#2

"Lyds! Hurry up! We're going to be late…again." Raising a delicate eyebrow while applying a final slick of lipstick Lydia muttered under her breath,

"I heard that dog boy…"

"And I heard that!" Laughing lightly she headed out of their bedroom, eyeing her ever so slightly showing bump in the mirror before grabbing her favourite duffel coat to cover her torso up. After all, she loved surprises-particularly when she was the one surprising people.

Scott was waiting in the living room, perched on the edge of the couch with a familiar lop sided grin on his face.

"You look beautiful…now can we go?" With an exaggerated sigh, she nodded and pecked her husband on the cheek. He still hadn't fully shaved off that stupid beard.

"Do you not think you grow enough hair without growing a beard, Scott, really?" Ignoring the false hurt in his eyes as he ran his hand over the light stubble, she wrinkled her nose.

"Honestly, you're beginning to look like Derek!" Scott snorted.

"You know, the nurses at work think it makes me look very handsome." He teased.

"That's it. You're getting rid of it. Tonight." With that final word being said, she stormed out to the car, swinging her hips as she went. Scott ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"I can't believe she's got me so well trained...freaking lap dog." With a final groan, the fearless alpha-cowed only by his wife-followed like an obedient puppy.

Running her hands over her coat to get rid of any excess hair (she swears it was Scott, he sheds worse than a German Shepherd on a full moon) Lydia felt her stomach flip and gasped in surprise. Whipping his head around instantly, Scott roamed her face with his eyes, full of concern. That was one of the things she loved most about him, his constant concern for her well being.

"Lydia, are you okay? Is it the baby?" Smiling to dissipate his worry she rubbed his arm gently in slow circles.

"Keep your eyes on the road. I'm fine, he moved and it felt strange." Lydia watched in amusement as her husband's concerned frown morphed into wide eyed joy and surprise.

"Oh so it's a 'he' is it?" He teased, eyes thankfully firmly back on the road. Lydia just mmm'ed in response. "Call it a mother's instincts."

"I have instincts too."

"Yes. You instinctively know how to kill people and to pee on trees that you think you own." Smirking slightly at her win, the couple lapsed into silence as Scott grumbled about 'protective instincts' and that 'it was only one time'.

"So are we going to tell them today, babe?" Glancing at his wife out the side of his eyes, Scott nodded slowly, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in the pattern of what Lydia recognised as a Blink-182 song.

"I think we should. They'll find out soon enough anyway, we haven't seen them since you broke the news to me. Anyway, your scent has changed. The rest of the pack will pick up on that unconsciously."

"My scent has changed? You never said to me! Oh my god Scott, is it bad? Should I put on more perfume?!" She wasn't going to lie, the beauty queen was freaking out. Scott laughing only deepened her scowl.

"Lyds! It's fine, there's only a difference in your pheromones. I'm used to it because I work at the hospital! God, calm down. I doubt anyone but Derek and Peter will even pick up on it."

The mention of the older Hale changed her scowl into a death glare aimed at Scott to try and take out some of her frustration. While the true alpha had been more accepting of the older man over the years, Lydia still didn't like him. He freaked her out. Plus he was an asshole.

"We're nearly at my mom's anyway. I told everyone to meet there because my mom would want to hear the news as well. How should we break the news?" She had to admit, the slightly evil grin on Scott's face made her laugh.

"Let's just go with it, okay?" Grin maintained Scott nodded and pulled the car into park; idly noticing that everyone else was already there.

Stepping into the living room of the house he had lived in his whole life, Scott cheerfully waved hello to everyone sitting round the coffee table. It still made him smile, the sight of the whole pack together, interacting and laughing; without some awful looming threat hanging over their shoulders.

"Sorry guys, Lydia took ages getting ready."

"Shut up McCall! I wouldn't have been late if you hadn't insisted on that extra fifteen minutes in bed this morning." Lydia sashayed into the room half singing and winked at her spluttering husband, meeting the grinning face of Alison before moving to sit next to her long time best friend. Moving into the kitchen to announce their arrival to his mother, Scott cast an enquiring eye around the room. The sheriff and Chris Argent wouldn't know anyway. Isaac sat next to Alison, looking desperate to escape the feminine conversation around him but otherwise oblivious to the changes in his wife; the twins sat next to Danny talking animatedly about the latest basketball game playing on the television at the minute; Cora was too busy wrapped in Stiles' arms to care; Derek and Peter sat slightly out of the way, tipping their noses in Lydia's direction-Derek frowned in an attempt to figure out what the cause of the shift in scent was and gazed at Scott quizzically, Peter however caught on immediately, his eyes widening in surprise before grinning widely at the younger wolf and winking. Some part of him was glad that it was only Peter who knew, the other part writhed with nerves at the older man's love of stirring trouble.

