Prompt: Derek adopts Isaac, Erica, and Boyd

A/N: Now I don't know much about the adoption process, I'll state that right now. But I liked the idea of this fic when I got the prompt and well, the fic is about him and the kids meeting/going home the first time and it's designed to just be a cute one-shot. I hope you can enjoy it for what it is even though I'm sure I got a lot of it wrong.

Derek took a deep breath and steadied his nerves- he could do this! Laura had offered to go with him of course but he wanted to form his own opinions; Laura was very assertive and would quickly give her opinion on everyone they'd meet without giving him time to come to his own conclusions. This was for him right now, he'd ask Laura what she thought later, after he had someone in mind. He rang the bell to the children's home and straightened his collar.

"Hello, come in, you must be Mr. Hale? My name is Marin, it's nice to meet you," a woman said as she greeted him at the door.

"I um, yea, I'm Derek. Thank you for setting up this appointment, it means a lot to me," he said, stumbling over his words.

"There's no reason to be nervous, this is all very informal for the first meeting. We have a few boys here that seemed to fit your answers pretty well. If they don't seem to be the right fit, we can always pull in a few others for you to meet today as well."

"Thank you."

Marin smiled at him, hoping to put him at ease. She could tell that he was beyond nervous, first time adopters usually were. Thankfully he'd listened to her advice and hadn't worn a suit, suits usually made the kids nervous. But he was still wearing a collared shirt so she figured he must spend a lot of time working; he probably didn't own any regular shirts. Mr. Hale had passed their tests though so she wasn't worried that he'd leave the kid with some nanny. She led him through the living room area and into a private meeting room down a short hallway. "I'll be right back with Vernon, okay?"

Derek nodded and sat at the table, nervously wiping his hands on his jeans. It was going to be fine, surely one of the boys here would like him and would like to be adopted. Ms. Morrell told him that they had plenty of candidates if he wanted to widen his scope of parameters. Mostly he didn't want a toddler, he wasn't good with… reading people. If the child couldn't speak up about their needs, he would be pretty clueless. And he was hoping for younger than teenager, just because he wanted to be able to bond with them, teenagers just seemed to, distance themselves from him. Laura said it was because he had a perpetual scowl on his face. In fact, she'd warned him to smile because if he did nothing but scowl, none of the kids would like him. Derek couldn't help it that he just had an aggressive resting face, he wasn't trying to look mean. He was pulled from his thoughts as the door swung open.

"I'm sorry um, is it okay if you met Vernon and Isaac?" Marin asked.

"Oh, sure, that's not a problem," Derek replied. It seemed a little strange but he was sure there was a reason for it.

She gave him a grateful smile and opened the door wider, two small boys coming into the room. They were both about 8, one with short cut hair and the other with blonde curls; the one with the curls had a scared look in his eyes and he was pressed in next to his friend.

"Hi there, I'm Derek, it's nice to meet you two," he said, watching as they stepped closer to the desk.

"H-h-hi," Isaac mumbled, biting his lip and looking down.

"That's Isaac and I'm Bo- I mean… Vernon…" the other boy said.

Derek smiled, "Sounds like you have a nickname you prefer?"

"Yea… I like Boyd better but Miss Marin says that it's not polite to introduce myself with a nickname…"

"Boyd huh? Where did that come from, and why don't you like Vernon as much?"

The small boy shrugged, "Vernon sounds so… Grown up, and I'm just a lil boy. And Boyd is supposed to be my last name, well, until I get adopted I guess. I like the sound of it better, even if it's s'posed to be a last name."

"Makes sense, you know, I have some army friends that go by last names all the time. It's not that strange, well you aren't in the army but, still, going by last names isn't weird at all," Derek told him. "And Isaac, do you have a nickname?"

Isaac shook his head and chewed on his thumb.

"Isaac, remember, we're supposed to use our voice," Marin nudged gently before turning to Derek. "We're working on the eye contact with him but we figure that will come in time, most important is getting him used to talking to strangers."

"Being shy is okay Isaac, I know talking to strangers is hard; my sister Cora was super shy when she was small. Now she's bossy, I don't know which version I like better."

"Well… Isaac…" Boyd started to say before cutting himself off. It wasn't really his secret to tell and Isaac had told him that a lot of potential parents always got a sad look whenever he told them the truth.

