Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Witches?” Isaac asked.

“Yes,” Derek answered, leading them through the woods to the well hidden cabin.

“Witches?” Isaac asked again, sounding completely mystified.

“Yes,” Derek insisted, rolling his eyes at his young Beta.

“Everybody looked at me like I was crazy when I asked Deaton if he was a witch,” Isaac said, leaping over a tree root jutting out of the ground.

“That’s because he’s not a witch,” Derek pointed out.

“Debatable, but okay,” Isaac snorted. Derek rolled his eyes again, signaling for Isaac to be quiet and keep following.

It had been a month since Boyd and Erica disappeared and they hadn’t found a single trace of them. Isaac was getting antsier as the time passed, especially after they had gotten more info on the Alpha pack that left their mark on their front door. Word around the werewolf circles was they were not a pack to be messed with. So Isaac was convinced that Boyd and Erica were in danger and needed to be found immediately. Derek was less convinced, since the two Betas had told him they were planning on running before the whole kanima debacle. He figured they just kept their word. But Isaac was adamant, so Derek went along with it for the most part. He couldn’t afford to lose any more packmates. And making more sounded like a terrible idea, looking at his history.

If Derek had to choose one Beta of his who he thought was best, it would have to be Boyd. Solid, levelheaded Boyd. His junior ROTC background lent well to pack dynamics and until he decided to run off, he was the most dependable. Erica was a bit of a wild card, overwhelmed by her newfound power and not sure yet how to use it. She was the one most likely to lose control and get them all into trouble. While she had started to mellow out before she decided to take off, there was still that edge to her that didn’t look to have softened.

And then there was Isaac, the last Beta he made who was still with him. Derek had to admit that he had a soft spot for the boy. It was impossible not to, given his history. But Isaac was complicated. He was this strange mixture of defiant and eager to please. Isaac had been game to do whatever he wanted at first, seeking that approval he’d been lacking for so long. But then he would start to question things more and Derek could smell the guilt pouring off of him in waves. Isaac was in a constant internal battle between being the best Beta he could be and sticking to what he believed was right. Which is why they were out here now.

Derek had to pick and choose where to give in and where to stay firm. He needed to keep his Beta happy enough to remain in the pack, but not blur the lines of their relationship. He was an Alpha, not a father. An authority figure, not a nurturer.

So now they were trudging through the woods in the middle of the night, trying to sniff out the cloaked cabin of a witch who rolled into town last week, hoping she’d have something to help track down the missing members of their pack. And that she’d be willing to help. Derek hadn’t had the best experiences with witches in the past, but he was going to try to not let that get in the way of possibly getting some aid in their quest.

They finally stumbled upon the place they were looking for, after wandering in circles for what seemed like hours. If she was powerful enough to hide this well, she probably was good enough to help them.

“Let me do the talking,” Derek directed, acknowledging Isaac’s answering nod. This might take a little finessing and Derek was better at that than Isaac. He was more likely to default to some sort of snarky comments and they didn’t need a pissed off witch. Derek moved Isaac behind him, approaching the door with caution. Witches were damn tricky and he didn’t want to set off some kind of booby trap by running in half cocked. He listened carefully to see if he could hear any movement, but there was nothing. Not surprising, if she was able to cloak her location so well. They would just have to do this the old fashioned way. Derek knocked firmly on the door, stepping back again just in case. Isaac was just over his shoulder, glancing around the area in suspicion.

“Maybe she didn’t hear you?” Isaac whispered, shifting his weight in anticipation.

“Oh, I heard you,” a voice said from seemingly nowhere and everywhere. Isaac’s claws immediately flicked out, but Derek grabbed his wrist in warning. Losing their cool so soon wouldn’t be a good thing.

“We aren’t here to cause problems. We just wanted to ask for your help,” Derek said, focusing all his attention on his senses.

“What makes you think I’d help you?” the voice asked, humor coloring her words.

“Maybe we can help each other?” Derek suggested, nodding toward the door. “May we come in?” The door slowly creaked open, giving them just enough room to squeeze through. It was dark inside and surprisingly bare, but Derek wouldn’t be shocked to find out there was more that they just weren’t able to see. They walked to the center of the room, Derek staring straight ahead while Isaac’s eyes were darting around looking for signs of danger. Twitchy Isaac didn’t make an appearance as often as he used to, but the new threat and missing packmates were getting him all out of sorts.

“And what do you think I could need from a couple of dogs?” the witch purred, finally stepping out from behind a wall. Derek suppressed his growl, forcing his body to stay calm and not give out aggressive vibes.

“Beacon Hills is a complicated town. You might need help with the lay of the land during your visit,” Derek said, making it clear he didn’t want her to stick around for long.

“I’ve been managing well enough so far,” the witch laughed, checking her nails as if they were boring her. Isaac was as tense as ever, breathing down Derek’s neck. He should’ve made him wait in the car. “I am curious by nature, so why don’t you tell me what you came for, so I know what I’m saying no to.”

“I need help finding a couple people,” Derek said, grinding his teeth hard enough to crack. He couldn’t lose his cool while they were on her turf.

“Aren’t you supposed to be good at stuff like that? Can’t you sniff them out like the mutts you are?” she hissed, eyes gleaming as she saw their barely concealed disdain for her. As if they’d be here if it was that simple. “If you’re looking for love, you’re in all the wrong places.”

“I’m looking for my pack!” Derek snapped, his worry for them briefly overshadowing his worry for himself. He was not going to stand by and let her make a joke of his people.

“And why would I help you find your lost little puppies? Hopefully they got hit by a car,” the witch sneered, cackling at Isaac’s soft, mournful whine.

That was it. This was a lost cause, so why bother leaving her intact? Derek let himself shift, roaring out in anger and aggression. The woman stepped back a little, but not out of fear. Derek’s mood was making him sloppy, so he didn’t have time to react before she sent a blast of light in his direction. He braced for the impact, but instead of an unnatural force hitting him, a body did. Derek immediately retracted his claws, not wanting to accidentally cut Isaac as he caught him. They fell together to the floor, Isaac bouncing back up faster than he expected.

The witch was gone, only the dissipating signs of smoke left in her wake. Derek jumped up, keeping his back to Isaac’s as they scanned for any other signs of attack. He would deal with Isaac jumping in front of him when they got somewhere safe. After another minute of nothing happening, Derek let himself settle back to human. He turned Isaac around roughly by the arm, checking him over as best he could in the weak light.

“Are you okay?” Derek demanded, poking at his chest where the blast most likely hit.

“Yeah, yeah I think so. What was that?” Isaac asked, checking over his own body as well.

“I don’t know, but I doubt it’s good,” Derek sighed, running a hand down his face. This was the last time he’d willingly deal with a witch.

“Maybe we should get out of here? This place gives me the creeps,” Isaac said, frowning at all the dark corners that surrounded them. Derek snorted, turning around and walking toward the door.

“We live in the hollowed out shell of my burned down childhood home and this place gives you the creeps?” Derek scoffed, shaking his head. When he didn’t hear a response or Isaac following him, he looked back. Isaac was frozen, staring blankly ahead in confusion and fear. “What is it?”

“Something’s not right,” Isaac mumbled, before his eyes rolled back into his head and he pitched forward in a dead faint. Derek lunged, catching him and carefully guiding him down into his lap.

“Isaac! Come on, wake up!” Derek commanded, patting his cheek. Isaac jolted awake with a scream, writhing around in agony. Derek tried shouting over him, telling him to turn. Isaac either couldn’t or wouldn’t, only screaming in an inhuman way. Derek couldn’t do anything besides hold onto him, making sure he didn’t hurt himself worse as his body tried to shake itself apart. He was reminded of Erica’s seizure, but this didn’t look like something a broken arm would take care of.

After what felt like hours, Derek thought he was losing his mind, because somehow he thought he felt Isaac getting smaller. Isaac wasn’t someone anyone would consider small, with all those long limbs, but somehow he was starting to fit in Derek’s lap in a way he hadn’t before. Isaac had always had a way of making himself smaller than he should’ve been able to, thanks to years with his abusive father, but Derek could feel his bones shrinking. All Derek could do at this point was hold on, praying that whatever was happening right now wouldn’t end in a dead body. He couldn’t lose another Beta.

The screams turned to whimpers, then the whimpers went from a deeper tone to a softer one. Derek could only stare in horror as the teenager he’d come in with shifted into a tiny bundle of child.
“Isaac?” Derek whispered, releasing his grasp as the kid in his lap startled and tried to scramble away. The boy scooted away a little, his face red and wet with tears as he gripped the giant clothes he was swimming in close to his body. Derek had never seen pictures of Isaac as a child, but this was definitely him. He was all curly blonde hair and big blue eyes.

Derek felt an urge to scream and panic like he hadn’t in years, but he couldn’t let himself. He had to focus on Isaac right now and get him somewhere safe so they could figure out how to change him back. He shoved his hand in his pocket, digging out his cell phone. By some miracle, whatever cloaking the witch had used didn’t affect his signal. He scrolled down his contacts to find the stupid group text Stiles had insisted they start. Derek had immediately put it on mute and never sent any messages, but now he was glad to have it to avoid the few extra steps it would’ve taken to text everyone separately. All he sent was “Deaton’s, now,” but he knew it would be enough. If he was actually texting, it was important. He shoved the phone back into his pocket, turning his full attention to the boy in front of him.

“Hey Isaac, do you know who I am?” Derek asked, using the softest voice he could muster right now. This would be a lot simpler if Isaac had all of his memories, but was just stuck in a kid’s body. It would suck for Isaac, but at least he’d be able to reason with him on a different level. Isaac shook his head, biting at his trembling lips. Well, that complicated things. How do you earn the trust of a boy who was huddled almost naked in an empty cabin with a strange man? That witch was dead if he ever got his hands on her.

“My name’s Derek,” he said, racking his brain for anything that wouldn’t sound creepy to a little boy. He needed to get Isaac to Deaton’s, but he didn’t want to just grab him and carry him against his will. They may be in the woods, but you never knew who might overhear the shrieks of a child. “I think you got lost, but I can take you somewhere safe.” Isaac still didn’t move, shivering in his little pile of clothes. Derek was running out of ideas and patience. He knew it wasn’t Isaac’s fault that he was scared, but he just wanted to get them somewhere safer. Somewhere he wouldn’t be alone to deal with this issue.

“My friend has a few puppies you can pet,” Derek offered, resisting the urge to slap his forehead as soon as those words came out of his mouth. What was he going to do next, tell Isaac he had candy waiting back in his van for him? He had younger siblings and cousins once, why was this so hard? What would he have said to them to gain their trust?

“Isaac, I know you’re scared, but you can trust me, okay? I have a little sister your age and I wouldn’t want her to be alone out here like this. Will you let me take you somewhere where we won’t be alone? Somewhere safe?” Derek asked, pleading in his mind to let Isaac agree. He avoided saying anything about his home or family, because he didn’t know how things were there at this point in Isaac’s life. Bringing up his father right now might cause him to panic even more. By some miracle, Isaac eventually nodded, wiping at his face and staring up at him with the saddest eyes Derek had ever seen.

Derek shucked off his own jacket, carefully wrapping it around the boy to give him more coverage and protection. He scooped him up, tucking him under one arm and grabbing whatever clothes hadn’t stayed on him. Isaac wrapped his arms around his neck, burrowing his face down into the jacket. Maybe the wolf senses were still there, sparking a deep recognition inside Isaac that connected him to his Alpha’s scent. Derek would take whatever he could get at this point.

He sprinted in the direction of his car, running faster than any human could and not caring if anyone saw. Isaac bounced along in his arms, only the occasional sniffles coming from him now. The trip back was a lot quicker than the trip out thankfully, and they got back to the car just as the sun was coming back up. Derek set Isaac in the passenger’s seat, tucking the sweater he’d left in the back over him before he buckled him up. Isaac curled up, gripping at the seatbelt that was laying across his face. Derek slid into the driver’s seat, accelerating at a speed just under breakneck, knowing he’d have to slow down once they got onto the main streets. This wasn’t something he’d want to explain to a police officer if he got pulled over.

He glanced over at his tiny Beta, wondering how they were going to fix this mess. If Deaton didn’t have a solution, Derek didn’t know what he would do. He wasn’t a parent. He couldn’t take care of a child, no matter who it was. He didn’t even have a proper home. This was way more complicated than anything he’d considered when he chose to become an Alpha.

Chapter Text

Stiles’ jeep was parked outside the vet’s office when he got there, thank goodness. If he’d had to wait for them, Derek probably would’ve flipped out. He didn’t see Scott’s bike, but hopefully he’d just gotten a ride with Stiles. School was out for the summer, so they wouldn’t have to worry about that, even though they all seemed to skip at least a few times a week. Isaac had sat quietly for the whole drive, hugging the clothes around himself as best he could. This was such a mess.

“Okay Isaac, we’re here,” Derek said soothingly, cringing at how the boy tensed up. This random alley was pretty creepy if you were a kid. “My friends are waiting for us inside. Two of them are big kids and the man is a veterinarian. He helps cats and dogs feel better.” Derek felt like an idiot as he spoke, like he was some kid show host reject. He was never going to have kids of his own, this just solidified that fact.

Derek climbed out of the car, moving quickly around to get Isaac out as well. Isaac went back to his previous position, curled up under his arm. This was going to be so hard to explain. He could hear Stiles and Scott talking as he walked into the building, debating over what they had been summoned for.

“Maybe he found Boyd and Erica and needs our help?” Scott wondered.

“Then he would’ve just had us go to his place. Meeting at Deaton’s means something’s wrong,” Stiles argued. He didn’t know how right he was. Derek turned the corner, walking into the room to see them huddled around the exam table. Somehow Stiles, the one without supernatural hearing abilities, was the one who noticed him first.

“What is that?” Stiles asked, staring open mouthed at the sight before him.

“What the hell, Derek? Did you turn a kid?” Scott shouted, making Isaac jerk in fear and grip him tighter. Derek rolled his eyes. He may have technically turned minors, but sixteen was a lot different than six.

“Keep your voice down, Scott,” Derek muttered through his teeth, keeping his own voice as calm as possible. “This is my friend, Isaac.” Stiles and Scott glanced at each other in confusion. Derek knew that people turning into children wasn’t an everyday occurrence, but it would be really helpful if they’d just accept what was happening and not ask questions. Isaac didn’t need to hear anything crazy right now, even if it was the truth.

“Shut up,” Stiles mumbled, finding his words first. Even if they were pointless and dumb. Derek just stared at them, waiting for them to absorb the information. Was he the type to play a practical joke? Would he go to the lengths of finding a random child to pull it off?

“No, it’s not possible,” Scott said, staying firmly in the denial camp.

“Who else would wear that sweater?” Stiles grimaced, surprisingly the first one to believe him. Well, maybe not too surprising. This was probably something right out of one of his comic book fueled fantasies.

“Where’s Deaton?” Derek asked, needing a fellow adult to talk to right now. One who had always come in clutch for them before.

“He’s on his way,” Scott answered, fidgeting where he stood. Derek sighed, willing the man to get here quickly. Where even was he? Derek assumed he lived in the clinic, since it seemed like he was always there.

“Hey buddy, remember those puppies I told you about?” Derek asked, dipping his head down to try to catch Isaac’s eye. “My friend Stiles is going to take you to see them, okay? I need to talk to my pal Scott, but I’ll be right here if you need me, okay?” Derek could actually feel the bitter taste in his mouth at calling Stiles his friend, but he had to at least pretend to like Stiles if he had any chance of Isaac feeling comfortable enough to go with him. Isaac peeked out to look at Stiles, the appeal of dogs evidently strong enough to make him come out of his protective ball.

“Why me?” Stiles whined, before clamping his mouth shut at Derek’s glare. “I mean, yay me.” Derek carefully set Isaac down, adjusting his clothes more securely before he gently guided him toward Stiles. Stiles was doing some weird things with his hands, avoiding touching the recently little boy. At least Derek wasn’t the most awkward one at this point. Isaac followed Stiles out of the room and Derek waited until he heard the door close before opening his mouth.

“What the hell!” Scott exclaimed, before he could say anything.

“Keep your voice down!” Derek hissed, listening for any signs of distress in reaction to the outburst. “I don’t know if he has any wolf in him, so be quiet.”

“What the hell?” Scott whispered, stamping his foot a little. Which one had been turned into a child?

“We went to go talk to a witch to see if she could help track down Boyd and Erica. I pissed her off and she turned Isaac into a kid somehow,” Derek explained quietly, once again wishing death on that tricky bitch.

“Why would she turn Isaac into a kid if she was pissed at you?” Scott asked.

“She was aiming for me. Isaac stepped in front of me and took the hit,” Derek muttered, promising to himself that if they got the normal Isaac back he’d thank him properly and also tell him to never pull a stunt like that again. Not if they got him back, when.

“Nice going,” Scott scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Look, there is nothing I can do about it now. I brought him here to Deaton’s to see if he knew how to fix this. What more do you want from me?” Derek snapped. He was so sick of Scott McCall judging him and questioning every decision he made. If he hadn’t been so resistant to his new reality in the beginning they could’ve possibly been friends at this point. But Scott wore his holier-than-thou attitude with pride.

“I want you to stop getting into messes like these. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you are kind of the cause of a lot of our issues these days.” Derek did his best to ignore the sting he felt from Scott’s words. He wasn’t wrong, and that was the worst part. From the chaos caused by Peter to the kanima, all roads led back to him. He never should’ve come back to town.

“Good morning, Derek. What seems to be the problem?” Deaton asked, striding into the room with the air of calm he usually had. Derek could contemplate all of his mistakes later.

“Do you know how to undo a witch’s spell?” Derek demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’m assuming this is without the help of the witch in question?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it depends on the spell. Some can be undone with the right herbs or time. However, the more complex, the more complicated.”

“What about someone getting turned into a child?”

“I’d consider that complex.”

“Kind of an understatement,” Scott mumbled.

“So what do we do?” Derek grunted. He could do without Scott’s commentary. Derek had asked them here for help, not snide remarks.

“How about we start with me getting a look at the child? Are they here?” Deaton asked kindly. Had he ever apologized for kidnapping him a while back? He probably should.

“Yeah, Isaac’s here,” Derek sighed, noting Deaton’s look of surprise at the information of who’d been hit by the spell. “I think he’s around six or so and he’s kind of skittish.”

“I understand,” Deaton smiled. He called Stiles to come back in the room as gently as he could, feeling his heart clench when Isaac trailed in behind him, clutching his pant leg. He kept his eyes firmly trained on the floor, besides a quick glance up to see who all was in the room.

“Hey pal, did you see any cute animals back there?” Derek asked, stooping down so he was eye level with Isaac. Stiles was smirking at him, but Derek could punch him later. Isaac nodded a little, hiding even more behind Stiles. “That’s great. So, do you remember my veterinarian friend I told you about? He’s here now. Would you like to meet him?”

“Hello Isaac, my name is Dr. Deaton. It’s very nice to meet you,” Deaton greeted politely. Isaac hugged himself tightly around his stomach with his free hand and started shaking his head. “Would it be okay if I looked you over really quick, to make sure you aren’t hurt?”

“No, my dad said that’s not allowed,” Isaac whispered, taking in a shaky breath.

“And that’s a very good rule to have, but I’m a doctor. It’s my job to check and make sure that you’re okay.”

“He said especially not doctors.” Derek felt every muscle in his body clench. He’d known about Isaac’s abuse from the beginning. He’d even shown Scott proof of it. But some part of his brain had convinced himself that it had started when Isaac was older, since that was more palatable. Knowing that Isaac had been hurt from such a young age was almost more than Derek could take.

“Do you think I can check you over? Remember how I found you out in that cabin? You might’ve fallen while you were out there and gotten hurt. Those trees and rocks can leave a lot of marks,” Derek said, giving an excuse for anything they might see. Of course Derek would know if they were old bruises, but he’d reign in his reaction so Isaac wouldn’t get upset.

“How about you keep all your clothes on and I’ll just listen to your heartbeat and maybe your lungs? I’m sure everything else is fine,” Deaton offered. Isaac looked hesitant, but nodded, keeping his oversized clothes held tightly to his body. Derek moved over to where Deaton was grabbing his supplies, needing to ask him something that he didn’t want Isaac to hear.

“Do you think something is wrong with him? Besides the obvious?” Derek murmured, hoping that a simple deaging was as far as this spell went. If that witch had hurt Isaac as well, he didn’t know what he’d do.

“Some spells can be a bit more nefarious in nature, but I don’t see anything saying this one is. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Deaton replied, softening his features as he turned back to face Isaac. Maybe Derek could convince him to take Isaac during this. “I’m going to show you on my friend Scott what I’m going to do. Does that sound okay?”

“Okay,” Isaac agreed, turning wide eyes toward Scott. Deaton used his stethoscope to listen to Scott’s heart, explaining everything as he went along. To Scott’s credit, he kept his face calm and open the whole time, to show Isaac nothing bad was happening. Isaac still flinched when it was his turn, but he didn’t try to run away. The only thing he outright refused was the blood pressure cuff, after he saw how much it squeezed Scott’s arm. They didn’t push it though and Deaton gave him as clean of a bill of health as he could in these circumstances.

“I’ll do some research and make a few calls to find out what I can about your situation. In the meantime, I don’t believe he is in any danger. You just need to take care of him until we can figure out how to change him back,” Deaton said, handing Isaac a sticker with a smile.

“Take care of him until we can change him back? How the hell am I supposed to do that?” Derek hissed, pulling Deaton aside to try and get some privacy. “I can’t take care of a kid!”

“When you became an Alpha and grew your pack, you signed up for any issues that may arise.”

“How was I supposed to see this coming?”

“I’m sure you’ll adapt. Isaac is still your Beta and while he may or may not be a werewolf in his current form, he still sees you as an authority figure. You are responsible for taking care of him.”

“Hey Derek, I think someone is getting tired,” Stiles called out to him. Derek turned back toward the rest of the group, finding Isaac rubbing at his eyes and stifling a yawn. They had been up all night and while a teenaged Isaac would be fine, this one looked ready to crash. The train depot they’d been inhabiting before had been taken over, so they’d gone back to his burnt house until Derek could find somewhere else. He hadn’t been in too much of a hurry, since it was only the two of them, but now he was regretting that decision. Was he supposed to let this kid sleep on an old mattress on the floor?

“Scott, your mom can take him, right?” Derek asked, keeping his eyes firmly away from Isaac’s. This was for the best.

“My mom’s out of town and isn’t coming back for a few weeks. This is the first time she’s taken a vacation for herself and I’m not going to mess it up,” Scott replied, crossing his arms.

“Stiles?”

“Who do you think went with her? I’m not going to ruin Scott and my chance to officially be brothers.”

“Allison and Lydia are still out of the country,” Scott added.

“We’re all you’ve got right now,” Stiles shrugged.

“Then we’re staying at your house,” Derek smirked.

“What? Why my house?” Stiles whined.

“Because my house is already uninhabitable in the best of circumstances. And I bet you still have a bunch of dumb shit that a kid would like.”

“Language!” Stiles admonished.

“Look, I can’t do this by myself,” Derek said seriously. He hated asking for help, but he had no other choice at the moment. “If you don’t want to do this for me, do it for Isaac.”

“Oh my God, fine!” Stiles groaned, rolling his eyes. “No need to play the guilt card.”

“So Isaac, you ready to go to Stiles’ house with me so you can take a nap?” Derek asked, kneeling back down at his side. Isaac looked ready to deny that he was tired, but another yawn gave him away. “Come on. I think we could all use some rest.” Derek held his arms open and Isaac moved forward, latching onto him like he had in the woods earlier. Stiles was making some cooing noises above him as Derek was standing up, but he could strangle him later. They needed to get Isaac settled somewhere so they could sit down and figure out how to survive this. Derek was in way over his head.

Chapter Text

The drive to Stiles’ house was easy, thank goodness. Isaac was nodding off almost as soon as he was buckled. Derek wondered as he drove if he’d be able to get away with taking off and leaving Isaac in the care of Stiles and Scott. He had the legitimate excuse of needing to find the witch who did this.

Derek hadn’t been prepared to take care of someone like this when he started his pack. They’d all had parents when he bit them, but now that Isaac’s dad was gone, he was stuck with a teenager. And he felt like kind of a dick for being annoyed by it, but it was true. Isaac was always there, no matter what. He didn’t have a job anymore or friends really, besides Scott, but they weren’t close enough to hang out.

Part of him was a little pleased to have a Beta who was loyal to him only. It was selfish, but having someone who would follow your command was nice. Derek probably wasn’t going to send him off to kill anyone again, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances popped up. Although he could hardly count on a six year old to do that.

