Stiles couldn't help but stare at Erica as she walked past him with her new look. As he was about to say something, Theo appeared not long afterwards. It was clear that she had gone over the top because she wanted to show everyone the new her, and he didn't doubt that Theo had something to do with this image. She would have been just attractive in jeans and a fitted top. The reason Stiles found her more stunning was the fact that she looked healthy and was overflowing with confidence, and it was something he loved to see.

"What the hell is going on?" Lydia growled she had stopped at their table when Erica had walked in.

Stiles pulled out his cell and typed in a message to a chat group he just called the 'Hale Pack'.

"It's Erica," Cora mumbled around a mouth full of food. She loved stating the obvious to Lydia as it annoyed the hell out of her.

"I know who it is, that wasn't what I was talking about." Had Theo bitten her too? She was supposed to be the smartest and most attractive. She needed to find out what was going on. Lydia was the brains of the McCall Pack, and she should know these things ahead of time.

XXXXX

"Allison?" Scott yelled as she was leaving school.

"What is it, Scott?" She sighed and wished that he would leave her alone.

"I, uh, just want you to know if you need any help with 'anything' at all you can come to me, as a friend I mean." He smiled brightly at her.

Allison frowned as she stared at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about?"

Scott had promised Theo to keep it a secret, but he had to help the love of his life. Once she knew what Derek was doing, Allison would come back to him.

"I know about Derek" He whispered.

She was even more confused than before. "What about Derek?"

"He's drugging you that's why you've changed and don't want to be with me."

Allison couldn't stop from laughing. "You think being drugged is the reason I don't want to be around you?" She waited for him to nod. "You're the reason Scott, stop making excuses for... wait, who told you this... Theo did, didn't he? If you do anything to hurt Derek because of this lie, I will make you suffer. Will you leave me, leave all of us alone." Without waiting for an answer, she stormed off, so angry that Scott would believe anything but what was the actual truth. Allison would tell her dad, Noah, and Stiles at dinner tonight.

Scott watched as she ran off. This wasn't supposed to happen. Allison should have been grateful, fallen into his arms and then begged him to take her back. Were the drugs that strong?

XXXXX

"Chris, can I talk to you for a moment?" Melissa panted slightly as she ran over to him.

"What can I do for you, Melissa?"

"Well, when I was asking Noah," she paused for a moment. "It doesn't matter what I was asking, but he told me something, and I just wanted to confirm it was a lie."

"Wait, you want me to confirm Noah is lying about something?" Chris was more than a little puzzled.

"I asked Noah to please tell Stiles to stop getting Scott into trouble and stop hanging around so much that our kids can get back together."

"What was his response when you asked him?"

"He said Scott and Stiles weren't spending much time together and that Allison wanted to spend time with you and he wouldn't listen. When Allison said no, he blamed Stiles, and he then said Scott came around attacked him."

"Melissa," he stopped her before she could carry on. "Everything Noah told you was the truth. It was Victoria's birthday, Allison, and I wanted to be alone. No matter what she'd done, she was still Allison's mother. Scott didn't understand, he went to Stiles who explained again and then sent a text to Allison saying Scott didn't get it. He blamed everything on Stiles and went looking for him. He found Noah, got angry and pinned Noah against the wall, eyes flashing and claws out. Since Cora and Theo have been around the two boys, have hardly been together. If Scott's told you he's been with Stiles, it's a lie. Since he and Allison have broken up, we've spent time with the Stilinski's and the Hale's. So I know they haven't since then."

Melissa just stared at him. "Are you sure? I mean, Scott's not like that, Stiles has always been a troublemaker. I guess not having a mother–."

"Stop right there; Stiles is a good kid, a genius. You're blaming everyone, including his dead mother instead of putting any blame where it should be, on Scott." Chris shook his head and walked away.

Melissa didn't know what to say: Scott wouldn't lie to her, would he?

XXXXX

Noah looked up as Chris walked into the room, something was up. Stiles and Allison looked over at each other. The two families realised they had more in common than they had thought.

"What's wrong, dad?" Allison asked.

She had loved these meetups with just the four of them. Stiles had become her brother. There had only been a couple of these meals, but it already seemed like they had been doing it forever.

"I bumped into Melissa."

"Ahh," Noah couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, what am I missing?" Stiles asked, Allison just shrugged her shoulders. It was clear she had no idea either.

"It seems Scott has been..." He paused for a moment Noah knew how close Stiles and Scott had been.

"Lying," Chris added. "The word is lying."

"I was trying to be diplomatic." Noah glared over at the other man, who grinned back at him.

Stiles sighed. "What have I done now?"

"Wait; what?" Chris answered, but it also confused Noah.

"It's always been like this, when I did something wrong it was my fault." He grinned cheekily at them. "When Scott did something wrong, it was also my fault."

"Kiddo, why didn't you say anything?"

