My longest chapter so far. It's about the party, and it all happens in a day. I realized that it is very Alex centric, and for those of you who are not too fond of OC's: I'm sorry, but it had to be like this. Eric shows up unexpectedly, and to Isaac's frustration, he stays longer than planned. Finding enough chairs for the guests is not easy. They almost make it, but Lydia steps up and solves the seating problem. Scott's gift makes both Isaac and Alex a ittle teary-eyed, but it's Isaac's gift to his boyfriend that really turn the waterworks on.

Initially they'd planned to have the party at the loft, but with the ground floor of the Hale-house being so close to getting finished, Derek suggested a change of venue. Isaac didn't really care; gathering his friends for a party was more important than the actual place, and he didn't really get a say regardless.

That he'd suggested this in the first place was not in his nature. Birthday parties had not been a particularly fond memory from his past. The only reason for wanting this was to get a chance to celebrate with Alex. If the two of them could have done this alone, he would have been fine with it, but Alex wanted to go all out and turn it into a big event.

Slightly self-conscious about it all, Isaac had tried to tone it down a bit, but Alex was determined. When Derek gave him a go-ahead, there were no way Isaac could stop him. He soon realized that there was nothing else to do than to cave in to his boyfriend's insanity. The last couple of days, Alex had been completely absorbed with this, and Isaac had felt like he was just an onlooker.

There was only one thing that made him feel good about it. This party could be a happy memory. Isaac needed happy memories. Finding Alex had changed him in so many ways, and if this could give them a mutual memory to live on for the rest of their lives, it would be worth the embarrassment of being the center of attention for a few hours.

He'd for a long time wanted to tell Alex about his feelings for him; that he was his one true love, but fear had held him back. The constant worry that Alex didn't share the feeling of being bonded for life, had kept him from revealing his own thoughts about it.

Their young age was also an issue. Isaac didn't know if it was possible to find a soul-mate so early in life. He knew that as werewolves they could – much easier than any human – just kind of know from the first glance, but they were both so inexperienced in love.

There were indications that Alex felt the same way. Little things that made Isaac believe that Alex was just as bonded, but also just as worried about the future. At the baseball field he had said something about celebrating together for years to come, and that sounded promising.

But Isaac also vividly remembered the first time they ever met; back when they had Alex locked up in the basement. Isaac had suggested that they'd killed him. He wondered if Alex also remembered this. In Hester's house he'd also been close to killing him, but something had held him back. It wasn't only Scott's reluctance to take lives that had saved Alex that time. Isaac had already then felt the bond, although it took a few weeks for him to come to terms with it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Eric looked around the room. Alex didn't really own much stuff. He'd come to them with barely any luggage; he had a backpack with some clothes, an extra pair of shoes, and a small bag with a few items in. Some of it was drug paraphernalia, and got tossed out immediately. Most of the clothes were hand-me-downs from the Salvation Army or something. They were so worn, that Hester decided to get rid of them too. A piece of cloth had been saved after Alex almost fell apart when he couldn't find it. He'd explained that it had been an apron at one point in time, but it looked more like a rag with dirty, frayed lace around the edge. It was now tucked in between the clothes Eric pulled out of the dresser.

Hester had been quite generous, and Alex had – just like Eric and Troy – been equipped with a whole new wardrobe when he came to the mansion. She'd also bought them little trinkets and decorations for their rooms. Alex hadn't asked for much, so there wasn't a lot to pack. Eric looked for the wallet, but figured that Alex must have brought it already. He was pretty much carrying it on him at all times.

As Eric emptied one drawer at the time, stuffing the clothes into a big duffel bag, he found some things that technically didn't belong to Alex: There was that little travel kit with make-up that Jade had been so sure she'd misplaced herself, a folder with a random selection of Joy's sheet music, one of Hester's countless handbags, and Eric's own Mickey Mouse T-shirt. He didn't even know it was missing.