What was he supposed to do with a kid? There weren’t really any scenarios where Isaac wouldn’t be more of a burden like this than anything else. Derek just didn’t have any use for a kid at this point and probably never would.

“Hey pal, we’re here,” Derek said, pulling his car in alongside Stiles’ jeep. Stiles was nowhere to be seen, but Scott was hovering on the walkway. Isaac tensed up when he looked up at the house and if this had been teenage Isaac, Derek would’ve joked that there wasn’t a basement for him to worry about. He really hoped child Isaac wouldn’t understand that reference.

Derek made his way around the car, glancing around to see if there were any nosy neighbors lurking about. He’d already been a murder suspect in this town and he didn’t need any other rumors tacked on.

“Where’s Stiles?” Derek asked as he lifted Isaac out of the passenger’s seat. They really needed to find properly fitting clothes for him.

“He’s inside changing his sheets or something,” Scott shrugged, waving him forward to lead him inside.

“I know where Stiles’ room is. I don’t need an escort,” Derek scoffed.

“Oh yeah, Stiles told me about that,” Scott smirked. “Miguel.” Derek rolled his eyes, suppressing his urge to snap back at him. He really needed to go into the woods and work out some of this stress, preferably with claws.

“Funny,” Derek said tightly, readjusting Isaac as his head tipped forward as he dozed. Scott didn’t say anything else, just walked into the house ahead of him. It felt weird planning on staying in the sheriff’s house for an undetermined amount of time, but hopefully this would be figured out sooner rather than later. If he came home from his vacation to find his son playing house with Derek and a kid, that wouldn’t be fun.

“Bring him in here!” Stiles called out as soon as the door shut behind them. Derek followed his voice, pausing in the doorway when he took in the sight in front of him. Stiles had scrounged up some childish looking bedspread with trucks and put it on his bed. There was also a night light plugged into the outlet by the nightstand. Although, this could be how Stiles usually slept.

Derek carefully set Isaac down on the bed and cringed as the newly little boy sniffled a little before settling again. He couldn’t deal with more crying. This was a crazy situation and he could appreciate that, but was it too much to ask for Isaac to just roll with the punches? Being a kid wasn’t that bad.

As soon as Isaac was out, Derek left the room. There was no need for him to stay in the room and watch him sleep. Stiles trailed after him, hesitating with one last look back at the sleeping pile of kid. The three of them converged in the kitchen and Derek wished there was some sort of alcohol he could partake in.

“Maybe he’ll wake up normal sized?” Stiles wondered, leaning against the counter.

“I doubt it’ll be that easy,” Scott muttered. “Have you had many encounters with witches?”

“Yeah, and why didn’t we know they existed before this? Probably would’ve been helpful information to have,” Stiles added.

“I try not to mess with witches, which is why I never mentioned them. Knowing your track record, you’d probably seek one out out of curiosity and get us all killed,” Derek grunted, looking pointedly at Stiles.

“Couldn’t do worse than you,” Stiles shot back.

“Is this really helping?” Scott sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Instead of fighting, we should figure out what we’re going to do.”

“I need to go find that witch.”

“Oh, you are not leaving us here to take care of Isaac!” Stiles argued.

“You guys are kids too, so you’ll be able to relate to him better.”

“We’re closer to your age than his, grandpa. And aren’t adults supposed to take care of kids anyway?”

“As if you’ve ever listened to a word I’ve told you before,” Derek scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“And I’m definitely not listening now when you’re telling us that you’re gonna abandon Isaac here. Is there a supernatural CPS I can call?”

“Are you guys finished yet?” Scott asked, looking at both of them in annoyance. “We’re all here and none of us is going anywhere. Well, except when I have to go to work tomorrow.”

“No way,” Derek argued.

“The more I can help Deaton with vet stuff, the more he’s free to do research for you,” Scott pointed out. Derek growled, but he knew he couldn’t dispute that. They really needed Deaton to come through for them with some information.

“So what am I supposed to do with him? Isaac never needed me to do anything for him.” Times like these made Derek really appreciate that Isaac rarely verbalized his needs, as bad as that sounded. He took whatever food Derek threw at him and slept in the corner he pointed toward. That was all that could be expected of him, since Derek had never signed up to be a parent. The universe sure was laughing at him right now.

“At the risk of sounding insensitive and bringing up hard memories, what would you do with your younger family members? How would you want them taken care of?” Stiles asked carefully. Derek bristled, tensing up like he always did when someone mentioned the people he’d lost. It felt like all the good memories had burned away with them in that fire.

“I’ll be out back,” Derek muttered, stalking out the back door and tucking himself away where the neighbors couldn’t see him. He could hear Scott and Stiles whispering to each other about him, but he tuned them out. It wasn’t like they were going to say anything useful.

He stood out there for what had to be hours, trying to come up with some sort of plan. The witch could be anywhere in the world by now, so there was little hope that he’d actually be able to find her. He’d only been able to find her in the first place because she’d let him. Derek had to hope that she’d stick around town for a while just to enjoy watching him suffer.

He was just about to throw his hands up and walk away, regardless of the repercussions, when the sound of something caught his ear. Was that crying? Instincts that he didn’t want to examine too closely had him dashing up the stairs, seeking out the source of the tears. Stiles and Scott, who had been lounging around the living room, were hot on his heels. Derek barged into Stiles’ room, finding a weeping Isaac standing in the middle of it.

“What happened?” Derek asked, looking around the room to make sure there was no one else inside. He didn’t see anything, but he did smell something. “Is that pee?”

“I’m sorry!” Isaac sobbed, his chest puffing in and out uncontrollably. Sure enough, there was a wet spot on Stiles’ bed and on the oversized clothes Isaac still had on.

“What the hell? You’re six, not a baby,” Derek growled, clenching his jaw in frustration.

“I didn’t mean to!” Isaac cried, covering his head with his arms. Stiles had seen enough and with a strength that surprised them all, he grabbed Derek by the collar and yanked him out of the room. The back of Derek’s head thudded against the wall as Stiles gave him the most threatening look he could muster. And then a second later, Stiles’ face smoothed out and he carefully made his way back into the room, leaving him in the hallway with Scott.

“Hey buddy, you had a little accident?” Stiles asked calmly, keeping every bit of anger out of his voice.

“I’ll clean it up, I swear,” Isaac choked out. “Please don’t tell my dad.” Derek didn’t think he’d ever hated himself more.

“I promise I won’t. And you’re not in trouble,” Stiles insisted. “How about we get you cleaned up and then I’ll make you something to eat? I’ll make you anything you want.” Isaac must’ve agreed, because his cries got quieter as Stiles led him into the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

“Come on. Let’s get the sheets off the bed and into the washer,” Scott said, walking back into the bedroom. Derek leaned against the doorway, trying his hardest not to shove his claws through the drywall.

“I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can,” Scott sighed, tossing the soiled blankets into a pile on the floor as he worked on pulling off the other layers.

“No, I can’t. I can’t even keep my normal pack together, what makes you think I can take care of a kid?” Derek snapped, running a hand down his face. “I need to find him a new Alpha.”

“You can’t be serious!” Scott hissed, whirling around to face him.

“Why not? He’d be better off.”

“So you’re just going to get rid of him and give him another disappointing parental figure?” Scott challenged, looking over at him in complete disappointment.

“I’m not good at this.”

“You have to try!”

“I am trying!”

“Well, try harder! Because if you’re already giving up, maybe you shouldn’t be anyone’s Alpha. And you never should’ve been one in the first place!” Scott spat.

“Watch it,” Derek growled. Scott was hitting too close to home, but Derek didn’t want to be confronted with those facts right now.

“You know everything that Isaac went through. Hell, you made it a point to show me. So maybe take this rare opportunity to show Isaac a childhood that isn’t full of abuse and fear,” Scott said firmly. Derek looked away, hating that he could be compared at all to Isaac’s father. Scott must’ve noticed his inner turmoil, because his face softened and he lowered his voice. “I know that you don’t really mean to be as aggressive as you are sometimes, especially now. But you’ve got to get a handle on it. Isaac doesn’t deserve your anger or frustration.”

“I know,” Derek sighed. Since when was he accepting getting lectured by Scott McCall? If he saw that witch again, he was going to rip her to pieces.

“Why don’t you go downstairs and take a minute? I’ll finish up in here,” Scott offered. Derek nodded, making his way back into the kitchen. His mother would be so disappointed in him if she could see him now. She’d always been passionate about the meaning of family and pack. She would know exactly what to do in this situation.

Derek’s heart had hardened over the past few years after losing everything, but that didn’t mean he had to lose his humanity as well. He wasn’t going to turn into Peter. Isaac was his responsibility and he had to do better. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

Chapter Text

Derek kept himself busy in the kitchen as he waited for Stiles and Isaac to finish up in the bathroom. He made it a point not to eavesdrop on whatever they were saying, if they were talking at all. It might be expecting too much to think Isaac would open up to anyone, but he had to admit that Stiles was the most likely to put him at ease. He was just so Stiles, for lack of a better description. That should’ve been an adjective itself.

Derek decided to make himself at home, since this is where he’d be for the foreseeable future. If Isaac was still small by the time the sheriff came back, he’d figure something else out, but that was a problem for another time. He rummaged around in the fridge, bypassing the random health food that was displayed front and center. A six year old wasn’t going to eat leafy greens and tofu. At least not one that he was taking care of. Derek grabbed the cheese and bread and got to work.

“What’s all this?” Stiles asked a few minutes later as he walked into the room. Isaac was hiding behind his legs, holding onto the back of Stiles’ pants. He was wearing one of Stiles tees and a pair of shorts, with everything being held up with a belt. It didn’t fit at all, but it was better than teenage Isaac’s giant clothes.

“I’m making lunch. Grilled cheese sandwiches okay?” Derek replied, trying to keep his voice light. He glanced down at Isaac, but the boy tucked himself further away. Derek knew that the normal Isaac loved grilled cheeses and could take out a whole stack of them if given an opportunity.

“How nice of you. Suspicious, but nice,” Stiles said, giving him a look that made it clear that Derek was still on his shit list. “So Isaac, how does a grilled cheese sound? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Isaac still didn’t make any attempt to move away from his protected position. Derek had to do something. The idea of a little kid being so afraid of him was making him sick.

“Hey pal, can I talk to you for a second? I need to apologize for earlier,” Derek said, kneeling down so he was eye level with Isaac. “I’m sorry for raising my voice at you. I wasn’t mad at you, I was mad at myself for not taking better care of you. But I promise I’ll do my best to not lose my temper again. I might still make mistakes, but no one here is going to hurt you. Do you think you can give me another chance?”

Isaac looked apprehensive. He’d probably heard versions of that same spiel before, only for the person to go back on their word. But Derek wasn’t going to be one of those people. He didn’t hurt Isaac as a teenager and he wasn’t going to while he was a child. That broken arm during training didn’t count.

Isaac didn’t say anything, but the grip on Stiles’ leg got a little looser, so Derek considered that progress. Stiles walked him over to the table and helped him up into a chair. He was barely tall enough to see over the top.

“Wow, who knew you could cook?” Stiles teased, propping his chin onto his fist after he sat down next to Isaac at the table.

“I can cook,” Derek scoffed. He just didn’t feel like it most of the time.

“You know, Derek doesn’t cook for just anyone. That must mean he really likes you,” Stiles said to Isaac with a bright smile. Isaac still looked apprehensive, but he also didn’t look like he was about to cry at any moment, so Derek counted that as a win.

“Lunch is served,” Derek announced, setting a sandwich and a glass of milk in front of Isaac. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out, but Derek stopped him with a quick shout. “Wait!”

“I’m sorry!” Isaac squeaked, thrusting his hands back under the table and closing his eyes.

“No, I’m sorry. I just- it’s still hot. I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” Derek said soothingly, picking up the sandwich and blowing on it. Stiles started rubbing Isaac’s back, helping to calm him down. Derek set the sandwich down when he determined it was sufficiently cool. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” Isaac hesitantly reached for the sandwich again, moving slowly as if he was waiting for Derek to stop him again. Derek decided to make it easier on him and got up from the table, moving back to the stove to make more sandwiches.

“You making me one too, big guy?” Stiles asked, shooting him a thumbs up as soon as Isaac took his first bite.

“Make it yourself,” Derek grunted, right before sliding over a sandwich for Stiles. He looked at it suspiciously, poking it like he was expecting it to come alive and attack him. “Where’s Scott?”

“Just finishing up some chores,” Stiles shrugged, glancing down at Isaac. They didn’t need to bring up the dirty sheets and make him upset.

“So, how was it?” Derek asked, noting with surprise that Isaac had practically shoveled down his sandwich. “Would you like another?”

“I can have more?” Isaac asked quietly, looking up at him in awe.

“Of course. I don’t want you to be hungry.”

“Here, have mine,” Stiles offered, sliding over the sandwich he hadn’t started eating yet. “It’s already cool.”

“Thank you,” Isaac whispered, poking it gently the same way Stiles had. Stiles stifled a giggle, leaning toward Isaac conspiratorially.

“I think it’s safe.” Isaac took that as his cue to dig into the second sandwich, finally showing a bit more of the teenager Derek knew. Derek got up to make more, just in case Isaac was still hungry after this. He wasn’t sure how much kids ate, but he was serious about Isaac not going hungry. Teenage Isaac was a bit slim, but child Isaac was downright tiny.

“Oh hey, this is nice,” Scott said as he walked into the room and took in the scene. Scott gave him a nod of approval before joining Stiles and Isaac at the table. It was starting to feel way too domestic.

“Derek is making everyone lunch. He takes care of us so well,” Stiles grinned.

“Wow, thank you Derek!” Scott replied excitedly. They were being so far over the top that it was making Derek nauseous. But he was going to let it slide if it made Isaac more comfortable. When this was all said and done and the normal Isaac was back, he was going to kick all their asses.

“What should we do after lunch?” Stiles wondered, scratching his chin. Derek’s plan had been to stick Isaac in front of the TV for the rest of the day and maybe sneak away to break his knuckles on a tree. “I think I have some new comic books I haven’t read yet. Does anyone else here like comic books?”

“I do,” Scott said brightly. They both looked up at him expectantly and Derek had to hold back a growl.

“I love comic books,” Derek grunted, sitting down at the table.

“What do you think, Isaac? Want to look at some cool comic books?” Stiles asked, tipping his head down toward the boy. For someone who seemed annoyed about being saddled with a kid earlier, Stiles was sure taking to it like a natural. Derek wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“I can’t,” Isaac said softly, shaking his head.

“Oh, you don’t like them? That’s okay.”

“I do, but dad says I’m not allowed,” Isaac whispered, tensing ever so slightly at the mention of his father.

“Well, I’m sure I can find some that aren’t scary,” Stiles offered.

“I’m on punishment.” Derek and Scott’s eyes snapped to each other at that. They were probably both thinking of their trip to the Lahey basement.

“That’s- you don’t have to worry about that here,” Stiles insisted, flicking his eyes toward Derek’s, as if asking him to help. But Derek would only make things worse.

“Why not?”

“Um, because we make the rules. And the number one rule is to have fun,” Stiles shrugged.

“But when my dad comes back, he’ll know. And then my mom won’t come home,” Isaac whimpered, dragging his hands across his cheeks. “Is- is that why my dad and Cam aren’t here? Did I mess up again?”

“What? Isaac, no.”

“I don’t know what I did, but I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry,” Isaac cried, ducking his head down to his chest. Derek suddenly felt a hand on his and he looked over at Scott in confusion. Scott nodded down at their joined hands and that’s when he realized that his claws had come out and he was digging them into his palms. Derek pulled them under the table and out of sight, wiping the blood off on his jeans.

“Isaac, your dad is-”

“On a business trip!” Scott blurted out, causing Isaac to startle and look up. “And your brother is at summer camp.”

“Y-yeah. And you’re staying with us because we wanted to take care of you,” Stiles added.

“Why?”

“Jump in anytime now, Derek,” Stiles mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.

“Isaac, sometimes family is complicated. You think you have the best thing in the world and then it changes and you don’t know what to do. So you run because you’ve lost everything, but all you want is what you used to have. And then you finally try to create something new and you mess it up and then you’re scrambling to fix your mistakes, but sometimes you can’t. And you end up dragging everyone else around you down and-”

“Okay… I think what Derek is trying to say is that your dad had to go on a trip to learn how to make better choices,” Stiles interrupted, giving him a curious look. Derek snapped his jaw shut, trying to figure out where all that came from. This was not the time or place to purge all the crap that he had simmering below the surface. “You know how we go to school to learn math and science and reading?”

“Yeah,” Isaac replied apprehensively.

“Well, sometimes grown-ups have to go back to school to learn how to be better parents. That’s where your dad is and that’s why you’ll be here with us for a while.”

“Is that where my mom went too?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure,” Stiles said, glancing over at him. Derek shrugged. Isaac had never mentioned his mother before, so he had no idea what the story was. He hadn’t even known about his brother until Scott told them what Matt said at the sheriff’s station the night he died.

“She’s a good mom. Dad said she left because of me, but if I was good enough, she might come back,” Isaac sniffled. “Will you tell my dad that I was good, so he can tell my mom?”

“Yeah, of course. And you know the best way to make your mom happy?” Stiles asked, dipping his head down to Isaac’s level.

“How?”

“You being happy and having fun. You want to try?”

“Okay,” Isaac agreed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

“Great! How about you go with Scott up to my room while Derek and I clean up lunch?” Stiles suggested, pulling Scott out of his chair. “He knows where I keep all my favorite comic books.”

“Let me show you my favorite Spiderman comic,” Scott said excitedly, holding out his hand for Isaac to take. He did so after a few moments, letting Scott lead him out of the room. As soon as they were gone, Derek threw his head back and closed his eyes.

“So, that was rough,” Stiles mumbled. Sort of an understatement. Derek’s eyes snapped open again when he felt Stiles tug at his arm and he jerked away.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m checking your hands. Don’t think I didn’t notice the blood,” Stiles scoffed, holding his hand out expectantly.

“It’s fine,” Derek grunted.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” Stiles insisted, snapping his fingers. Derek raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. “You’ve activated the caretaker side of me and that doesn’t only apply to Isaac. So stop giving me that look and do what I say.” Derek was caught off-guard by his statement that he ended up setting his hands palms up on the table. Besides a bit of smeared blood, they were healed.

“Told you they were okay,” Derek huffed. But before he could pull them back, Stiles wrapped his fingers around one of his wrists and gave it a squeeze. “What are you-”

“I know this is a lot, but I think you’re doing a good job,” Stiles said sincerely.

“No, I’m not. And I really don’t need you to lie to me about it,” Derek said tightly.

“The fact that you’re still sitting here and trying proves that you’re doing a good job. Giving a damn is more important than being perfect. So cut yourself some slack.” Derek wasn’t sure what to say to that. It sounded too friendly for the two of them. He just nodded once, hopefully signaling the end of that line of conversation. “Do you know what happened to Isaac’s mom?”

“He never mentioned her and I never asked. Some Alpha I am,” Derek snorted.

“Well, maybe when everything is back to normal, you can try to get to know Isaac better. Maybe that was the lesson in all this,” Stiles sighed. “We’ve all seen what happens if we try to handle things alone.” This whole mess started because he couldn’t keep his pack together.

“If things go back to normal,” Derek muttered. “What if Isaac never changes back?”

“Then we’ll deal with it. But I doubt that will happen. Things like this always get fixed after a while.”

“What the hell are you talking about? When has this ever happened before?”

“On TV. No one ever stays a kid for good after they’ve been deaged.”

“Oh, well I guess I don’t need to worry,” Derek deadpanned.

“That’s the spirit! Just go with the flow and it’ll all work out,” Stiles grinned.

“Going with the flow isn’t really my style.”

“Well, clawing your way out of this one isn’t going to work, so I guess you’ll have to take my advice.”

“We’re all screwed.”

“I know you’re only saying that because you care,” Stiles chuckled.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” Derek grunted, finally snatching his arm back from where Stiles had been latched on all this time. “You should go up with them while I clean this mess.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping,” Stiles offered.

“We don’t need to wash dishes together like an old married couple,” Derek grumbled, waving Stiles away.

“As if I’d marry you. I need a gentle husband. I mean wife! I mean, shut up!” Stiles spluttered, crossing his arms in embarrassment.

“Goodbye Stiles,” Derek smirked, grabbing the empty plates and taking them to the sink. Stiles grumbled under his breath as he left the room about being great spouse material. Derek wasn’t so sure about that, since he felt like killing Stiles whenever he was left alone with him for too long, but at least he was proving his worth in this instance. And he wouldn’t admit it, but maybe Derek needed to start taking some cues from Stiles when it came to dealing with Isaac like this. He seemed to be doing a good enough job with him, to Derek’s surprise. But Derek had gotten a little better, at least at some points. Hopefully he wouldn’t mess things up too badly before they could get Isaac back to how he was supposed to be.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Derek grumbled as the three of them walked through the doors.

“Oh no, Derek Hale is shopping in a Target, call the cool police,” Stiles scoffed, rolling his eyes as he walked over to grab a cart. Isaac trailed after him, which was becoming a theme. After their lunch the previous day, Isaac had gone wherever Stiles had. He didn’t look outright scared of Derek anymore, but he was still timid. Stiles was safer in his eyes.

Whenever Isaac needed something, he went to Stiles, although he barely asked for anything. And when it was time for bed, it was Stiles who convinced him to get into the bed again, after one more trip to the bathroom. Stiles slept in a chair in the room and Derek slept on the floor in the hall. It wasn’t the worst place he’d slept recently, but it still wasn’t ideal. Hence the shopping trip.

It was mostly about getting things for Isaac, but Derek was going to grab a few things for himself as well. Stiles had somehow procured an outfit for Isaac to wear out, but he needed a lot more than that. Derek couldn’t remember the kinds of things little kids needed, but that was what Stiles was there for.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Derek grunted, stalking off in the direction of the children’s clothing section. Stiles followed, with Isaac holding onto the cart as they went along. Scott, the lucky bastard, had to go to work, so he wasn’t being subjected to all this.

“These are nice,” Stiles commented, picking up a t-shirt from a stack and holding it up to look at the design printed on the front. “Dinosaurs are pretty cool.”

“Isaac, do you like dinosaurs?” Derek asked, trying to figure out if he knew any of Isaac’s interests. Obviously they wouldn’t be the same as this version, but Derek wasn’t sure if he truly knew anything about his Beta. He knew about the bad stuff, but did he know any of the good stuff?

“Yes,” Isaac mumbled, staring down at his feet.

“Well, then we’re definitely getting this one. And this one with trains. And can’t forget the one with a tiger,” Stiles babbled, tossing everything into the cart. Derek assumed he knew the right size to get.

“That about it then?” Derek asked hopefully.

“Oh, that’s cute,” Stiles smirked, giving him a pitying look. “He needs pants, socks, pajamas, underwear, a booster seat, shoes, soap-”

“Soap? You don’t have soap?”

“Isaac needs gentle soap. And the shampoo that won’t burn his eyes. Also pillows and blankets and toothpaste and-”

“I got it. We need one of everything they sell in this store,” Derek grumbled, glad he had a credit card with a high limit.

“More than one, in some instances. You may as well accept your fate.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“I’ll admit, seeing you suffer does bring me a bit of joy.”

“Nice,” Derek scoffed.

“Don’t act like you don’t deserve it,” Stiles laughed, holding his hand out for Isaac. “Come on, let’s go try on some shoes.” Derek felt like a hostage as he followed them around through the different departments. He did not remember needing this much stuff when he was a kid. But Stiles was insistent that everything was necessary, even though they had no idea how long Isaac was going to be stuck this way. If they were lucky, they wouldn’t have the time to use half of this stuff.

“Let’s go to bedding next,” Stiles directed, leading Derek with Isaac by his side. They had to walk past the toy section to get there and Derek noticed Isaac glancing longingly at the displays, before quickly looking at the floor again. Stiles hadn’t mentioned toys on his list, but maybe grabbing a couple wouldn’t be the worst idea. It would be a good way to keep Isaac occupied so they wouldn’t have to entertain him constantly.

“Uh, what about this one?” Derek asked, grabbing a pillow off an endcap.

“Dude, that thing’s bigger than Isaac.”

“So?” Derek scoffed, shoving it into the cart. They were going to need more than one.

“Whatever. I’m gonna go figure out the car seat situation,” Stiles said, making his way out of the aisle they were in. Isaac started to follow like usual, but Stiles stopped him gently. “Why don’t you stay with Derek for a few minutes?”

“What?” Derek whispered, glaring at Stiles. It was definitely a glare, not panic.

