In the time after the bite, when Stiles had expected to be the center of attention, everybody else were to busy for him. Alex had to make up his mind about what to do about the information he got from Mr Stilinski. Allison is still not feeling well, and she decides to face Stiles. Melissa plans a lunch. After a small argument with Dave, Derek is taking a couple of days off from the house. Stiles is happy to finally spend time with Derek alone, and he doesn't waste it.

The next week and a half was a little hazy for most of the pack. Derek seemed to take everything in the stride though. He spent most of his days at the house, and the first week, he and Chris had almost worked around the clock to get as much as possible done before Dave and company arrived.

Stiles had tried to be there as much as possible, but he had a job to attend. Anyway, it wasn't so easy to get any alone time with Derek there. It was nice to see the house coming together, so he forgave Derek for being so absent minded. Stiles didn't find it appropriate to complain; Derek was building them a home.

The few hours they did spent alone together at the loft, he got pampered and showered with affection. It was hardly enough though, and there were no time wasted on talking about the bite.

Sex had been awesome, though. Maybe not so inventive – lack of time prevented that – but the heightened senses he'd acquired made the hurried copulations they squeezed in, while Isaac and Alex walked the dog, feel so much more intense.

When he was alone – in the car delivering pizza, or even when he took a leak – all he could think of was what would happen during the full moon. He didn't want to share his worries with just anybody; he wanted to be perceived as strong and bold, but the few lines he did drop about it fell on deaf ears anyway.

Alex had his own ghosts to face, and Isaac did his best to be there for him. Between that, tending for Periwinkle, and helping out a little bit at the house, the two of them didn't really have an time to spare for Stiles.

He'd counted on Scott being more perceptive, but there had been a police raid at a puppy-mill nearby, and Dr Deaton was swamped with assessing some of the near forty dogs they saved. Not all of them were brought into his clinic, but there were still a lot of work. Scott had spent all his free time there helping out to the best of his ability.

Stiles had barely seen Allison during the first week after the bite. She'd come to the house, and had put I some hours of work, but only when Stiles wasn't there. He didn't know if she deliberately avoided him, or if it was just a coincidence.

All in all, things hadn't changed much from before the bite, but with the extra effort put in on the house, Alex' struggles regarding his mother, Scott working overtime at the clinic, and Allison's curious absence, Stiles felt that none of them had much time for him. It was understandable, but it made him feel lonely; even when he hung out with them.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Mr Stilinski had promised to give Alex a little bit of time before he had to do something about the case. He'd told him that sooner or later someone would question the fact that he'd logged in and checked out everything about Sonya, so he'd urged Alex to make up his mind shortly.

It wasn't easy. Alex struggled with his feeling about this. He'd lived with his stepfather for more than ten years. For eight of them, he'd been subject to corporal punishment and straight out abuse from this guy without his mom's interference. It wasn't completely true; she did stop it on a coupe of occasions, but she spent more time urging Alex to be a good boy than to say a word against her husband. Even when Alex ran away and gave her an ultimatum, she'd chose to stay.

When her daughter – Alex' half-sister – got punished and abused the same way, his mom waited no longer than six months before she decided to get rid of the abuser. Not that Alex meant that six months of beatings weren't enough, but he felt a bit betrayed.

Several times, as he sifted through the court papers and the rest of the documents Mr Stilinski had provided, Alex wondered about a few things. Why did she so easily look the other way when Alex got dragged into 'the office' to get spanked until he couldn't sit? Why didn't she put her foot down when the bruises on his body were so severe that he had to skip school for a day or two? Why didn't she just shoot the guy back then?

What was it with this little girl that made her snap, when she had let her son go though all of this without her lifting a finger?

Alex knew they would have been poor without his stepfathers money, but looking back, he felt that his life was better when he lived on the streets. Some nights, he was so cold that he thought he'd freeze to death. He got beat up on a couple of occasions, and he wasn't particularly proud of the things he had to do for money sometimes, but he still felt safer there than he'd ever felt living with his stepfather.

Life had sent him through some twists and turns, and eventually it had led him here. Whatever happened before he met Isaac, hadn't mattered anymore. He was happy. Happier than he'd ever thought it was possible to be.

He knew that the others – and especially Isaac – had felt sorry for him when he shared his stories, but talking about it had actually made him feel better. It was in the past, it was ancient history, and even if it could make him a little emotional at times, he'd thought he was over it.

