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It’s 10:13 at night when Scott shows up at Stiles’ door. One look at Scott’s face is enough to tell Stiles what’s going on with his best friend.
“What did Derek and his perfect ass do this time?”
Scott moves past Stiles and lets himself fall on the couch with a groan.
“Okay, so it’s bad. How bad is it? Did you accidentally touch his ass again while training?” Stiles asks.
Scott groans again, his face buried in the cushions.
“Worse? Wow, did you walk in on him without his binder?”
Scott shakes his head and groans again.
“Even worse?! Dude, I don’t know anymore, you have to tell me.”
Scott mumbles his reply into the cushions.
“Scotty, I can’t hear you like that. Come on, I’m your best friend. You know you can tell me and I promise there will only be minimal mocking.”
Scott reluctantly lifts his head. “Derek asked me to have sex with him,” he says before dropping his head again.
“Wow! That’s great, Scott! I told you he was interested in you!”
Scott’s groan is even louder this time.
“What? He’s not interested? Why else would he ask you to sleep with him?” Stiles asks.
“To have a baby,” Scott answers reluctantly.
“Wait? Derek wants to have a baby with you?! Holy shit, dude, really? What did you say to him?”
“Yes,” Scott says. “I said yes, Stiles. The love of my life is going to have my baby, but I’m not going to raise the baby with him. This is terrible, my life is over!”
“That’s rough, buddy,” Stiles says.
“I swear, if that’s you quoting Avatar at me, I will kill you,” Scott growls.
Stiles smiles sheepishly and cautiously takes a step back. “Dude, it’s not that bad. You can always tell him that you don’t want to do it. Tell him you were in shock and that’s why you said yes. I’m sure he’ll understand,” Stiles suggests.
“But he looked so happy when I said yes! He wants a baby so badly and he’s so cute when he smiles,” Scott whines. “And just think of how cute Derek’s baby would be!”
“Especially combined with your genes,” Stiles adds.
“That’s not helping!” Scott snaps. “When did my life become so complicated? Why did he have to ask me that? I would have gladly spent years pining for him without anything changing.”
“Okay, that’s just pathetic,” Stiles says.
“Your face is pathetic.” Scott snaps.
Stiles bites back a laugh. “Okay, Mr brilliant comebacks, how about you stop moping around and either accept what’s happened or find a way to get out of it.”
“You moped around for days when Malia went away with the girls for spring break,” Scott says. “Did I complain about that?”
“Yes!” Stiles answers quickly. “You complained a lot!”
“But I still supported you,” Scott says. “I brought you ice cream and pizza.”
Stiles rolls his eyes. “Fine. Go mope, I’ll order pizza.”
“Thank you,” Scott says before curling up again on the couch. “I’ll fix it tomorrow, I just need some time to mope around and feel sorry for myself.”
“Okay. It’s just weird seeing you like this. I’m usually the one that needs this,” Stiles admits. “I guess it’s good you’re not bottling it up, but… weird.”
Scott nods. “Yeah…”
Stiles grabs his phone and leans down to ruffle Scott’s hair. “Move over, you can lay on me.”
Scott lifts his head just long enough for Stiles to sit down before using his lap as a pillow. “Can you get me extra pepperoni on it?”
“Sure.”
“And garlic bread?” Scott asks.
“Okay.”
“And ice cream?”
“Okay.”
“Are you going to say yes to whatever I ask because you feel sorry for me?”
“Yep.”
“Then I want a pony and a castle and a new bike,” he teases.
Stiles laughs and punches Scott’s shoulder. “Within reason, Scotty. I don’t have money growing on my back.”
“I guess the pizza’ll do,” Scott says.
Stiles runs his fingers through Scott’s hair while he orders pizza. It’s a familiar gesture by now. Scott’s been doing it to Stiles ever since he got bitten, and somewhere along the way Stiles picked up the habit. It’s a wolf thing, Derek told him once, and it’s amazing how well it helps him calm down.
“Pizza should be here in fifteen minutes,” Stiles says, tossing his phone over to his dad’s chair.
“Dude, you’re going to break your phone again if you keep throwing it around,” Scott says.
Stiles rolls his eyes and sinks down on the couch, his fingers still running through Scott’s hair. “It’s only happened two times, and I’ve thrown it like a million times. Stop being such a mom.”
Scott makes a hurt sound. “Mom… I’m going to be a mom.” It takes him a full minute before he realizes what he just said. “I mean dad. And I mean, not really, but there’s going to be a kid around with my genes.”
Stiles is biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. It’s hard, but he knows he shouldn’t laugh while Scott is feeling like crap. That’s not what a good friend does.
“So… you’re really going to do this?” Stiles asks when he feels like he can open his mouth without laughing.
“I guess… I can’t say no to Derek. He’s had so much crap happen to him, and you’ve seen him around babies. It’s adorable. He’s even more perfect when he’s holding a baby. It’s going to kill me when he has the baby,” Scott says dramatically.
“I’ll make sure it’s a nice funeral, bro. And you’re totally right. I went to the park with him and Malia a few weeks ago, and this little kid tripped and fell right in front of Derek, and he immediately helped the kid get up and stuff. Even I thought it was cute.”
“He’s going to be such a good dad,” Scott sighs. “And he’ll let me be around the baby, right?”
“Dude, of course! You’re his alpha, and you guys are friends. You’ll see the baby all the time. Derek’s not going to be separated from the baby until the baby’s like twenty years old,” Stiles says.
Scott laughs. “Yeah… He deserves this, I can get over my crush long enough to knock him up.”
“You know, you could always suggest you jerk off in a cup instead of having sex. I know Derek’s not too fond of doctors, but they have these home kits nowadays. You could use one of those!” Stiles suggests.
“How do you know about that?” Scott asks, skeptically. “You and Malia aren’t planning on having a baby, right? You’re not even old enough to drink!”
“Come on, we don’t need that. Our sex life is completely healthy and kinky, as you know all too well. I did some research for this class I took last semester,” Stiles answers.
“Oh, please don’t talk about your kinky sex again. Last time I couldn’t look at Malia without blushing for a week!” Scott complains.
“Fine. I won’t mention the new strap on she got… not at all… or how big it is… because it’s massive,” Stiles teases.
Scott groans. “Just put on a movie, okay? So I can forget about all of that.”
“I’m hurt that you don’t want to know more about my awesome sex life. And because of that, we’re watching the best movie ever; Bee Movie!” Stiles declares.
“No!”
“Yes! It’s your own fault for being mean,” Stiles sticks out his tongue.
“But it’s a terrible movie! And whenever we watch it, you spend the entire movie complaining.”
“That’s part of the fun. Now, shut up, it’s starting,” Stiles says sternly.
