Chapter Seventeen: Give and Take

True to her suspicions, Stiles and Scott began hanging around the Hale house a lot once Abby and Isaac went back to Colorado. Even Max and Cora left, going back with the others to visit the others, along with Sam's triplets.

Lyra didn't feel as sad watching her sister and Isaac go, mostly because the others were always keeping her company. Allison and Lydia called often once they returned to school, and Victoria, Malia, and Kira were taking up residence in the old cottage.

But the boys were the frequent flyers, popping by at random hours, or just showing up in their living room unannounced.

Lyra and Derek returned to work after a three day weekend, and Lyra passed on the news of her pregnancy. The sheriff was delighted and she received a call from Melissa offering up her help and to answer any questions Lyra may have.

But it was Chris coming by and taking her out to lunch that pleased Lyra the most. They went to a quiet cafe off the main part of town, and Chris told her stories of when Allison was born. He then told her he would be there if she ever needed him, for anything. Lyra got the distinct impression that he too would be watching her, from afar, ready to protect her with a deep loyalty that even took Derek by surprise.

And when Derek came to that realization, the final cracks of the painful past between the two men were filled. A certain understanding was struck, now with a common goal in mind: to watch over Lyra.

One afternoon, Lyra met Melissa at the hospital before her appointment with Deaton. Being a pregnant werewolf, coming to a human hospital wasn't in the cards for her. So Melissa offered to be by her side if Lyra so desired. Lyra took up her offer, since this would be her first check up since she found out she was pregnant.

"Where's Derek?" Melissa asked, having finished up her shift. She got into the car with Lyra, looking around.

"He'll meet us there," Lyra explained. "He had to stay late at the school to grade some papers."

Melissa nodded. "How are you feeling?"

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Nauseated."

Melissa laughed. "That's normal."

"So much for my werewolf healing abilities kicking in to prevent morning sickness. And why is it called morning sickness if it lasts all day?"

Melissa patted Lyra's arm. "It's something we mothers have to deal with."

Lyra made a noise of disgust while pulling up to the vet.

Derek was waiting for them inside with Deaton, who had one of the back rooms set up for the appointment.

"Hey," Lyra said, walking over to Derek to kiss him.

Derek smiled and said hello to Melissa. Then he turned his attention back to Lyra. "Ready?"

Lyra nodded and faced Deaton. "Hey, doc."

Deaton smiled, gesturing for her to take a seat. "How are you doing today, Lyra?"

Lyra sat down, then leaned back at Deaton's prompting. "I'm nervous," she admitted.

"That's normal," the vet assured her.

"So I hear," Lyra replied, exchanging an amused look with Melissa.

Deaton checked her vitals, drew some blood, then he asked if she would like to do an ultrasound. When she nodded, Lyra lifted up her shirt to reveal her still flat, toned stomach.

Deaton applied some cool gel on her skin, which made her shiver. Then he turned on his machine and pressed the wand right below her belly button. He moved it around then paused, his eyes focused on the screen.

"There we are," he said, sounding pleased.

Lyra lifted her head, then froze when the room was then filled with a sound she never heard before. It was a rapid thrumming, clear and strong, and it sent another shiver down Lyra's spine.

"And that," Deaton said, "is your baby's heartbeat."

Lyra groped blindly for Derek's hand before latching on and digging her nails into his palm. He didn't protest, but instead gripped her hand just as tightly.

Melissa rested a hand on Lyra's shoulder and congratulated them both.

But Lyra was focused on the small, peanut sized image on the screen, with a bright, flickering light where its heart beat so loudly.

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"I can't believe how small it is," Abby exclaimed, grinning from the computer screen.

Lyra laughed. She had sent a copy of the ultrasound image to her sister before Skyping her. "And soon it'll be the size of a cherry tomato."

Isaac suddenly appeared from behind Abby, peering down at the picture. "When do you find out if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Well, according to Deaton, my pregnancy will be shorter than a human's, so soon I guess."

"How long?" Isaac asked. "You're not going to be like Bella and give birth like tomorrow, right?"

Lyra rolled her eyes. "This isn't Twilight, Isaac. No, Deaton said that Talia was pregnant with Derek and his sister's for about six or seven months."

"Wow," Abby said, her brows lifting. "That's still pretty quick."

Lyra nodded. "I know. But I have Derek and Melissa and the others offered to help, and of course-,"

She was cut off by two blurs who suddenly appeared by her side, peering at the camera.

"Hey Isaac, hey Abby!" Stiles said, waving.

"Hey guys!" Scott said with equal enthusiasm.

Abby gave them a wry smile. "Hey guys," she said.

Stiles moved to sit right next to Lyra, crowding in close to her. Scott did the same until she was firmly sandwiched between the two boys.

Abby and Isaac didn't miss the exasperated look in Lyra's eyes.

