"Can...can you tell me about my friends...what they're doing these days?" Stiles asked Talia quietly after she decided that he'd eaten enough of the chicken noodle soup she had prepared for him and they had finished washing up. Talia looked at him, watching Stiles as he held the tea towel he'd been using to dry the dishes loosely in his hands, her head tilted to the side, before she nodded.
"As much as I can, yes. Let's go sit in the den, where it will be more comfortable for us both."
Talia led Stiles through the house, past the stairs leading upstairs, into a room on the other side of the house. Stiles suppressed his snort of amusement at a pack of werewolves having a room called a den in their house, but, really, a den was the best term to use to describe the room. There was a big comfortable couch and a couple of soft chairs that were positioned around a large TV, and enough room for people to lay down on the floor if they wanted too. It was like it had been built specifically for pack movie nights and puppy piles.
"So...who would you like to hear about?" Talia asked, sitting down on the couch and patting the cushion beside her invitingly. Stiles dropped down into it heavily.
"I don't know...my dad for one. Deaton sort of glossed over it, and I don't know how well you know him, but I want to know how...how he's going."
"Your death...it caused him a lot of pain, I won't lie about that. There were so many unanswered questions about what it was you were doing that day...how you knew about the fire. They think that you overheard Kate talking to one of her co-accused while you were either waiting to be picked up, or were actually walking home from school, and you realised what was going on. You headed for the house to try and warn us, but by the time you got there the house was already on fire, and you did the only thing you could think of and you tried to get us out, but there are a lot of different theories. Nobody knows for sure, and nobody probably will ever know. It was the not knowing that hurt your dad the most, that, and the blaming himself for not picking you up from school that day and keeping you safe at home. The guilt...it almost destroyed him. There was a lot of talk about getting him replaced as Sherriff in the weeks and months following the fire. Some people thought that your dad wasn't in the right place mentally for that sort of public role, not after loosing his wife and only child so close together. My family and I helped as much as we could, and he had the support of a lot of people, so he kept his job, but it was a struggle for a bit there. Melissa McCall was the one that brought him around, in the end."
"Deaton said that they're dating...my dad and Scott's mom?"
"Yes...it started about two years ago, although your father was frequently staying at the McCall's house for a good year before that. He said that staying at the house where you once lived...it was too painful...too many memories of both you and your mother. They bought a house and moved in together last summer. She looks after him, stops him from drinking too much, and keeps him eating healthily. He...he did have a minor heart attack a few years ago, but since then he and Melissa have worked hard to keep his cholesterol down."
Stiles nodded, although he felt a pang of grief in his chest. He would miss his house, and his bedroom, with werewolves constantly coming through the window. He barely controlled his panic at the news that his father had already had a heart attack. It was something Stiles had feared ever since he knew what it felt like to lose a parent. It was the reason that he was so careful about what his dad ate.
"What about Scott? Is he...is he still a werewolf? A true alpha?"
"Yes...Scott McCall is a werewolf. He was bitten by a rogue alpha...an alpha whose pack had deserted him to join another pack with a better alpha. He came onto my territory looking to poach one or more of my betas, but when they all refused to leave he shifted and ran into the forest. We pursued him, but by the time we found him he'd found Scott in the woods, training for lacrosse, and bitten him."
Stiles rested his elbows on his knees and interlaced his fingers behind his head, "So...Scotty still became a werewolf...he still got thrown into this, with my dad and Melissa."
"Your father and Melissa already knew about us. After...after you died I couldn't come to terms with the prospect of your father never knowing why Kate wanted to burn my family alive...why you were killed, so I told him the truth. It took a while for him to come to terms with it, and for a long time he avoided my family. Really, it was only after Scott was bitten and turned that he started acknowledging that we existed again. Scott...Scott and your father are very close; I think he sort of came to view Scott as a second child somewhere along the way...not a replacement for you, but as a separate child entirely.
"He felt that way long before the fire...ever since Scott's dad left," Stiles said softly, "Scott always viewed my dad as his second dad. I was the same way with Melissa, even before mom got sick. We used to buy each other's parents presents for mother's day and father's day and Christmas...pretend we really were brothers. How does the whole two alphas in the same pack thing work for you guys?"