Scott doesn’t know exactly when it happened, but at one point he must have fallen asleep, because he wakes up in a tangle of limbs on the couch, with Stiles drooling on his chest.
“Dude, gross,” he says, pushing Stiles off of his chest.
Stiles wakes up with a yell, as he falls on the floor. “Hey, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t push me on the floor anymore! Rude! Not all of us have werewolf healing.” Instead of getting up, Stiles pulls on Scott’s arm and pulls him off the couch. His brilliant revenge backfires immediately as Scott lands on him, causing him even more pain.
“I’m too old for this shit,” Stiles complains.
“You’re nineteen, stop complaining.” Scott pushes himself up. “I’m going to take a shower and steal some of your clothes. If you complain, I’ll drool on you as well.”
“Go ahead, I’ll steal some of your clothes next time.” Stiles pulls himself up on the couch and yawns, curling up to go to sleep again.
“Deal.”
Scott ends up in one of his own shirts that Stiles stole months ago. By the time he’s ready to leave the house to talk to Derek, Stiles is sleeping again. Scott considers waking him up for a second, but he knows Stiles could use the extra sleep.
Scott’s nervous about seeing Derek again, but he knows he can’t postpone this any longer. He’ll only end up talking himself out of it if he waits. Scott has never seen Derek as happy as he looks when he opens the door for Scott.
“Morning,” Derek says. “I was just having breakfast, do you want to join me? I made too many pancakes.”
“Um… yeah, sure! I’d love to.” Scott follows Derek inside. “You’re in a good mood today,” he notes.
“Thanks to you. You’re helping me have a baby, I’m… happy. Really happy, and it’s a little weird,” Derek says with a laugh.
“Oh, no problem, dude. Happy to help,” Scott answers. This makes it a lot harder for Scott to tell Derek he doesn’t want to have sex with him. He doesn’t want to upset Derek while he’s in such a good mood.
“Here, eat up,” Derek says as he dumps a plate of chocolate chip pancakes in front of Scott.
“There’s chocolate in these? Dude, I thought you were incapable of eating anything unhealthy!” Scott says as he begins eating the pancakes.
“Just because I like eating healthy, doesn’t mean I don’t treat myself every once in a while. Besides, I’m celebrating today.” Derek sits down opposite Scott and begins on his own pancakes. “I’m glad you showed up, though. I never got a grip on this whole cooking for one thing. hopefully I’ll only be doing it for several more months.”
“You do know that babies don’t eat solid food for the first couple of months, right?” Scott notes.
“Yes, Scott. I do know a thing or two about babies, don’t worry.”
They eat in a comfortable silence. Scott had forgotten how good of a cook Derek is; he makes a mental note to come by more often around dinner time.
“So, what brings you here this early?” Derek asks when they’ve finished.
“Well… um… I don’t really know how to say this, but… I’m not too sure about having sex with you.” Scott makes the mistake of looking at Derek’s face. The guy looks heartbroken. “NO, don’t worry, I’m still totally up for being your sperm donor, it’s just the sex thing. I don’t really like casual sex, not even to make a baby. I could just, you know… do it in a cup.”
“I don’t want to go to a clinic,” Derek says. “It’s the whole reason I asked you. When I go to a clinic, I’ll probably have to convince them that I really want a baby, even though I’m transgender. Or they’ll call me a woman or something.”
“There’s these home kits, though. Stiles told me,” Scott suggests.
Derek raises an eyebrow. “Okay… how does Stiles know about those?”
“Research for something last semester,” Scott answers. “Can we try doing it that way? If it doesn’t work, we’ll figure something out.”
“If you don’t want to do this, it’s okay,” Derek says, though Scott doesn’t believe him for one second.
“I want to, okay? Just in a slightly different way than you,” Scott says. “Trust me, I want this. I’m not backing out. I want to give you the family you deserve.”
Derek nods. “Thank you. I think a baby will be good for the pack as well. There haven’t been any attacks in a year now, and the pack hardly ever comes together. I fear we’re growing apart.”
Scott hadn’t thought about that. Now that he thinks of it, he can’t really remember the last time the entire pack came together. “Maybe we should organize pack night were we all come together and eat or watch a movie.”
“I’d like that. I’ll cook,” Derek offers.
“That’d be awesome. You’re a great cook!”
“Thanks, my dad taught me. It’ll be great to try some of his recipes again to feed you all.”
“Than it’s a deal. I’ll find a date we can all come. I should go now, though. I have a class in like an hour.”
“Yeah, and I should look into this home insemination kit… I’ll let you know when I’m ovulating, okay?” Derek asks.
“Yeah, great. Thanks for breakfast!” Scott leaves maybe a little too hurriedly, but he’s sure he can’t spend another minute with Derek without freaking out.
Scott doesn’t hear from Derek for two and a half weeks, when Derek texts him to inform Scott that he’s ovulating.
“It’s Derek,” Scott says. “Oh, god…”
Stiles panics. “Shit, is he being attacked?! I knew things were too peaceful.”
“No, he’s ovulating,” Scott explains.
“Oh, it’s cum in a cup time for you,” Stiles says, sounding much too cheerful.
“Can you make it sound any grosser?” Scott grabs a pillow from the couch and slams it in Stiles’ face. “I’ll remember this, and one day I’ll get revenge, but now I have to go make a baby with Derek.”
“Have fun!” Stiles calls after him.
“You’re a horrible friend,” Scott shouts as he leaves Stiles’ home. Stiles’ words keep running through his mind. He’s going to have to jerk off in a cup. What if he can’t do it? He really wants to help Derek get the family he wants, which only puts more pressure on him. He’s so busy worrying about performing well that it feels like no time at all has passed by the time he’s knocking on the door to Derek’s loft.
Derek opens the door with a nervous smile. “Hi… um... come in,” he says, stepping aside. “Can I get you anything? Something to drink or a snack?”
Scott shakes his head. It’s a little comforting that Derek’s just as nervous and awkward about this as he is.
“I’m fine… I should get started, probably,” he says, blushing bright red.
“Yes, right. I’ve got the cup in the bathroom. Just… fill it up, I guess. I’ve got some magazines there as well, if you need them to… you know... “ Derek laughs nervously.
“Thanks…” Scott is about ready to run into the bathroom and lock himself in there forever when he remembers something else he needs to talk to Derek about. “Oh, before I forget. I talked to everyone about having a pack meal, and Lydia’s going to be in town next weekend. She agreed to give up some of her Allison time to have dinner with all of us. Is that okay with you?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s fine,” Derek says. He looks a little shocked by the sudden change of conversation. “I’ll make sure everything’s ready, just tell me when you want to have everyone over.”
“I’m just waiting to hear back from Liam, he just got a new job on Saturdays and I don’t know when he gets off,” Scott says. “Speaking of getting off… I’ll go do that.” Scott can’t help but cringe at his own bad joke.
