Derek stayed quiet during the pizza and movie, letting Stiles and Scott take the lead with Isaac. He was determined to do better, but he was still nervous. And the others were much more natural with him. Maybe if Isaac became more comfortable, it would be easier for Derek to take care of him.

"Man, now I want marshmallows. It's been too long since I made smores," Scott laughed as the credits rolled on the movie.

"Remember when my dad took us camping and you kept crying because you wouldn't stop burning yours?" Stiles smirked, flipping the TV off.

"I was a kid. I didn't know any better," Scott huffed, crossing his arms.

"You were twelve."

"Whatever."

"I've never made smores before," Isaac said softly, clutching the stuffed wolf in his lap. Ever since Stiles had handed it to him earlier, he hadn't let it go. Of course Stiles kept shooting Derek pleased looks, reading more into it than he needed to. It was just a toy. All kids liked toys.

"Well, that just won't do. We'll have to get the stuff for it and make some," Stiles declared. Derek cringed at the idea of going shopping again, but he knew he'd suck it up and go, since Isaac looked so excited about the idea. He'd probably go stand in line at the DMV for Isaac at this point.

"Ooo, we can try different kinds! Like chocolate graham crackers and white chocolate," Scott said excitedly. "I wonder what would taste good with cinnamon graham crackers?" Isaac was watching Scott rattle off his ideas, but Derek could see that he was slowly slumping in his seat. He nodded at Stiles to get his attention, then jerked his chin toward Isaac. Stiles was the one who dealt with the nighttime routine before, so it made sense for him to do it again.

"I think it's time to get ready for bed," Stiles announced, standing up from the couch and stretching. "How does a quick bath sound?"

"I'm not tired," Isaac said, followed by a big yawn. Derek wasn't going to admit that it was kind of cute.

"The sooner we go to bed, the sooner we can get up and have some of my amazing pancakes. And then I think there is a bubble machine with your name on it," Stiles said, holding his hand out for Isaac to take. Isaac reluctantly stood up, rubbing his eyes as he followed Stiles up the stairs. Derek started busying himself with cleaning up the mess that was left behind.

"Tonight wasn't so bad, right?" Scott asked, flicking at the edge of one of the throw pillows on the couch.

"I guess," Derek grunted. He wasn't in the mood for another conversation like the one he'd had with Stiles earlier. It was bad enough that Stiles had gotten a glimpse behind the mask, but if he had any hope of Scott respecting him as an Alpha, he couldn't let stuff like that show.

"I've never hung around Isaac much. Before you bit him, I think I had one conversation with him and that was for a class project in middle school. That's weird, right? I mean, we've gone to school together for years and Beacon Hills isn't very big," Scott said, staring down at the floor as he spoke.

"What's your point?" Derek asked.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just thinking of the past. Like when you go through an old photo album."

"All my photo albums burned up, so I can't relate," Derek deadpanned. Scott looked up at him in horrified embarrassment.

"Crap, I mean-"

"What's your point, Scott?" Derek asked again.

"What do you think it's going to be like once Isaac is back to normal? Will it go back to the way it was or do you think we'll all still be friends?"

"Are we even friends now?"

"Derek," Scott whined, looking up at him in disappointment.

"Scott, I can't deal with thinking about something like that right now. Beyond keeping Isaac alive and figuring out a way to fix this, everything else has to wait."

"Do you wish this happened to you instead of Isaac?" Scott blurted out.

"What?" Derek sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Why couldn't they coexist silently in a room? Why did they have to talk?

"The witch was aiming for you, right? So it could've been you who was made into a kid. Do you wish it was?"

"Why on earth would I want this to happen to me?" Derek snapped.

"I don't know. I've been thinking about it and I think I wouldn't mind. At least for a couple days," Scott said quietly. "Going back to when things were simpler. Before all the pain and chaos."

"But it wouldn't be real," Derek argued. Even if he'd reversed in age, it wouldn't mean he also transported back in time. His family would still be dead and he'd still be alone. And Isaac was stuck in a world thinking his whole family was still alive and could possibly go through the pain of losing them again, depending on how this all went. Even if his dad was an asshole, it would still hurt Isaac. The teen still clung to the guy as his anchor, because an abusive dad was all he had for so long that he had nothing else. Living through what they had once was enough.

