After warning Derek about Kate, Stiles lives an incredibly normal life. At seventeen, he's a junior in high school with a four point five eight GPA and no classes with Mr. Harris. He's got a standing acquaintanceship with Lydia and Danny – Jackson is a douche-nozzle in any universe – as well as a here and there acquaintanceship with Boyd, Erika, and Isaac. He's in advanced placement in all of his subjects as well as taking online college classes.

At home, his life is very mellow. Two nights a week he has dinner with his mom, two nights a week he has dinner with his dad, two nights a week he has dinner with both of his parents and Saturdays he eats at the McCall house so his parents can have a nice night to themselves. He has his own room still and Scott even has his own room in their home, even though he never uses it.

However, he knows his peaceful life is over the minute Mr. Harlow – his fifth period Theater teacher – assigns group projects and he ends up partnered with Cora. Cora bounds up to him after class, looking excited, and asks him if he'd prefer to do it at his house or hers. Stiles thinks it sounds like a proposition for sex rather than working on a project. He agrees that it would be fine to work on it at her house and texts his mother while he's T. for English 10.

'Cora and I have a project to do together. She invited me over, is that cool or should I re-plan? – Stiles'

After a few minutes of grading papers, she texts back.

'Talia says it's fine'

'Cool. Are you cool with it? - Stiles'

'I suppose.'

Stiles worries that she's secretly upset, but brushes it off when Mrs. Hoppler gives him the stink eye for texting.

After his final class, Stiles waits for Scott and Cora at the front entrance of the school. It doesn't take long for Scott to show up, but it takes Cora a while to say goodbye to her friends. She smiles at him sheepishly before tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"I texted my brother that you'd give me a ride. That's cool, right?"

"Yeah. I'm headed over to your place for this project anyway."

"Alright, cool." She looks down and blushes.

It takes Stiles a minute to realize she's shyly flirting with him.

Yeah, okay, no.

"You need a ride to Deaton's?" He asks Scott as he starts walking to his Jeep.

"Nah, I got my bike. Besides, it gets crowded with more than two." Scott waves and heads off to the bike racks.

Stiles leads Cora over to his baby and gets in. He pretends to be ignorant of where she lives and she guides him there. When they pull up, Stiles is a bit shocked to see how lovely the Hale house looks. He lets out a low whistle, getting his stuff out of the back.

Cora leads him inside and Talia is there waiting for him with a smile on her face.

"Hello, Stiles." She opens up her arms.

Stiles steps forward, hugging her and placing a kiss on her cheek, "Hi, Talia."

Stiles steps back and Talia motions toward the kitchen with her head, "Your mother's helping make dinner in the kitchen."

"Thanks." He drops his backpack by the door and makes his way into the kitchen. He leans on the living room side of the kitchen counter-bar and watches as his mom and Nathan – he's guessing from the descriptions he's gotten – joke about and prepare what looks like a thanksgiving day feast.

"Yo!" He calls before stepping forward and stealing a pinch of her chopped onions.

"Hey!" She calls, lightly smacking his hand away.

"Come on, I'm starving. The school has such crummy food, it's like they're trying to make us starve."

"Then get an apple or something! I spent a lot of time chopping those."

Stiles just ignores his mother and opens the fridge and grabs an apple from the fruit drawer.

"I'll be with Cora, working on our project, 'kay?"

"Okay. Keep the door open."

"Nothing's going to happen, chill." Stiles makes his way back into the entryway, past a confused looking Cora, and grabs his bag.

He looks to the youngest of Talia's children and motions up the stairs, "Lead the way."

He follows Cora up the stairs, staying to one side when Derek comes trotting down the stairs.

"Hey, Derek." He greets in passing, as if he knows this Derek personally.

He hears Derek's footsteps stop halfway down the steps before there's a creaking that tells Stiles that he's looking at Stiles' back.

He smiles as Cora opens the door to her room and leads him inside. Stiles keeps the door open like his mother asked and flops down on her bed.

"Alright, so do you have any idea what you want this screen play to be about?"

"Uh, something short and simple."

"Yeah, that tells me a lot."

"Uh…why don't you offer some ideas?"

And for the next three hours, Cora and Stiles argue about what to make their screenplay about. Eventually they decide on a variation of Little Red Riding Hood – it took everything Stiles had not to laugh when Cora suggested it – where Little Red befriends the wolf.

They're getting towards the end of their little plot line when Talia calls everyone for dinner. After washing his hands, Stiles walks into the dining room to see the largest table he's ever seen in his life. The absurd amount of food is actually a normal sight, truth be told. His mother pats the chair next to her so he takes that seat.

"It smells delicious." He tells his mother and Nathan, who is sitting directly across from his mother and beside Talia.

"Thank you." Nathan smiles at him.

The table erupts into a series of 'how was your day?'s and before he knows it, Talia looks at him.

