along with your own Pack. I’m sure they’d agree to continue to have your help.”

I say “I don’t want to offend either of them, because I feel like I owe it to them. They get along, but they died for or due to my Pack. So I feel responsible to do things their way.”

Derek says “You really take too much onto your plate. I’m the Alpha, you don’t have to play Alpha in these situations.”

I sigh and say “I actually do, it is also a part of my jobs. Also they don’t trust you the same way that they trust me. So it is on me.”

Derek says “How often are you acting as Alpha?”

I flinch and say “Der, it’s not a big deal. We’re a team. We are technically both Alphas of the Pack.”

Derek says “Sti, that’s not an answer.”

I frown and say “Der, being your mate has a lot of responsibility and I knew that going into it. Also there is a lot of people who trust me over most others. I have a reputation and it’s not that you don’t now, but some people prefer working with the Alpha Mate instead of the Alpha.”

Derek says “Stiles, that is not an answer to my question.”

Lydia says “He is working more as Alpha than you are when it comes to dealing with people outside of the Pack, even with threats at times.”

I flinch and say “Lyds!”

Derek says “So I haven’t actually been a good Alpha, I just have an amazing mate?”

I frown and say “You have been a good Alpha, Derek. A good Alpha lets the Pack handle the things they are best at as long as it’s for the betterment of the Pack. Good Alphas are not afraid to ask for help when they need it and they love and protect their Pack. Lydia made it sound worse than it is. I never claim the title and no one ever calls me by that title. I have responsibilities as Alpha Mate and Emissary which can sometimes make it seem like I’m acting as Alpha. It’s just the combination of my two roles in the Pack.”

Derek says “I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse. You do so much more than I ever knew. Do you even get the respect you deserve?”

I sigh and say “Der, that was on purpose. This is exactly why, I knew it would affect your insecurities and we didn’t need that. I get as much respect as I want.”

Derek says “Did the whole Pack know about this other than me?”

I flinch and say “I don’t know. I didn’t even know anyone knew how much I was taking on myself, so it might just be Lydia. It’s really not a big deal.”

Peter says “Stiles is right. He is only doing his job as Alpha Mate and Emissary. Though I disagree that he gets the respect for it that he deserves.”

I frown and say “Peter I get more than enough respect.”

Peter says “You are training two Packs that you are not a part of because they trust only you, but they did so without approaching your Alpha and Mate about it.”

I sigh and say “Peter I asked them not to tell Derek. I wasn’t sure how he would feel about it in the beginning and I didn’t want to risk our relationship with them. Also we owe them much more than some training for their Pack.”

Peter says “That undermines Derek’s authority, Stiles.”

I face palm and say “This started before Derek fully took the mantle and I owed them outside of the Pack responsibilities due to Scott’s hand in their deaths.”

Peter says “It’s not your fault Scott was an idiot, so you don’t owe anyone anything based on his failings.”

I shake my head and say “You don’t understand. If I had done things differently Scott never would have turned out the way he did. I also could have done a lot more to help them if I was actually here. I don’t regret leaving here, because it gave me the opportunity to save Derek, but I regret the lives I wasn’t here to save. Also Scott got turned because of my shitty decision.”

Peter says “If it wasn’t Scott it would have been someone else and they likely would have been in a lot worse of a position. Scott only survived because he had you. Who knows what would have happened if it was anyone other than you or Scott in that situation?”

I nod and say “I have thought about that. You do make a valid point. I don’t regret it, because I love the Pack and my life, but I do feel guilty.”

Peter says “You need to forgive yourself and stop taking the blame for things outside of your control. Scott was not your fault. You need to lay the blame on him because you were not in control of his actions and you did everything possible to fix his mistakes along with everyone else’s.”

I shake my head and say “It’s my fault he was a True Alpha. He would not have been able to take the Spark from the Nemeton if it wasn’t for me. I caused his stint as Alpha, stealing the Hale Spark from the rightful Alpha.”

Peter says “How did you do that? What do you mean? That doesn’t make much sense.”