"My dad hit me," Isaac whispered, eyes squeezed shut.

Derek felt his chest tighten as Boyd's arms went around his friend. No wonder speaking up was hard for him, going through something like that… it left scars. Would Derek ever be able to help a child through that… he didn't have any experience… what if he said the wrong thing and upset him even more? Or what if he got into a fight with Laura like they were apt to do…

"It's okay Isaac, he can't hurt you anymore. I promise, the police took him away, remember?"

"Yea… I remember… I still have nightmares though…" Isaac looked up a bit, eyes focusing on Derek's hands instead of his face. "You don't hafta adopt me, I know no one wants a broken kid… I just… don't like being alone and Boyd is my bestest friend here… So I wanted to come with him. It isn't Boyd's fault though."

Boyd frowned and rubbed Isaac's back, he didn't want to get adopted by someone that was going to be mean to Isaac! It wasn't Isaac's fault! If this guy didn't like that he and Isaac were friends then he could just go stick his head in the potty! But he surprised them both.

"You aren't broken Isaac, I promise," Derek quickly assured him. Wow, hearing the little boy say that… it was absolutely heartbreaking. He thought he was broken and that no one would ever love him. "Everyone has nightmares sometimes, and you went through some bad stuff. No one can blame you for having nightmares, you can't help it. Even grownups have nightmares sometimes because of bad things that happen. I'm glad that you have a friend like Boyd to help you."

"The last lady I met said she wasn't going to put up with that nonsense…" Isaac whispered.

Marin cleared her throat, "That lady didn't fill out her forms correctly, I never should have let her talk to you Isaac, I'm sorry. Like Derek said, you aren't broken at all."

"…K," he mumbled, looking down at his lap again. At least Derek wasn't mean about it like the other parents he'd met. Maybe that meant Boyd would finally find a good home, as long as one of them did…

Derek was about to comment when the door flew open and a loud shriek filled everyone's ears.

"You can't go! Don't leave me here, please!" a girl cried out, sobbing as she tried to pull Boyd and Isaac from their chairs.

"Erica! You know you can't come into the meeting room right now. Come here," Marin admonished, trying to pull the girl out of the room.

"But I was sick and didn't get to see them before the meeting. If they leave that means I wouldn't get to say goodbye," she cried out, struggling, tears streaming down her face. "Please don't leave me here all alone!"

Derek stood up, holding a hand out to Ms. Morrell, "It's okay, she's obviously very distraught, you don't have to make her leave. I take it Isaac and Boyd are her friends?"

"Yes, the three of them are very close," Marin commented, letting Erica go so she could run back to hug both the boys.

"The other kids always make fun of Erica because she's sick," Boyd commented quietly, rubbing his friend's back as she clung to him and Isaac.

"She's sick?" Derek asked with a frown.

"She has epilepsy; we've had a hard time finding a family for her. It's hard for children with… disorders to find a good home. I'm sorry she interrupted, she's just so attached to them. When she heard they were in a meeting, obviously she got scared they'd be leaving right away."

"No, no, it's quite alright." Derek looked over at the three kids and smiled to himself, with how close they were, it reminded him of his relationship with his sisters. Boyd seemed to be the glue that held them together, in the sense that he was the rock both Isaac and Erica needed. He could tell right away that Boyd was the kind of child he was looking for- he had an athletic build so it was someone Derek could teach to play sports, he was compassionate and friendly, and he didn't seem to be a troublemaker. With all his lack of experience, Boyd seemed to be ideal. But there was no way he'd be able to adopt Boyd, knowing that Isaac and Erica would be heartbroken. Sure, the two of them would still have each other but he could tell that Boyd was the strong one for all of them and he just couldn't break them up. "I'm going to have to make a change of parameters, if that's okay?"

Marin nodded and excused herself to go get his paperwork; she could usually tell if a meeting was going well or not but with Mr. Hale, she just wasn't sure. It wouldn't hurt to give him just a few minutes alone with the kids though.

Now that Erica was calmed down, seeing that her friends were still going to be here for at least awhile longer, she looked over the man across the table. No wonder Isaac was chewing on his thumb, the guy looked mean… but he hadn't said anything mean at all, just his face.

"Erica, are you feeling better now?" Boyd asked, not wanting things to be too quiet and awkward.

"Yea."

