Stiles and Scott are having a casual conversation about pack business. Stiles is fishing for clues to how the future will look with three alphas in the house. Allison is dealing with the same problems on her own. Alex and Isaac are at the house cleaning up when they hear an intruder. They don't manage to catch him, but Alex thinks he knows who it is. Stiles decides to teach Derek a lesson. Completely out on a limb, he's doing something that could change the relationship. For me and for some of my readers, it's overdue.

Stiles sat down on the staircase and grabbed the water-bottle Scott handed him. He looked at his friend as Scott tried to get comfortable on the bare floor. "This is coming together fast. It won't be long until... people can move in." Scott panned the room before he threw Stiles a lopsided smile.

Scott had never revealed his own thoughts about moving in, and Stiles was curious. "Are you one of those people? Will you live here?" He knew that Allison was seriously considering it, and wondered if the two of them would share that corner room.

"I don't know. I don't think my mom is going to let me." Scott shrugged. "Although, she knows that she can't really stop me." He drew a circle in the dust on the floor. "She doesn't understand how werewolves bond. She thinks that we're too young to know, but me and Allison are destined to be together for life."

Stiles thought about what Derek had told him earlier and wondered if Scott would ever challenge Derek's position. That Scott and Allison were meant for each other was of less concern. He'd learned enough about werewolves now to know that if the two of them wanted to be together forever, it would be impossible to keep them apart.

"Maybe you want your own pack. You and Allison could possibly..." He didn't get a chance to finish the sentence before Scott started laughing. "No." He hitched out. "I could never be a leader." He did his best to compose himself. "I may be a true alpha, but that doesn't mean anything else than the fact that I have the powers. I'm not a leader. I don't ever want to be one." He chuckled a little. "If I decide to come live here, I will accept the fact that I have to submit to somebody else's leadership."

'Somebody else's.' Stiles noticed clearly that Scott didn't mention Derek's name. "Who's leadership? It is Derek's pack." He felt a little annoyed on his boyfriend's behalf and decided to push Scott a little on the subject.

His friend kept drawing patterns in the dust and seemed unwilling to reply. Stiles had to nudge him to get him to look up. "It's Derek's house. It's his pack. He is the pack-leader." He could hear that his own voice had an unwanted edge to it. Scott stared at him for the longest time before he drew his breath. "I know, but Derek..." He paused and shook his head. Stiles knew that he was thinking about Derek's previous screw-ups.

He knew that Scott wanted Allison to step up, but that wasn't likely to happen. She hadn't showed any urge to challenge Derek. If she did, Stiles worried about his own position in the pack. He and Allison were friends, but there had been a few confrontations in the past. He worried that he'd be like a pariah.

Derek would always protect him, but as a human, Stiles would have no say in any pack-business if Allison decided to 'run for office'. With Derek in charge, he was more like a secretary of state. Derek trusted his judgment and often relied on his wits.

"I think we're fine like this. Nothing has to change." Stiles cocked his head and smiled at Scott. He didn't receive a smile back, but Scott gave him an almost invisible nod. "Maybe you're right." He got up from the floor, and walked over to the window. "We're fine for now."

Stiles got up also and went to stand next to his friend. They could see Allison and Derek outside. The two of them were holding the blueprints, pointing and gesturing. It looked like they were arguing about something. Stiles couldn't hear a word, and he worried.

Suddenly, Allison threw her head back and started to laugh. Derek stared at her for a second, before he joined in. Stiles sighed in relief and Scott obviously noticed. "Relax, they were just talking about how to soundproof Isaac and Alex' room."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The full moon had come and gone without any problems. Allison had felt completely in control, although she'd made sure to have the perfume-bottle within reach at all times. She'd discovered that she didn't really need it anymore. The memory of the scent was enough.

In the beginning, it had been a little disturbing that she saw her mothers face in front of her when she dabbed it on, but that image had gone. She still thought about her every day, but she didn't need it to stay in control.

That her mom killed herself to avoid becoming a werewolf, still bothered Allison. The fact that Allison herself took to this transformation so easily, felt a little like a betrayal. That her dad supported her unconditionally helped a lot, but she couldn't shake the fact that she'd never really wanted to take her own life. As a former hunter, it was expected of her. According to the code, she should have committed suicide.

She tried her best to push those thoughts away. In a weird and twisted way, she felt happier and more whole than she'd ever felt before. The strangest thing was that the conflicts inside her head didn't take away the feeling of joy in her new life as a werewolf.

Sooner or later, she had to make a decision; or rather, many decisions. Subconsciously, she knew that some of them were taken already. She looked at that room as hers and Scott's. Alone, in the dead of night, she had secretly made sketches of it, trying to picture how it would look when it was all done.

Derek seemed to have picked up on it, and acted like it was a done deal. He frequently wanted her opinion on things he and Chris had talked about regarding the house, and he always took her views into consideration.

The fact that he never seemed to ask Scott the same questions, was strange; she knew that Derek wanted him in the house also.

