The next morning, Lydia and Jackson arrived at the house and packed in their overnight bags. They planned to stay for the weekend before leaving for a graduation trip with Jackson's parents that next week. It was nice having them in the house.
Derek gave them their graduation presents. A brand new lacrosse stick for Jackson and a beautiful purple carry tote for Lydia. Stiles watched them thank Derek. Jackson stared in awe at his gift all the way out of the room and upstairs. It was kind of Derek to have thought about them all.
Breakfast was a big affair, an old fashioned southern breakfast. Biscuits and gravy, bacon and sausage, hash browns. Stiles watched as Derek mixed grape jelly into his biscuits and gravy. That was one way of doing things, Stiles thought.
Isaac and Erica cleaned up the kitchen, leaving the rest of the pack to gather into the living room to pick a movie. The rest of their Saturday passed in a warm haze, watching movie after movie until it was time for dinner. That night neither Derek nor Stiles were in the mood to cook, so they ordered chinese.
After dinner, Isaac wandered upstairs to read and Erica asked Stiles to help her with her nursing school essay. Of course, Stiles was willing to help. They spent the evening at the kitchen table.
"You've already been accepted into the nursing program at the University," Stiles commented, "Why are they having you write an entrance essay?"
Erica looked up from where she was scribbling notes, "It's not for the entrance exam. It's for a scholarship."
Stiles nodded at that, "Oh, that makes sense. Is it a full ride?"
Erica shook her head, "No, just an allowance for books and supplies. Anything helps."
Erica's parents were taking care of the cost of her University, they had been saving for years. This must have been Erica's way of trying to help any way she could. That Stiles could understand.
With Stiles grades, he had been given a partial ride to BHU. He would still have to work part-time throughout his time at the University but Erica was right, every little bit helped.
It was late when they packed it up for the night, Stiles agreeing to assist her the next day as well. They went to bed shortly after.
That night saw the return of Stiles' nightmares. He woke up to the images of Claudia lying in the snow printed across his eyelids and drenched in sweat. Shivers wracked his body and when he tried to swallow, his mouth was dry.
Stiles tried to shake it off, getting up from the bed and as quietly as he could, walked downstairs to get a glass of water. It was no wonder, he thought. After all, they had a couple big days and they were bound to return at some point. He was glad it was the weekend, to give himself time to recover.
He didn't know how long he had been sitting at the table when Derek walked into the kitchen. The older man didn't turn on the lights, simply walking over and sitting across from Stiles.
"It's late," Derek said softly, leaning his elbows against the wood.
"Just had a bad dream is all," Stiles said just as quietly, knowing that Derek would hear him.
Derek nodded, "Do you want to talk about it?"
It made Stiles feel like crying, "Not really."
"How about I make us a pancake?" Derek said in an understanding way. He didn't much like talking about his nightmares either.
Something about it made Stiles laugh, "Is it late enough?"
"I think they can fend for themselves in the morning," Derek chuckled and Stiles agreed.
"They're adults after all," He said with a grin.
Derek stood up from the table and it seemed like no time had passed at all when he sat a stack of three pancakes in front of Stiles. They ate together, indulging in the syrupy goodness. When Stiles poured himself a glass of orange juice to drink, Derek wrinkled his nose.
"How can you drink that after something sweet?" Derek asked as if he were personally offended.
"It cuts the sweetness," Stiles said before taking a big sip. Derek faked a gag and Stiles laughed again. "Thank you for breakfast."
"Of course," Derek said. After they cleaned everything up, they walked upstairs together.
When it came time to part ways, Stiles froze, staring down the dark hallway to his room. Derek paused in the doorway of his bedroom, looking back. Gently as to not startle him, Derek took his hand and guided Stiles into his own room.
Stiles felt that he should protest, but at the thought of sleeping alone, he followed. Derek tucked him into the bed, before getting in himself. They didn't touch, but just the knowledge that he wasn't alone and was safe made him yawn.