“It’ll be fine. You two can walk around electronics or something while I’m gone. It shouldn’t take long,” Stiles replied, patting Isaac’s head before he left them alone. Derek looked around, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now. Maybe he could take Isaac to the attached Starbucks and ply him with cookies while they waited. But then he’d have to deal with a kid who was hyped up on sugar. If it was even possible to hype Isaac up.

“Electronics, here we come,” Derek muttered, gesturing for Isaac to follow him. They walked to the other end of the store and Derek was starting to wonder how big this place actually was. It seemed to never end. If he never came back here, it would be too soon.

They stared at the giant television sets and Derek briefly glanced at the movies, but he didn’t have much interest in them. The places he lived didn’t have TVs, so he wasn’t really up to date on anything current. And he definitely didn’t know anything about children’s entertainment. Would it freak Isaac out to see the newer stuff, when he was used to stuff that was a bit less advanced? He knew it was only a ten year difference, but a lot could change in that time.

They walked through the video games and books, with Isaac staying as silent as ever. Was it weird that Derek was starting to miss Isaac’s smart mouth a little bit? It had been annoying at first, when he and Erica would egg each other on. And he got quieter when they disappeared, but still threw out a little sass here and there. Derek wasn’t expecting a little kid to roll his eyes and tell him to shut up, but anything was better than nothing.

He ended up in the outdoor section before he realized where he was walking and paused when he saw the shovels. Those might come in handy when he found the witch and killed her. Burying a body was a lot easier when you had the right tools. It was sad that he had experience either way. There were also some lawn games nearby, so he picked one up to consider it.

“Hey Isaac, does this look like fun?” Derek asked, looking down at his side to get Isaac’s most likely nonverbal answer. But Isaac wasn’t there. Derek whipped his head around to his other side, but Isaac wasn’t there either. He was gone. “Isaac!”

Derek dropped the box in his hand, feeling dread flood his veins. How had he lost Isaac? He could’ve sworn he was right by his side just a second ago. Had someone taken him? Had the witch come back to mess with them?

Derek started to feel a little lightheaded at all the possible scenarios. If someone found Isaac and started asking questions, there was no telling what he would say. The truth was unbelievable, but might raise suspicion, especially if Isaac pointed them toward the Stilinski house or the vet’s office. Unless that was already a moot point and Isaac’s dead body was tossed in a dumpster.

Derek abandoned the cart and started racing around the store, looking down every aisle he passed. Did he stop an employee or something? Yell for Stiles to help him? This was supposed to be a quick, dumb shopping trip and now Derek had screwed it up completely.

He almost blacked out in relief when he ran by the book aisle and saw the familiar puff of curly hair. Derek had to rest his hand on a nearby pole for a second before he could move again. If he’d had more than coffee that morning, it probably would’ve been all over the floor.

“Isaac?” Derek said softly. The boy whipped around in surprise, before his face completely crumpled.

“I’m sorry!” Isaac wailed, shaking as he started crying uncontrollably. “I-I was looking at a book and then you were gone and I got scared. I didn’t mean to!” Derek wasn’t sure what came over him, but he rushed forward and stooped down, wrapping Isaac up into a hug. Isaac melted against him, tucking his face into his neck and quickly dampening Derek’s collar.

“Hey, no. It’s okay. It was my fault,” Derek insisted, rubbing his back as the boy hiccuped sobs. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice you weren’t with me. I should’ve been paying closer attention.”

“I’m n-not in trouble?” Isaac asked hesitantly between gasps.

“Of course not. I made a mistake, not you,” Derek assured him, blowing out a few calming breaths. It was only a lifetime of control that kept his wolf from bursting out in these last few minutes.

He didn’t think he was capable of feeling that scared anymore, since he’d already lost his whole family. Derek had convinced himself that his pack was important, but not enough that he wouldn’t be able to separate from them if necessary. Jackson leaving without Derek giving it a second thought was supposed to be proof of that. But there were some nights that he sat awake thinking about Erica and Boyd. And he’d become pretty invested in keeping Isaac alive, since he’d accidentally become his guardian. Derek wasn’t the heartless guy that he’d been presenting to everyone and that was starting to freak him out.

“Um, what’s going on?” Stiles asked a few minutes later, pausing at the end of the aisle when he saw them in their prolonged embrace. Isaac lifted his head from where he’d kept it tucked, wiping his nose on Derek’s shirt along the way. He didn’t let it bother him. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” Derek forced out, clearing his throat.

“Where’s the cart?”

“Stiles,” Derek sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Okay,” Stiles replied, dragging out the word. “I’m glad they let me leave the seat in customer service, so I don’t have to lug the thing around. But you know this means we have to start over again, right?”

“I know where our cart is, so shut up,” Derek huffed, finally standing back up. He felt another pang of unease in his gut at seeing Isaac away from him, even though it was less than a foot, so he stooped back down and picked him up, propping him on his hip. Stiles was staring at him, trying not to smirk, but Derek glared until his face went blank. “Grab those books.”

“Which books?” Stiles asked.

“All of them,” Derek shrugged, walking out of the aisle and back toward where he left the cart. He heard Stiles muttering under his breath as he gathered up the books, but Derek just grinned. This is what they were here for, right? Well, Derek was shopping.

The cart was right where he left it, so he set Isaac in the basket seat and started walking back to where they left Stiles. He was staggering down the aisle with his arms overloaded with books, dumping them in the cart gratefully as soon as he had the chance.

“Have any other requests?” Stiles scoffed.

“Now to the toy section.”

“Toys?”

“Toys.”

“Alright, let’s get some toys,” Stiles chuckled, waving at him to lead the way. “You better believe I’m getting the whole story later.” Derek didn’t reply to that, walking to the annoyingly colorful section. Isaac was still letting out the occasional sniffle, but his eyes perked up when he saw all the games surrounding them.

“See anything you like?” Derek asked, paying attention to where Isaac was looking.

“I can get one?” Isaac asked in wonder, not fully believing him.

“Whatever you want,” Derek confirmed, although he might amend that if Isaac picked out something too loud. Isaac’s eyes kept flicking toward the Lego sets, but he still didn’t say anything. Derek grabbed a few and tossed them in the cart. Isaac’s eyes widened like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

They kept on like that, with Derek picking up anything he noticed Isaac looking at more than once. He had action figures, board games, toy cars and more by the time they reached the end. Stiles walked off to get something he insisted Isaac needed while Derek was reaching up to grab a bubble machine off a high shelf.

“Well, aren’t you two the cutest,” an older woman cooed as she walked up to them. Derek stiffened, abandoning the item he was about to get. He moved so he was solidly in front of Isaac, trying to keep the annoyed look off of his face.

“Thank you,” Derek forced out, hoping the woman would take the hint and keep on going. She didn’t.

“And look at those curls,” she sighed, reaching her hand out to touch them. Derek saw Isaac cringing back and that was all the signal he needed. He blocked Isaac with his shoulder, plastering the fakest smile on his face he could muster.

“If you want to keep that hand, I’d suggest you keep it to yourself,” Derek said, raising his eyebrows a bit at the woman’s shocked face. She snatched her hand back and hurried down the aisle, passing by Stiles who was staring and trying not to laugh.

“Dude. Threatening little old ladies now?” Stiles asked, walking over to them with his hands tucked behind his back.

“She had it coming,” Derek shrugged, eyeing Stiles suspiciously. “What are you hiding?”

“When I saw it, I knew we had to get it,” Stiles grinned, pulling a stuffed wolf from behind his back. He handed it to Isaac, who immediately hugged it to his chest.

“Cute,” Derek scoffed.

“I thought so too,” Stiles agreed. “Now, how about we get out of here before security kicks us out?”

“If I’d known that was all it took to cut this trip short, I would’ve done it a lot sooner,” Derek smirked, grabbing the bubble machine as they finally made their way to the checkstands. This experience hadn’t exactly gone to plan, but at least they were ending it in one piece. They hopefully wouldn’t have to go anywhere else with Isaac like this, but he was going to keep a much better eye on him either way. Derek never again wanted to feel what he did when he thought Isaac was gone. And when he finally got his whole pack back, he was determined to be a better Alpha.

Chapter Text

They were sitting in Stiles’ living room putting together a giant Lego village, after having gone through the McDonald’s drive thru on the way home from their shopping trip. Actually, Stiles and Isaac were putting it together, while Derek mostly sat on the couch and supervised. Buying toys was one thing, but playing with them was another.

Isaac had calmed down fully by the time they’d strapped him into his new car seat, which was a relief. The guilt of almost losing him was still gnawing at Derek, but it was easing with every smile Stiles was able to eek out of Isaac. Nothing like that was ever going to happen again because Derek wasn’t planning on letting Isaac out of his sight if they ever stepped foot outside the house. Even playing in the yard was going to be heavily supervised.

Scott texted Stiles earlier that Deaton hadn’t found anything useful yet, but he wasn’t going to stop working on it. And that he would be back later that night to stay over. Scott had spent the least amount of time with Isaac so far, but Derek was appreciative of what he was doing. Although he wasn’t planning on saying that out loud. He still had an image to uphold after all this was over.

“I think this town needs a movie theater. All the best places do,” Stiles said, scratching his chin as he looked over what they’d built so far.

“I like movies too,” Isaac said quietly. Stiles looked up at Derek, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Isaac was letting more and more slip out into conversation as the day went on. Nothing huge, but better than them having to drag every little thing out of him.

“Oh yeah, what’s your favorite?” Stiles asked, keeping his voice from getting too overly excited. Better than scaring the kid with intensity.

“One of my brother’s friends let him borrow Ghostbusters and I got to watch it,” Isaac said, glancing around as if he was worried someone would overhear. “He told me I was gonna get scared, but I didn’t.”

“That’s because you’re brave,” Stiles commended, shooting him a proud smile. “I think I’ve got a copy of it, if you want to watch it later?”

“We can?”

“Sure. Nothing goes better with pizza than a good movie. Great choice.” Derek could see Isaac perking up even more in response to Stiles’ praise. How he was so good at this, he’d never understand. Stiles and Isaac didn’t even like each other, but he was able to put all that aside when necessary. Derek hated to admit it, but that was an area he was definitely lacking. He didn’t even like to show the people he actually liked that he liked them, even though the list was already very short. Derek stood up, needing to get out of the room before he started thinking of Stiles as someone who he could accept advice from.

“I’m gonna go get something to drink. Want anything, Pup?” Derek asked, freezing when the words he said finally registered.

“Pup?” Isaac questioned, looking up at him in confusion. Stiles was giving him the same look, although his was tinged in amusement.

“It’s just a nickname,” Derek shrugged, feeling extremely uncomfortable. The older generation of werewolves used to refer to the young ones as pups, as a term of endearment. He didn’t know why that slipped out now. “I don’t have to call you that, if you don’t like it.”

“No one’s ever given me a nickname before,” Isaac said, scrunching up his face like he was thinking hard about it. “Well, my brother calls me Twerp sometimes.”

“I don’t have any siblings, but I hear big brothers can be a bit of a pain,” Stiles said seriously.

“It’s not so bad. My dad calls me a little shit too, but I don’t really like that one,” Isaac said casually, picking up another block. “I guess Pup isn’t so bad.” Derek could see Stiles’ smile wavering at that bit of information. How Isaac could say that as if it wasn’t a big deal was unsettling. And it was making Derek sick to his stomach.

“I’ll go grab you a juice,” Derek mumbled, escaping into the kitchen before he lost control. His grasp on his emotions was slipping and he felt the urge to run and never look back. It was like every bad decision he’d made was being reflected back on him by Isaac. Every awful thing he’d done as an Alpha and in the time leading up to it.

Contrary to what he presented to people now, Derek was a pretty docile werewolf growing up. He rarely got into trouble and that was mostly typical teenage stuff. It was when tragedy seemed to start following him that he felt the need to harden his heart and push everyone away. And now he didn’t know any other way to live. But that didn’t mean he didn’t still feel like absolute garbage.

He heard Stiles make an excuse to get up and leave Isaac in the living room alone. Derek wanted to protest, since that still felt too far for Isaac to be at this point, but his presence would do more harm than good at the moment. And scaring him again was the last thing he wanted to do.

“What happened?” Stiles asked, coming up to stand behind him. Derek was leaning against the counter, trying to keep his claws from ripping everything to pieces.

“I broke Isaac’s arm,” Derek muttered, clenching his jaw hard enough to crack his teeth.

“What? When? He looks fine,” Stiles asked in confusion, looking back at the boy who was still happily playing.

“Not this Isaac. Before,” Derek sighed.

“Okay, but isn’t that just a thing you all do to each other? It seemed like for a while all you and Scott did was fight. And you literally murdered Peter, but he’s never really mentioned it. Erica gave me a concussion too. Such a strange life we’re all living, isn’t it?” Stiles mused, tipping his head to the side in contemplation.

“I’m not talking about anything like that.”

“Well, do you want to explain it to me?”

“It was during a training session, after I turned Boyd,” Derek said, keeping his eyes locked on the cabinet in front of him. He couldn’t stand the thought of looking at Stiles while he said this. “I was testing his speed and agility, to see if he could take me down.”

“Sounds reasonable so far. Kind of like lacrosse, just without the pads and safety standards.”

“He wasn’t able to get me once. And it wasn’t even surprising because he’d only been a werewolf for a few days, but I was frustrated. There was this thing out there killing people and hunters breathing down our necks and all I could think about was the fact that my pack was completely unprepared. That if something came for us, we’d lose,” Derek explained, reliving the fear of those weeks. Of course he had to cover his true feelings with anger, but in reality he’d been terrified. After getting rid of Peter, he was supposed to have time to build his pack into what he wanted it to be. But instead, he was playing from behind and just trying to keep up and stay alive. “So when Isaac mouthed off, I reacted.”

“Oh.”

“What he said wasn’t even that bad. Now that I think back on it, it was nothing. But at the time, it felt like none of them were taking things seriously. And that’s no excuse, but I felt like I needed to make an example out of one of them,” Derek said, letting his disgust in himself color his words. “And why not choose the one whose father had just been murdered in front of him? The one who truly had nowhere else to go? The one who’d just escaped one abusive home, only to fall right into another?”

“Derek, you-”

“I broke his arm,” Derek ground out. “When I turned him, I told him that I was giving him a gift. Something that would mean he never had to accept what his father did to him. That he would be powerful. And the first chance I got, I just proved to him that I was a liar.”

“You’re not.”

“Really?” Derek said incredulously, finally turning around to face Stiles. He didn’t deserve to hide from the scrutiny any longer. He needed to face the scorn he’d rightfully earned. “Then where is my pack? If I’m not a complete failure as an Alpha, tell me why they all left me.”

“Isaac didn’t leave you,” Stiles reminded him, gesturing back to the boy who thankfully was none the wiser about what was going on in the room next to him.

“He never left his dad either. And I’m no better than him. Sticking around and being hurt is all Isaac knows.”

“You are nothing like Isaac’s dad, so shut the hell up,” Stiles said firmly, staring at him intently. “You think in all those years of abuse he ever bothered to feel guilty like this?”

“That doesn't change what I did.”

“No, it doesn’t. And what you did is terrible. But systematic abuse over a decade isn’t the same as one shitty move.”

“You can’t excuse away what I did. The fact that I knew what Isaac had been through and did the same makes me worse,” Derek argued.

“Okay, so you screwed up. No one is saying you didn’t. But unlike Isaac’s father, who abused him until the day he died without remorse, you’re standing here feeling like shit. And not that fake remorse people show when they get caught doing something wrong.”

“But that doesn’t erase what I did.” How many times was he going to have to say that to Stiles before it got through to him?

“It doesn’t mean you can’t make amends.”

“How? How would Isaac ever be able to forgive me?”

“You start by going back in there and taking care of that little boy, for as long as he’s stuck that way. I don’t know the rules of this shit or if Isaac will ever remember what happened, but you give him the best life you can while you’ve got him. And once he does turn back into teenage Isaac, you apologize for what you did and actually talk to him about it. No more emotionally constipated Derek Hale.”

“You say that as if it’s so easy,” Derek scoffed.

“It’s not going to be easy. Being an asshole is easy. Change is hard, but it’s worth it, right? Even if things don’t end up perfect, the effort you put in could make the biggest difference of all,” Stiles replied, walking over to the fridge and grabbing the juice that Derek went in for. Before he left the room, Stiles paused next to him, staring at him seriously. “Don’t let past mistakes be the excuse you use to never try to be better. It’s a disservice to Isaac and a disservice to you. I’ve seen you be a complete asshole, but I also saw you holding that little boy in the middle of Target. Be that guy. I kind of like that guy.” Derek watched Stiles walk out of the room, not knowing what else to say.

What Stiles said did make sense, but it still felt impossible to get past the guilt now that he’d let it settle into his bones. His life was full of mistakes that he just ran away from, instead of dealing with it head on. But he couldn’t do it this time. Both versions of Isaac were depending on him to get his act together. Maybe trying to be better for Isaac would also help Derek be better in general.

Chapter Text

Derek stayed quiet during the pizza and movie, letting Stiles and Scott take the lead with Isaac. He was determined to do better, but he was still nervous. And the others were much more natural with him. Maybe if Isaac became more comfortable, it would be easier for Derek to take care of him.

“Man, now I want marshmallows. It’s been too long since I made smores,” Scott laughed as the credits rolled on the movie.

“Remember when my dad took us camping and you kept crying because you wouldn’t stop burning yours?” Stiles smirked, flipping the TV off.

“I was a kid. I didn’t know any better,” Scott huffed, crossing his arms.

“You were twelve.”

“Whatever.”

“I’ve never made smores before,” Isaac said softly, clutching the stuffed wolf in his lap. Ever since Stiles had handed it to him earlier, he hadn’t let it go. Of course Stiles kept shooting Derek pleased looks, reading more into it than he needed to. It was just a toy. All kids liked toys.

“Well, that just won’t do. We’ll have to get the stuff for it and make some,” Stiles declared. Derek cringed at the idea of going shopping again, but he knew he’d suck it up and go, since Isaac looked so excited about the idea. He’d probably go stand in line at the DMV for Isaac at this point.

“Ooo, we can try different kinds! Like chocolate graham crackers and white chocolate,” Scott said excitedly. “I wonder what would taste good with cinnamon graham crackers?” Isaac was watching Scott rattle off his ideas, but Derek could see that he was slowly slumping in his seat. He nodded at Stiles to get his attention, then jerked his chin toward Isaac. Stiles was the one who dealt with the nighttime routine before, so it made sense for him to do it again.

“I think it’s time to get ready for bed,” Stiles announced, standing up from the couch and stretching. “How does a quick bath sound?”

“I’m not tired,” Isaac said, followed by a big yawn. Derek wasn’t going to admit that it was kind of cute.

“The sooner we go to bed, the sooner we can get up and have some of my amazing pancakes. And then I think there is a bubble machine with your name on it,” Stiles said, holding his hand out for Isaac to take. Isaac reluctantly stood up, rubbing his eyes as he followed Stiles up the stairs. Derek started busying himself with cleaning up the mess that was left behind.

“Tonight wasn’t so bad, right?” Scott asked, flicking at the edge of one of the throw pillows on the couch.

“I guess,” Derek grunted. He wasn’t in the mood for another conversation like the one he’d had with Stiles earlier. It was bad enough that Stiles had gotten a glimpse behind the mask, but if he had any hope of Scott respecting him as an Alpha, he couldn’t let stuff like that show.

“I’ve never hung around Isaac much. Before you bit him, I think I had one conversation with him and that was for a class project in middle school. That’s weird, right? I mean, we’ve gone to school together for years and Beacon Hills isn’t very big,” Scott said, staring down at the floor as he spoke.

“What’s your point?” Derek asked.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just thinking of the past. Like when you go through an old photo album.”

“All my photo albums burned up, so I can’t relate,” Derek deadpanned. Scott looked up at him in horrified embarrassment.

“Crap, I mean-”

“What’s your point, Scott?” Derek asked again.

“What do you think it’s going to be like once Isaac is back to normal? Will it go back to the way it was or do you think we’ll all still be friends?”

“Are we even friends now?”

“Derek,” Scott whined, looking up at him in disappointment.

“Scott, I can’t deal with thinking about something like that right now. Beyond keeping Isaac alive and figuring out a way to fix this, everything else has to wait.”

“Do you wish this happened to you instead of Isaac?” Scott blurted out.

“What?” Derek sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Why couldn’t they coexist silently in a room? Why did they have to talk?

“The witch was aiming for you, right? So it could’ve been you who was made into a kid. Do you wish it was?”

“Why on earth would I want this to happen to me?” Derek snapped.

“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it and I think I wouldn’t mind. At least for a couple days,” Scott said quietly. “Going back to when things were simpler. Before all the pain and chaos.”

“But it wouldn’t be real,” Derek argued. Even if he’d reversed in age, it wouldn’t mean he also transported back in time. His family would still be dead and he’d still be alone. And Isaac was stuck in a world thinking his whole family was still alive and could possibly go through the pain of losing them again, depending on how this all went. Even if his dad was an asshole, it would still hurt Isaac. The teen still clung to the guy as his anchor, because an abusive dad was all he had for so long that he had nothing else. Living through what they had once was enough.

“Do you think Isaac will remember any of this?”

“I don’t know!”

“Do you want him to?” Derek opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Did he want teenage Isaac to remember all of this? It would be easier if he didn’t, for all of them. Isaac wouldn’t have to deal with any complicated feelings that arose from this and Derek could force himself to forget everything that happened. But on the other hand, what if they were able to give Isaac a few days of good childhood that Isaac had never had? Would Isaac want memories of Legos and pizza and McDonalds, even if it was with them instead of his real family? Would it change how he saw them? Would it change how he felt about Derek as his Alpha? The unknown was overwhelming and Derek wanted to throttle Scott for bringing it up. He dumped the stuff in his arms in the garbage and was about to take a minute to himself in the backyard when he spotted Isaac’s wolf on the couch where he’d been sitting. That was as good of an excuse as any to get away from Scott without blowing up on him.

“I need to take this up to Isaac,” Derek muttered, walking over and snatching the toy up. He went up the stairs without another word to Scott, trying to push down his annoyance so it wouldn’t show on his face to the skittish boy. They’d made good progress today and he didn’t want to ruin it because Isaac mistook his feelings toward Scott’s questioning as something that was his fault.

Derek paused when he got to the doorway of Stiles’ room, taking in the scene. Stiles was tucking Isaac into bed, whispering about all the fun things they were going to do the next day. It was so domestic and looked so natural that Derek couldn’t help flashing back to his own father doing the same with him.

“Oh, hey,” Stiles greeted as soon as he noticed him standing there. “I was just getting Isaac settled into bed.”

“I’ve got someone who might want to join you,” Derek said, pulling the wolf from behind his back and walking further into the room. He’d started talking about a stuffed animal like it had feelings. What the hell was he turning into?

“Nice. I was just wondering where it had run off to,” Stiles said, smiling as Isaac accepted the toy and hugged it again. “Have you thought of what to name it yet?”

“I don’t know,” Isaac yawned, snuggling further into the bed.

“All of my stuffed animals had names and complicated backstories. Like a yellow bunny named Hank who was allergic to carrots, but kept sneaking them because he couldn’t help himself. Good thing my stuffed rhino was an emergency room doctor who specialized in allergies and dabbled in podiatry,” Stiles chuckled. Derek stared at him until he withered under his gaze. “I’m an only child. Sue me.”

“I would if I could.”

“Anyways, I was about to read Isaac a bedtime story, so-”

“Stiles, I can’t find the sleeping bag I always use!” Scott yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

“It’s where it always is, Scott,” Stiles replied, keeping his voice at a normal volume, since Scott would be able to hear it.

“But I don’t see it!”

“Oh my- alright, just a second,” Stiles said in exasperation. He tossed the book he was holding into Derek’s chest, giving him a pointed look. “You’re up, big guy.”

“What? Stiles-”

“I’m sure you know how to read. And if you get stuck on any words, Isaac can help you sound them out,” Stiles smirked. The bastard knew he could get away with murder right now, since Derek couldn’t do anyhing to upset Isaac. But Derek would get him back later.

“Sure,” Derek said tightly, promising violence in his eyes that Stiles could clearly see. Stiles’ smile only faltered slightly and he leaned closer to Derek’s ear as he walked past to leave the room.

“Don’t forget to do different voices for the characters,” Stiles whispered, skipping out of the room before Derek could abandon all thoughts of Isaac and kill him on the spot. He still needed Stiles to deal with bath time, since he sure wasn’t.

“I guess I’m reading to you tonight. Do you mind?” Derek asked, trying to fall back into a relaxed state. If he stopped worrying about everything and just lived in the moment, hanging out with Isaac wasn’t so bad. He may not have read a children’s book in over a decade, but he could handle it.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to,” Isaac said softly. Derek felt like such an asshole.

