Chapter Text
Stiles and Derek were lounging on the sofa in their living room. It was early on a Saturday morning, and Sophia was sitting nearby engrossed in her laptop. Stiles had brought up a tray of coffee from the main kitchen. Derek leans over to refill his coffee and kisses Stiles on the way.
Sophia mumbles something like “ugh” under her breath
Stiles started to giggle while Derek put his coffee down and turned to Sophia.
“Really?” He asked as she gives him a look.
“You guys are always after each other. It’s gross.” She says, turning back to her laptop.
“Some day you’re going to love someone so much you can’t keep your hands off of them, and when you do…” Derek says.
“After what I heard this morning, don’t count on it.” She says, interrupting him, but not bothering to look his direction.
At this point, Stiles has rolled over and is laughing against the corner of the sofa. “Didn’t I tell you not to growl so loud?” He chokes out.
“I will not apologize for having a healthy sex drive. I expect my 18 year old daughter would have learned to tune out ambient noise by now. This is a house full of werewolves. We aren’t the only ones in this house who have sex, and it’s long past time you stop pretending to be traumatized by it.” He says.
“I know full well you aren’t the only ones in the house that have an active sex drive. Scott and Raven broke their bed again last week, Lydia was spanking Jackson last night. Lilly is out of town, so Liam had a quickie by himself and then started snoring. I have no idea what Isaac and Clara were doing last night, but I heard both of them giggling like two little girls. You, my dear father are the only one who growls when he gets off. It’s a good thing the twins are off camping with Papa John and Melissa or I would have to explain it to them. Again. Will you please soundproof your room, or my room, or the whole house? I’m up late at night, and early in the morning studying and I can’t deal with the distraction of you growling like a rabid dog.” She replies, typing away on her laptop and not looking at her father.
Derek’s eyes turn red and a low snarl escapes his lips. Stiles puts a hand on his chest and says , “Cool it. We have incoming.” just as someone knocks on the door.
Stiles gets up and opens the door to find Lydia standing there, coffee pot in one hand and a bag of pastries in hand.
“Good Morning.” She says, turning to look at Derek. “I brought breakfast”
“Thanks. I went down and got coffee earlier, but I’ll happily take the pastries.” Stiles says, taking the bag from her hand and laying them out on a nearly tray.
“I’m going to go take a shower.” Derek says through clenched teeth as he gets up from the sofa. He snags a pastry on his way past Stiles.
When Derek closes the bedroom door, Lydia looks at Styles and asks. “I haven’t seen SourWolf in a long time. Is everything ok?”
“We were a little loud this morning, and Sophia heard it. Derek told her to stop pretending to be traumatized by it, and she told him to stop growling like a rabid dog. I think that about covers it.” Stiles says.
“That’s my girl.” Lydia says, giving a bright smile to Sophia. “There’s a very easy solution to this. Move into that small suite by the garage. You’re still in the house, but far enough away from your parents who act like horny teenagers all night. See. Problem solved. Everyone is happy.”
“Great idea. Far enough away that I won’t hear you spanking Jackson either.” She says, still looking at her laptop.
“Well, if you really want to know, I'll explain to you why Jackson needs to be spanked once in a while. How about a day of retail therapy with your Aunt Lydia? A friend of mine just opened a new boutique downtown and she brought a lot of vintage couture in for me to look at. I’ll buy you something completely inappropriate to wear that will make your father’s eyebrows disappear into his hairline. Then we can go get something totally decadent for a late lunch.”
“No to Uncle Jackson’s need for a spank and tickle. Yes to the shopping, lunch, and abusing my father’s eyebrows. I need about 2 hours to finish this report for my business finance class, then I can get ready to go.”
“Perfect. Meet me downstairs at 11. I’ll let you drive Jackson’s new Porsche.” She says with a smile.
“Oh goody, I get to drive the new Douche-Mobile. Can't wait. I’m going back to my room where I can finish this in peace and quiet.” Sophia says as she gets up and leaves.
“Wow. She’s saucy today. Reminds me of you as a teenager, but with estrogen.” Lydia says to Stiles.
“She gets that way when she’s deeply involved in something for school. Her focus is laser sharp and adults interrupting her bring out the attitude. She’s never that way with the twins though. She would drop anything for them. It’s her poor dads that get kicked to the curb and beaten down by her sarcasm. When she’s not working on something for school, she’s her happy, bubbly self. This sarcastic side really gets under Derek’s skin, and he’s never done well with it.”
“Well, if he didn’t love you like the does, you would have never survived to adulthood.” Lydia says as she sits down across from Stiles.
“True that.” Stiles replies.
“So what brings you to our happy little apartment this morning? With pastries from my favorite little patisserie. I smell a bribe.”
“Well, I'm here in my official capacity as Emissary.” She replies with a formal tone to her voice.
Stiles releases a dramatic sigh. “Who fucked what up now? Do we need Scott here as well as Derek?”
