He felt like he was about to have a panic attack and Stiles hadn't had one of those for years. Not since he'd joined a Pack, not since he'd left Beacon Hills. He hadn't even gotten close to having one. In fact, the last time he'd had one had been the day he'd left Beacon Hills.

"He's my mate, this is my Pack and I think we both know you don't really belong here, don't we?"

He tilted his head to the side and cracked his neck, digging his fingers into the palms of his hand, the sharp pain distracting him from his own thoughts. He was hating how often he was having to do this. A part of him wanted to take Rory's advice and just take the bull by the horns. Rory had suggested when he'd first voiced the idea of going back to Beacon Hills that maybe if he just confronted the person responsible for that memory, then it wouldn't bother him so much.

Except, that would mean facing Derek and Stiles really wasn't ready for that.

He took a deep breath, drawing in the scents of fresh air, woodland, Scott, Alison, Mrs McCall and his Dad. He focussed on that last scent, used it to calm himself down and as a last minute idea, grabbed the bag he'd cleverly put in the back of his jeep and changed his shirt until he was wearing Rory's. He had numerous items of clothing in his suitcase that weren't his and if he was being honest that had been intentional. Just being able to smell his own Pack on himself was enough to calm him down, to keep him in check. And it wasn't like it wasn't a habit they all didn't have anyway. They all shared each other's clothes. The number of times Stiles had seen one of the girls using his shirt as something to sleep in, or someone wearing his jacket out was unreal. But the thing was, it didn't even matter. They all shared it, there wasn't even a need to ask. Even though if Stiles wanted a particular piece of clothing it would be given back instantly. That was just the way the Pack worked.

A part of him wondered if Derek's Pack was like that. He'd never got to find out last time he was in Beacon Hills and probably never would know. He couldn't imagine them doing that though.

He could tell just from the scents that Scott and Alison were here and someone else as well that he didn't recognise. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, actually enjoying that he could do that. He'd kept it as a buzz cut for years, but at Maggie's insistence had grown it out and he had to admit that it did actually look pretty good. It was a weird feeling though, but he supposed at least this way he had more hair on his head than he did on his face when he wolfed out. He thought that was a good thing to be able to say if he was being honest.

He felt stupid when he knocked on the door, the memories threatening to choke him, but he held steady and didn't run. No matter how much he wanted to. Melissa McCall was all smiles when she opened the door and then her eyes widened dramatically and she gasped. "Oh my God, Stiles Stilinski, am I imagining things?"

Stiles blushed and ducked his head, slowly shaking it as he peaked at her through his lashes. He didn't know why the hell he had been so nervous though when she grabbed him into a hug, her scent wrapping around him until it practically had him in a chokehold. It helped that he could smell his Dad on her too.

He did have a bit of an awkward time not crushing the flowers though when she hugged him.

He couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of him and he shifted back a little awkwardly when she let him go, holding the flowers and the wine out at the same time, almost like they were a shield or something.

Melissa smiled, "Aww honey, they're beautiful thank you." She took them from him and he could smell her happiness and her relief and he was surprised because there was no trace of any negative emotions in the air around her. The air that was wafting through from the other room was another matter entirely though.

"Grandma, who's dat?"

Stiles jumped at the sight of a little girl when she appeared in the doorway he knew led through into the lounge. She was probably no older than three or four and she looked adorable dressed up in a little blue dress. Her dark hair tumbled down over her shoulders and she was honestly the prettiest little thing Stiles had ever seen in his life. She sucked her thumb into his mouth and Stiles was officially gone. He loved kids, adored the one kid they had in the Pack, Callum, although saying that he was eight now and he didn't really like Stiles calling him a kid so much anymore. He was going through a bit of a 'phase' as his mother called it. Stiles still adored him though and pretty much considered them best friends. He was cool Uncle Stiles. It was great.

"This is Stiles sweetie," Melissa told the little girl, "Stiles this is Lexie, Scott and Alison's daughter."

He could tell that just by her scent, but she looked a lot like the both of them as well. More like Alison if he had to be honest, but since she was a girl he had to say that was a good thing. He hoped to god that she'd gotten Alison's common sense as well, because if she'd gotten Scott's then she was screwed.

He crouched down and smiled at her, tilting his head a little bit to the side. "Hey there," he said, keeping his voice low and gentle and pulling a little bit of a face that made her giggle, "I like your dress." And he wasn't even lying. It was adorable.

The thing about kids was that, Stiles loved them. And one of the main reasons that Stiles loved kids so much was that they just seemed to adore him. It was something that came in useful when working in a school, especially since he generally dealt with five and six year olds.

Lexie grinned at him and moved closer, her feet padding on the wooden floor quietly. "You smell funny," she told him, completely unashamedly.

