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"Umm... got a minute?" Derek asked Peter one night.
Derek had fidgeted over dinner, where he had made some of Peter's favorite side dishes -- who didn't like beets? well, beside Derek? -- so Peter guessed that Derek was working his way up to something.
It was odd, sometimes, with Derek being the Alpha and Peter being the Beta. Peter was older, although there almost always was someone older than the Alpha in a pack, and Peter had more experience outside of Beacon Hills with his work as Talia's Left Hand. But time had made Peter realize that he liked where he was right now, and Derek was working hard to be a good Alpha. Sometimes, that's all that was needed.
"Sure. What do you need?" Peter replied.
"Just..." Derek fidgeted in place for a moment, rubbed his face, and sighed. "Stiles."
Peter froze for a moment. "What about Stiles?"
"Can we sit? It's not bad. Just wanted to talk to you," Derek admitted.
"Okay." They moved to the kitchen that seemed to be the default meeting space in the loft. "In fact, let me make some tea."
"Yeah, that would be nice," Derek replied.
Peter set water boiling and pottered about the kitchen, getting tea out and mugs ready. He got out one of the flavors that was supposedly 'calming' -- according to Stiles -- since Derek had moved from fidgeting to faintly anxious.
Peter put a cup in front of Derek and sat at the table. "What did you want to talk about?"
"It's just... he's the only one going to college this year, as well as going across the country," Derek said. "I'm... I can feel it in the Pack bonds already and he's not gone yet."
Oh!
"He's worked hard to be able to graduate before the others," Peter reminded Derek. "I didn't realize until he announced his plan to graduate early that he was a year older than Scott. Or that he held himself back when his mom died. But he'd normally be graduating this year if he was with his year-mates."
"Well, my head knows that," Derek replied as he shook his head in frustration. "Just... how do I manage this? Mom never had anyone go far away for a long time. You traveled a lot but you always came back. You were never gone for months at a time."
"I didn't pay as much attention when your grandmother was Alpha, since I was younger at that time, myself," Peter admitted. "But I know Talia went to college, as did I. I came home when I could, holidays mostly. But when you're young, there also a certain amount of hubris. I can manage! and that sort of thing. But I've also had good control from the very start."
Derek nodded. "I always wanted to have the level of control you have," he admitted softly.
Peter shrugged. "Something I was born with. Your mother wasn't bad, but it was something that came easily to me from a young age."
"Stiles has his own control and he worked hard to earn the scholarships he has," Derek said. "It's just... I know how far it is and I'm already worried."
"You? John is trying not to panic at the thought of Stiles being so far away," Peter gave a rueful laugh.
"And how will you manage, without him here?" Derek asked softly.
That brought Peter up short. He should have realized. "You know."
Derek nodded. "And I don't have a problem with it," he said in that soft voice. "You've been careful and respectful. That's all anyone can ask."
Peter took a sip of his tea, to buy time.
"Stiles has a destiny beyond Beacon Hills," Peter admitted. "Even if my 'wolf considers him our mate, he deserves a chance to get out of here and to figure out what he really wants to be."
"I know that," Derek gave a small grin. "But you deserve the same thing. You've been a key part of this Pack and, well, I suppose I don't say that often enough. Thank you."
Peter felt himself blush at that. He had thought he was unaffected by such things as sentimentality but a sincere Thank you from his Alpha had him blushing like a schoolboy.
"So what do we do about Stiles?" Peter brought the focus back to the original topic.
"Maybe we... tinker with things a bit," Derek suggested.
"Like what? If it's too heavy-handed, that will defeat the purpose," Peter warned. "And Stiles will be pissed."
"I know but, well, he's in a double room," Derek replied. "Maybe we can get that changed to a single? He's never had to share and a single has to be safer in the long run."
"True," Peter agreed.
"And I want to send you with him," Derek gave a small grin. "You can work from there as well as you can from here and if you're in the area, I know you'll be keeping an eye on him."
Peter was astounded. It was something he never even considered. "Can you afford to have both of us away at the same time?"
Derek shrugged. "It feels better if I think about the idea that you're there with him. He doesn't have to live with you but it would be good to give him an option to get away from the dorm if he needs to. For all that he gets along with almost everyone, I know he needs to be alone."
"The accountants always are looking as us to diversify," Peter suggested. "We could buy a condo or something not too far from the college and it gives us a safe house on the East coast in an emergency. Or if any of the others want to go to school out there."
"Even just to travel," Derek said. "Most of the pack hasn't been outside of California for any length of time. Having someplace safe to stay for an extended time would give them an option."
Peter knew Derek was thinking of his time in New York with Laura. Not knowing if it was safe, who to trust, and being terrified that Hunters were after them. Giving even the few adults of the pack an option to travel safely would be to everyone's advantage.
"DC is similar to New York," Peter added. "No one pack calls it their territory but there are packs in the area."
"If DC is anything like New York City, there will be a bigger population of supernatural beings than one might expect," Derek agreed. "Again. A learning experience."
"Any limits?" Peter asked.
Derek shook his head. "No. You know we have the money, let's spend it on something that's useful to all of us," he said. He grinned. "And you won't settle for anything besides the best, anyway. So get what you want."
"It's like you know me," Peter teased.