A/N: Here are some scene about Stiles, Scott, and Isaac growing up, as a follow up from my story Brothers. Eventually as the boys get older, the story will progress as a regular story, but the first few years are just bits and pieces to show how they've come to care for each other.
Recap: The boys were six when they'd been thrown together, Isaac's dad finally taking things too far. Melissa had taken him in and before they knew it, Scott and Stiles fell in love with the boy and offered to be his brothers. In the following months, Melissa had adopted young Isaac and she began to date the sheriff. Here are the stories of some of their adventures.
Age 7:
Isaac woke up with a scream in his throat, room dark. It wasn't supposed to be dark- where did the night light go? He sat upright, hoping his eyes would adjust to the dark space. It was like the freezer all over again; Isaac started to whimper, he hated the freezer. Had he been bad?
"Isaac? You okay?" a voice mumbled from beside him.
Scott, that was Scott. If Scott was here with him, that meant he wasn't in the freezer, Scott never did anything bad. He was in the bedroom, safe, not the freezer, he chanted that over and over in his head for a few minutes. He felt a hand reach out and squeeze his own and was comforted. "The light went out," Isaac mumbled, not wanting to wake up Stiles.
Scott sat up and rubbed his eyes, finally noticing just how dark the room was. "Oh, maybe the light broke," Scott said. He carefully climbed out of the bed and turned on the overhead light. "I'll tell Mommy," Scott offered, unplugging the nightlight from the wall and opening the door.
As the bulb chased away the dark, Isaac felt the knot of tension in his stomach relax, his heart quieting down as well.
Stiles rolled over then, "Why is the light on?"
Isaac looked down at his lap, he knew Stiles would never call him a baby, but he was still a little ashamed at his reaction. Heaving a sigh, Isaac confessed, "I woke up all of a sudden and the light was gone. I got scared."
"Oh, did Scott go get another one?" Stiles asked.
Isaac nodded his head, lying back down and trying to get comfortable again. It was only a few minutes before Melissa came in with Scott trailing behind her, a fresh nightlight bulb ready.
"Are you boys going to be able to go back to bed?" she asked.
All of them nodded and curled up together, Melissa came and gave them all another goodnight kiss and switched off the big light. Isaac held his breath, just in case the darkness came flooding back, but the nightlight switched on just like it should.
"Thanks Scott," Isaac mumbled, curling up next to him again.
Age 9:
"Mooooooom, what's for dinner?" Stiles asked, yelling it from the top of the stairs.
"Stiles, don't tell across the house," John called out as he was getting ready to go to work.
"But you just did!" Stiles commented, still yelling.
Melissa appeared in the hallway, looking up at Stiles, "I'm making enchiladas, no olives just for you Stiles."
"Thanks!" he smiled, then ran back into the bedroom to work on his homework before dinner.
Melissa stood there, hand over her mouth the hide her smile as John came down the stairs, "Did you hear that John? He called me Mom."
"I did, I wasn't sure if he would, we talked about it a lot back when we first got married," John told her.
Upstairs, the boys were having a similar conversation, Scott and Isaac of course noticing the change in Stiles.
"Stiles, you know you just called my mom 'Mom' right?" Scott asked, wanting to make sure Stiles wasn't forgetting.
Just last night, the boys had woken up to Stiles having another panic attack, brought on by a nightmare. Stiles kept having a reoccurring dream that his dad wasn't coming home, because he got shot. This time, Stiles had told them, his Mom came and was the one to deliver the news, and that made it feel more real- that Dad was going to live with Mom now. It had taken Scott and Isaac awhile to get Stiles's breathing back to normal, both of them just hugging him and telling him to breathe like they were. It was scary but Isaac was proud that they were able to calm him down without needing to call Melissa.
"Yea, I know I did," was all Stiles said.
"Why?" Isaac asked, wanting to know what changed. For Isaac, it was still a little weird, he called her Mom when he talked to her, but in his head, he still referred to her as Melissa. He was torn, feeling like it wasn't fair to his real mom, so he could understand Stiles's hesitation as well.
Stiles shrugged, "After last night… I don't know things are different. I will always love my Mommy, the one you didn't get to meet. She is my Mommy. Just like you will always love your Mommy too Isaac; but Melissa, she's taking care of us now. She loves us, and she doesn't want to replace our Mommies, she just wants to be our new Mommy. Dad 'splained it to me awhile ago- Mommy will always be in my heart, and I'll never forget her, but my heart has lots and lots of room for love. I'm allowed to love Scott's mom as my mom and still love my old Mommy." Stiles paused, forehead creased because he felt like he wasn't making sense, but Isaac jumped in, realizing what Stiles was trying to say.
