Authors Note: HEYO! XD Please tell me what you think; I would love to know XD I own nothing and no one, apart from the following: Sam Campbell, Charlie Jones, Zane, Chase, Gabriel, Ben, Mia, Harlequin (Harley),Stiles' fox = Melrakki (Rak), Stiles' wolf = Okami (Oki), Derek's wolf = Cana, Diego, Serena.

JUST SO YOU KNOW: like everyone else, I have no idea what Stiles' real name is, so I'm going along with what everyone else puts :) and I've made his middle name up XD

Please, please review XD

You guys are all so amazing and I love you all! In a non-creepy non-psycho kind of way XD

SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, BUT I'M AT UNIVERSITY!

Chapter 48 - Part 1

Stiles

Nine days.

It had been nine days since Dallas.

I hadn't spoken a great deal, only saying a sentence or two in every conversation. I just... I wasn't in the best of places. And could you blame me? From my dad to Zane, with what had happened, could anyone really blame me?

The nightmares had started up again. They were worse this time, new scenarios added into the horror already in my head. I slept less than I had before. I was just so tired. I was tired of being tired. I was tired of being so scared of them. All I wanted was to live a normal life. All I wanted was to move on! Was that so wrong? Was that such a bad thing?

I was sitting in my armchair. It was where I spent a lot of my time, during the day. I would be there when everyone woke up, I would be there long after they had gone to bed. I only moved when I had to, which included taking Harley to his room. They hadn't tried to get me to move. They hadn't tried to pull me out of the seat, telling me to snap out of it. To get over myself. They did nothing like that.

They let me be.

They were letting me come to terms with it all.

I mean: Zane had been arrested and would put on trial; Dad had been found out and, now, was being hunted down... Everything I had known in Dallas had been changed in a blink of an eye.

I wasn't sure how I felt.

I thought it would feel good. I thought it would be the greatest feeling in the world. I just felt empty. I had lost years of my life, because of those two people. Because, somehow, they got so twisted in the head.

And I was convinced it was because of me.

I thought I was the reason for Zane's change in behaviour. That I was the reason for him turning into an abusive asshole, just like my Dad. But he had been like that for God knows how long. Apparently, he had even shot his six year old sister when he was seven, the bullet lodging itself between her eyes. He had even drowned the kitten his family had rescued, when he was five. He had been troubled for over a decade, but I had always thought it was something that I had done wrong because, at first, he had been so nice.

"It was his fault." Okami snarled. "He's the reason we thought that."

Yeah, that was true... People like Zane, they're good manipulators. They knew how to take what they were doing and make you believe it was your fault. They knew how to break you. That's why they usually went for the 'weak' ones, why they went for the 'easy' targets. That was why he went for me. I was sixteen. I was vulnerable. I had been beaten down, literally, and he was the first person to show me some sort of kindness. He saw my weakness and he played off of it.

But he never broke me. Well, not completely, anyway. Whilst, in some ways, he had down exactly that, in others it had only made me stronger. It made me fight. Everything that he and Dad had done to me made me who I was. I believed it had made me that little bit stronger.

If I survived the hell they put me through, then I could survive anything.

Well, as long as I had my Pack, my family, with me.

I spent a lot of time drawing. I would draw the things that calmed me, the things I loved. Of course, I was always around them. I would draw them all doing random little things - reading, talking, laughing, watching TV... Just about anything, really.

Sometimes, Harley would watch me. He would curl up on my lap, watching as I created a reflection of someone on the paper. He seemed entranced by the process, even asking to see some of my earlier works. I even got him to try it out. I brought down my supplies, sitting with him on the floor as he leant against the coffee table, drawing with him - and Sam, once she found us.

It was funny really. Harley was just like any other child. He liked things that a lot of children did. He just didn't know that, because he wasn't a normal child, he had never done anything normal. He had never sat down at a table and drawn a picture. He had never played in a park. He had never done anything like that. I guess 'funny' wasn't the right word... Sweet, maybe. I wasn't exactly sure what the right word was.

