THREE
Out of all of her father's teenage beta's, Isaac Lahey was Talia's favorite.
While he was on the run and living at the newly rebuilt hale house, he'd taken over the role of being Talia's protector and big brother. Even though she couldn't say his name correctly; Talia pronounced the 'zick' sound in his name with 'thick' due to her slight lisp. So when the blonde werewolf wasn't sleeping or training with Derek and the other Beta's he was playing Tea Party with Talia in her purple room, or giving her piggy back rides across the back yard. He was whipped by a three year old and not once did he mind.
Talia loved Isaac like a brother. She loved to play with his curls, accidently knotting them when she was braiding them. She loved making pictures for Isaac, ones where it was her standing next to her father and Isaac and Erica was in the middle of both Boyd and Isaac, and Scott and his pack were off to the side-because they're family too but not like you.
. : . : : . : .
It was Talia's bedtime in and Derek was helping Scott and Stiles out with something and Boyd and Erica were safe at home so that meant Isaac and Talia were left alone together. Isaac had been instructed that since she'd already had a bath that day she could just slip into her pajamas and be read a story.
But Talia wasn't having that while her father was out and he couldn't protect her from the monster in her closet.
"Come on Talia, there's nothing scary in there," Isaac sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time in the past fifteen minutes.
"Yes there is," every 'S' she pronounced came off as a 'TH' sound.
"Yeah?" Isaac challenged the toddler as he knelt down to be somewhat eye level with her.
"Yeah!" She sounded just like Stiles, or Lydia, either way she was spending to much time with the sassy human teenagers.
"And what does it look like?" Isaac questioned her.
"It is a he and he is big," she demonstrated with her hands, standing up on her tippy toes, "And has blue eyes and a beard." This monster was sounding awfully a lot like a man.
"And where have you seen him?"
"My closet." At least this person wasn't real. And Isaac didn't know what to do for a moment because her fear sounded like a real person, he'd have to ask Derek if she's met anyone that was a creep and looked like her description.
"Well, Talia, what do you say if I tuck you into bed and check your closet and stay with you until you fall asleep?" He remembered his older brother Camden doing something similar when his family was alive and happy; a time that seemed like it was eons ago not ten years.
"You will?" She asked him skeptically; Isaac nodded and Talia murmured an 'okay'.
A few moments later, after having the toddler tucked into her bed and turning on her bed side light he walked into her closet. It smelled like sulfur, but only if he concentrated. He'd really have to talk to Derek now because it was getting slightly creepy. The wanted teen walked out of the small space and shook his head at Talia, "Sorry Talia, no monsters." Talia smiled widely as Isaac then walked over to her book shelf.
"What book do you want read to you tonight?"
"Daddy was reading me Robin Hood," Talia answered and Isaac reached for the slightly worn out spine of the book that read: Robin Hood and His Merry Men, and a little less than halfway into the book a piece of paper was sticking out, poorly substituting for a maker.
Isaac quickly got into bed with her, sitting on the outside of the covers while she snuggled underneath them. He tucked her under her shoulder,
"Where did you and Derek leave off?"
"Here," she pointed to the beginning and that's where Isaac started, his voice high pitched mimicking maid Marian, "Oh Robin Hood..." and that's how the night went until both Talia and Isaac fell asleep.
. : . : : . : .
Derek walked into his home around three in the morning and didn't see Isaac passed out on the couch like he usually was, despite having a room up the stairs. The alpha furrowed his brow and used his heightened ears to lead him to his daughter's room where he peered past the white door to see two sleeping beta's. Isaac was protectively curled around his pup, and Talia who was using her chubby hands to cling to Isaac's grey t-shirt.
The sight warmed his heart, though, it wasn't like he would ever tell anyone.
Derek slowly shut the door, making sure not to wake either Isaac or Talia up and made his way down to his room. He was tired as hell.