Eric didn't hesitate for a moment, but packed the stolen items into the bag. If Alex wanted a few memorabilia from the time here, it was fine with him. The contents of the nightstand drawer got dumped into a box together with a few other things that Alex had been particularly fond of.

When it was all done, he decided to hide everything under the bed until he could get it out of there. He didn't get that far. Just as he zipped the bag close, Troy walked in on him. Even the dimwit got the picture, and he ran downstairs to rat Eric out to the girls.

Slowly, Eric followed him. He could still pull this off, but he was a little nervous as he entered the living room. "Is it true?" Joy didn't even wait for him to get inside before she addressed him. Eric drew his breath and came closer. "That depends on what he'd told you." He threw a peek at Troy before he turned back to Joy.

Jade was sitting on the couch with her head cocked. "Have you been to Beacon Hills? Have you met Alex?" She didn't sound angry, but Eric didn't know if it was just a ruse. He decided to be bold and come clean. "I have, I did." He straightened himself up before he continued. "I was curious, and quite bored." He let out a small chuckle. "I didn't plan it, but when I met Alex alone, I couldn't help it. I had to talk with him."

The twins stared at him, but didn't say anything. Eric put his hand in his pocket and touched the necklace and the rings. "He's happy. He'd wanted to contact you, but didn't dare." Slowly, he pulled his hand out of the pocket. "He wanted to give you this," he pulled his hand all the way out and let the rings dangle from the chain, "as a peace offering."

When Jade saw the rings, tears welled up in her eyes. "The rings, he saved the rings." She ran over to Eric and grabbed them out of his hand. "I'm fine with this. Let them be, we can't fight them regardless." Joy looked at her sister. She didn't seem convinced about this, but then she nodded slowly a few times.

"He wants his clothes, and I promised to ask you if it was okay." Eric saw that Troy reacted to the words, and the guy took a couple of steps forward. "Bullshit! You were going to bring it to him without asking." He turned to Jade and Joy. "He has already packed everything. He would have snuck it out of here."

Eric huffed and shook his head. "No, I would never have done that." He hoped that the twins would believe the little white lie. "I just... I wanted to pack it myself. Alex was, uh, is my friend. I didn't know how much it was and..."

Jade lifted her hand. "Go ahead. Bring it to him." She looked at the rings. "He was thoughtful enough to take care of these, when he could have walked away and let them bury them with her." She looked at her sister. Joy seemed to think about for a second, before she turned to Alex. "I agree, just do it."

Troy was about to protest, but Jade hushed him and got up from the couch. "There's no point. We're not going to fight them. I just want peace." She walked towards the door. Eric couldn't help himself. He looked at Troy with a smirk as he addressed the twins. "Thank you so much. Alex will appreciate this. I promise he'll keep his side of the bargain and make sure that Derek Hale and his pack will stay away forever."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles listened to Isaac's request with surprise. "Are you sure? It could turn out pretty bad." He shrugged a little. "Have you tried to find out yourself?" They were at the loft packing things they needed for the party. Alex and Derek had left already, but would be back later.

"I did, but she doesn't have the same last name, and I can't just ask Alex." Isaac stacked some containers with food into the cooler. "Your dad is really the only one that can help." He paused for a second, and stared into the air. "Alex told me that he'd like to know how she's doing. If she's alright, but he's not sure he wants to meet her."

The request was slightly ambiguous. Stiles didn't know if Isaac did this out of curiosity, or if he was also taking Alex' feelings about it into consideration. "Do you know anything about her?" He looked at Isaac. "I mean... If I'm gonna ask dad, I have to give him some inside information."

Isaac drew his breath and leaned on the counter. "Except for the fact that she chose her abusive husband over her son, and that she waited almost a year before she reported Alex missing; no, not much." His voice was dripping with contempt. "She was a druggie when she was young, but cleaned up when she got pregnant. I guess her life wasn't easy either." He sighed and continued with the task at hand. "I just want to find out if she's alive and well."