Harley's drawings were similar to those of a four year old. But they would be - he had never done it before. That didn't make them bad. They were good for him. They were good for me. They didn't have to be these masterpieces that were hung in a studio, he didn't have to be the best artist there ever was. It was just for fun.

I ended up drawing a portrait of Harley drawing. There was just something about the moment that I wanted to capture and I didn't have a camera to hand. There was something about moments like this, no matter the person, that I seemed to love - just the domesticity of it all.

I really felt like we were just a big family.

Reaching out my free hand, I ran in down the back of Harley's hair. In such a short amount of time, this little boy had become so precious to me. I felt like, maybe, they were all right - maybe I was a protective 'mother'. Not that that was a bad thing, of course. I didn't like the fact that it was gendered - not that there was anything wrong with women - but it would have been nice to be referred to as a protective father, you know? I didn't mind it, though. What they meant behind the statement, I didn't mind. I know Derek and I had explained to Harley why we shouldn't be referred to as his parents, but I didn't mind as much as I probably should have.

Ok, that's kind of weird...

Shaking my head slightly, I picked up the pencil again, turning back to the portrait of the kid. I focused on getting the dimensions right, focused on how the light was angled so I could get it right for the paper copy. I just focused on just trying to get it perfect.

"Ah, it's not weird." Okami snickered. "For all intense and purposes, he's our cub."

"For once, I must agree." Melrakki grinned. "And I think the cub knows."

"Guys, shut up." I sighed.

Of course this would be the one thing they agreed on.

I couldn't say how long Sam and I sat with Harley, drawing. It was, actually, rather therapeutic. It was the first time, since coming home from Dallas, that I moved from my armchair to sit somewhere else in the room. Honestly, I think everyone was happy with the small development.

"Can we do this more?" Harley asked, bringing another piece of paper closer to him, looking up at me. "I like this."

"Yeah, we can do this more, Sweetheart." I smiled.

The kid grinned as he reached for a pencil, his head bobbing from side to side as he swayed slightly. He always seemed younger than his mental age of seven. I think it was just the innocence surrounding him, the slight naivety. It always made me want to protect him all the more.

"You're so whipped." Sam laughed, quietly.

I suppose it was childish, but I could think of no other response than to stick my tongue out at the blonde.

"Real mature." she snickered.

Rolling my eyes and looking towards the other side of the room, I couldn't stop the small smile. There was just something so normal about the situation that started to make things easier.

It was as I looked to the other side of the room that I saw Derek. He was leaning against the door frame to the living room, his arms folded loosely over his chest. He was completely relaxed, a small upturn to the side of his mouth. The moment he saw I had spotted him, he beckoned me over with a flick of his head. I didn't move straight away, just arching an eyebrow at him and waited to see if I would get any explanation. All I got was another gesture for me to go over.

As I got up, I ruffled Harley's hair slightly, telling him I'd be back in a bit before I made my way over to Derek.

He didn't take me too far away from the room, just into the kitchen and pushing the door slightly closed. He didn't say anything to me straight away. He didn't start questioning me or anything. All he did was hand me a cup, getting me to sit down at the table in my usual chair.

Hot chocolate. That was what was in the cup. I hadn't had hot chocolate in quite a few months... Some would say it was a little too warm to drink something like that, but I couldn't find it in myself to give a damn.

Derek sat next to me, his hands cupped around his own mug. He stared down into the dark liquid, just staring at it. I couldn't tell if he was thinking about what to say, or just enjoying the quiet for a moment... His scent gave off no hit.

He was just content.

"I'm proud of you." Derek said, glancing up from his mug.

"Wh-Why?" I whispered, frowning.

"Because you did it."

Now, I had no idea how he thought that was a good explanation but, apparently, for Derek, it was. Honestly, he really needed to work on that... It was a wonder anyone knew what he meant, sometimes.

"You need to expand on that, Der." I sighed.

"You faced them." he smiled. "You faced them and you won. Not a lot of people have the courage to do what you did."

I couldn't find a trace of a lie in him.

"We're proud of you, Gen." he repeated. "I'm proud of you."

Sunday, July 20th 2014, I started getting back to my old self. I still wasn't sleeping a lot, but I would move around a lot more. I started to talk a bit more. It was a bit of slow progress, but a little was better than nothing.

