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"Stiles!" Bobby said as Stiles dropped into the chair in Bobby's office. It was after both lacrosse and cross-country practice and Bobby was catching up on paperwork the principal's secretary was hounding him for. "What's up?"
"I need to graduate, like as soon as I can," Stiles said. "I have too many things to do to actually have time to go to high school."
Bobby barked a laugh. Although it wasn't a surprise. "What do you need from me?" He suspected but he wanted to check that Stiles had done his homework.
"I think it goes easier if a teacher helps with the paperwork," Stiles said. "I was reading the requirements for graduation and there are a couple of high school classes I still technically need to take before I can graduate. I've found a couple of places I can get them online so that, worse case, I can be done here in May and have a high school diploma by August."
"Tell me what you're thinking," Bobby said, putting aside the paperwork. He'd take it home and work on it later.
Stiles lay out the high school graduation requirements, ticked off the classes he had taken already, highlighted the classes he was currently taking and identifying what else was needed. "I found a late-start class at a Cal State branch for this class, and I can do these two over the summer at the same campus. Everything can be transferred back as high school credits, if a teacher will sign off on it, and, as a bonus, I'm ahead on some basic college requirements."
"The stupidest thing on the list is another PE class," Stiles sighed. "I was hoping you'd give me... something I can do to tick that box."
"You don't want me to just sign it off for you?" Bobby asked carefully.
"Nah. That's not fair to you or to me," Stiles admitted with a wry grin. "So I'm willing to do something to earn the credit. But I'm out of ideas and was hoping you would have something." Stiles laughed for a moment. "Although if I could start now and be done early in the summer, that would be a bonus."
Bobby laughed again. "Sure, kid. There's always work to be done around here. I work with a handful of students on 'special' projects all the time, so I'm not doing anything special just for you. There's always equipment to inventory, get repaired, ordered for the next season, that sort of thing."
"Oh, thank goodness," Stiles replied. "Something I can do in my non-existent spare time is the best."
"Yeah," Bobby nodded. "I have a standard contract for this sort of thing. The principal made me do that so it covers all of our asses."
"I guess that's a good thing," Stiles replied. "Thanks."
"It's late, get out of here," Bobby said.
"Dinner tomorrow, don't forget," Stiles said as he went out the door. "I think Magnus is looking forward to seeing Fluffy."
"I know Fluffy is looking forward to it," Bobby replied. "And I gotta get out of here so I can feed him."
"You can leave him with like, anyone else, you know," Stiles said.
"Well, I'm not supposed to know that Derek comes over, breaks in and takes Fluffy for a walk or a run in the park on a regular basis," Bobby admitted. "So, Fluffy is good."
Stiles grinned. "I'll never tell!"
"Scoot, I gotta pack up," Bobby said.
"Need any help?"
"Nah, you go, I'm two minutes behind you," Bobby promised.
When Bobby got home, he could see that Derek had been by. Fluffy was happy with a minimal amount of petting and food. Derek had changed his water and likely had brushed Fluffy out, based on the mound of fur left in the garbage. For a 'secret' helper, Derek wasn't so secret.
------
Rendor and Lenci Kovacs settled into Beacon Hills and it wasn't long before it seemed like they had been living in the town for years.
Lenci was a welcome addition to the hospital staff, although with much of the supernatural now under control, the emergency room wasn't nearly as busy as it had been. The staff considered Lenci a 'lucky charm' and she just rolled with it.
Interestingly enough, Peter -- well, the corporation that was owned by the Hale Pack -- hired Rendor on as a project manager. It didn't take long for word to spread that the Hale Pack had made a treaty with the Argent Clan, which increased interest in supernatural beings moving to Beacon Hills. Which meant Peter needed his Pack House built as soon as possible.
New supernaturals brought new 'wolves to apply to be members of the Pack.
"I'm interested in expanding the Pack," Peter told Stiles, "but I'm also in a position to be picky right now. But it also doesn't have to be the best-of-the best, if that makes sense. The Pack needs Den Makers, teachers, workers, security, and anything else you can think of."
"You're looking for honest, hard-working people who may or may not get furry once in a while," Stiles grinned.
"Brat," Peter said fondly. "And we'll work with humans, so they don't have to be supernaturals themselves. But it's simpler if they are already in-the-know."
"I can work with that!" Stiles nodded.
Magnus took Stiles to New York to meet with the Pack there and get a feel for interviewing new Pack members. Another perspective would be helpful to Stiles as he helped screen new Pack members.