“No, I want to,” Derek insisted, pulling Stiles’ desk chair over and setting it next to the bed. He sat down and got comfortable, checking out the cover of the book. “Let’s see what we’re reading tonight. ‘The Littlest Wolf.’ Of course.”

“I like wolves,” Isaac murmured, resting his cheek on his stuffed version.

“Me too,” Derek agreed, pushing down thoughts of wondering if parts of teenage Isaac’s memories were coming through. Most kids liked wolves. “Okay. There once was a family of wolves who lived in the woods. The littlest one was named Blue.” Derek was about to turn the page when Isaac’s quiet voice spoke up.

“Can I see?”

“Right. Sorry,” Derek mumbled, turning the book so Isaac could see the pictures. He wasn’t sure how long he should hold it there, since Isaac was looking at it so intently, like he was trying to memorize the pages. He slowly moved it away and when Isaac didn’t protest, Derek took it as a sign that he could continue. “Blue didn’t like being little, since he couldn’t do everything his big sisters and big brothers could. He was always being left out of all the fun.”

“I wish I was big,” Isaac murmured, staring down at his stuffed toy. Derek thought back to the normal version of Isaac, who was taller than them all. Looking at him now, you’d never guess he’d become that giant, slightly muscular, but mostly awkward teen.

“I’m sure you will be,” Derek chuckled, flipping to the next page. Isaac made a small noise of protest and Derek sighed, remembering he forgot to show him the pictures again. Why was this so hard? “Here, scoot over a little bit.”

“Huh?”

“It’ll be easier for you to see the pages if I’m closer. Unless you’d prefer I stay on the chair?” Derek suggested. Isaac was still skittish when it came to physical contact, but once he decided it was safe, he was a cuddler. He’d spent most of the movie pressed against Stiles’ side.

“Okay,” Isaac agreed, sliding over to make a space for Derek. He climbed up, staying on top of the covers and leaving a bit of room between them.

“Now, where were we? Blue wants to be big like his siblings, but as they get bigger, he just stays small. Why can’t he grow faster?” Derek read, glancing down as Isaac scooted a little bit closer. “His mommy and daddy say he is perfect the way he is, but Blue doesn’t care. He wants to be the biggest, not the littlest.”

“My brother is big too,” Isaac yawned, stretching a little and snuggling in closer.

“One day, Blue decided that he wasn’t going to stay behind anymore. He was going to go on his own adventure,” Derek continued, cringing when he saw the character was actually about to speak for the first time in the book. He cleared his throat, shoving past his embarrassment and pitching his voice a little higher than usual. “I’ll show everyone that I can be big and brave, just like them.”

“Funny,” Isaac giggled. Derek was about to grumble about his voice not being funny, but then Isaac rested his head on his arm and he decided to shut up. He was not going to give in to his natural inclination of being an asshole, even in jest.

“Blue waited until his family was sleeping, then took off into the dark. He didn’t know where he was headed, but he knew that it was going to be an adventure,” Derek read. The story was reminding him of two dumb teenagers he knew who had been looking for excitement and ended up getting a lot more than they bargained for. That’s why having a pack was so important. There was strength in numbers. Going off on your own to prove something never ended well. And as Scott and Stiles, as well as Derek and Isaac proved, a pair wasn’t much better. “Sounds kind of dangerous, huh?” He looked down to get Isaac’s answer, but found him fast asleep. Derek closed his eyes for a minute, reminding himself that this wasn’t going to last and he didn’t want it to begin with. But in moments like this, it was easy to forget those facts. Letting himself fall into the trap of fully living this would only make everything more painful. Just like he’d said to Scott earlier, this wasn’t real.

Derek closed the book and set it on the table next to the bed, being careful not to jostle Isaac. He tried sliding out from under him, but the boy made a soft noise of protest and snuggled in closer, tucking his face against Derek’s side. He was going to be stuck there, at least until Isaac was more deeply asleep. Derek accepted his fate, tugging the blanket up around Isaac’s shoulders.

They’d made it through two days of this so far with no definite end in sight, but Derek had to admit that it hadn’t gone as badly as he thought it would. Those first few seconds he’d seen Isaac small after the witch’s spell, he’d been convinced that it would be a disaster. That still could end up the case, but besides a few hiccups that were mostly caused by Derek himself, it wasn’t the worst.

Chapter Text

“This is priceless,” Stiles mumbled, followed by the sound of a camera. Derek blinked his eyes open, trying to figure out where he was. He was more comfortable than he usually was, when he slept on a ratty mattress on the floor. A warm bundle moved against his side and everything came back to him. Derek had fallen asleep in Stiles’ bed with Isaac curled up against him. Not a sentence he’d ever thought would be true, but a lot of things were happening that he’d never considered. “That one is going on the fridge.”

“Stiles,” Derek growled, glaring across the room at him. He didn’t like having his picture taken in the best of times. And if the wrong person saw these photos, there would be a lot of questions he couldn’t answer.

“Fine, I’ll delete them,” Stiles huffed, pressing a few buttons on his phone. Derek could tell by the sound of his heart that he was lying, but he’d deal with smashing Stiles’ phone to pieces later. For now, they had a kid to take care of and a witch to find.

“What time is it? Should I let him sleep?” Derek asked, glancing down at Isaac as he let out a little snore. Teenage Isaac usually only snored when he was sleeping curled up in an old bus with his head hanging off the side of a seat.

“Late morning. I figured you both needed the rest, after the last couple of days. But I’ve got pancake batter ready for the griddle, so it’s probably time to get up,” Stiles replied, stepping further into the room. “Want me to wake him while you get yourself dolled up in the bathroom?”

“Stiles, I hope you know that I have a very good memory. As soon as Isaac is back to normal, I’m going to pay you back for all this.”

“It feels strange to be threatened by a guy who is lying in my bed. Not that it’s happened a lot before. I haven’t really had a lot of guys in my bed before. Or girls. Anyone. I’m gonna stop talking,” Stiles stammered, backing toward the door again. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

“Good idea,” Derek smirked, waiting until Stiles was fully out of the room before turning his attention back to Isaac. He felt like he’d made a lot of progress in the last day with him, after a rocky start. And more rocky moments after that. Knowing Derek, there would be even more rocky moments to come, but hopefully they’d built up enough of a foundation to overcome whatever new mistakes he’d make.

Derek nudged Isaac’s shoulder, trying to wake him up gently instead of scaring him awake. Teenage Isaac was the type to jolt upright whenever he didn’t wake up naturally. Derek wondered if any of this time would rub off on Isaac when he was changed back. A couple days couldn’t erase years of abuse, but there could be at least a little something different. Maybe a moment or two that Isaac could look back on in a positive light, instead of darkness he wished he could forget.

“What happened to Blue?” Isaac mumbled, rubbing at his eyes as he slowly woke up.

“Blue?”

“The wolf,” Isaac yawned, burrowing further down into the blankets. It looked like freshly woken Isaac wasn’t as timid as the normal version.

“How about I tell you over breakfast? Stiles is making pancakes.” Isaac’s head popped up at that statement, putting his bed head on full display. There were golden curls pointing every way, making him look somehow even younger.

“Can I have a pancake?” Isaac asked, staring up at him with those big eyes that could convince Derek to say yes to anything.

“You can have as many pancakes as you want,” Derek replied, watching Isaac’s face light up with joy. “How about you go use the bathroom? By the time you’re done, the first batch might be ready.”

“Okay!” Isaac said excitedly, launching himself out of bed and into the bathroom. Derek was surprised at the change in personality. This was going to be a lot easier if Isaac wasn’t timid and expecting to be punished every second. The day was going to be a breeze.

*

The day was not a breeze. Isaac kept his more relaxed attitude, which was good, but that came with more changes than Derek expected. A relaxed Isaac was a playful Isaac. An Isaac with more energy than Derek knew what to do with. And he was exhausted.

He hadn’t said anything when Stiles filled Isaac full of pancakes and sugary syrup. If the kid wanted to eat, he could eat. But it was like that was the fuel Isaac needed to really let loose. The kid who was content to sit for hours while playing with Legos was gone and he’d been replaced by the Tasmanian Devil.

“I don’t remember ever having that much energy,” Stiles groaned, flopping down into a lawn chair beside him. He’d just been chasing Isaac around the yard for the last twenty minutes, trying to put a new layer of sunscreen on him. He was paranoid about the sprinkler Isaac was running through washing it all off and him getting burned.

“That terrifies me, coming from you,” Derek grunted. Stiles always seemed like he was bouncing around from one spot to another, like a deranged rabbit. If this was too much for him, Derek would have to throw away the thought of ever becoming a father. He may only be in his early twenties, but he felt too old for this. “Where did Scott go?”

“I don’t know. He snuck off earlier before I could stop him.”

“Tell him to bring back some puppies or something to keep Isaac entertained.”

“You realize those are people’s pets, right? You can’t just borrow them,” Stiles snorted, rolling his eyes.

“How are we supposed to keep him occupied? When does he stop?”

“I still don’t understand why you think I know these things. The only time I’ve been around kids was when I actually was one. And at that point, I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Good going,” Derek muttered.

“You’re right. I should’ve known then that I would be in a situation where werewolves and witches are real and the Beta of a guy who loves to threaten me would be turned into a child, who I’ve somehow been roped into co-parenting. My mistake. So what’s your excuse?” Stiles shot back.

“I had better things to do,” Derek waved off.

“Unbelievable.”

“Should we put him down for a nap?”

“I don’t think he’d fall asleep right now,” Stiles sighed, pointing to where Isaac was jumping up and down for no apparent reason. Derek wasn’t going to accept any excuses when it came to training anymore. If Isaac had this in him as a kid, he could use it as a teenager too.

“I sure could,” Derek grumbled, yawning into his fist. If he ever had kids of his own, he was definitely hiring a nanny.

“How about you go into the kitchen and grab us a couple of energy drinks to give us a boost?” Stiles suggested, jerking his thumb back toward the house. Derek eyed Stiles warily, before glancing back toward Isaac. The yard wasn’t too big and was fenced, but the incident in Target still plagued his mind. It would only take a second for something to happen to Isaac. “I’ve got him. I promise.”

Derek hated that his nerves were so obvious. As ridiculous as it sounded, having people know that he cared about anything felt like a weakness. He could never be like Scott, who seemed to care about everything and was always so damn earnest. Caring about things only led to pain, which was why Derek chose to stay as closed off from everyone as possible. He’d lost so much in his life and the trend seemed to be continuing, with his sister and Betas. The idea of losing Isaac was too much to handle, especially in his current state. Would he feel just as strongly about the normal Isaac if he got the chance again? Derek wasn’t sure, but he would do his best to get him safely back to that and find out.

He trudged into the house, taking a second to appreciate the chance to stand still in the air conditioned house without any responsibility. Even though it was probably the most terrifying experience of his life, which was a big statement to make after everything he’d been through, he was still kind of enjoying it. But the pressure of it all was overwhelming when he let himself think about it. The fact that people did this every day, and even with multiple children, was almost unfathomable.

Derek opened the fridge and bent down, taking the time to peruse the options. He wasn’t an energy drink guy, but if they would help him keep going, he’d chug a case. Stiles could put them away like water, which explained so much about his personality. Coffee was also an option, but the idea of drinking something hot and bitter on a warm California afternoon didn’t sound pleasant. Maybe there was an un-energy drink they could give to Isaac.

“Well, I never thought I’d see the day.” Derek almost jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice. He clenched his jaw, giving himself a second to tamp down on the annoyance he always felt in the presence of his least favorite family member.

“What are you doing here?” Derek sighed, standing up straight to find his uncle leaning against the wall with a smirk. Even though he’d helped in the end with Jackson, it didn’t mean that Derek wanted to be around him. Killing Laura had put a permanent stain on their relationship, no matter what excuse Peter had for doing it.

“I know I missed a lot while I was indisposed, but a secret child? That one honestly surprises me,” Peter said, raising a judgmental eyebrow. “I still haven’t figured out how Stiles fits into all of this.”

“I didn’t have a kid,” Derek ground out, shooting his uncle an unamused glare. “It’s Isaac.” Peter opened his mouth, before closing it again with a curious look on his face.

“That’s a new one.”

“Yeah.”

“And how does something like this happen?”

“A witch.”

“First a kanima and now a witch. Nephew, you are very good at finding trouble, aren’t you?” Peter smirked, shaking his head in amusement. That was an understatement, but he wasn’t going to give Peter the satisfaction of agreeing with him.

“What are you doing here?” Derek asked again, making his tone clear that he wasn’t in the mood for Peter’s particular brand of snark. If he could get away with it, he’d murder Peter again. That probably wasn’t the best thing to do in the sheriff’s kitchen though.

“I was going to ask you if you’d heard anything else from the Alpha pack, but you weren’t where I expected you to be. I tracked you here, only to find you running a daycare,” Peter explained, taking a few steps toward the backdoor. Derek bristled at Peter getting closer to where Isaac was.

“I haven’t heard anything, but I’ve been busy.” The Alpha pack was the last thing on his mind. Finding Erica and Boyd had fallen by the wayside as well, but Isaac’s situation was definitely more pressing.

“Clearly. Do you have a plan to change him back or are you enjoying playing daddy?” Peter asked, barely stifling a laugh. Derek didn’t know why the thought of him being a father was so humorous. He’d gotten this far, hadn’t he? It may not be completely natural for him, but he also wasn’t the worst.

“I haven’t been able to find the witch who did this yet.”

“I guess you do have your hands full,” Peter nodded, before snapping his fingers. “Why, I’ve got a great idea. Why don’t you leave Isaac with me so you can focus all of your attention on finding that witch?”

“Excuse me?”

“I wouldn’t mind at all. And I have much more experience with children than you do. I’d be happy to take him off your hands.”

Derek wasn’t sure how it happened, but one second he was standing on one side of the kitchen, and the next he had Peter pinned to the wall with a clawed hand around his throat. His uncle was staring at him in surprise, but wasn’t doing anything to get free. That was probably the safest choice.

“You will not go near him,” Derek growled, saying each word slowly and carefully. He didn’t want there to be any question as to how serious he was. If Peter touched a hair on Isaac’s head, no amount of magic would bring him back from where Derek would send him.

At the start of this, Derek was desperate enough to send Isaac to anyone who would take him. Whether it was fear of messing up or avoidance of responsibility or a combination of both, Derek hadn’t wanted to be the one to watch over him. But now, at even the mere thought of Isaac falling into less than ideal hands, Derek was willing to rip anyone apart to prevent it.

“I won’t go near him,” Peter agreed, keeping still even as Derek slowly released him. Derek backed up a few steps, letting his claws slide back under his skin. Peter dabbed at his throat, raising his eyebrows a little as his fingertips came away wet. The minor wounds would heal, but Derek got a bit of satisfaction knowing that they would take longer than normal, with him being an Alpha.

“How about you put your stalking to good use and go find the witch who did this,” Derek suggested. Letting Peter loose on the hunt would keep him away from Isaac, which was a win even if he didn’t find anything. “And if you find her, call me. Don’t kill her.”

“You’re no fun,” Peter sighed dramatically. Derek rolled his eyes, ready for his uncle to leave. Every interaction with the man now made it harder to remember how they’d been close once upon a time. Which one of them had changed more?

“If you piss her off and get turned into a kid, you’re on your own.”

“I expect nothing less,” Peter replied with a wave of his hand as he walked toward the front door. The Stilinskis really needed to get better security for their house. Peter paused at the door, turning to face him again. “You might not be so bad at this parenting thing. You remind me of your mother.” With that, he swept out of the house like he’d never been there.

Derek tried to disregard Peter’s words. He couldn’t take anything he said as the truth. Peter only said things if he had something to gain from it. But Derek couldn’t help the little pleased feeling he felt at the idea of being compared to his mother. He’d probably looked up to her more than anyone else in his life. His admiration had mostly been about her role as an Alpha, but he also appreciated how she was as a parent. It just never was something he thought about for himself. The idea that he was anything like her in that regard made him want to try even harder to be what Isaac needed. He may have been failing at leading a pack, but he didn’t have to fail at this.

Derek walked back out to the yard with the drinks, grabbing a juice box for Isaac as well. It was probably a terrible idea to give him more sugar, but what harm could it do? He was already bouncing off the walls, but you were only a kid once. Well, apparently that wasn’t true. Typically it was, but their lives were anything but typical.

“Got the energy-” Derek’s words were cut off by a water balloon hitting him square in the face. He blinked past the liquid dripping down his eyelids, finding Stiles and Isaac staring at him in horror. Derek didn’t remember them buying any water balloons, but Stiles had piled so much in the cart that it didn’t surprise him. The projectile to the face did though.

“Oops,” Stiles said sheepishly, rocking back on his heels to look innocent. Isaac was frozen with his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. Derek could smell the sharp tang of fear wafting off of him. What repercussion would Isaac have gotten from his dad for this? Judging by his reaction and what Derek already knew, it was nothing good. And maybe if this had been the first day, while Derek’s fear and frustration were leading him, his reaction would’ve been negative. The fear was still there, but it was paired with something different. Responsibility. Protectiveness. Affection. Derek wasn’t going to let himself be another person Isaac had to fear.

“Nice shot,” Derek said calmly, setting the drinks down next to the chairs. He picked up a water balloon that rolled in his direction, tossing it up into the air a couple times. He let a relaxed smile spread across his face, before winking at Isaac. The boy’s shoulders slowly lost some of their tension as more time passed and no anger was directed at him. If Derek accomplished anything during this crazy time, he hoped it would be giving Isaac a space where he didn’t have to be scared. Even if Isaac changed back and didn’t remember this at all, Derek would remember. And he would force himself to remember to extend this same grace going forward. Maybe not to Stiles though. Derek launched his balloon at Stiles, landing a direct hit to his face.

“No fair!” Stiles spluttered, shaking his head like a wet dog. Derek grinned ferally at him, stalking forward a few steps. Stiles scrambled backwards, herding Isaac toward the bucket that held most of the projectiles. They loaded up their arms, poised and ready to strike. And as the balloons started flying and they all ran around the yard with reckless abandon, Derek didn’t feel so tired anymore.

Chapter Text

“I’m headed out to the store. Do you need anything?” Stiles asked, shoving his feet into his shoes.

“Isaac’s almost out of juice. Make sure-”

“To get the fruit punch, since he doesn’t like grape. Already on the list.”

“I was thinking of making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.”

“Oh, that sounds good. I can make some garlic bread to go with it. Thin noodles or thick?”

“Thick. And none of that jarred sauce.”

“Sauce from scratch? Don’t make me swoon,” Stiles joked, resting the back of his hand on his forehead.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Derek huffed, rolling his eyes. “If you take the time to do something, you might as well do it right.”

“That sounds oddly mature from you. I like it,” Stiles grinned.

“Just go, before Isaac wakes up from his nap,” Derek directed, pointing toward the door. Isaac had been small for a little over a week now and Derek was getting the hang of everything, but he’d still rather not be alone. And how crazy was it that his preferred company was Stiles Stilinski? That witch was dead if he ever got his hands on her.

“Yeah yeah,” Stiles grumbled, waving over his shoulder as he walked out the door. Derek made his way to the kitchen, where the dishes from that morning were waiting to be washed. He swore under his breath as he stepped on an errant Lego, kicking it toward the pile of toys in the corner of the room. He’d take getting shot and slashed over stepping on those evil things.

Derek started filling the sink and looked around, wondering how he’d fallen into this domestic routine. Stiles would usually get Isaac ready for the day, while Derek cooked them all breakfast. Then Isaac would play for hours, before they ate lunch. It was a tossup if Isaac would take a nap after that. He wouldn’t when Scott came around, riling both Isaac and Stiles up. He didn’t come around too much, since he was putting in time at the clinic for Deaton, but Isaac had warmed up to him. Then it would be dinner time, followed by a movie and the bedtime routine. Derek and Stiles would sit on either side of Isaac as he laid in bed, reading him a story until he fell asleep. Stiles would retire to his dad’s room, while Derek slept on a pile of pillows next to Isaac’s bed. And it wasn’t a nest, no matter how many times Stiles liked to joke that it was.

There had been no signs of the witch, even with Peter on the hunt now as well. If he really was trying. Peter was the type to claim he was going to help, then sit back and watch the show. And he was probably relishing Derek being in a situation like this, since his uncle was a petty bastard.

But as much as Derek didn’t think it was possible, he was enjoying himself. If you’d asked him a week ago, he would’ve denied that adamantly. He probably still would, depending on who was asking the question. But this was starting to feel so natural that Derek was dreading going back to how it was before. Sleeping in an old train depot with a pack who was only with him because they had no other options. It wasn’t their fault that’s how they felt, since Derek hadn’t done enough to bond them like he should. If he was the Alpha he should’ve been, Boyd and Erica wouldn’t have taken off and Isaac wouldn’t have been changed because of the subsequent search.

“Derek?” a quiet voice said from behind him. Derek spun around, finding a half awake Isaac standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He was clutching his stuffed wolf and rubbing his eyes in a way that definitely didn’t make Derek’s heart clench.

“Hey Pup, what are you doing up?” Derek asked, drying his hands off on a towel. Isaac shrugged, padding over to the table and sitting down. “You hungry?”

“Kind of,” Isaac admitted, kicking his feet a little under his chair. He still didn’t feel completely comfortable asking for things, but he was getting better at it.

“How does a sandwich sound? Stiles is out getting stuff for spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.”

“Okay,” Isaac agreed easily. The kid could put food away like no other and he never turned down anything. Teenage Isaac was the same, which made it easier for Derek to throw whatever he had at him whenever he remembered to feed his charge. He was going to have to be better about that.

Derek got to work, putting together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the way he knew Isaac liked. Heavy on the jelly with a thin layer of crunchy peanut butter. Cut diagonally with the crusts still on. A tall glass of milk and a few pretzels on the side for some extra crunch.

“Here you go,” Derek said, setting everything down in front of Isaac, before ruffling his hair.

“Thank you, Derek,” Isaac giggled, tucking into his snack. Derek stood back and watched him, trying his best not to be weird and overbearing. It was nice to see Isaac relaxing more and more everyday. At first, he didn’t think Isaac would ever stop being scared of them, but the kid was tough. He had to be, after everything he went through. It made Derek appreciate teenage Isaac even more. His transition hadn’t been easy and while he could’ve ran like Boyd and Erica or stayed an asshole like Derek, he chose his own path.

Derek’s phone beeped in his pocket and he pulled it out, rolling his eyes when a text message from Stiles popped up. He’d sent a picture of a bunch of tomatoes with a question mark attached. Derek texted back saying that they were fine and to hurry up since Isaac was awake. Stiles replied with a thumbs up emoji and nothing else. Derek was changing his number after this.

“Want to watch some TV?” Derek asked as soon as Isaac finished up. His eyes lit up and he nodded, taking his dishes to the sink and straining to reach the faucet to rinse them off. He was still too small to do much, but that didn’t mean he didn’t try. Derek wondered how tall Isaac would’ve gotten if he’d been taken care of properly all his life. Maybe if he couldn’t be changed back…

Derek shook that thought away, focusing on the present. Thinking like that was only borrowing trouble. They still didn’t know if this curse had an automatic end time that would take Isaac back to his normal size. No use thinking of what could be.

“I’ll take care of that later,” Derek said, nudging Isaac toward the living room. Isaac darted into the room, climbing up and nestling down in his favorite spot. He liked to tuck himself against one arm of the couch, before gradually gravitating to the person sitting next to him and snuggling against their side. Stiles would pout when he wasn’t the one in that position.

Derek flipped on the television, finding a rerun of The Magic School Bus just starting. Isaac squealed in delight, staring at the screen with his full concentration. If Stiles were there, he’d grumble something about screen time and Isaac needing to do something to stimulate his body and mind, but a little bit of relaxing never hurt anyone. This was just an extra leadup to movie night.

Derek was starting to doze a little on the couch when he heard the front door open. He turned his head to see Stiles bustling in with his arms loaded with shopping bags. How they had gone through so many groceries in so little time he’d never understand.

“There’s my two favorite guys!” Stiles said brightly, before his face screwed up. “I mean- what? That’s not- shut up, Stiles.”

“That’s the smartest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Derek smirked.

“Just for that, I’m going to swap out your spaghetti noodles for the ones made of chickpeas,” Stiles threatened.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Derek warned, glaring over at him. He wasn’t Stiles’ dad. That crazy diet wasn’t going to be forced on him. Werewolves could pretty much get away with eating anything, and Derek definitely wasn’t going to deprive himself of something as simple as a regular noodle.

“I’m gonna go put this stuff away,” Stiles grinned, sauntering off. Derek checked to make sure Isaac was still engrossed in his show, before getting up and following after Stiles. The teen glanced over at him and rolled his eyes, tossing the package of pasta to him. “Regular noodles. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“Panties? Really?”