I sigh and say “For a True Alpha to happen he needs the Spark that is connected to the ley lines on his side, it’s made even stronger if the Spark is connected to a Nemeton. Because of me suppressing my loyalty to Derek his Spark went to Scott. Which is how he got his Alpha Spark back so soon after Scott’s death. It was always his, Scott was just using it. That was my failing.”

Peter says “Did you know that then? Did you do it on purpose? Or was it just an accident that came about from subpar circumstances?”

I frown and say “I would not have made that decision consciously. It was something I learned after Deaton was willing to let me learn more about my heritage. It doesn’t change that it was my fault.”

Peter says “Do you hold what I did while feral against me? What Jackson did while he was the Kanima? What Mason did while he was the Beast? What you did while possessed? What Lydia did while under my control to bring me back? What the twins did while a part of the Alpha Pack? What Theo did when he came back to town? What Denton decided to do by having you, Allison and Scott sacrifice yourselves instead of your parents?”

I sigh and say “I do not hold any of that against anyone other than myself. I could have resisted the Nogistune if I was stronger. But everyone else did the best they could.”

Peter says “You are an idiot, sweetheart. You did everything you could to fight the possession. You found out and let us know, you set up things to minimize the casualties, and you beat him in the end.”

I shake my head and say “You don’t understand, I let him in. He had to be allowed in and I did, twice. I wasn’t fully aware that I was doing so, but it doesn’t change the fact that I did.”

Peter says “What do you mean by that?”

I say “I opened the door for him, it wasn’t just because of us sacrificing ourselves, I opened the door fully for him. Despite my subconscious telling me to shut the door, I opened it for him to get inside. If I had closed the door he never would have gotten control and I could have overpowered him before he got the chance to possess anyone else. I need an anchor the same way you guys do and my anchor back then was not strong enough to battle against the Nogistune. Because I was denying a major part of myself, I caused many deaths.”

Peter says “Explain what you mean by that please, because it doesn’t make as much sense as you think it does.”

I sigh and say “When the Nogistune got in it happened in a dream, I had woken up in bed with Lydia with the door cracked. I stood up to close the door but as I got closer I heard a voice telling me to open it. Lydia told me not to, but it wasn’t enough to beat the compulsion to open it that the Nogistune was using on me. So I opened the door and walked out into the clearing with the Nemeton. That was when I was actually possessed. If I had let myself accept that Lydia wasn’t who I was most connected to, I would have been able to overpower the Nogistune. My emotional connection to Lydia was too weak. It’s a miracle I survived the initial sacrifice. Because of my denial about Derek, I was vulnerable and easy to defeat. At minimum Issac should have been my emotional tether and Lydia should have been Allison’s. Which is why Allison and my backlash was so much worse than Scott’s. Which is why we both ended up nearly killing our true emotional tethers.”

Allison says “Wait so you’re saying Deaton made the wrong decision on who to pair us with that day?”

I say “Yes, he did. He didn’t know that then, but he decidedly made the wrong decision. It ended up being a fatal mistake, sadly.”

Issac says “I could have been your emotional tether back then?”

I say “Yes, despite everything I loved you even then. You were a douche, but I was also super protective over you.”

Peter says “Does Deaton know he messed up or did you never tell him?”

I say “I never told him, but I think he suspects it.”

Peter says “Why would you never tell him that he made a mistake? That’s something he should know. That’s something we all should know.”

I sigh and say “Peter, that’s rich coming from you. I just didn’t want to talk about it. I never wanted to admit it, even now.”

Jackson says “So you have never dealt with the trauma of being possessed despite forcing me to get help along with many others in the Pack?”

I sigh and say “I wouldn’t say that. But I also can’t disagree with you. I have never talked about it but I’ve done things on my own to improve it.”

Jackson says “You clearly didn’t deal with it enough. You need to deal with it with help. And you need to stop blaming yourself. Do you blame me for when I was the Kanima? Because it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t convince Derek to give me the bite.”

I shake my head and say “You didn’t know enough to know that something like that was possible. Also I’m fairly sure if you hadn’t pissed Peter off he probably would have bitten you since Scott was rejecting him. There are also other things at play when it comes to you becoming the Kanima that you don’t know.”

Jackson says “What do you mean, Stiles?”