“No, just you and Derek. It can wait until he gets out of the shower.”
“Well, he doesn’t take long if he’s in there by himself.” Stiles says with a smirk. “it should only be a few more minutes.”
“You guys never quit do you?”
“Have you met me?” Stiles asks with a twinkle in his eye. “Don’t tell me you haven’t asked Jackson to go all beast master on you.” He continues, making his voice loud enough that Sophia hears it.
As if on cue, Sophia storms out of her room, laptop in hand, right at the same time Derek comes out of his own bedroom.
“I’m going downstairs so I can throw up, and when I’m done, maybe I’ll drown myself in the toilet.” She says as she storms past Derek and out the door.
“You can’t go shopping with Aunt Lydia if you’re dead.” Stiles calls out after her.
“Good Morning, Sourwolf. I’m here in my official capacity as the Beacon Hills Pack Emissary.” Lydia says, as she turns to him.
“Don’t start with me, Miss Lydia Whittemore Hale.” Derek says, leaning in to rub his cheek against her face. “I’ll take Jackson with me on my next trip, and we’ll be gone for weeks.”
“Don’t waste your idle threats on me. I have enough batteries to last me for months.” She snaps back at him. Below them in the house, there is an outburst of snarling and a slamming door.
“I have no sympathy for her when she’s in study mode. She’s brilliant, but sometimes she’s just miserable.” Derek says.
“Don’t worry. Mom and Dad will be back tomorrow with the kids and everything will be right with the world again.”
“Good. I miss them when they are gone for more than a day or two.”
“So, speaking of children.” Lydia says, sitting down in one of the chairs.
Derek sighs and pulls Stiles down to sit with him on the sofa.
“What have the pups done now?”
“Well, this is not about any of ours. Like I said, this is an official pack thing. Last night I received a call from an Emissary in Washington State. There are 3 orphans who need a family, and she wanted to know if the Beacon Hills Pack was in a position to take them in. Scott and Raven are aware of it, but they are working on number 5.”
“What’s the background?” Derek asks.
“Parents and three older relatives were killed in a car accident. The children had no serious injuries and healed quickly. They were a small pack of 5 adults, and 3 kids. Alpha father, and his elderly parents. Beta mother, and her elderly human mother. Three children. Two boys with a girl in the middle. Ages 4, 2, and 6 months. No extended family. The pack pretty much kept to themselves but would sometimes contact the Emissary for advice. Someone in the state child protective services recognized them as not human and placed them with her for temporary foster care. She fosters a lot of children, almost all supernatural. She works with a few select people at the state level to find appropriate and permanent families.”
Derek turns to look at Stiles who gives an almost imperceptible nod of his head. Derek won’t turn down the opportunity to help any child who has lost their parents. He knows this will mean disruption and chaos for a while, but in the long run, it’s worth it.
“One more person to ask.” Derek says. “Will you call her up here?”
Stiles is quiet for a second and then says, “She’s on the way.”
Not two minutes later, Sophia comes through the door, laptop in hand. She drops herself into a chair and stares at her father with a surly look on her face.
“I’m working on my last final report for school and then I have the summer off. I hope you didn’t call me back up here to inflict me with more of your sexcapades because I’m seriously fucking over it.” She says smartly.
In a flash Derek is off the sofa and in her face growling. “I’m sorry our sex life is an issue for you, but I’m over your attitude about it. You better remember who you’re talking to. Understood?”
Sophia nods and turns her face to the side. “Sorry Daddy.” Before Derek can pull back she plants a kiss on his cheek.
“Now there’s the girl I love so much.” He says, returning the kiss and goes back to his place next to Stiles on the sofa.
“Lydia brought something to our attention and we wanted to get your opinion on it.” Stiles says. “Lyds?”
“So,” Lydia begins. “I’ll spare you the details, but there are three little ones who need a home and I’ve been asked if our pack is in a position to adopt them. Two boys and a girl, ages 6, 4 and 6 months”
Sophia turns to her father with an arched eyebrow and just stares at him. After a few minutes of silence she says, “Why are you even asking me? Three little ones to teach sarcasm to. Fuck yes!”
Stiles starts to laugh again, and Derek smiles and says. “Make it happen Lydia. Whatever you need, make it happen.”
“Consider it done. I’ll call her back and get the process rolling.” She says as she stands up. “My work here is done. Downstairs at 11, or I’m leaving without you.” She says, pointing to Sophia as she walks towards the door.
“Ok, here's the plan. Stiles, make a list of what we need. Furniture, supplies, etc. As before, we’ve probably got a month of lead time while Lydia deals with the cross state adoption process. With her contacts, it might take less, so we need to be ready. Sophia, my little financial wizard, here is your task. We don’t have enough space in this suite. There are two large storage rooms on this side of the floor, and two on the other. I know Scott and Raven are cramped as well, so let’s get all of those rooms emptied and see what it will take to enlarge our suites and add two more rooms each. Find a contractor that will give us the best price and get it done. I want you to handle all of it. Estimates, contracts, construction, and payment. When it’s done, we’ll go over it with Raven and see how you did.”