"As you can see, I have all the help I didn't ask for," Lyra said, patting both of their cheeks simultaneously.

Scott shoved at her, laughing, while Stiles shouted, "Hey!"

"Well, have fun with that. Keep me posted on how things are going, okay?" Abby asked.

Lyra nodded again. "Sure thing. Love you. Bye, Isaac."

"See you, Ly."

"Love ya, sis. Bye guys!"

Lyra sighed as she closed her laptop. Then she shot Scott and Stiles a glare. "Guys. We've talked about this. Personal space? Crowding isn't good for the baby."

Stiles nearly fell out of his chair in an attempt to give her some room. Scott gave her a sheepish smile before moving to lounge on the couch.

Lyra sighed, rolling her eyes skywards.

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A few days later, Derek stood on the porch of the Hale house, hands tucked in his pockets. Lyra was at work, pulling a late shift to help the sheriff with some paperwork.

A car pulled up the drive, and the headlights reflected oddly off of Derek's eyes. The driver stepped out and walked over.

"Thanks for coming," Derek said.

Chris looked up at him. "Of course. It's for Lyra."

Derek's gaze strayed towards his boots briefly. "And I wanted to apologize. I have a hard time of letting go, but Lyra... she's teaching me how. So this is my, I don't know, proverbial olive branch."

The hunter eyed Derek for a long moment. Then he extended his hand. "I guess it's taken both of us a while to get here."

Derek clasped the other man's hand firmly. "Well, I think we both know we have a common issue." Then he gestured for Chris to follow him. "Come in."

The two men were hunkered over the kitchen table, each holding a beer, when Lyra strolled in a few hours later.

"Well, well," she said with a smile as she unwound her scarf. "Look at you two. Am I interrupting a bromance in the making?"

Derek rolled his eyes.

Chris smiled slightly. He stood up to embrace Lyra. "How are you doing, Lyra?"

Lyra sighed before sitting down next to Derek. "Still dealing with round the clock morning sickness. I think my feet are already swelling. But I'm great. How are you?"

Chris exchanged a look with Derek. "I just had an interesting conversation with Derek."

Lyra looked at Derek as well. "Oh?" she asked, lifting a brow.

"We have a proposition for you," Chris told her.

Lyra settled back in her seat. "What's that?"

"With Peter's pack still at large, having you out and about isn't necessarily safe." "But-," he held up a hold when he saw Lyra's mouth open to protest, "we know you're capable of taking care of yourself, so we won't put you under house arrest. However, your duties as Alpha need to be... limited. The rest of the pack, including myself and Derek, can take care of any issues the other pack may throw our way.

In the meantime, we want to make sure you and the baby are safe. So I'm going to set up some security around your house and well, Scott and Stiles..."

"Let me guess, they elected themselves as my personal bodyguards," Lyra said in a dry voice.

Chris chuckled. "In a sense, yes. Our goal is to make sure someone is with you at all times, just in case."

Lyra exhaled deeply, casting the hunter and her husband a narrow eyed glance. "Okay," she said after a beat.

Derek gave her a surprised look. "I thought you'd fight us on this."

Lyra had a considering look on her face. "I understand why you're doing this. This isn't something I can handle on my own. I have no idea what I'm doing. Besides, that's what a pack is for, right?"

Chris nodded approvingly.

Derek reached out to grasp her hand in his. "Exactly."

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The next few weeks were an adjustment for Lyra. Taking a step back from her duties to her pack left her with more free time, which she mostly spent with the boys or with Melissa.

Derek stepped up at pack Beta and kept an eye on everything, with the help of Chris and Scott.

Lyra figured this was for the best. She knew that before she would have put herself at risk to protect her pack, but she had more than her own safety to consider. She was carrying this tiny life within her, which was growing everyday, and she knew her wolf wouldn't allow her to put herself in any compromising positions.

So she continued to work and she kept up regular appointments with Deaton. She felt reassured after each one which told her that her and her baby were very healthy.

And true to their word, Derek and Chris made sure Lyra was never alone when she was outside of the Hale house. And even at the house, Stiles was usually there.

One afternoon, however, changed everything.

Stiles and Lyra were enjoying a lazy Sunday by catching up on Game of Thrones, debating who would be next to sit in the Iron Throne. When Lyra stood to go to the bathroom, she noticed a strange figure standing at the edge of the woods that lead up to the house.

Lyra stiffened. "Stiles," she called softly.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, sending pieces of wood flying. Two wolves walked in, eyes flashing blue, and snarled when they saw her.

Lyra screamed for Stiles to run, and didn't see the metal pipe swinging towards her. It smacked sharply against her head, knocking her out cold.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.

Author's Note: Yes, I dropped in a Supernatural quote. I couldn't resist. Things are picking up again, and they're about to get worse before they get better!

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