Stiles woke to the annoying sound of his alarm going off and groaned. He wasn't ready for the week to start again. He roughly punched the snooze button and rolled over to get a few more minutes of sleep.

At least that was the plan. The sound of running feet and a soft giggle as a small blur of long brown hair launched herself onto her father's bed burst Stiles's bubble of hope. His eight year old daughter, Allie jumped on him in excitement.

"Daddy, wake up! It's almost time to go."

"No it's not. Go back to sleep, Allie." Stiles mumbled and rolled away from her. She just laughed and jumped on him again.

"Yes it is, Daddy. It's quarter past eight." Stiles sat up quickly then and looked at his clock. Shit. It was quarter past eight. He mustn't have set it for earlier the night before.

"Okay, Allie, you go and get yourself dressed, I'll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast. Do you want toast?"

"Yes please." The little girl kissed his cheek and hurried off down the hall to her bedroom. As he had every morning for the past seven years, Stiles turned to the empty side of his bed sadly and gently patted the blankets where his girlfriend should have slept.

He got up and dressed, donning the boring old suit he wore every work day now and ventured into the kitchen which was still a mess from the night before. Scott and Kira had come over with their twins, Naomi and Aiden, the night before and there were dishes everywhere that needed washing. Stiles sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Daddy, I'm ready!" Allie appeared and gave a little twirl in her chosen outfit of the day; a pretty purple dress and little black shoes.

"Very nice." Stiles smiled at his daughter. "Do you think you can start on breakfast for me? I need to wash some of these dishes."

"Yep." Within fifteen minutes, some order had returned to the kitchen and the two of them were heading out the front door, armed with a hot pink back pack for Allie and a briefcase for Stiles.

"You'll be good for Uncle Scott and Aunt Kira, won't you?"

"Of course Daddy. I'm always good." Stiles glanced at his daughter in the rearview mirror of his car and smirked.

"Only when I'm not around."

As usual, it took Stiles several minutes to say goodbye to Allie when he left her at Scott and Kira's but neither of them intervened. They knew he was just protective of her and worried about her because of Malia's sudden disappearance.

"She'll be fine, Stiles. You need to get going or you'll be late." Scott murmured after a while and Stiles stood up, nodding.

"I know. Well, I guess Ill see you tonight. See you Allie."

"Yo, Stiles! There's a letter on your desk. Looks old." Stiles' friend, Jacob called as he made his way to his desk, sipping a coffee.

"Thanks. Any more reports since Friday?"

"Nope. And nothing on Malia either."

"Just another normal day then." Sighing, Stiles resigned himself to a day spent sitting at his desk, going through page after page of legal stuff, searching for a connection that likely wouldn't be there. After Malia left, Stiles changed his college major and joined the FBI in the hopes that one day, a case might lead him to the whereabouts of his girlfriend. So far, no luck. Nearly everyone he worked with knew about Malia and everyone kept an eye out but even the tiniest glimmers of hope failed to come to anything.

By the end of the day, Stiles was exhausted. He hadn't yet had a chance to read the letter on his desk but hoped to get a moment when he picked up Allie. He didn't recognize the handwriting on the front but it was very old so Stiles was quite excited to find out who it was from.

"Daddy!" Walking in the front door of Scott and Kira's house, he was almost bowled over by three excited children running full-pelt at him "Uncle Stiles!"

"Whoa! Hey there. How's it goin' champ?" He ruffled six year old Aiden's hair. "Were you good today, pumpkin?" Allie hugged him tightly and he bent to kiss her head. The sound of muffled laughter told him that the mini stampede was planned and he looked up to see Scott standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching.

"You're a terrible person, Scott."

"I know." Shaking his head, Scott gestured for the kids to go into the living room. "Tough day?"

"Kinda. I just want to relax. Do you mind if I chill here for a bit?"

"Go ahead. I could use the extra pair of hands to wrangle the twins today."

"Where's Kira? I thought she was home too."

"She was. Her boss called her in for some emergency just after lunch, though so I've had to deal with the terrible trio all afternoon. Did you know it was possible for three people that small to turn the living room into a war zone?"

"Yup. That's what happens with two six year olds and a very excited seven year old. They don't get to spend much time together normally and now they've basically spent twenty-four hours together."

"I don't ever remember being that bad. Even when we were together." Scott frowned at the living room where the laughter told the two men that the war zone was once again being ravaged. "You want a drink?"

"Sure. I'll wait out on the porch. I've got a letter I want to read." Nodding, Scott went into the kitchen while Stiles took a seat on the front porch, pulling the tattered letter from his pocket and tearing it open.

Stiles,

If you're reading this, it's probably been a long time since we talked. I guess you'll have a lot of questions, about where I went, about why I left, about everything. First off, I just want to tell you, I always loved you. I never wanted to hurt you but things happened that I just needed to get away.

I think of you and our daughter every day. It's hard to believe she'll be eight this November. I'm sure you've raised her well and I know she will have grown up surrounded by the best possible people.