“You’ve been hanging around Stiles too much,” Derek says.
“Not the first time I heard that, but he’s my best friend so I don’t think it’s going to change,” Scott says. “But, in my defense, he’s worse.”
Derek nods. “I know, but he grows on you, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah. He’s totally going to be the weird uncle to the baby.”
“Oh… I’m going to have to talk to him about what words he’s not allowed to use around the baby. That’s going to be painful,” Derek groans. “Malia as well. Those two are going to have my baby swearing in no time.”
Scott’s barely able to suppress his laughter. “I promise I’ll behave around the baby, and I can totally talk to Stiles for you, if you want. There’s a better chance of him listening to me, anyway.”
“Would you? You’re amazing, Scott, thanks,” Derek says.
“No problem, dude. I should um… go,” he says, gesturing in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Yeah, I’ll be out on the balcony, I won’t listen in on you,” Derek says.
“Thanks.” Scott hadn’t even thought about Derek’s enhanced hearing up until then. He nervously runs to the bathroom, as soon as Derek’s no longer looking at him.
Thinking about the cup and actually seeing it are two entirely different things, Scott discovers. He’s seen these plastic cups plenty of times, but it’s different when he’s the one who has to use it. There’s several magazines under the cup, and one look at them is nearly enough to make Scott run out again and never return. He can’t disappoint Derek, though. He has to do it.
Once he calms his nerves it’s easier than he thought it would be. He doesn’t use the magazines, they only weird him out. He does think about Derek, though, and what it would be like if they’d done this the way Derek had wanted. Scott bites his lip as he comes. Even though Derek promised not to listen in, Scott moaning his name might draw his attention.
Then comes the most awkward part of it all, giving Derek his ‘sample’. Does he leave it in the bathroom, or does he give to Derek personally? He opts for the first, because he knows he’ll never be able to hand Derek the cup without blushing or laughing.
“Um… I’m done,” he says awkwardly, as he opens the door to the balcony. “Do you need any help with the next bit?”
“No, I’ve got it. Thank you.”
“Okay, I’m gonna go. Good luck.” Scott doesn’t wait for a reply, but bolts out of Derek’s loft.
Scott does his best to avoid Derek for the next week. He texts him a few times about the dinner, but he never brings up their last meeting. Scott is almost bursting with the urge to ask Derek if he’s pregnant. He types out the question at least half a dozen times, but he never sends it.
Finally the night of the pack dinner comes around, and Scott can no longer avoid Derek. He purposely arrives a little late, so by the time he enters Derek’s loft most of the pack is already there. He smiles at Derek before joining Stiles and Malia on the couch, where she’s feeding him grapes.
“Dude, do you smell that food? It’s amazing!” Stiles says.
Scott nods, the smell hadn’t gone unnoticed, despite his nerves.
“He’s been cooking all afternoon,” Malia says. “I handed him things.”
“Derek’s teaching her how to cook,” Stiles explains. “So far she hasn’t set anything on fire, so I’d call it a win.”
Malia punches his arm. “That happened once, and it was your fault. You should have been keeping a closer eye on me.”
Stiles winces and rubs his arm. “Yeah, and you need to watch your strength. I’m human remember.”
Malia rolls her eyes. “I didn’t hit you that hard, you’re just a baby.” Still, she reaches out to touch Stiles’ arm. Black veins appear on her hand, crawling upwards.
“Thanks, babe,” Stiles says, leaning up to kiss her.
“You two are sickeningly cute,” Scott says, there’s a pang of jealousy in his chest. He wishes he could be like this with Derek. He glances over to the tables Derek set up on the other side of the loft to make a dining room. Derek’s placing the food on them, with the help of Isaac and Boyd. He looks happy, genuinely happy. It’s a sight Scott has been seeing more often, but it’s still amazing and it makes his heart skip a beat.
“Someone’s in loooove,” Stiles whispers in Scott’s ear.
“Shut up, he might hear you,” Scott hisses back.
“He’s too busy keeping Isaac from eating the food early,” Malia says. “Besides, he’s completely oblivious to your affections for him. I’ve asked.”
“You asked him?!” Scott asks. He’d assumed Malia knew, but he had no idea she’s asked Derek.
“Calm down, Lydia’s been teaching me how to find out those things without giving away too much,” Malia says, shrugging. “She says it’s an important part of being a girl.”
“Are you sure you didn’t say too much?” Scott asks, his heart still beating a little faster than usual. Derek can’t find out. Not now.
Malia rolls her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. I’m not an idiot, you know? Though, I do think you should just tell him how you feel.”
“Never in a million years,” Scott says. He’s considered telling Derek plenty of times, but he knows he can’t do it. It’s incredibly selfish. Derek’s finally in a nice place in life again and Scot does not want to mess that up by bringing up feelings Derek can’t reciprocate. Things would be awkward and it would just be cruel for Derek. Scott can’t take away his safe space just to get some peace of mind himself.
“Boys,” Malia mutters, rolling her eyes. “Come on, dinner looks ready.” She gets up and practically drags Stiles along to the table.
By some stroke of luck, of course Scott ends up sitting next to Derek at the table. The stroke of luck is more commonly known as Lydia, Scott suspects from the looks on her face when he sits down next to Derek.
Scott has no doubt that if they were any other pack, he’d have to stand up now and give a speech. His pack, however, is much less formal and he doesn’t even get a chance to thank Derek for the meal before Isaac and Stiles start arguing over the biggest cut of chicken.
“Who’s idea was it to seat them opposite each other?” Scott whispers to Derek, nodding in Stiles and Isaac’s direction.
“Erica thought it might be interesting,” Derek answers. “I agree with her.”
“As long as they don’t kill each other, I suppose it can’t hurt,” Scott says. “Thank you, by the way, for doing all this. It’s been too long since we were all together.”
Derek shrugs. “It’s no big deal, and I like having the pack together too. You should have some chicken before Isaac and Stiles finish it all. It’s really good.”
“I’ll try it,” Scott says, reaching out to take some of the chicken. One bite is enough for Scott to know Derek wasn’t lying. “Oh, my god, this is amazing! Is the rest this good? I’m going to be so fat eating just your cooking.” Scott follows Isaac and Stiles’ example by filling his plate with lots of Derek’s cooking, while Derek simply laughs at his eagerness.
The mood is amazing all through dinner. For the first time in weeks Scott isn’t thinking about Derek’s desire to have a baby. No one seems to be worrying about tests and jobs, instead everyone’s laughing and enjoying the food. Scott can’t help but feel proud when he looks at his pack; they’ve come so far and been through so much, and here they all are laughing.
After dessert the pack moves sluggishly to the living room where they all pile onto Derek’s couch.
