I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but it had to be written. No real progress, but necessary information. Please hang in there. More action is coming up in later chapters.


When everybody are gathered at the loft, they talk a little about the rebuild of the Hale-house. Isaac and Alex make sure to let everybody know about their relationship. A plan is Starting to come together, but there are a few disagreements. In Hester's house, Joy doesn't want a fight, but her opinion is disregarded. Alex share a few thoughts about Hester's pack.


Scott picked up his mom from the hospital. He didn't know if she was invited to the meeting also, but he decided to tell her about it regardless. He wasn't sure if taking her home to be by herself was an option either. She didn't react the way Scott had anticipated. He'd been so sure she would want to stay out of all of this. "Really? A truce? I've never met her, but... Maybe I got it all wrong."

She'd been adamant about coming with him. "So maybe I'll be safe at home for now, but I really, really want to know what's going on." She'd even giggled a little. "It'll be nice to meet the others also."

After taking a detour to their house, so Melissa could change out of her scrubs, they headed for the loft. They didn't know if they were going to be served any food, so they picked up some takeaway from the Chinese place on their way to be on the safe side.

They were the first ones to come and after being greeted at the door by Derek, they both walked over to the couch. Stiles was sitting in the recliner and Alex seemed to be busy in the kitchen. Isaac was pacing around as usual, but he didn't seem as lost and confused as he'd done lately. Scott noticed, but didn't really think about it.

After he and his mom were seated, Scott started to pick the little food boxes out of the bag they'd brought. "We have to eat, you guys mind?" Scott threw a glance around him before he picked up a couple of chopsticks and started to dig in.

"Aw! I was going to cook, but I guess..." Alex shrugged and pouted a little, before he smiled widely. "It's okay. More for us." Scott was too hungry to feel bad about it, and Derek hadn't really invited them for supper anyway. He was still about to apologize, but as he swallowed and looked up at Alex, he almost choked on the noodles.

Isaac had stopped pacing and was now standing right behind Alex. With his hand, he pushed the guy's hair away and kissed his neck, before he wrapped both arms around Alex' waist. Alex didn't stop what he was doing, but he leaned back into Isaac's embrace and hummed quietly. Scott hurried to turn back to his food, before he threw a quick peek over his shoulder to make sure his eyes hadn't played tricks on him.

Alex was giggling as Isaac kept kissing his neck. They didn't seem to be bothered about the fact that everybody could see them. Scott got a little startled when Stiles cleared his throat. "Yeah, get used to it. They can't keep their hands off each other." He rolled his eyes. "They..." He lowered his voice and leaned forward a bit. "They, uh, are... they kind of hooked up."

A knock on the door ended the short conversation, and everybody watched as Allison and her dad came inside. Chris walked straight over to the table and dumped a pile of papers on it. "I brought everything. You can order the materials anytime, we can start building as soon as we have them."

-o-o-o-o-o-

They were gathered around the table, talking about the house. Chris pointed and explained the plans he'd made. For the most part he and Derek did the talking, but ever so often Stiles and Allison threw in a comment. Scott and his mom didn't participate so much; they were still eating and had to pile the little boxes in their laps, when Chris used the whole table to spread his papers on.

Alex eased himself out of Isaac's grip and grabbed a tray, before he walked over and handed it to Melissa. "It'll be easier. Put the food on this." She smiled and put the tray on her lap. "Thanks." She whispered as she nudged her son. They put the food on the tray, and scooted closer together so they could share it.

When Alex came back to the counter, Isaac leaned down and kissed him. "You're so nice, and practical." Alex cocked his head and looked up. "I am. I agree." They kissed again – more passionate now – as their hands roamed over each others backs. When the intimacy started to affect his cock, Isaac had to pull away. He giggled into Alex' mouth. "I think maybe we should wait for..." He whimpered a little when Alex' hand cupped his crotch and squeezed gently. "I think so too." He let go as he licked his lips suggestively. "Tonight, right?"

Isaac was breathing heavily and had to turn away for a moment. He could hardly wait for tonight. Thinking about this mornings – and last nights – events, Isaac couldn't understand why he'd been so scared about this. When they lied there panting after their first fuck, he'd been so content. Nothing was scary anymore.

Afterward, they had cuddled up, caressing each other. When Isaac briefly mentioned the teasing they would be subject to from the others – and especially Stiles – Alex suggested that they'd just get it over with. "No reason to hide this. We want to be together, right?" Isaac had given it a thought and was surprised by himself when he found out that he agreed completely.