A bigger issue was in the wind, and Allison knew she was in the middle of it. Without being direct about it, both Scott and her dad had insinuated that they wanted her to have her own pack. Scott had, in the heat of the moment one night, suggested that she'd be a better leader than Derek, but had later denied ever mentioning it.

She knew perfectly well that Stiles didn't want Derek to step down, while Derek himself seemed quite indifferent to the thought. Allison knew she had the potential, but she didn't want to disturb the dynamics of pack. At the moment, they were doing just fine.

She was well aware of the fact that she'd screwed up big time on that baseball field, and only luck prevented a much worser outcome. Before that, she'd had felt that she'd had Alex' unconditional support, but lately he'd seemed a little distant.

Both him and Isaac didn't oppose her moving in, but she worried that they wouldn't take to her as a pack-leader. Derek had a plan, and they were all trying to execute it to the best of their abilities. If push came to shove, she'd deal with it, but for now she'd concentrate on finishing the house.

Whatever happened later could be dealt with later. Fighting for power would never be an issue. She'd support Derek for as long as he wanted it. She suddenly realized that her reluctance to even be in a pack had diminished. She was part of this one now, and it felt completely okay.

She also realized that it would be Derek's choice. He was the one who had to make the decision. The rest of the pack would support that decision, no matter what. Allison knew that she'd support it, and it surprised her. If Derek wanted to continue as a leader of this pack for the foreseeable future, she'd stand behind him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex was possibly more excited about the kitchen than he was with the bedroom. He walked around in there touching the walls. He let his fingers brush over the holes in the drywall where electric cords stuck out. "It's like... It's like almost done." He smiled and threw a peek out the window as he seemed to pretend standing by a counter, kneading an imaginary dough. "It'll be a nice view. I can see who comes and goes, and I can wave to them." He lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers as he he was actually waving to someone.

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Almost done? Yeah right." He looked around in there. He and Alex had a very different view on what 'almost done' was. "The floor needs tiles, the walls has to be painted..." He threw his hands out. "Not to mention the cabinets and the light-fixtures, and the appliances..."

Alex practically danced across the floor, and he nudged Isaac gently with the back of his hand. "You have no imagination. Can't you see it before you?" He stopped and panned the room again. "And the best part is that we... uh, we did part of it, of this."

After another quick round through the kitchen, Alex trailed off to inspect the rest of the house. The two of them were supposed to tidy and sweep before they would start painting tomorrow. Isaac knew that Chris wasn't too keen on having them help out, but Derek had demanded that they took part.

For the first time in a long time, Isaac and Alex were alone at the house. Chris was gone on a business trip. Scott and Allison obviously wanted to take advantage of the fact that they had the Argent-house to themselves, and hadn't been at the site all day. Stiles had the evening off, and wanted to spend it alone with Derek.

The second floor was still far away from being done. In the hall that ran east-west in a ninety degree angle on the staircase, they had started to put up the drywall. The doors to the different rooms were installed, but they didn't need to open them to get in.

Alex slipped between the vertical beams that would later be covered, and entered the room that was meant for Allison. The light from the moon was shining through the newly installed window, making a crocked grid-pattern on the floor.

"How long will it take before we can move in?" Alex walked over to the window and stared out. "An how come her room is bigger than ours?" He turned around and gave Isaac a lopsided smile. Isaac didn't really know the answer to any of those questions, so he just shrugged as he moved closer to Alex.

They stood there quietly for a little while, until a loud bang from downstairs startled them both. Alex' eyes widened and he grabbed Isaac's hand. "What was that?" The whisper was almost inaudible, but Isaac still lifted his hand and put his forefinger to his lips. "Shh." They held their breath, waiting for another sound.

After what seemed like an eternity, Isaac moved across the floor with stealth. He was still holding on to Alex' hand, but had to let go when Alex didn't follow him. Suddenly he he heard a faint thump. It sounded like it could come from outside, and he rushed towards the stairs and looked down on the ground floor before he slowly descended.

"Wait?" Alex' hushed whisper made him stop, but he didn't avert his gaze from the floor below. Soon, he had Alex' hand in his and together they continued down the stairs.

They were halfway down when they heard footsteps on the gravel in the front yard. Somebody was running away. They stared at each other quickly before they took the rest of the stairs in two quick steps and rushed towards the front door.

The yard was empty, except for the Toyota. Isaac was about to jump off the porch to run after whoever it was that had been lurking around the house, but quickly realized that he didn't know which direction to go. Alex didn't move. He cocked his head and sniffed into the air before he looked at Isaac with wide eyes. "Eric? I can't be, but it... No, no. Why would he be here?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was pissed off. He was pacing the living room after Derek went to bed. The two of them had had their first big argument since forever, and his boyfriend had walked off. Not only that. He'd been laughing about it.

He couldn't understand how Derek could take the whole pack-leader discussion so lightly. He obviously didn't understand how important it was for Stiles. The 'I'm gonna stand by you, regardless,' and 'this will not affect you I any way,' wasn't good enough for Stiles.

He knew he was being selfish, but as the only human in this pack he had to look out for himself. He knew for sure that being the mate of the pack-leader would give him an advantage. He needed that advantage.