Derek cleared his throat, "Is um, your epilepsy hard to deal with? I don't know anyone that has that so I don't know what it's like…"

She looked at him shyly, hair falling into her face. "It's… annoying mostly," she mumbled. It surprised her that an adult was admitted that they didn't know something- was he just teasing her? "I get a funny taste in my mouth all the time before I have a seizure though so I'm kinda able to prepare."

"So that means you can at least make sure you won't hit your head, or go and find an adult?"

Erica nodded and Boyd spoke up for her, "Mostly she just wants to make sure the other kids aren't around to see. We have… um… a secret spot we go to. If we can't ever find Erica it means she went there cuz of the shakes."

"I hate it!" she cried out suddenly, making Isaac jump. "No one wants to adopt me because I'm sick, and no one wants to adopt Isaac because his daddy was mean, no one has adopted Boyd either and I don't know why! It isn't our fault," she sniffled.

Just then, Marin came back in with a small folder of papers, "Alright, what exactly would you like to change?"

"Please don't not adopt Boyd because of us!" Erica whined before jutting her chin out defiantly.

Isaac gripped her arm, afraid that she'd upset Derek and then he'd start yelling at all of them.

Derek just smiled at them, "I'd just like to make a note that I'm perfectly okay with more than one child. Actually, if it's okay, feel free to put down that a daughter would be okay too."

"You'd… adopt all three of them?" Marin asked, immediately understanding what Derek was hinting at. "That's… are you sure? In your report, you only mentioned you were looking for a son-"

"That was just because I'm single, I don't have a wife or girlfriend… I felt like a little girl wouldn't really be open to someone like me adopting them since I wouldn't have a woman in the house for them to bond with but… I can't… I can't leave Erica here. Boyd seems like the perfect fit for what I was originally looking for but Isaac and Erica both deserve a family too. I have two sisters as well as plenty of room in my house and I can afford the medicine and doctor visits- you have my income information. If… that's if the kids are okay with me."

All three of the kids were looking at him, just absolutely shocked. Then Erica turned pink and ran from the room without a word. Boyd of course hurried after her and Isaac was left staring at Derek with wide eyes, "Erica is shy, I think you surprised her…"

"Oh, well I know it was all very sudden. And normally it would take a few meetings before anything is decided, I mean, you kids only just met me. But I mean it, I'd love to see you all some more and if you like me, I'd be more than happy to adopt you."

"You can go ahead and go Isaac, I know you want to check on her as well. I'll talk with Derek and then set up another meeting, okay?" Marin said.

"Okay." With the smallest of smiles, Isaac waved to Derek and scurried out of the room.

Now that they were alone, Marin looked over at Derek, "I wouldn't worry about Erica's reaction. I think she's just embarrassed because of the circumstances that you met her. She just barged in here and normally she likes to put on her best clothes before meeting a potential parent. This time she had come in just after getting better from a seizure, probably thinks it left a bad impression."

Derek chuckled, "I can understand that, just as long as she doesn't feel scared of me. I mean, of course, if living in a single parent home with just a new dad makes her nervous she can always decline. I'd still bring Boyd and Isaac to visit her."

"I'm pretty sure she'll come around. Now, when are you available to come back and see them again?"

-A month later-

Derek pulled his SUV up the driveway, barely able to hold in his laughter at the three surprised gasps he heard. Derek worked hard for the family corporation and he made a lot of money. Hell, that was probably the only reason he got his foot in the door at the adoption agency, not many single guys were okayed to adopt a child. But he was going to do his absolute best by these kids, hopefully without his sisters spoiling them rotten. Although, maybe they deserved a little bit of spoiling, just a bit. "Okay, now remember, I told my sisters that I wasn't going to be bringing you home until next week but I think my assistant spilled the beans so they are probably here already. Don't let them spook you though, they're harmless." After that first meeting, Laura and Cora had both peppered him with questions and they'd been amazed that he'd decided on more than one kid. He worked from home most days so it wasn't like he was never going to see them, and at least this way he knew the kids already had some solid friends for when they started their new school.

"Who gets to pick rooms first?" Erica asked, still looking up at the house.

"Well I don't want you to fight over-" he started to say.

"I want one close to your room," Isaac cut in, holding his stuffed elephant close to his chest.