I wanted everything to go back to normal, I wanted everything to go back to what it was like before Dad showed up. I just wanted my life back. And that wouldn't happen if I kept myself locked inside the house.

Which was why I decided we would have a picnic.

From the minute I had finished breakfast, laying it all out on the table, I started working on things for the picnic. I needed to keep myself busy, needed to keep moving. If I stopped, I would just go back to the chair... What good would it do me if I just went back to sitting on my ass?

It wouldn't.

So I had to keep busy.

I made a plan. I made a plan of absolutely anything and everything we could possibly need. I made a list of things I could bake, just to add more time onto how long it would all take. I suppose, in a way, you could call it my way of coping, or something. I wasn't really sure. Trying to ignore the issue and move on was, usually, what I went with.

It was what I did in Dallas.

It was what I did when I first arrived in Beacon Hills.

It was what I would still be doing, if I hadn't met my Pack.

"Planning on feeding an army?" Derek laughed as he walked up beside me, pulling my plan a little closer for him to see.

"I'm not making that much." I huffed, rolling my eyes.

"Yes. Yes you are."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that."

I never once turned from the cake mix. I just kept on mixing.

It was nice to get the practice again for making cakes, considering I had to make two of them - one the next day, and another four days after that. Why? Well, July 21st was Charlie's twenty third birthday, July 25th Isaac's nineteenth birthday. The least I could do for them both was make a damn cake.

Besides, it wasn't like it was a hardship. I wanted to make them something, I had told them I would make them cakes. I decided it would become my little tradition, for everyone's birthday. I mean, I had made Peter's and made on for Jackson once we got home from Pride in Los Angeles. So why not make it my thing?

I hadn't realised Derek was still in the kitchen with me. Not until he placed his hands over mine, stopping me from mixing the cake batter. He took my hands away from the bowl and mixer, turning me to face him.

In some way, I think he knew what I was doing, why I was doing this. I think he seemed to understand. I didn't know how he knew, but I was sure he did...

"Running won't make it better." he told me.

Yeah, he knew...

"I tried. I tried running from the fire. I tried ignoring everything that had happened. Do you know where that got me?" Derek sighed. "In trouble. I caused hell for Laura, after the fire. She was the only family I had left, she was suffering too, but I made it worse for her, because I was running from it all."

Derek spoke softly. He wasn't saying it in a way that was accusing me, or even in a way to make me feel bad... He was saying it as if he was admitting to it.

"I was running from it, right up until a few days before she came back here to Beacon Hills. After I found out what had happened to her, for a little while, I ran from that too." Derek said. "Running doesn't make it better, it only makes it hurt more. I know our situations are different, I know it's not an easy thing to do - I'm not saying it is... All I'm saying is running won't help you. Pretending it never happened won't help you."

Derek kept a tight hold on my hands as he spoke to me. I could feel his sadness, his self-anger, his everything, as if it was my own. It was such a whirlwind of emotions, nothing that I could keep up with... I was amazed how he could hold himself together so well.

"We're all here for you. You don't need to pretend, you don't need to be strong." he insisted. "Let us help you, let us be strong for you. Ok?"

Hesitantly, I nodded.

Truthfully, I didn't know if I could do. For as long as I could remember, I had to be strong for myself, I had no one to fall back on. I couldn't trust anyone but me. It was hard, even now, trying to rewire myself... But I would try. Just because Derek had asked, I would try.

Derek pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me easily, tilting his face down into the top of my head, as mine was buried against his chest. There was something about being like this that just made me feel so warm, that made me feel...right. I think it was because I just liked being in Derek's arms, to be honest.

Not that I minded.

We didn't go too far for the picnic.

We set up outside the house, right in front of the steps of the porch that led to the front door. No one wanted to go very far, so keeping it at home seemed like the best plan. Besides, it made it easier if anyone needed another drink, a change of clothes or needed the bathroom. It was just all round easier, to be honest.