I knew, long before I left, that one day I would have to go. I dreaded the day coming for months. In order to tell you what happened, I need to start from the beginning. Funnily enough, the whole thing started not long after Mexico. On returning to Beacon Hills, I could already tell that everything was going to change. Scott was recovering from his time, short at it was, as a Berserker. Liam was learning to control his shift and get used to being a werewolf. You were dealing with everything that had happened, nearly killing your best friend, losing Derek.

Then Senior year. Man, that was hard. Of course, academically speaking, it was always going to be hard. I knew that. We all did. But none of us were prepared for what happened that year. I don't think anyone could have predicted what happened. We were lucky that we survived. Yes, we lost friends, dear friends, along the way but the important thing is that no one else will die from supernatural causes in Beacon Hills.

Every day, I picture Lydia's face as she lay in front of me, the life being drained out of her like water from a pool. The two of us were never particularly close, but I knew she meant a lot to you and seeing you hurting hurts me. If I could have done something, anything to save her, I would have. I hope you know that. The sound of her scream will forever haunt my dreams and I still, to this day, wake up some nights, with the echoes of her banshee scream all around me.

The losses of Lydia, Derek and Chris hit us all pretty hard. But we pulled through. We finished senior year. The memorial service to all those who'd died, fighting for us, with us, was beautiful. It was something we will all, I'm sure, remember for a long time to come. The school was so supportive of all of us, I don't think I would have finished if not for the support from them and, of course, from you.

We thought everything was done and gone. And technically speaking, it was. But there was still a memory, burned deep into our minds. One that haunted all of us for a long time after. I know you won't admit it but I'm the one who wakes up when you jump in your sleep from a nightmare. I'm the one who holds you close to calm you, even in your sleep. You, out of all of us, had the most to lose. You'd already been affected by your mind losing control and I worried so much that something might happen to you again.

For two years, everything was normal. We went to college, moved out of home, went to parties, hung out with friends. Everything normal people our age did. I can still remember the feeling, walking into our first apartment together. It was like I had a whole new life ahead of me. A life I was destined to spend with you. Scott and Kira were next door and Liam practically lived between the two apartments. When Isaac returned from London after Chris' death, it finally felt like the pack was a whole again.

And in some ways it was. Of course, there was always going to be holes left by Allison, Lydia, Derek and the twins. But we made a new pack, one that was just as strong, if not stronger than the original.

Anyway, those two years were absolute bliss for all of us. What happened at the end of those two years, though, that's when it really turned bad. We were out partying, do you remember? It was Scott and Kira's anniversary and they'd invited us out to a new club they'd found. Of course you'd tried to get out of it, claiming you had homework to finish but I found a pretty good way to convince you to join us…

The night itself was amazing. I didn't get drunk, of course, but I was free to dance and move as I liked and could always claim I was drunk if someone asked. It was when I got home that night and found myself puking up my guts after I finally managed to get you into bed that I realized something was wrong. At first, I brushed it off, not wanting to make a big deal out of it, especially if it turned out to be nothing. But after a week of throwing up constantly, I had to talk to Deaton. He assured me that everything was normal. I was confused at first but then he told me I was pregnant. I was so shocked, I think I passed out. I have no idea how I got home from the clinic that day. Waiting for you was pure agony. I just wanted to pick up the phone and call you but I knew that you had a full day of classes ahead and I had to wait.

Fortunately, Scott and Kira were too wrapped up in each other, quite literally I might add, god I hate the super hearing sometimes, to come over to the apartment as they normally did and I guess Liam was just busy that day. When you finally came home, I could barely contain my excitement. I'm sure you can remember that. We were so happy that we were going to be parents. Of course, it was never going to be ideal, being unwed and in college but we were sure we could figure out a way.

For the first month or so, it worked, we managed to find a bigger apartment to move into and it was in a convenient location for school and everyday life. Scott wanted us to stay, closer to where he could protect us if we needed it, especially since you're human and even though I'm a werecoyote, I was pregnant. But we convinced him that we'd be fine. And we were, at least until my second trimester.

That's when things started getting hard. I couldn't concentrate on my school work and every little thing you did was starting to annoy me. I know it wasn't your fault and Deaton had warned me that things would get tough as the pregnancy wore on. Still my reactions to everything were inappropriate and even though I couldn't see that at the time, I can now. Before I go any further, I just want to apologise for everything I put you through in those few months. It can't have been easy living with me then but you stuck it out and were still there for me when, three days before my due date, I screamed you awake at 3am to drive to the hospital.

Every painful second of labour was worth it to see the look on your face when the nurse placed our daughter in your arms for the first time. I could tell, from that second, she would have you wrapped around her little finger, tiny as they were.

I laugh now about how much we fought over what to name her. It seems silly that it took so long to decide on a name when it should have been obvious from the beginning: she was always going to be our little Allie. Allie Maria Stilinski. I'll bet she's just beautiful now. I've always pictured her with long, dark hair, the same colour as yours. But her eyes were mine. I could see that as a baby.