"Scott is still learning...he has barely been a werewolf for a year, so he understands that he has a long way to go. Within the broader Beacon Hills pack, which is under my lead, there is a smaller pack, Scott's pack. Within that pack Scott is the Alpha, but he defers quite a bit to me or sometimes Laura, who will become alpha when I die. It took a little getting used to, but it works. Scott's generally pretty easygoing."
"What about Derek? What's he up to?" Stiles asked.
"Not quite as grumpy as you remember him to be...although I am his mother, so might be a little biased. He blamed himself for what happened to you...He was the first one to get to you after you had been hit by the roof support, he was the one that pushed it off you and realised how badly you had been hurt. He was the one who started giving you CPR once we all got outside...my husband joined him once we realised that you had stopped breathing. After we learned that you died on the way to hospital Derek told the police everything, how Kate had seduced him and tried to get close to him in order to get to us. I think he was expecting to be arrested like the rest of the men Kate involved in the fire, but instead Kate got a statutory rape charge on top of everything else. She won't be a free woman for a very long time. Derek...Derek was never the same though. He dropped out of basketball, something he loved, and became a shadow of his former self. He never let anyone get so close again, even us, his pack and family. He went to college and worked hard. He'd only been back in Beacon Hills after finishing college for a few months when Scott was bitten. Derek knew that there was a connection between you and Scott, so he immediately attached himself to Scott, as his mentor, his protector and his guide in all things werewolf. Now he's Scott's second in command, and he also does some consulting work with the Sherriff's department, and he is just beginning to show signs of being back to the old Derek, from before the fire."
"I guess seeing me in the woods yesterday was a bit of a shock then...like a ghost from the past."
"Something like that. I wouldn't worry too much, though, we'll get things sorted out, you'll see."
Stiles nodded, his gaze distant, "What about Lydia? Is she...still involved?"
"Yes, your friend Lydia is still involved in the supernatural, and yes, she is aware she is a banshee. She is another member of Scott's pack, although she's perhaps the one most likely to tell him when she disagrees with one of his ideas."
Stiles snorted in amusement at that, "sounds like Lydia," he nodded, before the smile fell from his face, "What...what about Allison?" Stiles' voice cracked with emotion, and Stiles swallowed down the lump in his throat that threatened to suffocate him, the one that always appeared when Allison was mentioned.
"She's perfectly healthy. She and Scott are together, and as far as I know, very happy. She was never stabbed by a oni under the orders of a nogitsune." Talia confirmed, "She and her father live in an apartment not far from the loft where you remember Derek living. Victoria Argent is still dead, but none of us had anything to do with it. She did try and kill Scott, but we were able to save him without resorting to biting."
"What happened?"
"When she went after Scott she defied the Argent's code. After everything that happened with Kate other hunters were not particularly impressed with a member of the Argent family drawing the wrong type of attention...Scott's father is after all an FBI agent, despite his absence from Scott's life. Victoria was found with a bullet in her head about twenty miles north of here. It was ruled a suicide, but Chris confided in me that he suspected that other hunters were the ones responsible. Scott and Allison stayed together throughout the whole ordeal. It is ironic that the Argent code underwent the exact same transition that it did in your reality in the aftermath of Victoria's death.
"We protect those who cannot protect themselves," Stiles intoned, the words echoing almost hauntingly in his head in voice that sounded a lot like Alison's. Talia nodded in agreement.
"Since then we have lived in peace with Chris and Allison, and they are always welcome at pack functions and gatherings."
"What about the others?" Stiles asked, "Erica and Isaac and Boyd, Cora and Kira and Liam, Jackson and Malia?'