It was a nice day out. A perfect summer day. Everyone was just laying around, talking, just enjoying being with each other. Well, I say everyone... Harley was walking around the border of the preserve close to the house, intently looking at each and every tree and flower nearby.

"He's a curious little thing." Peter chuckled, leaning back into the sun.

"That he is." I nodded, watching as Harley talked to himself, grinning.

In the, almost, two months Harley had been living with us all, there had been a lot of progress with him. Whilst he was still a little unsure, he was a lot more comfortable with everyone in the house. He spoke a lot more, he acted a lot more freely. Yes, he was still, practically, attached to my hip, but that didn't matter. Hell, even the Betas had all, slowly, begun to get used to him. Slowly accepting him.

It was a big step for all of them.

Harley had, also, became a lot more curious. He wasn't afraid to ask questions, he would willingly get a closer look at something. He wanted to know, he wanted to understand. He was a kid.

Huffing a small laugh, I shifted myself slightly, until I could lay down, placing my head on Derek's legs. You wouldn't think it, but the Alpha wolf was, actually, rather comfortable... Derek didn't seem to mind, he never seemed to. He seemed to like it when I lay over him.

I could never understand why...

Reaching over, blindly, I grabbed some kind of food out of some container. Strawberries. I loved strawberries. I didn't really like strawberry flavoured things, but I loved actual strawberries. Ripping off the stalks of the two I had in my hand, I popped one in my mouth, stretching the other one up with my hand, until it was in front of Derek's face.

I watched as Derek jerked slightly, not expecting the red fruit to appear in his eyesight. He just looked at me, pushing his chin down to his chest. I didn't say anything, just moved the fruit a little closer to him, waiting. Now, I expected him to take it with his fingers. You know, like anyone else would.

Nope.

Derek seemed to decide that, no, he didn't want to lift his arms, instead just leaning forward slightly, sucking up the fruit with his mouth...

I was lucky no one else saw.

I barely pulled myself from the surprise when I was pounced on by sixty eight pounds of Fairy child. Harley landed on my stomach, lying right on top of me, absolutely beaming. He was practically shaking he was so happy!

I had never seen him in such a state, since he had been living with us.

"You have to meet Steven!" he giggled.

Everything grinded to a halt. Everyone stopped talking, turning their attention to the kid.

"Steven?" I asked, slowly.

"Yuh-huh! Come on!" he grinned.

Harley leapt off of me, grabbing my hand as he tried to pull me up off of the ground. I got up as fast as I could, my mind spinning with thoughts of this Steven. I was terrified there was going to be someone standing in the preserve, waiting for Harley to run back, waiting to grab him...

I made sure to keep a tight hold of Harley's hand.

I heard everyone following, as Harley pulled me towards the far corner of the preserve border. I was getting ready to pull Harley behind me, getting ready to fight off whoever could be there.

But there was no one there.

There was no lingering scent...

"This is Steven." Harley giggled, jumping on the spot slightly.

"Where is he?" Danny frowned.

"Right there!"

Harley pointed straight in front of us. At a tree.

All the tension drained out of me.

See Fairies could talk to things like plants. Meaning, Harley could talk to the trees. He could understand them... When I saw him talking to himself, he was actually talking to the trees. In some way, it was a little more reassuring than him talking to himself.

"I like Steven, he's my favourite." Harley told us. "He's a sassy tree."

The next day, Sam and Charlie appeared somewhere around two that afternoon. Charlie had told us how she didn't want to do a lot for her birthday - just spend it with Sam and us, maybe have a nice dinner with everyone. And, honestly, who were we to argue with the birthday girl?

The moment Charlie walked through the door, she was rushed. She was spun from person to person, being hugged and sang to.

She couldn't stop smiling.

She laughed as Peter twirled her around, wrapping his arms around her. Ever since Sam had asked him to walk her down the aisle, ever since Peter and Sam had formed this Father/Daughter relationship, he had very much treated both of them as part of the family. Charlie had, for all intense and purposes, become his future daughter-in-law. His feelings about it all showed with how he interacted with them...

Harley jumped on the were-coyote's back, throwing his head back as he shouted a 'Happy Birthday'... Honestly, I was sure Harley was more excited than anyone else. Though, I suppose, with how Jackson's birthday went, I couldn't blame him.