“I can’t eat another bite or I’ll explode,” Stiles complains.
Grunts from the rest of the pack indicate they’re all feeling the same.
“My trainer’s not going to be happy with all the food I ate tonight,” Lydia says.
“Oh, I don’t mind. I’ll happily work it off with you,” Allison teases.
“Not tonight, dear. Tonight I plan on not moving,” Lydia replies.
“Okay. I’m only agreeing because I’m not sure I could move even if I wanted to,” Allison replies.
They should probably clean, or at least move somewhere more comfortable, but no one moves an inch. It isn’t long before they all slowly doze off.
When Scott wakes up again, it’s six in the morning and he feels more rested than he has in weeks. He’s the first of the pack to wake up and he has to move carefully to get out from the cuddle pile his friends have formed around him. After relieving himself, he begins cleaning up the mess from dinner the previous night. He doesn’t mind being the only one who’s cleaning, to him it’s just one more way he can take care of his pack. They’d all enjoyed Derek’s food so much that there’s not much more than crumbs left; Stiles had even licked his plate clean. It makes cleaning up a lot easier and it only takes Scott a little over half an hour to have all the dishes in the dishwasher. Just when he’s about to clean the tablecloth, Derek joins him. Derek looks absolutely adorable in the morning with his bed hair, it makes Scott’s heart beat a little faster.
“You didn’t have to do all that,” Derek says, letting out a long yawn.
Scott shrugs. “It’s no big deal. You cooked all of that, so I figured the least I could do was clean.”
“Well, I’m not complaining, but you could have asked for help. Not from me, of course, but you could have made Stiles help you,” Derek replies as he makes his way towards the kitchen. “Can I get you some coffee?”
“Aren’t you supposed to stay away from coffee when you’re pregnant?” Scott asks quickly, sounding a little worried.
“I’m not sure I’m pregnant yet,” Derek replies. “And I’m not having any. I’m more of a tea person.”
Scott blushes, he has no business policing Derek’s choice of food or beverages. It’s not his baby, after all, he simply provided half of the baby’s DNA. And there might not even be a baby yet. He should just mind his own business, but he’s curious and Derek’s a lot less intimidating this early in the morning. “So… when will you know for sure?” he asks.
“I can take a test this Friday,” Derek answers.
“Are you nervous?” Scott asks.
Derek nods as he busies himself with making coffee for the rest of the pack.
“Do you feel pregnant?” Now that Scott has begun asking these questions, he can hardly stop.
“I don’t know. I think I do, but that might just be wishful thinking,” Derek answers. “I just want to take that test and now. It’s horrible waiting.”
Scott nods. He feels horrible about it, and he’s not even the one having a baby. “I’ve got a good feeling about it.”
Derek flashes Scott a hesitant smile. “I hope you’re right. I can text you when I’ve got the results.”
“I’d like that,” Scott says.
“Okay, I will. I’m going to get ready for my morning run. Coffee will be ready soon for the others, tell them to help themselves.”
“I will. And thanks again, for hosting this. It’s been good for all of us,” Scott says.
“No problem, I liked it. We should do it again.”
Scott’s so glad to hear Derek had a good time after all the effort the man put into cooking for all of them.
The coming week is pure hell for Scott. He can’t stop thinking about Derek and the baby that may be growing inside him right now. Friday can’t come soon enough for him. Of course this means that time seems to pass extra slowly, like there’s some evil entity out there slowing time just to annoy Scott. He wouldn’t at all be surprised if that evil entity was called Stiles, since his best friend seems to enjoy Scott’s torture a little too much. He never should have told Stiles about Derek’s upcoming pregnancy test. Stiles should never have that much power over him.
By the time Friday finally rolls around, it’s like time comes to a complete stop. Every minute lasts an hour. At long last it’s noon and just as he’s about to begin his lunch, he gets a call from Derek. Scott’s first thought is that something’s wrong, since Derek told him he’d text Scott. However, by the time the first word leaves Derek’s mouth, he knows his worry was for nothing. The man sounds too happy for anything bad to have happened.
“It’s positive!” Derek says, sounding happier than Scott can ever remember him being. “I’m pregnant.”
Scott needs a moment for the words to sink in before he’s just as excited as Derek. “Really?!”
“Yes. I took three different ones to be sure, and they’re all positive,” Derek explains.
“Derek… congratulations. I’m so happy for you,” Scott says, smiling widely.
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Scott. Thank you,” Derek says.
“You don’t need to thank me. I’m glad I was able to help you.”
“I should call Cora, she’ll want plenty of time to convince me to name this baby after her,” Derek says, laughing.
It’s a wonderful sound and Scott can’t help but join. “Go do that. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, and thanks again, Scott.”
Word about Derek’s pregnancy spreads like wildfire and by the time the sun sets the pack is already planning Derek’s baby shower, under Lydia’s guidance of course. They don’t know about Scott’s involvement in the pregnancy, and there’s a small part of Scott that hurts over it. He wants to be the one celebrating with Derek, instead of being on the outside organizing this party for him. It’s selfish, and he knows it, so he locks it away. He’s happy for Derek and he’s not going to ruin Derek’s happiness with his own feelings. He’ll get over Derek soon enough, he figures.
Turns out, it’s not that easy to get over Derek. He watches as Derek powers through the nausea he experiences throughout his first trimester, aching to help him out. There are days when Derek’s struggling, and Scott wishes he could help him out more. When Derek starts showing, Scott can see his mixed feelings about it, and he wishes he could hug Derek and tell him how beautiful he is. He wants to kiss every inch of Derek’s skin and shower him with compliments. On Derek’s good days, when he’s glowing and has a hand rested protectively over the new curve of his stomach, Scott wants to stand proudly beside him. He wants to go to doctor’s appointments with Derek and see their baby. That won’t happen, though. Or at least that’s what he keeps telling himself. Seeing Derek happy dulls the ache in his heart.
Halfway through Derek’s pregnancy, the pack help him move into his new house. It’s at the edge of the forest, and absolutely beautiful. It’s exactly the kind of house Scott could imagine the two of them living with their children. He pushes those thoughts away, like he has for months, and instead makes sure Derek doesn’t lift anything heavier than a piece of paper.
“I’m pregnant, not dying,” Derek says, when Liam takes a light box from him. “I can carry things into my own home!”
“We’re not taking any risks,” Stiles says casually as he moves past Derek with a box that’s just a little too heavy for him.
“You’re more likely to hurt yourself than I am,” Derek says, gesturing to the box. “That’s too heavy for you. Let me help.”
“I got it,” Malia says as she comes running into the hallway. “Why don’t you tell Scott and Isaac where you want to couch?” she asks.
Derek shoots them both a glare before doing as she suggested.