They fell asleep to the sound of rain colliding with the windows and the soft rumbling of the thunder.
When morning came, Stiles woke up slowly. He was comfortable, with a firm weight over his left side. He peeked open his eyes to find a head of black hair lying on his chest. That's when he realized that it was Derek. They were snuggling.
Despite his embarrassment, it didn't feel wrong like Stiles thought it should have. He was more than used to waking up cuddling someone, the kids had made sure of that; but the fact that it was Derek, Stiles blushed.
Stiles made a sad attempt to get Derek to roll over to the other side of the bed. It was useless however, when Stiles nudged him, Derek just snuffled deeply and wrapped his arms tighter around Stiles waist. He wondered why Derek was such a deep sleeper now of all times.
Stiles had almost silently walked downstairs the night before and he had still woken Derek up. Now, it was like he was a completely different person. With a sigh and a slight bit of hesitation, Stiles ran his fingers through Derek's hair. Soothing his scalp as he tugged gently.
Derek groaned, sniffed once, twice, and then scooted a bit so that he could sit up. After wiping away the sleep from his eyes, he looked down to Stiles. It should have felt awkward, but Derek showed no signs of it, instead choosing to smile down at him.
"Did you sleep okay?" Derek asked, not moving to get out of the bed.
"Yea," Stiles said softly as if that would stop anyone from hearing.
Derek reached over to squeeze Stiles' shoulder, rubbing against his collarbone, "That's good."
It looked like Derek was going to say something else, but he tilted his head in confusion, before looking out the front windows. "It's your dad," Derek said, pulling Stiles up and out of bed.
Stiles was shocked, first by how truly in tune with nature the werewolves were, then by the fact that his father would come here, because when Stiles looked, there was no one out in front of the house. Derek heard his dad driving up from the main road.
Derek went to the closet to get new clothes and Stiles ran down the hall to his room. He threw on some day clothes, a thermal, a t-shirt and some jeans, before rushing down the stairs. When he stepped out the front door, the sheriff's cruiser appeared from the trees, pulling up to a stop in front of the house.
John stepped out of the car and Stiles met him on the blacktop. "Is everything alright? What's wrong?" Stiles spilled out, he couldn't help it. He couldn't think of any other reason that his dad would show up there.
"Everything will be fine, but I need your help," John said, taking hold of Stiles' shoulders. "Breathe son." That's when Stiles noticed that he was panicking.
He took a deep breath and nodded at his father, "What's going on?"
John looked at a loss, "Has Derek noticed anything off in town recently?"
Derek stepped up behind Stiles, shaking his head, "No, sheriff I haven't. What happened?"
"It's better if I show you," John said, walking to open the back door of the cruiser. He was surprisingly gentle as he picked up a bundle and walked it over to them.
Derek stiffened beside Stiles and he had to wonder what was going on. "Is that?" Stiles stuttered as John pulled down the blanket to reveal a beautiful soft face, ruffled with hair and sharp fangs.
"She can't be older than three months," John tried to explain. He went to give Stiles the baby, but Stiles was hesitant. He'd never handled children before.
Derek leaned over and sniffed softly at the baby's head. At that moment, the baby started crying and there the three of them stood, with no idea what to do. Stiles looked at Derek, "Is she?"
Derek nodded, stiff as he watched her face screw up as she wailed, "Where did you find her?"
John looked exasperated and Stiles sighed, reaching forward to take the baby into his arms. It was obvious that Claudia had been the one to care for Stiles as an infant. He bounced her up and down gently, patting her butt in an attempt to sooth her.
It took a few minutes but she finally settled, fresh little tear tracks on her cheeks. Stiles wiped them away as he looked down on her. She was beautiful. Anger swept through him. "Where did you find her?" He repeated.
John nodded, "I got a call from Deaton about another jurisdiction in southern Oregon. It's only about two hours from here. After learning that there were supernatural forces out there, I had Deaton keep me on call. So, that I could check up on you."
Stiles felt oddly comforted by that.