I sigh and say “Please don’t get mad at me for not telling you, okay? I wasn’t sure how to bring it up and by the time I felt you could handle it, just way too much time had passed so it felt weird telling you. I’ll start with the simple part, the wolfsbane in your system shocked it and the extreme fear Derek elicited in you aided in you becoming the Kanima. It was made worse by the fact that you are a Hale and you were so terrified of your family. Add on that you were messed up about being adopted, it was a foregone conclusion that you were going to become a Kanima.”

Jackson says “What do you mean I’m a Hale?!”

Lydia says “Peter is your father and Malia is your half sister.”

Jackson says “How many people knew this?!”

I sigh and say “Just Lydia and I as far as I know.”

Peter says “You guys never told me I had another child?!”

I nod and say “We didn’t feel safe telling you about both, especially with Jackson’s history with you and Derek. We were protecting him. Though hindsight we probably should have told you guys sometime in the last three years.”

Derek says “You didn’t even tell me.”

I shrug and say “I wasn’t comfortable telling anyone other than him first. If he didn’t want you guys to know I would have honored that. But too much time has passed and it’s been eating away at me.”

Jackson says “I have blood family.”

I nod and say “You do, Jax. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you earlier. I was scared how you’d handle it in the beginning and once I was sure it was going to be well received so much time had passed and I was too stressed to consider doing it myself and Lydia wanted me to be the one to tell you.”

Jackson says “I understand. I don’t like that you knew for years and didn’t tell me, but I understand it. Malia is my sister and Peter is my father. I think part of me has known for a while. My wolf seems fond of them and the other Hales, the only other person it’s fond of in that way is you so I should have known.”

I say “You probably didn’t want to get your hopes up, which is understandable. But now you all know. It might not seem like it but we were protecting you guys by not telling you guys.”

Lydia says “I didn’t want to be the messenger of it, which is honestly the only reason I ever told Stiles, though he already knew.”

I sigh and say “I did. Or I was fairly sure of it when Lydia confirmed it. It made sense to me.”

Jackson says “You’re just dropping all kinds of bombs tonight. I don’t think we can handle any more.”

I nod and say “Okay. I’m sorry for throwing this at all of you guys at the same time. There has been a lot I threw at you tonight.”

Malia says “Were you ever going to tell us about Jackson?”

I sigh and say “I was planning on telling at least Jackson eventually. I just needed Derek and Peter to deal with their issues with Jackson first and vice versa. So that they weren’t starting from mutual hatred.”

Malia nods and says “Understandable.”

Peter says “I have two children? Talia stole two children from me. It was bad enough with one, but two?”

I nod and say “It gets worse though I will tell you later, just us, okay?”

Peter nods numbly and says “Okay, Stiles.”

Erica says “We should probably get going. We’ll see you guys later. Love you guys.”

I say “Love you guys as well.”

Soon everyone other than my sons, Theo, Derek and Peter has filed out of the house. I look at Peter and nod upstairs. He nods and heads up to my study.

I say “Give me a minute, okay? We’ll talk after I talk to Peter. If I don’t help him handle this now he’ll end up making all of us regret it.”

Derek says “They’ll be fine with just me while you handle Peter. Don’t forget the soundproofing ward. He’s likely to get loud.”

I nod and say “He will more than likely. I’ll be back soon. I love you guys.”

Everyone nods and I head upstairs after Peter. I get to my study and find him with his head in his hands. I step inside and put up a soundproofing ward, like Derek told me to. I walk over to Peter and lay a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me and he breaks down. I wrap my arms around him and he sobs into my chest.

I say “I’m so sorry she did this to you. I’m also fairly sure she thought they both were dead and that’s why. I think she wanted to protect you from the pain, but it ended up being the wrong decision.”

Peter says “I missed out on both of my children growing up because of her. I think she just never wanted to lose me as her Left Hand. Which is why she stole my kids from me.”

I nod and say “She might have, but Jackson’s survival was kept a secret since the accident was suspicious and Malia’s mom did try to kill her and everyone thought she didn’t survive either. So she might have thought that they were dead and took your memories of them to make sure you didn’t lose your mind. We’ll never know.”

