EPILOGUE

"It just sucks because I get such a bad vibe from his father but until I actually see the abuse in the household, I can't legally take the child from his home." Bennett said. He was sitting in the passenger seat of the car with Stiles on their way to Dahlia Martin's house for Thanksgiving dinner. "And even if I could get him out of there, it would be tough for him in the system. Kids his age don't get adopted as quickly as the babies."

Bennett and Stiles now lived in Valley Hills, three towns over and an hour away from Beacon Hills. They lived in a modest one bedroom apartment filled with as much love as two people could have.

Stiles reached over and grabbed Bennett's hand, his eyes alternating between Bennett and the road ahead of them. He hadn't had time to change after work so he was still in his blue policemen's uniform.

"Well babe, no one said being a social worker was going to be an easy job but you have to just take comfort in the fact that you're helping people." He said, his right hand rubbing the back of Bennett's left hand. With each pass he could feel the warm metal of Bennett's wedding ring, the white gold band he gave him years ago. It looked like a tangle of leaved vines twisting around each other, a singular green stone on either side, the same shade as Bennett's eyes. Stiles had decided on something much simpler. His ring was a band of white gold with a smaller band of gold above and below it. There were 4 matching green stones placed around it. On the inside of each ring was engraved the word 'feandur' which in the language of Witches meant 'soul mate.'

"You're right." Bennett responded intertwining their fingers together. "Speaking of helping people how was work?"

Stiles smiled at his husband before answering.

"Well it was pretty dull today. No major crimes to report, just a few drunk drivers and a disorderly conduct."

Stiles had been working at the Valley Hills Police Department for the last 2 years. He liked his job but his true dream was to make detective, a feat which has proved harder than he ever expected.

"Well I'll take that over you getting hurt any day." Bennett said, looking over at Stiles.

"Trust me, I'm not gonna get hurt." Stiles replied reaching into the loose collar of his work shirt. He pulled out a tiny silver medallion on a thin silver chain. It was the same Protection Charm Bennett had given him 8 and a half years ago and he hadn't taken it off since he gave it to him.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, each ruminating about the direction their lives had taken them. There had been a lot of pain, sadness, and heartache in their past but from the pain, they each found their happiness. Stiles would be lying if he said he wasn't ready to have a child join their family but every time he brought it up with Bennett, he simply dismissed the idea. It wasn't that Bennett didn't want a child; he had seen plenty of children at work worth adopting, he just didn't want to bring a child into the life they live. If one of them weren't working, they were driving to Beacon Hills to fight whatever monster of the week chose to come to town.

Bennett didn't think a child needed that kind of life.

"We are so late!" Bennett said as they pulled into the crowded driveway. "Everyone's already here."

Bennett pulled the visor down and flipped the cover up, the light illuminating the small square of the mirror as Stiles put the car in park. Bennett gave himself the once over, straightening his now-short hair into a presentable look. He had cut it when he went to college in St. Louis as a sign of his new independence. He went to Washington University to study social work. The first year away from his lands and power source was a big adjustment for Bennett but after a while, he learned to cope with the distance.

Each of them nervously climbed out of the car, Stiles in his uniform, and Bennett in a pair of khakis and a sweater. They had seen everyone a month ago when they came to perform their rituals for the Fall Equinox but Bennett knew something big was going to happen. His visions had grown to give him a constant 'sixth sense' allowing him to feel when something big was on the horizon. He never knew if it was good or bad news but tonight he hoped it was good.

They had barely made it up the stairs when the front door flew open and a small child collided with Stiles, the boy wrapping his tiny arms around one of Stiles' legs. During training, Stiles had put on a lot of lean muscle that turned Bennett on to no end. The child looked up at Stiles, his bright green eyes filled with tears.

"I thought you weren't going to come!" He said as Stiles picked the boy up. He was only 5 but he had grown quite big for his age.

Stiles ran his hand through the boy's messy, curly black mop of hair before pushing his chin up to look him in the eyes.

"Claude, don't cry. I'm your big brother, if I say I'm gonna be here, I'm gonna be here okay?"

The little boy nodded and wiped his hand across his running nose as he looked over at Bennett with a smile.

"Hi Uncle Ben!" He shouted enthusiastically.

"Hi Claude." Bennett replied kissing him on the forehead. He made a face and quickly tried to scrub the kiss away, turning his pale forehead bright red.

Stiles and Bennett walked into the house, Claude wrapped in Stiles' arms. The house felt warm and welcoming, the smell of food wafting through the air making Stiles' stomach rumble. Stiles put the boy down as he bolted towards the dining room.

