The sun was out in Beacon Hills, meaning that the smell of barbeques floated on the air, drifting further afield than the few back gardens that they came from. The laughter of children celebrating the first day of summer could be heard all over, including a few giggling adults who were happy that they could finally relax. Yet, the Cobalt house appeared to have a bubble of sombreness about it.

People were whispering inside, casting sideways glances at the five-year-old who was sat on the stairs, looking wistfully at the front door, her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. A few of the adults were distracting themselves from the awkwardness that hung in the air by trying to stop their children from asking difficult questions. 0thers were focused on their drinks, checking their watches every few minutes though as they waited for a sociably acceptable time to leave. There was soft music undercutting the mumblings, something which Charles Yale had insisted upon, stating that it would in fact be the best for 'the poor child.'

'It's just terrible,' said Charles to anyone who would listen to him. His eyes were on his drink as he spoke though. He wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder in a comforting gesture, one that he didn't often show, yet had done so several times over the course of the afternoon. 'We'll have to put the poor dear into a care home, I suppose.' His eyes never left his drink. Even when he took another swig of whisky, his gaze was focused on the honey coloured liquid sloshing around in the glass.

'No,' said Oscar firmly, the slight Irish twang to his voice instantly recognisable. The statement snapped Charles's attention away from his drink. The young man's jaw was set in annoyance, his grey eyes narrowed dangerously. 'No, you won't, as she's going to be staying with me. It's what Rosa would've wanted.'

Georgie, Charles's wife, gave a tinkling laugh which seemed utterly out of place in the sombre faced crowd. A few of those closest to them looked around, but pity slipped quickly onto their faces as they realised who it was. They frowned towards her slightly, before turning back to their conversations once more.

'I'm sorry to burst you illusionary bubble of naivety, Oscar darling, but Olivia has to go through the system,' she explained, her voice dripping with a familiarly condescending tone.

Rage washed over Oscar's face, causing Charles to step back inadvertently, fear clouding his features. Georgie, however, stood firm, pouting slightly. Her gaze was flickering over Oscar's shoulder though, irritation glinting behind her eyes.

A hand was placed lightly on Oscar's shoulder, making him jump around. Behind him stood Claudia, a small, warm smile on her face despite how her attention appeared to be on the other woman. Her husband, Richard, was beside her, his gaze critically flickering over the other couple.

'Glad you could make it,' said Georgie coolly, eyeing the new couple irritably.

After a few moments her eyes darted distastefully towards the young bundle of energy who was jumping from foot to foot in front of Olivia, a goofy smile on his face. His hands were waving on either side of his head, his thumbs touching his temples. Even from this distance, however, Georgie could see the worry behind his eyes at the lack of reaction he was gaining from his friend.

Georgie quickly returned her attention back towards the adults. 'I see you brought your son.'

'He wanted to make sure Olivia was alright,' said Claudia, but despite the sweetness to her voice there was a dangerous lilt to it too.

'How sweet?' sneered Charles, but a sharp glance from the deputy made him scuttle away, mumbling something about offering condolences to more of the family.

'I was just telling Oscar here about the plans to put our dear Olivia into a care home,' Georgie purred, as if the little tiff hadn't occurred.

Surprisingly, however, a hint of a smile flashed across Claudia's face as she turned to Richard. He nodded slightly, before patting Oscar lightly on the back.

'But, you can't do that. You're not her legal guardian,' said Claudia simply, there was a hint of self-satisfaction behind her voice as the other woman's calm persona began to slip.

'But I'm her aunt. I'm the only family she has left,' said Georgie though gritted teeth.

'That may be so,' said Claudia, casting a sideways glance at the children.

The little group appeared to have grown in the short space of time. Stiles had dragged Scott over to the stairs, and was moving the other boy as though he were a puppet – making him hit himself, ruffle Olivia's hair or else pulling faces at morbid looking passers-by. A small flicker of a smile could be seen on Olivia's face, but she moved a hand to hide it though. Beside her sat a nervous looking Teddy, fiddling awkwardly with his glasses.

'But,' Claudia continued, looking back towards Georgie, 'Oscar is her legal guardian.'

And that was the comment that broke Georgie's air of self-control. Her eyes burnt with annoyance as her gaze flickered over the trio in front of her. A slight snarl was pulling at the corners of her mouth, the sound of which caused the attention of those closest to the little group to snap towards them.

But, a moment later the woman cleared her throat slightly, brushing down the front of her dress as she did so to compose herself once more. 'Well,' she said coolly, her eyes narrowed dangerously towards Oscar, 'at least she'll have someone to hug when she has no roof over her head.'

Her eyes narrowed as she scanned his ragged suit, which hung off of his frame. There was the odd spot of dirt on it, stains that appeared to have been washed into fadedness. Her attention then flickered towards his nephew, who was picking his way through the crowd towards the other children while his attention appeared glued on the plate of food which was piled precariously tall. The boy's suit was at least a size too small, the sleeves were far too short and there were worn patches on the elbows. There was a slightly different material occasionally where someone, possibly previous owners, had tried to fix it up.

There was a sneer on her face when she looked back towards the trio. 'Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to pay my respected to my late sister and her husband,' she said coolly, before skulking through the crowded living room.

Oscar gave a sigh of relief, running a hand through his dishevelled hair as he turned towards Claudia. 'Did you mean that?' he asked, his eyes shining slightly with tears, but there was a small, hopeful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Richard spoke up though, a slight happiness behind his pale blue eyes. 'The lawyer asked us to find a Mr Oscar Cooper this morning. He'd looked over the will for Cruella DeVille–' Claudia nudged him lightly in the ribs, a slight smirk on her face though as he shrugged at her slightly '–and it said that you were Olivia's legal guardian.'

'Does…' Oscar started, before gulping slightly.

He wetted his lips, glancing over at the little girl as his nephew Patrick settled to lean on the handrail bedside her. Scott was now in control of Stiles, though it seemed as though the latter was doing everything in his power to make Olivia smile with the act, going as far as nicking Teddy's glasses.

'Does Olivia know?' he asked after a beat, looking back towards the deputy.

Richard shook his head, a slight smile on his face as he clapped the other man's shoulder lightly. 'No, we thought it'd be best if she heard it from you.'

'Especially as I hear you and Pat're planning on travelling,' said Claudia, a sad smile on her face as Lucy bounded between the trio, making her way quickly towards her friends. They watched as the girl pulled Olivia into a tight hug, stumbling slightly as she nudged Stiles in her hurry.

Oscar nodded slightly though, averting his gaze to his scuffed shoes. 'I thought it'd be for the best if we got out of here,' he said softly. 'A fresh start and all that might do us all some good.' He sighed at the admittance. He was running away again. Like he always did when things got too much it seemed.

Right, this is my first attempt at a Teen Wolf Fanfiction, so please let me know what you think.

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