I was the last person to get to Charlie, settling for just hugging her instead of throwing her around. I even managed to pry Harley off of her as I pulled back, letting her right herself from the stampede of big children.

"Well, that was an enthusiastic hello." Charlie laughed, straightening out her dress.

"Are you guys always like that on someone's birthday?" Sam chuckled, wrapping an arm around Charlie's waist.

"More or less." Jackson shrugged. "Well, recently anyway."

"Ever since Peter's birthday." Erica grinned.

As per Charlie's request, we hadn't gone mad for her birthday. We had decorated the house, yes but, since Isaac's birthday was so close, we got away with it.

One thing she couldn't stop us from doing, however - presents. Obviously, we were getting her presents.

It was just stuff for the shop, gift cards, just small things, plus a painting from me. Which was why Derek and Peter said they would pay for dinner. There had been quite the dispute over that but, in the end, Derek and Peter won.

Charlie had told us off for getting her things or, in my case, making her something. She told us how there was no need for us to do that, that it was just another day, that it was nothing special... It was the exact view I had on my own birthday.

Let's just say, Charlie was rushed some more by the Betas.

Derek and Peter had taken us all to this extremely nice restaurant. A lot of the time, if we went out to eat, we would go to the diner in town. We never went to any of the restaurants, because of how Sam and I would be treated.

This place? In this place, no one would cause a scene.

Because of the number of us, we were sat near the back of the restaurant where they could group the tables easily, without creating a danger to anyone. None of us minded, it just felt like we were in a little VIP area!

Jugs of water and small glasses were spread out across the tables, menus handed to us as we all sat in our seats. The prices of, well, everything were ridiculous! I was used to going to the diner and getting a good meal for, like, ten dollars a person, maybe less. At this place? You were looking at more, thirty plus!

I just didn't understand it.

"You really didn't have to do this." Charlie sighed, scolding Derek and Peter.

"Of course we did!" Peter deflected. "Your birthday is only once a year."

"Says the man who didn't want us to bother about his own birthday." I chuckled.

Turning to look at me, Peter smirked slightly. He rested his elbow on the table, pointing his forefinger straight at me.

"That has nothing to do with it." Peter stated, trying not to grin.

"Whatever you say, Zombie wolf." I grinned.

The dinner was very uneventful. We went, we ate, we had fun, we went back to the house. It was fun, don't get me wrong, just nothing bad made it stand out. Nothing bad happened, which I was grateful for.

I practically ran through the house the moment I got through the door, rushing into the kitchen to get and light Charlie's cake, grabbing a knife along the way.

It was a simple sponge cake, in the shape of a wrench, grey icing covering the top of it. 'Happy Birthday, Charlie' was written in black, liquid icing, two candles in the shape of a two and a three standing behind them. It wasn't much, but I wasn't good at decorating cakes... Charlie seemed to like it though, and that was enough for me.

"Make a wish, Babe." Sam grinned, moving Charlie towards the cake by her hips.

The redhead just giggled, stumbling along with the gentle guidance as everyone around her sang. She grinned, leaning gently against Sam as she looked around at all of us.

It was just a strange feeling, having so many people gathered around for a birthday. I hadn't celebrated my own in over a decade, I never remembered having parties... When my Mom had gotten sick, I pushed my birthday to the side. After she died, it just became too painful. And then, after everything with Dad, I was never given the chance to even try. I think, the last time I celebrated my own birthday, or any birthday for that matter before coming back to Beacon Hills, was when I was six.

Wasn't that just pathetic?

I watched as Charlie blew out the candles, everyone cheering for her - I never understood why people did that... I watched as Peter plucked the candles from the cake. I watched as Charlie started to cut into it.

I just took a step back and watched.

I had missed doing it. All of it.

Friday, July 25th, just four days after Charlie's birthday, came Isaac's.

Even though Isaac was turning nineteen, he acted very much like a ten year old. Not that I blamed him for that. I mean, like me, I doubted he celebrated many birthdays. He probably hadn't celebrated properly in almost as many years as me, maybe a few less.