Peter says “Do you think Jackson will want to have a relationship with me when he has you and Derek?”

I nod and say “Of course he will, Peter. It’ll be okay. I promise you that.”

Peter says “Okay, sweetheart. Thank you. You brought me both of my children and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

I smile and say “It’s my pleasure. Are you okay enough to go to Chris yet? Or do you still need me?”

Peter says “Give me a minute longer and I’ll be able to go.”

I hold him close and say “No rush I just thought you’d want to tell him. You’re welcome to stay with me right here for as long as you need. I’ve got you, Zombiewolf.”

Peter chuckles and says “You’re an asshole, darling. Thank you as always for having my back.”

I say “You nearly burned yourself alive for the third time to let them know I was real, Peter. I know you did it for me Peter. You wanted them to be able to get me out of the Wild Hunt and you risked everything for it.”

Peter says “I did it for you and Malia, you’re right. Though mostly you. I knew you were the best bet on getting everyone out of there.”

I smile and say “I know. I appreciate that you did that for me. We’ll always have our differences but I do love you Peter.”

Peter says “I love you too, sweetheart.”

I chuckle and say “I know. That’s why you’re willing to be vulnerable with me. I’m not an idiot.”

Peter laughs and says “You’re right. You and Chris are probably the only people I’d be comfortable with enough to be vulnerable with. I know I can rely on you both.”

I nod and say “I know.”

Peter nods and says “I think I’m ready to go now.”

I remove my arms from him and say “Okay. Call me if you need me okay? Or if you’re unable tell Chris to call me if you need me later.”

Peter stands and says “Okay, sweetheart. One of us will call you later if we need you. Good luck with your sons.”

I chuckle and say “Thank you. I might need it. Hopefully they’re not going to be mad at me for not seeing it earlier.”

Peter says “I don’t think you should be worried about that. I’m sure they’ll be just happy about finally having you guys know. They have been really struggling with that.”

I nod and say “You’re probably right. Let’s head down so you can go home and I can have the conversation with my sons.”

Peter nods and we head down. I remove the soundproofing ward while leaving. Peter heads to the front door and I head for the dining room table. I sit back down and act like nothing happened. I raise my hand to pause the questions I know are coming until I feel Peter fully leave the wards. I don’t want him to have to  listen to their questions about him while he’s struggling. Once I’m sure he’s out of listening range, I lower my hand.

Derek is the first one to speak and he says “Is Peter going to be okay?”

I nod and say “He’s okay, now. Talia stealing both of his children from his mind really messed him up. But Chris and I have Peter covered. If Peter needs me he or Chris will call me later. But he’s fairly okay about it now.”

Jackson says “You’re closer to Peter than we knew. So you’re going to want me to really give him a chance aren’t you?”

I nod and say “He would like to have at least some kind of relationship with you. Maybe not as close as him and Malia. But I think you should definitely give him a chance, though if you’re really against it I’ll explain it to him.”

Jackson says “I’ll give him a chance. I’ve been wanting blood family since I found out I was adopted. Though I can’t make any promises.”

I nod and say “I completely understand and he does as well.”

Jackson says “How did no one know that you and Peter were so close?”

I smile sadly and say “Willful ignorance mostly. Peter and I are both sarcastic assholes so we banter at all times. But we’ve had each other’s back since he risked dying bringing my keys back to Scott and Lydia during the Wild Hunt. Though I guess the entire time we were in the Wild Hunt we had each other’s back. I’m the second closest person to Peter though sometimes Chris and I swap places if they fight too much.”

Derek says “Also Peter isn’t comfortable with people knowing how close Stiles and him actually are. He thinks it could make people disrespect Stiles or put him in danger. Especially since Stiles is my mate.”

Stiles says “I’m already put into danger due to so many other reasons it’s ridiculous. But because of certain reasons I understand why he’s extra cautious.”

Derek says “You are so many of the Pack’s anchor, it’s a little uncomfortable.”

I sigh and say “Just because I was yours first does not mean no one else can use me as their anchor. I personally think I’m a good choice. Also it’s part of my job in a way.”

Derek says “I’m not saying no one else is allowed to. I just think it’s weird that you’re still your ex girlfriend’s anchor.”

