I took the liberty to create a back-story for Derek and his family. I do not care if it fits canon or not; my fic needed a bit of Hale-history, so I came up with this.
A flashback to when the first Hale-house was built, and the tale of an old Alpha with strict rules. Derek shares this with his new family. Allison gets a few new worries, and she also makes a decision that she knows will be controversial. Derek sneaks out at night; he and Alex also keep another secret from the rest of the pack. Chris visits the house and gets a big surprise.
A tall, handsome man was standing in front of what would be his new home. The house was magnificent, and would have plenty of room for his big family. He had dreamt about this moment for years, and now, it was finally here.
The old house and the land it stood on were sold for more than he had expected, and he'd managed to make a profit against all odds. It didn't matter too much; he was more interested in getting away from it.
A family of werewolves so close to population was dangerous. They had been safe for decades, but with the boom in the second half of the last century, all sorts of people were drawn to this area. Hunters – that he'd only heard tales about – emerged, and made their lives more difficult.
The family had never ventured out on any spree killings, but he knew that it would be disregarded if anyone got wind of their heritage.
His father had planned this, but a tough life and old age had eventually taken it's toll. It was sad that he couldn't see this. His dream home in the middle of the woods, hidden from any prying neighbors, was finally a reality.
The man stroked his graying hair and smiled. He knew that his dad would have been proud. It took a long time, but the family could be safe now.
His two sons and his beautiful daughter could grow up here without risking a run-in with suspicious humans. They were all almost of age now, and would – in a few years time – go out in the world to find a mate.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The house proved to be a good home. The family thrived, and as he grew older there was only one concern.
Being the leader of the pack carried responsibilities. One of them was to pick an heir. It had nothing to do with the inheritance of the land, or the money that came with it.
None of his children seemed to have what it took to be a leader. His oldest son had left to live up north. He'd found a mate and wanted to make it on his own. His youngest was a dimwit, and he actually regretted turning him in the first place. He would have done better in the human world.
His daughter had fallen in love with a human. It had been mutual. The boy came to the door to ask for her hand. After a long and hard deliberation with the girl, he'd decided to grant her wish to turn the boy.
They stayed at the house, and their firstborn showed great potential. That two werewolves would spawn a born-wolf wasn't given, so for an Alpha grandfather, it was very good news. Turning babies was the absolute worst thing he had to do.
Born a werewolf, the child connected with his grandfather on a different level, and he was possibly going to be the heir to the title.
That this boy seemed to be in no hurry to find a mate was a little troublesome. Probably being a little old-fashioned, the grandfather wanted to secure the future before he took his last breath.
Rumors of the boy's inappropriate behavior and connections with known homosexuals was disturbing. Not so much the act per se – werewolves didn't discriminate – but it was illegal, and could draw unwanted attention to the family.
The boy seemed to understand the implication, and managed to tone it down. A few years later, when he came home one day to seek guidance from the now very old Alpha, he had fallen head-over-heels in love with a younger man. The man was, against family policy, informed that he was dating a werewolf, and wanted to be turned.
Being his favorite grandchild, he didn't want to deny him anything, but in order to grant him his wish, he had one condition; he had to have an heir.
It took two years. The couple lived at the house and he learned to love and respect this human that his grandson spoke so highly about. He was skilled, and together, the two men managed the family business swimmingly.
In a twist of fate, a young girl was sent to them from down south. She'd been turned on accident, and had made so much ruckus about it, that the family down there had worried that she'd out them.
Being a Nestor in the werewolf society at the time, he volunteered to take her in. She immediately bonded with the gay couple under his roof, and what happened behind closed doors was never revealed. Less than a year later, she presented a child for him; his great-grand daughter was born.
On his deathbed, he held the baby in his arms, and with his withering strength, he gave the human the bite. The last words he heard before he took his last breath was his grandsons whisper; "Her name is Talia, she is a born-wolf."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
There wasn't a dry eye in the room when Derek leaned back. "That's how my mother became an heir to the Alpha status." The story of his heritage had captured them all. Allison wiped her eyes and got up from the couch. "So this family has been run by homosexuals before?" She sniffled a little and turned to Derek again. "Am I carrying a werewolf?"
Derek shook his head and smiled. "You didn't get it? It's impossible to predict." He got up and walked over to the dining table where all the old boxes were stashed. "A werewolf and a human can not produce a werewolf, but two werewolves can. It's still pretty random. When did you get pregnant?" Allison didn't answer. It wasn't necessary; they all knew that it happened after the turn.
"What about Peter?" Stiles struggled to understand. "He is your mom's brother, right?" Derek turned around and shrugged. "They wanted another child and my grandmother stepped up and did it again."
Alex huffed and stared at him. "Your grandmother? For me it looks like this woman wasn't more than an incubator." He threw his hands out. "No offense. I'm just saying."