"Do you think Isaac will remember any of this?"

"I don't know!"

"Do you want him to?" Derek opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Did he want teenage Isaac to remember all of this? It would be easier if he didn't, for all of them. Isaac wouldn't have to deal with any complicated feelings that arose from this and Derek could force himself to forget everything that happened.

But on the other hand, what if they were able to give Isaac a few days of good childhood that Isaac had never had? Would Isaac want memories of Legos and pizza and McDonalds, even if it was with them instead of his real family? Would it change how he saw them? Would it change how he felt about Derek as his Alpha? The unknown was overwhelming and Derek wanted to throttle Scott for bringing it up. He dumped the stuff in his arms in the garbage and was about to take a minute to himself in the backyard when he spotted Isaac's wolf on the couch where he'd been sitting. That was as good of an excuse as any to get away from Scott without blowing up on him.

"I need to take this up to Isaac," Derek muttered, walking over and snatching the toy up. He went up the stairs without another word to Scott, trying to push down his annoyance so it wouldn't show on his face to the skittish boy. They'd made good progress today and he didn't want to ruin it because Isaac mistook his feelings toward Scott's questioning as something that was his fault.

Derek paused when he got to the doorway of Stiles' room, taking in the scene. Stiles was tucking Isaac into bed, whispering about all the fun things they were going to do the next day. It was so domestic and looked so natural that Derek couldn't help flashing back to his own father doing the same with him.

"Oh, hey," Stiles greeted as soon as he noticed him standing there. "I was just getting Isaac settled into bed."

"I've got someone who might want to join you," Derek said, pulling the wolf from behind his back and walking further into the room. He'd started talking about a stuffed animal like it had feelings. What the hell was he turning into?

"Nice. I was just wondering where it had run off to," Stiles said, smiling as Isaac accepted the toy and hugged it again. "Have you thought of what to name it yet?"

"I don't know," Isaac yawned, snuggling further into the bed.

"All of my stuffed animals had names and complicated backstories. Like a yellow bunny named Hank who was allergic to carrots, but kept sneaking them because he couldn't help himself. Good thing my stuffed rhino was an emergency room doctor who specialized in allergies and dabbled in podiatry," Stiles chuckled. Derek stared at him until he withered under his gaze. "I'm an only child. Sue me."

"I would if I could."

"Anyways, I was about to read Isaac a bedtime story, so-"

"Stiles, I can't find the sleeping bag I always use!" Scott yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"It's where it always is, Scott," Stiles replied, keeping his voice at a normal volume, since Scott would be able to hear it.

"But I don't see it!"

"Oh my- alright, just a second," Stiles said in exasperation. He tossed the book he was holding into Derek's chest, giving him a pointed look. "You're up, big guy."

"What? Stiles-"

"I'm sure you know how to read. And if you get stuck on any words, Isaac can help you sound them out," Stiles smirked. The bastard knew he could get away with murder right now, since Derek couldn't do anyhing to upset Isaac. But Derek would get him back later.

"Sure," Derek said tightly, promising violence in his eyes that Stiles could clearly see. Stiles' smile only faltered slightly and he leaned closer to Derek's ear as he walked past to leave the room.

"Don't forget to do different voices for the characters," Stiles whispered, skipping out of the room before Derek could abandon all thoughts of Isaac and kill him on the spot. He still needed Stiles to deal with bath time, since he sure wasn't.

"I guess I'm reading to you tonight. Do you mind?" Derek asked, trying to fall back into a relaxed state. If he stopped worrying about everything and just lived in the moment, hanging out with Isaac wasn't so bad. He may not have read a children's book in over a decade, but he could handle it.

"It's okay. You don't have to," Isaac said softly. Derek felt like such an asshole.

"No, I want to," Derek insisted, pulling Stiles' desk chair over and setting it next to the bed. He sat down and got comfortable, checking out the cover of the book. "Let's see what we're reading tonight. 'The Littlest Wolf.' Of course."