He'd been slightly intimidated when he realized that they would be outed sooner rather than later. They'd heard Stiles and Derek come in, and they'd heard every word they said before Stiles opened the door.

It was tough trying to act so confident and shameless, but it had worked out swimmingly. Stiles was the one who got the most embarrassed. As soon as Isaac had slammed the door shut, he and Alex had stared at each other as they both were fighting not to laugh hysterically. Isaac had felt the burn on his cheeks and he could see that Alex' face also had an adorable red hue.

That was about it. When they eventually came out from the bedroom, they had composed themselves. With their new-found confidence, they'd done their best to tease Stiles even more. They'd touched each other every chance they got, throwing in a kiss or two in between. Their conversations were littered with sexual innuendos, making Stiles squirm in his seat.

Derek could barely stop laughing, causing Stiles to get more and more annoyed. They'd let up a bit when they heard someone at the front door. Isaac didn't want Stiles to have the pleasure of telling the rest of their friends, so when he was sure Scott was watching, he'd planted a kiss on Alex' neck.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Weren't we gonna talk about Hester?" Allison turned to Derek. She had been standing behind the couch watching everybody listen to her dad. "I thought that was the reason we came." Derek sighed and looked at her. "Yeah, I guess." He turned to Chris again. "We can do this later."

Reluctantly, Chris gathered the papers together and piled them up on the corner of the table. "Yeah, sorry, I was just..." He smiled and shook his head. "I really want to know what she said." Derek wanted everybody to pay attention, so he walked over to the kitchen and had to physically pull Isaac and Alex apart. Allison had obviously not noticed that the two boys had been tangled together since she came inside. "Oh, wow. You..." She chuckled a little. "About time."

They both grabbed a chair each and came over to the table. Derek had to smile when he watched Alex. He'd suspected that the guy was gay ever since he came there. It was partially because he'd seen the way he'd looked at Isaac, but also little things that were hard to pinpoint. It had still been just a hunch. The way Alex was moving now, the way he held his hands, pretty much everything he did was a giveaway. It was like he'd come out of a shell and finally dared to be himself.

Derek wasn't bothered, but he had to smile a little. If Alex had acted like that from the beginning, it would probably have scared Isaac even more. Now Isaac looked at him all doe-eyed and with a hint of pride.

When everybody was gathered, Derek started to tell them about the phone call. "As I said, she offered a truce, but we're not getting it for free." He panned the crowd, letting his eyes linger a little longer on Alex. "She wants Alex back, and then she'll leave the rest of us alone." He heard a small huff from Alex, but nobody said anything. "She told me to think about it for a week, but I'm done thinking." He drew his breath heavily. "We want to live in peace here, right?"

Derek had barely finished the sentence when Isaac got up abruptly. "Are you fucking kidding me? You aren't seriously thinking about..." He threw a glance at Alex. "She'll kill him, I can't believe..." Derek cut him off. "Shut up! No. I, we, can not 'give' her Alex. Alex is free to make his own choices."

It was quiet for a couple of seconds before everybody started talking. Alex was the only one who didn't say anything. It was impossible to make any sense of it when all them were more or less shouting to be heard. Derek slammed his hand on the table. "SHUT UP!" It got instantly quiet again. After a few seconds Allison took a deep breath. "Even if we gave up Alex, we could still not be sure." She was practically whispering as she stared directly at Derek. "We have to kill her. It's the only way we can truly live in peace."

Derek nodded in agreement. "Exactly!" He rubbed his chin, before he looked at each and everyone of them. "We can pretend to agree. We can't get to her in her own home, we have to lure her out." He huffed and looked down for a second. What he was about to say would probably not go around well. "We need bait. Someone who could get her to come here."

Isaac reacted instantly, as expected. "I know what you're thinking, and that's so not going to happen. Alex is one of us now." He wrapped an arm around Alex' waist. "There has to be another way." Derek noticed that Isaac had tears in his eyes. Suddenly Alex turned to Isaac and cupped his cheeks. "I'll do it." He gave Isaac a quick kiss before he go up from his seat. "I volunteer. I don't want to live in fear. I don't want to be the reason you guys have to live with this threat hanging over you. What's the plan?"

Surprised and a little thrown off by Alex' statement, Derek got somewhat tongue-tied for a second. "Eh, I, hmm. I don't have any." He felt a little embarrassed. "I, that's the reason I wanted you here. To 'make' a plan."