He had pranced down the stairs after waking up, bouncing into the kitchen with the biggest grin on his face. I could almost see the tail wagging! He wouldn't stop jumping. No matter what I did, he wouldn't stop jumping. I couldn't help but to smile...

I had to get Harley to distract the Pup. I couldn't concentrate on making the pancakes with a hyperactive nineteen year old jumping around! Of course, putting those two together ended up being the worst decision I had ever made.

They were chasing each other around.

Isaac was throwing Harley into the air and onto the couches.

Harley was jumping all over Isaac...

The home I knew was quickly turning into a mad house!

But I loved it. How could I not? It was everything I had ever wanted a home to be - happy. But, of course, as much as I loved both it and them, they were still very distracting!

"Boys! If you're going to be like this, can you please go wake everyone up?" I laughed, looking at them from over my shoulder. "Do whatever you feel necessary."

"Last one upstairs is a rotten egg!" I heard Isaac shout.

"No fair, you cheated!" Harley giggled back.

Shaking my head, I wondered how parents coped with really little children at that age. I mean, I could barely cope and, for one, they were all over the age of ten and, for two, I wasn't their parent!

It was ridiculous.

But, like I said, I loved it.

I wouldn't trade what I had for anything.

They were all what was getting me through the Dallas Incident. All of them and nothing else.

"You've definitely gotten soft, Stilinski." I laughed to myself.

It was then that I was greeted by the sound of voices.

They were all so mixed together that I couldn't distinguish what any of them were saying... It took seconds before I heard feet thundering on the stairs.

I had only just managed to turn the oven off, moving the pan away from me as I stepped back from the oven and turned around, when I was pounced on by Isaac and Harley. They both clung to me, giggling, hiding behind my back.

The Betas came running in after them, all of them skidding to a halt when they saw me, Derek and Peter trailing calmly behind them.

"Good morning." I grinned. "Breakfast is ready!"

As soon as we let him, Isaac had dove into his presents. His face just reminded me so much of his reaction at Christmas... Thankfully, Peter had his camera, capturing each moment and face as it came.

Isaac was always so grateful for whatever he got. He wasn't one of those people who would complain, or be a brat. He was always genuinely grateful, even if it was something he would never use. He was a good kid.

He got a range of things from everyone - books, DVDs, clothes, things like that. To be honest, I was a little worried about how he would react to my gift. See, Deaton had managed to force more money onto me, after I helped out at the vets again. He had told me to put it towards the holiday and, with some of it, that's what I had done - I had put it in a safe place, with a bit more of the money he had forced onto me over the months. But I hadn't. I had used it to buy a gift for Isaac.

Well, gifts, I suppose I should say.

I had gotten him a replica of the fourth Doctor's scarf from Doctor Who, as well as a TARDIS mug with a lid. It was from both Harley and me, everything now was from Harley and me - I mean, come on, the kid was way too young to work! I was worried that Isaac wouldn't like it. I thought it wasn't enough, compared to what the others had gotten him.

I was wrong.

He actually loved it. His heart didn't lie.

He all but threw the scarf around his neck, hugging the ends to his chest, putting on a very convincing British accent as he said 'I'm the Doctor'.

No one could understand how relieved I was that he liked it... I mean, I wasn't good with gifts. I never knew what to give people. I never had any money to get anyone anything decent, which was usually why I gave them a painting...

But Isaac had liked what I had given him. He had liked it and he wasn't just saying that so he didn't hurt my feelings.

Isaac had run off shortly after putting the scarf off, yelling something over his shoulder about having some tea... I don't think there was a single person in the house that wasn't smiling...

When it came to going out for dinner with Sam and Charlie, Isaac had insisted on going to the diner. He said he didn't need a fancy place to celebrate. No one argued, no one was put out by that. To be honest, I was so happy he had said it!

I mean, don't get me wrong, the restaurant had been great! The food was awesome... But it just wasn't us. The diner, however, he almost become our place. It was casual, we could just relax and be ourselves.

I was confident in saying everyone preferred the diner.