"Why Lydia, ignore your husband-you're absolutely glowing." Just like that.

With a sigh and a warning glare, he walked into the kitchen procrastinating against the inevitable jeering and taunting from Peter.

"Hey mom." Looking up from her cooking, Scott watched as his mother smiled widely at him, her eyes crinkling with laughter lines and ever so slightly graying hair swept back into a messy bun.

"Hey kid! How's Lydia? I haven't seen her since the last get-together."

"She's doing good." He grinned in return, Melissa tilted her head slightly in curiosity at the unsaid meaning behind his words but didn't call him out on it, knowing that her son would tell her when he felt ready.

"So are you not going to ask how I am? I'm hurt mom." Melissa scoffed.

"I work with you, I know how you are."

"I'm underappreciated. I swear. Some alpha I am, when my pack don't care how I feel."

"Yeah, well kid. Welcome to the world of being a parent." The slight stiffening of his shoulders went unnoticed as Melissa turned her back to him and carried the pizzas out into the room of ravenous pack members.

Taking a seat next to Lydia, he chatted idly with everyone as the food and drink was consumed; discussing everything from who he thought would win the game (he was right, Miami Heat won easily), the intentions of the new pack who had been skirting the border of the town, why exactly Isaac couldn't get a puppy 'for the sake of the pack' and the imminent return of Jackson from England. Bets were placed on how annoying his half and half accent would be. Stiles flippantly replied that he would be annoying no matter what accent he had.

Eventually Peter looked up from the bourbon in his hand, finished flirting with his mother and smirked slightly.

"Lydia, darling why don't you take off your coat? It can't be good for you to get too hot now." Leveling a red-eyed glare at him, Scott listened as his wife's heart sped up and her breathing become slightly more labored in an attempt to look calm. Slipping his larger hand into her small one, he ran his thumb comfortingly in small circles against the palm of her hand. He had been throwing hints around the whole night and there was only so much patience Scott was willing to expend on the older wolf.

"Peter—" he began as Lydia interrupted him.

"That sounds like a good idea but first, Scott and I have something to say." Lydia smiled sweetly. Quickly, through pack instincts, his pack, his family stopped and gazed happily at the couple each expecting them to say they were moving house or had been promoted. The news, to Scott and Lydia at least, was much more important. Looking up at her husband, she winked and nodded imperceptibly giving him permission to continue.

"Well," Scott grinned "In a way Isaac, the pack is going to have a pup running around soon." He couldn't help but grin widely as the people in the group in turn figured out exactly what he meant. Derek nodded slowly, finally understanding what the strange smell was; While Stiles went over and embraced Scott in a brotherly hug, slapping his back with a wide grin. "So I take it I'm gonna be uncle Stiles from now on?"

"No way!" Alison squealed. "You're going to be a mom Lydia?" With a gentle nod and flourish, Lydia pulled off her coat exposing the slightly swollen shape of her stomach. Scott crossed the room to his teary eyed mother and pulled her into a hug. "You're going to be an abuella, mom."

Despite the constant hints and teasing Peter had been doing the whole night, he was incredibly pleased for the young couple. He hadn't been around pups since before the fire, and had never had children himself. His silver tongue had made him somewhat infamous with the adults in the pack but as far as children went, he was the fantastic Uncle Peter. When Derek and Laura were much younger, they had been close and he had undoubtedly spoiled them; he remembered teaching Derek how to hunt, was there for the first time he shifted and knew that Scott's child, boy or girl, would be a born wolf as well. There was no way a true alpha wouldn't pass down his genes, especially when his wife was so heavily embroiled in the supernatural as well. Who knew, maybe the first werewolf wailing woman would be born. Wouldn't that be interesting.

Watching the scene in front of him, Peter allowed himself a rare moment of sheer contentment and safety; yes, he enjoyed stirring trouble up in the pack but he would never (now at least) purposely harm anyone else. They had all began as a rag tag bunch of brittle and broken things and somehow come together as a pack, stronger and happier than any of them possibly ever could have been alone and by themselves.

It warmed his heart watching Scott burying his nose in his fiery wife's hair and rest his hand on her stomach, while the rest of the pack laughed and joked; placing bets on the sex, stating who would do what, what they were going to buy for the pup. Even Derek was grinning like he himself was a pup again, talking to Scott about the chances of the pup being a wolf and planning days out where he would teach them to hunt (which Lydia looked to be firmly against).

