Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Hale Homestead
Stiles sat in the Camaro with Derek and Ricky, driving across town and down the private drive towards the Hale house, his leg was bouncing and Ricky was looking out the window, like every other car ride except they were now bound tightly to each other and Stiles could feel Ricky's excited terror at the prospect of putting all their families together for the week of Christmas and New Years and Derek was just happy. He was thrilled that his mother was getting a chance to move on and Derek was getting the chance to spend time in his old home and with his new mates.
Derek pulled up to the large home and Stiles gasped at the view of it. It was larger than Stiles ever remembered it and wondered if they had torn the house down and rebuilt it larger. Derek climbed gracefully from the car when he turned it off and helped Stiles out as Ricky was exiting the other side. Stiles looked at the rambling house with the wrap around porch, painted a deep blue with a brown roof and double doors at the center of the front while Derek and Ricky grabbed the suitcases and they walked up to the front door. Derek knocked on the door and Talia opened it, smile splitting her face as she invited them in, leaning down to kiss her son before she hugged and kissed Stiles on the cheek gently then doing the same with Ricky. Stiles knew that Talia and Ricky had built a friendship based in love of knowledge last time they were with the Hale family and he was glad that Ricky's tension had nothing to do with Derek's mother and pack.
Stiles looked around the open entryway as they removed jackets that had been warding off the slight chill and boots and other winter accouterments. They were all tucked away in the hall closet and Derek led Stiles and Ricky by their hands into the living room off to the side of the entry. Within the large space was rest of the Hale family. Laura and Cora were sitting in a love seat, chattering over some books and Otto was hooked up to some game in a recliner. Derek took the other couch and they settled in to see who was going to make it, as far as Stiles knew; his dad and Melissa and Scott were coming as well as Allison and the rest of Garrick's family as well. Boyd, Erica and Isaac had been invited but Isaac didn't want to be any closer to his dad, especially with his potential mates.
Stiles thought about the last sixth months while Derek chatted with his sisters about school and life in the city, he talked with Otto about what game he was playing and Ricky stayed curled around Stiles' side. Stiles wondered what he would have done if he'd denied his heart when it came to Ricky, would the beta have left school? Stopped being his roommate at least? He squeezed Ricky's hand before he settled his head on the beta's shoulder and breathed in his mate's familiar scent.
"You okay?" Ricky asked him gently.
Stiles grinned, "Yeah, just feeling a lot grateful for you and Derek and this crazy convoluted family we are about to create with our Mating."
Ricky chuckled then someone knocked on the door and Talia went to answer it from where she was cooking in the kitchen. He listened and heard the telling tone of his dad saying hello and Stiles launched himself over the couch and out to throw himself into his dad's arms.
"Hey kiddo, you doing okay?" his dad asked with a chuckle.
"Why is everyone asking me that?" Stiles said into his father's neck then caught sight of Scott and Melissa McCall and mauled them with quick hugs and a little bit of scenting as well. He hadn't seen enough of Scott in the past weeks and was looking forward to a week and a half of his best friend and he being under the same roof. And Melissa, he sincerely hoped that the woman would finally figure out how much his dad liked her. They seemed to be forever skirting around the feelings they may or may not have. Stiles didn't understand it but then his father had mated to Stiles' mother and loved her dearly, moving beyond the loss of a mate is not something easily done, especially between alpha and omega pairings.
After some more hugging in the entry, as well as Stiles trying to climb the side of his dad's body the doorbell rang again and while Talia was opening the door and Derek and Ricky were trying to drag Stiles away from his father and everyone stopped and saw Shelby, Braedon and Ravyn Oseric just staring at them in amazement and possibly a lot of understandable apprehension. Garrick released Stiles who was still hanging as a limpet off his father and Stiles watched as his beta hugged each of his family members and they were all brought inside and they were all suddenly stuffed into the entry, making the space much smaller. Stiles finally hopped from his dad's side into Derek's arms and curled into his alpha's chest as introductions were shouted around the room and everyone piled into the living room and Talia and Otto went to retrieve a few more chairs for everyone.