'For now', was also words he didn't like much. He knew Allison well enough. She wasn't the kind of person who'd submit easily. Human-Allison could be quite intimidating; werewolf-Allison could possibly be off the charts.

Derek had to stand his ground and show everybody that he'd be the perfect pack-leader. His wishy-washy behavior regarding this was not particularly comforting. Stiles had tried to make him understand, but it had resulted in nothing. Well, it had resulted in Derek deciding to call it a night.

Stiles didn't want to sleep on the couch, but he didn't want to lose this battle and come crawling into bed with Derek either. He struggled with himself when an idea hit him. It was a bit far fetched, but if he could go into that room without admitting defeat it would be worth a try.

He snuck into the room even though he knew Derek would hear him regardless. Then he tiptoed towards the dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. Over his shoulder he could see that Derek scooted over a bit to make room for him, but he didn't turn around.

With extreme caution he pulled a few items out as he keep an eye on Derek. The clang of metal against metal made his boyfriend turn his head. "What are you doing? Can't you just come to bed?" He sounded sleepy, and soon he'd gone back to his original position, almost flat on his stomach.

'Perfect!' Stiles thought to himself as he crawled onto the bed. He wasn't quite sure how to do this, but after a hurried assessment, he leaned in. Derek was half asleep and Stiles acted fast. In one quick movement he manged to close the handcuffs around Derek's left wrist and attach it to the headboard.

The reaction was instantaneous. Derek pulled on the cuffs and stared at Stiles wide-eyed. "What?!" Stiles cocked his head and batted his lashes. "If you could just give me your other hand, I'll explain it all." If it was out of surprise or if it was any other reason, Stiles didn't know, but Derek stretched out his free arm for him.

Spread out on the bed, face down, with both hands securely cuffed to it, Derek said something, but the pillow muffled it somewhat. "What? I can't hear you." Stiles removed the blanket, and as he suspected, Derek was buck naked under there. "You know I can come loose if I want to." Derek lifted his head off the pillow little so Stiles would be able to hear him.

"I know, but you're not gonna." Stiles looked at the item in his hand. He'd seen it several times before, but it had never been in use. The label was still attached, and he ripped it off as he drew his breath quickly. "Derek! Now you're gonna listen." The thin leather thongs were swaying a little from the thick solid handle as Stiles lifted his hand.

Derek jumped as the whip hit his buttocks with a smacking sound. It wasn't a hard rap, but it left a few faint red marks on the skin. "What the hell are you up to?" Derek sounded more surprised than angry. "What is that?"

Stiles chuckled a little as he let the thongs of the whip brush over Derek's back. "You know what it is." He lifted it again and after a split second of hesitation, he slapped Derek's ass again. This time he used considerably more force, causing a scream of pain from his boyfriend. "Seriously?" Derek huffed out, but he didn't try to come loose.

After two more quick raps, a pattern of red stripes had started to form on the fleshy part of Derek's butt. They faded quickly, and Stiles cursed a little about the werewolf-healing-powers. "You," a quick slap followed, "will," another slap. "never," Stiles let the whip hit the skin between every word. "walk, away, in, the, middle, of, an, argument."

Between the seven and the eight slap, Derek started to moan. At the tenth, he growled into the pillow, but he didn't utter a coherent word. The last time Stiles lifted his arm, he put all the strength he had into it before he slammed the nine knotted thongs onto Derek's ass. When the skin broke and blood started seeping out, Stiles got a little scared by himself. He was enjoying this too much. His dick was obviously enjoying it even more, and he was forced to unbutton his pants.

Derek was breathing heavily and he mumbled something against the pillow. Stiles leaned over and grabbed his hair. It wasn't easy to get a good grip on the short strains, but he managed to lift Derek's head up a little. "What did you say?"

Derek shook his head, causing Stiles to loose the grip. His head fell back onto the pillow, but he turned it and thew a peek at Stiles though the corner of his eye. "I said..." He panted a little before he continued. "Fuck me already. That's what you want, right?"

It hadn't been his initial intention, but the almost pleading words instantly changed that. Stiles wasn't sure if he should do it though. He didn't want Derek to think that he could order him around. "You'd like that wouldn't you?" He placed a sloppy kiss on Derek's back before he straightened himself up. The wounds that he'd inflicted were completely gone, and the only proof that they had been there was some coagulated blood.

He watched as Derek bent his knees and lifted his butt up. Stiles' dick was throbbing and he knew he had to cave in, but he still felt the urge to defy. With Derek's asshole well exposed, Stiles twirled the whip in his hand before he changed his position to find the right angle. With a well placed slap, the thongs hit the asshole. Derek's scream was unnerving, and he pulled hard on the cuffs.

Instantly, Stiles wanted to comfort him. He let go of the whip and peppered Derek's buttocks with kisses. "Sorry, I..." A grunt from Derek made him stop. "Don't... Don't be sorry, this is...oh God. Stiles, I didn't know you had it in you. Will you please... just please..."