“So how did it go while I was gone? I see you took advantage of me not being here.”

“Isaac wanted to watch TV. I couldn’t say no to him.”

“I’m sure,” Stiles snorted, stacking a few things inside of the fridge. “It’s fine, since it’s The Magic School Bus. That show is how I learned about the planets. And the digestive system.”

“Wow, so interesting.”

“I had the biggest crush on Ms. Frizzle when I was a kid.”

“Is that how your obsession with redheads started?”

“Lydia is a strawberry blonde.”

“Whatever.”

“Stop giving me lip and start making me dinner. I expect to feel like I’m at the fanciest restaurant in Italy.”

“Prepare to be disappointed,” Derek replied, inspecting the tomatoes Stiles bought now that he could see them in person. He hadn’t made this recipe in years. Not since his family was still alive and he had a full kitchen to work in. When it was him and Laura, they stuck to quick, simple things. Nothing that would remind them of everything they lost. But Isaac deserved to feel like he had a real home, even if it was temporary.

“These days, you rarely do,” Stiles said, flashing him a look Derek couldn’t quite read. He walked out of the room before Derek could question him, even though he probably wouldn’t have. Stiles’ opinion of him wasn’t important. And if it ever was, he was really, really gonna kill that witch.

*

“Want some help?” Stiles offered, walking into the kitchen a few hours later. Derek only realized that much time had passed when he looked at the clock in surprise. He’d been so engrossed in what he was doing that it felt like no time passed at all. Isaac shuffled in behind him, before climbing into his usual spot at the table.

“You said something about garlic bread,” Derek reminded him.

“Good thing you’re not a vampire, huh?” Stiles joked, elbowing his side to nudge him out of the way of the fridge. How anyone could find Stiles funny was a mystery.

“Can I help too?” Isaac asked, looking up at them through his floppy curls.

“Sure, Pup,” Derek replied, running his fingers through Isaac’s hair while looking around for an idea. He didn’t want Isaac near the stove, in case he got burnt. “Want to roll up some meatballs?” Isaac enthusiastically agreed, watching in complete concentration as Derek showed him what to do. His tongue was firmly caught between his teeth as he carefully copied Derek’s movements, not setting the meatball on the platter until it was identical to the example.

“I have never seen a more perfect meatball,” Stiles commended. Isaac was practically vibrating with pleasure at the compliment, immediately moving onto the next one. Derek stood back a little to watch, as Stiles babbled on about the cartoons they’d just finished, while he spread the garlic butter on the slices of bread. Isaac giggled along with him, happy enough to listen to whatever he said. It felt like pack. And it was starting to feel like something attainable.

Soon enough, all they were waiting for was the noodles to finish boiling. The meatballs were simmering in the sauce and the garlic bread was nice and toasty from the oven. The kitchen smelled just like his kitchen growing up.

“How do we know when the noodles are done?” Isaac asked, bouncing in his seat at the table.

“Well, there is one method we could use to see. Only the best chefs in the world know this trick, but I was lucky enough to find out too,” Stiles said, trying to sound mysterious.

“Can I know it too?” Isaac asked with wide eyes.

“I guess, but you have to promise to keep it a secret,” Stiles said seriously.

“I promise,” Isaac agreed, nodding his head frantically.

“Okay,” Stiles replied, walking over to the pot.

“Really?” Derek mumbled under his breath, making sure Isaac couldn’t hear him.

“Oh no, we’re having fun. Someone call the police,” Stiles snickered, plucking a noodle out with a pair of tongs. He blew on it for a few seconds, before grabbing one end and flinging it at the wall. It stuck there for a few seconds, before plopping to the floor. “It’s done!” Isaac stared in shock before bursting into giggles and falling out of his chair. He would’ve hit the floor if Derek hadn’t caught him in time.

“I want to try!” Isaac exclaimed, bouncing over to Stiles in excitement. Stiles pulled out another noodle, taking great care to make sure it wouldn’t burn Isaac’s fingers before he handed it over. Isaac launched it at the wall, cheering loudly as it stuck. “I’m a chef!”

“Watch out, Gordon Ramsey! Isaac is coming for your crown!”

“Derek has to try too!” Isaac proclaimed.

“But-”

“Derek, Derek, Derek,” Stiles chanted, egging Isaac along to join him. Derek bit back a scowl. There was no harm in goofing off a little bit. And it was nice to see Isaac enjoying himself so much. He sighed, grabbing one of the noodles and tossing it at the wall. When it stuck, Isaac shrieked in delight, jumping up and down.

“You did it! We’re all chefs!”

“How about you sit back down so Chef Derek can plate our meals?” Stiles suggested, grabbing the sacrificed noodles and tossing them in the trash. Isaac hurried back to his seat, climbing into it like he was being timed. At first, Derek worried that Isaac moved so quickly because he thought he’d be in trouble if he went slow, but then he figured out that Isaac naturally moved really fast, especially when he was excited. The teenage version was easily his fastest Beta as well.

Derek set a heaping plate in front of Isaac, warning him to let it cool so he didn’t burn his mouth. He blew on it like he was blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, puffing out his cheeks impossibly wide. He’d have to find out when Isaac’s birthday was. The thought that it could’ve passed since Derek bit him without him realizing it made him feel surprisingly guilty.

“This smells amazing. Having to smell it for hours without being able to taste it should be considered torture,” Stiles said dramatically, using his hand to waft the scent toward him.

“The sauce didn’t get a chance to simmer as long as it should have, but I figured we wanted to have dinner before midnight.”

“I’m fairly certain this is still going to taste good,” Stiles insisted, twirling a pile of noodles around his fork and shoving them into his mouth. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he moaned dramatically. “Scratch that. This is incredible. You’ve been holding out on me this whole time.”

“Why on earth would I have ever cooked you dinner before, Stiles?” Derek asked, ignoring the over the top praise. Again, Stiles’ opinion was not important.

“To be nice? I don’t know. But I’m demanding it now,” Stiles grinned, slurping a noodle into his mouth obnoxiously.

“This is so good!” Isaac exclaimed around his mouthful, going at his plate full force now that the food was safe enough to eat.

“I think the meatballs are the best part,” Derek said, winking at Isaac. The boy absolutely beamed in response, with a dollop of tomato sauce smeared on the tip of his nose. Derek had no idea how it got there, but kids seemed to have a supernatural ability to get dirty in any situation. He reached over, wiping Isaac’s face with a napkin. It was probably a futile effort, but Derek felt the need to do it nonetheless.

“You’re teaching me this recipe, I hope you know that. I’m not going the rest of my life without this sauce.”

“Family secret, sorry.”

“I’m practically family!” Stiles gasped, glaring at him. “Miguel.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Let’s ask Danny.”

“Let’s not.”

“Can I have more?” Isaac asked, pulling Derek and Stiles from their back and forth. He’d demolished his plate, looking up at them innocently with sauce smeared cheeks.

“Someone is getting a bath right after dinner,” Stiles laughed, reaching over to wipe his face as Derek refilled his dish. The rest of the dinner went by with Stiles filling the silence as per usual, but it was nice. It was starting to feel like something he would miss.

*

“But I’m not tired,” Isaac whined, yawning into Stiles’ chest as he carried him to bed after his bath. He was dressed in a pajama set that was covered in little wolves. Derek had no idea where Stiles found these things.

“Trust me, when you’re my age, all you’ll want to do is sleep. And you’ll curse all the time you wasted being stubbornly awake,” Stiles laughed, digging his fingers into Isaac’s sides until he giggled.

“Not me. I can stay awake forever,” Isaac said confidently, as if his blinks weren’t getting more sluggish by the second.

“I guess if you don’t sleep anymore, you won’t need any bedtime stories,” Derek shrugged, making a big show of setting the book he had for the night on the bedside table.

“But I want to know what happens to Blue!” Isaac gasped, trying to wriggle out of Stiles’ grip. Stiles set him down and Isaac scrambled to get onto the bed. He crawled under the blankets and stared up at Derek expectantly. “I’ll go to sleep, but just for tonight.”

“Sure,” Derek smirked, sitting down in his usual spot on the bed. Isaac immediately snuggled up against him, resting his head on Derek’s stomach.

“Your wolf,” Stiles sighed, smacking himself on the forehead. “Let me go grab it.” Derek started reading Isaac’s book, falling into the comfortable rhythm they’d set. They were on the third book in the series, although to Derek, the stories were pretty much the same. Blue kept getting himself into trouble by making bad decisions. It was eerily similar to what they dealt with in Beacon Hills, except Blue always got his happy ending. Maybe one day they’d have the same luck.

Isaac’s breaths started to even out after a few minutes, so Derek lowered his voice. Some nights it was harder for him to sneak away without waking Isaac, but he usually could if he made sure he was deeply asleep. Isaac rubbed his cheek against Derek’s side, mumbling something under his breath.

“What was that?” Derek asked, tipping his head closer.

“I wish you were my dad,” Isaac murmured, before finally falling asleep. Derek’s breath caught in his throat and he willed his body not to tense up. He couldn’t wake up Isaac and make him think he was mad about what he said. Derek couldn’t verbalize exactly what those words made him feel, but anger wasn’t even on the list.

Derek heard a gasp and looked up, finding Stiles standing in the doorway with a hand over his mouth. He could tell by the look on his face that he’d heard Isaac’s sleepy confession as well. Derek carefully eased himself out from under Isaac, staying by the side of the bed until he was sure the boy was settled. He walked out of the room without a word to Stiles, making his way to the kitchen. He needed space to breathe and figure out what he was going to do.

“Wow,” Stiles mumbled a minute later when he finally came into the kitchen. The toy wolf was gone, probably snuggled against the boy who continuously surprised him. There had always been something different about Isaac, but Derek never looked too carefully at it. He’d promised himself years ago that he would keep everyone at arm’s length, no matter if they were pack or not. But Isaac had been the one to stay. When everyone else left him, Isaac didn’t. Isaac helped keep him human. He was the one Derek could depend on during a full moon to help keep the others calm. Even when Derek didn’t deserve it, Isaac was there. Derek had to do the same in return.

“I need to find a house. Or an apartment. Something,” Derek muttered, staring at the table in front of him.

“Okay.”

“He needs a home. I can’t stay here forever and I can’t take him back to where we were before,” Derek continued, going over everything that would need to be done in his head. There was so much and Derek had never been the one to have to deal with this stuff before, but he was the adult now. There was no one to rely on anymore.

“Do you want Isaac to stay small?” Stiles asked suddenly. Derek turned to look at him, expecting judgment on Stiles’ face. But all he saw was understanding.

“I don’t know,” Derek admitted, shaking his head. “When the curse first hit him, I wanted nothing more than for him to be turned back. To not have the responsibility of a kid who couldn’t take care of themselves. For everything to be normal.”

“And now?”

“What if I can save him from years of abuse? I had no idea it started so early,” Derek ground out, feeling his eyes flash in response to thinking of Isaac’s bastard of a father. If he’d known even a sliver of what he did now, he would’ve killed the man before the kanima ever had a chance.

“Are you completely prepared to raise Isaac as your own, for the rest of his childhood and beyond?” Stiles asked. If Stiles had asked this question a week ago, the answer would’ve been an emphatic no, followed by some sort of threat. But Derek was a changed man. There were a few moments in his life that had altered his entire being. Paige, Kate, the fire. This was one of them. And it was the only one he could confidently say changed him for the better.

“Yes.”

“Okay, let’s start looking,” Stiles said, pulling out his cell phone. “It needs to be somewhere close, so I can be there after school and on weekends. And there’s only one elementary school in this town, so zoning shouldn’t be a problem. What’s your budget like? Can you afford a three bedroom? I could crash on the couch, but I wouldn’t be mad at a guest room I could use.”

“Stiles, slow down,” Derek huffed. “You don’t have to do all that.” Derek wouldn’t hold it against Stiles if he took a step back from all this, especially when school started again. He was still a kid himself, no matter how much Derek was relying on him now.

“I’m in this too. You’re not getting rid of me,” Stiles said firmly, daring Derek to argue. He could admit that probably wasn’t a fight he would win. And he kind of didn’t want to.

“We can start looking for a place in the morning.” Stiles beamed at him, before launching into a monologue about all the things the new place should have. Derek started tuning him out when he started talking about a swimming pool. His phone beeped in his pocket and he pulled it out, feeling a knot form in his stomach as he read the words on the screen.

“What is it?” Stiles asked, noticing his mood shift. Derek stared blankly at his phone, trying to figure out how he felt about the message he received. After letting himself dream of the future and make plans, this turn of events was very abrupt.

“It’s from Peter. He found the witch.”

Chapter Text

When Peter said he found the witch, what he really meant was that he was pretty sure he caught onto her trail, but wasn’t sure and hadn’t actually seen her. Apparently, that didn’t sound as good in a text message. Even though it wasn’t confirmed, it was more than they’d had so far. Derek was going to check it out.

“I don’t like this,” Stiles mumbled, pacing around his kitchen and biting his thumbnail.

“I don’t either, but what choice do we have?” Derek asked. It was a miracle that the witch had stuck around town this long, instead of disappearing to the other end of the world. This could be their only shot at her.

“What else did Peter say? And why isn’t he here?” Scott wondered, tracking Stiles’ movements with his eyes as he sat at the table. He’d come immediately when Stiles called and explained the situation.

“He said he caught her scent leading deep into the preserve, but he didn’t follow it too far, in case she wouldn’t appreciate his presence,” Derek recounted, rolling his eyes. No one appreciated Peter’s presence. “And he’s not here because I don’t want him near Isaac.”

“What if this is a trap? This seems sloppy,” Stiles pointed out.

“I found her before without much difficulty.”

“But that was before she cursed someone in this town,” Stiles argued. “She didn’t have anyone to hide from then.”

“What other choice do we have?” Derek asked again. “Give me a better option and I’ll go with it. Doing nothing and ignoring this chance isn’t one of them.”

“Getting yourself killed helps no one!”

“Peter could be wrong. I mean, he didn’t have solid evidence that he found her,” Scott said, trying to intervene before Derek and Stiles really started fighting over this. It was his decision, no matter what Stiles had to say about it. He was the one responsible for Isaac.

“Either way, we’re going to find out.”

“You are such a stubborn asshole.”

“Good thing you’re staying here.”

“You can’t be serious!” Stiles exclaimed, gaping at him. “You aren’t leaving me behind!”

“Right, I’ll just hire a babysitter for Isaac online,” Derek scoffed. He could tell by the look on Stiles’ face that he’d momentarily forgotten the version of Isaac that was currently sleeping upstairs. Stiles was always ready to jump into a fight and he never liked to be left out. Typically, having Stiles around helped in their favor, but he had a more important role right now.

“Scott can stay with him,” Stiles argued weakly.

“I need Scott for backup.”

“But-”

“Stiles, you’re the only one I trust with Isaac,” Derek said seriously. Stiles snapped his jaw shut, cutting off any other protests that may have been waiting to spill out. Derek knew that Scott was trustworthy and would do all he could to protect Isaac if it came down to it, but Stiles was different. With Scott, he did things out of a sense of obligation. He was only in this world because he had no other option. But Stiles chose to be there. Everything Stiles did was done with passion and too much caring for his own good. Stiles had no quit in him and while Derek was sure that it would eventually end tragically for him because of it, he hoped that day wouldn’t come soon. As loath as he was to admit it, they all needed Stiles around.

“Okay,” Stiles agreed softly.

“I’m sure we’ll be back soon. Probably well before morning,” Scott offered, standing up from the table and patting Stiles on the shoulder.

“You better check in with me. Or I’ll spam you so hard,” Stiles warned.

“You’re gonna make our phones go off while we’re trying to sneak up on a witch?” Derek asked, raising his eyebrows.

“If you don’t give me updates, yeah!”

“Can we get this over with? I have a shift tomorrow,” Scott groaned.

“Go out to the car. I’ll be there in a minute,” Derek said, waving him away. Scott looked irritated, but did what he was told. Derek turned to face Stiles again, finding him staring with a worried expression. “It’s gonna be fine. If we find her, the witch will probably be so annoyed by Scott that she’ll give us whatever we want just so we’ll leave her alone.” He heard Scott squawk in offense from where he was standing outside.

“You know you aren’t funny,” Stiles said seriously.

“Stiles-”

“Don’t do anything stupid. Remember that Isaac staying a kid isn’t the end of the world. Everyone coming out of this alive, no matter what that looks like, is better than the alternative. I- Isaac needs you.” Derek opened his mouth to say something reassuring to him, but he wasn’t really the reassuring type. And if he got all mushy and they all survived, it was just going to make things even more awkward. He’d already given Stiles enough material to torment him with for the rest of their lives.

“I’ll be back,” Derek replied, ignoring Stiles muttering about how Arnold did that better as he walked outside to meet Scott. He climbed into the car, holding back from revving his engine and peeling out to let off a little steam. If Isaac had slept through their arguing, he didn’t want to wake him up now.

“So, that was-”

“Shut up, Scott,” Derek grunted, focusing his full attention on the drive. He was ready to get this over with and put this whole situation behind him. Thinking about having some sort of family with Isaac had been a waste of time. By morning, they’d have a dead witch, a normal Isaac, and everything would be back to normal.

*

“What made Peter think she was out here?” Scott asked, digging his toe into the dirt like he would unearth her from under a pebble. Derek doubted he would find her there, since they hadn’t found any evidence in the last two hours of searching.

“I don’t know. Maybe he was trying to get back at me for threatening him. Or killing him,” Derek shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past him to be petty.”

“I’m gonna check in with Stiles,” Scott mumbled, pulling out his phone.

“Well, it has been five minutes,” Derek scoffed. There had to be something out here. This couldn’t have been for nothing.

“How much further are we gonna go? Shouldn’t we have caught her scent by now?” Scott wondered, still staring at his phone.

“I don’t know,” Derek grumbled, taking another deep breath. Besides the typical smells of the preserve, there was nothing. It reminded him of the fruitless searches for Boyd and Erica. His tracking abilities were usually better than this.

“Come on,” Scott muttered.

“What is it?”

“Stiles hasn’t answered me,” Scott replied, staring at his phone with a pinched expression.

“And? You texted him less than a minute ago.”

“It’s been a minute and a half. And he’s been texting me back way faster than this all night.”

“Maybe he fell asleep?”

“You think he fell asleep while we’re out here searching for a witch? Really?” Scott snorted, bringing his phone up to his ear. Derek could hear the line ringing and could see the tension in Scott’s shoulders rising with each one. His eyes were flashing between gold and brown by the time Stiles’ voicemail message started playing. “Something’s wrong.”

“You don’t know that. Isaac could’ve woken up and needed something. They’re fine.” They had to be fine.

“I’m not taking that chance. Stiles was right, coming out here was a mistake,” Scott snapped, hitting the call button again. “Come with me or don’t, but I’m going back.” Scott turned, taking off in a sprint in the direction of the car. Derek took a second to growl and curse Peter under his breath before following after him. If Stiles was just in the bathroom or his battery had run out, he was going to kill Scott, then lightly maim Stiles.

They made it back to the car in record time, with Scott getting there a few seconds before him, but tapping his foot impatiently like he’d been waiting for hours. It probably would’ve been faster for Scott to run, but it would’ve been harder for him to make his continuous phone calls that were still going unanswered.

Derek gunned it down the quiet streets, not worrying about anyone seeing. Sheriff Stilinski was still out of town and the deputies had better things to worry about, with the drama this town saw on a weekly basis. A car speeding down the road in the middle of the night was the least of their problems.

“Answer your phone, Stiles,” Scott whined, bouncing his legs anxiously. Derek would give him a pass for all the dirt he was grinding into his passenger side floor. “Let me try your phone.”

“Why would the phone you’re calling from make any difference?”

“I don’t know! Maybe he blocked me.” Derek shot him an annoyed look. “It’s like you don’t even care that something could be wrong!”

“Scott,” Derek warned, feeling his claws easing out and pricking his steering wheel. In all honesty, Derek felt like he was going to be sick. The thought of Isaac being in danger was almost too much to deal with, so he was clinging onto denial and nonchalance with everything he had. The last time he cared this much about another person, he lost them, which was true for every relationship he’d ever had. He didn’t know if he’d be able to survive another loss, especially in this situation.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, much like how they’d driven to the preserve. But this quiet was blanketed with so much dread that it felt like it was taking up all the oxygen in the car. It was easy to not care when he was putting himself in danger. As an Alpha, he was willing to die for his pack. The thought of his pack dying instead was unbearable. And whatever Isaac was to him now made that fact even more clear.

The front door of the Stilinski house was open when they got there. Derek didn’t even have the car in park before Scott was flying out the door, racing into the house. He haphazardly stopped the car halfway up the curb, paying no mind to any damage he might be causing. His whole focus was on getting into the house.

Derek ran up the stairs, going to the last place he’d seen Isaac. He was safe in Stiles’ bed then and Derek pleaded with a power he didn’t believe in that that would still be the case. He banged into the doorway of Stiles’ bedroom, stopping short as he took in the scene.

A fight had obviously taken place, by the sight of all the damage. The desk was overturned, the chair was in pieces, and everything that had been on a shelf or dresser was now on the floor. But that wasn’t what made Derek’s blood turn cold. Scott was huddled over Stiles’ prone form, begging him to wake up. And Isaac was gone.

Chapter Text

“He’s alive, but he won’t- I can’t-” Scott stammered, shaking his best friend by the shoulders. Stiles’ head lolled with the movement, but he showed no signs of waking up. Derek stomped over, shoving Scott to the side before taking his place. He pulled Stiles up by the collar before slapping him across the face. Stiles’ eyes sprang open and he lashed out, punching Derek in the jaw.

“Stiles!” Derek shouted, grabbing his flailing hands before they could hit him again.

“What? What’s going on? What happened?” Stiles panted in confusion.

“Stiles, where’s Isaac?” Derek demanded. Stiles’ eyes went wide when clarity finally caught up with him. If there was any hope that Isaac was tucked away safely somewhere, it was gone now.

“The witch,” Stiles whispered, shoving Derek away and staggering to his feet. He stumbled over to the bed, raking his hands through his hair as he stared at it in anguish. “She took him.”

“What happened?” Scott asked, setting his hand on Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles wrenched away from him, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

“I was downstairs when I heard a noise. I thought Isaac woke up, so I went to check on him. When I came in here, she was just standing there,” Stiles ground out, shaking his head as he spoke. “I ran at her, but she threw me across the room like it was nothing. I kept trying, trying to get to Isaac, but she was just playing with me. Then there was a bright light and I don’t remember anything until you got here.”

“Magic,” Derek spat. Stiles never stood a chance. It was a courtesy that she didn’t kill him, since it wouldn’t have taken much effort.

“Derek, I’m sorry,” Stiles choked out, pressing his lips together as his chin trembled. “You trusted me to take care of Isaac and I failed.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine,” Derek replied, mentally berating himself. He never should’ve left Isaac’s side. If he’d accepted the new circumstances as they were and learned to live with them, Isaac would be safe in his bed and Derek wouldn’t be wondering if he’d ever be able to breathe without guilt again.

“Can we track her? She can’t have gone far,” Scott said, trying to catch a scent.

“She’s too smart for that,” Derek sighed, feeling completely defeated. Instead of raring for a fight, he just felt numb. He turned his head to the side, catching sight of something partially covered by a blanket. He picked it up, holding Isaac’s stuffed wolf in hands he was careful not to let shake. Stiles broke down when he saw it, sobbing as he crumpled into a heap.

Derek stared at the toy, letting Scott’s voice as he tried to pull Stiles out of his panic attack fall into the background. Was Isaac gone for good? What did the witch want with him? How powerful was she? There were so many questions and he probably wouldn’t get an answer to any of them. But he didn’t need answers, he just needed Isaac.

He was probably so scared right now. They’d just gotten Isaac to a point where he was coming out of his shell, only for this to happen. Had he been forced to watch Stiles get battered by the witch? Had she hurt him too? Derek felt sick at the thought of Isaac being subjected to something he’d already been forced to live through at his young age. Derek was supposed to protect him and make sure what Isaac’s father did to him never happened again, but now he could be going through something so much worse.

Derek’s phone ringing in his pocket made them all jump in surprise. He pulled it out, staring at the unknown number on the screen. There wasn’t a long list of people who would call him and it was too early for telemarketers. Even though he couldn’t know for sure, he had a good idea of who this would be.

“Where is he?” Derek asked firmly, holding his breath as he waited for a reply on the other line.

“Skipping the pleasantries?” Derek almost dropped his phone as relief washed over him. There was still no guarantee that he would get Isaac back, but this was more than they had before. Scott caught onto what was going on and signaled to Stiles to be quiet. He sucked in a shuddering breath, before shuffling over to try to listen to what was being said.

