/ / / Learning \ \ \

Sunday morning Derek woke before Megan, he could hear Logan's breathing – slow and deep and he focussed on it as he walked down the stairs. He could hear Megan sleeping as well as he put the coffee on and listened intently to his son's breathing and heartbeat. He heard it change and was at the door before Logan had even made a noise. Logan looked up at him with recognition and Derek let his eyes change, felt his mutton chops grow out and his teeth elongate. He smiled down at the little boy who stared up at him for a moment before he smiled at Derek. Derek pulled back the change and collected Logan out of the cot, the scent of wet nappy had hit him as soon as he went into the room so he laid Logan out on the change table and tried to remember what he had seen Megan do the day before.

He undid the tabs at either side of the nappy and pulled it back just as Logan's eyes opened a little wider and the smell hit him. Then his shirt was wet and Logan was smiling as he peed on Derek.

"Shit," Derek hissed and covered the baby's genitals back up with the front of his nappy. Derek looked down at himself with a frown. His black shirt was wet and he could feel the wet heat sinking down to the waistband of his pants. "Did you do that deliberately?"

The baby looked up at him.

"He's done that to me a couple of times too," Megan said behind him yawning. "I'll change him if you would like to go and have a shower."

Derek nodded and walked back up to his room and the shower. When he came back down Megan was in the kitchen making Logan's breakfast.

"He has cereal in the mornings with some pureed peach and yoghurt, he loves yoghurt." Megan explained when he leaned on the bench next to her.

And that was how they spent their day, Derek following Megan through her day with Logan. On Monday their day went along in much the same way.

After breakfast he had another bottle and then Megan dressed Logan for the day. Dipping into the clothes that Lydia had purchased for the first time.

"Who picked out these clothes?" Megan asked looking through the drawers with an odd look on her face.

"Lydia," Derek said. "Why? Did you think I didn't buy them?"

"You wear a lot of black," Megan said and then held up a sky blue onesie. "Don't seem like the type to pick out green sheep."

Derek inclined his head but didn't say anything else. He tried changing Logan again and didn't get urinated on though he did make a number of mistakes that Megan corrected him on. Logan slept after they took a walk outside in the woods and Derek changed to run the perimeter, just in case, while he slept. Logan woke for lunch and Derek followed Megan's instructions to prepare and feed Logan cauliflower and carrot mush.

"When he sleeps after lunch," Megan said biting her lip. "Do you mind if I go into town to get some things?"

"Of course not," Derek said. "Just tell me his schedule and he and I will be fine."

Megan forced a smile out and went back to eating her own lunch while Derek prepared Logan's bottle. He had missed six months but he didn't want to go on not knowing how to do these things for Logan. Derek contemplated how hard it must have been for Megan alone but he made sure not to ask her about her plans or question her too much until she had relaxed somewhat. He hadn't missed the slightly manic look in her eye last night.

"Is there an internet café in town?" Megan asked.

"I'll get you the password for my system," Derek said carrying Logan into his office with him. Logan burped just as Derek dug out the paper Danny had written all the information on. "Danny set everything up; if you have any problems his mobile number is on the sheet too."

Megan thanked him and while Derek put Logan down she slid into her car and drove away.

Derek split his time between listening in to Logan to make sure he was still sleeping comfortably and working in his office. He was halfway through an issue when Logan's sudden cry startled him out of his concentration. Derek went into Logan's room to find the baby red faced, transformed and wailing. Derek picked him up and Logan curled his hand in Derek's shirt, the little sharp nails tearing holes in the fabric. Derek paid it not attention and pulled Logan close. The baby wasn't wet, he shouldn't be hungry but Derek took him into the kitchen and gave him some yoghurt as it was easy to reach without letting go of Logan. Logan refused the yoghurt and continued to cry. Derek felt every sound sinking into his brain and was aware of the tightening of his muscles as he tried to think of something else to do.

The doorbell rang and Derek rushed to it with Logan wriggling and sobbing in his arms. Derek wrenched the door open to find Stiles on the other side.

"What are you doing here?" Derek asked frozen, he didn't expect to see Stiles again until Derek had worked out a way to explain things.

"Here," Stiles said dumping a bag at Derek's feet and slipping Logan out of Derek's arms. He walked into the lounge room and snagged the blanket off the back of the couch so that he could wrap it around Logan.

"What is it?" Derek asked staring down at the cream bag resting on his right foot.

"A couple of books and other stuff you will need," Stiles said rocking. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know," Derek admitted. "He woke up from a nap and was crying. He's not hungry and he doesn't need changing."

Stiles started to bounce on his toes. "When Scott and I would look after his brother and sister they always liked to be bounced."

Derek dropped the bag Stiles had brought with him on the coffee table and watched Stiles carefully. Logan was still crying though there were breaks in the noise as he sucked in air.

"Change," Stiles said.

"What?"

"Change," Stiles said. "Your werewolf, see if that face surprises him out of being upset."

Derek let the change overtake him. "He saw it earlier and it made him smile."

"Of course it did," Stiles said bouncing Logan and showing the baby Derek. Logan paused in his crying, looked at Derek and growled. Then he turned into Stiles and rested against his chest. "Well, that worked," Stiles said after a moment of silence.

"Why are you here?" Derek asked.

"Would you like me to leave?" Stiles asked raising an eyebrow at Derek.

"No!" Derek said quickly. "Though I didn't think you would be back."

"Have a look at what's in the bag," Stiles said and turned around. He pulled Logan further away from his chest. "Hello, Logan, aren't you cute today? Now that you aren't so upset."

Derek growled and Stiles stopped making faces at the baby. "What to expect when you…" Derek looked down at himself and then glared at Stiles. "I'm not expecting."

"Keep reading, it's the first year book plus a couple of other ones the lady at the coffee shop suggested."

"Coffee shop?"

"The owner, four kids, really magical with a coffee bean, there are printouts too."

Derek continued to look through the bag while Stiles pulled the rug from around Logan, since the baby didn't feel cold at all, and threw it out over the hardwood floor. He sunk down with Logan still in his arms and laid the baby down.

"Development charts?" Derek said. "He's a werewolf."

"And a baby, there are non-werewolf things you will have to teach him…like mono-syllabic words and compound sentences."

Derek growled at him again.

"Your Daddy is very funny, would you like to roll? Do you roll? Rolling is fun," Stiles grabbed one of Logan's toys, scattered on the floor from after lunch play, and put it just out of the baby's reach. They watched as he rocked back and forth for a moment before he twisted over and started dragging his stomach across the floor to the toy.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked.

"It's a precursor to crawling," Stiles said. "It's all in the printouts."

"No," Derek said slipping onto the floor next to Stiles and watching his son grab at the glowing worm. "You are annoyed at me, why are you helping?"

"I," Stiles said pointing to himself. "Am the research guy, it's why my books are so awesome and it's saved your arse. I may not be very happy with you, and I have valid concerns which we will be discussing, but I quite like Logan so I'm going to do what I always do and push aside how I feel to help you. But, we will need to talk because you don't know anything about Megan, not really."

Derek stared at Stiles for a long while as the younger man playfully wrestled the toy from Logan and moved it a little way away causing the baby to start to drag himself along again to get to it.

"Stop staring, Derek," Stiles said. "This is what I do."

Derek wasn't sure why that explanation didn't make him feel any better about anything.

/ / / TBC \ \ \