Stiles wasn't sure if his dad would be able to perform the search with the limited knowledge. "Where did they live? Anywhere close to here?" If Alex came from another state, it could be difficult. "Did he tell you anything that could make this easier?"

The cooler was filled to the brim, and Isaac bent down to put the lid on it. "Can't you just ask your dad? If he can do this, I'll sit down with him and tell him what I know." He moved the first cooler out of the way, and dragged the other one closer. "You have to tell him to keep it a secret though."

Stiles still felt a little uncomfortable about this. He had this strong opinion that Alex needed to know. "Are you sure? Maybe Alex will hold it against you later if you do this." He grabbed Isaac's arm and looked into his eyes. "You can ease him into it. You don't even know if he really wants this."

With a shrug, Isaac came loose from the grip. "I know. Stiles, I'm perfectly aware of the implications." He rubbed his eyes quickly. "If I can just talk to your dad about it; I just want to know if it's possible before I ask Alex. I don't want him to get his hopes up for nothing."

It made sense, and suddenly Stiles understood Isaac's incentive for keeping it a secret for now. "Okay. I'll ask, but only if you promise to share this with Alex as soon as you've talked to dad. Will you promise?" Isaac looked down for a second before he nodded. "I promise."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Lydia showed up early. She hadn't been to the house since that little party when she discovered that she couldn't enter. She'd been told that the basement was cleansed, but hadn't got a chance to find out if it was true.

Derek and Alex was there as promised, but it looked like they were about to leave. She jumped out of the car. "Hey! Are you going anywhere? I'm not staying here alone." Derek smiled at her and came closer. "Allison is on her way, and I'm just bringing Alex back to the loft. He has some cooking to do."

It was not a very comforting statement. Lydia didn't want to be there without any kind of company. "Can you wait till she gets here?" She threw a peek at the house, and Derek quickly picked up on it. "We can wait. Do you want to try to enter? I'm sure Alex would love to give you the tour."

Alex looked a little distressed; he was clearly eager to get back to the loft as soon as possible, but then he smiled and waved towards the house. "Come on. I'll also show you what I need you to do." He started walking towards the front porch, and Lydia braced herself before she followed.

No bad feelings entered her mind. It was like waking into any house. Dr Deaton obviously knew what he was doing when he cleansed it. The factual knowledge about the happenings here, was still present in her mind, but it didn't bother her in the same way anymore.

The small hall widened out to a big empty room. The stairs were right in front of her and on the left she could see the kitchen. The brand new cupboards were placed loosely against the wall. They weren't attached in any way shape or form, but she got an idea on how that room would look when it was all done.

"We have no running water yet, so please don't use the bathroom." Alex giggled a little as he pointed to a door next to the kitchen Then he wandered off towards the back of the house. Lydia followed him, perfectly amazed about the progress. Alex opened a door to a room that was filled with building materials. "Don't mind the mess, but this will probably be your sleeping quarters if you decide to spend the night here sometime in the future."

The room was quite big for a guestroom, but at the moment they couldn't even set a foot inside. "Maybe we'll make in into two rooms, but Derek hasn't decided yet." Alex closed the door and pointed to another. "That's the back door. We're having some problems with it. It's kinda stuck, but it will be fixed."

When they were back in the living room, Alex cocked his head and grabbed a broom that was leaning on the wall. "If you could sweep and... stuff." He batted his lashes. "Sorry you're a guest, but you said you wanted to help out." As Lydia was about to answer she could hear a car approaching. "It's fine, but I guess Allison is here now. She can fill me in. Go and make food." She smiled at Alex when he practically curtsied her. "Thank you so much. Derek will be back soon to help."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek couldn't believe that he'd practically given Alex a carte blanche when he'd asked if he could throw this party. The guy had gone all out with it. That he'd done most of the work himself helped a lot, but one could be under the impression that Alex was slightly insane.