"Once it became clear that Scott was going to be a True Alpha, we decided that he needed to have a pack of his own within the Hale pack. Derek volunteered straight away, but we knew that Scott would need at least two betas of his own. Cora and Scott tend to clash a little too much for that to have been a viable solution to provide a stable pack, and she plans on leaving Beacon Hills this July to study in South America anyway. We agreed that Scott's betas needed to be about Scott's age, so Derek, Scott and I began to examine Scott's classmates in order to select who would make good pack mates. We chose Erica and Boyd, and they both accepted the offer of the bite, despite knowing that it may not be effective, and that it could be fatal. Both of them took to the bite well and haven't looked back. They are valuable members of Scott's pack."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Stiles nodded, glad that Erica and Boyd were happy, and alive.
"Liam was the first member of the pack that Scott actually bit himself," Talia continued, "he's only been a werewolf for a little over six weeks now, but he's making good progress in terms of his control. Scott's been a very good alpha for him, we're all very impressed with his leadership skills. Scott only bit Liam because Liam was in danger of bleeding out. He was at the lacrosse field one weekend getting some practise in, alone, when he was attacked by a rogue omega. Scott was out running and scented Liam's blood, but by then it was too late to call for an ambulance. The omega was past the point of rescuing, and Chris was forced to take it down, much to Scott's distress. Much like the Scott you know, our Scott hates the idea of violence, and regards killing as something only appropriate as a last resort, He considers everyone to be redeemable."
Stiles smiled, "That sounds like Scott...you haven't mentioned much about Isaac," he prompted Talia gently, who nodded, a serious expression crossing her face.
"As far as Isaac is concerned, I will need to double back in time a little. This all happened before Scott was bitten, but not by much, only a year or so. After he had recovered from the initial shock of loosing you, and Melissa had, well, brought him back from the bottom of a bottle of whisky, your father threw himself into his work. He often worked twenty hour days, which, while they were not healthy, they certainly were productive. At about that time a noise complaint was called in...for the Lahey's house. Normally, your father would have handed it off to one of his deputies, as he did in your timeline, if the complaint was even made, but...it was the anniversary of the fire, and he felt the need to get out of the office. He got into his cruiser and drove out to the Lahey's house. It all seemed normal, but your dad knew in his gut that something wasn't right. He knocked on the door, and got no answer. He glanced through the window, and saw Mr. Lahey sprawled out on the floor, apparently unconscious. Your father called for backup and an ambulance, and entered the house to give assistance. It was obvious that Isaac's father had been heavily drinking, but he woke up while your dad was trying to help him, and he reacted badly. He grabbed a kitchen knife and tried to kill your dad with it, but the Sherriff was able to disarm him and he arrested him on the spot. He got taken to hospital with a police escort until he was sober, and then he was taken to the Sherriff's department for questioning. While he was at the hospital, though, your father searched the Lahey's house...and he found the basement...
"With Isaac in the freezer," Stiles finished, his gut churning uncomfortably as he remembered what Scott and his own dad had told him about the basement of Isaac's house, as well as the little bits of information Isaac had volunteered from time to time.
Talia nodded gravely, "It was a big deal at the time...The Lahey's were well respected...and then Matt came forward and talked to the local press about what happened with the swimming team at the Lahey's house, and it all just got worse. Isaac didn't have any relatives left, and there weren't any places for him in foster or group homes, so your dad took him home with him. Isaac's been living with the Sherriff, Melissa and Scott ever since. He was the first one Scott wanted in his pack, and Isaac was happy to comply. He was the first person I bit for Scott's pack. He still has a few things that set him off, but generally he's happy with how things are going. For the last four months he's been dating Kira, and in my opinion they seem to be happy together."
"She's okay too?"
"Yes...she met Isaac through a study group her father was running, and things progressed from there. The Kira you knew had more control over her powers than our Kira, but she's getting there."
"No demonic fox to fight to speed the process along, huh?"