"Like when she took me to the courthouse and told the judge she wanted to keep me forever and ever! She said that she could never replace my Mommy, and didn't want to, she just wanted to fill up the space that got left behind. Now I can tell everyone that I've got to have two Mommies that have loved me. Just like I call Mr. Sheriff 'Dad' now too; it was weird at first, but I know they both love me and want to be my parents."
"Well, I'm glad you are going to call her Mom now Stiles, you too Isaac. Now it really feels like we're brothers. Our old families might have been a little broken, but that meant there was room for us all to find each other and build a new family. Now we can have even more love than before!"
The boys all smiled at each other, feeling like things were just better now. They knew that when Melissa adopted them, and John had adopted them, after they got married that they were one big family. But up to this point, it felt more like one big sleepover instead of being real brothers. Now that everyone was comfortable with calling them Mom and Dad, it felt real, and they couldn't be happier.
Age 9:
Melissa rounded the boys up, she wanted to go over the rules again before Laura arrived to babysit them.
"Moooooom, we're nine now, Stiles is almost ten, we don't need a babysitter no more," Scott whined.
Stiles and Isaac both nodded their heads, although all three of them loved when Laura Hale babysat them. She was a lot of fun and didn't treat them like little babies.
"Oh yes you do!" Melissa disagreed. "Last time I left you alone for 15 minutes when I went next door to talk to Mr. Lasher, someone broke a window and ended up needing stitches."
Stiles smiled guiltily at that comment, they had been playing with a bouncy ball and Stiles had the brilliant idea to bounce it as hard as he could! Then when the window broke, he tried to clean it up so no one would get hurt… it really wasn't his fault that he slipped and landed on a really big piece of glass. Scott had gone into such a panic, Isaac had to run to the bathroom and grab his inhaler- both of them freaked a little with all the blood.
"Besides, I know that Laura is your favorite babysitter, you'll have fun tonight. Now, rules: Laura is in charge, like always, what she says goes. Since it's Saturday, bedtime isn't until 10 o'clock, and when it's bedtime, no fussing. Dad and I will be back by 11 at the latest, and like always we'll come up and see you when we get back. No scary movies, no scary stories, and no late night desserts. Laura has offered to cook for you and dinner will be at around 5. Any questions?"
"What if we can't sleep?" Isaac asked. He hated when they went out late… even though they deserved to have grown-up time. It made him nervous that they might not come home- what if there was an accident? Stiles could tell what was going on in his brother's head, it happened every time.
He wrapped his arm around his brother, "Mommy says we can read a book if we aren't sleepy. Remember?"
Melissa smiled, knowing that all three boys would probably still be up by the time her and John came home. Isaac was a worrier and Scott and Stiles would always stay up with him so he didn't get lonely. "Stiles is right, Laura knows that you can have the desk light on for reading. But no playing or loud noises."
"We can only be in bed and reading quietly," Isaac finished, smile on his face. It comforted him that Melissa always answered his questions- even when he asked the same ones every time they left for a date night.
"Are the boys all caught up on the rules?" John asked, coming down the stairs.
"Yes Sir!" the boys all laughed.
"Good, Laura should be here soon, are you boys going to behave yourselves?"
All three of them shook their heads and giggled, "Never!"
John and Melissa both rolled their eyes, despite their high energy levels, the boys were almost always well behaved. Especially if Laura was watching them; they really only got into trouble when they were left to their own devices. The doorbell rang and Melissa excused herself to go let Laura in, John kneeling down to give the boys a hug.
"We'll see you in a few hours okay? Love you."
"Love you back!" the boys called out, rushing in for their hugs.
"So, which one of you runts is getting tied up tonight?" Laura called out.
"Me, me, me," all three of them cried out, racing to greet Laura.
It hadn't taken long for the boys to tell Laura about their favorite pastime; at first Melissa had been worried about it, but it didn't take long for Stiles to convince her that it was good practice. Especially with what had happened with Mr. Lahey a couple of years ago.
"I swear, someone is going to think we're abusing them," Melissa complained.
Laura laughed, "Naw, everyone knows you love these boys. And with the sheriff as their dad, it's not the big of a stretch. I mean, I know how to slip out of a pair of handcuffs."
"Do I want to know that?" John asked.
"Oh, um, not for running from the police, I'd never get arrested. But if someone kidnapped me or something, you know, being a woman and all," Laura explained, really it was only a slight lie. It wasn't because she was a woman that her father had trained her- it was because of the Hunters.
"Of course you'd never be arrested, you're a good girl," Melissa commented, knowing the Hales were a respectable family.
After one more round of good-byes, John and Melissa left, not wanting to miss the movie. As soon as the door closed, Isaac went and jumped on the couch, grabbing the remote and asking if he could turn on cartoons.
"Yea, of course Isaac," Laura said, Isaac was her favorite, mostly because he was so quiet.
Stiles came into the living room, carefully carrying one of the chairs from the kitchen table, Scott right behind him with the rope. "Laura, Laura, tie us up!" they pleaded, eager to prove that this time they could untie themselves.