Some of the plans had to be scrubbed. Alex wanted to put a disco ball and strobe lights into the living room, but when Dave the electrician told them that it would be impossible to hook them up to the electric grid at this point, Derek had secretly thanked any and all Gods that could or could not exist.

Alex also wanted a live band, but on that subject Derek had put his foot down. Paying for someone to come and play a few tunes was out of the question. Especially when they had that oversized boombox Stiles had convinced his dad to buy him last year. It would require a small arsenal of batteries, but that didn't change Derek's point of view.

There were some issues about the amount of food that Derek had wanted to address, but when he tried, Alex had snapped at him.

When he dropped Alex off at the loft, Derek thought he'd pick up Stiles, but it was Isaac that came downstairs with the two coolers. "Alex didn't want me there. He told me that Stiles has a better palate than me. I don't even know what that means." He looked slightly confused as he tried to fit the coolers into the back seat.

Derek got the impression that Isaac was also thinking that his boyfriend going a little off his rails. He shook his head and chuckled. "So let the two of them work it out. They are both a little hyper. I could have been fun to watch them, but we have work to do."

As they pulled up outside the house, Derek noticed a movement between the trees. He'd for a long time had a feeling that they had been watched, so he tried to act normal to avoid alerting whoever it was. Isaac had clearly not seen it, but as soon as he stepped out of the car he sniffed into the air.

Derek managed to give him a sign, and was happy when Isaac seemed to get it. They pulled the coolers out and carried them towards the porch. As soon as Derek had put it down he darted towards the treeline.

He recognized him immediately as one of Hester's boys. He was carrying a big duffel bag, but dropped it the moment he realized he was noticed. It didn't help. Derek caught up with him and knocked him to the ground. "Eric was it? You better come with me."

Derek dragged the guy out of the woods as he yelled for Isaac to help. Eric was squirming in his grip, but Derek was quite a bit stronger than him. "They didn't give up. They sent a spy. This is Eric."

The guy gave up. He didn't even try to fight Derek anymore. "Please. I just came for Alex. I mean, no, I..." He didn't get to explain himself before Isaac rushed forward to attack him. "Alex will never go with you. If you came here to take him away, I'll kill you."

Derek wasn't quite sure what would be the right move, but killing this guy without interrogating him first was not an option. "Isaac relax. We'll kill him if we have to, but please wait." He managed to cover Eric from Isaac attack.

"NO! There will be no killing." Allison came running out of the house. Lydia was right behind her but stopped on the porch. "There's no reason to take this guy's life, regardless of his connection to Hester." She pushed Isaac away and met Derek's eyes. For the other two, it seemed like a staring contest, but then Allison averted her gaze. "I'm done. Unless somebody threatens my family...hmpf, uh, that includes all of my friends." She narrowed her eyes, and looked at Derek and Isaac. "This pack is gong to get back in the good graces of the hunters. We are going to protect Beacon Hills. I'm going to make sure that we can live in peace here."

After the little speech, she suddenly looked totally exhausted. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily. "If they want a fight, I'll take it, but I'm done for now." With a quick move, she had her hand wrapped around Eric's throat. "Tell me what you're doing here. If you're honest, it will save your life."

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

Isaac watched as Alex jumped out of the car. He wondered what he'd say when he discovered that they had an uninvited guest. During the short interrogation, Eric had begged them to take him back to where Derek had caught him. The content of the cardboard box and the duffel bag they'd found between the bushes had convinced Isaac that the guy was speaking the truth. It didn't prevent him from getting attacked by a strong feeling of jealousy.

Derek had volunteered to keep an eye on the guy until Alex showed up, and Isaac suspected that he did it to avoid participating in the decoration. Nobody who'd been near Derek in the past couple of days could deny that he'd not been overly enthusiastic about Alex' plans.

It wasn't that Derek didn't condone it, but Alex had taken the carte blanche and ran with it, pushing limits in all directions. There hadn't really been any arguments between them. When Derek said no, Alex had complied, but it still threatened to get a little out of hand.

