Chapter Text
The subtle scents of pine from the ornament-strewn tree in the corner of the living room mixed with the strong aroma of the snickerdoodles baking in the kitchen, created a smell throughout the ground level of the Hale house that Talia could only describe as ‘Christmas’.
She was seated on the couch with Chris and Peter as they watched the pups sprawled across the living room floor, playing with their new gifts. Laura had disappeared upstairs under the explanation of needing to try on her new clothes, while Derek had managed to slip away to hide in his den at some point --Talia wasn’t quite sure when exactly, but he hadn’t returned.
The sound of a car pulling up their driveway got Peter, Cora, and Malia’s attention in an instant.
“The Stilinskis are here!” Malia exclaimed, scrambling up onto her feet and rushing to the window to peer out.
“Stiles!” Cora said excitedly, running towards the entryway and throwing the front door open.
“Merry Christmas, Cora!” Stiles greeted, the sound coming out a bit strained. Talia guessed that he was being hugged a bit too tightly.
After a few moments, they shuffled into the living room, still clutching each other. Allison and Malia pulled Stiles into a group hug, where he was holding Allison’s hand, Cora was scenting his neck, and Malia was rubbing her face back and forth on his nape.
“Merry Christmas, Hales.” Noah came into the house, his arm around Claudia and bags of presents hanging from his free wrist. “I come bearing gifts, as long as I get some of those cookies I smell. And don't test me--I have all the receipts still.”
Peter and Chris groaned as they stood up and walked casually towards them, but Talia could smell how unreasonably happy they were to see Noah. She never understood how after so many years of seeing each other practically every day, they could still be so close and ridiculously excited about being around each other.
“Claudia, Merry Christmas, my Dear,” Peter said, giving her upper arm a gentle squeeze, before stepping to the side and pulling Noah in for a tight embrace. “Thank you for bringing me exactly what I wanted for Christmas.”
“Bad dog--you have to share Noah,” Chris teased, pushing his husband so that he could hug their best friend, as well.
“I figured you would have come up with something better than dog jokes after a decade of marriage...you disappoint me, Christopher. Be creative, at least.”
“He probably can’t say the more creative ones around the kids,” Noah chuckled.
Claudia rolled her eyes at the men and shrugged in Talia’s direction, as if to say What can we do with them?
“Merry Christmas,” Talia said as the other woman joined her on the couch.
“You, too.”
“Cora, I have a present for you and Allie and Malia.” Stiles reached into his pocket and pulled out a jumbled mess of thin chains. By some sort of miracle, they untangled relatively easily as he pulled at them and he handed one necklace to each of the girls, while holding onto one for himself. “Put them on!”
They scattered to the adults --Cora to Peter, Allison to Chris, Stiles to Claudia, and Malia to Noah.
“Mr. Noah, can you help me clip it?” Malia asked, handing the necklace to him.
“Course, kid.” Noah smiled, taking it from her and turning her around by the shoulders.
“Okay, now look -- look , it’s really cool-- they fit together! The puzzle pieces,” Stiles said, holding out the silver charm attached to the necklace. The girls held theirs out, too, and watched as the four puzzle pieces fit together perfectly.
“Woah,” Allison said. “These are so cool!”
“Thanks, Stiles.” Cora grinned.
“I’m never going to take this off,” Malia told him.
Stiles smiled at them, obviously proud that his presents were well-received.
“That kid is going to be stealing hearts left and right when he’s older,” Claudia said, shaking her head.
Chris and Peter shared an undecipherable look with each other, which almost made Talia want to ask about it, but she didn’t. If they weren’t saying something out loud, there was probably a reason.
“Did the holiday cheer scare my lone wolf upstairs?” Stiles asked, looking around the room.
“Yeah...he got a new book about dragons,” Cora told him. “He’s probably up there reading it.”
“Oh, okay.” Stiles nodded, before skipping over to the base of the stairs and shouting, “DEREK HALE, I’M HERE! MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU BIG GRUMPY WOLF! COME FEEL THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!”
Almost immediately, Talia heard the sound of Derek coming down the stairs. As soon as he reached the bottom, he grunted softly. Talia’s curiosity at his odd sound was short-lived, as Derek walked into the room with Stiles hanging off his front. Derek had one arm hugging him, while Stiles squeezed his arms around his neck and rubbed his face against Derek’s throat.