“Scott, call of your guard dogs, I’m fine,” Derek says when he sees Scott. “I know my limits.”
“We’re just looking out for you,” Scott says. “Now, where do you want this couch?”
“Over in that corner,” Derek says, pointing. “I’m serious, I can carry a few boxes with pillows inside.”
“We’re happy to help,” Scott says. “You should relax, take care of yourself and the baby.”
“The baby’s fine, Scott,” Derek says.
“Great, than we’re doing a good job. Go sit down, we’ve got this,” Scott says with a smile.
Derek sighs, but sits down anyway. By now he knows it’s easier to give into the pack than fight them. He tells the others where to move the boxes and after a little arguing, he’s allowed to unpack his clothes by himself.
“I’d ask you all to stay for dinner, but I’m not sure you’d allow me to lift my utensils without help,” Derek says by the end of the day.
“You shouldn’t have to cook for us,” Scott says. “We’ll be fine, you can relax in your new home.”
“I don’t mind cooking,” Derek says. “But we could order pizza. Before you complain about how unhealthy that is, I eat healthy all the time and the baby likes pizza.”
Scott blushes a little, he was about to complain about just that. Maybe he has been a little overprotective of Derek. “Okay, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for you to have pizza one time,” he says.
“Thank you.” Derek asks what everyone wants and orders pizzas while Scott, Isaac and Erica unpack enough plates for all of them.
“You should just tell him you love him,” Erica says once she’s sure Derek’s not listening to them.
Scott nearly drops a plate in shot. “W-what?! Love who?” he asks.
“Derek,” Erica says. “Everyone can see it, you’re crazy for him. He seems to be doing this baby thing alone, so you don’t have to worry about his baby daddy.”
“I don’t love him,” Scott says. Unfortunately for him, his heartbeat betrays him.
“You do, and it’s cute. We all think you should tell him,” Erica says.
“I think you’d be good for him,” Isaac chimes him.
“Even if I did love him, he doesn’t love me,” Scott says.
“I think he does,” Erica says. “Call it a woman’s intuition if you want, but I think he loves you as much as you love him.”
Scott rolls his eyes, trying to act casual. “You’re reading too much into things. We’re friends, that’s it. Besides, he’s having a baby, he doesn’t need me declaring my love for him.”
“But you want to,” Erica says, a teasing tone to her voice. “You want to be his baby daddy.”
It takes a lot for Scott not to blurt out that he is Derek’s baby daddy, sort of. “Grab some cutlery, I’ll take the plates to the living room,” he says, ignoring Erica’s protests. He thought he’d been pretty good at hiding his crush on Derek, it’s quite a shock to find out the others have discussed it.
Seeing Derek again is pretty awkward, he can’t help but hope that Erica is right and Derek loves him too. It would be amazing. He’d love to do this whole pregnancy thing with Derek and while he wouldn’t have chosen to have a child while still in college, he’d love to be a dad with Derek.
He really wants to tell Derek now, but he knows he shouldn’t. Erica could be reading too much into it, or maybe it’s all just wishful thinking on her account. Soon enough he’s too afraid to tell Derek how he feels. It’s not because he’s afraid of being rejected, he’s afraid of what Cora would do to him. Cora has decided to stay by her brother’s side until the baby’s born. Derek is secretly thrilled to have Cora beside him, Scott isn’t as happy.
Cora’s very demanding and bossy, she never accepts no for an answer. If Derek needs even the smallest of things done around the house, she calls Scott.
“You’re his alpha, it’s your job to care for him,” she says.
“Cora, you live with him. Surely you can help Derek put up a bathroom cabinet,” he says. He wants to see Derek, and he’d love to help him, but Cora… Scott isn’t ashamed to admit that he’s a little scared of her. What if she finds out about his feelings for her brother? Scott’s not sure he’d survive that.
“I could, but it’s not my job,” she argues. “Do you have better things to do than take care of a pregnant member of your pack, Scott? This baby is the future of your pack. But, I completely understand if you have something better to do.”
“Fine. I can drop by after my classes tonight,” Scott gives in with a sigh.
“We’ll be waiting,” Cora says. She hangs up without waiting for a reply.
By the time Scott drops by, Cora’s looking rather cross at him.
“Do you have any idea what time it is? Don’t you think Derek should be resting by now?” Cora says, glaring at him.
“I was busy and you demanded I come by today,” Scott replies.
“I thought you were smart enough to figure out that I meant you come by at a reasonable hour. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of my brother’s state,” Cora says.
Before Scott can reply, Derek grabs Cora’s arm and pulls her aside. “What my sister meant to say is ‘Thank you for coming by even though I am perfectly capable of helping Derek out myself.’ Right, Cora?”
Cora simply rolls her eyes and shrugs her arm out of Derek’s grip. “He’s your alpha, it’s his job to help you.”
“Go read your pregnancy books in the living room, I’ll show Scott to the bathroom,” Derek says.
To Scott’s great surprise Cora doesn’t protest and leaves them alone.
“I’m sorry about her. She’s taken it upon herself to look after me, since she’s convinced I’m incapable of doing it myself,” he explains.
“It’s sweet… mostly,” Scott says. He follows Derek into his house and up the stairs.
“And also scary when she’s bossing you around,” Derek adds. “You don’t have to hide that from me, I’m well aware of that. She’s like my mother and Laura in that aspect.”
“At least this means the baby will have a kickass aunt to look after it.”
Derek’s hand falls to his stomach. He smiles softly. “This baby’s very lucky to have her and the rest of you. It’s already so loved.”
“You look so happy whenever you talk about the baby. How are you enjoying your pregnancy?” Scott asks.
“It has its ups and downs,” Derek answers honestly. “I love feeling my baby move and I know I’ll love this child forever. On the other hand, there are days when it feels like my dysphoria is killing me and my body has never felt more foreign to me. My breasts hurt all the time and I can only bind for a few hours a day. Still, one well placed kick to my bladder makes me forget about all of that.”
It isn’t until Derek mentions binding that Scott notices he isn’t binding right now. “Does it suck, having those.” Scott gestures vaguely towards Derek’s breasts.
“Mostly, yeah. They make me wish I wasn’t a werewolf so I could have surgery to remove them. Unfortunately no one has figured out how to perform plastic surgery on werewolves yet,” Derek complains. “They’ve gotten bigger now too.”
Scott cringes, he can’t begin to imagine how uncomfortable it is. “It’ll be worth it, though. When you hold that baby I’m sure it’ll all be worth it.”
Derek nods. “Definitely.” He opens the door to one of the bathroom, showing Scott the cabinet that needs to be put up. “Everything you need should be here.”
“Okay, it doesn’t seem too difficult,” Scott says. “I might need a little help.”
“I’ll stay to help you. Please don’t tell Cora I offered to help, though. She might just force me into bedrest,” Derek says.
