Scott was hovering around his bedroom door, listening for the shower to switch off. The little family had been in there for a while, doing a complicated switcheroo deal to get all of them clean while still having a handle on the kids. Scott couldn't quite figure it out, but he'd only ever had to clean himself. Well, besides that one time Stiles had fallen into a sugar coma during a sleepover and puked all over himself. He'd snuck him into the shower and cleaned him off, hiding the evidence before his mom could see and restrict their junk food intake. Scott doubted that Isaac was throwing his kids in the tub fully clothed and hosing them down while holding back a gag.

Allison had already gone to the bedroom with their daughter, but Scott hadn't come out of his room. Her reappearance was going to take some getting used to. Having someone come back from what you thought was their grave was kind of unsettling, but he was sure he'd accept it all soon enough. What he really wanted was to get Isaac alone for a talk.

It wasn't like there was a need to rush it, but Scott knew he wouldn't be able to sleep with all the thoughts running through his head. He wanted as many details as possible, about everything. Even the little stuff that didn't really matter. He'd missed it all and the unknown would drive him crazy.

Scott finally heard the water turn off and he prepared to do a casual bump in the hallway. He didn't want it to look like an ambush, because it wasn't. It was just an old friend wanting to talk to another old friend. He smiled when he heard Isaac murmuring something in French, even though he had no idea what he was saying. Dad Isaac was so different from the angsty teen he used to know.

"Let's go see what your sister is up to," Isaac cooed as he walked down the hall. This was his chance.

"Hey Isaac, did you need anything else before you…" Scott's words trailed off when he stepped out and got a look at the man in the hallway. Isaac hadn't gotten dressed in the bathroom and had a towel wrapped around his hips. The state of undress wasn't what stole Scott's words though. They'd seen more than enough of each other in locker rooms and while sharing a bathroom. What shocked Scott down to his core were the lines that covered Isaac's skin, visible now that there weren't any clothes in the way.

"Scott-"

"What the hell?" Scott breathed out, unable to tear his eyes away from his body. The wounds were obviously healing, but they hadn't all the way yet. This had to have been a recent and significant injury for it to still be marring his skin like that.

"Let me get the kids to bed and I'll explain everything," Isaac sighed, bouncing the sleepy bundle in his arms.

"Yeah, okay," Scott agreed, finally tearing his eyes from the evidence of violence. He watched Isaac walk into his old bedroom and close the door behind him, even more antsy now. Talking with Isaac was supposed to help settle him, but now he was amped up exponentially.

Scott decided to go down to the kitchen for their talk. He could make them something to drink and have a little more privacy from all the sleeping people in the house. It also gave him a nice distraction for the painfully long minutes of waiting. How long could it really take to put a couple kids to bed? Scott tapped his finger on the counter to give himself something to listen to, so he wasn't tempted to use his werewolf hearing to eavesdrop.

"Sorry it took so long," Isaac mumbled, striding into the kitchen a few minutes later. "Celine always insists on a lullaby before bed."

"I can't picture you singing," Scott chuckled, feeling his nerves settle a little from that little piece of information. Isaac was alive and well enough to sing songs to his daughter, so it couldn't be too bad.

"Everything changes when you have a kid. You start doing things you'd never even imagined," Isaac said with a fond smile. "I went to a Mommy and Me class a few times."

"What!" Scott spluttered, tipping his head back in laughter.

"They didn't have anything for dads, but Allison forced me to go. She said I was driving her nuts," Isaac shrugged, sliding into a dining room chair. "It was pretty lame, but I got a few good recipes from the ladies there."

"You sound so domestic, I can barely handle it."

"Life's funny that way, I guess. If you'd asked me back then where I saw myself in a few years, I would've said probably dead. And that prediction almost came true." Scott immediately sobered, turning to pour the drinks he'd made. He never knew that's how Isaac felt before he left. Sure, there was danger lurking around every corner, but Scott never gave up hope. Not enough to resign himself to death.

