The stadium was packed. Even though it was only a scrimmage game, this was the first time Beacon Hills would get a look at this year's lacrosse team and it felt like the entire town was there. The sheriff had arrived early try to stake out a seat in the bleachers, but it was standing room only.

John held on to Isaac's hand, careful not to squeeze too tightly. In the few weeks that Isaac had been with them, his physical wounds had healed but the child still had plenty of mental scars to deal with. John would have preferred to hire a babysitter and leave Isaac at home, but Isaac seemed pretty set on seeing Stiles and Scott play.

John felt a tug at his sleeve and crouched down in order to hear Isaac's voice. "I can't see," he said.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" John asked. Isaac nodded and John was actually quite surprised. Isaac was very particular about that sort of thing. John knew not to make a big deal of it and did his best not to smile like an idiot when Isaac's little arms wrapped around his neck. John remembered when Stiles was that small, how he'd just put his arms up in the air with the confidence that his dad would be there to pick him up. John hoped that someday Isaac would have the same sureness.

The loudspeaker crackled and the announcer's voice came on, reading the same thing he read every year about not smoking or drinking on the premises, no glass bottles or weapons, etc. Finally, the national anthem played and the team came onto the field.

John quickly spotted Stiles in the crowd and shifted to get a better view. The announcer read out the roster and the crowd cheered for every team member. When Scott's name was read, John heard a loud, enthusiastic shout that could've only been Melissa. It sounded like she wasn't too far away, so John put a protective arm around Isaac and navigated his way through the crowd to find her. Pausing to cheer when Stiles' name was called.

Finally, he spotted Melissa, who had been smart enough to bring a lawn chair with her. "Hey, John," she said with a smile. "I've got you covered." Before he could tell her not to worry about it, Melissa was unfolding a second canvas chair.

John set Isaac on the ground between the chairs and sat down. "Good to see you," John said. "I thought you had to work."

Melissa shook her head. "No, I got someone to cover. I spend way too much time in that place." She laughed. "What about you? Are you back at work?"

"I'm on fewer shifts than usual. Trying to stick to nights so that I can be around for the boys during the day."

The game had started and John glanced at the bench, waving to Stiles with a smile on his face. This would probably be the only time that Stiles would get to play and that was just because the coach had been forced into letting everyone get a chance on the field.

Isaac crawled into John's lap, much to the surprise of the two adults who could only look at each other with wide eyes and amazed smiles. "Is Scott gonna play?" Isaac asked. "I wanna see him."

"He might get to," Melissa answered. "Did you have fun playing video games with Scott and Stiles yesterday?"

Isaac nodded. "I got to push the buttons."

"That's great," Melissa said, watching him with a sad smile on her face.

Isaac turned to look at John and nervously managed to say, "I'm hungry."

John looked toward the concession stand. The line was massive. Luckily, Melissa reached into her purse and pulled out a chewy granola bar. "It's a mom thing," she said with a wink.

John nodded, remembering how Mary had been the same way. She always seemed to have exactly what they needed at the time.

The game progressed and John was pretty impressed with this year's team. Stiles still hadn't gotten a chance to play, but Scott had just gotten off the bench and Melissa was cheering so loudly that John was sure he could see Scott blushing. Isaac was perched on John's knees, watching the game intensely even though John was sure Isaac had no idea what was happening.

John leaned back and enjoyed the moment. It had been a long time since he'd been this content. Stiles was finally on the field. He looked nervous and awkward, but John was still so proud of him. However, John's heart dropped when he saw Stiles tackled roughly by Jackson Whittemore. John's chest constricted and his mind raced with worry. He was poised to jump out of his chair and run onto the field when Stiles managed to get onto his feet. John still wanted to race over to his son, but he knew that it probably hadn't been as bad as it looked.

When he was finally thinking straight again, John realized that he was holding Melissa's hand. They looked at each other with embarrassed confusion, neither of them sure who had been the one to start it. Melissa looked mortified as she pulled her hand away. "Sorry," she said.

John didn't reply, he just smiled nervously, hoping that the awkwardness would dissipate soon. The rest of the game went on without incident. At some point, Isaac had fallen asleep and John was back to being deliriously happy. The game ended, but John stayed seated, not wanting to wake the sleeping child. Isaac still had nightmares practically every night and John worried that the child wasn't getting enough sleep.

