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Back at the country house, Peter let Stiles retreat to his room.
"Is he okay?" Kira demanded.
"Mostly," Peter admitted. This was someone Stiles trusted. He could tell her more than he would tell even Derek. "We ran into something... unexpected. Between us. We both need some time."
Kira stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Let me know what I can do."
"You've done a lot," Peter replied. "Thank you for letting Derek stay. He needed a place like this. A place he could trust."
"He didn't tell me everything," Kira admitted. "But we talked. Being able to walk in and out of the house on his own was part of his therapy."
"If your network has an in-the-know therapist, it might be good to suggest that to Derek," Peter said. "While 'wolves are generally hardy, our human side can be fragile."
"I'm working on that," Kira grinned.
Peter had told Derek enough about what he -- and Stiles -- did that Derek didn't ask any questions. Derek did talk about the farm and Kira and some projects that needed to be done on the farm. It was good for Derek to be taking an interest in something practical and it kept his mind off his time in the menagerie.
"I'm kind of surprised you don't have any livestock, or chickens," Peter said to Kira over lunch.
Derek gave a grin.
"Oh, I've looked into it," Kira admitted. "Raising chickens isn't necessarily hard but there are things to consider when dealing with the supernatural. Chickens are kinda dumb, which is okay, since they don't know to be afraid of me or a shifter. The problem is that chickens live longer than they lay eggs. A hen will lay eggs for four to six years but live as long as ten to twelve years. So, when they're done laying eggs, you have extra chickens."
Peter shrugged. "Are they still edible at that point?"
Kira nodded. "More-or-less," she replied. "Mostly for soup or stews. But when I brought the subject up to Stiles, you would have thought we'd be killing kittens! He figured he could eat Magda's eggs but not eat Magda."
"Ah!" Peter laughed. "Naming them is half the problem. Yes, I can see where he would get attached."
Peter knew that for all Stiles could be ruthless when dealing with the targets they had been dealing with, that Stiles had a soft heart. Peter understood the need to find something good in life, to counteract the evil they dealt with regularly.
Three days later, Stiles joined them for dinner after avoiding them all.
"LIke to take a walk?" Stiles invited Peter.
"I'd like that," Peter nodded.
Kira beamed at them.
They went toward the barn and then beyond. "You own all this?" Peter asked. Peter had been so focused on Derek that he hadn't had the need to explore the land they lived on. Even the full moon had been spent in the space between the house and the barn.
Stiles shrugged. "Insurance money from my dad, who still had the insurance money from my mom. Sold the house, too."
"There's a lot of blood money in the Hale coffers," Peter nodded. "It's how supernatural families usually work. Once life insurance was a thing, they bought in heavily. It guarantees security for the next generations."
"Huh. Makes sense," Stiles nodded.
Peter realized Stiles wasn't just wandering. They soon stood in the glad for a huge oak tree. Something made Peter shiver.
"It's a Nemeton," Stiles said softly. "I wasn't expecting it but, well, it was an incentive to buy the land."
"The previous owners didn't know?" Peter asked.
"I've come to think they did," Stiles replied. "The real estate lady was frustrated with them because they kept saying we'll know who should be next and had turned down some more-than-decent offers. They took mine without a quibble."
"Ah. Guardians, passing on the torch, so to speak," Peter nodded.
"That's what I think," Stiles said. "But... it's also a responsibility. One you need to be aware of before we..." A small grin. "Before we go any further. Being involved with me, the way I think we both want, means being a Guardian. It's not awful, just... there."
"Like coming back here regularly? Or making sure that nothing untoward happens here?" Peter asked.
"Mostly," Stiles replied.
"Sweetheart, that's not a bad thing," Peter said. "It's related to what we've been doing. And, well, I'm not ready to stop but definitely ready to slow down. In the past, I've not been picky about what jobs I take. I can talk to my people and let them know that I'm going to be fussy about what I take on from here on out."
"You'd do that?" Stiles frowned.
"To keep you in my life, definitely," Peter said. He took both of Stiles' hands in his. "You said you had dreams about me. Let me help you make them come true."
"I'd like that," Stiles smiled.
"So as much as I respect the sacred tree, how about we find a comfy bed?" Peter asked.
Stiles laughed. He leaned into Peter for a warm kiss. "I'd like that, too."
***
Peter talked to his employer and took only a few jobs a year.
Stiles had another home built on the property, one for his 'family' to live in. The original house still served as a way-station, helping supernaturals move to new locations or to escape from fraught situations.
It didn't take long for Derek and Kira to fall in together. Some of it was proximity. But Kira took Derek to a visit with the skin-walkers, to help deal with the last of his emotional struggles related to his time with Laura and his captivity.
"You brought Derek to exactly where he needed to be," Kira assured Peter. "He and I aren't fated the same way you and Stiles were but, well, we're connected through you. It works well for both of us."
Derek looked calmer, and softer, when they had returned. Peter had to take it as a good thing.
Stiles and Peter sat on their porch, drinking tea and watching the sunset.
"This is what I dreamed of," Stiles said, waving a hand at everything around them. "You, me, and... this setting."
"Then I'm glad I was able to help you make it come true," Peter said. He took Stiles' hand. "Come on, I have it on good authority that we have a lovely bed upstairs."
"I even did laundry," Stiles grinned. "I was planning on tackling you tonight."
"Even better," Peter said. He drew Stiles close for a kiss.