"And then she just climbed on the tree and got the Frisbee back! That's pretty awesome, isn't it?"
Derek had barely set foot into the house before Isaac's voice reached his ears: he was used to the noise of video games or loud cartoons, or even fights whenever Jackson decided to make his life hell with one of his endless tantrums, but the TV set in the living room was turned off and neither of the boy seemed to be in their usual sprawled position on the couch.
He left his wallet and phone on the small table resting near the entrance door and headed for the kitchen, the smell of homemade cookies guiding him to his sons' position.
"She seems pretty adventurous, this Erica, don't you think Laura?" Amelia Hale asked his eldest daughter while removing a tray of freshly baked muffins from her grandson view.
"Our boys like them feisty!"
"Just like you, sis"Derek interrupted dropping a kiss on his sister's cheek.
Laura Morley née Hale was nearing forty, but her young looks and attitude made her appear like a girl in her early twenties to anyone who met her. She was sitting at the kitchen table helping her nephews setting up for dinner, tough her movements were slowed down by a growing bump hiding her fifth child.
"You love me" she answered "So, you just missed your lovely Isaac praising some girl in his class"
"Oh, yes. The infamous Erica" he said hugging his mother and getting a celebratory beer out of the fridge. Knowing his mother and sister, and seeing them both at his place, he knew that something was up with them "But you are not here to talk to me about my son's romantic life".
"Indeed we're not. We're here to talk about yours" his mother said before shooing the little boys out of the room with the promise of after-dinner cookies.
"We'll go out of the room, but we want one of our treats now. You know, to make sure the pact is respected" Jackson said, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Isaac tried to do the same but had to have his brother fix the lifting shirt that kept him from copying him.
"Either this one become a lawyer or you're going to be the proud daddy of a mob leader" Amelia smiled "Now, shoo"
"Corrupting my kids won't keep me from refusing any further date you try to set me up with" Derek said taking a sip of his beer and leaving the two women behind to get a shower.
Unfortunately, both Amelia and Laura Hale were stubborn. Maybe even more than Derek himself. That's why it didn't surprise him when both women followed him to his room.
"Really? Leaving the kids downstairs, unattended? Mom, I'd have expected better from you" he said trying to get them out.
"Derek William Hale don't you dare trying to teach me things about children: your father and I raised six kids and I know that your sons are not stupid enough to hurt themselves. Now…" Amelia started before being interrupted by the door bell.
Derek thanked whatever God was up there for saving him from one of his mother's endless monologues about the importance of finding a woman capable of helping him raise his family. He had managed pretty well for the past five years, what possibly could keep him from doing it until Isaac had to leave for college? Except thinking about his little boy leaving only caused him to panic about the sudden realization that, yes, someday both Jackson and Isaac were going to leave him. Oh, God, he hated his mother's talks.
"Ehm, hi?" his mental break down prevented him from realizing that he had made it to the door. In front of him was standing one Stiles Stilinski holding his youngest daughter in his arms.
"Hi. Hi. Hello! Sorry, I was thinking about something and didn't even realize I had opened the door" he said, cursing silently for his stupidity.
"Now, that's not a safe thing, let me tell you" Stiles didn't seem to mind his apparent insanity and simply grinned "Anyway, I'm so sorry for interrupting, you were probably having dinner already. But this little one" he said using his free hand to point to Lydia "Somehow ended up with Jackson's exercise book and I'm sure he'll need it for homework or something so I thought it better to bring it back to you immediately. I mean, bring it back to Jackson"
Derek was mesmerized by Stiles' ability of describing his whole speech with only his right hand whilst holding a little girl in his other arm. Yet it looked like something both father and daughter were used to and even Lydia seemed unimpressed by her dad's juggling abilities.
"Well, thanks. I'm sure Jackson will be really happy to have it back" he answered picking up the green book being held out to him "Listen, we weren't eating yet: you want to dine with us?"
"Daddy, can we? Please, please, please!" Erica pleaded from her father's arms nearly toppling over.
"We'd like too, really, but my dad is sort of expecting us. Since we moved back here, he wants us over at least three nights a week and I already bailed out yesterday because I had already promised the girls pizza and he's kinda not allowed anything with carbohydrates for at least two months and now I'm seriously starting to babble" Stiles said apologetically.
"Don't worry, you lost me at pizza!" Derek said smiling wide.
"Excuse him, he always does that when he's nervous" Lydia said.
"Shush you. Listen, dude, I'm sure we can arrange for another time, maybe after an extenuating play date so that we don't really have to worry about the little ones, ok? Say hi to Jackson and Isaac to me, ok? OK, girls, let's go. Say bye"
"Bye, Derek" the girls said in unison.
"Bye, girls" he waved back.
Derek closed the door. A smile still gracing his lips and his hand firmly clutched around the exercise book.
"Who's that yummy daddy?" Laura asked descending the stairs, followed by his mother holding one of the boys on each side.
"That's Stiles" Jackson answered "Why didn't they stay?" he asked after having reached him.
Derek picked Isaac up and held his other son's hand heading towards the kitchen, his well-deserved shower forgotten.
"Grandpa duties" he answered.
"Well, he's a nice piece of meat, if you ask me" Laura said sitting down at the table and picking up some breadsticks to serve to her nephews.
"Laura! Not in front of the boys" her mother admonished "He seems like a good man, and he knows how important grandparents are for the grandchildren. We are not always going to be there"
"I know, mom, I know. And guilt tripping me into accepting a date is a low shot" Derek rolled his eyes hugging her from behind "Plus, the good man is probably married"
"No, Erica's mom died two years ago" Isaac informed them before taking a sip of water.
"Ow, poor thing. And he's raising them alone?" Amelia asked her grandsons while serving dinner.
"Excuse me? What am I doing with those little wolves over there?" Derek asked pointing at the two boys currently emptying their dishes.
"Der, you lost your wife because she was a…"Laura started.
"Think wisely about what you're gonna say in front of my sons" Derek warned.
"B-I-T-C-H" she spelled instead, smiling angelically at her mother "He lost his wife because she died. That's fairly different"
"You're just envious because my kids still rather stay at home with their old man instead of running around away from home like that pack of yours" he snickered before receiving a well hidden middle finger from his sister.
"Now, now, stop the both of you or I swear I'm giving you a time out. And the boys get to have all your cookies!"
"MOM!" the two older sibling yelled while Jackson and Isaac rolled on the floor laughing at their extremely weird family.
"Dad?" Isaac asked five minutes into dinner, putting down his cutlery and turning towards his father.
"Yes?"
"What's a bitch?" the little boy asked angelically as his brother started sniggering. Amelia's eyes bulged as she put down her napkin.
"Now, darling, how do you know that word?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you, dad?" Jackson intervened smiling "I've started teaching him how to spell"