Derek shook his head. "It was never like that. The three of them lived happily together. Peter and my mom partially grew up with three parents."
Sifting through the things left from his childhood, Derek picked up a picture and handed it to Alex. "I never met my, uh, step-grandfather. He died in an accident long before I was born." Seemingly indulged in his own thoughts, he flipped through a slightly singed photo-album. "It was a family secret. Back then, it was illegal to be gay."
Suddenly, he turned to them and frowned. "I didn't even know. They could have told me earlier."
Isaac cleared his throat and threw a quick peek at Stiles before he addressed Derek. "May I remind you that you liked girls?" He rolled his eyes. "Why would it matter?"
It took a little while before Derek answered. He stared at Stiles as he took a deep breath. "I have never been picky, and amongst werwolves this is not such a big deal. My problem was that I thought that I couldn't have a male mate."
He looked down on his hands and licked his lips. "To lead this pack, I thought I needed to mate with someone that could carry a child, but this story told me otherwise. My mom shared this tale with me just weeks before the fire."
Alex handed him the picture back. "He was very handsome. Did a hunter get him?" Derek shook his head. "No, uh, I don't think so. I think it was just an accident. If not, the hunters would have targeted the rest of the pack as well."
With a shrug, he sifted through the box and found another picture. "My great-great-grandfather! I guess he was old-fashioned. He wanted to make sure the family-name prevailed. He just wanted an heir, and didn't care about what they did behind closed doors."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
A born werewolf could – if he or she were strong enough – turn into an actual wolf. According to Derek, both his great-great-grandfather, his grandfather, and his mother had this ability.
Allison looked at her belly. She could be carrying a werewolf, and it scared her a little. That both she and Scott were bitten and not born into this could possibly mean that the chances were slimmer, but there were no guaranties.
She'd heard about these wolves before, but never encountered any of them. Derek's sister was the only one she had a little bit more knowledge about, but she died before she ever met Derek.
Derek's own status was also a little bit of a puzzle. He'd never mentioned anything about how he got turned, and Allison wondered if he too had been born a wolf. He'd cleverly dodged the question when she threw it out, and she wondered if he even knew himself. Some of the Hale-family's secrets seemed to have burnt away in that fire as well.
When Derek dug out the boxes from the basement, Allison thought he did it to share the family history with them, but she wasn't so sure about that anymore. Derek was obviously searching for clues to his own heritage.
That he seemed more confident now than he'd been for the last couple of weeks, told her that he knew something that the rest of them didn't. His strength – that had withered away after the dramatic incident with Stiles – seemed to be coming back, although it could just be her imagination.
One thing was perfectly clear; Allison could actually feel that the grip she had on the pack was slipping. She welcomed it, and hoped it meant that Derek was taking over.
She couldn't help thinking about Derek's great-great-grandfather's dying wish. He was adamant about the necessity to carry on the family name, and she found it sad that this branch of the family could possibly die out with Derek.
Lying awake in bed, listening to Scott's even breath, she made a decision. It was a decision that would impact a lot of people. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be challenged on it as well, but in her heart, she knew it was the right thing to do.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Three nights in a row, Stiles had woke up alone in bed. The first night he hadn't questioned it; Derek could just be in the bathroom or downstairs getting a drink or something, so Stiles had just relaxed and fallen asleep again. The next night, he'd actually got out of bed and checked the bathroom. It was three o'clock in the morning and he was still extremely tired; too tired to really worry.
When it happened again for the third time, he was more curious. The fact that he actually woke up in the first place was kind of strange. He'd never had a problem sleeping through the night before; it was like his body and mind reacted to Derek's absence.
This time, he snuck out of bed and searched the house. He couldn't find his boyfriend anywhere. It was a little creepy in the basement, but he took a quick look down there as well; the attic was also empty.
Back in bed, he decided to try to stay awake. He wanted to confront Derek and ask him what was going on. It was a bit disturbing that he'd left the house in the middle of the night.
It didn't take long before he started to doze of, and within half an hour, he was fast asleep again. He didn't wake up until the alarm alerted him that it was morning, and in the stress to get ready for school, he forgot all about it.
Another stress factor was added because Alex was having his test today. There were no food ready when Stiles came downstairs, and for the first time since they moved in, he had to make his own breakfast.
When Alex saw him sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal, he apologized for not having made anything. Even if it was nice having Alex acting like a maid in the morning, there was absolutely no need for him to apologize. So far, they had been spoiled.
There was a small discussion about how Alex would get to the testing center; he wasn't very familiar with the area, and wasn't sure if he could find it himself. Isaac volunteered to skip school, but Derek ended the conversation by offering to do take him there.
It was a bit of a surprise that Derek was even up. He usually stayed upstairs in the morning while everybody tried to get ready.