“And she might dismember me for daring to ask you to help me. Trust me, your secret is safe with me,” Scott assures him. He begins putting together the cabinet while Derek sits down on the closed lid of the toilet seat. It takes a lot out of Scott not to enjoy the domesticity of the scene too much. Putting the cabinet together is indeed pretty easy, he doesn’t need Derek’s help until he’s ready to hang it on the wall.
“Don’t tell Cora, but she could have easily done this,” Scott says by the time they’re done.
“Yeah, I know, but she’s determined to have you help, because you’re my alpha. Apparently she’s pretty traditional when it comes to this,” Derek explains. “She’s constantly pushing me to ask you for help or to have you over for dinner. I try telling her that you’re busy with your studies, but she doesn’t listen.”
“You can invite me over for dinner occasionally,” Scott says, his heart beating a little faster. He’d love a chance to see Derek more often.
“Are you honestly volunteering to spend more time with Cora?” Derek asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, yeah, she’s here… in that case, never mind. I’ll wait until she’s left again. She is leaving, right?” Scott asks. He feels a little guilty over wanting Cora to leave again, but he’s honestly a little scared of her and she doesn’t seem interested in joining the pack.
Derek nods. “She’s not the type to stay in one place for a long time. She wants to stay until the baby’s born, but I’m not even sure she’ll last that long.”
“Do you miss her when she’s gone?” Scott asks.
“Sometimes. We mail a lot, though, and she constantly sends me pictures of her travels,” Derek answers. “She’s a bit intense when she’s around, so when she’s been here a while I’m a little relieved when she leaves.”
Scott doesn’t feel as guilty any more for wanting Cora to leave again now that he’s heard how Derek feels about her.
“Do you want to stay for something to drink?” Derek asks after a moment.
Scott wants to accept, even though he knows Cora will be there, but he knows he should really spend time on his homework. He has an essay he has to finish. “I’d like to, but I have five more pages to write about the eating habits of rabbits and they’re not going to write themselves.”
“Another time?” Derek asks.
If Scott didn’t know better, he’d think that Derek looked a little upset. As it stands, he knows he’s just reading too much into it. Derek doesn’t care about him that much. He probably just felt obligated to ask Scott for a drink because he helped. There’s no reason Derek would be upset that Scott can’t stay. “Yeah, sure,” Scott answers.
Maybe Derek wasn’t upset, but Scott finds out the next day that Cora is very upset he didn’t stay. By the time he wakes up he has at least a dozen texts calling him an irresponsible alpha for rejecting Derek’s offer.
It’s never nice to hear any of those things, but it especially sucks when Scott didn’t have a choice. In a moment of bravery he decides to call Cora.
“Scott, great! Just the guy I wanted to yell at,” Cora says when she answers the phone.
“Or, you could let me explain why I had to turn Derek down yesterday and you can stop yelling at me,” Scott says.
Cora huffs. “You have three minutes, McCall.”
“Thank you,” Scott says. “Now, as I told Derek, I would have loved to have stayed over, but I had an essay to finish. As you probably know, I’m in school. I’m trying to become a vet and that takes a lot of hard work. This isn’t the first time I had to turn down someone because of it. Besides, I doubt Derek cares that much.”
“Are you seriously that blind?” Cora snaps. “Scott, I don’t like seeing my brother upset, especially not in his current state. You upset him, you’re going to make it up to him. I told him you’re coming over for dinner tonight.”
“But…” Scott tries to object.
“No. You’re not disappointing him again!” Cora says sternly. “I don’t care what you have to cancel, you’ll do it.”
“I have to work,” Scott says.
“I don’t care. I’ll personally call Deaton to tell him you can’t come,” Cora says.
“Cora…”
“No! You’re coming to dinner and that’s it.” She hangs up before Scott can protest any further.
Cora must have been as firm with Deaton as she was with him, because barely an hour later Scott gets the message he’s absolutely forbidden from setting foot inside the clinic that evening. He can’t blame Deaton; Cora’s scary.
When he arrives at Derek’s house that evening, he doesn’t even have to ring the doorbell before Cora opens the door. Her smile is too big, too fake, and all too scary.
“Well, if it isn’t our honored guest. Welcome, Alpha,” she says.
“I’m not your alpha,” Scott mutters, though it doesn’t seem to have any effect.
“Dinner’s waiting for you,” Cora says. She grabs Scott’s arm and drags him into the house. She practically forces him to sit in the chair next to Derek’s, before she takes her place opposite them.
“I’m sorry about her,” Derek says when Scott’s next to him. “I told Cora it wasn’t necessary to meddle in this, but apparently she has nothing better to do with her life than bug me.”
Scott shrugs. “It’s fine.” He won’t say it, but he’ll take any chance to hang out with Derek, even if it involves Cora.
“Um… I made Chicken Enchiladas,” Derek says. “I hope you like them.”
“Dude, I love those! My mom used to make them all the time when I was younger and Dad was out of town,” Scott says.
“Why didn’t she make them when he was in town?” Cora asks.
Scott falls silent. It’s quite a sore spot for him. He’s only recently truly began to realize how much effort his father took to keep Scott from learning about his Mexican heritage.
“Cora, manners,” Derek chastises her after a few moments.
Cora rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t apologize.
“I.. um… My dad, he…” Scott begins, not quite sure how to answer.
“You don’t need to explain anything,” Derek says.
Scott shakes his head. He feels like he should tell Derek. “My dad didn’t want me to embrace my Mexican heritage,” he says. “I only recently realized that’s what he was doing. I wasn’t allowed to talk Spanish at home and we never ate Mexican food with him there. I just thought he didn’t like the food… It’s stupid, I shouldn’t be upset about it.”
“Your heritage is important to you, isn’t it?” Derek asks.
Scott nods. “I’ve been trying to learn more about it and it’s making me realize how much I missed out on because of him.”
Derek’s silent for a while. “Would you want the baby to learn those things?” he whispers.
Scott nods again. He knows he shouldn’t ask that of Derek now, he should have brought it up before he got Derek pregnant. He doesn’t have time to back down, because suddenly Cora is all over them.
“You asked Scott to be your baby daddy?!” she yells.
Derek groans, he had obviously not planned on telling Cora about the baby’s other father.
“Derek! How could you not tell me this?”
“Can we discuss this later?” Derek asks.
“No! You should have told me, your sister, about the father to her niece or nephew! Especially since it’s Scott!” Cora says.
“Cora, let’s discuss this later,” Derek says sternly.
“No. You’ll find an excuse not to talk about this by then. We’re doing this now,” she says.
Seeing Cora and Derek butt heads like this is quite a sight. It’d be a lot more entertaining, however, if Scott wasn’t the reason they were fighting.