He laughed, he couldn't help it. "Why thank you," he told her, making sure to flash her his best grin, knowing it worked when she reached out and grabbed for his hand.

"You're funny," she told him as she pulled him through into the other room. He just managed to have time to shrug at an amused looking Melissa before he had to turn back around to look where the hell he was going.

He didn't quite know how the hell Scott was going to react to him being near his cub, but it wasn't exactly Stiles fault that she'd grabbed his hand now was it? He didn't think it was possible for anyone to push away a cub that cute, when she smiled she had frickin' dimples. DIMPLES! Who could resist dimples?

"Oh my god!"

There was the sound of shattering glass as Alison dropped what she was holding and Stiles' eyes widened just in time for him to be slammed into a wall. And he didn't fight, because he understood. He was a non-Pack wolf standing far too close to a Pack cub. He could have reacted the same, although maybe Stiles would have used his eyes first. Then again, Scott had never been the sharpest tool in the shed.

It also answered his question of whether or not his Dad and Melissa knew considering neither of them looked overly freaked out about the fact that Scott had fully wolfed out. Maybe they looked a little worried about the fact that he was pinning Stiles to a wall, but that really wasn't anything concerning. Stiles could have moved it he'd wanted to.

He knew that Scott just needed some time. He could see his old best friend working it out, drawing in Stiles' scent, tasting it on the back of his tongue and connecting all the dots. And Stiles knows that this isn't his territory, that he should be tilting his neck to the side in a show of submission, but he refuses to do that. He won't submit to anybody from Derek's Pack, never again, not even if it kills him.

Because Stiles may be afraid of facing his past like that, but that doesn't mean he's going to mess up his future.

"Stiles?" Scott asked, looking at Stiles like he'd changed completely when really all that had happened was he had grown his hair out a bit. But then Scott had always been slow on the uptake so he supposed he shouldn't really be surprised.

He stared back into eyes that were ringed slightly with yellow, "Scott?"

He felt almost guilty about the wide grin that split Scott's face practically in two. "Oh my God, you're back! This is amazing! Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I would have like made a cake or something!"

Stiles raised an eyebrow, "Scott, you can't bake."

He shrugged, "Then Allison would have made a cake or something." Scott was still frowning and if he was being honest, so was Stiles. He knew why Scott was frowning and it was because he was trying to work out why the hell Stiles smelt like wolf. Stiles was just frowning because he was wondering how the hell Scott could still be that much of a dumbass.

"You never answered your phone," Scott said eventually in a small voice that had Stiles' heart breaking just a little. Because he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel guilty about cutting off all contact with Scott, but it had been necessary. He'd had to go cold turkey, nothing from the Pack, or the Beacon Hills Pack at least. If he spoke to Scott he knew that he'd probably have caved and spoken to Allison and then Lydia and Danny and maybe even Jackson and that just would have led to him talking to Derek. Which was a no-no, a giant no-no, because if he had spoken to Derek then in the beginning he would have been screwed. And not even in a good way.

Stiles didn't know what to say, which was a weird thing to think because even when he wasn't as hyper as he used to be, he still always had something to say. But right then, Stiles didn't have a thing. He didn't know how to explain, how to make it better. So he just mumbled an, "I'm sorry dude," and wrapped his arms around Scott's shoulders, pulling him in close.

And thankfully, thankfully Scott didn't even think that was a problem at all. He hugged Stiles back hard enough to crack a rib if Stiles' had still been human and squishy and weak. If he was being honest, he wasn't surprised that Scott hadn't noticed the subtle change in his scent. He probably just thought Stiles had been hanging out with werewolves or something; because apparently it was such an alien and bad idea to everyone in Beacon Hills that Stiles could make a decent werewolf. The only person who'd seen it had been a psychopath, so Stiles wasn't really going to be using that as evidence any time soon. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if things would have turned out differently if he'd accepted Peter Hale's offer.

At the end of the day though, Stiles liked things the way they were now. He liked his Pack. He liked what he had going on. He liked being a werewolf. He made a pretty badass werewolf if he said so himself. He'd earned the title as head Beta, of second in command – if you didn't count Lucy that was, but at least he was second in command out of the guys – just by smiling and looking pretty. It hadn't come easy, he'd had to work for it and he was pretty damn proud of himself actually.

He didn't know how long they stood there like that, just hugging, because even though his wolf was getting a little bit antsy about being this close to someone who wasn't Pack, Scott's scent was so familiar it made his teeth ache. Even after almost nine years, it was familiar and he felt like he'd been craving it without even realising that was what he was craving. It was more powerful than the craving for nicotine that he had curling in his stomach all the time now. It was more powerful than the craving for acceptance that he'd had ever since he could remember. It was more powerful than everything, because this was Scott, this was his best friend even if they hadn't really even been friends for years now.