Stiles remembered that he was supposed to confront him about his nightly escapades, but there was no time for it now. It would just have to wait until they came back in the afternoon.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The drive to the test center wasn't that long; Alex knew he could have gone there by himself, but he'd faked being worried about getting lost. Derek didn't want the others to know that he was taking the test as well, so they came up with this plan to avoid anyone finding out.
Alex didn't really understand it; he was pretty sure that the others would support Derek in this, but for some reason, the guy wanted to keep it a secret.
After checking with the guidance counselor at Beacon Hills High, they had made sure that Derek was eligible to take the test, and for the last few days, while the others were at school, the two of them had studied hard.
Sitting there in the little cubical alone staring at the computer-screen in front of him, Alex soon realized that he was out on a limb. He was pretty sure that his English was acceptable; Social studies wasn't such a struggle, but when he came to the math part, he was completely clueless.
When it was all over they had to wait for the results. Derek didn't say so much about his test, and Alex didn't want to ask.
It didn't take so long before they were called. Alex failed miserably, but Derek had scraped himself through the exam and was going to be granted a GED-certificate.
For Alex it wasn't so bad, he knew it was a long-shot. That he'd aced the English test, and almost passed in social studies was satisfactory. In math and science, he sucked, and he knew he needed tutoring to be able to pass. All in all, he was content.
Derek tried to comfort him on the way back, but Alex didn't need any comforting. He was more excited about Derek's scores; their Alpha was educated and could study at a university if he wanted to.
"Their Alpha!" Alex didn't know why he suddenly looked at Derek as the leader. The guy hadn't even tried to be one, but somewhere in his core, Alex felt that this man was going to get there.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Chris hadn't been at the house much since they moved in; he'd been too busy catching up on business, and had been away from Beacon Hills for the most part. When he showed up that afternoon, Allison greeted him at the door showed him into the kitchen.
Derek was sitting at the table; Alex was about to prepare a meal for the three of them, and he offered her dad a plate as well. Stiles, Isaac, and Scott were still at school. They had to attend the the first Lacrosse session of the fall, and wouldn't be back until later.
Allison became very aware of the fact that she was dressed rather skimpy. The leggings and the tight tank-top didn't leave much to imagination. For anybody who looked at her closely, it was not hard to spot the little bulge on her belly.
She was so not ready to tell him yet, so she excused herself and ran upstairs to grab something that would conceal it a little bit more.
After the meal, Derek and Chris took a quick tour around inside the house. He hadn't seen it fully furnished yet, and he seemed very excited.
With one of Scott's biggest T-shirts on, Allison was pretty sure that the pregnancy was impossible to spot, so she relaxed somewhat as she and Alex cleaned up after their meal.
It didn't last so long. Suddenly, the two of them could hear Derek's voice from upstairs. "NO! That room is not done. Oh crap!" She and Alex exchanged a look, and she could see in his eyes that they shared the same thought. Her dad was probably looking at the nursery right now, and they both knew that someone would have some explaining to do.
When Derek and Chris came downstairs, Allison felt a little trapped. She was standing by the counter and there was no escape, unless she decided to jump out the window. Her dad stared at her as he entered the kitchen, and behind him, she could see that Derek seemed like he was in pain.
"I'm sorry." It was easy to understand the words Derek was mouthing, and she knew that they came from the heart.
Alex stepped forward and smiled. "Did you know that I have a sister?" He shifted his gaze between Derek and Chris. "She's gonna come here to visit." Allison knew that he tried to explain the nursery by mentioning this, but her dad wasn't fooled.
He looked at Alex and shook his head. "I know that your sister is six, so she won't need a crib." He pushed passed Alex, practically shoving him to the side, and stared directly at Allison. "Are you..?" Chris drew his breath heavily and Allison could see that his eyes wandered down her body and came to rest on her belly.
Allison swallowed hard and drew her breath before she nodded slowly. Her dad's eyes widened slightly as they met hers. "How far, uh, when...?" He averted his gaze for a second. "When did you plan to tell me?"
Alex scooted along the wall and snuck passed Chris to join Derek in the hall. The two of them seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for Allison's reply.
"Soon. I was gonna tell you soon. I'm sorry. I should have..." She had a hard time deciphering the expression on her dad's face. She had no idea if he was angry or just in a mild state of shock. She didn't plan the words that came out of her mouth next; she just dived into it head first. "Congratulations! You are going to become a grandfather!" She tried to smile, but her jaw trembled too much.
This is a little sad. If everything works out here at my end, it is only two chapters left in this long tale. Chapters 84 and 85 are both in the making, but it's really hard. I honestly don't want it to end, but it's enough now. My simple Sterek-fic has turned into a monster, and I have to say goodbye soon. Other fics has been on the backburner for ages, and planned cooperations have been abandoned. A life without 'Hurts so good' will probably start sometime next week.