------
John had taken what little information Peter had to try to find the two children that were Peter's, that Talia had taken away from him.
"Okay," John said one day. "I think I have a lead on each of them and, well, it won't be simple."
Peter looked confused.
"Your daughter, Malia, was adopted by the Tate family as an infant," John went on.
"Humans?" Peter asked, startled but not as surprised as he could have been. "Why would she do that?"
"We will never know," John admitted. "There was a car accident a few years ago where Evelyn Tate, the mother, and another daughter were killed. Malia was supposedly also in the car but her body was never found."
"If she was a shifter, and Malia's mother was a were-coyote..." Peter mused.
"She may be in the Preserve," John agreed. "But it's been over five years since that happened. If she's still alive, there's no telling what kind of mental state she would be in."
Peter winced. "It is too easy to lose oneself in the beast," he admitted. "If she's been a coyote for five years, it may be impossible to bring the human back."
"That's something for you and Magnus to work on," John said.
"And the boy?" Peter asked.
"It's pretty convoluted, but the woman you, umm... slept with wasn't who she said she was," John replied. "I was only able to back-trace the boy from your DNA, and, well, he was adopted at birth when the mother died in yet another car accident."
"Beacon Hills is a dangerous place to live," Peter rolled his eyes.
"This one really seems to be an accident, it was nasty weather and a second car took the woman's car out," John said. "The mother died in the hospital but they were able to save the baby. David Whittemore, who is currently the DA, and his wife adopted the baby and named him Jackson."
"Isn't that someone Stiles complains about from school?" Peter asked.
John nodded. "Small town, big rivalries, worst cases are in the high school. But, and no questions, I have a DNA sample from Jackson Whittemore and he is your son."
"The DA?" Peter asked thoughtfully.
"Yeah," John replied. "He's good at his job and is respected in the community. We have the usual police-DA love-hate relationship but it's mostly respectful. Although the kid has skated on the edge of the law, mostly like teens tend to do but Jackson is... better at it than most.""
"A lawyer for a father will do that for you," Peter laughed. "I guess it's time for me to dust off my legal skills and think about how to approach this one."
"Stiles can tell you about Jackson, if you want," John said. "But the kid plays lacrosse, so Bobby will know him, too."
"Ah! Bobby will be a better resource, I suspect," Peter nodded.
"Oh, you got that!" John laughed.
-----
"Stiles! I got fired from work!" Scott moaned on the phone.
"What did you do?" Stiles sighed.
"Nothing!" Scott whined. "It's the new vet that bought out Deaton's place. She won't even give me a chance at my own job!"
Peter had carefully recruited a new local vet. Sally McDean, DMV, wasn't a supernatural herself but she was in-the-know. Peter and Magnus had worked their own kind of not-quite-illegal magic to have Deaton 'sell' the land and the business to her, with the Hale Pack as a silent investor.
"It's up to her, what do you think I can do?" Stiles asked patiently.
"Get her to at least interview me!" Scott demanded.
"Scott. How are your grades?" Stiles asked.
"That's what she asked the one time she would talk to me! Why is that important?" Scott was confused.
"Scott, to work in a veterinary clinic you need to have at least a veterinary technician degree," Stiles said. "That's two years after you graduate from high school. Deaton never should have hired you in the first place. If anyone had checked on him, he would have gotten into trouble for it."
"More school?" Scoot was dismayed.
"Two years, Scott," Stiles replied firmly. "And it's a tough to get into program. You need to talk to the guidance counselor about it and see if you have all the right classes. I can't help you with that."
"Stiles!"
"Scott."
A grumbling sigh. "You're no help!"
"It's not something I can help you with, sorry," Stiles said.
"Then I'll find someone who can help!" Scott declared as he disconnected the call without saying good-bye.
Stiles held on to his phone for a moment longer, mourning the friendship that had gotten them both through tough times as kids. Scott would never be that friend again and all Stiles could do is be grateful for new friendships.
------
Magnus and Alec were having a rare quiet night together.
"How did you manage this?" Alec asked. "Not that I'm not grateful to spend some time with just you."
"There are times that the word 'no' is a complete sentence." Magnus shrugged. "Although I had to repeat myself several times to make it stick."
"Even Stiles?" Alec grinned. Alec knew how much Stiles meant to Magnus.
"I think he was glad for a free weekend himself," Magnus admitted. "He's coming along nicely and he's well ahead of the schedule I had originally sketched out for him."
"I suspected that, just wanted to make sure you knew that," Alec said.
"So. What shall we do?" Magnus teased.