Isaac was still wearing the scarf I had bought him, even throwing on the Dean-Winchester-look-alike leather jacket Sam and Charlie had given him. He was quite happy in his own little Fanboy world, bless his little puppy heart.

Throughout the entire meal, I couldn't help but watch Danny every time he looked towards Isaac. It was just the look he would have on his face, just full of love and admiration. It was the look of someone that was completely, head over heels, in love. They were the most sickeningly sweet couple I had ever come to face.

Ever.

If I was being truthful, I was a little jealous. I wanted something like what they had. I wanted to have that person that loved me completely and I them. It had been something I had been hoping for, for years. Even more so after the age of fourteen...

But I wasn't bitter because I hadn't gotten that. I was happy that the people I cared about had.

"This is the best birthday ever." Isaac laughed. "I can't remember a birthday I enjoyed more!"

"I guarantee you'll be saying the same thing, next year." Charlie smiled, sipping her drink.

"I hope so!"

Isaac's cake was another sponge cake. This one was covered in dark blue icing, and edible 'I' standing upright, with two small candles in the shape of a one and a nine standing in front of it.

After one slice of cake, almost everyone went back for another...

Now, I don't know how it happened but, the next thing I knew Danny had a face full of cake. From what I could gather from the situation, Isaac had decided to play Cake Face.

Danny wasted no time in joining in.

In a matter of seconds, cake was flying around the living room, being smashed into faces. Absolutely no one was safe!

Some had ran outside, hoping that the bigger space would keep them safe... I, on the other hand, did what I had done last food fight at Peter's birthday - I hid in the kitchen. It was the one place that no one seemed to think to go. I mean, come on, if you're having a food fight, go to the place in the house that has the most food!

Whilst on Peter's birthday, I had ended up in the kitchen alone for five minutes, almost instantly, Derek had followed me in.

He had a paper plate with cake in his hand.

"Derek... Derek, don't you dare..." I grinned, backing away from him.

"Oh, so you dare me?" he chuckled, creeping forward.

"Derek, I meant it!"

I couldn't stop grinning. Just seeing him so happy was enough to keep me smiling.

Before I knew it, I was backed up into the corner of the counter, completely trapped on all sides as Derek quickly closed in on me.

I only had enough time to close my eyes before I had cake in my face.

The plate slid from my face when Derek let go of it.

I could almost feel his laughter, he was standing so close to me.

And then his tongue was on my cheek.

I stopped breathing. I froze up completely, my face heating up.

"Food play." Okami snickered. "Kinky."

Neither Derek nor I had brought up the cake-face-licking thing. It was just brushed under the carpet. For one night, it had overtaken the nightmares, giving me another sexual dream about Derek, meaning I had to change my sheets in the middle of the night. On the one hand, I was grateful for no nightmare... On the other hand, I hated having to change my sheets at two in the morning.

It was a bitch cleaning up all the cake too, trying to find where it had all gone! But we had got it done. We had got it done, the house was clean... And we were focusing on our holiday!

It was, currently, Monday - July 28th... We were flying out the next day! We were going on a legitimate holiday, one that was planned and everything! It was all very exciting. Sam, Harley and I had never been on holiday. Harley and I had never been out of the states, Sam only went out of the states when she was given a case. It was an all new ball game for us.

Throughout the day, we had all been talking about Cyprus.

We had Peter tell us about the hotel.

We had Derek and Peter tell us about the tow.

We had them both tell us what they remembered...

FLASHBACK - Saturday, June 26th 1993 - 15 year old Peter's POV

It had been Talia's idea. She and Oliver had gone to Paphos for their honeymoon, and Talia had decided to take us all to visit, for a family holiday. It was a beautiful place, all sun and sea...

I had Derek on my back, the four-almost-five year old very close to falling asleep. Not that I could blame the poor boy, we did have a late flight.

"I believe it would be a good idea to find our rooms." I said. "I think someone needs to sleep."

Laughing lightly, Talia ran a hand gently down the back of Derek's head. Talia had always been a caring mother. Even before her children were born, when the two of us were younger, she was always there for me, helping to raise me. I had more memories of Talia caring for me than I did our own mother! I knew for all my life that Talia would be a wonderful mother and Alpha.