“Where’s Isaac?” Derek demanded. He wasn’t willing to play her games until he knew Isaac was okay.

“He’s with me. He’s really very cute, isn’t he? Much better than the version I saw when we first met,” the witch commented casually.

“Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. For now, at least. I was never the parenting type. Not quite sure what to do with him, but a little trial and error never hurt anyone. Much.”

“Give him back to me!” Derek snapped.

“Right, you and your pack. So important for you to have your power,” the witch scoffed. Derek ignored how much that stung, because at the beginning, that was true. He created a pack not just for protection and bonding, but to make himself stronger. But it wasn’t about that anymore. And he needed the chance to prove that was true.

“Tell me what you want and I’ll do it. All I want is Isaac.” Derek wasn’t the begging type, but he was willing to lower himself to that level to get Isaac back.

“This little experiment has probably reached its climax, so why put it off any longer? Meet me where we first met and we can settle this once and for all. But come alone. If I catch anyone trying to sneak up on me, I’ll kill the boy first, understood?”

“No deal until I have proof that Isaac is okay. Let me talk to him,” Derek requested. He was going either way, but he needed to hear from Isaac for his peace of mind. If he knew there was still a chance, it would stop him from being as reckless as he was aching to be.

“You know I have the power of faking his voice, right?” the witch laughed.

“Please, just let me have a minute.” The witch let out an amused sigh, before Derek heard shuffling on the line.

“Derek?”

“Isaac! Are you okay?” Derek exclaimed, tilting his phone so Stiles could hear better. He knew Stiles needed this just as much as he did.

“I’m scared. I want to come home,” Isaac sniffled.

“I know you do, Pup. I’m gonna come get you, alright? I promise, everything is gonna be okay.”

“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep,” the witch warned. Stiles leaned back, pressing his hand over his mouth as his tears started flowing again. “Better get going. I don’t like waiting.” Derek didn’t pull the phone away from his ear until he heard the call disconnect.

“She’s back where you first saw her? I checked that place a dozen times!” Scott grumbled, shaking his head in disgust.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that she’s there now. It’s gonna end where it started, one way or another,” Derek said in determination, setting the stuffed wolf aside. He stood up, pulling Stiles up alongside him. “We’re taking your jeep.”

“What? Why?” Stiles asked in confusion, wiping his wet face.

“Because if this goes the way I think it’s going to, I need you to take Isaac and get out of there.”

“You don’t think you’re gonna survive this,” Stiles said solemnly, not bothering to make it a question. “Derek.”

“Stiles, if Isaac makes it back to you and he’s still a kid, I want you to take care of him. I don’t know what you’re gonna have to tell your dad, but I’m trusting you to do what you have to do for him. Isaac deserves it,” Derek said seriously. It was insane to think that two weeks ago, Derek wouldn’t have trusted Stiles to watch his car, let alone transfer custody of his now child-sized Beta to him. But things had changed and Derek could begrudgingly appreciate Stiles’ better qualities. “And if he comes back as a teenager, I need you both to keep an eye out for him. With Boyd and Erica gone, he doesn’t have anyone else.”

“We’ll look out for him,” Scott agreed, although his role would be the easier of the two. Derek looked to Stiles, watching to see if there was any hesitation. Realistically, Isaac could be fine with a new family, taken far away from this mess of werewolves and magic. Anything strange he saw could be explained away by an overactive imagination, with a dash of trauma. But Derek wanted Isaac in a place he knew he’d be loved, and that was with Stiles.

“I’ll do it,” Stiles confirmed, nodding decisively.

“Then let’s go.”

The mood in the jeep was somber as Stiles drove toward the meeting spot. Derek had pulled any pain from him that he could, but there was surprisingly little. The witch had mostly toyed with him, leaving him with some bruises, but not much else. And the knockout blow hadn’t done any lasting damage.

Scott was fidgeting in the backseat, opening his mouth to say something every few minutes, before closing it in silence. Derek was glad, since he didn’t want to talk. He was preparing himself for the inevitable fight that he probably wasn’t going to be walking away from. There had been times before that he was certain he was going to die and honestly, he hadn’t minded much. He still fought with everything he had, since he wasn’t a quitter, but he hadn’t had much to live for. Now, he had a little boy depending on him. And while he was still completely willing to die for him, he also wanted to be able to live for him.

Stiles’ hands were twisting around the steering wheel as he drove. Derek knew he would hate being attacked, then not be able to get some sort of retribution. But Stiles had a more important role in this. Some people were meant to take the beatings and right now, Derek fit that bill.

“Stop here,” Derek directed, pointing to the side of the road. They still had some time before the sun came up, so they probably wouldn’t be bothered. Derek wanted them to be as close as possible, without putting themselves in danger. The wolf in him hated going into something like this on his own, since pack mentality was so ingrained in him, but he couldn’t risk it. And if the witch got away and decided she needed to do more damage, Scott and Stiles had a better chance of surviving if they were together. “Stay in the car. Unless you see Isaac, anything could be a trap.”

“We will,” Scott agreed. Derek had to hope that for once, Scott would be able to say no to any harebrained scheme Stiles cooked up.

“And if you get the chance, take Isaac and go. Don’t wait for me, don’t come back for me,” Derek commanded. If they squandered their opportunity by trying to save him, he’d stop at nothing to come back and throttle them. Even if he had to come back from the dead to do it.

“Come here.”

“What?”

“Give me a damn hug!” Stiles grumbled, grabbing Derek by the front of his shirt and jerking him forward. Derek was stiff as Stiles squeezed him around his shoulders. This wasn’t as awkward as the times he’d been paralyzed by Jackson, but it was still something he wouldn’t choose for himself.

“I gotta go,” Derek muttered, easing himself away in a gentler manner than he was used to. These last few days really had changed him.

“Bring him back,” Stiles said, nodding in determination. Derek returned it, slipping out of the jeep and taking off into the preserve. He’d made this trip twice before, once with Isaac trailing after him and once with him in his arms. Derek was either going to be leaving with him again, or he wouldn’t be leaving at all. This ended now.

Chapter Text

Derek made it to the cabin in record time. If by some miracle he survived this and the witch wasn’t an issue anymore, he was gonna burn this place down. Whether or not there would be a body inside to burn with it remained to be seen. He forced himself to slow down when he got to the door, opening it carefully in case there was anything lying in wait on the other side.

Derek saw Isaac right away. He was huddled in a tiny ball in the far corner of the room. It was never going to be that simple, but logic flew out the window for Derek as soon as he laid eyes on the little boy. He rushed forward, only making it a few steps before he was stopped by an invisible wall. He didn’t need to look down to know there was a line of mountain ash keeping him from his goal.

“Isaac,” Derek called out, trying to keep his voice calm. Isaac’s head popped up from where it was tucked into his knees, exposing his tear streaked face. Derek yearned to put a slash in the witch’s body for each one.

“Derek!” Isaac cried, reaching out for him.

“I need you to come to me, Pup,” Derek instructed, waving Isaac toward him. Before Isaac could move, there was an ugly cackling noise, followed by the door behind Derek slamming shut.

“Stay where you are, little moppet. The grown ups need to talk,” the witch said, revealing herself from a dark corner. She glided forward to put herself between Derek and Isaac, but made sure to stay behind the mountain ash barrier.

“Let him go. This is between you and me,” Derek demanded, flashing his red eyes at her. The witch smirked, cocking her head to the side.

“But you brought him before, didn’t you? It was okay to put him in danger then, but not now?”

“I wasn’t there to fight before, I came to you for help. You’re the one who got violent!” Derek snapped.

“You came to me because you couldn’t control your pack and you got angry with me when I didn’t fall in line,” the witch scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Power is a big thing for you, isn’t it?”

“You don’t know anything about me,” Derek growled.

“Oh, I know so much about you. More than you probably know yourself. More than you’re willing to admit,” the witch said mockingly. Derek could feel his claws digging into his palms. “That’s how I knew exactly what spell to use on you.”

“Turning me into a kid? What was that supposed to do?”

“Taking you down a few pegs for starters. Giving you a chance to grow up to be a better person. And honestly for my own amusement,” the witch giggled, looking him up and down. “You would’ve been adorable too.”

“Shut up.”

“But actually, I like this way better. I bet this wasn’t easy for you. I bet you hated being saddled with this kid.”

“That’s not true!” Derek insisted, before trying to catch a glimpse of Isaac again. If he was listening, he needed to know that wasn’t how Derek felt. “Isaac, that’s not true. Don’t listen to her.”

“You’re selfish. You know you are. It had to grate on you that you were stuck with someone who had no value to you. Someone who didn’t give you power.”

“I don’t care about that!”

“Yes, you do. That’s why you kept searching for me. So you could have your soldier back.”

“No.”

“And for revenge. Can’t accept someone showing you up, can you?”

“You’re wrong.”

“Tell me that if I let you walk out of here, you won’t give up on this kid and make yourself a new pack.”

“What?” Derek spluttered in confusion.

“How about an offer? You leave us and never look back and I’ll do the same. I’ll never step foot in Beacon Hills again, leaving you to pluck a few more kids from the high school to do your bidding. You can be the monster terrorizing the town.”

“That’s not happening.”

“That’s your only option if you want to walk out of here.”

“Then I’m not walking out of here,” Derek said simply, raising his hands in surrender. He’d accepted this as the most likely outcome since the beginning, but he didn’t know how at peace he’d feel saying the words. There were a million ways to die for nothing, but he was going to die for something. “You can do whatever you want and I won’t fight, as long as you let Isaac go back to my friends.”

“And why would I agree to that? I already have you both.”

“Because you could’ve killed us already and you haven’t. Because killing a little boy isn’t a win, but killing an Alpha? That’s a good feather to put in your cap.”

“Again, I could still do both.”

“And if you kill me, you can leave this town without a second thought. But if you hurt him, you’ll never know another day of peace. There will be people coming for you and eventually they’ll win.”

“And they won’t for you?”

“I’m not that important,” Derek shrugged. He knew if something happened to Isaac, Stiles wouldn’t rest until he got revenge. He would convince a reluctant Scott to help and Peter was always ready to kill. But if he had Isaac to take care of, he wouldn’t take that risk.

“Interesting,” the witch mused, rubbing at her chin in consideration. “You seem different from the wolf that lost his temper so quickly the first time we met. Has this experience tamed you?”

“Does it matter?”

“Let’s say it does. Let’s say that what you say to me determines whether or not Isaac lives to see his next repeated birthday.” Derek grit his teeth at the thought of being vulnerable in front of this witch, but he had no choice. Isaac’s safety was more important than his pride. And since he wasn’t going to make it out of this, Derek would only have to live with his discomfort for a little while longer.

“I didn’t appreciate my pack the way I should’ve when I turned them. They were a means to an end. I needed power and they needed a place to belong, so it was a mutually beneficial relationship. It was never supposed to be more than that. But it changed.”

“All because I turned this one into a child?”

“No, it changed before that. The more time I spent with them, the more they wormed their way in, no matter how much I fought against it. Caring about other people is dangerous and only leads to heartbreak. That’s what I told myself after years of loss. And when my two Betas left me, I felt that loss again. But I get why they did it.”

“And why’s that?”

“I never gave them a reason to stay. I never showed them how important they were to me as people, instead of just members of my pack. I didn’t protect them the way that I should have. And I might never get a chance to make up for it with the ones who left, but I tried with Isaac.”

“Your last Beta.”

“I thought I’d made a mistake after I bit him,” Derek admitted. If Isaac was listening to all this, it probably made no sense. Stiles was going to have to deal with the explanations eventually. “Pretty soon after, I was all he had left. It wasn’t something I expected or wanted, but-”

“Not what you wanted? Harsh,” the witch smirked.

“It wasn’t what I wanted because I knew I wouldn’t be good at it. Isaac had already been through so much and I wasn’t who anyone would turn to for comfort or guidance. All I was good for was training them to be werewolves, not raising them to be good humans.”

“But then you got the chance.”

“And I was even more convinced that I would screw it up. I thought anyone else would do a better job than I ever could. I wanted to find you and fight because violence is all I’m good for.”

“And you’re not even very good at that.”

“Then I lost Isaac in a Target,” Derek recounted, shaking his head. “I thought I couldn’t feel fear like that after losing my family, because nothing compared. But I was ready to rip the world apart to find him.”

“And now me.”

“If that’s what it came down to to get him back, yes. He’s always been the one to stick by me, even when I didn’t deserve it. Even when it would’ve been smarter to take off with the others or avoid me in general. He’s almost died for me and I will willingly die for him.”

“Because you owe him?”

“Because I care about him.” The witch looked contemplative, but Derek was still bracing himself for this all to be a ruse. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d decided what she was going to do from the first moment they’d met.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“He can go.” Derek felt like his knees were going to buckle. Had he finally done something right? Better late than never and if it was going to be the last thing he did in his life, he could die happy.

“Thank you,” Derek said sincerely. It was a bit strange to thank his soon to be murderer, but his life rarely ever made sense. The witch turned toward Isaac, kneeling down beside him and setting her hand on his shoulder. Derek tensed up, since he really didn’t want her to touch him, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Off you go, little one,” she said, nudging him toward the door. He looked confused, but Derek opened his arms wide, coaxing him over. Isaac hesitated for a few seconds, before springing up and launching himself at Derek. He caught the boy easily, clutching him tightly to his chest. Derek briefly thought about trying to run, but he couldn’t risk it. Isaac getting to safety was all he needed.

“I wanna go home!” Isaac cried, turning his face into Derek’s neck. He could feel the tears soaking into his collar.

“You are gonna go home, okay? Back home to Stiles,” Derek soothed, rubbing Isaac’s back. “He’s gonna take care of you from now on.”

“What about you?” Isaac sniffled, balling his fists into Derek’s shirt.

“I can’t come with you,” Derek sighed, trying to keep his voice even. He didn’t need to make this harder for either of them. Isaac tipped his head back, looking up at Derek with red eyes and a splotchy face. Derek gently brushed the tears off his cheeks, flashing him a shaky smile.

“Why?”

“It’s complicated. Stiles can explain it to you one day, but know that I want nothing more than to stay with you. These past few days taking care of you were some of the best in my entire life.”

“Don’t go! I don’t know what I did, but I’m sorry! I promise I’ll be better!”

“Hey, do you know what you did?” Derek asked, brushing his hand through Isaac’s curls until his hiccuping sobs died down. “You gave me something I never thought I’d have again. You gave me a family. I can never thank you enough for that.”

“But I want to stay with you.”

“I’ll always be with you, okay? I’ll be right here,” Derek said, tapping a finger over Isaac’s heart.

“Derek.”

“It’s okay to be sad for a little bit, but I don’t want you to be sad for too long. Stiles is gonna take such good care of you and you’ll have so much fun together. You’re gonna get to have the childhood you deserved.”

“I’m gonna miss you,” Isaac sniffled, staring up at him with his big, blue eyes.

“I’m gonna miss you too, Pup,” Derek replied, leaning forward to press a kiss to Isaac’s forehead. He didn’t want this moment to end, but it needed to before Derek broke completely. “It’s time for you to go.”

“I don’t want to,” Isaac whimpered, trying to burrow further into Derek’s chest. As much as it pained him to do so, Derek gently pried Isaac off of him, settling him back on his feet. Derek stared at him, committing the sight to memory. He smiled as he thought of the man Isaac would grow to be. It was a shame he wouldn’t get to see it himself, but he knew that Stiles and Scott would do right by him.

“I love you, Isaac,” Derek said softly, running his hand along his cheek. He hadn’t said those words to anyone in years, but he hadn’t felt this confident in his feelings either. He should’ve said this sooner and more often, but now wasn’t the time to focus on regrets.

“I love you too,” Isaac sniffled. Derek let out a wet laugh, finally feeling the tears he’d kept at bay rolling down his cheeks. Instead of feeling embarrassed and trying to hide, he showed them to Isaac proudly. He wasn’t going to pretend like the love he felt was anything to be ashamed of. If this was Isaac’s last vision of him, Derek hoped he would remember how genuine his love truly was.

“You’re gonna go out this door and walk straight through the trees. It’s going to take a while, but Stiles and Scott are waiting for you just outside the preserve. Keep going and don’t stop. Can you do that for me?” Derek instructed, wishing he could call them to come to the cabin instead. Isaac looked like he wanted to argue, but quietly cried instead. Derek gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, softly guiding him toward the door. He hoped the witch would kill him quickly, because he was not going to be able to live with this guilt for much longer.

“You’re sending him out on his own? That’s so dangerous,” the witch gasped, shaking her head in disappointment. Derek was about to snap at her for making jokes when this was already hard enough for the both of them, but before he could say anything, she spoke again. “Go.”

“You’re letting me go?” Derek asked, not letting himself get his hopes up. This was probably a misunderstanding or a trick.

“Yeah.” Derek grabbed Isaac by the arm, but still didn’t move further. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop. After all this, she couldn’t just change her mind like that.

“Why?”

“You were the one who kept bringing up me killing you. In fact, you were the aggressor from the very beginning. I was following your lead. And unless I read it wrong, it seems like you want to live. Or was that whole spiel a lie?”

“I was being honest,” Derek confirmed, feeling his heart slam against his chest. Knocking out Stiles seemed pretty aggressive, but she could’ve done a lot worse. Using magic to incapacitate him caused less damage than blunt force.

“Then go. Contrary to popular belief, not all witches go around causing havoc. A little mischief maybe, but we mostly keep to ourselves. Remember that for the next time you happen upon us. We’re generally a bit bitchy, but we’ll leave you alone if you leave us alone. Will you leave me alone after this?”

“I will do my best to never see you again,” Derek promised. Or any other witch. If his uncle was the worst supernatural being he ever had to deal with again, he could die happy. But he wasn’t going to be dying today. Derek stooped down to pick up Isaac again, relishing in the fact that he got another chance to do so. He wasn’t going to take for granted another second. But how many seconds did he have left? “Can I ask you a question?”

“The spell is going to wear off.” So many feelings bubbled up inside Derek, but he couldn’t begin to identify them all.

“When?”

“Soon. It was always temporary. Why do you think I set up this meeting? I’m surprised that fake trail worked on you guys,” the witch bragged. Derek was going to kill Peter for jumping the gun on that.

“Why set up a meeting at all?” Derek wondered. If Isaac was going to change back all along and she was never planning on killing him, what was the point in sticking around?

“To make sure you really changed.”

“And if I hadn’t?” The witch raised her eyebrows and smirked, leaving the threat unsaid. Derek still didn’t understand why she cared about any of them, but some people liked to involve themselves in matters that weren’t their own. Stiles was a good example of that. The thought of him waiting and most likely freaking out made Derek want to end this conversation even faster, but there was still one question he had to ask. “Is it going to hurt?”

“Changing back?”

“Yeah.” Derek held back a shudder thinking of Isaac screaming as he changed into his current form. It was bad enough seeing the teen deal with that pain, but Derek was pretty sure he wouldn’t survive seeing the child version going through the same.

“It’s not going to hurt. I’m not that cruel,” the witch scoffed. Derek felt an argument on his tongue, but he held it back. There was no need to antagonize her and make her do something rash. “Now, do you want to keep chatting or do you want to get back to your co-parent? With the way he fought for the boy, I know he’s gotta be losing his patience.” Derek didn’t need to be dismissed again. He gathered Isaac more securely to his chest and walked out the door. Derek made sure he kept his senses honed for any last second trouble, but once he was clear of the cabin, he was gone.

Derek made the now familiar trek with ease, hopping over logs and dodging branches. Taking the time to go around more difficult spots was not happening. He didn’t know how much time he had before Isaac changed back, but he knew that Stiles needed the chance to say goodbye to this version. Even though it would probably be one of the hardest things either of them would have to do, it still needed to be done.

Derek could hear Stiles vibrating in his jeep before he even came into view. He was kind of impressed that the teen had been able to listen to his instructions, without trying to be the hero and getting himself into trouble. It seemed like they both had changed thanks to this experience.

When Derek finally broke through the treeline, Stiles’ head snapped immediately in their direction. He burst into tears, scrambling out of the car and rushing over to them. Derek handed Isaac over, letting Stiles frantically check him over to make sure he was okay. Scott stood off to the side, trying to hide as he swiped a palm across his eyes.

“What happened? How are you- what happened?” Stiles choked out, pressing his cheek into Isaac’s curls.

“It’s over. I’ll explain once we get to Deaton’s,” Derek said, trying to guide Stiles back toward the jeep. Stiles stopped him in his tracks, grabbing his arm and looking him over in panic. “Neither of us are hurt.”

“Then why-”

“He’s gonna change back.” Stiles visibly swallowed and tensed, holding Isaac that much tighter. He’d probably imagined what the rest of his life would look like taking care of Isaac alone. This was probably a big emotional whiplash.

“How about I drive?” Scott offered. Stiles nodded numbly, carrying a silent Isaac back to the jeep. He was probably exhausted and in shock after everything. Derek climbed into the backseat with Stiles, sandwiching Isaac between them as close as possible. After wanting so badly for everything to go back to normal, it was hard to accept that this could be the last time they would ever be like this.

Chapter Text

They didn’t speak on the drive to Deaton’s, besides Derek quietly telling Stiles and Scott that the witch said the change wouldn’t hurt. There wasn’t really anything else they could say in front of Isaac that wouldn’t confuse him. And Derek didn’t even know where to start. In reality, this was the best case scenario. Everything was about to go back to normal and they could put it all in the past. But even Derek had the emotional awareness to know it wouldn’t be that easy.

Isaac let out a few sniffles here and there, but Stiles would softly shush him, while petting his hair. Even though part of Derek wanted to hold him and never let him go, now he felt like he couldn’t. His emotional walls were already fighting to go back up, after they’d been so thoroughly stripped away these past days. Derek knew this couldn’t be about how he was feeling right now, not with Isaac still like this, but he couldn’t get himself to act like he had before. After such a final goodbye, to this state now that he knew was temporary, he felt like anything more could shatter him completely. Derek might’ve been strong enough to die, but he felt too weak to live through all of the twists and turmoil.

“We’re here,” Scott said quietly as he parked in the alley behind Deaton’s office. It felt like forever and a second ago that Derek had parked in the same spot, clutching a newly deaged Isaac to his chest and wondering how he could get out of the situation. Now that it was about to come to an end, he wished he had more time.

Derek and Stiles shared a look before Stiles unbuckled Isaac and carried him out of the jeep. Derek stayed in his seat a little bit longer, taking a few deep breaths. This was fine. Isaac was going to change back, then they would move on. There was no other choice.

“Are you okay?” Scott asked, twisting around in his seat to stare at him with an understanding and sympathetic look. Derek wanted to rip it off his face. He growled under his breath before shoving the door open and stomping his way into the clinic. Stiles was talking to Deaton in hushed tones, still clutching Isaac in his arms. If he changed back right now, Isaac’s lanky frame would topple them both.

“You should put him down,” Derek mumbled. Stiles shot him a look full of hurt, before understanding washed over him. He carefully knelt down, setting Isaac on the floor. Stiles ran his hands lightly over the boy, committing this version to memory the same way Derek had when he thought the witch was about to kill him.

“Do you know when it’s gonna happen?” Scott asked nervously from behind him.

“No,” Derek grunted, turning around to glare at him. Anger at Scott was easy, so he focused on that. Derek knew the guy hadn’t done anything this time to deserve it, but it gave him something to do, instead of wallowing in his own pain. “Why are you even still here?”

“What?”

“You spent most of your time looking for ways to fix this, right? Lot of good that did,” Derek snapped.

“I thought that was the plan?” Scott asked, holding his hands up in surrender. He was just so calm that Derek wanted to throttle him. If he’d been around more, he’d be just as devastated as Stiles and him. It wasn’t fair that he was okay.

“Derek, now is not the time,” Stiles chastised, walking over and putting his hand on his shoulder. Derek was about to shove him off, since the time for just in case you die touches was over, when there was a sudden ripping noise and a startled yelp from behind them.

“What the hell?!” Derek felt like he was moving in slow motion as he turned around. The child version of Isaac was gone and in his place was the teen version, clutching the torn remains of a too small outfit to his overgrown body. Stiles sucked in a sharp breath beside him, blinking rapidly as his eyes welled up with tears. Derek’s eyes were dry because that was the only option for him.

“Isaac, is that you?” Scott asked cautiously.

“Who else would I be?” Isaac asked in bewilderment, looking around the room at all of them.

“Well, you, but it’s complicated,” Scott replied hesitantly.