Isaac threw a quick peek at Eric. The guy was standing by the kitchen window, and had obviously seen Alex out there. The nervous twisting of his hands and the ghost of a smile tugging on his lips told Isaac that he was more than a little excited.

Alex and Stiles took their time; Isaac could see them digging things out of the car, and decided to go and help. He felt less than comfortable about Eric's presence, and wondered if he should reveal the secret immediately, just to get it over with.

He didn't get a chance. As soon as he came close, Alex started to pile stuff into his arms. "Bring this inside. Me and Stiles are going to take this to the stove." He nodded towards the brick-stove by the side of the house as he picked up a box with some pots and pans.

"Uh... okay, but maybe..." Isaac didn't get a chance to finish. "Hurry up, there's more, and I have to get back soon. I have food in the oven." Alex practically pushed him towards the house. With a shrug, Isaac walked away, but as he looked up, he saw Derek and Eric in the doorway.

A loud crash came from behind, before Alex rushed past him. "Eric, what are you doing here?" Then, he addressed Derek. "He's a friend. He won't be trouble. Please don't hurt him." It took him only a seconds to get to Eric, and Isaac watched with dismay on how he practically threw himself into the guy's arms.

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

The table they'd made out of plywood and trestles, was placed in the middle of what would be the living room. Melissa had borrowed some folding chairs from the hospital's meeting room. With some pallets and pillows, Stiles and Isaac had managed to make a couch. Derek had found some more plywood, and constructed another little table for some of the food.

They were still quite a few seats short, so Stiles went on a round to collect anything that could be used as a chair. Alex had taken the jeep, so he had to borrow Chris' SUV for the purpose. It was a random collection of seats: garden stools, the dining room chairs from the Stilinski house, and a couple of wooden crates.

When he came back, Lydia and Allison were outside decorating the yard. Streamers in different colors were hanging from the trees. Small lanterns lined the whole area, and the fire pit they'd used ever so often during the summer had had a renovation. Every stone circling it, had been painted in different colors, and the logs they used to sit on were covered with blankets.

The plan was to move the party outside as soon as everybody had been fed and the presents were unwrapped. They could easily have had the whole party outside, but Alex insisted on a little 'class'. Stiles wasn't sure were this classiness would come from with plywood tables and the random selection of chairs; not to mention the fact that even if the drywall was up, it wasn't painted, and the windows were still not properly framed. Part of the floor bore signs of having survived a fire, and there were no running water or electricity.

Lydia and Allison helped with the chairs and when they came inside, Stiles had to admit that it looked amazing. On every available surface, except for the dining table, there were lit candles; white paper tablecloths covered the plywood, and soft music was playing in the background.

Spread out on the whole length of the makeshift table, Derek and Isaac were placing cups with small bouquets of wildflowers. Somebody had obviously gone out to pick them, and Stiles wondered who. He couldn't really picture Derek and Isaac doing it, but Lydia or Allison looked just as surprised as him by this, so Stiles figured that wasn't the girls.

The fact that this was technically Isaac's birthday party didn't really show on his face. Stiles knew exactly why he sported that disgruntled expression. Alex had barely payed attention to him at all during the short stay earlier, and Isaac was probably quite jealous of Eric.

Stiles knew that it made no sense, and he was pretty sure Isaac did too. Alex had told them that Eric was straight and that he'd never even had a crush on him, and that they had been more or less like brothers at Hester's house.

When Alex had to leave, he'd somehow convinced Eric to come with him to the loft, causing Isaac to just walk away. Stiles had wondered if he should try to comfort him, but then the chair problem arose and he had to leave also.

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

Alex had begged Eric to stay for the party, but he'd been adamant about going back as soon as possible. He didn't want to jeopardize the trust Jade and Joy had showed him. If he stayed too long, he worried that they would think he was running away, and send Troy to get him.