"You mean the soft, quiet one getting into trouble and not the hyperactive, sarcastic little shit? Who would' be believed me?"

"I would've Stiles. If you told me that, I would've believed you," Noah walked over and pulled his son into a hug. It wasn't long before the other two joined in.

Chris and Allison didn't want the Stilinski's to feel like they were alone; they weren't when these Argent's were around. They stayed like that for a little longer until they all finally pulled away and sat down. Allison joined Stiles on the couch and snuggled into his side.

"So, what did Melissa say?" Noah asked.

"Well, she said she had a talk with you and wanted to confirm what you had told her was a lie."

"And you didn't," Noah smiled; it was nice to have back up in situations like these.

''No, I didn't. I told her about how Stiles and Scott hadn't been hanging out together. I also told her the truth about Allison and Scott, the real reason they broke up. She believed it was–."

"Me," Stiles added with a grin. He'd heard the things Melissa had said about his mom, amongst other things.

"Yes, you," Chris smiled sadly at him. It was amazing how many things they blamed the young Stilinski for.

"Scott came and talked to me today, and it was bizarre."

"What was bizarre about it?" Noah asked.

"He somehow thinks Derek is drugging me, and that's why I don't want to be with him."

"Once again Theo is putting ideas into his head, Scott wouldn't come up with it on his own," Stiles paused. "It's because you've split up. Remember Scott always blames other people, and he does like to blame Derek for, well, almost everything that isn't my fault."

"So Theo makes this up to make Scott angrier at Derek? Why? So he pushes Scott into killing him? I don't think Scott would kill someone, would he?" Stiles couldn't imagine it, but there was a lot of his ex-best friend had done that he wouldn't have thought possible.

"Do you think Theo wants the Hale's picked off?" Chris froze as a horrible thought hit him. "You don't think he was the one that killed Laura Hale, do you?"

"It makes sense. We need to warn them. You two can keep an eye on Cora," Noah couldn't get over how calculating someone as young as Theo could be.

"So we're keeping an eye on each other because Scott and Theo want us dead, or just want us." Stiles waggled his eyebrows at Allison, who laughed and shoved him. Stiles' eyes widened as something occurred to him. "Oh my god, it's so obvious."

"What is, son?"

"Erica came to school, and she'd been bitten. I can't fault her, but it has to be Theo. He's building his own pack."

"And trying to get rid of the pack that's already here," Chris finished, there were still things that they didn't understand, but slowly it was all coming together for them.

"We just need to find out what the endgame is," Stiles mulled over what they already knew. "What is the endgame?" He muttered.

Noah smiled at his son and looked over at Chris. They had become their own little unit, it was just them, and like the Hale's, they were a family. All of them together, they were a pack.

XXXXX

"Derek?" Merlin called out as he walked over to the brooding werewolf

"Is anything wrong? Is anyone hurt?"

Merlin smiled; it was tinged with a little sadness. Derek cared about others, but seemed to care little about what would happen to him; that had to change.

"Everyone's fine. I just wanted to talk to you, if that is alright?"

"Of course, it is Merlin. What do you want to talk about?"

"I've noticed that you and Stiles had become closer," Merlin held up his hand. "I'm happy about it. Out of all my descendants, the ones I've looked into or met, Stiles is the most like me. He cares about people with everything he is, and there are no half measures. Derek you need to fight to live your life to the fullest not just for them, but yourself as well, because you are worth it." He turned and walked away. He wanted the young man to think about it.

Derek watched as the sorcerer walked away he'd always believed that people would be better off without him. Merlin might have been right that you fight for those you love, but also fight to live it with everything you are. It might be challenging, and he might forget, but he had to try. Derek smiled as he thought of Stiles, and that slowly became an image as his pack. Who would have thought one day he would consider Argent's like family. He was a very, very lucky werewolf.

XXXXX

Merlin cuddled into Arthur and smiled. They were together in bed; it wasn't something he could ever have imagined when he had lost his king. It was time they did something 'normal' he needed to take Arthur out on a date. They would decide tomorrow, with the help from the people who lived in this area, he sighed closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him. Anywhere he was with Arthur was home to him.

XXXXX

Merlin looked around he knew he was dreaming, but the place was not familiar. It was dark, damp cave, and a fire was burning bright in the centre. The people now entering were druids; he recognised the triskele tattoo on their arms. Was this a dream, or a vision? He would find out soon enough.

The druids gathered together, they were whispering, words that Merlin couldn't quite hear. It was just beyond his range to make out the actual words. The wind whipped around them. It grew in power, but it never seemed to affect them. Merlin covered his eyes and planted his feet on the ground and pushed against the wind to stay upright.

Merlin fell to the ground when the it stopped; he groaned as he moved, and then he looked up. The druids no longer stood there; instead, it was creatures of some kind and the words "we are the Dread Doctors," whispered in his mind.

TBC