“I would say standing in the middle of the vet’s office naked is a bit complicated,” Isaac shot back, holding the scraps of clothing more firmly to his body. Derek probably should’ve seen that part coming, especially as a werewolf, but it wasn’t like he was a full shifter like Peter was. And he had other things to worry about than Isaac’s modesty. “Why does Stiles look like he’s about to throw up?”

“I don’t,” Stiles denied, swiping a hand across his face.

“Dude, you kind of do,” Scott said sympathetically. Stiles really did look one shade above corpse.

“So sue me! This has been a lot!”

“What has been a lot? And why am I naked?”

“Oh, get over it. I’m the one who gave you baths.”

“What?!”

“This should help,” Deaton said calmly, handing Isaac one of his lab coats. Isaac shrugged it on, dropping the torn clothes to the floor. His pajamas with the wolves.

“Someone needs to start talking, right now,” Isaac demanded. No one spoke up for a few seconds and the mood only got more and more tense. Derek wished he had something to fight, so he’d have an excuse to leave. Peter hadn’t had his face smashed in in a while and he was definitely due.

“Maybe we should sit down for this,” Scott said finally, breaking the silence. He gestured for Isaac to go ahead to the waiting area, shooting an imploring look over his shoulder as soon as the re-aged teen was out of sight. Stiles sniffled loudly, scrubbing his hands over his face a few times to psych himself up for this talk. Derek pushed his way past him, wanting to get this over with.

Isaac was sitting in the chair closest to the door, bouncing his leg anxiously. He looked almost as nervous as- no, he wasn’t going to think about that time anymore. It was over and it didn’t matter anymore. Derek posted up on the wall on the opposite side of the room from him, not in the mood to sit down. Stiles looked like he wanted to sit next to Isaac, but dropped down next to Scott at the last second.

“You guys are freaking me out,” Isaac muttered, flicking his eyes between him and Stiles. Somehow, Scott was the steadiest one right now.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Scott asked.

“Derek and I were looking for Boyd and Erica?” Isaac replied, although it sounded more like a question than a confident answer. But it finalized a mystery Derek and Stiles had wondered about all along. Isaac didn’t remember his time as a kid at all. Stiles started bouncing in his seat a little, gnawing on his lip. “Did we find them?”

“No, not yet.”

“Then why are you all looking at me like someone died? Did someone die? Did I die?”

“You didn’t die!” Stiles exclaimed, looking horrified by the teen saying the words, even though he could see with his own eyes that he was fine. Isaac looked startled by the outburst coming from Stiles. They didn’t have the kind of relationship where they cared about each other like that. After the kanima fight, the first time they’d all met up again, they hadn’t done more than trade barbs about their various wounds, even though Isaac’s had already healed up by then. Isaac had no idea that Stiles’ feelings about him had changed so dramatically.

“You didn’t die, but something did happen,” Scott said hesitantly, glancing around the room as if he was expecting someone else to jump in. Derek sure wasn’t going to. “Really?”

“Just tell me. It can’t be that bad, right? It’s not like Jackson laid eggs and now there are a bunch of kanima babies running around,” Isaac sighed. Stiles sucked in a sharp breath and Isaac's eyes went comically wide. “Shut up.”

“There are no kanima babies, but there was one baby. Not baby, kid. You. Kid,” Scott stammered. Isaac let out a startled laugh, before quietly chuckling in disbelief.

“This is a weird joke.”

“Not a joke.”

“That's not a thing. Being turned into a kid is impossible.”

“Why would we joke about this?”

“I don't know! Maybe something worse happened and you don't want to tell me, so you came up with some outlandish story?”

“It's true,” Stiles said quietly, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He unlocked it, holding it up for Isaac to see. Derek caught a glimpse of the screen as he turned it. The wallpaper of his phone was the picture Stiles had taken of him and Isaac asleep in his bed.

“Photoshop,” Isaac whispered.

“Isaac.” Isaac stood up, grabbing the phone from Stiles’ hand to get a closer look. He kept flicking his eyes up from the screen to where Derek was standing, then back again, like he was waiting for something to change. But the proof was right there.

“Th-this can’t be real,” Isaac stuttered, staring at the photo in disbelief. He ran a trembling hand through his hair, shaking his head a little. “I think I’m gonna pass out.”

“Isaac,” Stiles said worriedly, standing up to steady him. Before he could make contact, Isaac jerked back, putting his hand out to keep Stiles away.

“Don’t!” Isaac snapped, breathing heavily. Stiles reared back like he’d been slapped, dropping his chin to his chest and staring at the floor. Derek could tell he was a few seconds away from losing it.

“How about we take a break?” Deaton suggested, joining them from where he’d been waiting in the exam room. “I can check you over to make sure there are no lingering physical effects from this ordeal.” Isaac nodded numbly, letting Deaton lead him out of the room. As soon as he was out of sight, Stiles let his tears fall, covering his mouth to try to stifle any noise.

“Hey,” Scott said soothingly, reaching over to pat Stiles’ back. Stiles stumbled over to a seat away from them, curling onto it with his arms wrapped around his knees. He bounced his legs erratically, turning his head so he was facing away from both of them. “Derek?” Derek ignored Scott, turning his attention to listening to what was going on in the other room. Deaton was asking Isaac basic questions about how he was feeling and Isaac was answering with one word answers. The witch said the change wouldn’t hurt him, but it was nice to get confirmation from someone they trusted.

This was going about as well as Derek expected. He didn’t know how he’d react if he was the one turned into a child and back again. Probably violently. Isaac was sensitive, but hated to show it, seeing it as weakness. But his eyes always gave him away. They were too expressive. Even when he was trying to be defiant or act like he didn’t care, his eyes told the whole story.

Derek would never be able to figure out how Isaac’s father could hurt him so much. It was never right, obviously, but doing it to Isaac felt especially egregious. Derek had only been on the receiving end of Isaac’s post abuse face once, after the arm breaking incident. Isaac had put up a brave front in front of his newly introduced Beta companions, but once he’d healed and Derek had crawled out of his hole again, the look on his face was seared into his brain. Isaac looked so disappointed. Like he’d been hoping against hope that things would be different for him, now that his father was gone and couldn’t hurt him. But the worst feeling that Derek could see was acceptance. It wasn’t even resignation, which would be a little easier to swallow. Isaac was accepting that this was the price to be in the pack. That nothing in his life could ever be fully good, but he didn’t have any choice. He had to suck it up and go along.

So after years of taking the hits and trying so hard to act like it didn’t matter, it was all stripped away and he was sent back to a time where he was more vulnerable than ever. Where he had to depend on others, even though he’d never had that privilege before. It had to be an absolute mindtrip to deal with all of this and Derek couldn’t blame Isaac for any reaction he had.

A few minutes later, a subdued Isaac walked back into the room. He’d put on some clothes that were slightly ill fitting and looked like Scott’s, but it was better than before. He was spinning Stiles’ phone in his hands, but the screen was off now. Derek wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep the photo or never see it again.

“Sorry about earlier,” Isaac said, flashing an embarrassed smile. “Just very unexpected.”

“Dude, you don’t have to apologize,” Scott insisted. “It’s been a long week for everyone.”

“A week? Shit,” Isaac mumbled.

“Give or take a few days.”

“Man, that must’ve sucked. I bet I was so annoying,” Isaac scoffed.

“You weren’t annoying,” Scott argued.

“All kids are annoying, Scott. I doubt I was the exception.”

“You weren’t annoying!” Stiles snapped. Isaac raised his eyebrows in surprise at Stiles’ outburst.

“Okay,” Isaac replied, dragging out the word a little. He set Stiles’ phone on the counter behind him, then leaned against it, feigning nonchalance. Derek could still see the tension in his body, even though he was trying to pretend like this wasn’t a big deal. “Well, Deaton says I look fine and I feel fine, so I guess everything is back to normal?”

“Don’t you have questions?” Scott asked.

“Does any of it really matter?” Isaac shrugged. “Something weird happened, everyone lived, and we’re back where we started.”

“When did your mom die?” Stiles asked suddenly. “She did die, right?” Isaac looked taken aback by the question, which was a valid reaction. Derek wasn’t really sure why Stiles was asking at a time like this, but he wasn’t the best judge of appropriate timing. Avoidance was always the right call to him.

“When I was six, why?” Isaac answered hesitantly. Stiles didn’t say anything, staring at where his phone sat. Isaac followed his gaze, before realization dawned on him. “Oh.”

“You told us she went away, but would come back if you were good.” Isaac’s face turned red in embarrassment.

“Yeah, that’s what my dad told me. I didn’t realize the truth for a while,” Isaac sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“When did you find out?”

“When I started working for my dad at the cemetery. I found her headstone and put the pieces together.”

“When was that?”

“I was about thirteen.”

“Your mom had been dead for seven years before you knew?” Stiles asked in horror.

“Yeah.”

“How?”

“We weren’t allowed to talk about her. My brother knew, but he knew better than to go against Dad.”

“That’s- oh my God,” Stiles choked out, clutching his chest.

“I always held out hope that she was out there and would come back one day. Then again, I always hoped my dad would turn over a new leaf too. I guess I’ve never been that smart.”

“I’m gonna be sick,” Stiles mumbled, slapping a hand over his mouth and rushing toward the bathroom.

“Stiles!” Scott called after him, following him to the other room. Derek was left alone with Isaac for the first time since he’d turned back.

“Derek,” Isaac said softly, staring at him with those eyes. They were begging for something. Answers, reassurance, a path forward. Anything that he could hold onto that would tell him that everything would be fine and nothing would change and they could forget this ever happened. But Derek had nothing. He looked away, keeping his eyes trained on a spot on the floor.

Isaac let out a sound that matched the look after his broken arm. Disappointment and acceptance. He had Derek’s number and he’d had it for a long time. If he needed anything more than the bare minimum, he was looking in the wrong place. Derek didn’t look up as he heard Isaac walk away, or when he heard the door open and close behind him.

“Where’s Isaac?” Derek wasn’t sure how much time passed before Stiles and Scott came back into the room, but he hadn’t moved a muscle. It would’ve been smarter for him to have left without a word as well, but his decision making skills were not at their best at the moment. “Derek?”

“He left,” Derek grunted, pleased that his voice still sounded unaffected.

“What do you mean he left?!” Stiles shouted. Scott grabbed his arm when it looked like Stiles was planning to lunge at him. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“He doesn’t need us to take care of him anymore,” Derek snapped. Stiles’ face fell, before he steeled himself again in the blink of an eye. Even if Isaac hadn’t changed, Stiles had. Choosing to step up and take on a responsibility that wasn’t his and doing it better than he had any right to had matured him so much. While Derek was aching for a fight, for Stiles to throw every accusing word at him that he deserved, he didn’t get what he wanted.

“That’s it? This is how it’s gonna be?” Stiles questioned, shaking his head. When Derek didn’t answer, Stiles huffed out a disgusted breath. “I expected more from you. But like Isaac said, I guess I’ve never been that smart.” Without waiting for a response, Stiles turned around and stomped away, slamming the door behind him as he left. Derek could feel Scott staring at him, but he didn’t bother looking back. Scott left in a more somber manner, but his feelings were also clear.

Everyone was back where they’d been before. Stiles hated him, Scott judged him, Isaac was taking care of himself. And Derek was exactly where he deserved. Alone.

Chapter Text

Isaac was not freaking out. He’d just been told that he was transformed into his six year old self for a week, but that was fine. It wasn’t the craziest thing he’d dealt with in his life, right? The second he’d found out that werewolves existed and accepted the bite to become one as well, he left normal behind forever. This was just one more thing.

But it did kind of stick in his craw that this had happened to him. Why him? There were probably plenty of people who would embrace the chance to relive a part of their childhood. Isaac was not one of those people. His childhood was something he was happy enough to leave behind forever. Hell, he would leave everything beyond maybe the last six months or so. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better.

Things with Derek had been in an okay place. There wasn’t anything attacking them or something for them to hunt, which was nice. They had a goal of finding Erica and Boyd, which gave them something to focus on. The days were spent training, searching, failing, then doing it all over again. Lather, rinse, repeat. It was monotonous, but comforting. Isaac had a job and was useful.

And then this happened. It was like the universe sensed that things were going too okay for him. Yeah, he was getting a bit antsier as time went on and they couldn’t find their packmates, but anxiety was an old friend to him. He was used to a constant thrum of unease just under the surface. Derek was putting up with it and that was the most important thing. He had a place to go at the end of the day that wasn’t a chained up freezer.

So dealing with him as a mostly self-sufficient teen was one thing, but as a gross, helpless little kid? That had to have been too much for Derek to deal with. Isaac couldn’t even wrap his head around the picture of them sleeping in bed. It made more sense that they’d been knocked unconscious somehow and put there to keep them out of the way. Because Derek was not the paternal type.

In fairness, Isaac didn’t really know what a good paternal figure looked like. He had vague memories of his dad being okay before his mom died, but those were as hazy as his memories of her. Other than that, his dad had been an abusive shit. Derek wasn’t like that, ignoring that one broken arm during training. Isaac didn’t like to think about that, since it scared him shitless at the time. But nothing like that happened since, so it probably was an outlier.

Still, what had been Derek’s reaction to being saddled with a kid? If Derek’s demeanor at the clinic told him anything, it was that he was pissed. Derek probably hated every second of the time he had to spend with him. And he couldn’t say or do anything about it, since everyone else was around. What was going to happen the next time they saw each other? Would Derek berate him for the whole situation? Would he finally wash his hands of him and kick him out of the pack? The mystery of those answers was the reason why Isaac was wandering aimlessly around town. He wasn’t ready to find out.

What he was curious about was why Stiles was acting so weird. Derek’s attitude he could get. And Scott’s wasn’t too off from how he normally was. But Stiles was wildly confusing. Why did he seem to care the most out of all of them? Stiles didn’t like him at all. The last time they’d spoken, which was around the end of the school year when they’d all agreed to steer clear of each other’s packs for the rest of the summer unless it was an absolute emergency, they’d thrown a few barbs, but otherwise ignored each other. When did that change?

Isaac racked his brain for any kind of memory of the past week, but came up with nothing. It was unsettling to know time passed without him having any recollection of it. It felt like Isaac went from looking for Boyd and Erica, then in the next breath he was in a completely different place. That would’ve been ideal during those long nights in the freezer, but he was ultra cognizant through all of those.

The smartest thing for them all to do would probably be to pretend like nothing happened. It would be easy for Isaac to, since he didn’t remember. And even if he did, he was good at pretending nothing was wrong. Derek could suppress his emotions like it was an Olympic sport. And he could avoid Scott and Stiles until the objects of their affections came back into town and distracted them again. It would be easy to go on as normal.

But Isaac couldn’t stop his mind from going back to that picture. And the fact Stiles had taken it at all. Maybe whatever had turned Isaac into a kid also turned Derek into someone who would like him as a kid. If that was the case, the effects didn’t look like they stuck. Still, he knew he had to get the whole story. Not knowing where Boyd and Erica were was already driving him insane. He couldn’t deal with another mystery when this one could be easily solved.

Isaac walked around for a few more hours, giving himself and everyone else time to cool down before he started off in the direction of a house he’d never been to, but had grown to envy. If he was going to get straight answers about what happened, it would come from him. He walked up to the front door and knocked, hovering awkwardly. Derek would’ve just broken in, but since Isaac needed something, he thought it was best to start off on the right foot.

“Isaac?”

“Hey Scott. Can we talk?”

*

Derek sat in a dark corner of his dilapidated family home, definitely not feeling sorry for himself. This was just what he did when he didn’t have other responsibilities to take care of. He hunkered down, got whatever rest he could snatch up, then went on to do the same thing the next day. It was what he was used to and all he needed.

He didn’t miss spending time in a real home with other people. Derek didn’t need company. If a yearning for pack wasn’t so important to him, he’d be a lone wolf. He wouldn’t turn into a crazy Omega, he’d be fine. Because that would be the life he chose, instead of being forced into it.

Derek wasn’t thinking about anything at all. Not the hurt and confusion on Isaac’s face. Not the hurt and disappointment on Stiles’. Not the hurt. All encompassing hurt.

Derek dug his claws into the ruined floor beneath him, trying to ground himself. He didn’t get to feel anything right now. After how he’d been at the clinic, he didn’t deserve it. If he was blank and unfeeling with everyone else, he would be the same with himself. And by the time he had to see another person again, it wouldn’t be the most impossible thing he ever had to do.

The sound of screeching tires outside told him that he wasn’t getting the time he needed. Derek closed his eyes and tipped his head back to rest against the wall behind him, waiting for what was to come. He could feel the anger coming in like physical waves before Stiles even stepped foot in the house.

“You’re an absolute bastard!” Stiles yelled, stomping to stand right in front of him. His fists were balled at his sides and he could possibly be considered intimidating, but only if you didn’t know him. Derek kind of wished Stiles would take a swing at him. The surprise would at least momentarily distract him from everything else. “After everything, this is how it ends?”

“What did you expect?” Derek asked, sounding more defeated than he wanted to. He was going for aloof.

“What did I expect?” Stiles repeated incredulously, shaking his head. “I expected you to be the guy I’ve gotten to know for the past week! I expected you to give a damn!”

“Sorry I didn’t meet your expectations,” Derek shrugged. But dammit if he didn’t mean that. He wished he was the kind of person who could stand there and pour his heart out to the people he cared about. He wished he was the kind of person who could admit that he cared about people at all.

“You left me alone in this. You decided that you got to drag me into a mess that was never mine, then you left me alone in it!” Stiles shouted, turning his head away. But not before Derek saw his chin quivering. “I went home and everywhere I looked, there was his stuff. Am I supposed to pack it away? Throw it away like nothing that happened matters?”

“It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t remember.”

“But I remember! And you remember!” Stiles snapped, his anger picking up steam again. “You think you can pretend with me, but you can’t. I’m the one who was there with you for every second. I’m the one who was there for you when you were scared out of your mind thinking you couldn’t handle it all. When you were tearing yourself apart thinking of the mistakes you’d made.”

“So what?” Derek yelled back, finally reaching the end of his rope. If Stiles wanted to do this, Derek was going to give as good as he got. “What does it help to bring all this up to me? What are you getting out of this?”

“I need someone to hurt with me, Derek!” Stiles roared, sucking in a shuddering breath that sounded painful even to Derek’s ears. “I need someone who was there with me, who is feeling the same things I’m feeling. Scott doesn’t understand because he wasn’t the one who was planning his whole damn life around parenting a kid. You were. I was. And for you to just sit there and act like it meant less than nothing is bullshit that I won’t stand for!”

“Stiles-”

“What am I supposed to do with all of this? I did everything I could for you. Doesn’t that mean something? I get nothing in return?”

“Stiles-”

“I’m so sick of you playing the role of nonchalant asshole. Are you winning any cool points? Are you waiting for your round of applause?” Stiles mocked, clapping his hands harshly. “Here sits Derek Hale, king of not giving a shit.”

“I don’t get to feel anything, Stiles!” Derek shouted, finally done holding back what he was feeling. Stiles jerked back in surprise with his hands frozen in front of him. Derek was already hated and alone, so why not add pathetic to his list of achievements? “I don’t get to mourn the relationship I lost because I had a chance to have one with Isaac this whole time, but kept him at arm’s length. What right do I have to hurt when I brought it on myself? All I deserve is to feel nothing!” Stiles stared at him for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few seconds. Time when you were looking at spending the rest of your life alone flowed differently.

“God, I thought I was dealing with a sociopath, not a dumbass.”

“Get out, Stiles.”

“News flash, you don’t get to bully yourself out of feeling things. That whole thing you’ve got going on right now is called regret.”

“Stop talking to me like I’m stupid.”

“Then stop acting stupid! Stop trying to push me away because I’m not going anywhere. I know you’re suffering because you broke way too easily. It usually takes a lot more before I make you snap,” Stiles pointed out. Derek felt a flash of a smile cross his face for the first time since he found out Isaac was going to change back. Stiles’ joking attitude made everything feel normal again for a few seconds, but it didn’t last long. It didn’t change reality. “Can I sit with you?”

“Since when do you listen to me?” Derek huffed. Stiles took that as an invitation, plopping down next to him on the floor. He was way too close, brushing against Derek every few seconds as he shifted in his typically unsettled way. Derek decided to ignore it.

“Can I tell you something and you act like a healthy, functioning adult for a little bit? Or, not really human, I guess? Human adjacent?”

“I’m human, Stiles,” Derek growled in a not really human way. “What is it?”

“I think the reason I’m so messed up by all of this is because it reminds me of losing my mom,” Stiles admitted quietly, fiddling with a fray in the hem of his pants. “At least one of the reasons.”

“Isaac is still here,” Derek reminded him. He didn’t know much about Stiles’ mom, besides the fact that she’d passed. Maybe the two of them and Isaac could start a dead moms club.

“I know, but this feels like when she got sick. She was still here for a while, but her memory wasn’t. The person I loved was there physically, but to her I was no one,” Stiles sniffled, raking his hand across his eyes. “With Isaac, I’m left with these memories and feelings, but it’s all gone for him. And I know it doesn’t compare to losing my mom, but it’s still an experience that I never thought I’d have to go through again. And I’m not sure how to get past it.”

“You still have a chance to change it. It’s not like you guys hated each other.”

“Some pretty heated threats were exchanged during the kanima debacle.”

“I think I hold the record for threats against you, yet here you are.”

“True.”

“So talk to him. Even if he doesn’t remember everything you did for him, it doesn’t mean you can’t convince him to start fresh. He’s a little bit too forgiving, given his history, so he probably wouldn’t say no.”

“That’s actually not bad advice,” Stiles said, tipping his head to the side to look at him. “Ever think of taking it for yourself?”

“It’s not that simple, Stiles,” Derek sighed, shaking his head. “Too much has happened.”

“It hasn’t.”

“After all the time I’ve wasted, I don’t deserve to have a relationship with him.”

“Shouldn’t that be for Isaac to decide?”

“I’m deciding because that’s what’s best for him,” Derek said firmly. It was different when he’d be starting from scratch with a smaller Isaac. There was a clean slate and Derek had never let him down. But anything Derek did now would feel disingenuous.

“I know you’re wrong, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to keep fighting with you right now,” Stiles mumbled, slumping against Derek’s side. It took the control of a lifetime of full moons not to push him off. “Remember how he would always pretend he wasn’t tired, even as he was nodding off where he sat? I was the same way as a kid. Falling asleep in the craziest places, just to avoid admitting defeat in my bed.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Derek huffed. Stiles was contrary, just for the sake of it.

“And man, he could put away a lot of food. Is he still like that?”

“Like he’s worried the food is gonna run away from him,” Derek confirmed with a quiet snort.

“He’d be able to catch it. Even without the werewolf boost, he was running me ragged in my backyard.”

“Riding the lacrosse bench isn’t really the best for stamina.”

“Ouch! You may not have been around to see it, but I scored the winning goal at the end of last season. Before that whole kidnapping thing.”

“After Isaac took out all the good players.”

“From my own team, not the opposition! All I had left to help me were the dweebs.”

“Your own kind.”

“I don’t have to listen to this disrespect,” Stiles grumbled, lurching to his feet. Derek’s hand reached out and grabbed his wrist before his brain caught up with the movement. Stiles looked down at him in confusion while Derek tried to get his mouth to form words that were so foreign, but kind of needed to be said.

“Thank you,” Derek said evenly, flicking his eyes up to meet Stiles’. “I probably wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.” Stiles’ gaze softened at his confession and Derek immediately wanted to take it back, in fear of the teen wanting to have another heart to heart. But then his look turned to more fond teasing before he spoke.

“Yeah, you would’ve. It just would’ve been a bit harder and a lot messier,” Stiles laughed, shifting on his feet a little. “So, where do we go from here? Friends, enemies, reluctant allies?”

“I didn’t know enemies was still on the table. I think that one would fit best.”

“Such a dick,” Stiles snorted, pulling his arm out of Derek’s grasp. “I don’t care what you say. There’s no getting rid of me.”

“No need for threats,” Derek deadpanned. Stiles threw his hands up in exasperation before turning to walk away. “I’m still waiting for those apartment listings.” Stiles froze mid-step, before looking at him with a curious stare.

“Three bedrooms?”

“At least,” Derek confirmed. Stiles beamed at him, looking truly happy for the first time since Peter sent that text that he’d found the witch. Before everything they’d started planning for went up in smoke. And while Derek still felt an aching hole in his gut that would probably never get filled, he’d get over it. After a life marred with loss and pain, what was one more to add to the list?

Chapter Text

“Do you want something to eat? Drink? Water?” Scott asked nervously, flitting around the room in a style reminiscent of Stiles. He kept sitting down in the chair across from him, then bouncing back up again like he couldn’t sit still. If Isaac wasn’t so tired, he’d probably be doing the same thing, but he was exhausted and the couch was too comfortable.