"I think your right." she agreed. "Do you want me to take him?"

"Nah, he's fine." I grinned. "He's bunking with me, anyway."

(Small time skip)

Before everyone hoped into bed for a short nap, Talia came to the door of mine and Derek's room, which just so happened to be the one next to the one she was sharing with Oliver and Laura.

"So, do you think you'll enjoy our vacation?" Talia asked, sitting on the edge of Derek's bed, brushing his hair back from his face.

"I think I could." I nodded. "Not too shabby."

Talia just smiled. She was always smiling. Ever since I could remember, she was always smiling... I could never once remember seeing her upset, not once. My sister was always so calm and collected and happy. I just couldn't understand how she was always so constantly happy.

"I really hope you do, Peter." she told me. "This is for you, more than anyone."

"For me?" I frowned.

"Yes. I know we were never able to do this with Mom and Dad; I wanted to give you what they couldn't - I wanted to give it to our entire family. I want you to be able to look back at your childhood and remember doing things like this with us all. I want you to remember it and smile."

Straightening up from where I was unpacking, I walked up to my sister, wrapping my arms around her.

"With everything you've done for me, I will always smile when I think of these days." I told her.

END OF FLASHBACK - BACK TO: Monday, July 28th 2014 - Stiles' POV

Peter just smiled the entire time he spoke about their experience in Paphos. He just couldn't seem to stop smiling. I couldn't blame him... They were good days, simpler days. Days when his family, his sister, was alive.

I had days like that all the time.

I had days like that, just like everybody else.

So why not Peter?

With a quick text to Sam and Charlie, reminding them to be ready for the next day, we all went to our rooms and pack our suitcases.

Before going to my own room, I went to help Harley first. I dragged out the suitcase, like I had for Los Angeles, placing it on the floor in his room. I got the kid to stand in front of the closet with me, looking into it.

I wanted to see if he could figure out what he needed.

He walked up to the closet, first taking out a short sleeved t-shirt, turning to me to see if he had chosen right. All it took was a smile and a nod to get his confidence up. Within seconds, Harley was dragging everything out of his closest, just so he could get a better look at it all.

As Harley rooted through his clothes, separating them into piles of what he thought was and wasn't a good idea to wear, which he would get my approval on once finished, I took out anything else he would need. For example, his swimming trunks. Just little things that he would need throughout our stay.

"Do you think it'll be fun?" Harley asked me, looking over his shoulder. "Like Los Angeles was?"

"Well, it won't be exactly like Los Angeles, but it'll be great." I smiled. "It sounds like a lot of fun."

"Can I staying in the same room with you again?"

Putting a few things on Harley's bed, I turned to fully look at the child kneeling on the floor. He was holding one of his shirts in his hands, resting it on his knees as he waited. He looked, almost, hopeful...

"Of course." I told him. "Unless you want to sleep in the hallway."

Thankfully, he seemed to realise it was a joke.

I was in Harley's room, helping him pack, for about an hour. He had done well, actually, with picking out his clothes. Maybe one or two things needed to be taken out of his 'take' pile but, other than that, he had got it pretty spot on.

The moment I had finished with him, Harley and I walked out of his room, placing his suitcase next to his bedroom door. I got him to go find Derek or Peter whilst I packed myself.

I always found it strange how at home I felt in my room. Even after all these months, it was still so strange to me. I hadn't felt like I had a home in so many years, the concept was almost foreign to me. But, now, here I was, living in a house, with people that actually cared for me.

And I was going on a holiday.

My head was practically spinning from the thought. It was a good spinning though, a very good spinning... It was a spinning that made me feel I was floating on a cloud. A spinning that made me feel warm.

Grinning, opening my suitcase out on my bed, I started gathering everything I needed. All I could think of, whenever I packed any of my things, I couldn't stop my mind from jumping back to my last night in Dallas. I couldn't stop from thinking about the panic I had gone through at that time, about the fear of being caught... It was such a difference from the relaxed setting I was in packing for a holiday.

Never, in all my life, had I thought I'd reach a moment like this one.

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