Author's Note: I do not own Teen Wolf or its characters. This is set in an alternate universe.

Mint Chocolate Cupcake

Shortly after the Fourth of July, Laura announced that Jordan, her military penpal, would be coming to visit. They all knew that Laura and Jordan had been writing letters back and forth for close to a year now. Laura had met him in person earlier in the year, and from what Laura had said, it had gone quite well. Him coming to meet the family was a big deal though, and Derek wasn't sure he had ever seen his older sister so nervous.

For all of her bravado most of the time, Laura was a little more uncertain when it came to the things she really cared about. She had agonized over her choice of universities for months for example, and Derek knew that this whole thing about changing her major had her tied up in knots. It was clear to Derek at least that Laura was falling for Jordan, and it scared her shitless. He didn't exactly blame her. His own forays into romance had been rather disastrous, and he didn't think he'd been looking for love anytime soon.

But Laura wasn't him. Laura was good at reading people, and if she liked Jordan, he was probably trust worthy. Derek didn't really know much about him other than the fact that he was in the military, and he was Laura's age. He'd seen one photo of the guy, but he didn't know anything about what sort of food Jordan liked or what his hobbies were. But Derek was determined to make a good impression on the guy for Laura's sake. She had enough to worry about with the possibility that the rest of the family might scare him off.

Derek knew that his family was a little intense at times. And they had only gotten more protective of their own since Kate. He had no doubt that Jordan was probably going to find them a little bit intimidating. Plus there was the whole werewolf secret. If their relationship was going to go anywhere, Laura was going to need to tell Jordan about them, and Derek could think of far too many ways that could go wrong. So he did his best to stay calm and be supportive while Laura freaked out a little.

Cupcakes were good for distracting her, and he started perfecting the recipe for a mint chocolate cupcake. It was Laura's favorite flavor of ice cream after all, and hopefully having her be his taste tester would be a good distraction until Jordan got there. After that, Derek didn't really know what to expect.

Laura needn't have worried so much. Jordan got along with just about everyone. He had almost immediately charmed their parents, and the only one who seemed to hold back from welcoming him was Peter. But at least Peter wasn't making trouble just yet. Derek had been a little uncertain about Jordan might treat him and his hobby of baking, but the guy seemed to like cupcakes just as much as everyone else, and there had been no ribbing over the fact that Derek was baking them, so that was good.

He was little surprised to get home from work one afternoon and start working in the kitchen only to have Jordan wander in. Derek sort to did a double take, but he didn't stop combining ingredients for the batter. He had finally gotten the proportions right on the mint and the chocolate he thought, and he wanted to test it out. Laura kept complaining that the cupcakes were either too minty or too chocolaty, no matter how Derek tinkered with the recipe. With any luck, this batch would satisfy her.

Jordan watched as he mixed in the eggs and the other wet ingredients. It wasn't until Derek had turned off the mixer that he spoke.

"Do you think I could learn how to make those?" Jordan asked.

Derek blinked. "If I've got the proportions right, sure. I didn't know you baked."

Jordan looked sheepish. "I don't really. But Laura loves your baking, and she misses it when she's at college. I know I probably can't make cupcakes as good as yours, but I thought it could be something I could do for her when she's homesick. She's been so fantastic about caring for me while I was away, and I wanted to be able to return the favor a little."

Derek was stuck on the fact that Laura missed his baking. "Are you serious? Because Laura's always complaining about how much time I spend in the kitchen and how I'm turning into a housewife."

Jordan just shrugged. "I don't know about that, but she talked about your baking a lot in her letters. She was craving some sort of pastry thing you make during finals for example. And before I came out here, she promised that you made the best cupcakes I've ever tasted."

He was pretty sure he was blushing. "I don't know about that. But I can show you how to make cupcakes. You can help me get these in the oven, and then I'll show you how to make frosting."

After showing Jordan how to scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, he let the older man fill the rest of the tray.

"So how are you finding Beacon Hills?"

Jordan smiled. "I like it here. I've been feeling restless ever since I got back to the States, but not here. I wouldn't mind moving to the area when my active service ends in a couple of months. I've been thinking about switching to law enforcement, and the sheriff's department here has a good reputation."

Derek just nodded. At least it sounded like Jordan was pretty serious about sticking around. That would definitely make Laura a little less crazy. He slid the cupcake tins into the oven and set the timer, and then started pulling out the ingredients for the frosting. Derek started explaining the process. The mixer was going when Jordan said.

"I have to admit you guys are a little more intense than I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, for the most part you've really made me feel like I'm welcome, but I get the feeling that if I ever hurt Laura, no one would ever find my body."

He shrugged a little. "Everyone's gotten a little overprotective since last fall. I don't know if Laura mentioned anything about it?"

Jordan shook his head. "Not really. Just that there had been some sort of threat to the family."

Derek debated how much to tell him. "Well, it was a threat because someone had manipulated my trust. We're all a little wary about strangers these days. Then again, you're not really a stranger now, and everyone likes you. Well, everyone except for Uncle Peter, but I'm not sure he really likes anyone."

Jordan laughed. "Well, that's good to know since I'd like to stick around for a while."