The hustle and bustle of everyday life have them all a little wound up. Alex wants to go to school too, but he has to wait. Allison's pregnancy is not a secret anymore, and she has a meeting with the school nurse. Stiles makes plans to reveal the engagement in a big way, but it goes wrong. Derek is acting a little strange. Stiles doesn't know, but he can feel it. Alex sees something outside that he later believes was just... nothing.
School was back, and the new living arrangement provided some unforeseen problems. Four people getting ready at the same time caused a few involuntary crashes. The first couple of days were especially chaotic. Finding their bags and schools supplies after the move had them all running around like mindless chickens.
Alex had been sad to see them leave. He would have wanted to go with them, but he was still waiting for an answer from the guidance counselor.
For the first week he'd got up early and made breakfast for them, but he soon discovered that it was completely unnecessary. Allison got easily nauseous, and wanted only dry toast; Isaac wasn't much of a morning-eater in the first place, and packed up the food to go. Stiles and Scott had actually tried to sit down to eat, but didn't finish the meal before they had to run.
Alex decided to let it be. He still got up early, but the next week he'd just made a pile of sandwiches and packed them for everybody to grab on the go.
During the day, he and Derek kept busy with little chores around the house. Alex finished the curtains and with Derek's help, he hung them all up in the respective room where they belonged.
Alex wasn't really bored, but everyday life at the house became very monotone and predictable. It wasn't that he needed anything else really, but he got a little antsy at times. Derek also seemed to be struggling with this; Alex could sense it even if Derek did his best to hide his feelings.
At the end of the week, Alex finally received a call form Dr Deaton's sister. He could do the assessment test next week, and shortly after that, he would possibly be eligible to go to school. He was unable to contain the joy, but the look on Derek's face as he shared the good news, scared him a little.
It took almost two hours before he dared to address Derek again. He knew that he was in the attic working on the floor up there, and Alex called for him when he had lunch ready.
A grumpy man sat down at the table, and Alex new he had to proceed with caution. He waited until Derek had eaten half the food before he dared to bring up what he thought was the problem.
"Why don't you come with me?" He sighed and picked at his own food. Derek looked up abruptly. "Huh?" The stare was piercing. Alex cleared his throat. "You almost graduated. Why don't you come with me? We can do the test together."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
It took a little more than a week before the whole school knew about the pregnancy. A little mishap after homeroom on Monday had made a couple of girls in her class suspicious. Allison had to run to the restroom to avoid puking in the hall, and an attempt to explain it as a stomach flu didn't fly.
The news spread like wildfire. Lydia had made a futile attempt to snuff it out, but Allison knew it was too late.
When the word eventually reached the teachers and the rest of the staff, she got called in to the school nurse. She'd been very polite to begin with; asking if the rumors were true before she started ranting about teen pregnancies and the importance of an education.
Allison had soon cut her off. "I'm not going to have an abortion. I'm fine with this. I know it can screw up a few things; the timing sucks, but please." She could feel the claws coming out and she hid her hands under the table. The nurse looked like she was in shock, but she managed to compose herself. She was about to say something more, but Allison didn't have time for it.
"I've been through all the emotions. We are happy. We have all the support we need." She had to close her eyes for a second to focus on her anchor before she looked at the nurse again.
"Can I ask who the father is? Is it one of our students?" The woman didn't give up. Allison sighed heavily and shook her head. "You can ask as much as you want, but it's really none of your business. He stands behind me in this, and we are making plans for the future. We can handle it without your interference."
She wondered why she'd even bothered to come. This was just silly. That the staff actually cared was good though. Other girls didn't have the same support-system that she and Scott had. Allison got up from the chair. "I'm sorry, but really... I'm fine. I have friends and relatives that will be there for me." She shrugged and walked towards the door. "I'll drop by if I have any questions, but don't hold your breath."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Stiles had still not told anybody about the engagement. He knew that Derek had expected him to blurt it out on the first occasion, but something stopped him. Derek hadn't mentioned it to anyone either, but that wasn't so strange; Derek was a very private person.
When they were alone, they had talked about when to reveal it, and Derek had been very surprised that Stiles wanted to keep it a secret. For Stiles, it had nothing to do with that. The proposal had been so perfect. Everything about it had been just awesome, and he didn't miss any of those things he thought he wanted.
Announcing it was a totally different story. Stiles wanted to make it big. He wanted to share this in a way that would leave them all speechless and in tears. With school starting and everything that came along with that, he hadn't come up with anything, and in the meantime, he was fine with keeping it to himself.
It wasn't easy though; he knew he couldn't wait very much longer before he cracked.