I sigh and say “I taught her control and was the one to teach her how to be human again. It makes sense. We were never really dating; it was a weird codependency thing.”

Liam says “You’re still one of my anchors, it’s you and Theo.”

Issac says “You’re also one of my anchors now.”

I smile brightly and say “I didn’t know that.”

Jackson says “My Kanima side will only react to thoughts of you now whether to come out or go back away.”

I raise my eyebrows and say “Oh I definitely didn’t know that.”

Derek says “I wonder how many in the Pack actually have you as one of their anchors.”

I say “Clearly more than I knew about. I’m curious now as well.”

Jackson says “It’s not exactly the same but I know Lydia uses you when her powers are overwhelming her as they grow to focus and get through it.”

I nod and say “That actually makes so much sense because I was the one to help her in the beginning and I saved her when Valack drilled a hole in her head to purposefully overwhelm her to get the answer on who was the last chimera.”

Theo says “I’m going to be uncomfortably honest with you, you have been my anchor since I became a chimera. Though Liam is now also an anchor for me.”

I look at him wide eyed and say “I wish that didn’t make as much sense as it did. But I’m honestly not very surprised. It strangely makes too much sense.”

Derek says “So you guys did actually grow up together? Scott wasn’t fully an idiot to believe him? About who he was.”

I say “Yes, though when he came back he was a very different person. Which is why I didn’t trust him. I knew there was something wrong with him and I was right. Though I think the dread doctors messed him up thoroughly. Coming back from hell settled him well, though I’m still apologetic about how long he was left there.”

Theo says “Pain conditioning was part of it. You were my best friend and I’m sorry for the pain I caused you. I deserved going to hell.”

I say “Theo I told you I had forgiven you and I meant it. You’re the one person I’d trust to partner with Derek in a fight. You and I are good now. I hated you for what you did to my father more than anything else. But you have proven yourself to me.”

Theo nods and says “I never meant for him to truly nearly die. I just needed you away from Scott. It was a bad idea but it seemed like a good one in the moment.”

I nod and say “I am aware of that, Theo. The same reason you protected me from my dad knowing, but told Scott a worse version of what happened with Donovan. I understand what your plan was, I still don't like it, but I do understand.”

Theo says “Thank you for forgiving me, Stiles.”

I smile and say “You don’t need to thank me, Theo. You have more than proven yourself. Especially when it comes to how you protect Liam and how you had Derek’s back after the war.”

Derek says “I hate that you had to deal with all of that without support, Sti.”

I say “I don't. It’s a thing that happened, but I got through it. Without help, better yet.”

Derek says “I think that makes it worse.”

I say “Hey it made me stronger. I got through it and it was worth it. I’ve always been a survivor and this life has proven it beautifully.”

Derek says “That you are and you made sure as many as possible around you would survive as well.”

I nod and say “I didn’t want to lose any of you. You guys made this shitshow worth living through. Which is why I would always go out of my way to save everyone I could even while woefully unprepared for this life.”

Jackson says “This is why we adore you, Stiles. Because you will go to the end of the earth for the ones you care about. Also are unafraid to tear down the people who are going against you and the ones you care about.”

I smile and say “I’m fairly morally grey so if you’re not my people, you just don’t really matter to me. Which is why it was so easy to turn Scott against me with his weird black and white view of the world. Also I wanted to say thank you for believing me, Jax and Theo. You both thought I hated you, but easily accepted the truth. So thank you seriously for believing me.”

Jackson says “You don’t have to thank me for that. I know you wouldn’t lie about that, especially knowing how much it would kill me. Because even if you did hate me I was still a part of the Pack so I was one of your people.”

Theo says “I agree with Jackson on this.”

I chuckle and say “I love you morons.”

Theo laughs and says “I love you too, Asshole.”

Jackson says “I love you.”

Issac says “Holy shit.”

Derek says “Issac hush.”

I smile softly at Jackson and say “Issac, don’t make your brother uncomfortable.”

Issac says “Sorry mom.”

Jackson says “No need to worry about that, mom. I know you’re the first person I’ve said that to since I found out I was adopted. I also know it’s a big deal and surprising to others.”