Stiles watched Garrick's family, Ravyn leapt into a conversation with Cora and Otto, comparing highschool drama to see who had it worse, not that any of them were omegas so they weren't doing too badly. Stiles watched as Shelby asked if she could help Talia in the kitchen and both women went off to chat and cook in the quiet of the other room and Braeden and Garrick were busy talking quietly in the corner about a book Ricky found in a nearby second hand bookshop. Stiles also watched his dad and Melissa as they chatted happily together and Scott and Allison were chatting with Laura with drink cups in their hands. Derek, whenever Stiles looked back was grinning like a fool with his hand gripping Stiles like a life preserver. This was probably the first time the Hales had allowed others into their presence in a long time and Stiles was grateful they were willing to take the chance despite the drama Stiles had already brought to Derek and Ricky over the past months.
He was pleased to know that he could also bring them happiness.
The afternoon passed in chatting and learning more about each other and then it was time for dinner. They all settled in around the table and dug into the protein heavy fare laid out in front of them. Derek piled Stiles plate with to much food and then did the same for Ricky who was sitting on the other side of Derek before he served himself, Stiles was glad that Peter wasn't in attendance because he would have taken the opportunity to question his nephew's alpha status if he'd seen him do such a thing, Stiles was glad for the other's help in the court case against Varack but other than his usefulness in legal matters Stiles didn't see the need for his attendance especially since Ricky's family was so jumpy anyway.
Talia did the best she could to dispel the cautiousness with her kind curiosity, "Shelby was telling me that within your community of were's, you have chosen to be keepers of information, myths and histories. Is that connected to a job you already perform?"
Braeden smiled a little, "I work for a local library, it feeds my desire for learning and being around books. Shelby is actually a historian and she gets paid good money to look into people's pasts and figure out their genealogy. She is well known for her ability to find as much information on very little information. We also stand as part of a slightly large pack of betas and turned wolves and we have a collective of money that is used to pay for certain expenditures that we all give to but it really does allow for us to follow our passions instead of working for someone else."
"That's interesting," Talia states as she takes a drink of her wine, contemplating the information the man was sharing with them with a gentle hand touching her chin and looking around the table at her small family, what was left after so much loss and pain. It was something the Oseric family was lucky to know little about. "I have heard of packs doing such a thing but we haven't had pack members outside the Hale family in so long that it would be a strange endeavor for us."
"I have heard among certain circles that the Hales are some of the richest among our kind," Braeden stated. Stiles frowned; it wasn't the most dinner friendly conversation.
Talia shrugged a shoulder delicately, "It could be true though I don't have the financials of any other packs or werewolf families but we have been around a lot longer with powerful numbers and strong alphas. It has only been since the death of my omega and the fire and the hunter attacks that we lost touch with other communities as well as stopped inviting others into our pack. I am glad with the introduction of Stiles and Garrick that things are changing once more."
"You believe that they will be accepted, with this three way relationship?" Shelby asked.
Stiles snorted inelegantly and Derek nudged him in the side, "What? A Judge accepted us as legitimate and Ricky won't be punished for needing to be with me during Heats and if anything ever comes up. We have been accepted by our families, what more is there?"
"There are hospitals and jobs and the rest of your educations, Garrick went to school to get an education not a mate who may or may not get pregnant and it won't even be his child and these two have completely changed the course of our son's life."
Stiles shifted so he could look at Garrick who was staring between his mother who was speaking and Talia who was simply watching the other woman. "Ricky?"
Garrick snapped his attention to Stiles quickly and cleared his throat, "Mom, don't worry about me. I am going to be done with my Associates way sooner than originally anticipated and maybe I'll have what I need to do what I want to do sooner as well. I don't care if only Derek and Stiles can have our children; it's not the point. We as betas always knew that turned were's and half-wolves are all we are ever going to get, that's not what this is about. I know it's scary to think I am in the midst of this crazy relationship but please trust me when I say that Derek and Stiles make me happy."
Shelby and Braedon both took deep breaths and Stiles couldn't help but put in his two cents, "Besides who's to say Ricky and I can't have children? We don't know enough about this three way bond to rule it out, plus whatever children I give birth to wouldn't be mine and Derek's; they would belong to all of us."
He turned and gave Ricky a look, hoping the beta understood and heard the truth in his words. Ricky was grinning with that silly little blush that the omega didn't get sick of seeing, Stiles winked real quick before he went back to eating and the conversation shifted away from the uncomfortable one they were in. Stiles went back to eating and fed food to Derek who fed Ricky in a ridiculous display of affection and everyone smiled and giggled at the sight. Stiles just enjoyed the first day of their vacation. He hoped all the days here were like this, filled with awkward questions and constant affection and the never-ending loop of love he felt when he was around Derek and Ricky. There was nothing better to be had.