"Okay, but you only have until dinner! After that we're going to watch a movie together," Laura warned. She tied Stiles to the chair, wrapping the rope around his torso loosely and tied it off using a simple knot. Then she had Scott sit on the floor and tied his hands behind his back.
Isaac watched as they began to wriggle around doing their best to get loose; Stiles had talked Isaac into trying it once, but he didn't last long. He hated feeling helpless and Laura had to untie him before he started crying. After that, Stiles apologized and didn't suggest it again, saying Isaac could try whenever he was ready.
"While you two pests are trying to get free, what do you want for dinner?"
"Ice cream?" Scott tried, knowing she'd say no- but it couldn't hurt to ask!
"Spaghetti, with no sauce," Isaac said.
"But the sauce is the best," Scott pouted.
"I'm allergic," Isaac reminded him.
"I can make spaghetti and the sauce separate, so you can put as much on it as you want Scotty. Is that okay with you Stiles?"
Instead of answering, Stiles complained, "You cheated Laura, you put a tautline hitch on this!"
"I don't even know what that is! Come on boy scout, you can untie it," Laura said, figuring that he must not have a problem with spaghetti.
Isaac turned back to the tv, curling up next to Laura as he laughed at Spongebob. The time passed slowly, 2 episodes going by before Scott finally pulled free of his bonds.
"I did it!" he cried out, holding the rope above his head.
Isaac and Laura cheered for him, making room on the couch so he could watch with them. After awhile, Spongebob ended and Rocket Power started up, all three boys cheering- they really enjoyed this show.
"Stiles, I'm going to get started on dinner okay, don't tip over the chair while I'm not looking."
"I'll be out of this by then, promise!" Stiles grunted, face scrunched up in concentration.
Laura laughed to herself as she walked into the kitchen, Stiles was tenacious at least. As she crossed the hallway, she stopped suddenly, hearing someone sneaking around out front. After a quick glance in the living room to make sure the boys were occupied, she crept to the front door and looked out the peephole, a low growl coming from her throat when she saw who was there. "What do you want Argent?" she called through the door. "It sure looks suspicious when you're sulking about in the front yard of the sheriff's house."
"Open the door Hale," a woman's voice said.
The boys leaned over the back of the couch, "Who's that Laura?"
"No one, don't worry about it."
"Hale, open the door or we'll kick it in, we have reason to be worried about the boys."
"I would never hurt them!" Laura snarled.
She heard a dark laugh from the yard, "Yea, but I'm sure you can understand our concern, considering what time of the month it is."
That witch! Did she really think she couldn't control herself around the full moon?! She was a born-Were, she had her Anchor- she wasn't a pup anymore.
"Come on Laura, you know the deal," a second voice said, apparently Chris was there too.
"Laura?" Isaac asked, eyes wide.
"It's okay Isaac, don't worry," Laura soothed. With a sigh, she unlocked the front door and glared at Chris, Kate, and their lackeys.
"What the-" Chris said suddenly, spotting Stiles from the doorway. He pushed his way inside.
"Hey, you can't just come in here," Laura said, turning to run after him, but Kate grabbed her by the hair.
"Easy girl," she said in a condescending tone.
"Laura!" Scott cried out, grabbing Isaac and dragging him towards Stiles.
Laura cursed herself, she hadn't thought about the fact Stiles was still tied to the chair, of course Chris would take that the worst way possible. And with the boys watching, she wasn't going to chance wolfing out- that would only give Kate satisfaction.
"No, don't untie me, don't untie me! Who are you, go away, Dad is the sheriff, you can't just come in here!" Stiles yelled out, trying to protect his brothers even though he was absolutely helpless.
"Stay away from them!" Laura called out. "Stiles is just practicing, I'm not trying to hurt them!"
"Yea, I'm going to be an escape artist, so if you untie me, you'll ruin it!" Stiles told them, fingers working furiously at the ropes.
Chris heaved a sigh, he should have figured as much, but Kate had convinced him that Laura might lose control tonight. He still didn't ask how she knew where Laura would be, or why she might be having control issues, he knew that Kate wouldn't give away her contact. Chris started to walk back to the front door when Stiles let out a triumphant yell and leapt from the chair, kicking the strange man in the back of his leg before ushering the other two boys back to the safe room, telling Laura they'd call Dad. Laura smirked as Chris rubbed his calf, he hadn't been expecting the young boy to actually hit him, and now they were going to call the sheriff. Great. "Kate, get out of here, I'll handle the sheriff. God this is a mess," he complained.
Kate released Laura's hair and walked away, quickly climbing into one of the SUVs and driving away with the others.
"How dare you just come in here! You know I'm not a threat to those boys!"