"Something like that." Talia admitted, "Although, like I said, she is gaining confidence in her abilities. Watching her and Allison train together is truly remarkable. As for Malia...she is living with her adopted father, happy and safe. In this timeline she was only trapped in her alternate form for a few days. I always kept an eye on her from the day she was born, knowing who her father was, even if I concealed the fact that she existed from Peter. To this day I regret that choice. The car crash that killed her adopted other and sister occurred after the fire, so in your timeline I couldn't do anything about it, unfortunately. In this timeline, though, the moment I heard about the car crash, and that Malia was missing, I went looking for her. It took a few days, but I eventually tracked her down and helped her transform back. It was then I explained everything to her father, and I told Peter the truth, retuning his memories of Malia's biological mother. It was...a tense time within the pack. We were still shaken up by the fire and what happened to you, and then I revealed the truth to Peter about Malia, while at the same time Peter and his wife Amanda had only recently learned that they were expecting their third child. Anyway, Malia is happy and safe. She has strong control over her powers and although she has her own cluster of friends outside of the pack, she will still sometimes join up with us though, for training, and on full moons, or if there is some form of threat to the pack's safety. She and Aidan have just recently started dating. She is aware of who her true father is, as is the rest of the pack, and she visits Peter and his family at their house at least once a week so she can spend time with her younger half siblings. "
"She's happy, though?" Stiles asked.
Talia nodded, "I believe so, yes, she is happy."
"What about...what about Danny and the twins, you mentioned Aidan, so he's still alive, what about the others?"
"I'll get back to how Ethan and Aidan arrived in Beacon Hills, but yes, they're all alive and quite happy. Danny is a member of Scott's pack, as a human, and Ethan and Aidan are on the fringe. Eventually, I believe, they will join the pack, probably Scotts, rather than my own, but for the moment they are content being omegas within the territory. Danny and Ethan have been together almost since they met, and they make me smile every time I see them, their love for one another is so strong. Danny was brought into this when Jackson figured out what was going on and asked for the bite. Scott and Derek didn't support the idea, and Isaac was very much against the prospect of Jackson becoming a werewolf. The matter was taken out of our hands when Jackson was shot and almost killed trying to protect Lydia from being killed by some hunter friends of Gerard Argent. The bite was the only thing that could have saved him, and Scott asked me to do it, unable to stand by and watch someone die if there was a way around it. Jackson had the hardest time coping with the transition from human to werewolf, and even now his control is not as good as some of the others, but having Danny and Lydia around to support him has done him a lot of good."
"Why would Gerard's friends go after Lydia...she's not a werewolf?"
"I should start at the beginning, back when Scott got bitten. Since none of us died in the fire, our numbers were growing, and it was enough to bring Chris and Victoria back here to monitor the situation. They kept a respectful distance at first, and I kept them notified about the situation with the alpha that bit Scott. I kept the identity of the newly bitten beta in Beacon Hills a secret from the, however, hoping that Scott would slip under their radar."
"But then he fell in love with Allison and they figured it out." Stiles guessed.
Talia nodded, "you guessed it. Derek and Cora tried to talk him out of it, but Scott was so in love with her that he didn't listen; didn't pay attention to the risks. Chris didn't want to take action, but he did tell Allison the truth about werewolves and the history of the Argent family, and the story of how Kate's desire to kill werewolves, even ones that had never harmed a human, had gotten an innocent human boy killed...and that said human boy had been her boyfriend's childhood best friend. Allison distanced herself from her family for a while after that, spending all of her time with Scott and their other friends...at the time Isaac, Lydia, Jackson and Danny. Chris kept Scott's secret, though, even from his own wife, not wanting to stir up trouble with the pack and other hunters who already held the Argent name in contempt. Nobody, not Chris, nor any of us, knew, but Gerard had spies in Beacon Hills, ones reporting to him about the Hale pack's movements. They told him that they were fairly certain there was a werewolf in Allison's immediate friend group. It was enough to bring him to Beacon Hills for a surprise visit to his son and daughter in law. We learned later that his plan was to target Allison's werewolf friend in order to draw me out, and get me to bite him to cure his cancer, but they thought that Lydia was the werewolf, not Scott, so they tried to attack her. Jackson risked his life to save her, and got shot before Scott, Derek, and Allison could come to the rescue. The bite was his only chance for survival, and no, before you ask, Jackson never became the Kanima."
"What happened to Gerard?"