Talia shook her head at the obvious display of how comfortable Derek was with Stiles. It never became less shocking to her. Even she would be annoyed at a kid hanging all over her --yet Derek seemed completely okay with it.
“Merry Christmas, son,” Noah greeted him. Derek gave him a smile in return, then poked Stiles’ rib and caused the younger boy to drop down to the ground with a yelp.
“You can’t just tickle me like that --it’s rude .”
Derek raised a challenging eyebrow at him and Stiles sighed, shaking his head.
“You guys wanna play with me?” Malia asked the boys. She dumped out the large barrel of Lincoln Logs onto the floor and began sorting the various length pieces into different piles.
“Oh, wow, you got them!” Stiles said ebulliently. He grabbed Derek’s hand and pulled him over to the spot on the floor where the little girl was. “You wanted them for so long--that’s awesome you got some.”
“I know.” She smiled, pushing a couple of piles towards Stiles.
Talia remembered thinking a barrel of small wooden logs was a ridiculous Christmas present when Chris had brought them home a few weeks prior, but apparently it really was something Malia wanted. Did she talk about them often or something? Often enough for Stiles to know, apparently.
Derek scooted back to lean against the wall underneath the window, watching as Stiles began organizing some pieces into a rather questionable base for a building he appeared to be attempting to build.
“Don’t just watch like a creeper--you have to play, too,” Stiles pointed out.
“Start it.”
“Fine, but you’re helping when I get this bottom part right.”
Talia observed Derek closely as he watched Stiles with a peaceful look on his face. There was no tightness in his forehead, where his eyebrows were usually very active. His lips were loose and partly open, not in their usual hard-pressed line or scowl. It was...nice, almost. To see him not so on-edge.
She had seen the soft way he looked at Stiles before, but now Derek was directly in front of her and she could see it so much clearer than she had….and she almost wished she hadn’t. His eyes held a safe, affectionate warmth in them, full of an unbridled adoration for the boy in front of him. In an instant, she felt as if she had the breath knocked out of her.
Talia was lying on her bed, her eyes closed and a relaxed smile on her face, as kisses were ghosted across her cheeks, forehead, and finally on the tip of her nose.
“I’m trying to sleep, you know,” She said softly.
“Were you?” Jericho asked.
Talia looked up at him and shook her head. She couldn’t help her grin from stretching wider as he gazed down at her, his green eyes gentle and full of so much reverence and devotion that she felt her heart skip a beat the way it always did when he would look at her that way. She couldn’t fathom how she could possibly be worthy of this look --how anyone could be so deserving of Jericho to look at them that way. Like she was to thank for the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening. As if she had hung the moon and sprinkled the stars across the sky herself each night. Like she was the most precious thing to ever walk this planet.
Jericho raised a dark, curious eyebrow at her. “Why are you staring at me?”
“I just love you.”
It wasn’t a lie --she had been in love with him since the summer after her senior year of high school and they had never looked back.
"I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say that.”
“I’ll never stop, then.”
“Sounds good to me,” He chuckled. He leaned down to press another kiss to her jaw, then whispered, “Laura is asleep...which means we have some alone time.”
“Hmm,” Talia hummed thoughtfully. “Whatever could we do with this leisure?”
“Well, there’s a gorgeous woman under me, so...a few thoughts are coming to mind.”
“Oh, are they?”
“You wanted a bigger pack, right? More pups? I think we should work on that.”
Talia laughed and reached up to cup the side of his face with one hand. She ran her thumb under one of his emerald eyes, watching in awe as they danced with mischief and his pupils dilated just slightly, then dragged her fingers down to feel the stubble along his jaw.
“How did I get you?”
“I was a troubled young man with a temper, a bad home life, and no mother figure in sight. You were a strong, independent woman of power. It was really inevitable that I would fall hopelessly in love with you.”
“Is this you telling me that you needed an Alpha to help your mommy issues?”
“It could also be inferred that you took advantage of my mommy issues to enslave me as your doting husband and father of your pups.”
“Oh, is that so?” Talia shook her head in disbelief. “I think it was a lot more along the lines that you fit my greasers fantasy with those leather jackets and that slicked-back hair.”