"Yea, Isaac can have one close to you, and Erica can pick next. I'm just happy we're all together," Boyd commented. He didn't really care what kind of room he got, he knew Derek was a nice person and he wasn't going to be stuck in a closet like Harry Potter. Erica was very picky about her room though so she should have first choice before him. And Isaac had warmed up to Derek easily after that first meeting, sensing that he was genuinely kind. When Derek had promised that he'd help Isaac through all of his nightmares and said that he'd never get mad at him because of them, Isaac was ready to be adopted. Erica had taken the longest to come around just because she was so shy.

Erica smiled, looking up at Derek, "Do you have a room with a window, I wanna be able to see the backyard."

"Yea, I'll have to move some stuff around, but I think one of my offices has the perfect view."

"Oh…"

"What?"

"I don't want you to hafta move your stuff…" she mumbled, not wanting to be a nuisance.

"No it's okay. I just picked that room because the window let in a lot of light. There is another room downstairs that I can use as my office instead, still with plenty of sunlight. I promise, it's not a problem. Okay, get your suitcases and I'll show you the house."

All three kids clambered out of the SUV and hefted their bags, they didn't have much and Derek promised that he would take them out shopping as soon as they all got settled in. He unlocked the front door and then immediately sighed as his sisters called out a soft surprise (at least they remembered that Isaac was scared of yelling and loud voices).

Boyd rushed into the house, eager to meet more of his new family- if he was going to be staying here for real, he wanted to fit in! "Hi, are you Miss Laura and Miss Cora?"

"Yea, that's us! I'm Laura, the oldest," his sister said, easily pulling the boy into a warm hug. "I'm so happy Derek found you."

"I'm happy too, I want this to be my forever home."

Erica was hiding behind Derek's leg, looking at the two ladies nervously. It had taken a few meetings for Erica to warm up to Derek so of course he wasn't surprised that the sudden appearance of his two sisters set her on edge. Isaac wasn't fairing much better, but he'd at least stepped into the house and was looking around. He was just more at ease because he was used to women being nice to him, only strange men still made him nervous.

"I thought I told you two-"

"Der, come on, these are your new kids! Of course we wanted to meet them right away. Besides, do you really think that we'd let you move these three in all alone. I know you bought all the beds and stuff for them but you still have to actually organize the rooms. One adult for three kids on the same day? We're here to help," Laura told him, leaving no room for argument.

"Well I would have preferred that the kids have at least a little time to acquaint themselves with my house before meeting even more new people. But I guess you have a point, I am going to need a little help moving everything around. Erica is going to be in my upstairs office, since it has a big window, so I'll have to move all that stuff out and bring it down here. Isaac will be in your usual guest room, sorry Cora."

"Hey, that's fine, I liked that one because it was always warm, nothing a few extra blankets won't fix," his younger sister said with a shrug. "Do you want me to show you Isaac?"

"Um…"

"It's okay bud, Cora will help you get all your stuff put away. She's nice, I promise. And I'll just be helping Erica decide how she wants her room, I'll just be right down the hall from you."

"Ok then," Isaac said, shyly reaching up and taking Cora's hand. If Derek said she was safe then he'd trust her too. Besides, if Cora usually stayed in the room, she'd be able to tell him about the best place to put his things!

"So does that mean I get to help you pick out a room?" Laura asked.

"Yea!" Boyd smiled.

"Upstairs right?"

Boyd smiled, "Of course, so I can be with everyone else."

"Alright, let's go!"

Derek smiled as the two of them raced up the stairs and Laura showed him the remaining rooms to pick from.

"Ready to see your room Erica? Is it okay that my sisters are here?"

"Yea, it's okay, I'm just a little nervous… But they seem nice. Does… does Miss Cora know about Isaac?"

He nodded, "Yea, they both do. She won't make any loud noises or yell. And they know you're shy too, that's why they didn't come over and hug you right away. We know this is going to take some time to get used to, for all of us. But you know you can talk to me about stuff right? And for awhile, Ms. Morrell is going to be checking in on all of you, make sure it's all going okay."

"Yea, I remember."

"Alright then." He smiled as Erica lifted her arms, too afraid to head up the stairs on her own. So Derek bent down and scooped her up, taking her small suitcase in his other hand. They'd all be okay, Derek's life wasn't empty anymore, and at least three kids had a permanent home now.