“Maybe we can have dinner first? That way we can all calm down a little,” Scott suggests.
Cora turns to him and if looks could kill, Scott’s sure he’d be dead.
“Or we can continue this now. Whatever. I’m flexible,” he says, holding his hands up in defense.
“Cora, please. Let’s not do this now,” Derek begs.
“No. I’m not letting you dig yourself in even deeper,” she says before turning to Scott again. “You shouldn’t have agreed to do this. You should have known that before now. How can you be so incredibly blind? Don’t you see my stupid brother’s in love with you? And now he’s going to have your baby and pine over you forever!”
Scott freezes, all the colour draining from his face. Hearing it from Erica was one thing, he could easily dismiss that. Erica could just be trying to set them up because she thought they’d be cute together. Cora, on the other hand… She knows Derek and Scott sees no reason why she would lie about this.
“Cora!” Derek yells. “I want you to go now.”
“No! Not before Scott realizes the mistake he’s made,” Cora replies.
“Go!” Derek yells, his eyes burning bright blue.
Cora hesitates for a moment before she leaves with a big sigh. “You two better figure something out, because I’m not going to listen to you moan about Scott for one more minute after this,” she says.
Derek waits until Cora has left them before he turns to Scott. He looks lost, guilty, sad even. He opens his mouth several times, but he’s unable to get out a word.
Scott’s not doing much better. They sit in silence for several minutes before Scott finally finds his voice again.
“Is it true?” he asks.
Derek nods.
“You love me.”
Derek nods again.
Scott lets out a shaky breath and runs his hands through his hair. He’s been hoping this would happen. He’s dreamt about it so many times, but now that it’s really here he has no idea what to do.
“I’m sorry,” Derek says. “I shouldn’t have asked you… it was stupid and selfish.”
Scott shakes his head. “You shouldn’t have.”
Derek looks even more hurt, and Scott could kick himself in the head. That’s not what he wanted to do.
“I mean… Not like this. And I shouldn’t have said yes… I… God, I love you too.” The words are out and it’s like a weight has lifted. Suddenly Scott feels like he can breathe again. He had no idea how much it had hurt to keep it a secret.
“You… what?” Derek asks.
“I love you too,” Scott says again. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when I agree to this.” He gestures towards Derek’s stomach. “But I wanted to make you happy, even if it hurt me.”
Derek places a protective hand on his stomach. “I’m sorry,” he says again.
“I… probably should be, but I’m not.” Scott hesitates before he reaches out to lay a hand next to Derek’s. It’s the first time he’s touched his stomach. The rest of the pack have had their hands all over it since Derek first started showing, but Scott kept his distance. He knew it would be too hard to keep his distance if he bonded with the baby that way.
Derek sucks in a deep breath, eyes focused on Scott’s hand.
“Sorry,” Scott says, pulling back. He shouldn’t have touched Derek without permission.
“No!” Derek says, reaching out to take Scott’s hand. “Um… You never touched it. You surprised me.”
Scott puts his hand back. “I know. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop,” he confesses.
“Do you want to stop?” Derek asks.
“No,” Scott says. “I want you, this baby, this life…” He looks up at Derek, flashing him a hopeful smile. “Could I have that?”
Derek nods.
“I should probably take you out on a date before the baby’s here,” Scott says, his smile growing.
“That might be smart,” Derek agrees.
“I know you don’t like going out much, though… so maybe I could cook for you for a change? I’m not really good, but I’ll give it my best shot,” Scott suggests.
“I’d like that,” Derek says.
As if the baby can hear them, it decided to take that moment to kick against Scott’s hand.
“Oh, my God! Is that the baby?” Scott asks, his focus drawn to Derek’s stomach immediately.
“Yes,” Derek says.
“That’s so cool! Hey little dude, I’m Scott and I’m totally going to be your papa… if your daddy will let me.” He looks up at Derek again, silently asking for approval.
“I think the baby would be lucky to have a papa like you,” Derek says.
Scott bites his lip, barely able to keep in the tears he feels pricking in his eyes.
“We… um… we should probably start dinner before it gets cold,” Derek says softly.
Scott chuckles and pulls back his hand. “Yeah, I did come here to eat after all.”
They both laugh and finally begin their dinner. Thankfully, Cora leaves them alone the rest of the evening. Scott suspects she’s listening in on them, and he feels like he should thank her for telling him about Derek’s feelings. He won’t, though. He has a feeling she’ll be absolutely insufferable if he does that. For now, all he wants to do is focus on Derek without Cora or anyone else interfering. They only have a few short months before they’ll have a baby to care for. Scott’s determined to make the most out of those months.
Three months later
Scott looks down at the small baby in his arms, and he knows he’s never loved anyone or anything more than he loves this little person. She’s without a doubt the most precious baby he’s ever seen.
“Okay, your ten minutes are up, I want her again,” Derek says, reaching out to take the girl from Scott again.
“Babe, you look tired. You shouldn’t have to use your energy to hold her,” Scott replies, holding his daughter a little closer to his chest. “Don’t worry, I’ve got her. You go rest.”
“Scott, give me my daughter,” Derek says sternly.
Scott pouts and reluctantly places the baby in Derek’s arms. “You’ve had her all to yourself for months. It’s my time now.”
“I just went through fourteen hours of labor, I worked hard for this,” Derek says.
Scott can’t argue with that. He’s been beside Derek for each hour, and he’s marvelled at his boyfriend’s strength. He has no idea if he’d have been able to do that.
“See? Daddy wins,” Derek says proudly when Scott stays silent.
“You were amazing, so I have no problem admitting defeat,” Scott agrees. “I’ll be sure our little girl knows how amazing her daddy is.”
“You’re pretty great too. She wouldn’t be here without you,” Derek says, flashing Scott a tired smile.
“Yes, but my part was easy. You worked much harder to make her,” Scott says.
“True.”
“It’s so weird to think of how we made her. How something like that could lead to this little miracle,” Scott says, reaching out to stroke the girl’s cheek. “We made this.”
Derek laughs. “Yes, we did.”
“We made a person, Derek! That’s amazing. A whole new person!” Scott says.
“I know, Scott,” Derek says.
Scott bites his lip, he should probably tone down the excitement a little. Derek’s tired and Scott doesn’t want to annoy him with his wonder over their daughter. It’s so strange to think of the little girl as their daughter, and not just Derek’s. In the past three months Scott has spent almost every free hour with Derek. They’ve got the dating thing down now, but this… this is all new. Scott can’t help but worry if they’re ready for this. People usually don’t have a baby together after only three months of dating.
“You’re worrying,” Derek says without looking up from their daughter. “Stop it.”
Scott rolls his eyes. “Easier said than done. You’ve had a lot longer to prepare for fatherhood.”