“Tell me more, tell me more --was it love at first sight?” he sang.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I know.” Jericho rolled off of her onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow and looking at her contemplatively. She noticed the way his lower jaw was jutted forward slightly as he chewed on his inner lip.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wanted to ask you something, but I was going to wait until this weekend.”
“What is it?”
“I want the bite.”
“You do?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she turned to mirror his position.
“I mean, this isn’t new information. You know I’ve always wanted it...we just never really got around to it.”
“You weren’t in the right state of mind before.”
“But I am now...right?”
Talia nodded without hesitation, her instincts knowing the answer before her brain really caught up to the conclusion. He was so different now than he was. Becoming part of a pack had changed him in the best ways possible. He traded his cigarettes for crayons, his leather for sweaters that he didn’t mind if Laura dirtied (constantly), and his motorcycle for an SUV. He was a good dad. A great husband.
“So, you’ll do it?” He questioned, hope etched into his features.
She waited for a moment, before asking, “When?”
“Well...I mean, we could do it now. If you want. Why not, you know? There’s no point in continuing to put it off,” Jericho reasoned. Talia’s stomach dropped as she thought about biting him that night. She wasn’t sure she was ready to take the risk that the bite held. “I want this, Tals. More than anything. I want to feel the pack bonds --what’s the point of having them, if I can’t? Humans can’t experience it the same. They can’t understand what it’s like. I want to understand.”
“Now,” she breathed, rubbing her hand down her face.
“The bite is safest to get the younger you are, and I’m not getting any younger than I am tonight. You want me to be a werewolf still, right? Do you still feel that way?”
Of course she wanted him to be a wolf. She wanted him to be a real member of the pack, complete with pack bonds and full moon runs --but it was such a huge risk. If the bite rejected, she would lose him. She could never forgive herself for that.
“This could...Jericho, if it rejects--”
“I know, but you can do this...and so can I. It’ll be fine, okay?”
After several long moments, Talia asked, “Where do you want it?”
Jericho tilted his head to the side to bare the expanse of his neck and shoulder. Talia looked over the tanned skin and traced the raised muscle of his trapezius, then slowly leaned in until her breath drifted over it, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
“I love you, Alpha,” he whispered, his heart remarkably steady for someone who was waiting to have fangs sink into them.
“I love you, too,” she said, before running her nose along his skin and letting her shift take over. She felt her eyes prickle lightly as they glowed red and her teeth dropped down. She took a steadying breath, before fitting them over the firm muscle and biting down before she had any longer to talk herself out of it.
Talia was pulled from her memories by a hand on her arm, shaking gently. She instinctively grabbed onto Chris’ wrist to anchor herself into the present as he watched her with a concerned look on his face.
“Are you alright?” He asked, his eyes flicking back and forth between her own, as if looking for an answer written in them. “You spaced out for a minute there.”
“I just...need some fresh air, I think.” Talia nodded, before standing up and crossing the living room towards the front door.
She felt a tear slip down her cheek and quickly brushed it away as she pushed the door open. She walked out and collapsed down to sit on the porch step, dropping her face into her hands and taking a deep breath. She heard the front door open and then Chris was seated beside her. He didn’t press for answers as to why she was having some sort of emotional moment, he didn’t try to hug her--he didn’t even really acknowledge her. The two of them just sat in silence and listened to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees at the edge of their yard.
Finally, Talia looked up and said, “I knew Derek had his eyes, but...I’d never seen them like…that. The way he looks at Stiles --I’d never seen him do that before. They’re exactly the way Jericho’s were. I...It took me off guard, I guess.”
“Peter and I call them his Stiles Eyes.” Chris nodded, a faint smile forming at the corners of his mouth as he looked down at the grass. “Every time the kid is in his vicinity, any hostility or hardness in them just melts away. Peter doesn’t think Stiles has ever even seen how his eyes look to the rest of us.”
“I almost forgot what they looked like,” She admitted. “I didn’t think I’d forget. I didn’t think it would be possible to. But I did. Gods, he looks so much like him. I mean, I knew that, of course, but--”
“You don’t need to justify yourself.” He cut her off, then added after a moment, “He acts like him, too.”
“Yeah --a little too much. He took after his wolf a little more than I’d hoped.”
“I wasn’t referring to that. He’s maybe not denmaker material, but I see it a lot in how he acts with Stiles. He reads to him, makes him food, helps him with his homework. He takes care of him. Hell, Stiles does the same. They’re good for each other.”