"He called to tell me about this little girl, she was found in an abandoned house, with her dead mother," John explained, "I don't have the resources to care for a werewolf, or to find out where she came from. I thought that Derek might."
Derek reached forward to run a finger down the baby's arm until she grasped it in her tiny hand, "My family was just one of thousands of packs across the United States. I'll make some calls to see if any flags pop up."
"Until then, I need your help," John said, "I need you to care for her until we find her family."
Stiles was drawn to look down at her sweet face, how could he say no?
"We'll care for her, we'll watch over her," Derek assured the sheriff.
John nodded at that, turning to grab a diaper bag out of the car. "This has a few basics, but she'll need other things, can I entrust that to you?" This was directed at Stiles.
Stiles finally looked his father in the eye, "Of course, we'll make sure she has everything she needs."
"Alright, I have to get back to the station, but if you hear any word, please call me," John said, giving Stiles a one armed hug before getting in the cruiser and driving off.
Stiles felt like his world was turned upside down, what was he supposed to do with a baby? He looked at Derek, who looked just as lost.
"Do you have any experience with babies?" Stiles asked and Derek's expression became pained.
"Not since the fire," Derek said and Stiles felt his stomach drop. This must have really hurt Derek in some ways.
"Well, if there's one thing I'm good at…" Stiles trailed off with what he hoped was a sure smile.
Derek thankfully, smiled back, "It's research."
"Let's look through that stuff and I'll bring my laptop down," Stiles suggested and Derek nodded as they walked back into the house. The baby girl had fallen asleep in Stiles arms, quite comfortable. "Here," He said as he handed her to Derek. She whined a little in her sleep but settled down quickly when Derek snuffled at her.
He made a quick trip upstairs to grab his laptop and a notebook. When he came back down, Derek had sat down on the couch, content to snuggle her. It was a picture that Stiles hadn't expected to see for another ten years.
"How does she know we're safe?" Stiles wondered aloud and Derek looked up at him.
"It's her instincts. If we meant her harm, she would sense it," Derek said in an explanation. It just brought Stiles more questions.
"Alright, so I see some diapers, some wipes, a couple bottles, and one tin of formula," Stiles said as he shuffled through the diaper bag, "So, she'll need everything."
Derek nodded, "It won't be a problem, we just need a list."
At that moment, Isaac came down. He froze in the doorway upon seeing the little girl, unsure of how to proceed. Stiles smiled at him, "It's okay Isaac, we'll be taking care of her for a little while."
"I haven't been around a baby in a long time," Isaac said honestly, stepping forward slowly. He sat carefully next to Derek, sniffing. She cooed in her sleep and Isaac finally relaxed. "She's beautiful."
She really was. She had dark hair and fair skin, but she hadn't been awake long enough for them to see her eyes.
"We can't keep calling her the baby," Stiles said as he sat on the other side of Isaac, "She needs a name."
They were all quiet and contemplative for a moment, before Derek spoke, "How about Sophie? That's what I've always wanted to name a little girl."
"Why not save it then?" Stiles wondered and Derek looked at him fondly.
"I'm not saying we'll keep her forever or anything," Derek said, "But what if we do? What if we can't find her family?"
Stiles joked, "Well, don't give up on the search so soon."
Derek shook his head, "I'm not."
"She would be a sweet though," Stiles gave in, it was okay to imagine. They would find her family after all, even if it took searching to the ends of the earth. She had someone who loved her out there somewhere.
"Sophie it is," Isaac said, brushing carefully against her hair.
"Alright, let's make the list quickly before she wakes up, I'm sure she'll be hungry soon," Stiles said, grabbing his notebook and pen.
"First, she needs a bed," Isaac said and then looked between them, "Whose room will she stay in?"
At that Derek and Stiles looked at each other, remembering the night before. "I could keep her with me, until we find out what she's most comfortable with." Stiles said and to that Derek nodded.
"Let's hurry so that we can go to the store before they close," Derek agreed.