The worst part of it all was that he felt an unwanted resentment towards the little girl. She was innocent in all this, but his mom had obviously loved his sister more than she'd loved him. She'd killed her father to save her, while Alex got shut out into the cold.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It took about a week before Allison started to feel normal again. General discomfort and lingering nausea had bothered her ever since she gave Stiles the bite. She put in a lot of effort into trying to act normal, and it actually made her feel better.

It wasn't like she consciously tried to avoid Stiles, but she'd discovered that she picked the times to visit the house carefully to make sure she'd only find her dad and Derek there.

Through Scott, she'd learned that Stiles wasn't angry with her, but she knew perfectly well that he never really wanted to become a werewolf. That she actually saved his life did bring her some comfort, but she was plagued with remorse regardless.

Allison was pretty sure that she wasn't really sick; it was just her guilty mind playing tricks on her, but she was unable to push it away completely. Especially in the mornings, just as she woke up, she could feel it. During the day, when she was busy with other things, it was possible to forget about it for a while.

It didn't help much that her dad was nagging her about leading the pack. Luckily, he was gone most of the day, so she didn't have to deal with him too much, but she truly felt that it was none of his business. At the house, in Derek's presence, he never brought it up.

Derek was curiously quiet about it, and he treated her the same way he'd treated her before. He had briefly mentioned that Stiles didn't carry a grudge, and that he'd understood that he would have been dead without her bite.

It wasn't helping much in the long run, and she knew she had to face Stiles sooner or later. She was sure that if she could hear it from his own mouth, she'd feel better.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Breakfast with Mrs McCall had been a nice, but a little awkward. They had decided to meet at the diner next to the hospital. Their conversation, that had ran so unrestrained and easy during the party, was a tad more clumsy in the morning.

Melissa had already found a booth when Mr Stilinski arrived shortly after the call. After greeting each other, they had spent an unusually long time with the menus. The diner didn't have a very broad selection; reading the whole menu was totally unnecessary, but he couldn't come up with anything to say, so he practically hid behind it.

The waitress saved them from total embarrassment when she came over and asked if they wanted coffee while they decided. When they answered with a hurried and unison 'Yes please!' They looked at each other and chuckled.

The ice didn't break completely, but they managed to exchange a few words about what to eat. It took another five minutes – the waitress brought the coffee and took their orders – before another word was uttered between them.

They talked a little about the party, and agreed that Alex and Derek had done a good job with it. The progress on the house got a little bit of attention, but they avoided mentioning anything about their own kids moving in.

As soon as the food was on the table, the conversation came to a complete halt again. It was okay; talking with your mouth full is not particularly polite anyway. While soaking up some yolk with a piece of toast, Mr Stilinski briefly mentioned Alex' cooking skills, and Melissa looked up and nodded vigorously. She swallowed the piece of pancake she had in her mouth before she happily raved about the food they'd been served the night before.

When they were done, and after the waitress had cleared the table, Mr Stilinski wondered what to do about the check. It wasn't like a date, so he thought that maybe they were supposed to split it. He didn't feel that it was right to ask, so he decided to be a gentleman. He waved the waitress over and gave her his credit card. When Melissa tried to protest he shushed her – he actually shushed her.

It was an extremely awkward moment, and he closed his eyes for a second in pure embarrassment. When he looked up again, he could see that Melissa seemed slightly amused, and he managed to give her a smile. "Next is on you, okay?"

They left shortly after and walked over to their separate cars. Melissa opened the car door before she paused and turned around. "Next time?" She shrugged and threw a peek at the diner. "Next time will be somewhere else, don't you agree?"

He agreed so much that he actually wanted to shout it out. Instead, he just nodded and smiled. "Your treat. Your choice."

That was a week ago, and he hadn't even seen her since. It was quite unusual. They normally bumped into each other ever so often. Not that he worried that much, but he did think about it.

The text came as he parked the car outside the police station. "Lunch Tuesday? Melissa."

-o-o-o-o-o-

When the professionals arrived on Sunday evening, they took a quick tour around inside the house with Derek and Chris before they set up camp. Mouth managed to squeeze the RV in between the house and the treeline without knocking over the outdoor stove, which was quite amazing.

After an assessment of the equipment and the fixtures, Dave provided Chris with a list of what else they would need to get the job done. When Derek offered to take care of it, Dave had frowned at him. "You wouldn't know what to look for. Just cough up the money. I'll go with Mr Argent to get it."