I smile and say “I’m so proud of how far you have come, Jax.”

Jackson says “Thank you, I really appreciate that.”

Derek says “I’m also proud of you, Jackson. You’ve been a great beta and have improved immensely since joining the Pack. I’m really glad you came back.”

Jackson smiles and says “Thank you. I’m glad I came home. Thank you for giving me a place in the Pack.”

Derek says “You don’t need to thank me.”

Jackson says “Okay. Though I am grateful.”

I smile and say “I’m really glad you came home, Jax.”

Jackson says “I’m glad I came home as well.”

Derek says “We have three sons and one practically official son in law and probably another one that is close.”

I laugh and say “We do. And I love them immensely. I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier.”

Liam says “Theo is the almost official son in law?”

I smile and say “Yes.”

Issac says “I think Jackson is going to bring two son in laws, just so you know.”

I tilt my head and say “You think he’s going to get with Mason and Corey? I could see that. I’ve been curious if there was something going on there.”

Jackson blushes and says “I doubt it’d happen, they’ve been together for a long time. I think it’s too late to add another person in the relationship. Even if they did for some reason want to.”

I shake my head and say “I think they’ve been trying to add you since you and Ethan broke up. Though I could be wrong. Maybe it’d be worth asking them, if it’s something you would want from them.”

Derek says “I agree that it definitely seems like they have been trying to add you.”

Jackson says “You really think I have a chance? I’ve been too scared to consider it.”

I smile softly and say “Yes I truly believe you have a chance. They seem enamored with you. So talk to them about it if you want to.”

Jackson blushes and says “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

Liam says “So you guys are okay with us considering you mom and dad? Both of you?”

Derek says “Since I know you’re mostly talking about me I’ll answer. Yes, both of us accept you three as our sons. We’ve always been more protective over you three.”

I say “We both do accept you three as our sons. I already considered you my sons, though it’s nice to know I’m now allowed to show it. It’s just as nice for me to be accepted as it is for you guys.”

Jackson says “You were probably most worried about me, the same way I was with you, right?”

I nod and say “I knew you didn’t hate me, but I was worried you would be offended by me feeling that way.”

Jackson says “I can understand that.”

I say “All three of you knew about the others right?”

Liam says “Yeah we have been talking about it for almost the whole three years that we were brothers and you are who we chose as parents.”

I nod and say “Understandable. So you guys are okay sharing us?”

Issac says “I am or I wouldn’t have told you about them.”

Liam says “I’m okay with it.”

Jackson says “I always wanted siblings and now I have one biological and two essentially adopted ones. So I am definitely okay with it.”

I smile and say “I’m glad.”

Derek says “We might eventually have our own children, but you'll always be our sons. I just wanted to warn you about that. So you guys can be prepared for a much younger sibling in the future.”

Liam says “What do you mean? Like have Cora carry your child?”

Derek says “That is an option, but because of Stiles magic one of us can carry our own child. Due to how much Stiles has to do, it’d probably be me. Or we can ask Cora to carry it for us.”

I say “We will get married before we do that though.”

Liam says “Does it only work for you or can you do the spell on other people?”

I smile and say “I should be able to use it on someone else as long as they are something other, even man made supernaturals.”

Liam blushes and says “That’s good to know.”

I chuckle and say “If either of you ever want it I can do it for you guys. You only have to ask. Though only after you graduate.”

Liam blushes brighter and says “Thank you, mom.”

Theo looks sharply at Liam and says “I didn’t even know that was something you would consider. Having kids with me.”

Liam tenses and says “Is that’s not something you would want? I wasn’t sure if you were ready to talk about it so I never brought it up. It’s definitely something I’ve thought about though.”

Theo smiles and says “It’s not that, baby. I would very much like to have kids with you. I just didn’t think you’d be comfortable with me and kids.”

Liam smiles and says “Personally I think you’d make a great dad or mom. You’re kind of a perfect mixture of Stiles and Derek. So either role would probably suit you.”

Theo says “You really think so?”

Liam says “Of course I do.”

I say “If it helps, Theo, I agree with Liam on this. I think you’d make a good parent. You and Liam would balance each other out well.”