Alec stalked over to where Magnus was lounging on his couch. "Oh, I can think of several things. Most of which you are overdressed for."
"I like the way you think!" Magnus nodded. "Give me a moment to remedy that..." He stood and took a step toward their bedroom. "Coming?"
"Of course!" Alec smiled.
------
"A month in France?" Stiles asked in dismay. "I don't have time for that!"
Peter shrugged. "To be honest, it's a great opportunity for you and the Pack. It won't be until the summer, Evangeline is aware you are still in school, but a month is a reasonable amount of time to negotiate a treaty like we'll be working on."
"Good thing my summer classes are online," Stiles sighed. He pointed a fork at Peter. "I'm not going to miss out on my high school diploma!"
"Amen to that," John added.
"That won't be a problem," Peter said. "We will have proper internet access and a study space you can use. And we can fly your dad in for a visit at any point."
John nodded. "Better. Although I suspect there will be a lot of discussion amongst all of us on this treaty?"
"Definitely," Peter nodded. "I'll definitely want input and the more minds on this the better." He turned to Bobby. "I'd like you to come with us. You have an interesting perspective on everything that I suspect the Argents will not have encountered."
Bobby blinked. "Sure. Oh. What about Fluffy?"
"Hang on," Stiles said, bringing out his phone. He tapped for a bit. "He only needs to be microchipped and a rabies test at least three months before we go. That's easy."
Bobby leaned over to see Fluffy under the table. "Interested in traveling to France?"
Woof!
"I guess that's a yes," Bobby replied. "I'd love to come!"
"Who else is going?" John asked.
"Derek has specifically invited," Peter said. "There is a need for reparations for what happened when Derek was in high school and, while it does not need to be in person, it's a gesture of trust on our part if Derek comes with us."
"We can hang out together, too!" Stiles grinned.
Derek grinned back.
"Umm... there was something about Christopher Argent having a daughter," Bobby remembered. "How old do we think she would be?"
"Allison Argent is just out of high school, is my understanding," Peter said.
"Would there be an offer for a marriage in support of the alliance?" Bobby asked.
Stiles' eyes went wide. "What? NO!"
Bobby thought it was interesting to note that Derek looked momentarily pleased at that immediate rejection.
"That answers that question on our side," Bobby nodded. "But, be aware that sort of thing might be offered."
"Damn, I'm glad you pointed that out now, so I can be polite when it comes up," Stiles nodded.
"No marriages of alliance or any other kind!" John said firmly.
Peter grinned. "No, but this is the sort of thing we need to discuss now so that we have an answer for proposals that might be made. We have some work ahead of us on that front."
"Are there existing treaties we can study? To get ideas from?" Stiles asked.
Peter nodded. "There are a number in the Vault and in my collection," he said. "We certainly will use those, both as a review of anything the Pack may be obligated to that we are not aware of and to prepare for our own discussions."
"What sorts of things?" Stiles asked with a frown.
"While I saw most of the treaties Talia signed, I'm going to admit I didn't see everything," Peter said. "The largest proportion of treaties are for mutual support. Some are for an exchange of knowledge or people. We send someone to essentially apprentice in a needed skill and they send someone to us for training they cannot provide."
"Oh, yeah, we need to dig into that!" Stiles replied. "Heaven only knows what Deaton may have had his fingers in."
"That is my concern, also," Peter replied. "If it's something we cannot or will not do, then we re-negotiate."
"Good thing that's a thing," Stiles said.
"Although there is an assumption of reasonability in the other Pack," Peter admitted. "If the other Pack is insistent on following the treaty as is, that can mean trouble."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," John said.
-------
Bobby looked around for anything that he might have left behind. Peter had thrown a lot of money at some contractors and they had recently finished work on the Pack compound. There was a large eight bedroom house that had a number of public rooms as well as a chef's kitchen and a dining room that would easily hold twenty. It would serve both for Pack meetings as well as for visitors.
There were a dozen smaller homes for Pack members - three were finished and the other nine were approaching completion. They were two-bedroom homes, they weren't quite ready to deal with Pack members who had kids yet, with an open-concept living-eating-kitchen space. But no expense had been spared and the bathrooms were better than anything Bobby had seen. The whirlpool tub alone was worth its weight in gold as far as Bobby was concerned.
"Anything I'm forgetting?" he asked Fluffy.
Woof.
"Okay, then," Bobby said. "Let's finish moving into our new place."
He closed the door and they got into the car together, each happily looking forward to the next part of their lives.