“Stiles is...he’s interesting. He has no sense of fear with anything to do with werewolves. As a human, you’d think he’d be born with some kind of concern of becoming the prey--especially around Derek. But when Derek starts slipping, he just...pulls him back. It seems so effortless when he does it--as if reigning in a feral is easy. I don’t particularly love his presence all the time, but I admire him for that ability. The Gods know I couldn’t do it when it fell on me...and I never even tried with Derek.”
“He has absolutely no sense of self-preservation.”
“Why do you think he puts in so much effort with Derek? I mean, what is he gaining? Definitely not stimulating conversations.”
“Gaining? You really don’t see what’s going on? I figured Laura would’ve said something to you by now.”
“What?” Talia was confused. Why would Laura keep something from her, yet allow Chris to know?
“C’mon, Talia. Why do you think Derek looks at Stiles like he’s the most important thing in the world? Why would Derek challenge his Alpha to protect him? Why would he be so easily anchored by him?”
Talia’s eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it. She knew why Jericho looked at her that way, but she frankly had no idea why Derek would look at Stiles that way. They were six years apart and both so young --it wasn’t like they were in love.
“I’m honestly not sure.”
“How much do you know about mate bonds?”
“ Mate bonds?” Talia scoffed, straightening up to look at him. “Chris, they’re children , you can’t seriously be insinuating--”
“Age has nothing to do with the bond--it's a connection between two souls. The universe wouldn’t just wait around for them to become old enough to date for the bond to form. Mates are not inherently romantic, anyway. Since Stiles is so much younger, Derek’s role would likely be as more of an older best friend until Stiles was old enough to be able to have romantic feelings for him. The bond directly responds to whatever the other needs. Derek calms Stiles’ anxiety and helps quiet his mind when it gets too overwhelmed. Stiles anchors Derek and gently pushes him to spend more time with the pack. They better each other.”
Talia looked at her brother-in-law with mild alarm and disbelief. How had she not seen this? Well, she knew how --she had never seen a mate bond in people so young. Only teenagers and adults...and it was always romantic, despite what Chris was saying. She suddenly felt sick as she realized how huge of a deal this was. They often allowed Stiles to sleep in Derek’s bed with him. Now with the idea that they could potentially be mates, she felt guilty for allowing them to do so. She never thought to pay attention to how often they touched, but now...well, how was she supposed to know the intentions behind them? This revelation didn’t sit right with her in the slightest.
Chris seemed to notice the array of emotions flashing across Talia’s face, and said sternly, “You know that I respect most of your decisions, Talia...but you will not intervene in this. They need each other in ways that you absolutely cannot understand. You can't bring this up to them or make either of them feel like they’re doing something wrong by being around each other. It would be detrimental to them both.”
“So, we’re supposed to just wait around until it suddenly becomes...inappropriate? Does Noah know? Would he still be fine with Derek having Stiles sleep with him in his--”
“Keep your voice down,” Chris growled in a way that could probably rival the wolves in her pack, as he leaned in closer with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I want to make this very clear: Derek would never hurt Stiles. Ever. If Stiles never got romantic feelings for him, Derek would remain his friend. The two of them need each other to keep them balanced, so they are completely unable to harm one another. Their instincts prevent it. And if you ever suggest again that Derek would do something like that --especially while he can hear you-- I promise the conversation will not go as calmly as this one.”
Talia almost called him out on the blatant threat against his Alpha, but instead asked, “You think I’m a horrible mother, don’t you?”
Chris was silent for a bit too long.
Of course he would think that --he and Peter had never liked her.
“Maybe...but I don’t think I have the right to comment on it, when I don’t wish you did anything differently. You did what you felt you needed to do by separating yourself...and I got to raise Derek and Cora. I wouldn’t trade that for anything --and neither would Peter. Derek made us realize how badly we wanted to be parents. Maybe that makes me a bad uncle. Definitely selfish.”
Talia nodded. They really had raised her kids. That probably did make her a bad mother, but she supposed it could have been worse if Peter and Chris hadn’t been around. At least she left them in good hands, right?
Without another word, Chris stood up and went back inside, leaving Talia on the porch to wait for the blotchy redness of her crying to leave her face before she would be ready to return to her pack again.