Peter felt like he was intruding upon a private moment, so he threw back the rest of his drink and headed to the kitchen to refill. Spreading his hands on the counter, he found himself leaning forward, breath coming in a bit too shallow to be comfortable. For a moment he felt his eyes burning blue as his heart clenched painfully at the thought of not being allowed near the child, it's not like he was too late to be a father; the decreased aging process of a wolf meant that he would be a relatively young father for at least another ten years but he always preferred being the fun uncle. He knew he was losing his touch when he didn't hear Scott come into the darkened kitchen behind him but he twirled around inhumanly quick at the sound of his voice.

"You've been gone for a bit. Anything wrong?" Raising an eyebrow, Peter swirled his drink and gestured to the living room.

"Shouldn't you be in fawning over your lovely wife?"

"Alison is discussing names with her." He grunted in return, leaning against the unit and pouring his own drink before downing it in one go. "What's up with you then?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bull." Peter couldn't help but stare at Scott with slightly wide eyes. He often forgot that he wasn't the same idiotic sixteen-year-old he had found and bitten in the woods.

"Whatever. Are you looking forward to being uncle Peter all over again?" That stopped Peter short, Scott noticed the older wolf's knuckles tightening slightly around the glass in his hand before releasing as he looked up in curiosity at his alpha and knew he had struck gold. Who knew? When he left the room without a swift jibe or taunt Scott knew something was wrong. He could feel it, all that was left was to figure out the root of the sudden departure.

"You honestly want me to be exposed to your kid? You're not scared I'll 'corrupt' him?" Narrowing his eyes, Peter watched cynically as the young alpha shrugged.

"You're part of the pack. I can't pick and choose. We're all family, and I know that you used to be close to Derek and Laura-no matter how much the sourwolf denies it. Just say yes before Lydia makes me change my mind." For the first time in a long time, Scott saw Peter's eyes crinkle in happiness and a genuinely grateful smile grace his lips.

"Well, I suppose it would be detrimental to the pup if I didn't bless him with the gift of sharp wit and a dashing smile." Scott barely restrained himself and remained silent with nothing but a twitching eyebrow and slight frown.

"Sure…we should return before my wife thinks you've killed me…" Sighing, the alpha ran a hand through his hair (it was really turning into a bad habit now) and returned to the living room followed by a taunting Peter.

"Where were you tonight?" Lydia frowned in the seat next to Scott as they drove home.

"When?" Scott replied slowly, trying to no avail to prevent the following conversation. The deadpan look he received only emphasised his failure to digress.

"When you left to follow Peter into the kitchen. I'm not stupid Scott. I noticed the minute you left with him." Scott flinched subtly at the way Lydia almost hissed 'him' and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, using the excuse of checking his blind spot as a way of gathering and organizing his thoughts.

Lydia was never anyone's fool, and whilst Scott knew he could be brutally honest with her—in ways he couldn't with anyone else—he also knew that she sometimes took a bit of convincing to come around to his ideas or plans. Especially when she perceived danger. And Peter, was first and foremost, a danger in her eyes.

"Lydia…Peter was worried that we would stop him from being a part of the baby's life, because of what he did in the past."

The small "oh" that formed on his wife's lips surprised Scott, and seeing her shock as an opportune moment he continued;

"As much as he's an ass, he is a part of the pack. If I didn't trust him, he wouldn't still be in Beacon Hills—let alone within breathing space of my wife and mother." At that, Lydia smiled softly, allowing herself to pause and listen to what her husband was saying.

Despite what her own feelings would have her believe, she trusted Scott implicitly. Not only as her other half but as a powerful alpha, she had been by his side through decisions that others had scoffed at, and that had worked out without bloodshed anyway, shocking those that would have taken the easy way out. She knew that he was respected by a long list of packs across the United States, and was often called in the middle of the night by other alphas for advice. On more than one occasion he had consulted her, made his mate a part of the decision which only strengthened the respect his name had earned. The opinion of an alpha female was nothing to be sniffed at after all, whether she be a wolf or not, Lydia was strong in her own rights. And it was for these reasons that she elected to trust Scott on this decision. Biggest bleeding heart in Beacon Hills he may be, but Lydia knew in her bones that should anything happen to their family that all hell would break loose and that his name would thereafter be respected and feared.

"Scott, I am trusting you because I know that your priority is and always will be us—" He hummed softly in response, laying a hand on hers. "and I am trusting you because I know if you ever get wind of a plot or scheme—" He interrupted her, eyes blazing crimson.

"I'd rip his throat out…with my teeth."

"Good, we're on the same page then." Lydia settled comfortably into her seat, and the rest of the drive home was in thoughtful silence.