"He eventually he got what he wanted. Like in your timeline, Scott had used his connection with Alan Deaton to switch Gerard's meds with Mountain Ash, only this time I knew about the plan. When the time came, I bit him, and he did not survive. By then, however, Victoria had died as well, and things were very strained between Chris and Allison. It was then that the new Argent family code was forged, so that never again an innocent would hurt in the crossfire between hunters and werewolves, like you were and Lydia and Jackson very nearly became."
"When did Lydia become a Banshee, if Peter wasn't trying to trigger her powers in order to get her to resurrect him?"
"I'm not sure when exactly Lyida's powers started to manifest, but I know that it became apparent what Lydia was when the Darach started making sacrifices."
"The Darach still happened? What about the Alpha pack?"
"Both still happened. The alpha pack somehow found out about Scott and came to try and recruit him...a true alpha would have been a valuable addition, even to an already strong pack. They tried to pressure Scott into joining, and he said no, the packs...both of them, as well as the Argents standing together behind him. Ethan, already in love with Danny, surrendered, and Aidan followed him. Deucalion was smart enough to know that it was over, and left, but not before Scott offered that Deaton could to heal Deucalion's eyes if he promised to never again come back to Beacon Hills. Deaucalion accepted those terms and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Kali and Ennis, however, were not so happy about the turn of events, and attacked. I killed Ennis, although Derek had already managed to injure him badly, while Chris killed Kali after she went after Allison, Isaac and Erica. As for the Darach...we managed to figure out what was going on a lot earlier, and the issue was taken care of without Scott's pack getting overly involved...with the exception of Derek. Your father was never taken to be a sacrifice, and neither was Chris or Melissa. Scott and Allison never needed to sacrifice themselves, and the Nemeton was never activated, meaning the Nogitsune is still trapped inside...although thanks to your memories now we know why the Nemeton being awakened happening is such a bad idea."
"Okay so, in summary; yes for the thing with Gerard, but no Matt issue since I imagine that all got handled when he went to the newspapers about what happened that day at the Laheys, and no Kanima, yes Alpha pack, but without fatalities on our side, yes Darach but without Nemeton waking up sacrifices, therefore no nogitsune, and now no Necromancer"
"Yes, that sounds right. I know Peter often comments on how hard our lives are, but , really, they could be a lot worse...you and your memories are evidence of the fact."
Stiles shrugged, fighting back a yawn. His stomach was comfortably full, and he was as warm as he ever got these days, which combined to make him feel a little sleepy.
"Come on, I'll show you to your room," Talia offered, "Although I imagine that you will want to move in with your dad, once he finds out what's happened."
"Do you really think that will be okay...that it will actually happen?" Stiles asked.
Talia laughed, "Stiles...I don't think anything on earth would ever make your dad not love you, especially after having lost you for almost seven years."
"But he's not my dad, though. He's the dad of the Stiles that died in the fire. I'm the Stiles whose dad died in a fire...physically a completely separate person."
At Stiles' words, Talia looked at him with a sad expression on her face. She put her hand around his slender shoulders, picked up his backpack and put it on her other shoulder, and steered him gently out of the den and up the stairs, before heading up a second flight of stairs. Already fighting exhaustion, Stiles felt his legs begin to shake beneath him. Luckily it didn't take long for Talia to reach a door and gently push it open, taking more and more of Stiles; weight as Stiles fought to stay on his feet. The room wasn't overly large, but it was airy and light, with two large windows and a twin bed, as well as a pair of bedside tables, a lamp, a dresser and a simple desk, all made from the same wood. Stiles pulled off his jacket; glad that he had already taken his shoes off, before he collapsed onto the bed. Talia carefully manoeuvred him so that he was under the blankets and sheets, before she closed the curtains, plunging to e room into near darkness, despite it still being early afternoon. Stiles was already half asleep when Talia opened her mouth to speak to him, but he caught ever word of what Derek's mother was telling him.
"Trust me, Stiles, once it's all been explained to him, I really don't think your dad is going to care which version of Stiles you are, only that you're here, and that you're safe and you're alive."