"I like wolves," Isaac murmured, resting his cheek on his stuffed version.

"Me too," Derek agreed, pushing down thoughts of wondering if parts of teenage Isaac's memories were coming through. Most kids liked wolves. "Okay. There once was a family of wolves who lived in the woods. The littlest one was named Blue." Derek was about to turn the page when Isaac's quiet voice spoke up.

"Can I see?"

"Right. Sorry," Derek mumbled, turning the book so Isaac could see the pictures. He wasn't sure how long he should hold it there, since Isaac was looking at it so intently, like he was trying to memorize the pages. He slowly moved it away and when Isaac didn't protest, Derek took it as a sign that he could continue. "Blue didn't like being little, since he couldn't do everything his big sisters and big brothers could. He was always being left out of all the fun."

"I wish I was big," Isaac murmured, staring down at his stuffed toy. Derek thought back to the normal version of Isaac, who was taller than them all. Looking at him now, you'd never guess he'd become that giant, slightly muscular, but mostly awkward teen.

"I'm sure you will be," Derek chuckled, flipping to the next page. Isaac made a small noise of protest and Derek sighed, remembering he forgot to show him the pictures again. Why was this so hard? "Here, scoot over a little bit."

"Huh?"

"It'll be easier for you to see the pages if I'm closer. Unless you'd prefer I stay on the chair?" Derek suggested. Isaac was still skittish when it came to physical contact, but once he decided it was safe, he was a cuddler. He'd spent most of the movie pressed against Stiles' side.

"Okay," Isaac agreed, sliding over to make a space for Derek. He climbed up, staying on top of the covers and leaving a bit of room between them.

"Now, where were we? Blue wants to be big like his siblings, but as they get bigger, he just stays small. Why can't he grow faster?" Derek read, glancing down as Isaac scooted a little bit closer. "His mommy and daddy say he is perfect the way he is, but Blue doesn't care. He wants to be the biggest, not the littlest."

"My brother is big too," Isaac yawned, stretching a little and snuggling in closer.

"One day, Blue decided that he wasn't going to stay behind anymore. He was going to go on his own adventure," Derek continued, cringing when he saw the character was actually about to speak for the first time in the book. He cleared his throat, shoving past his embarrassment and pitching his voice a little higher than usual. "I'll show everyone that I can be big and brave, just like them."

"Funny," Isaac giggled. Derek was about to grumble about his voice not being funny, but then Isaac rested his head on his arm and he decided to shut up. He was not going to give in to his natural inclination of being an asshole, even in jest.

"Blue waited until his family was sleeping, then took off into the dark. He didn't know where he was headed, but he knew that it was going to be an adventure," Derek read. The story was reminding him of two dumb teenagers he knew who had been looking for excitement and ended up getting a lot more than they bargained for. That's why having a pack was so important. There was strength in numbers. Going off on your own to prove something never ended well. And as Scott and Stiles, as well as Derek and Isaac proved, a pair wasn't much better. "Sounds kind of dangerous, huh?" He looked down to get Isaac's answer, but found him fast asleep. Derek closed his eyes for a minute, reminding himself that this wasn't going to last and he didn't want it to begin with. But in moments like this, it was easy to forget those facts. Letting himself fall into the trap of fully living this would only make everything more painful. Just like he'd said to Scott earlier, this wasn't real.

Derek closed the book and set it on the table next to the bed, being careful not to jostle Isaac. He tried sliding out from under him, but the boy made a soft noise of protest and snuggled in closer, tucking his face against Derek's side. He was going to be stuck there, at least until Isaac was more deeply asleep. Derek accepted his fate, tugging the blanket up around Isaac's shoulders.

They'd made it through two days of this so far with no definite end in sight, but Derek had to admit that it hadn't gone as badly as he thought it would. Those first few seconds he'd seen Isaac small after the witch's spell, he'd been convinced that it would be a disaster. That still could end up the case, but besides a few hiccups that were mostly caused by Derek himself, it wasn't the worst.