Up until now, the six of them hadn't really sat down together for a meal; Pizza in front of the TV, or that rushed lunch last Sunday didn't count. Everybody had just been a little to busy adjusting and finding their place to make time for it.
He and Derek had frequently had dinner together. Sometimes Isaac and Alex sat down with them as well. These meals had been eaten in the kitchen. It was sometimes a tight squeeze, especially if they wanted to fit everybody.
The big table in the dining room hadn't been used for more than sewing curtains since they moved in. Stiles decided to do something about it, and with Alex' help, he planned a little dinner party on Saturday. He'd wanted to do it already on Friday, but Scott and Allison wanted some alone time and were going out for dinner.
Alex came up with a menu that didn't require anybody to run back and forth, and Stiles helped him to the best of his abilities. "You're a fine sous-chef. I'll hire you." Alex smiled as he pulled the bread out of the oven. "Lousy pay, but you get to eat everything you make."
It had been fun. Stiles realized that he liked cooking, and Alex was a good teacher.
Isaac set the table, and with his new found artistic skills, he decorated it with what he could find. They were all a little excited when they sat down. This would be the very first dinner party with only the six of them, and also the first since they moved in.
They were half way through the meal; Stiles twirled the ring around his finger under the table waiting for the correct moment, when Scott cleared his throat and got up from his chair. He gestured for Allison to get up too before he drew his breath heavily. "We have an announcement to make."
Stiles could only imagine what this was all about, and he cursed silently to himself. "We..." Scott blushed as he grabbed Allison's hand. "We are getting married." He held her hand up. A small diamond attached to a gold ring was sparkling on her finger. "I wanted to make an honorable woman out of her before the baby comes."
Stiles had seen the ring, but he'd chosen to ignore it, hoping that it wouldn't be an issue tonight. He was not so lucky. Everybody cheered and congratulated them. Stiles was pissed, but he was forced to join the choir. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for them, but his own plans got totally screwed up.
As soon as the awes had died down, Derek screwed it up even more. "Do you have to do it before the baby? How about a double wedding in June?" He gestured at Stiles. "Show them the ring." Reluctantly, Stiles put his hand on the table for everybody to see. They'd probably seen it before, but not up close, and they couldn't possibly know that it was an engagement-ring.
There was another round of cheers and awes. Stiles noticed that Alex and Isaac exchanged a look, and then they both uttered in unison: "How about a triple?"
Everything was falling apart. What Stiles had planned to be a dinner where he would be the center of attention, had turned in to a charade.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
After dinner, Isaac and Scott volunteered to clean up. Alex was a little stressed out about it; he felt that it was his kitchen, and having the two of them stomping around in there didn't suit him. It was still nice to be able to walk away from it all, but he didn't manage to relax completely.
They didn't really agree on a triple wedding, but it didn't matter. He and Isaac was not in a hurry to tie the knot. The commitment they shared was strong enough, and legalizing it was just a waste of time. That Scott and Allison wanted this was another story. They had a baby coming, and he could understand that they looked at this in a different manner.
Alex was more surprised about Stiles and Derek's engagement. It had apparently happened a couple of weeks ago, and he was amazed that Stiles had managed to kept it a secret until now. He couldn't think of any good reason why it would be necessary for them to get married. Werewolf-bonds were stronger than anything he knew, and promising to love each other forever in front of a notary wouldn't change a thing.
The weirdest part of this was that Stiles seemed slightly pissed off after dinner. He'd retracted upstairs, and Alex could hear the sound from the game he was playing. Nobody else seem to care; Allison sat in front of the TV, patting her belly. Scott and Isaac were still in the kitchen putting away leftovers, and Derek was just hanging by the window staring out into the darkness.
Maybe Derek did care about Stiles' mood, but he still didn't do anything about it. He didn't look annoyed or anything; on the contrary, there was a small smile playing in the corner of his mouth, and he looked perfectly at ease.
They had talked about watching a movie together later, but it wasn't easy to agree on which to choose. Scott tried to be a gentleman and let Allison pick, but Isaac had worried that they had to suffer though a chick-flick.
For Alex, it didn't matter. First of all, he was pretty sure that Allison wasn't into sappy love-stories, and secondly, he wasn't too fond of the action movies that Stiles and Isaac seemed to be addicted to. Letting Allison be in charge of this suited him fine.
It didn't look like Stiles was going to join them anyway, and Derek seemed indifferent to the whole movie-night.
When Scott and Isaac eventually joined them in the living room, Derek turned around and excused himself. He didn't give much of an explanation, and Alex was pretty sure he'd join Stiles upstairs. It came as a surprise when Derek walked over to the front door. With a quick wave, he just left.