Derek knew that the guy had a point, but he could feel the claws come out regardless. They were doing him – or technically Chris – a big favor, but they didn't have to be rude. He managed to calm down, but Chris had obviously noticed that he'd been about to turn. The hunter grabbed his arm and dragged him into the house.

"I know." He was whispering. "Bedside manners have really never been Dave's forte, but bear with it, please." He let go of Derek and gave him a lopsided smile. "If you want to stay away for a few days, it's okay."

Derek didn't know if he wanted that; it was after all his house, but he could easily see Chris' point. "There's still a few things..." He didn't get to finish. Chris patted his back. "Don't worry about it. I can handle it. Allison and Scott can help. Maybe even Isaac and Alex." He rolled his eyes when he mentioned their names. Everybody knew that the two boys were practically all thumbs when it came to this.

"It doesn't feel right." Derek shook his head. "I mean, I should be here. I can't leave this to you. You have done so much already." He got a little surprised when Chris started laughing. "If you had any idea about how much I've enjoyed this, you would have charged me." He was still chuckling a little. "It's been a lot of work. I've put in an insanely amount of hours here, but..." He instantly became serious. "...I'm doing it for my little girl."

Derek closed his eyes and bowed his head. He knew exactly what the hunter was hinting to. Ever since she got turned, he'd wanted Allison to join Derek's pack. Everybody knew it would be safer for her in a pack. His reasoning for helping out had been to make sure that his daughter was taken care of properly. Living in this house would make her – and Scott – natural members. Obviously, there could be some hitches, but if she agreed to move in, it would have been set.

After she required the Alpha-status, Chris had ventured out on another agenda. He wanted his daughter to take over. At the moment, he had got his will; technically Allison was the leader, but nobody knew if she wanted it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles looked up at the moon. It was partially hidden behind clouds, but he knew exactly what phase it was in. He wondered what would happen when it was full. The lack of interest from the others on his 'condition' was disturbing, but he knew that it wasn't done on purpose. Last week had been crazy for everybody involved, but he'd expected Derek to at least give him some insight.

Every time he'd tried to bring it up, Derek had told him not to worry about it. The few hours he'd had with his boyfriend – his mate, he could actually feel it now – during the week had been glorious, but somewhat tainted with everything else that went on.

He remembered vividly what had happened with Scott after the bite. His friend had been almost totally out of control. Without any knowledge about what was going on with him, it was understandable. Stiles didn't feel out of control. He wasn't even as hyper as usual, and he attributed that to the fact that he was a werewolf. The ADHD was gone; he was, uh, normal.

That he was completely aware of what the bite entailed, was probably one of the reasons for his calmness, but the full moon was still a concern. He had no desire to be chained up, and frankly, he didn't think they had to. With five other werwolves around, they could keep an eye on him and prevent him form doing anything stupid.

That the others didn't seem even a tad concerned was comforting, although he would have wanted a little bit more attention.

He drew his breath heavily and leaned back on the couch. He didn't like being alone, but he knew it wasn't for long. Derek was at the house, and would be back shortly; Isaac and Alex were walking the dog and had been gone for way longer than necessary. Stiles decided to not worry about anything at the moment, and turned on the TV. He caught the tail-end of an old 'Supernatural' episode.

Stiles remembered that episode. The werewolf girl begged them to kill her because she claimed she was a monster. He hurried to change the channel.

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

Alex had made up his mind. While they were out walking the dog, he had for the first time in ages used the phone that Eric had given him. He knew it was kind of late in the evening, but Mr Stilinski answered immediately.

"I want to talk with her." He didn't bother to elaborate. He knew that Stiles' dad would understand what he was talking about. Isaac was waiting by the door to the loft. Alex knew he supported his decision.

"Okay. I can try to arrange that." Mr Stilinski sounded very formal. "I don't know if she's allowed visitors, but remember! As soon as your name is brought into the case, you could be a called as a witness in her defense."

Alex stopped and thought about it before he replied. "Do it! Sooner or later they'll find me. I want to go to school, and..." He didn't have to finish. Mr Stilinski broke him off. "You're right. If you want to stay hidden, it's possible," he paused for a second, " But if you want to live a normal life... you're right."