“I kind of just want to get this conversation over with,” Isaac sighed, leaning back into the cushions and staring up at the ceiling. On a normal night, he’d be sitting on the floor of the old Hale house doing the same thing. It felt strange to miss it, since it felt like yesterday he was doing it. But depending on what he heard from Scott, those days might be over.

“Sure, yeah,” Scott agreed, sitting down again and visibly forcing himself to be still. It looked like it was a challenge for him, but Isaac appreciated the effort. “Why did you come to me though? Why not Derek?”

“Derek, who couldn’t even look at me?” Isaac asked with a raised eyebrow. “Derek isn’t really forthcoming with information in the best of circumstances.”

“True,” Scott conceded. “Stiles?”

“I’m used to a Stiles who can barely tolerate me, not whatever that version was at the clinic. Look, if you really don’t want to talk to me, I’ll leave you alone. You were the one who was being the least weird and I kind of thought we were becoming friends, but I can go if-”

“No! Sorry, please stay,” Scott said quickly. “I just wasn’t around for everything as much as they were and don’t have all the details that you might want.”

“I’ll take anything I can get,” Isaac replied, relieved that Scott didn’t take him up on his offer to leave. He didn’t really have anywhere else to go at the moment and didn’t want to walk around aimlessly anymore. “Where were you, if you weren’t around?”

“At the clinic mostly, doing stuff for Deaton so he could research your situation. And I was kind of avoiding you guys,” Scott admitted hesitantly.

“Was I that bad of a kid?” Isaac winced. His memory of back then wasn’t the best, but he wasn’t generally a troublemaker. Although there was no saying the child version of himself he became was the same as he was for real.

“No way! Once you stopped being scared of everything, you were pretty cool. And really cute.”

“Oh my God,” Isaac groaned, covering his face.

“Dude, it’s true. You were so tiny.”

“Whatever!” Isaac grumbled, waving away that thread of conversation. “So why were you avoiding me? Or them?”

“I’m not sure how to put it. Stiles and Derek sort of got super domestic? Like they had this whole family routine and I felt like I was kind of intruding on it.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Isaac spluttered. He was sure he misheard because what Scott said couldn’t be right. “Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski?”

“Yep.”

“They hate each other.”

“Hate is such a strong word.”

“Derek threatens to kill Stiles pretty much every time they speak. I think the word fits.”

“Not this past week.”

“Stiles must’ve been acting under duress.”

“After the witch changed you, Derek was pretty freaked out. He met us at the clinic and when Deaton didn’t know how to fix it, he roped us into helping. The three of you lived at Stiles’ house the whole time, since the Sheriff and my mom are out of town,” Scott explained.

“So Derek didn’t give Stiles a choice.”

“Stiles was reluctant at first, yeah. Neither of us have experience with kids. And definitely not with teenagers turned into kids.”

“It’s a niche market.”

“But Stiles took to it quick. You sort of bonded with him first.” Isaac leaned forward and rubbed his temples as he tried to absorb the information he’d been given so far. It made a little more sense why Stiles had acted so weird at the clinic, but it was still confusing. Everyone should’ve been relieved that Isaac was back to normal, since he’d be able to take care of himself again. Especially Stiles, if he’d been forced into helping.

“What about Derek? Did I bond with him too?” Isaac wondered. There was a deep loyalty Isaac had for the man ever since he’d become his Alpha. He wasn’t sure if it was a pack thing or if it was compounded by Isaac’s appreciation for saving him from his life, but it was always present. Would a kid version feel that too?

“I think you trusted him in some way from the beginning, but you were still a bit wary. After a few bumps, you both got more comfortable with each other.”

“Bumps?”

“Derek sort of lost his temper a little once,” Scott said with a grimace. Isaac felt the blood drain from his face at the implication of what Scott was and wasn’t saying. Derek surely wasn’t the type of guy to hurt a little kid, right? Then again, people probably would’ve said the same about his father. Maybe Isaac really was the problem and brought it out of people without even trying. “Dude!”

“What?” Isaac choked out of his suddenly dry throat. He jerked back when he noticed Scott had moved to sit next to him on the couch and was staring at him worriedly. “What?”

“Where’d you go?”

“Nowhere. I’m here,” Isaac insisted, shaking his head a little to clear it. Scott looked like he wanted to push, but held back. “So did he, uh- did Derek-”

“He never laid a hand on you,” Scott said, looking horrified that he’d even planted the idea in Isaac’s brain. Isaac felt a little tension leak out of his body at the steady truth he heard in Scott’s heartbeat.

“Okay.”

“It was a growly outburst, just once. But it didn’t last long because Stiles threatened him with a look. Like a total Papa Bear look. And I got to lecture him a little,” Scott bragged. Derek must’ve been off his game to let them get away with that. “It wasn’t because of you, it was the situation. Derek was so freaked out, but he didn’t want to admit it.”

“But he got better after that?”

“Oh yeah, like night and day difference. He still tried to pretend to be the same tough Alpha Derek, but he got to be really good with you. Cooking meals, playing games, even reading bedtime stories,” Scott laughed. Isaac was starting to feel sick to his stomach.

“That’s great,” Isaac mumbled, turning his head away and staring at a spot on the couch. “They really cared about me, huh?”

“Yeah, they did.” Isaac was on his feet before he even realized it. “Whoa, where are you going?”

“I thought it was shock, you know? Their reactions? When I was walking around, I was trying to convince myself that they were just stressed from a crazy situation and once they had a chance to breathe, they’d be relieved,” Isaac stammered, running a hand through his hair. “That’s not it though, is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“They’re sad. They’re disappointed. They wish they still had that version instead of me.”

“That’s not true!”

“Isn’t it? From what you’ve told me, they sounded pretty happy. Happier than my presence has ever made anyone,” Isaac insisted, pacing back and forth across the room. “I can’t blame Stiles, since we had no relationship before. And with Derek-” Isaac cut himself off with a sniffle, biting the inside of his cheek.

“And with Derek what?” Scott pressed, looking at him with sad understanding. Why not tell Scott the truth? He’d seen him cry over helping a dying dog in the clinic without judgement, so why not lay out his insecurities as well? It couldn’t be worse than all the things they’d seen with him as a child.

“I’ve never been the Beta Derek wanted. And now that he’s stuck with me, that fact is more clear than ever. What if this was his chance to raise me into someone better? Someone who wasn’t a lost cause long before we even met?”

“Don’t talk about yourself that way!” Scott admonished, looking offended on Isaac’s behalf. “You are not a lost cause! I think you’re a pretty cool guy and I’m glad to have you back.”

“That’s because you’re Scott and you were giving me chances before I even deserved them,” Isaac scoffed, wiping the corner of his eye. “God, I’m so damn pathetic.”

“No, you-”

“I’m jealous of myself, Scott! That version of me got everything I ever dreamed of, while I never got it. Now every time Derek looks at me, he’s going to know he’s stuck with the shitty version. The one he doesn’t care about,” Isaac choked out, blinking rapidly as his traitorous eyes filled again. “This was a bad idea. I should've just stayed in the dark and accepted the weirdness for a while. Then I could've been ignorant of the reason why no one gave a damn about me.”

“Wait!” Isaac didn't stick around to hear what else Scott had to say. He darted out of the house, using his werewolf speed to get as much distance as possible. He couldn't listen to Scott tell him that everything would be okay and it wouldn't be as bad as he thought, because that wasn't true. This was worse.

Isaac slowed down when his shaky breaths weren't bringing in enough oxygen for this level of exertion. If he put his mind to it, he could run forever. Disappear to a place no one knew him or his past. Boyd and Erica had done it, hadn’t they? Even as new werewolves, they’d been able to evade a born werewolf for this long.

Once again, Isaac questioned if he’d made the right decision when he’d stayed in Beacon Hills, instead of leaving with them. He would’ve ended up in the Argent basement for a while, but it would’ve just been trading kanima venom and Alison’s knives for electrocution and a few more arrows than he got. Most importantly, he would’ve avoided ever running into a witch.

Isaac raked at his leaking eyes, willing himself to stop crying. Crying had never gotten him anywhere in life. It hadn’t stopped his dad from locking him up or beating the crap out of him. It never made him feel better when he was finished, like he purged all the bad feelings to make room for new, better ones. Crying was a waste of time and only further proved how worthless he was.

Having low self worth was what got Isaac through life. His posturing after the bite had been a smokescreen. A show to prove to Derek that he’d made the right choice with him, even though Isaac knew in his heart that he’d made a mistake. Isaac had accepted long ago that he would take the bare minimum from everyone with a smile on his face, because who was he to deserve more? If his father had never seen him as worth it, why would anyone else?

But then he was turned into a child and that child was cared for. That child proved to Isaac that he wasn’t just born wrong. At some point, Isaac had been deserving of true affection. The problem wasn’t his predetermined lot in life. The problem was Isaac himself.

“Oh drat!”

Isaac startled, looking around for the source of the noise he just heard. He had no idea where he was and hadn’t heard any other people around. But sure enough, there was an old lady standing on the street corner just ahead of him, staring down forlornly at a pile of groceries on the ground. She probably hadn’t seen him yet and if he wanted to, he probably could’ve gotten out of there without issue, but he couldn’t bring himself to be that much of a dick. Even if he felt like shit, it didn’t mean he couldn’t do one nice thing. Maybe the universe would see his good deed and decide to take pity on him.

“Uh, let me help you with that,” Isaac mumbled, trotting over and stooping down to gather the items.

“Such a nice young man!” the woman cooed, patting him on top of his head. Isaac tried not to cringe, scooping up everything into his arms as quickly as he could. He stood up and tried to plaster on a friendly smile.

“Do you have another bag or-”

“Oh sweetie, what’s wrong? You look so sad,” the woman said, looking up at him with a frown. Now he was upsetting little old ladies. Isaac was on fire these days.

“Nothing, I’m fine. About that bag-”

“It’s written all over that handsome face,” the woman pointed out, reaching up to pinch his cheeks. “Absolutely adorable.”

“Uh-”

“Though, not as adorable as when you were a little kid.” Isaac felt his blood run cold as he stumbled back, watching the old woman in front of him transform into someone he wished he’d never see again.

“You,” Isaac muttered, jerking in surprise when the load in his arms disappeared into thin air.

“Me,” the witch confirmed, doing a little spin.

“Are you here to kill me?” Isaac asked, more resigned than scared. He really should’ve stayed at Scott’s house.

“I like to follow up with my clients.”

“Clients?”

“Granted, you weren’t my intended, but I think it ended up working better this way.”

“Better!” Isaac exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You ruined my damn life!”

“That doesn’t sound like the happy family I saw leaving my cabin.”

“Oh no, as I’ve come to find out, they were happy. But now they’re stuck with me,” Isaac said bitterly. “You shouldn’t have changed me back.”

“Really?” the witch asked, looking off guard for the first time.

“Did you really think you were doing something good?”

“Your Alpha needed to learn a lesson.”

“Well, Mr. Rogers, did he learn the bullshit life lesson you were trying to teach him?”

“I think I liked you better when all you did was cry,” the witch hissed, sending out a burst of energy that exploded a nearby street light.

“You and everyone else in my life,” Isaac mumbled, getting ready to run in case he'd pushed his luck a little too much being this mouthy. Heaven forbid she think up a new lesson to teach him and turn him into a dog or something.

“This is why I don't deal with werewolves. You're all so finicky about packs and bonds, but too emotionally stunted to actually verbalize your feelings,” the witch said in exasperation. “Look, I've been around the block a few times. A few centuries actually. And while part of what I did was out of annoyance from being bothered and threatened, it wasn't meant purely as a punishment. Contrary to popular belief, not all witches live to cause chaos and turmoil.”

Isaac tried to really consider her words. For all intents and purposes, she'd taught Derek the lesson she wanted him to learn. At least enough to undo the curse and send them on their way alive. It was a pretty messed up way to do it, but the world was full of messed up things, so what could he do? He'd been caught in the crossfire of another Derek Hale life lesson. Maybe not as bad as the kanima one, but a close second. Even understanding that maybe the witch hadn't gone into this to destroy his life, it still didn't feel any less destroyed.

“You really think what you did will make Derek a better person? Or Alpha?” Isaac asked quietly.

“If he chooses to take what he felt to heart, yes.”

“I guess that has to be enough,” Isaac sniffled, staring at the ground as his teary eyes betrayed him again.

“But it’s not.”

“God, I don’t want to be selfish, but it was easier when I thought Derek wasn’t capable of giving more. Now that I know that he chose for it to be this way all this time kills me. And there was a version of me who got what I wanted and gave him what he needed.”

“Would you really want to go back? To be a kid again?” the witch questioned.

“I don’t know.”

“I think you do know,” the witch pressed. Isaac raked a hand through his hair, feeling so off-kilter. This was too much talking and too many emotions. From the vet’s office, to Scott’s house, to now this venting session with a witch on the side of the road. After keeping everything bottled up for years to being forced to examine his pain and fears, he felt so exposed.

“I want to be good enough as I am now,” Isaac confessed, shaking his head sadly as the tears ran freely down his face. “But if that’s the only way I’ll be able to experience the life I’ve dreamed of, I would.”

“Then your wish is my command,” the witch replied, sending a ball of light in his direction. Isaac barely had a chance to curse ever running into the witch before it hit him, sending him falling limply backward. He was out before he hit the ground.

Chapter Text

Stiles trudged up the stairs to his bedroom, trying not to feel sick at how quiet the house was now. After his father left on vacation, he enjoyed having the house to himself. It made him feel like an adult with the freedom to do whatever he wanted. But now it just felt incredibly lonely.

He paused when he got to the door. This was as far as he’d gotten earlier, before he ran off to find Derek and yell at him. He’d taken one look at Isaac’s stuffed wolf sitting on his bed and almost broke. Isaac was supposed to be sitting there with it, sleepily asking to hear one more page of his bedtime story. Or waiting eagerly for breakfast to be ready. Now Isaac would probably never set foot in his house again.

Stiles pushed open the door, keeping his eyes firmly pointed toward the floor. He could do this. Even though the talk with Derek hadn’t gone perfectly, it had gone better than he expected in some regards. At least he knew that Derek was feeling the same thing he was, even if he tried so hard not to show it. Having him at the house with him would’ve been nice, but Stiles had been prepared to raise Isaac alone if necessary. He could do this alone too. Stiles took a deep breath and lifted his head, immediately startling back when he realized he wasn’t actually alone.

“Isaac?” Stiles exclaimed, staring at him in shock. He was sitting on Stiles’ bed with his stuffed wolf, just like he’d imagined. Only this time, the wolf was dwarfed by Isaac’s giant frame, but he’d take what he could get.

“Hey Stiles,” Isaac replied awkwardly, fiddling with the toy in his lap.

“What- uh, what are you doing here?” Stiles asked, still frozen in his spot next to the door. It wasn’t like Isaac would disappear if he made any sudden moves, but honestly, anything was possible.

“I lived here for a while, didn’t I?” Isaac answered, glancing around the room.

“Y-yeah.”

“Although this bed seemed a lot bigger before.”

“Well, you were a lot- wait, what?” Stiles stuttered when his brain caught up to what Isaac said. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I remember.” Stiles felt his knees start to buckle and he leaned back against the wall before he could topple over.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just need a minute,” Stiles mumbled, willing his heart to go back to a healthier pace. With all the stress he’d gone through in this town in the past few months, he was going to need to add a few more medications to his prescription list. “How did this happen?”

“Oh, you know. Sometimes you go on a walk around town and run into an old lady who is actually a witch. Typical Beacon Hills.”

“You what?!” Stiles exclaimed, forgetting his earlier shock and rushing over to Isaac’s side. He grabbed him by the shoulders, checking every inch that he could see. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” Isaac laughed quietly, letting Stiles perform his frantic once over. Stiles didn’t think a fully wolfed out Isaac would’ve been able to stop him from making sure he was really okay. His protective streak was as strong as ever. Once Stiles was certain that Isaac was healthy and whole, he finally let him go. But he stayed where he was on the bed next to him, feeling the closeness wouldn’t be as unwelcome as it might’ve been before.

“What happened? Where did you go after you left the clinic?”

“I walked around for a while and ended up at Scott’s. He told me more about what happened while- you know. I sort of freaked out and stormed out, then ran into the witch,” Isaac explained, twisting one of the stuffed wolf’s legs in his hands. “There was more talking, she hit me with a spell, then I woke up and came here.”

“Okay, we’re gonna need to work on including details in our stories, but we’ll hold off on that for now. How about we circle back to the witch hitting you with another spell!” Stiles demanded. If he got his hands on her, well he’d probably die, but not before giving her a piece of his mind.

“It was just a spell to give me my memories back.”

“Just a spell. She could’ve done anything to you!”

“I didn’t ask her to do it! Well, not exactly.”

“Explain,” Stiles groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn’t care if Isaac was six, sixteen, or sixty. He was never letting him out of his sight again.

“She was talking about how this was all a lesson for Derek and that I was pretty much just caught up in it. And I’m happy for Derek if this really did help him.”

“But?”

“Scott made it sound like we were really a family,” Isaac said quietly, looking a little embarrassed. “I’ve never had that and I know I’ll never have it again, so it killed me to know that I got to experience real happiness at one point and wouldn’t get to remember it.”

“And so you asked the witch to change you back?”

“Not really, but I wouldn’t have fought it if that was my only option. It sounds really selfish when I say it out loud, since someone would’ve had to take care of me again, but-”

“Isaac, I was planning the rest of my life around being a teen father,” Stiles interrupted, stunning Isaac into silence. “I have no idea what I would’ve told my dad. The ages wouldn’t have made sense at all if I claimed you were my actual child. And even if I showed up with a baby, he probably wouldn’t have believed that I got a girl to have sex with me.”

“Why?”

“Well, I don’t exactly have the best luck with the ladies.”

“No, I mean, why would you have taken care of me? We weren’t even friends before this.”

“You weren’t friends with Scott when you stepped up to help with Jackson,” Stiles reminded him. “That was Derek’s responsibility, not yours.”

“Life has a way of making Derek’s problems everyone else’s responsibility. I was just his latest problem.”

“Hey, don’t talk about my kid like that,” Stiles warned. Isaac stared at him like he had two heads, before he snorted out a surprised laugh.

“That’s weird.”

“I probably shouldn’t say anything like that in front of other people. Impossible to explain,” Stiles agreed. Isaac nodded, turning his attention back to the stuffed wolf that was still in his lap. After the moment of levity, it seemed like Isaac’s mood had shifted more melancholic. “What’s wrong?” Isaac sighed, taking another minute before he replied.

“Now that I have my memories, I kind of wish I didn’t,” Isaac admitted, running his hand through his hair. “I thought it would be enough to know what it was like to be cared about, only if it was for a little bit. But now I want something I’ll never have and I think it’s worse.”

“What makes you think you’ll never have it?”

“Because Derek doesn’t see me that way. I’m just his Beta, not his family.”

“That’s not true. I was just with him and he’s a wreck,” Stiles argued. Wreck might’ve been an overexaggeration, but he was pretty emotional when it came to Derek standards. Stiles felt like it would be overstepping to tell Isaac what was said during their talk, since it would be better coming straight from the source, but he wasn’t going to let him think that Derek didn’t care about him.

“He bonded with a kid, not me. Even if it was real, I can’t live up to that. He won’t want me.”

“Isaac, Derek is one of the most emotionally stunted people I’ve ever met. Probably the most, if I’m being honest. Do you know how long it took him to look at me without murder in his eyes?”

“You mean it’s finally happened?” Isaac joked, although Stiles could tell his heart wasn’t really in it.

“Barely. But this past week we pretty much became coparents and we actually weren’t the worst at it.”

“So?”

“So, it takes time for Derek to open up to people. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t care, it just means he didn’t know how to show it. Or want to, because that would make him vulnerable. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but he’s suffered a lot of losses in his life.”

“And now he’s lost his kid.”

“Oh, am I going crazy? Am I talking to a hallucination?” Stiles wondered, reaching his hand out and jostling Isaac by his shoulder. “Nope, his kid is still here.”

“Stop it,” Isaac grumbled, batting Stiles’ hand away with his toy wolf. “You know what I mean.”

“How about you think about it another way? Say you have a pet dog you adopted when it was older, but you get the chance to see them as a puppy.”

“Should I be offended by this analogy?”

“It’s not that you don’t love the dog you have, but you can appreciate getting a chance to see a version of them that you missed out on,” Stiles continued, ignoring Isaac’s possibly valid question. He was new at this, so he wasn’t going to completely nail this pseudo-paternal talk, but the point he was making still stood.

“But that all relies on the idea that Derek actually lo- cared about this me,” Isaac said, catching himself before he could say a particular word.

“I guess you’ll just have to ask him, since I haven’t been able to convince you,” Stiles replied sadly. “Sometimes it takes some big, crazy thing to happen for the truth to come out, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the truth already. With all the stuff we go through everyday, I don’t think Derek caring about you from the start is even close to the most far-fetched.”

“Maybe not compared to a kanima,” Isaac scoffed, rolling his eyes. He sighed, setting the stuffed wolf on the bed next to him. “I should probably go talk to him before he decides to skip town. Get it over with, right?”

“I don’t think he’s going anywhere. He was at the Hale house when I left him.”

“Right,” Isaac mumbled, wringing his hands a little in his lap and staring at them as if he was surprised they were there. “Um, if the talk doesn’t go well, or- I don’t know, do you think I could- if it’s not too much of a bother-”

“Isaac, you’ll always have a place here,” Stiles assured him. A little of the tension in Isaac’s shoulders melted away and he shot him a grateful smile. Isaac slowly stood up and stretched, as Stiles held himself back from insisting he stay. The protective instinct was still burning strong, especially since the witch was lurking around, but Isaac needed to have his talk with Derek. Stiles would be waiting in the wings, ready to support whoever needed it.

“Craziest week of my life,” Isaac muttered, making his way to the bedroom door. Before he could pass, Stiles grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his path.

“Could I ask you one more question? Then I swear I’ll let you go,” Stiles requested. Isaac gave him a quizzical look before nodding. “When does it feel like this happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, does it feel like you were just a kid for a week or did this sort of slot into your childhood memories?”

“It feels like I was a teenager, had a week as a little kid, then turned back into myself. Actual childhood memories are unchanged.”

“Holy shit. Oh, thank goodness,” Stiles choked out, not realizing the relief he’d feel at hearing those words. He buried his face in his hands as his emotions started bubbling up again. He was supposed to have cried himself out already.

“What’s going on?” Isaac asked, sounding concerned. Stiles felt him kneel down in front of him. So much for him being the supportive one.

“I was relieved when you didn’t remember, because I was worried that it would be a week in your real childhood. That you’d have a memory of being in a different house with different people, only to have to go back to your dad again. Of you having a safe week with us, only to be abandoned without any explanation,” Stiles explained, feeling sick even saying the words out loud. Isaac’s abuse hadn’t really been a thing he thought about, since he didn’t know about it or him until after it was over. And Isaac had always brushed it aside or made flippant remarks about it if it came up. But hearing about it from someone so small and defenseless made it so disturbingly real in a way he hadn’t let it before. “I’m sorry if I ever said anything to you that downplayed what happened.”

“Stiles, you didn’t know. To be honest, I didn’t really want anyone to know. And it’s not like you ever said anything worse than I’ve said myself. It’s something that happened to me and we can’t change it, at least without the help of a witch,” Isaac huffed, pulling Stiles’ hands away to reveal a probably red, splotchy face. “You stepped up when you didn’t need to and gave me the best week of childhood that I could’ve ever asked for. Even if things don’t work out with Derek the way I hope they do, what you’ve done for me doesn’t go away. So get rid of any guilt you feel because I don’t want it. You’ve gotta be the fun parent if Derek is gonna be the cranky one.”

“I’m the fun parent?” Stiles sniffled, feeling his mood start to brighten again a little. “But not like in an irresponsible way, right? I’ll play games with you and read you stories, but still make you eat your vegetables and do your homework. I’m no Disney dad.”

“Good luck getting me to do my homework,” Isaac snorted, standing up again. Stiles stood up as well, since the longer he sat still on the bed, the easier it would be to let his thoughts spiral down a dark path. Everyone was alive, most of them were happy or on the road toward being happy, and no one was trying to actively kill them. What more could he ask for?

“Oof!” Stiles grunted as the air was squeezed out of his lungs by a sudden hug. He barely had time to raise his arms to return it before Isaac was backing away, but it was enough. Isaac looked a bit embarrassed, but Stiles saw a small smile flit across his face before he walked out the door.

Stiles looked around his room again, remembering how just a half hour ago, the sight filled him with dread. But even though he was alone, it didn’t feel like it. Things were going to be different from now on, but he was looking forward to seeing how it would all turn out.