"Everybody, they're here!" He shouted.

Bennett and Stiles made their way to the dining room and the spectacle took Bennett's breath away. It never failed to surprise him the things his aunt and mother came up with when left to their own devices. The long dining room table was jammed packed with every assortment of food you could imagine- succulent turkey, roasted ham, pastas, pies, yams, and sauces all littered the table. And for good reason. Seated along the length of the table were all of Bennett and Stiles' family smiling at the pair.

"Took you guys long enough!" Scott said. He stood up and walked over to Stiles, patting him on the back before giving Bennett a small hug. "I'm fucking starving!"

He looked pretty much the same save for the mustache and goatee he was now sporting.

"Scott, watch the language in front of your brother!" Melissa Stilinski said as Claude climbed into her lap.

After the 'Darach Event of 2013', Melissa McCall and John Stilinski realized how short life was and shortly afterward began to date. It came as no surprise to anyone as everyone could see there was an attraction between the two of them. Two years later, they were engaged and married and a year after that, Melissa gave birth to Claude named after Stiles' mom, Claudia.

"Sorry mom!" Scott said as he took his seat next to Allison.

Bennett was quite shocked to see Allison. It wasn't that she wasn't welcome; it was just that since she joined the army 6 years ago, they had hardly seen her. She looked more like the girl they all knew and loved, her long hair cascading down her back, a change from the usual tight bun she always sported. Many people were against her joining the army, especially her father and Isaac, her boyfriend at the time but Allison felt it was the only thing she could do in her adult life that would allow her to protect the people she loved. Isaac didn't want her to go. They had been dating for 2 years already and he was afraid she would get hurt, or worse, killed. Little did he know, danger didn't lurk in the deserts of the Middle East but the forests of Beacon Hills and Isaac was killed 5 years ago.

Allison fell apart. The only thing that eventually pulled her out of her depression was Scott and they had been together since.

Everyone worried about Scott after high school. He didn't have much drive or ambition. He was content to stay in Beacon Hills, fighting whatever came to town. But Melissa would see none of that. She forced Scott off his ass and made him get his life together. Scott realized that after seeing how much good his mom did at the hospital, he wanted to contribute as well so he enrolled at Beacon Hills Community College and he now works at the hospital as an RN with his mom.

Bennett and Stiles went around the table and greeted their loved ones and then took their seats next to Scott and Allison. Bennett looked across the table, meeting Lydia's gaze. She was the picture of perfection in a flowy pink blouse and black pencil skirt. Her strawberry blonde hair had been chopped into a short bob that framed her face perfectly.

"How was your flight?" Bennett asked her.

"It was good. It's miraculous that we flew here from New York and we still managed to get here on time yet you live in the same state and you're late." Lydia replied, pointing at Bennett. Bennett wanted to feel bad about their lateness but he was mesmerized by the meteor-sized diamond on Lydia's finger. It was the most beautiful ring Bennett had ever seen and Lydia loved to show it off.

Jackson smiled at his fiancées candor. His hair, as usual, was parted on the right, gelled to perfection and he was wearing another of his impossibly expensive Armani suits.

Lydia and Jackson were the definition of the perfect couple; they were rich, smart, and beautiful. When Jackson went to London to find himself, he found that he had a passion for the law and went to college to become an attorney like his father.

Lydia, on the other hand, chose to move to Massachusetts and enrolled in Harvard, eventually getting a degree in mathematics. After college she moved to New York and quickly found herself working as an actuary, specializing in Capital Management…whatever that means. It was during this time, she ran into Jackson at a coffee shop in SoHo and the rest is history. Lydia is still determined to get the Fields Medal.

"Hey now Lydia, don't be so hard on Benny. He was probably getting busy."

"Don't be so crass Vartan! We were late because Stiles' sergeant kept him late at work." Bennett said to his brother.

Even though he would never say it, Mr. Rosenberg was more than a little disappointed when Vartan announced he wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps and go into advertising. Instead, he went to San Francisco State to study Business. While there, he was recruited to play professional football for the San Francisco 49ers and he's now on their rookie team. He had put on so much muscle he was almost unrecognizable. He still kept his red hair short but he now had a light dusting of facial hair on this jaw.

"Yea right 'work'." Vartan said making air quotes.

"Speaking of work, Vartan, where is Linda?" Alyssa Rosenberg said referring to Vartan's girlfriend of two years.

"It's Lisa and she's in Texas spending the holiday with her family." He replied.

"That's nice."