"So, Stiles. How have you been? I haven't seen you in years."

Stiles slowly chews and swallows his food, feeling like the lamb about to be sacrificed.

"I've been good. Uh. I'm still friends with Scott." He trails off, feeling awkward with every Hale looking at him.

"And how has your school life been?" She asks, cutting into her steak.

"Uh, good. I'm point five grade points behind Lydia Martin for valedictorian graduating year." He informs her, as if she knows who Lydia Martin is.

"That's great, Stiles. Are you in any sports?"

"Well, Lacrosse never really worked out for me, so I decided to give up on that. I've discovered that I'm a pretty good runner so I was thinking about signing up for Track and Field next year."

"That sounds like a good idea. Just don't take on too much. All of my children so far had a horrible time with their Senior Projects. Took up all of their time." Talia suggests.

"You tried out for Lacrosse?" Cora asks him, sounding confused.

"Yeah, a while back." Technically not a lie, since he was on the lacrosse team for his entire high school career in his last 'life'.

"I never understood Lacrosse." Nathan mutters across from him.

"It's like field hockey, only the sticks have nets."

"Everyone at our school is crazy about the sport, but I think it's silly and barbaric." A girl from down the table informs them.

Stiles recognizes her and the boy next to her from the English class he TA's in. They must have had activities if Cora hadn't asked for him to give them a ride too.

"Back in my day, the sport was basketball."

"I've heard that somewhere before." Stiles laughs.

"So…I have to ask. Everyone is wondering and my wife just gives me that coy smile of hers when I ask." Nathan smiles across from him, "How do you know my wife and Claudia?"

Stiles stops with his fork in his mouth and stares at the brunet man next to Talia, who is indeed smiling coyly. The younger Fay looks up to his mother who is looking at him expectantly.

"Claudia's my mom."

It's kind of funny to see all of the different reaction.

Derek chokes on his drink, trying desperately not to spit all over his older sister who's sitting across from him. Laura is staring at the wall as if it's suddenly started talking German. Cora is looking at him like a deer caught in headlights. Peter has dropped his fork and his wife keeps tapping on his arm. The twins are staring at him in awe and Nathan is just nodding along dumbly.

Everything is silent and Stiles is kind of enjoying watching the Hale family sit in silence.

"You're not old enough to have a kid his age!" Derek points accusingly at Stiles.

Stiles doesn't know if he should take offense to that or not.

"Derek, he's her child. Trust me."

After that, everyone eats in silence for a bit before Stiles has to ask, "Okay, so I know most everyone here but I don't know everyone." He admits.

"Who don't you know?"

"I know Derek, Laura, Cora, Peter, the twins, Nathan and, of course, you." He looks at Talia.

"I'm Sarah." Peter's wife introduces herself, looking sheepish for being the only one unknown.

"And how do you know all of us?" Derek asks, looking at Stiles suspiciously.

"Well my mom is best friends with Talia and everyone knows Talia's married to Nathan. Peter's kind of notorious around school for his…'extracurricular activities'. You scare the ever-living out of me -" he points at Derek, which makes Laura snicker "Everyone knows to be nice at the diner on fifth cause Laura Hale will emasculate you verbally if you don't. I TA for the twins' English class at school and that just leaves, obviously, my mother."

"My brother – my youngest brother – and his partner are out with their child, so maybe you'll meet them if you come over again." Talia informs him.

"That sounds lovely, but I don't think I'll be doing this again."

"Why not?" Sarah asks from the other end of the table.

"I told you, Derek scares the ever-living out of me." He's not lying. He knows what Derek is capable of and he'd rather not encroach on the werewolf's territory and piss him off.

Or does that only work if he's an alpha?

After dinner, Talia stands up and motions to the table.

There's a long chorus of "Not it!" going around before Derek flops back in his chair cursing.

"Have fun with the big bad wolf, little red." Laura teases, pulling on his hood.

"That's not fair." Cora calls, "Stiles is a guest."

"Stiles will help Derek clean up." Claudia informs them, leaving the room with Talia.

Stiles doesn't pout as he stands up, gathering all of the plates and silverware. Everyone leaves them alone and wanders over to the living room except Cora who goes upstairs to finish their project.

"Why'd Laura call me little red?" Stiles asks, looking up at Derek.

Derek looks at him like he's an idiot.

"What?"

Derek stares at Stiles' chest before looking back up at his face.

Stiles looks down at his jacket and Frou Frou shirt.

His jacket is red.

"Well that's a bit ironic." The brunet mutters.

"What?" Derek asks.

"Nothing." Stiles takes his pile of dishes into the kitchen and starts running the water.

They finish cleaning up and Derek doesn't confront him about Kate so maybe he doesn't remember or maybe he just doesn't realize Stiles is the one who told him about her. Cora tells him that he's finished with their screenplay soon after that and Stiles drives him mother home.