Being in such a hurry, Alex didn't have time to show Eric around in the house, and he cursed to himself for leaving the oven on at the loft. "Could you maybe... tell them that you couldn't find me. That you need a little more time?" Alex almost panicked a little, thinking it could possibly be that last time they met.

When Eric nodded and pulled out his phone, Alex had looked for Isaac, but couldn't see him. He realized that he'd totally ignored his boyfriend, but he had not time to do anything about it at that moment.

"It's okay. I can stay. Joy told me to take all the time I needed. I think she knew I was lying, but..." Eric shrugged, and stuck the phone back in his pocket. "They've changed. The girls have changed since her death." He followed Alex to Stiles' car, and jumped into the passenger seat. "I don't want to push it, but I asked her to call me later."

At the loft, Alex had to check on the lasagna. He could cook everything else on the outdoor stove, but this had to be done here. Eric was walking around in there looking a little freaked out. "This is where you live?" He shook his head. "It's like a warehouse, how can..."

Alex laughed. "I know. It's not like the mansion, but remember, I lived on the streets for six years. This is way better." He dug out the aluminum-foil from a drawer. "And you know, we'll be moving soon." When he looked up, Eric was peeking into Isaac's room. "Is this where you're sleeping?" He closed the door and came back towards the kitchen area.

"Sleeping? Yeah. I do. I sleep sometimes." Alex turned to Eric and smiled. "Honestly! That's the room where we're at it like rabbits." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "I'm in love, Eric. I've found... I think this is for life. For me it is, but I think it is for Isaac too."

Eric came over and hugged him. "You think? You... he's a werewolf, he should know." He put his hands on Alex shoulders and pushed him back to meet his eyes. Alex slumped his head down and pouted a little. "I didn't ask him yet. He's only... eighteen. Uh, tomorrow."

With a huff, Eric let go of Alex' shoulders. "I was only seventeen when I knew that Hester was my soul-mate. For her I was just a toy, but I couldn't leave, because I was bonded with her." He shook his head. "She screwed me over so many times, but I was still that devoted puppy."

He drew his breath and stared into Alex' eyes. "I wanted to kill the bitch that took her life, but then I realized that I was set free." Eric hurried to wipe a tear out of his eye. "She would never love me the way I loved her, but I couldn't move on until... now."

Alex had to take care of the lasagna, so he moved over to the stove. "I understand what you're saying, and I feel for you. Hester was unable to love anyone. She was damaged." He pulled the pan out, and hurried to cover it with the aluminum foil. "So why don't you come live with us? And why does this have anything to do with Isaac?"

Looking down, Eric grabbed bar-stool and climbed on it. "I'm just saying... age is not important. As a werewolf, you just know. And, no, I can not abandon the girls." He blushed a little, and Alex had to stop what he was doing to look at his friend. "You really care about them? Did they really change that much?"

There were so much to say and so much to do. Alex wanted to have time for Eric, but he had other obligations. He had to get the food to the house while it was still warm. Looking at the clock, he knew the guests were arriving soon. "Please just stay for a little while longer. I've missed you, but I have to get back to the house."

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

It looked like the party was going to be a big success. The guests had started to arrive, and Allison greeted them all with a glass of sparkling wine. She worried a little about the fact that Alex hadn't come back yet, but he hadn't really been gone that long.

Stiles had obviously got thorough instructions about the Hors d'oeuvres, and was handing out paper plates to the guests before he guided them towards the table. Without enough serving plates, some of it was still in plastic containers, but it didn't matter.

Isaac had been pacing around, being in everybody's way ever since Alex and Eric left, but now he'd managed to put on a smile. It was clearly a little forced, but it didn't look like anyone else noticed.

Chris was showing Melissa and Mr Stilinski around the house. Lydia was helping Stiles, and Derek was outside tending to the outdoor stove. Allison had put Scott in charge of the presents. Without any table to put them on, he'd used the stairs, causing difficulties for Chris when he wanted to show Scott and Stiles' parents the upstairs. Most of the presents were for Isaac; some of the guests didn't even know Alex, and they definitely didn't know that the two of them were an item.