“I have a suggestion, Daddy.” Sophia says, to which Derek raises his eyebrows as a signal for her to continue.
“Lydia suggested I move into the small suite downstairs by the garage. It would give me quiet space away from the noise that I find so distracting. It’s like moving out on my own, but not really. Olivia can take my room since she loves it so much. I need something fresh anyway. Oliver can stay in the room they share and you can let him redecorate it however he wants. They are almost 10, so it’s time they had their own rooms. The two storage rooms could be broken up into three bedrooms and there is probably enough room for a Jack n Jill bathroom between two of them. That will give the little's the chance to have their own rooms as they grow up. The other benefit of me moving downstairs is that you can send the little ones down for sleepovers and you can growl as much as you want.”
Stiles starts to laugh again and Derek turns on the grumpy frown before he smiles and says. “Fine, but I expect weekend morning coffee with you, and dinners unless your school schedule dictates otherwise. Add soundproofing to the project as well. I’ll try to keep the growling to a minimum so I don’t traumatize little ears, and you promise you won’t fill their little minds with sarcasm until they are at least 10 years old. One last thing. When you get a boyfriend, all best are off.”
“Bring it on, Daddy Dearest.” She says as she gets up from her chair. She grabs her laptop and gives Stiles and Derek a kiss on the way out of the room. She tells them that she’s further ahead on the report than she thought and she’s going to finish it up and then go spend the day with Lydia.
“Doomed, Sourwolf. We’re doomed. Six kids. Can you imagine the chaos? Scott and Raven with their 4 and working on number 5 as often as possible. We have 11 adults, and 15 children in the house at the moment. Three more on the way, and with Scott and Raven wanting one more, that will be 31. We have a twenty thousand square foot house and we’re running out of room.” Stiles says, curling up to Derek.
“Chaos, panic, and disorder, I’m looking forward to every fucking minute of it. Let’s see how Sophia does with this little house project. If she kicks ass at it, I’ll talk with Scott again and we can plan on having another house built. It’s not like we don’t have the land for it.” He says, kissing Stiles on top of his head. “How are you going to tell dad?”
“The same way I did last time. Hey Daddio, are you free? He’ll come over here with his tires smoking.”
“When are you going to give that poor man a break?.” Derek says with a sigh.
“The same day I give you one.”
“Well, there goes eternity. So, let’s talk about what we need for our expanding family.” Derek says. Stiles gets up to grab his own laptop and starts to make a list of things they have in storage and things they need to get to accommodate 3 more children.
They work together on the list for an hour or so when Sophia comes out of her room. She’s showered and dressed to go.
“I’m off to spend the day with Aunt Lydia. She’s going to let me drive Uncle Jackson’s new Douche-Mobile. Any requests while we’re out shopping?” She asks.
“I think you should buy your father some of that chocolate he loves so much. Maybe as a peace offering.” Stiles says.
Sophia dips her head a little and blushes. “Your command is my wish, oh great and powerful father number two.”
“Just your happy smile is all I need.” He says.
She laughs and then kisses them both before heading out the door. It’s early, so she stops in the kitchen and makes herself a small snack. Just as she finishes Lydia appears next to her.
“Ready, my saucy little niece?” She says, holding out a set of car keys in her hand.
“Let’s go. Can I smoke the tires all the way down the driveway?” She asks, snatching the keys from Lydia.
“How about No?” Derek says from behind her, holding the coffee pot from their room. “If you’re going to call it a Douche-Mobile, you should at least remember that it doesn’t belong to you.”
When she turns around, he has one eyebrow raised higher than the other. She purses her lips and pretends to pout then smiles at him.
“When are you going to buy me my own car?” She asks, batting her eyes at him.
“When you stop smoking tires of cars that don’t belong to you.” He says while he rinses the coffee pot out and puts it in the dishwasher.
“Fine. Are you ready, Aunt Lydia? I’ll sit in the back and you can drive me around like Miss Daisy.” She says, holding the keys out for Lydia while she gives her father the same look he gave her earlier.
Lydia takes the keys and grabs Sophia by the arm. “Let’s go. I’m sure your father has something better to do, like see Uncle Scott for his yearly distemper shot.” She says as she pulls her away towards the garage door.
When Lydia closes the door behind her, she throws the keys back to Sophia. “You know the drill.”
Derek and Stiles are standing on the front porch of the house when the garage door opens. Smoke comes billowing out and as soon as the door is all the way up, the car shoots out, tires screaming, pulling the cloud of smoke behind it. It fishtails up the driveway and out of sight between the trees.
“Jackson is going to kill her.” Derek says, shaking his head.
“You know that was Lydia driving just to agitate you.” Stiles says.
“Keep telling yourself that.” Derek says as he throws Stiles over this shoulder and pushes the door closed behind him.