As expected the evening started stiff and awkward, the pack didn't know how to act around Stiles, but over dinner, things got more relaxed. Peter gave the food credit for that, at least partly. Stiles was a stress eater or rather a stress chewer and the delicious things Pamela had put on the table did the rest. By the time they got to the dessert part, Stiles was comfortable around them and he had even an easy banter going on with Erica.

When Stiles left with Emily, silence fell over the table. Mainly so that the werewolves among them could listen in to what was going on upstairs. Peter didn't like it, it was not fair towards Stiles, but Talia's face when Emily said that she wanted to play Uno with Derek was priceless.

However, Stiles was not a guitar player and suddenly all the werewolves at the table were trying to tune out the noises coming from upstairs.

"I'm going to pack him the pie." Pamela stood which was the signal for the rest of them to clear the table.

"When is he supposed to eat all this?" Peter couldn't help but wonder when he saw the generous slices she was putting on a plate. One of each pie. And there were already containers with food for Stiles stored in the fridge.

"You said that he's mainly eating fast food," Pamela reminded him. "That boy needs something home-cooked from time to time."

"That boy is more than double your age."

"He still can't live on fast food alone."

With that Stiles had a standing invitation for dinner. Somebody just had to tell Stiles about it at some point. If Pamela had her way, Stiles would come over every day he wasn't having dinner with the sheriff but Peter wasn't sure if Stiles could handle that much interaction with the pack. Better start slow before they adopted him into the pack. But he promised to mention it to Stiles.

When Peter looked over, he found his sister standing in the door of the kitchen, watching them.

"What do you think?" He asked. She hadn't objected to Pamela's dinner plans so he was pretty sure that she approved of Stiles as well. But he wanted to hear it.

"I think that he has it as bad for you as you have it for him." She stepped over to put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm happy that you found somebody like him. And of course, you have to pick the only one in town who's even more fucked up than you." This was not his alpha, this was his big sister talking.

"It would be boring otherwise." He gave her a toothy smile. Then he went to see what Stiles and Emily were up to. It was suspiciously quiet upstairs.

Looked like Stiles was losing at Uno. For a moment Peter just stood in the hallway, listening in to them, but he entered when it became clear that the game was over.

He managed to get Stiles away before he could get roped into another round. Peter knew that Stiles' time was limited and he wanted to show him the library before he had to leave.

"I think I love you," Stiles blurted out at the sight of his book collection.

Peter watched Stiles marveling over one of the books, his words still echoing in his mind. He knew that Stiles hadn't been serious, it was just the books, but those words struck a chord with Peter. He was just glad that Stiles was busy with the book and didn't notice the silly smile on Peter's face.

It had been a long time since somebody had said those words to him. He was pretty sure it had been Olivia even if he couldn't recall when she'd said I love you to him last. He remembered the first time, though. It had been a throwaway line over something stupid, pretty much like Stiles' just now, but Peter had been able to sense the truth behind those words. Back then he hadn't been sure if he could trust that feeling but it had turned out that Olivia had truly meant those words. He had the same feeling now.

By the time Stiles was done with the book, Peter had his emotions under control again.

Some of these books were rare, some even one of a kind, and it had taken Peter and others before him decades to build up this collection so it was only reasonable that he didn't want for any of them to leave this room. But his offer that Stiles could come by to read whenever he wanted to was genuine. He'd seen Stiles dropping books before but the way he was handling the one he had in hand, told Peter that he would be more careful with these than with some mainstream novel he'd picked up at the public library.

Peter wanted to add the thing about dinner but Stiles stepped closer and then they were kissing.

It was getting late, it had to be around half past eight by now, and neither of them wanted for Derek to show up, not yet, not today, so Stiles put that one book back and after a last wistful look at the long shelves, he headed towards the door.

"I'll be back," Stiles said in a bad Schwarzenegger imitation, making Peter laugh.

"The offer stands." Peter caught up with him. "And Pamela wants to have you over for dinner as often as possible."

That stopped Stiles dead in his tracks.

"Thanks but …," Stiles started but didn't seem to know how to finish the sentence. A spike of anxiety hit Peter's nose.

"It doesn't have to be tomorrow," Peter hurried to say. "Or ever. It's just … the offer stands," he repeated his own words. "If you come by to read you could as well stay for dinner."

Worrying his lip, Stiles was pondering the idea.

"I'll think about it." Stiles stepped out into the hallway. "But now I really have to leave."

"Just for future reference, it would be okay if Derek showed up here." Peter followed him down the stairs where people scurried away to pretend that they had not been eavesdropping on them.

Isaac and Erica didn't even bother, they remained where they were and openly watched them coming down the stairs. Cora was lingering close by as well but she was more subtle about it.

