Claudia went into Stiles' room to tuck him in. "Want me to read you a story?" She asked.
Stiles nodded, enthusiastically. "The Hobbit!" He said, pulling the worn book off his bookcase.
"Derek, do you want to read with us?" Stiles asked. Derek nodded.
Claudia turned to the direction that Stiles had addressed. "What did Derek say, honey?" She asked.
"He said to read to both of us, mom." Stiles said.
Claudia sat on the side of the bed, and read a chapter from the book, voicing all the characters in different voices. When she was done, Claudia went to turn off the light.
"Wait!" Stiles shouted. "Leave the light on. Derek's gonna read me a chapter of his book."
Claudia looked at the clock, and told Stiles he had half an hour. "I'm turning off the light in thirty minutes. You and Derek better be fast, kiddo." She said.
"Goodnight kisses?" Stiles asked. Claudia kissed him on the cheek.
"And Derek too." He insisted, gesturing to the foot of his bed. "This is ridiculous," She muttered under her breath, as she kissed the empty air at the foot of Stiles' bed. Derek leaned forward, so her kiss landed on his cheek.
"He says thanks." Stiles told her, as Claudia left the room.
"What book do you have tonight?"
"David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens." Derek said, opening to the first page.
"That sounds boring." Stiles said, groaning.
"Hey, you're in control of what I'm reading to you. If you want a different author, just let me know." Derek said, amused.
"Okay . . . read me fairy tales." Stiles said. The book in Derek's hands changed to the Brother's Grimm.
"Which story do you want?" He asked.
"Cinderella." Stiles said, jumping up to his feet on the bed.
"Sit down, and I'll start." Derek said, flipping through the book to Cinderella. He lay down beside Stiles on the bed, and lifted the book so they could both see the text. "Once upon a time . . ." Derek started to read.
"Should we be worried about this Derek character?" John Stilinski asked his wife, as they washed a load of dishes. "I mean, he's constantly talking to that invisible werewolf. His teacher called me at work the other day, saying our son and Scott were howling in class. Apparently, Stiles got in a fight on the playground, and told a kid he was going to rip the boy's throat out with his teeth."
Claudia looked up at her husband. "That is strange. I haven't seen Stiles try to harm anyone. But I do admit it's unfortunate that he's been disrupting his classmates."
She set the mug down on the counter. "He is a bit too old for an imaginary friend. He's turning nine in a few days. I'll have a talk with him about the schoolyard incident tomorrow." Claudia said. "I'm sure he'll outgrow this phase soon enough."
"Maybe we should push him to find more friends. It's a possibility that Stiles created this wolf because he's too lonely." John suggested. "He could do with a bit more interaction with his peers."
"Yeah, or a child psychologist." Claudia joked, putting away the cutlery.
Stiles stood up from where he'd been crouched outside the kitchen doorway, and tiptoed back to his bedroom. He shut the door, and flopped dramatically onto his bed.
"What'd they say?" Derek asked, looking at Stiles' troubled face.
"My teacher called Dad. They know about me and Scott howling in class. And Isaac ratted me out. Now they're thinking of calling a child psychologist." Stiles said, looking up at Derek. "Man, I'm in so much trouble."
"Do you want me to go away?" Derek asked, sadly. Derek felt guilty that he'd gotten Stiles in trouble at school, and he wondered briefly if the kid was better off without him. "Would that help, if I left?"
"No." Stiles answered. "I want you to stay forever. You're my best friend, besides Scott of course."
