Talia lay in her bed and listened as the house woke up, it was a rarity that she got to do this, but as it was the holidays and even warring packs let bygones be bygones unless a very grievous offence was had. So yes Talia was able to lie in bed with her husband and listen to her pack hustle about to and fro, noting that Dean must have arrived sometime in the night, because only he would start preparing Breakfast for everyone, this also means he once again stole his father's car as his own, Talia's wolf really only could ignore the Impala, even as loud as it was. But alas, even having a bit of a lie in had to end, especially when Cora and Derek yelling yay pancakes would wake even the dead. It only got louder when they ran and tackled Dean asking him about his time away from the pack.

"I suppose we have to go save our human pack mate?" Talia turned to face Erik.

"Let Peter do it, Dean's cooking breakfast for him Peter will kill you if it meant he will get to eat Deans cooking." Erik kissed her as she laughed "we have the morning off."

"We may not have to look after the pack, but we do have to go gift shopping"

"Still? I thought we got it all done." Erik whined.

"That was before we got a call from Val saying she was coming home for the holidays with Nikodem , and I think we should get Dean something else. Something personal."

"That will only make him feel awkward, and he will say we spoil him enough." Erik sighed as he saw his wife's eyes rim red "though I do agree we should get him something else. Hunter tools are fine but your right it's not personal."

"Okay it's settled we let Dean Take care of our pups and we get him another present, and figure out what to get a couple who we haven't seen in a few years." Talia gives another kiss to Erik before getting dressed for the day. By the time Talia and Erik made it down the stairs breakfast has been served and the pack was happily eating except Dean who hopped up as soon as he heard them on the stairs to plate their breakfast so it's hot. "Good morning Dean, when did you arrive?"

"Umm around 3:30" not technically a lie because he did arrive in California state around that time. Dean continued to cook the meal

"More like 5" Peter mumbled, and Dean almost burnt his hand on the frying pan when he tried to glare at Peter.

"And where did you come from?" Talia continued interrogating the hunter who has surprisingly learned a trick to lie to the werewolves over the years, though not very well thankfully for the pack.

"uhh. Utah?" he drove through Utah.

"I thought you were in Colorado?" Derek asks. Dean started to look a little shifty now and didn't look up from his cooking.

"And have you slept at all or have you just driven 17 hours straight?"

"I caught a couple of hours, here and there during that drive." Dean plated the eggs and pulled out the bacon and pancakes from the oven.

Talia had a feeling it was exactly a couple hours here and there but her human was ever so stubborn "Oh Dean you need to sleep hunny, it's not healthy." Talia accepted both plates from him and handed them to Erik.

"I will sort it out here, I always do and I am staying until after the New Year. So that's like three weeks of me." Dean grinned as Talia scented him and gave him a hug. "it's just I feel like I am at war constantly and all the little beasties are making a huff right now and I don't know why, I think it has something to do with yellow eyes." Dean confessed, at the mention of Yellow eyes it all made sense, he was looking after his other brother, Talia tightened her hug just a bit. "But I turned off my hunting phone, and am here 100%" Dean thought for a second as he let go of Talia "well maybe 75% little star needs my attention too."

The pack finished breakfast in an hour with Dean serving food periodically and regaling the pack with his hunting stories, Talia and Erik left with the order of "Peter's in charge and Dean look after them for me will you" when she got nod's from them she left towards town.

This close to Christmas it was surprisingly not bad, Talia even found a parking spot fairly quickly at the mall. Finding the right gift for Dean was tough, when she phoned Peter to ask what he thought, he listed off the gifts he and Derek already got him, which was a military jacket ordered online, and a bracelet that Derek found at an actual occult shop. Talia knew that the pack just attached their names to the gifts that she herself bought for the hunter so went in search of a more personal gift for Dean, while Erik poked around for his niece.

It took a few hours to find the gifts, for Dean, Talia went with a very simple Silver ring, with the inscription on the inside being a triskele with the hopes that is will become a betrothal ring sometime in the future. Erik settled on getting the couple books, on their interests with the decision to take them shopping in the new year before they left.

When they returned they sat in the warm car and listened to their house, it seemed Stiles had been kidnapped, as his and cora's giggle sounded out. Laura seemed the victim of their prank, she probably tried to get Cora, "presentable" again. This was confirmed by Derek's voice piping up to settle Laura's rage, "Laura, you know Cor absolutely will not put that ruffley skirt on until actual official pictures are taken, and she doesn't need to, she is going to be running around with Little Star anyhow." "It's Stiles, remember, Der" Stiles absently corrects "of course sorry Stiles, anyway leave them be…" the house seemed to quiet for an odd amount of time, probably a glaring match, before Derek spoke again "Dean said he was baking so you need to wash up Stiles, and Dean will braid your hair Cora so it's out of the way, for when you help him." The children's hollers of excitement almost drown out Laura's groan "I was going to fix her hair, why does she let Dean do it?" "Because Dean just braids her hair, and doesn't add glitter or beads."

"He will be a good Alpha one day," Erik comments quietly as he listens to his children.

"Laura will be to when she calms down, we will train both of them, I have a feeling all of them will need all the training a pack could give." Talia says proudly. "But he is perfect as Peter's second already, their manners even each other out."

"Oh how our pack has grown and settled, enough that the next generation is already filling positions for when the time comes," Erik says Grabbing Talia's hand.

"That time won't be here for a long time, my love." Talia just breathes in the moment and Squeezes Erik's hand. Talia enjoyed the peace that she and her once small pack of three fought and killed for. Her children will never know an abusive father, and a weak Alpha. They will grow up strong, and intelligent, as well as loved.