The guys from the Lacrosse-team had obviously started the party before they came. Danny was technically sober, and was the designated driver, but the other four had had more than a few drinks already. Allison decided to keep an eye on them; she didn't want them to ruin this, and she'd toss them out if they started to get obnoxious.

Dr Deaton brought his sister and as soon as they arrived, Scott ran out to greet them by the car. Allison watched them gesturing and pointing at something inside the car, but with the music and the chatter around her, she was unable to hear them.

The three of them had to jump out of the way when Alex arrived in the jeep. He'd been adamant about keeping cars out of the front yard, but it obviously didn't include him. He parked almost on the doorstep and hurried to get out. Eric was with him and together, they rushed over to Derek with a couple of aluminum pans.

"Sorry, sorry. Is everything okay?" He waved to Allison, and she nodded. "Sure, did you think we couldn't do this without you?" She laughed as she handed a glass of wine to Dr Deaton's sister, who'd now come up on the porch.

Allison went inside and looked around. Isaac was hanging with Danny all the way in the back of the living room, and Allison tried to get his attention. He'd been sulking for too long, and she wanted to tell him that Alex was back.

-o-o-o-o-o-

They were three seats short. Alex suggested that he, Stiles and Derek could sit on the makeshift couch, but then Lydia stepped up. "It's your party, and Derek is the host. You are going to relax and have fun now. I'll take care of this." After a short deliberation with Allison, she'd volunteered Danny and Lizzy – one of her friends – to pose as waiters, and solved the seating problem already.

"I counted and knew it would be an issue, so this is how we'll do it." She grabbed the serving plate with a variety of sausages and other meats that Alex had cooked on the outdoor grill, out of his hands and nodded towards the table. "Sit! We'll do this."

Derek was still outside, tending to the food that were kept warm out there, and Lydia sent Danny out to get him. She clapped her hands to get everybody's attention. "Please get seated. Lizzy will provide you with drinks. Just tell her what you want."

She put the plate down on the table as Derek and Danny came inside with more food. She urged Derek to sit before she and Danny headed outside to get the rest.

The sun was touching the treetops, and would soon disappear. The evening came early in the woods. Lydia realized that they probably had to make two trips; Alex had made enough food to serve an army. They would have leftovers for days to come.

Her mouth watered when the scent hit her nostrils, and she couldn't help herself. Knowing that she'd have to wait before she could sit down and eat properly, she grabbed a couple of meatballs and stuffed them in her mouth. Danny caught her red-handed, and laughed before he too did the same.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Troy was extremely pissed off. He couldn't believe that Jade and Joy had let Eric take off to meet Alex. Alex, who had abandoned them for Derek Hale and his pack. Alex, who was in cohorts with those bastards who killed Hester.

The girls had not showed any urge to get revenge, and it angered him. He wanted to snuff out that bitch who took their Alpha away and stole her status. Derek himself and his human boyfriend were also high on Troy's list of people he would want to see dead.

When Eric didn't come back after what Troy felt was an appropriate period of time, he'd asked Joy if he should go looking for him, but she'd just waved it off. Later, he learned that Eric had actually called to ask if he could stay longer, and Joy had given him permission.

Trying to get Jade to see his point of view had resulted in nothing. The girl had solemnly explained that her sister had made the decision and she was not going to contradict her.

When the sun was setting in the west, Troy started to think that Eric wouldn't come back at all. He could be captured, or even dead. A shiver went down Troy's spine when he realized that Eric could have joined the pack up in Beacon Hills and that he'd never come back.

He had to do something. Pacing around only got him more frustrated, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

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

Everybody was raving about the food, and Stiles could see that Alex blushed a little from all the attention. He was also clearly proud of himself, but bore it quite well.