"I didn't think I should make coffee this late," Scott mumbled, setting a steaming mug in front of Isaac.

"Is this hot chocolate?" Isaac chuckled, taking a small sip. "You'll have to make this for Celine, if you want to get on her good side. Maybe throw a few petit fours on the side."

"I'll keep that in mind," Scott murmured, ready to finish with the small talk and get to the important conversation.

"I'm fine, you know. Nothing to worry about. The marks will probably be gone by morning," Isaac started.

"What happened?" Scott asked.

"It's kind of what led to us coming back," Isaac explained, running a hand through his curls. He looked so much like younger Isaac in that moment. "On the days that Allison taught archery lessons, I usually took the kids into town. We had just left this little bistro where we had lunch and were headed to the market for dinner supplies when we were ambushed." Scott sucked in a breath. He didn't have kids, but he could imagine the terror of having them be in danger. It wasn't anything he ever wanted to experience.

"By who?"

"It was this Omega. I don't know how I didn't notice him, but it didn't matter at that point. He had us backed into this alley out of the way of everything. There wasn't really anything I could do," Isaac muttered, shaking his head in frustration. "I gave Julian to Celine and she hid behind some boxes as best she could."

"Oh my God."

"I'd trained her for situations like these as soon as she could walk. We have a few code words, so she'll know what to do. We'd never had to use it for real before then," Isaac whispered.

"What did the guy want?" Scott asked.

"My kids. He wanted my kids, Scott," Isaac growled, balling his fists on the table. "I don't know what he wanted them for, whether it was to start his own pack or kill them, I'm not sure. But I wasn't planning on finding out."

"What happened?"

"You saw the aftermath," Isaac answered, waving at his torso.

"And the Omega?"

"He wanted my kids, Scott." Scott closed his eyes, knowing exactly what Isaac was saying, even though he didn't say the words. He honestly couldn't say if he'd do anything different. "I got the kids back home and called Chris, and he brought Allison back home. After they patched me up, we had a long talk. This whole thing, it really shook me up. It made me confront my mortality in a way I never really had before. If I died, I would be leaving people behind, people who really needed me."

"And that's why you decided to come back?"

"I had this mental image of Allison and the kids being left alone in hunter territory. Did I really trust the extended Argent family to do right by my kids? The younger generation is better, especially with Allison's influence, but some of the older ones are pretty stuck in their ways. Could I trust they would be okay with my werewolf children?" Isaac explained. "I talked with Alli about it and she agreed. We packed what we needed that night and we were on the first flight out here."

"Wow," Scott sighed, taking all the information in. He couldn't blame them for wanting to leave a place they didn't feel safe, but he was kind of surprised they'd come back to Beacon Hills. "Why did you come back here? You could've gone anywhere in the world and started over."

"We came back for you," Isaac admitted, staring straight into his eyes. "We came back for Chris, Melissa, Derek, Lydia, even Stiles. We came because even if something happens to me or Alli, I know my kids will be safe. This was always home, no matter where we were."

"Man, when did you get so profound and emotional?" Scott asked, trying to hide his sniffle. The air in the house was just really dry.

"I heard it on an episode of Peppa Pig," Isaac chuckled, taking another sip of his drink.

"I don't even know what that is," Scott laughed.

"Oh, you will," Isaac warned, breaking out one of his wide smiles. They spent a few more hours talking at the table, filling each other in on the things they'd missed during their time apart. Scott tried to stay away from more of the stressful, dangerous memories and Isaac tried to talk about things other than his kids, but he usually found his way back there eventually. Scott didn't really mind, because all of Isaac's senses exuded joy in those moments.

They finally went to bed, reluctantly acknowledging they should probably get at least some sleep. They parted ways in the hallway, much like they had for those months Isaac had lived there. It felt right, even if the details were a little bit different. Isaac and Allison were home and it felt good. Scott laid down in his bed, sighing in contentment. He got the best sleep he'd had in years.