"No privacy in a house full of werewolves," Stiles muttered under his breath but loud enough for all the werewolves around to hear. "Remind me to not have sex with you under this roof."

"Don't know." Peter sauntered down the last steps. "Boyd and Erica don't seem to mind if everybody in the house can hear what they're doing."

Erica just shrugged, not in the slightest ashamed.

"The other couples don't seem to mind either." Peter raised his voice a little to address the rest of the pack hiding in the living room. "And if I recall correctly, you don't have a problem with Derek showing up while we're still at it."

"That's totally different." Stiles threw his hands up.

"You wanted to ask Derek to wait until we were finished," Peter reminded him. He doubted that Stiles had been serious but it had come up.

"That's way too much information." Cora hurried away in disgust.

Isaac and Erica, however, were eyeing Stiles with interest. Peter did not want to know what was going on in their heads. Erica was the most open-minded when it came to sex and she truly didn't care if somebody heard what she and Boyd were doing and Isaac was just an asshole by nature.

Before they had time to word the questions clearly wanting to burst out of them, Peter shooed them away.

"Stiles was about to leave."

A few minutes later Stiles did leave with his jeep packed with more food than one person could eat. Peter had to promise to come over tomorrow to help with that.

"So, that was Stiles," Peter said when he joined the pack gathered in the living room. Suddenly he felt tired.

Emily scooted over and offered him a seat which he took with a grateful smile.

"I like him," she assured him and snuggled closer. It was past her bedtime but after this evening Peter doubted that she would be able to sleep any time soon.

"He's not what I expected," Anthony spoke up and with that, they were discussing Stiles again. What they had been expecting and how he'd turned out to be. That he'd been scared shitless at first, not that they used that word in front of Emily, and that they were glad that he'd somewhat warmed up to them.

The teenagers threw in what they knew about Stiles from school and then Boyd and Erica were back at when they had been kidnapped and how Stiles and Derek had saved them.

And then it started all over again.

Peter couldn't stand it. He knew that they all liked Stiles, they were pointing out the good things they had noticed about him and didn't mention the bad things, if there were any, but Peter could not just sit here and listen to them.

"I think it's time for bed for you." Peter bumped shoulders with Emily who had been leaning more heavily into him over the last few minutes. "Want me to read to you again?"

She nodded to that so he sent her off to get ready for bed.

Peter followed her a few minutes later. Just when Michael brought up the deal their ancestor had with Derek and how badly Stiles had gotten screwed over with that. Next, they would be discussing how sad it was that Stiles was bound to Derek like that and if they couldn't do something about it.

Peter fled the room before they could ask him about options there. He didn't know if there was a way to free Stiles. He didn't know what Derek would do if they tried something like that. He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.

Plus, Stiles didn't want their help. After getting to know Stiles and seeing him with Derek, Peter understood that it hadn't just been something Stiles had said to get him off his ass. Stiles was more than okay with his life.

When Peter came upstairs, he found Emily ready for bed and sorting through the books she'd picked out with Stiles the other day.

"Stiles promised to read me this one." She put one aside but gathered two others. "You can read me one of these."

"How generous of you." Peter took the books to check the backs to see which one would be less cringe-worthy to read while Emily scrambled under the covers.

Peter picked the one thick enough to last them at least for two more good night stories. It was about a girl solving crime with her cat, he could get behind that.

"Comfy?" Peter made sure to tuck her in properly before he set down on the edge of the bed and started reading.

Like predicted Emily was not ready for sleep just yet, her mind swirling with the events of the evening.

"Is Stiles going to come over for dinner again?" She interrupted his reading before he'd even finished the first page.

"Today was a bit much for him," Peter said carefully. By now Stiles was most likely under again and he didn't expect him to come up any time soon. "But yes, I think he's going to come over again."

Maybe not for dinner, not right away, but Peter had a hunch that Stiles would be back rather sooner than later to visit the library.

"Is Derek going to come as well?" Emily asked. "Doesn't he want to have dinner as well? He can't cook in the lake."

"Stiles has a stove in his cabin." Peter doubted that Stiles had ever cooked for Derek. Or even for himself. "But I don't think that Derek cares much for dinner. I'm not even sure if he needs to eat."

He'd seen Derek eating but that could have just been to blend in.

"Everybody needs to eat," Emily said as if he was silly.

Peter opened his mouth to defend himself when all hell broke loose.

Somewhere in the house glass shattered followed by explosions. People were screaming.

"Stay here!" Peter was already at the door when something smashed the window. Grenade, Peter registered before instinct took over.

He jumped across the room, landed on the bed, and rolled with Emily to protect her with his body. The grenade exploded and liquid fire rained down on Peter.