Theo says “Thank you both. That honestly means a lot to me.”

Derek says “I agree with them as well. I never thought I’d say that from what I had heard about you. But I’m sure Stiles didn’t either. Though it’s true. I think you’d be a good parent.”

Theo says “Thank you. I’m surprised to hear it from anyone.”

Jackson says “I need to leave, is that okay? Mason and Corey asked me to come over.”

I smirk and say “Good luck, Jax. Use protection if something happens. Cleanup is hard otherwise. I love you. Be safe.”

Jackson blushes and says “Mom, you did not just say that. I love you as well. Will do.”

I cackle and say “I did say it and will say it again. Get going. We’ll see you later.”

Derek says “Listen to your mother. Be safe. Love you.”

Jackson melts slightly and says “Love you too, dad.”

I smile and watch Jackson leave. I’m glad he’s putting himself out there. I giggle slightly thinking about him blushing so easily.

I say “I can’t believe I successfully made him blush about that. He must really care for them. I wonder how that will play out.”

Liam says “Mason and Corey are way too into him to turn him away. They’re a little gross about it honestly. I get so tired listening to them bitch and moan about him not being responsive when I know it’s because they’re too subtle about it for him to realize that they are serious.”

I nod and say “They came to me about it last year and I told them that they were being too subtle about it, but they didn’t agree.”

Issac says “I didn’t know until recently that any of them were interested in the other, so definitely too subtle.”

I nod and say “Without a doubt. It was adorable though. I hope things work out well for the three of them.”

Derek says “Even if they don’t work out I doubt that they’d stop being best friends so either way they’ll be okay.”

Liam says “I agree. Whether they stay or even start a romantic relationship I know they’ll always love each other. They’ll be just fine.”

I nod and say “You guys are right.”

Issac says “Danny wants me home. I’ll see you guys later. Love you mom and dad.”

I chuckle and say “I love you, Pup. Be safe. We’ll see you later.”

Derek says “Love you too, pup.”

Issac leaves after hugging Derek and I. I chuckle and lean against Derek.

Theo says “Should we head home as well?”

I shake my head and say “You don’t have to go. You’re welcome here as long as you want. Even if you want to spend the night here, we have the space for the whole Pack and guests. Despite none of the Pack choosing to live with us. Which we should have expected but we did not.”

Liam says “I don’t think we knew that we were actually allowed to live here full time. Though I think many will move in when they graduate. Theo and I will for sure.”

I smile and say “I will have to make it more clear to the Pack that they are allowed to live here full time. I’ll be glad to have you here. We both will.”

Theo nods and says “Make sense, but we should go.”

I nod and say “Okay. We’ll see you later. I love you both. Drive safe, Theo. Since I know you brought the truck tonight and you’re still too protective over it to let Liam drive it.”

Theo chuckles and says “Will do. Love you too, Sti.”

Liam says “Love you mom and dad.”

Derek says “Love you too, Liam.”

They leave and Derek and I head up to our room after locking up. I pull Derek close when we get to our room and just hold him.

I say “Were you serious when you asked me to marry you? Or was it a heat of the moment thing?”

Derek says “I meant it. I was going to propose on my birthday so that you were my gift to myself.”

I chuckle and say “Then we’ll wait until Christmas to actually get engaged. So you can keep your plans. I think it’d be a gift for both of us.”

Derek says “Okay, Sti. I love you so much. Do you know that?”

I smile and say “Of course I know, Der. You make sure I know everyday. I love you so much as well, baby.”

Derek melts against me and says “I’m glad you know, Sti. Can we go to bed? Today has been mentally exhausting.”

I smile and say “Of course, baby. Whatever you need. Let's get ready for bed.”

I reluctantly pull away from Derek and we go through the motions of getting ready for bed. I finish and lay in the middle of the bed. Derek finishes and settles in my arms. I kiss him lightly on the forehead, nose and lips before settling back so we can sleep.

Derek says “Good night, Sti. I love you.”

I smile and say “Good night baby. I love you. Get some rest.”

We fall asleep quickly wrapped around each other, a perfect end for such an emotional and eventful day.