Alex threw a peek out the window. He could see Derek standing by the treeline for a few seconds before he just pushed though the shrubbery and vanished into the darkness. It was very, very strange, and he wondered if he should say something.
They had put Periwinkle outside during the meal. He was a good dog, but he hadn't learned not to beg at the table yet, so it was easier to let him stay outside. Alex totally forgot about Derek when he saw the puppy, and he was about to go and fetch him when Isaac came over and kissed his neck. "Are you coming?"
Alex looked at Peri again. He was sleeping soundly and didn't seem to have a problem being outside, so he decided to let him stay there for a little while longer.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Stiles didn't know why, but as he sifted through the games – it was quite boring to play alone – he'd suddenly felt that something was happening with Derek. He didn't know if it was good or bad, but his body started aching and his heart started thumping at a faster rate.
Still a little annoyed about what happened at dinner, Stiles didn't want to join the others. He could hear the sounds from the movie they were watching, and he knew it would have been fun to be there, but he felt too proud to cave in yet. That nobody came to check on him was annoying though.
Focusing intently on the screen, he'd managed to calm down somewhat. He could still feel the pain, and his pulse was probably higher than usual, but since he couldn't really see a reason for this sudden uneasiness, he prevailed.
The strange feeling kept bothering him, and after about ten minutes, he snuck downstairs to check if there were something gong on that he should know about. Peeking into the living room he discovered that Derek wasn't even there. Tiptoeing around he soon found out that boyfriend – his fiancee – wasn't even in the house.
The uneasiness came back. Why would Derek leave? Where was he? Could it be that he was actually in danger?
Without answers to any of those questions, Stiles ascended the stairs again. He didn't want to ask the others; he just hoped that Derek would be back soon. He was probably just outside enjoying the fresh air. That he'd left without saying anything was a bit disappointing, but Stiles hadn't been very forthcoming either. He'd just left them to go sulking alone, and that wasn't particularly polite.
He sat down and stared at the black screen; he didn't want to play anymore. The reason for him sitting there alone was just stupid. There was no need for him to be so angry about this, but he didn't know how to proceed without losing face.
Suddenly, a shiver went down his spine. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought he heard a howl. It was so faint that it could easily be just a resembling sound, and he wondered if it could have come from the movie that was on downstairs.
He listened carefully. Without knowing what they were watching, he tried to find out. At the moment, he could only hear some unfamiliar music; it was loud, and could easily be the background of an action scene.
Another few minutes went by before he heard the sound again. This time it was closer, and there was no doubt about it any longer; it came from outside. The movie was still on, and it didn't seem like the others had noticed.
Worried about rouge wolves and Derek being out there alone, he decided to swallow his pride and check it out. He could still hear the music loud and clear, and figured that it probably drowned any other noise, making it impossible for his housemates to hear what was going on outside.
He was half-way down the stairs when the sound from the living room died down. For a second, he thought they had paused the movie, but then he realized that it was just a new, quieter scene playing. The little bark from Periwinkle startled him; he'd never heard the puppy bark before. At the same time, he could feel sweat braking out and the pain from earlier came back full force.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Half-way through the movie, they all got a little startled when they heard Periwinkle bark. It wasn't very loud, but it was highly unusual, he was normally pretty quiet. Alex jumped off the couch, and ran over to the nearest window. He could see the dog standing up. It looked like he was staring at something that Alex couldn't see from his position.
Alex was about to move over to the door to get the dog, when he saw something big emerge from the woods. The big black shadow – it was practically impossible to see its outline – moved slowly towards the house. Peri whimpered a little at first, but then he started jumping up and down, wagging his tail.
Of course Alex should have ran outside to grab him, but the scene was mesmerizing. The wolf – or whatever it was – stopped next to the doghouse and leaned forward until it had its snout inches from Periwinkle's.
"What's up?" Isaac was standing up by the couch and seemed to be ready to come over. Allison and Scott stared at him too, and concern were written on their faces. Alex looked at them for a split second before he waved them over. "This is so weird."
In the corner of his eye, Alex could see Stiles on the stairs. He looked like he was in pain. His hands were clenched around the rail, and he seemed to have a hard time standing up. He stared at the group crossing the floor. "Where's Derek?" His voice was unusually high pitch, and his face was contorted.
"Shouldn't we get Peri?" Stiles sounded more himself now as he struggled to get downstairs. With great effort, he straightened himself up and moved towards the door. "I'm going out."
Scott ran over to him while the others joined Alex at the window. They couldn't see the door, but as soon as Stiles opened it, the light from inside lit up part of the yard. Periwinkle was alone out there, whining and pulling on the leash. There was no trace of anyone else, and Alex started to think that he'd just imagined it all.