"As per the deal we set up with your mother, we have the right to keep tabs on the Hale family around the full moon. We take the threat of an attack, accidental or otherwise, very serious, and when we found out you'd be watching three very rambunctious children, we were concerned. Who knows, they may have angered you and you could lash out," Chris theorized.
"I've been watching these boys for years! I would never lash at out them, no matter how 'rambunctious' they might get. They are good boys!"
Chris nodded his head, "I didn't realize you've known them for so long. I apologize if I've upset them. Kate seemed sure that you were… unstable."
"Oh yea, being a teenager and all, very unstable," Laura growled.
Chris stepped out onto the front steps to wait for one of the deputies to show up. He had to give the young Hale credit, throughout the whole encounter, she never once flashed her eyes or fangs, she had amazing control. Clearly Kate was just looking for trouble.
It wasn't long before they saw the sirens, Laura pulling out her cell phone to call Melissa herself. She knew they'd be worried about the kids but she didn't want them to rush home and miss dinner. As Chris started talking with the deputy, Laura gave Melissa details. "Everything is fine, it was just a misunderstanding," Laura explained. "The boys are fine, maybe a little shook up, but they are still in the safe room, no one got hurt."
Melissa asked if they should come home, but Laura assured her it was unnecessary, John leaned towards the phone to say that the boys agreed- everything was fine. Melissa sighed but decided not to argue. "Call us if anything else comes up!" Melissa said.
"Of course Mrs. Stilinski, I will. I've got to give my statement to Deputy Stone now." During the phone conversation, she'd listened in to what Mr. Argent had said, not wanting to completely get the story wrong. She didn't want to cause any undue trouble before she could get her mom's opinion. Apparently, he'd been driving by and had seen a child tied up to a chair and had been concerned. He got Laura to open the door and confronted her but the boys said they were just playing and then ran off to the safe room and called the sheriff.
"Ok Miss Hale, time for your statement. Are you going to want to press charges?"
"No, I called the Stilinskis already and they said it was just a mistake, unless you think otherwise."
Deputy Stone looked back at Chris and then the open curtains, so far everything seemed to check out, although he had no idea what 'errand' could possibly have him driving down this street at dinner time. But he didn't say anything, just nodded for Laura to give her side of the story.
"I was just getting ready to make dinner when there was this frantic knocking at the door, I thought maybe someone needed help, so I opened it a crack. He pushed his way in, concerned for Stiles and scared the crap out of me- some strange man just barging into the house like that. As you know, the boys love to play escape, and I guess he must have seen that or something. Stiles managed to get free and he kicked the man in the leg and ran into the safe room. Are you going to need to talk to them?"
Deputy Stone shook his head, "No, no need to get them all riled up, Stiles would end up asking more questions than actually answering mine. I'll file a report and sheriff can get back to me on what he thinks. Call us if he comes back okay?"
"Will do, thank you for coming out." Laura watched as Chris climbed back into his car and drove off, then Stone did the same; she closed the door and locked it, she needed to call Mom about all of this. It would have to wait though, first she needed to check on the boys. As she walked into the office, the boys already had to door open, waiting for her.
"Why did that man come into the house Laura?" Stiles asked, taking charge like always.
Laura knelt down and opened her arms, hugging the boys as she explained. "Apparently he saw you tied up when he drove by, and was worried there was a robber in the house. So he wanted to check on you, and it was just a misunderstanding."
Stiles narrowed his eyes, "But what about that lady? She was mean to you. Why didn't she talk to the cops too?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure it wasn't important. Deputy Stone thinks everything is fine," Laura evaded. Stiles was pretty sharp, she'd have to make sure that he didn't mention that part to his parents later. "Are you boys ready for dinner now? And congratulations Stiles, you got out of the chair this time!"
Stiles beamed and led the way into the kitchen, Isaac and Scott clinging together as they followed. Laura sighed, poor Isaac, it had been a few years since the ordeal with his dad, but clearly he was still very skittish and unsure. Luckily Stiles and Scott bounced back from things fairly quick and were always around to bring Isaac out of his nervous state. The boys helped her to make dinner, getting utensils for her, setting timers, and even setting the table. Thankfully the rest of the night went smoothly, Stiles and Scott getting all the sauce they wanted and Isaac kept his noodles tomato free. By the time Laura herded them to bed, the boys had put the ordeal behind them, talking instead about which book they wanted Laura to read them.
Once she got them all tucked in, lamp light on so they could sit and read to themselves quietly, Laura went back downstairs and called her mom. If the Argents wanted to do more than just keep tabs on them, the Hales were going to return the favor.
A/N: Just a few quick drabbles, things that I thought were fun and also milestones in a way, like Stiles finally deciding to call Melissa Mom. Hoping to have another chapter up next week some time, not making any promises though, I also have my Dramione stuff to work on (like desperately) and also my Wasteland story as well.