Stiles pressed his face into the side of Scott's neck and breathed in deep, let that scent fill his lungs so that when he left, he'd still be able to remember it. So he'd still be able to taste it on the back of his tongue.

Stiles has more friends now than he had ever imagined he could have. He has his family, his Pack. They're all his friends. But he has others so. He has friends at work, friends he'd made at the local library. He's friends with his neighbours and with people who had known some of his Pack mates once upon a time. Stiles has more friends than he knows what to do with sometimes. But in the end it all boils down to Scott. It all boils down to that one person, the person he couldn't replace even if he wanted to. The person who had been there when his mum died, that had run to Stiles rather than anyone else when his Dad had left. It was that person, it was Scott and even if Stiles had wanted to, he never could have really let Scott go.

It was like they just both clicked back into place, like they were two puzzle pieces that just fit, even if you lost one for a while. They still fit.

Scott smiled at him when they pulled apart and it was that lazy, sort of dopey smile that he'd always had. Scott hadn't changed. Not really. Probably not at all aside from the fact he had a little one running around now. A little one who was so adorable it hurt to look at her.

And then Allison is hugging him and they're eating dinner and talking. And it's like nothing had changed. It's like it hadn't been nine years at all. Lexie is sitting next to Stiles because they're best friends now apparently, which didn't really surprise Stiles at all, but it made Scott's eyes go all wide like he hadn't had even the faintest clue that Stiles could be good with kids. Everyone but his Dad looked surprised – but then he did already know – when Stiles told them that he was a teacher and Scott actually choked on a piece of bread when he asked Stiles what had changed with him since they'd last seen each other and Stiles announced that he was gay. His Dad choked as well, because actually Stiles hadn't even told his Dad that yet. He'd forgotten that he hadn't told his Dad that yet.

"Since when?" Scott asked, his eyes blown wide as Allison pounded him on the back to try and get her husband – yes husband, they got married, Derek was best man apparently – to stop coughing.

Stiles shrugged, not really phased at all by their surprise, because how could they have known? It wasn't like he'd had any dating history when he'd been living in Beacon Hills. "Since forever I guess," he replied, "And before you say anything, yes I had a bit of an obsession with Lydia, but I still prefer guys."

"So you still date women as well?" his Dad asked and he didn't sound like he was hoping Stiles would say yes, not at all, he just looked curious.

Stiles could smell all of their surprise, but there wasn't anything other than that. He didn't smell any disgust, any sadness, nothing. He just smelt surprise and he figured that was pretty much allowed.

"Sometimes," Stiles replied, even though actually he hadn't for a few years. He preferred men, preferred hard muscle to soft curves any day. He of course left out the part where he was sleeping with one of his Pack mates. It wasn't love, they weren't mates, they were good friends that just happened to both be infuriatingly single and therefore slept with each other sometimes. It was just fun, nothing more and nothing less. Neither of them had any problem walking away. Hadn't done in the past. Not when Stiles had got a semi-serious boyfriend, not when Sax had started dating a girl from another Pack.

They were both single again now though and Stiles found himself almost wishing Sax was here. Sex was a good way to relieve the stress built up inside of him. Then again, Stiles wished any one of his Pack were here, just to make him feel safer, calmer, more at home.

"Well I didn't see that one coming," Allison admitted and then the topic shifted again to something else and that was that. Stiles couldn't stop himself from smiling sort of stupidly, because even if this wasn't his Pack, even if he was going to be leaving soon and didn't in any way need their acceptance, it still felt good to have it.

Stiles thought it was all fine and going pretty damn well until Lexie opened her sweet little mouth. "Stiles, will you come to my birfday at Alfa Derek's?" she asked, her blue eyes all wide and adorable looking. He could see the plea on her face and even though he tensed up, he still made himself smile and say yes, because really, who could deny that little girl anything?

"Will that be alright?" he asked Scott later when they were washing the dishes for Melissa.

Scott shrugged, "It'll be fine, Derek gets that nobody can say no to Lexie." He handed Stiles another plate to dry and then shrugged, "Besides, why wouldn't it be fine, it wasn't like you two were all that close before you left, was it?"

And no, that was the problem, they hadn't been close at all. But then it wasn't exactly Derek that he was worried about facing. Well, okay that was a lie. He was worried about facing Derek about seeing the distrust in his eyes, about the Alpha confirming that Stiles had never been Pack. But he was also worried about seeing her.

"He's my mate, this is my Pack and I think we both know you don't really belong here, don't we?"