Scott and Stiles ran over to their parents, slightly damp from the showers. "Did you see that?" Stiles asked, hands waving wildly as he continued speaking a mile a minute. "Jackson nearly killed me. I mean, I know I'm not hurt physically but I have half a mind to sue him for emotional distress."

"You did great, Stiles," John said. "You too, Scott. I'm proud of you boys."

They parted ways and started to head home. Isaac slept for the entirety of the car ride while Stiles went on and on about how he was hoping to get to play in the official season opener and how he'd been practicing hard. He moved on to talking about a girl at school having a seizure in class and then rapidly changed the subject to the horrendous quality of the school lunches. John just smiled and shook his head.

"Alright, son," John said once they were pulling into the driveway. "I know you're probably not tired but I'm old and headed to bed. You can stay up if you want to, but try to be reasonable."

Stiles raced into the house to start playing whatever video game he was caught up in at the moment. John watched him go and then turned to look at Isaac, still sound asleep in the backseat. John got out and carefully lifted Isaac out of the car without waking him. He carried the child inside and right as he was about to lay the child down in his bed, Isaac's eyes fluttered open.

Isaac looked completely confused and his lip started to tremble the slightest bit. "It's alright," John said softly. "You fell asleep at the game. We're home now."

Isaac nodded and curled up on the mattress. John covered him with a blanket and started looking around. He could have sworn he'd seen the teddy bear somewhere in the room. While he was looking, Isaac asked, "Do I have a mom?"

John raised an eyebrow, wondering where in the world Isaac had come up with that question. John didn't really know how to answer. Was he supposed to tell a four-year-old child that his mother couldn't be bothered to raise him? "Yeah, kiddo, you do. She's somewhere else right now."

"Where's Stiles' mom?" Isaac asked, yawning.

John finally found the teddy bear under the bed and handed it to Isaac. "Stiles' mom was very sick."

"Is she dead?"

John cringed. It just didn't seem right for someone so young to know what death was. "Yes."

"My brother's dead," Isaac stated with a small, sad sigh.

John still had no idea how to respond to any of this, but he was trying. "Do you miss him?"

Isaac nodded. "He was nice to me. He wasn't mad at me."

"Why would he be mad?" John sat down on the floor and waited for an answer.

"I'm a mistake." Isaac yawned and rubbed his eyes.

John winced. "You're not a mistake."

"Yeah, but I am. My dad said so."

John was hesitant, but finally reached up and ran his fingers through Isaac's curly hair. "Well, I don't think you are."

Isaac didn't respond. He yawned again and started to drift off to sleep. John sat with him for a long time before slowly rising to his feet and heading down the hall to his bedroom. He lingered outside of Stiles door. The door was slightly ajar and John could see that Stiles was already in bed. He smiled and whispered, "I love you."

As far as John was concerned, Isaac was his just as much as Stiles was. It would take time, but he was going to make sure that Isaac learned that he wasn't a mistake and that he didn't have to be afraid.

:::::::::::::

It was the first long weekend of the school year and it was tradition for the Stilinskis and the McCalls to head out for one last day at the beach before the weather got too cold. It was roughly a two hour drive and they always left early in the morning and stayed until the sun went down.

As soon as they got there Scott and Stiles were eager to head out to the water, groaning as Melissa insisted that they had to put on sunscreen. The minute they had it applied, they raced each other to the ocean. John and Melissa started unloading all the beach gear that Melissa insisted on bringing. Isaac just lingered by the car, not sure of what to do. He trailed after the adults and stared out at the ocean as they set up the chairs and umbrellas and laid out the towels.

"What's wrong, Isaac?" Melissa asked.

"That's lots of water," Isaac said.

"It's the ocean," Melissa replied.

Isaac shook his head. "I don't know if I like the ocean."

"Why not?"

Isaac looked up at John and then Melissa. "I might drown."

John's heart sank. He wondered what had happened to Isaac that made drowning a fear, weather it had been because of an accident or something worse. While he was lost in thought, Melissa handled the situation.

"Why don't we just go close to the water? You can let the waves touch your toes. I'll even go with you."

Isaac looked at John. "You come too?"

John nodded and they all kicked off their shoes. Isaac grabbed John and Melissa by the hand and they walked out the water, stopping right at the shoreline. The waves lapped at Isaac's bare feet and suddenly he started grinning. Inch by inch, they went further into the water until the water was at Isaac's knees. A wave made him stumble backwards, but before he could fall, John lifted him up.