When the guests couldn't possibly eat another bite, there were still enough food left to feed a small village. That was before the cake and other sweets were even out of the cooler. Stiles got up, and urged Derek and Scott to do so too, so Lydia, Danny, and Lizzy could get a bite before they started to put away the leftovers.

Alex managed to convince all of them to have a piece of cake, before they concentrated on the presents. A good deal of them were for Isaac; mostly money and gift-cards, but also a few pieces of clothing and toiletries.

Those guests that had had the pleasure of meeting Alex before, and knew that it was technically his birthday party too, had of course got something for him also. Stiles was a little embarrassed as he handed over the gift from him and Derek. It wasn't particularly inventive, but the check was big enough for them to equip their new room in the house with brand new furniture. Stiles had not been able to chip in much, but Derek had covered the rest. It was his idea anyway.

Mrs McCall, Mr Stilinski, and Mr Argent had gone together to buy presents for the boys. Isaac was in awe when he looked the new iphone, but couldn't compete with Alex' screams as he unwrapped the sewing machine.

Running around like a child, he hugged all three of them before he caressed the machine, as if it was the most precious thing he'd ever seen. Isaac had to pull him away from it when Scott started to get a little impatient.

Everybody knew that he had a very special present, but only Derek and Dr Deaton knew what it was. The doctor was outside waiting for his cue, and came inside as soon as Scott gave the okay.

The little bundle he was carrying in his arm whimpered a little, but it's tail was wagging vigorously. "Scott and I nursed this little fellow back to health after someone found him in a crate by the road." Deaton lifted the little guy up for everyone to see. "We cleared it with Derek, and he thought it would be nice with a dog to complement the family."

Tears were running down Alex' face as he reached his hands out to take the dog. The animal squirmed a little before he rested his head on Alex' shoulder. Isaac embraced them both, and for all the onlookers, it was clear that he too got a little emotional.

"We have a baby." Alex sniffled a little before he stretched his neck and kissed Isaac on the mouth. Stiles noticed that some of their friends from school widened their eyes. They had clearly not picked up on the fact that Isaac and Alex were a couple.

Nobody said anything though, and even if Isaac seemed a little uncomfortable about it, he didn't pull away. He looked around before he dug into his pocket and cleared his throat. "Alex." He panned the crowd under his lashes. "This is, uh, not... I mean..." His face was so red that Stiles worried for a second that it would explode.

Isaac had to take a moment to compose himself before he continued. "I love you so much. I want to be with you for the rest of my life." He swallowed hard. Alex squeezed the puppy into his chest until it started to whimper before he realized what he was doing. Isaac giggled a little nervously as he gestured for Scott to take the dog.

"It's not a proposal... I think...but I want you to have this." He got his hand out of his pocket and presented a simple gold ring. "It was my mother's wedding band." He paused for a second. "Call it whatever you want. I may be young, but I know that nobody can make me as happy as I am when I'm with you."

It freaks me out a little, but this is the beginning of the end. After more than a year in the making, this story is reaching it's (for me) long awaiting finale. Don't worry, there are still more than a few chapters to come, but the endgame is in sight.

I have added new plot-lines over time (and I promise you there will still be a few new and exciting happenings. Maybe even a major surprise or two.), but ever since I decided to keep going after the two first chapters, I have always known how I wanted this to end for Stiles and Derek. Isaac's and Allison's fate have come to me during the writing process, but it didn't really change much for the Sterek story I wanted to tell. (Yeah, I admit that it's getting a little more crowded than I first planned.)

Unlike the writers of LOST, I will do my best to wrap up all loose ends. If you have any questions or ideas, you better ship them my way now. If there's anything you feel I need to address in the last few - maybe a little more than a few - chapters, this is your chance to tell me. Did I start a plot-line that ended in nothing? Did I leave someone behind? There could be things that I'm forgetting, and I don't want anyone to have to remind me after the last chapter has been posted.

I'm trying to keep up with myself, but there's a shitload of chapters to go through. Help! Please help!