Isaac/Scott

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the wait, I meant to have this up earlier. But I've decided not to rush writing new chapters as soon as an episode airs because, just like with the latest episode when the Darach's identity was revealed, sometimes they end on cliff hangers and I have no clue what happens next. And I try to keep this story going in a way that works with the show. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Scott stood in the center of his room awkwardly, unable to deny the sense of deja vu because they'd done this before, as Isaac stood in the door and asked, "Something come up?"

Because of course Isaac had heard Scott's phone go off and the change in the rhythm of his heart beat, if only for a few seconds. They were both werewolves and it was the middle of the day, so Isaac was awake. Plus it wasn't like Isaac really had anywhere else to go or anyone else to demand his attention. It was something that made Scott both happy and sad simultaneously. Happy because it meant Isaac had more time for him, sad because of how small Isaac's circle of friends and family was and the reason behind it.

But he tried not to focus on that and tried to reassure Isaac, "Kind of, but you don't need to come. Its not like last time."

They both knew what he was referring to, when he'd tried to talk to Deucalion in the hope of preventing a confrontation. He still wasn't sure how Isaac had known that something was up. But this time was different. Gerard wasn't even able to get out of his wheelchair, or so Allison had said.

His answer didn't seem to satisfy Isaac, "Not like last time. Is that a good or a bad thing?"

Scott let out a sigh, mostly because he could understand Isaac's concern with the vague answer, and knew that Isaac deserved the truth, "Hopefully, a good thing. Allison found out what happened to Gerard after he disappeared. He's still alive, but apparently he can't really do much anymore. I'm hoping he'll be able to provide some answers about Deucalion."

Isaac brows went up, no doubt surprised about Gerard's condition and he probably had a few questions he really wanted answered, but all he said was, "Okay. You're sure you don't want me coming along? I mean, the last time we dealt with Gerard he nearly killed all of us."

He crossed the room and put a hand on Isaac's shoulder, hoping to reassure him a little bit, "I'll be alright, I promise. Besides, we need to know more about who we're dealing with. Maybe Gerard knows something that can help us stop anymore people from getting killed."

Isaac nodded and looked away and Scott knew that he'd won, but although Isaac's determination was waning, he still asked, "You're sure you don't want me to come? This is Gerard we're talking about."

Scott smiled, pleased to know that Isaac worried over him but at the same time not wanting Isaac to worry, and leaned in for a slow kiss, pulling back only as far as he needed to speak, "I promise I'll be fine. Gerard isn't even mobile anymore. But I don't want to do something stupid in front of Gerard and Allison to reveal our relationship. I don't know how Allison will react to that and I don't want to hurt her. Plus, knowing Gerard."

He didn't say anything more, but he could see that Isaac understood what he meant. He worried that Gerard would find some way to exploit that little bit of knowledge to cause some kind of pain for someone. He didn't say that Allison's dad didn't want her involved in this stuff anymore and that they were hoping to avoid him.

Isaac sighed and nodded again, "Okay, okay. Go ahead, just be careful … and let me know if he tells you anything useful."

Scott gave Isaac another kiss, "Of course. I'll be back soon."

When Melissa McCall got home from her shift at the hospital, which for once in what felt like forever hadn't been the night shift, she quickly noticed that someone had gone on a bit of a cleaning spree. Except for her bedroom, every carpeted room had been vacuumed and dusted. Which confused her at first because Scott had never been one for cleaning the house unless she told him to or he just felt his room was too messy.

After a few seconds she realized Isaac must have done it, which made her feel both grateful and a little concerned. Grateful because it meant less that she would have to do around the house, if only for a little while. Concerned because Scott had told her about what Isaac had gone through with his father and she didn't want him to think he needed to repay her or help out so that he could stay. She hadn't been exactly happy at the prospect of Isaac becoming a permanent resident in her house, not at first, but she'd let him stay, especially after Scott had told her about the abuse Isaac had suffered. If nothing else, she wanted to show Isaac that normal families weren't like that.

She found Isaac in his room reading a book, but didn't see or hear anything of Scott, "Do you know where Scott went?"

Isaac sat up on the bed and shrugged, "He wouldn't tell me, probably didn't want me following him."

Her brows rose at that, "Is he doing something dangerous?"

"He didn't think so when he left, said he was looking for answers."

"Answers to what?"

"To everything that's been going on recently; the Alpha Pack, the murders, what's causing it all."

She nodded slowly, not liking how casual Isaac seemed about it. Not that she'd rather be out of the loop now that she was aware of werewolves and so on, but she didn't like knowing that when all this fighting and killing happened her son was always involved and probably getting hurt just as often as not. Nor did she like how easy it seemed for Isaac to accept all this darkness around him, as if he expected to see suffering and pain all around him.

So she decided to change the subject, "Thanks for cleaning up around the house, I'd do it more often but it always feels like there's more work to do and not enough time to do it. But you know you don't have to."

And then she immediately regretted her decision when she saw him tense up and he cautiously said, "Sorry, I just feel like I'm imposing and you and Scott have been so nice since I showed up."

"Isaac, you don't have to worry about that. You'll always have a place here with us."

Isaac nodded, "I know, its just … sometimes I get a little … restless, I guess. I start to feel like I should be doing something because with my father I always had to be doing something productive."

Knowing that this was a fragile subject for Isaac, she decided to try lightening the mood, "Well, you don't have to worry about that here. As long as you go to school and get your homework done, you're free to slack off as much as you want."

That got a chuckle and a very brief grin from Isaac, but the amusement was gone as quick as it had come, "Thanks. Its hard to get used to, though. I mean, I know he's gone and you're definitely not my father, but I'm used to always having to keep up appearances. Get good grades, find a job and keep it, keep the house and yard in order or else people will start asking questions and if people start asking questions things will get worse."

From the way he said it and his posture, she could see that what he'd just said had been drilled into him until it was practically instinct. Her first instinct was to let out a sigh, but she held it in because she knew Isaac could easily take that the wrong way. When you take continuous abuse from one person or a select few people you learn to look for the little things they do that hint at their mood. Sighs, tone of voice, anything out of the ordinary. Look for the signs and react accordingly. But she didn't want Isaac to look at her that way, even though she knew that a part of him probably always would. He'd been too well trained to suddenly change.

"Well, like I said, you won't have to worry about that here. Although, if you really feel like you need to repay me, I'll only ask you to do one thing."

He frowned as he looked up at her, but he didn't look worried, just confused, "And what would that be?"

She smiled slightly, "Just keep an eye on Scott for me. I know he'd be the first to say that he should be worrying about me since he's a werewolf and I'm just human, but I'm still his mother after all."

Isaac's frown turned into a lopsided grin, "I can do that."

"Good, now I'm going to start making dinner. And you better appreciate it because I don't get to cook a good homemade meal as often as I'd like, but I guarantee it'll be better than fast food."

Both of them heard the lighthearted tone underneath the words and Isaac's grin grew a little as she headed toward the kitchen, hoping that whatever Scott was doing he'd be back for dinner.