After a short moment of silence, everybody started talking. Nobody was shouting anymore so it was possible to hear the different ideas. Isaac was the only one not participating, and Derek could kind of understand him. "Why aren't the sheriff here?" Chris suddenly threw out the question and looked at Derek. Derek sighed. "He doesn't want to get involved. He knows that we are possibly planning a murder."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison had been worried about the blood-lust she'd heard so much about. The urge to kill was embedded in a werewolf's brains. Until a fresh out of the womb werewolf had learned to control it, she or he would be life-threatening to anyone around her. She knew she'd felt it when she was tied up during the full moon, but her memory about was luckily a little blurry on that point.

As a hunter she'd also felt something like it, but back when she was a human, it was a more conscious decision. At the moment, she felt completely in control of herself, but when they talked about how to overpower Hester, she felt it. She even welcomed it.

Even if she was content being a werewolf, she felt a deep and genuine hatred for that woman. Hester had never intended Allison to turn. Hester had attacked her in order to kill her.

Allison didn't want to ask, but she hoped the others would give her the opportunity to snuff out the bitch herself. Even if Hester possibly was both stronger and more skilled, Allison had no fear. She'd been a hunter for as long as she could remember, and that had to count for something.

"Uh?" Allison startled a little when her dad nudged her. "What do you think?" He looked at her with a hint of concern in his face. "Are you even paying attention?" Allison shrugged and smiled at him. "Sure, sure, I just... What did you say?"

Chris shook his head. "I said...hmm. I think you should get your hunting-gear and protect Alex from a distance." He threw a glance at Alex before he continued. "You are a good shooter, uh, I mean an excellent one. You can be far enough away for her not to sense your presence."

Allison frowned. "You mean... I'm not going to be in on the action? Is this your way of protecting me?" She panned the faces in front of her. "If I'm going to kill her, I rather do it up close." She could see the faint nod Derek sent her, and knew that he understood. He looked down for a second. "Allison, you are the only one who can actually do this from afar. I know what you're thinking, but we need you as a backup."

Everybody stared at her. She took a deep breath. "He could!" She nodded towards her dad. "He can be the backup. His aim is as good as mine." Allison threw her hands out and tried to find support for her suggestion in the eyes staring back at her. Chris grabbed her hand. "An arrow is a better option, and I'm not half as good with the bow as you are." He sighed heavily. "I'll be there too, but we need you for this."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Enough of that!" Hester didn't even have to raise her voice to get their attention. Jade and Joy had been talking about the Argents, and why Chris Argent was Hester's archenemy. "It's my business, and mine only." She looked at the girls before she sat down on the couch. "We're not going to talk about it now anyway." She threw a quick glance at Eric.

Both girls seemed to get the point, and Joy walked over to the grand piano. "I just don't understand it. That Argent guy killed dad, I know, but dad was on his own because you guys threw him out." She sat down on the stool, and let her fingers run over the keys. "I'm just saying."

Hester stared at her niece for a second before she snapped her fingers. Eric reacted instantly. "Yes?" He'd been hanging by the window staring into the darkness, but now he'd turned around just waiting to be ordered around.

Joy drew her breath before she put her fingers on the keys. The familiar first notes of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 roared through the room. "Destiny!" She whispered to herself as she continued playing with a little softer touch to the keys. "What did you say?" Hester cocked her head. Joy kept playing. "Nothing, I said nothing."

Her sister shook her head, and started to walk towards the door. "I'm going to my room." Jade turned around briefly and looked at Eric. "Can you make me a snack? Just... Bring it when you have time." She didn't wait for an answer before she exited. Joy chuckled to herself. Her sister wanted a snack. She knew exactly what kind of 'snack' she really craved, but that was not going to happen. Troy would never be hers.

Joy was sick of all the drama. She wanted a normal life, and was afraid that Hester's need for revenge was eventually going to be her downfall. It was a good thing that she'd decided to leave Derek and his pack alone, although Joy wouldn't have protested it if Hester had chosen to capture him again. Joy could easily have spent hours just staring at the him. He wasn't really her type, but he was definitely eye-candy.

But still, if she never saw him or the Stilinski-boy ever again, it wouldn't be the end of the world. She was a little saddened by it. The two packs could have been friends if Hester hadn't been such a bitch. She'd put them in jeopardy when she decided to collaborate with that Alpha-pack, and now Joy was afraid that their lives would change forever.