It was no secret Alyssa didn't like Lisa. Lisa came from an entirely different background from Vartan and Alyssa was convinced Lisa only wanted Vartan because of his position in pro football. Bennett had met her plenty of times but found being around her uncomfortable. She, like her parents, are proud republicans and have a very narrow minded view of the world. She would never outwardly say anything negative to Bennett for fear Vartan would dump her but the bleach blonde was never very friendly to Bennett or his husband.

In the years she had been without her children, Alyssa had begun to embrace her bohemian roots and she quit her job and began dressing the way Bennett imagined his grandmother had dressed. She looked like the stereotype of the Romani gyspy- she was wearing a gold lame turban and a long black sheer caftan over a slinky floor length black gown, her neck, arms, and fingers laden with jewelry.

"So, is everyone here now?" Dahlia Martin said looking around the room.

Bennett was glad to see her smile. After her husband died a year ago, he didn't think he'd ever see her smile again but she seemed to be doing just fine.

"Where's Derek and Cora?" Sherriff Stiilinski asked looking at Stiles. He was wearing his usual casual uniform of jeans and a button up.

"They're on patrol tonight." Stiles said to his father. "There's a Siren in town apparently."

"I thought it was a Fury?" Allison replied.

"You're both wrong." Scott said to the two of them. "It's a Harpy."

Melissa rolled her eyes at the two boys.

"Why didn't you guys invite Maggie to dinner? It's got to be hard on her being pregnant in that house by herself waiting for Derek to be done."

"Mom, we did! She said she was going to spend time with her family."

Derek returned to town sometime while Bennett was away at college and he got a job doing construction. No one knows what exactly happened while Cora, Peter, and Derek were gone but when they returned, they were one person short and Derek refused to talk about it. He'd mostly spent his time hunting until a new pack came to town and he met Maggie, an exotically beautiful Beta. They began dating for some time and eventually Maggie moved in with Derek after she discovered she was pregnant with his child.

"Cora kinda scares me." Jackson said. "She's like crazy bitchy."

"She's not that bad." Stiles replied instinctively.

Everyone froze. It was an unspoken rule that no one brought up the fact that during the 4 years Bennett and Stiles were at college, Stiles and Cora had hooked up. A lot. Bennett had broken up with Stiles right before he left for Missouri. He felt that Stiles needed to experiment and sleep with other people just to make sure Bennett was who he wanted to be with. During their break, Stiles had slept with 3 other people besides Cora but when Bennett returned, he knew they were nothing but a one night stand. He knew he wanted Bennett. So much so that the day Bennett returned to Beacon Hills was the day Stiles proposed to Bennett.

"She really isn't." Bennett said, avoiding everyone's eyes.

Everyone gave a sigh of relief and the conversation continued.

"Honestly, I feel bad for her. I think she's lonely." Bennett continued.

It's still a mystery where Cora lives. She never stays in Beacon Hills longer than a week at a time and when she's there, she stays in Derek's guest bedroom. She comes and goes as she pleases. One moment she's there and just as quickly, she's gone.

Dahlia Martin stood up from her chair at the head of the table and cleared her throat.

"Ok, the food's getting cold. Time to eat!"

"Before we do," Allison said, standing up and looking at Scott. "We've got an announcement to make."

"Oh no…" Lydia said with a groan.

Allison ignored her and continued.

"I'm going to be honorably discharged from the army and I'll be moving back to Beacon Hills permanently."

"Oh!" Lydia said in surprise.

Everyone gave their congratulations to Allison but a thought struck Sherriff Stilinski.

"Wait…why are they discharging you?"

At this Scott stood up and faced the people at the table.

"Because she's pregnant. We're having a baby!" Scott said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it in support.

"I'm gonna be an uncle?!" Stiles shouted.

"I'm gonna be a grandmother?!" Melissa said surprised. Her surprise quickly morphed into a smile and she leapt from her seat and pulled them both in a giant hug, knocking Claude onto the floor in the process.

That night before dinner, everyone went around the table and said what they were thankful for. Each person told a story of love and happiness; of past failures and future successes.

Bennett looked around at the smiling faces of the people he loved. They had all come a long way but the road they all took led to places they didn't know existed. It was for this reason, Bennett decided he would no longer allow his own fears and hesitations to get in the way of the things he wanted. Parents before him made many sacrifices so that he could live the life he had come to live and he was going to choose to honor their sacrifice.

Bennett looked over at Stiles sitting next to him, the love of his life; the man he chose to spend the rest of his life with and he knew in that moment he wanted nothing more than to bring more love into their family.

Bennett was ready for a child.