Those first few months with Allie were amazing. I'll never forget them. She was an instant hit with the pack and both our dads doted on her. Looking back, I think the whole new baby thing is what pushed me over the edge. Without realising it, I sank into depression. But with all the attention focused on Allie, I don't think anyone realised it.

Allie's first year passed and the depression seemed to go away. I guess my supernatural healing fixed it or something. But I was still weary of everything. I went out after work most nights, to run through the Reserve. It was my way of letting off steam and the adrenaline made me happy. I was doing that for almost six months when I ran into someone, literally. At the time, I didn't know who she was but over the next few days, I kept seeing her around town, watching me. Eventually, I cornered her in the supermarket and she told me who she was.

She was, of course, another supernatural creature, a faerie. When she first told me, I just assumed she'd been brought here because of the Nemeton, the same as all the other supernatural creatures. But she claimed to have been brought here because of me. The fae had heard about my being a coyote for so many years and apparently changing back to human meant a shift in the balance of natural and supernatural.

I spent over an hour talking to her and she told me that she'd been watching me ever since Scott turned me. At first, she was content just to watch. But when she realised I'd fallen for you and even had a child with you, she decided something needed to be done.

She gave me an ultimatum; leave you and Allie willingly or she would kill the two of you. I automatically refused but something she said after that changed my mind. Since then I've been planning my leave. There was so much to organise and I had no help. No one knows where I'm headed, to be honest, even I don't know.

I don't know what will happen when I'm gone, whether the fae will hang around Beacon Hills or not but please know, if I could have found another way to protect you and stay with you at the same time, I would have done it in a heart beat. The only thing I can say is I know we will be together again one day.

I guess by the time you're reading this, you will have given up looking for me. You will have moved on, probably found another woman to love, maybe even married her. I hope you're happy and I hope Allie is happy too. There is just one thing I want you to remember: Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for everything that I put you through these past seven years and I hope you can find it in your heart, to forgive me. I hope you can tell Allie that her mom loves her and I hope that she can forgive me too. There's another letter, in this envelope for her, but I want her to read it before you do.

I will always love you, Stiles, never forget that.

Malia xxx

"Sitles? You okay man?" Scott's voice pulled Stiles from his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You'll never guess who the letter is from though."

"Your dad?"

"Nope." Stiles passed the letter to his best friend who glanced at the sign off.

"Malia? Oh my god. You know what this means, right? You can find her now."

"Find who now?" Kira appeared on the front lawn and checked the letterbox before joining her husband and Stiles on the porch.

"Malia. She sent me a letter." Stiles half-heartedly waved at the papers in Scott's hand.

"Oh wow. Do you mind if I read it?"

"Go ahead. It's not really anything personal. Just a basic explanation of why she left." Kira quickly scanned the letter and gasped.

"Fae? They're real?"

"What are fae?" Scott asked, earning himself looks from the other two. "What?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the big True Alpha?" Kira teased him.

"I quote myself : I don't understand how you live without me sometimes." Stiles laughed

"Haha. You two are hilarious. Now, what are fae?"

"A type of fairy. Usually considered to be evil."

"Evil fairies? You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. And according to Malia, they're here. In Beacon Hills." Stiles said.

"What for?"

"Apparently they thought us turning Malia back to human unbalanced the natural and supernatural. They came here to get rid of her. Or me and Allie."

"Are they still here?" Kira wondered and neither of the men missed her quick glance towards the living room window. They were all worried about the fact that there were children involved now.

"I don't know. I haven't sensed any new supernatural creatures here for years. But if what Malia says is true and they were here before, then I guess it wouldn't make a difference if they were here." Scott said, his head tilted to the side.

"We don't even know what they look like. If they are still here, they could be anyone." Before Stiles or Kira could answer a shriek came from the living room and the three adults looked up.

"Dad! Aiden pinched me!" Rolling his eyes, Scott led the way inside to answer his daughter. The three kids were on the floor in front of the couch and Naomi was rubbing at her arm, tears in her eyes. Allie was glaring at Aiden who was grinning from ear to ear,

"What's going on in here?" Kira asked.

"Mom, Aiden pinched me."

"It's true, Aunty Kira. Aiden pinched her." Allie said earnestly.

"Aiden? Why did you pinch your sister?" Scott asked his son, going over to the kids. Aiden shrugged and wouldn't look his father in the eye. "Are you going to give me an answer or do I have to send you to your room for timeout?" Still no reply from the young boy so Scott picked him up and carried him up the stairs to his room.

"Are you ready to go Allie?" Stiles asked as Kira checked Naomi's arm.

"Yes Daddy." Allie got up and brushed off her skirt. She grabbed her bag from the floor and took hold of Stiles' hand.

"What do you say?"

"Thanks for letting me stay today, Aunty Kira."

"You're very welcome, Allie. You be good for your dad, okay?" Kira smiled at the small girl.

"Thanks again, Kira." Stiles thanked her and led Allie out to the front door where Scott was just coming down the stairs. "See you later, man."

"See you. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Alright. Come on Allie."

"Bye Uncle Scott."

"Bye Allie."