He had to take a moment. He'd been under the radar for so long that it seemed kind of scary to emerge now, but he knew it was better this way. He had a family now, and he had Mr. Stilinski. "My sister... I don't know her... she..." Tears welled up in his eyes and he rushed over to Isaac and pushed his face into his chest.

It took almost a minute before he managed to compose himself. "Part of me wants to see her, but I... I didn't know about her existence until you told me."

Alex could hear that Mr Stilinski cleared his throat. "Alex, listen. If I can manage to arrange a meeting with your mom, you can deal with that first. Meeting your sister is a totally different issue." He sighed. "Take one step at the time."

There was another extended period of silence on the line before Stiles' dad spoke. "Alex? You're still there, right?" When Alex gave him a weak 'yes' he continued. "It can take hours, it can take days, or maybe even weeks. Relax and wait for my call. You have made the right decision, trust me on that."

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

The mood in the loft had changed significantly. Alex was almost back to his old, bouncing self after he'd made the decision about his mom. Derek didn't seem half as stressed and exhausted as he'd been lately. He mentioned briefly that he had issues with the crew Chris had provided, and the hunter had practically forced him to take a couple of days off.

When Chris called and asked if Alex could come and cook lunch for them, Isaac decided to tag along and also bring Periwinkle. For Stiles, it was like a gift. He didn't have to go to work until five and got to spend time alone with Derek in the middle of the day.

He didn't want to waste it. As soon as Isaac and Alex was out the door, he practically ran over to the couch where Derek was sitting. "Okay, stranger. Let's get down and dirty." He tried on a growl, but it sounded a bit theatrical. He could see that Derek was fighting not to laugh. "Honey, you're not there yet. The transformation has to be complete, and you have to find your anchor before you can turn on will."

Derek bent his head down and drew his breath deeply. "This is how it's done." He lifted his head again and snarled before he opened his mouth fully and bared his fangs. The roar that came out of Derek's mouth made the glasses in the cupboard rattle and it almost caused Stiles to fall off the couch.

As the roar turned into a low pitch howl, Derek lifted Stiles up and flung him over his shoulder. Stiles tried to come loose; not because he was scared or anything, but he was totally taken by surprise by his boyfriend's behavior.

He got carried through the room kicking and squirming, but Derek didn't let go. Derek pushed the door to the bedroom open before he practically threw Stiles on the bed. "If you're gonna play with the big bad wolf, you have to be ready for some pain, baby."

Even if he was unable to wolf out, Stiles knew that he had more strength and agility than before the bite. He tried to roll off the bed on the other side, but Derek was faster; and quite a bit stronger. "Trying to get away will only make it worse." He managed to pin down Stiles with one hand as he with the other grabbed on to the collar of Stiles' T-shirt.

Slowly dragging his hand down Stiles' body, his claws ripped the shirt, and then the pajama pants into shreds. "Oh, please! I won't have any clothes left if you keep doing that." Stiles could hear that his own voice was trembling. Maybe he was a little scared.

The evil chuckle Derek emitted wasn't very calming, and Stiles wondered if Derek had lost his grip on reality for a moment. He'd never really wolfed out in bed before. Okay, so there had been a little claw and fang action in the past – Stiles had sported multiple scars from it over the month they'd been together – but this was new.

"Derek! DEREK! Snap out of it, you're scaring me." He lied still on his back with Derek hovering over him. His boyfriend cocked his head and gave him a sinister smile. "Really? Didn't think you scared that easily." He leaned in and kissed him violently. Stiles could feel the taste of blood in his mouth when his lip got ripped by Derek's teeth.

Stiles was about to kick Derek in the nuts when he could feel the fangs disappear and the kiss turned softer. Derek pulled back for a second. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He brushed his lips over Stiles' cheek. "I... it was supposed to just..."

With a sigh, he lifted himself up and stared into Stiles' eyes. "You like it rough, don't you?" He let his fingers – now without claws – run down Stiles' almost naked torso. "You still want to get down and dirty, or...?"

Okay, so he didn't have fangs and claws, but Stiles had his pride and anger. He wrapped his arms around Derek and dug the sorry excuse for nails that he had as deep as he could into the flesh of his boyfriend's back, before he lifted his head and bit Derek's shoulder so hard that the skin broke.

Derek hitched his breath and tried to push him away, but Stiles held on. When blood started running from the wound on his shoulder he peeked at it before he rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. I get it. I pissed you off. Can we get to the point please, this is very arousing."