Scott and Stiles ran over to them in a flurry of splashes and shouts. They coaxed Isaac away from the adults, taking him out slightly further in the water. They taught Isaac how to let himself float just as the wave was coming so that he could ride with it for a few seconds before they caught him. John lingered in the water until it became clear that the boys could handle taking care of Isaac.

When John returned to the chairs, Melissa had already settled herself in for a day of tanning. She was reading a magazine and had taken a soda out of the cooler. "They sound like they're having fun," she commented as John sat down.

He nodded. "I think they are."

John started reading the novel he'd brought with him, but he didn't get very far because every few lines he had the compulsion to glance up and make sure that the boys were still doing alright. The beach was starting to fill up with others taking advantage of the long weekend. John was relieved when the boys came out of the water for lunch.

Scott and Stiles had been good about watching over Isaac all morning but John could tell they were eager to show off for the group of girls further out in the water, so John took over with Isaac. He held the child's hand and showed him sea shells and sand dollars. Occasionally they would turn to wave to Melissa.

All too quickly, the sun was setting and their day was reaching an end. The only thing left to do was eat at their favorite hole in the wall seafood place. They were sandy, slightly sunburned, and still smelled like the ocean as they followed the hostess to their table.

While they waited for their food, Scott and Stiles talked about lacrosse and Isaac watched them like he was hanging on to every word. Melissa observed them with a happy look on her face. John found himself smiling as well until someone passing by the window caught his eye. He could have sworn it was Sam Lahey. Without a word, John got up from the table and ran outside, scanning the sidewalk. There was a crowd of tourists walking and John strained his neck to see above them.

He went back inside, convinced that he must have just been seeing things. Ever since the beginning, John had had a bad feeling that they hadn't seen the last of Isaac's father and each day that passed without an arrest made John's anxiety just a little bit worse.

They enjoyed the rest of their meal without interruption. John volunteered to drive back and soon the car was completely silent. The boys were all asleep and Melissa looked like she was ready to nod off as well. John pushed his worries to the back of his mind and enjoyed the drive.

The day trip to the beach had been something Mary started when Scott and Stiles were around eight. Originally, it had just been to get Melissa's mind off of her divorce and give Scott some time to just be a kid. It had been such a success that Mary had insisted on a repeat the next year. The only year that they'd cancelled the trip was the year that Mary had been too sick to go. She'd insisted they go without her, but it didn't feel right. However, after Mary passed away, John and Stiles had been so in need of something to pull them out of their grief if only for a day that Melissa insisted on going.

John looked in the rearview mirror. Stiles had his face pressed against the window. Scott had his head against the seat and it moved back and forth ever so slightly with the motion of the car. Isaac was in his booster seat, chin pressed against his chest with a sand dollar still gripped tightly in his hand. It was a happy sight. John hoped that Isaac would be around for many more Stilinski-McCall beach trips.

:::::::::::::

They slept in the next morning and it was nearly noon before they had all finally rolled out of bed. None of them really felt like doing anything. It was clearly a day for movies and laziness.

John was surprised when he heard the doorbell ring. He went to answer it, still in sweatpants and a T-shirt.

"Hello, Sheriff Stilinski," the man at the door said. He was wearing a suit and flashed an FBI badge.

"What can I help you with?" he asked.

"I'm just here to ask a few questions."

John was puzzled, but he invited the agent in anyway. They sat at the dining room table.

"Has Samuel Lahey attempted to contact you at all?" the agent asked.

John shook his head. "No. Is he in the area again?"

"We haven't been able to confirm it, but there was a possible sighting a few days ago and we like to be thorough."

John felt like he'd swallowed a brick. "I can't be sure, but I may have seen him yesterday."

John felt robotic as he answered the agent's questions about when and where he'd possibly seen Sam Lahey. The agent left, making vague comments about law enforcement trying their best. The whole thing made John nervous. There was nothing confirmed so there was no way to know if there was actually any danger. Besides, John knew if there really was a threat to Isaac's safety then the Beacon Hills sheriff department would be on it.

John did his best to act normal as he returned to the living room. Eventually, he relaxed a bit and enjoyed the movie marathon and pizza. That night, after the boys were in bed, John made sure all the windows and doors were locked. He checked the pistol he kept by his bed. Deep down, he knew there was probably nothing to worry about, but he still couldn't stand the thought of Isaac being in any danger.