She stopped playing and closed the piano before she got up. "I just want peace. I'm sorry if I offended you." She didn't look directly at Hester. She knew why her dad left them. He never got thrown out. He left by his own choice. Hester sighed. "It's okay. He was your dad. I understand how you feel, but he was my brother also, and I loved him."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"What about the rest of her pack? She won't come alone." Stiles had barely participated in the actual strategy discussion. He knew that he wouldn't be part of it regardless. His injured foot was one reason, but he was pretty sure Derek would actually tie him up to prevent him from coming; and his dad would condone that without even blinking. He'd still listened carefully, and what they'd come up with so far sounded good – if Hester came alone.

Derek got up and started pacing. "I know she won't, but they are Beta's, and as far as I know they have never really been in a fight before." He turned to Alex. "Am I right?" Alex straightened himself up a bit in his chair. "Uh, I, yeah." He took a deep breath, before he exhaled audibly. "I'm surprised that none of you asked me already. It was about time." He got up from his chair and looked at them all.

Stiles looked down and chuckled a little. He'd seen how Alex had seemed more and more frustrated during the conversation, and he'd suspected that he had something up his sleeve. Stiles could really like this guy. He was smart and witty, and he fit perfectly into this pack. The fact that he was unbelievably cute and gorgeous was a little intimidating, but all in all, Stiles could feel a kinship with him.

"Don't know too much about what they've been up to before I came there, but Hester have always liked to keep a low profile." He shrugged a little. "She is very protective of the girls, and I don't think they have ever been in a life-threatening situation."

When Chris was about to say something, Alex lifted his hand to stop him. "Excuse me, sir. I'm talking." The look on Chris' face made Stiles want to laugh, and he had to look away for a moment to compose himself. Alex cleared his throat. "Troy is worthless. He is tall and handsome and extremely fit, but I don't think he's ever even thrown a punch at anybody." He chuckled humorlessly. "The only thing is that he's so committed to Hester, that he could probably sacrifice himself for her."

Alex shifted a little on his feet. He'd been standing next to Isaac's chair, but now he moved and placed himself right behind him. He put his hands on Isaac's shoulders, before he continued. Stiles suspected that the guy wasn't used to addressing a crowd, and needed someone to cling to. Stiles tried to give him an encouraging smile, but wasn't sure if Alex noticed.

"Joy is the baby. Yeah, I know they are twins, but she's... She's more human than any of them." He seemed a little surprised by his own words and smiled shyly. "I mean, oh, fuck it. It's not easy to explain." Derek seemed to want to say something and Alex nodded towards him.

"Are they all just as committed to her as Troy? Would they die to protect her?" Derek rubbed his chin as he drew his breath. "Is there a crack in this picture of a perfect family? The guy, uh, what's his name? Eric? He was your friend, right?"

For a moment, Alex looked sad. He swallowed hard and had to wipe his eyes. "Eric, yeah. Eric was always there for me." He lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. Stiles could see how Isaac got extremely uncomfortable about this. He was clearly jealous. Alex managed to compose himself, and gave Isaac's shoulder a squeeze. "He's damaged though. He's a victim of the Stockholm syndrome. I suspect that he'd never betray her."

Stiles knew what he meant, but it became apparent that none of the others had a clue about what Alex was referring to. It didn't surprise Stiles one bit, he was more surprised that Alex actually knew about the term.

"What? Stockton, what?" Scott scrunched his face and stared at Alex. His mom elbowed him and rolled her eyes. Stiles had almost forgot that she was even there. She hadn't really participated much either. "Stockholm! Stockholm-syndrome. When a captive sides with his captor." She looked embarrassed on her son's behalf, but Stiles knew there was no reason for her to be.

"I would have wanted to rescue him from her, but..." Alex shook his head. "I think that would be futile. I still want to save him though." He hitched his breath. "He sort of saved me."

After almost a minute of silence, Alex let go of Isaac's shoulders and twisted his hands. "Forget about it. I'm not sure if he'd give his life for her, but he'll never join us. He'll never betray her." It looked like there was a shiver going down his spine, but then he grabbed on to Isaac's shoulders again. "She would never bring him to this meeting regardless. She doesn't trust him, even though he's the only one she can truly depend on."

Stiles couldn't help himself. He scooted forward a little and cocked his head. "What about the girls? They're her own flesh and blood. Her nieces. She can trust them for sure?" He couldn't really believe that Eric was the only one Hester could depend on.

Alex scoffed and shook his head. "I know what I know, and this I don't know for sure." He paused as to emphasize what he was about to say. "Jade is the heir of Hester's business. Okay that's a fact." He shrugged a little. "Jade is... I think she is... in love with Troy, and I think..." He seemed to squirm under the stares from everybody. "I think, uh, remember, this is only how I've perceived it." He looked down for a second. "Sometimes she wishes her aunt dead."