“You’ll do fine, Scott. Just enjoy this moment,” Derek says.
Scott nods. It’s not easy, though. He can’t help but worry about combining fatherhood with both his education and his budding relationship with Derek.
“So… have you thought of a name for her yet?” Scott asks, trying to distract himself from his worries.
“Laura Melissa,” Derek says.
“You… you want to name her after my mom?” Scott whispers.
Derek nods. “She’s important to you and she helped deliver Laura,” he explains. “I think it’s a good name for her.”
“Mom’s going to love it,” Scott says. “And I do too. I’m sure Laura would be happy too.”
“She actually made me promise her I’d name my first daughter after her,” Derek says, smiling a little sadly. “I lost a bet when I was fifteen.”
“You still remember that bet?” Scott asks.
“Laura made sure I never forgot. She told every person I dated that they’d better be okay with their first daughter being named after her. She scared away several people like that,” Derek explains.
“That sounds like something Stiles’d do as well… please make sure he never hears that story or we’ll be naming our son after him,” Scott says.
Derek raises an eyebrow. “You want another one already?”
Scott blushes, he hadn’t thought that through. “Um… I mean, when Laura’s a little older and you want another baby. I imagine you can’t think about that now, so close after labor.”
Derek shrugs. “I’d have another one if you wanted. I already feel a little better, thanks to werewolf healing.”
“I’d like to wait. I have school to finish first…” Scott says.
“Of course, don’t worry. I’m not pushing you to have another baby right now. I’m just saying I’d be up for it,” Derek assures him.
Scott nods. “Okay. I don’t want you to feel like I’m holding you back.”
“Don’t worry so much. I’m fine, Scott. I’ve got my babygirl and my alpha. I’m happy.” Derek flashes Scott a tired smile.
“You should sleep,” Scott says sternly. “And I’m sure the pack is dying to meet Laura. I can take her downstairs while you rest.”
Derek looks a little reluctant to hand over his daughter, but he gives in. “Just make sure no one drops her. And by no one I mean Stiles.”
Scott laughs. “I’ll keep a close eye on him, don’t worry.” He carefully takes Laura from Derek and presses a soft kiss to his lips. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” Derek says. He falls asleep before Scott has left the bedroom.
Scott can hear the pack downstairs chatting excitedly. They’ve been in the house since Derek’s water broke, anxiously awaiting the birth of the newest member of their pack. Scott’s a little surprised none of them made their way upstairs as soon as they heard the baby cry. He’s thankful, though. It was nice to have a little moment with just Derek and Laura.
The second Scott steps into the living room, he’s surrounded by the pack, Cora and his mom.
“Let me hold my niece,” Cora says. She doesn’t wait for Scott to give her permission before taking the baby from him.
“What’s her name?” Stiles asks.
“Laura Melissa Hale,” Scott says proudly. When he makes eye contact with his mom, he can see the tears in her eyes. “She’s named after two amazing women.”
Everyone looks affected by her name, even Cora has to sniffle a little.
“She’s perfect, a true Hale,” Cora says proudly. “I’m going to teach you how to fool your fathers, don’t you worry. I know all your daddy’s weak spots,” she promises Laura.
“And I know your papa’s,” Stiles chimes in.
“Teach my daughter any of them, and I’ll make sure your future children give you hell,” Scott promises.
Stiles looks scared for a moment before shrugging it off. “It’ll be worth it.”
When Cora’s ready to let Laura go, she makes the rounds. Everyone gets a chance to hold her and take pictures with her. She fusses a couple of times, but eventually falls asleep. She ends up in Melissa’s arms, who can barely hold back her tears.
“I can’t believe you named her after me,” she whispers to Scott.
“It was Derek’s idea,” Scott confesses. “And I think it’s perfect.”
Melissa laughs softly. “Thank you. You do know she’s going to be the most spoiled little girl ever, right? You’ve got a whole pack who’s ready to love her.”
Scott looks around at his pack, a proud smile on his face. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re my family as much as you, Laura, and Derek are. We’re all one big family.”
“I’m proud of this family you’ve assembled. You’ll be a great father to Laura,” Melissa says.
Those words hit a sensitive note with Scott and he takes in a shaky breath.
“Hey, honey, what’s wrong?” Melissa asks, sounding worried.
Of course his mother knows him well enough to know when something’s wrong. “I… do you think I’ll be like him?” he asks, his voice so soft it’s barely audible. He doesn’t need to expand, his mother immediately knows who he’s talking about.
“You could never be like your father,” Melissa says sternly. “You have too much goodness inside you to ever hurt Derek or Laura the way he hurt us.”
Scott nods, letting the words sink in. He knows his mother is right, but he can’t quite get rid of his fears. “I should bring Laura upstairs again. Derek’ll worry if he wakes up and she’s not there.”
“Already you’re a better father than Raphael ever was,” Melissa says. “I’ll make sure the pack eats something and leaves you three alone.” She hands Laura over to Scott, smiling softly at the little girl. “I can’t believe I’m a grandmother… Next time I hope you give me more than three months notice.”
“I will,” Scott promises.
Leaving the room isn’t easy. Everyone wants to say goodbye to Laura and Scott doesn’t have the heart to flash his eyes and tell them to back off. It takes him half an hour to get upstairs with the baby. He opens the door to his and Derek’s room as quietly as possible, but he still wakes up Derek.
“Hey, sorry. Go back to sleep,” Scott says softly.
“Is the baby okay?” Derek asks sleepily.
“She’s perfect. She had a million pictures taken of her and everyone got a chance to hold her,” Scott explains. He sits down next to Derek to show him that Laura’s sleeping soundly in his arms.
“Does that include Stiles?” Derek asks.
“Yes, and I made sure he didn’t drop her,” Scott says.
“Good,” Derek yawns.
“I’ll go put Laura in her crib, you should sleep some more and heal up,” Scott says.
“Don’t want her to go,” Derek murmurs.
“I can move the crib so she’s right next to you,” Scott suggests.
“Please?” Derek asks.
Scott gently places Laura in Derek arms before moving the crib across the room. Derek’s already half asleep by the time that Scott returns. Laura’s fast asleep and she doesn’t mind the transfer from her dad’s arms to the crib.
“Will you stay?” Derek asks.
“Of course.” Scott quickly changes into some pajamas and slips into bed behind Derek, holding him close. “You did great today.”
Derek hums. “Thank you for being with me.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I love you,” Scott says.
“I love you too,” Derek replies sleepily. He falls asleep in Scott’s arms within minutes.
It doesn’t take long for Scott to fall asleep as well to the sounds of his sleeping boyfriend and daughter. He can vaguely hear his pack downstairs as well. He doesn’t get to sleep for very long, it’s only two hours before Laura wakes them up. Still, he has never felt more content in his life.