Oh yes, this is another Shadows fic. I know, I know, why am I starting a new multi-chapter story when I have so many in progress. To answer it simply: because I can. I must give two shout-outs (emphasis on the shout, because this would have happened very differently if not for them): to my friend K, who's the real villain of this story, and to my friend L, for encouraging me to kill children (because these are totally the kind of people I need in my life, right? Right.) So anyway. Backstory.

This little plot bunny came from an interview the cast did a little while ago, during which they were asked where they saw their characters in ten years. So yes, this is a future fic. It's set about ten years after graduation, when the pack's all gone their separate ways. Something brings them back together, chaos ensues, things get crazy; it's Beacon Hills, after all. Everything should become clear as it goes on, but feel free to PM me if you want anything clarified/explained and I'll do my best.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the three OCs you'll see throughout the story. Warning: character deaths (yes, plural), sensitive subjects, horrible things happening to characters you love... y'know, the usual for me. This first chapter is actually kind of the epilogue, set a month after everything goes down, just to give you a sense of where it all ends up. Further warning: do not trust me, do not make assumptions, and do not get too comfortable. This story is one of the most evil things I have ever done.

Now that's out of the way, shall we get into it? I haven't decided when I'll be updating this yet (maybe on Fridays, instead of my usual random one-shots, or maybe on a different day); I guess it depends on the interest it gets. So read, review, and I'll see you all soon, I hope.

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Derek sits in the rocking chair in his living room, watching Allie and Berry tumble around the house playing some invented game that involves a lot of howling and the occasional shriek while their parents are in the kitchen; Stiles shouts out "Careful, you guys!" every now and then and Lydia giggles, sounding more carefree than she's been in weeks. Scott and Kira are watching them too, and with his werewolf-hearing Derek can just hear their quiet conversation.

"You're great with them, you know," Scott murmurs, inclining his head toward the kids as they hurtle past. He pauses, and then, without looking at his wife, says, "We should do it too. Have kids, I mean."

Kira's eyes light up, and so does her aura – streaks of red and orange foxfire shoot from her like sparks, making Derek smile. She's learned to control her aura, to hide it if need be, but in moments of intense emotion – like excitement – it seems to happen of its own accord. "Really?" she asks.

"Sure," Scott says easily, kissing her gently on the temple. "It's about time we added some more pups to this pack."

The foxfire around Kira seems to shimmer, this time with something a little different to excitement. She drops her voice even lower and says, "You know, Derek has a spare bedroom down the hall."

Derek averts his gaze and shuts off his wolf-hearing, and a second later Kira and Scott do indeed disappear down the hall – but not before Scott pauses to wink at him, knowing he'd been eavesdropping.

As the kids sprint past again, this time with Allie yelling something about being a warrior princess, Derek starts to make his way into the kitchen. Stiles is sitting at the table, hands wrapped around a cup of coffee and a weary but hopeful glint in his eyes. Lydia is standing by the stove, cooking dinner for everyone – it looks like there's enough pasta to feed a small army, not to mention more loaves of bread than can even fit comfortably on the bench.

"Derek, hand me that jar of garlic, would you?" Lydia asks, darting a look over her shoulder.

He does as instructed, and she takes it from him with a grateful smile. A moment later Malia appears from a side room, holding a spice rack and looking incredibly confused. She sees Derek and narrows her eyes.

"What kind of system is this?" she asks, gesturing to the spice rack as she sets it down on the table in front of Stiles, who gives an exaggerated sneeze. "You've got mint in the rosemary jar, you've mixed the oregano and sage, and don't even get me started on the paprika -"

With a groan, Derek turns to Lydia. "What did you do to my cousin?"

"Hey, that wasn't me," Lydia says defensively, but the effect is ruined by the smile she can't quite hide. "She's been running a finishing school for supernatural creatures for years. Of course she's going to be organized."

"There's a difference between being organized and being uptight," Derek responds, but he's laughing too.

"Good luck with that, by the way," Stiles says as Isaac enters the room, and Isaac just rolls his eyes and pulls Malia into a kiss.

"There are kids in the next room," Lydia scolds, mock-stern. "Keep it PG-13, okay, guys?"

"Sorry," Isaac mumbles against Malia's lips, and then he pulls away, grabs her hand, and leads her to the door. "We'll be back in time for dinner. We're just going for a walk."

"Don't go all coyote and start hunting rabbits again!" Stiles calls after them, and Malia glares at him over her shoulder.

"That was one time," she mutters as they disappear from sight.

"You're out of thyme, by the way," Lydia says, pointing at the spice rack, in particular at a small jar full of something that looks suspiciously like wolfsbane.

Frowning, he goes to open it, but Stiles snatches it away before he can. "No way, dude. I'm not letting you take that cure."

"Cure?" Derek asks, his hand falling to his side and his eyebrows raised in a question. "What cure?"

"The one Deaton's been working on," Lydia says matter-of-factly, handing him a bowl of salad and ushering him out of the room. "And don't let Scott take it either."

Still confused, Derek takes the bowl of salad out into the living room and sets it down on the table. Almost as soon as he's done so, Allie comes barrelling into the room, trips over her own feet, and crashes into the table. The bowl – thankfully plastic – clatters to the ground, spilling lettuce and tomato across the floor. Allie blinks up at him, flicking parsley off her legs, and gives him an apologetic grin.

Before Derek can do anything, Lydia walks into the room, arms folded and eyes narrowed. "Allison Martin-Stilinski, what on earth are you doing?"

Allie's grin falters and she scrambles to her feet, looking helplessly at Derek.

"It was my fault," Derek says quickly, already starting to scoop the remains of the salad back into the bowl. "I accidentally knocked it over."

Lydia's eyes narrow further, like she's not sure she should believe it, but she doesn't push the issue. "Allison, go play outside," she says, and as Berry creeps into the room she adds, "You too, Meredith."

Registering the use of their full names, her daughters quickly do as told.

"I'll do that," Lydia says, crouching down and taking over the clean-up. She brushes some hair out of her eyes and asks, "Would you mind watching the girls outside? God knows what kind of trouble they can get into."

"They are Stiles' children," Derek agrees with a chuckle, standing up and stretching before making his way outside.

The girls are darting in and out of the trees, brandishing sticks and growling at each other, and Derek sits down on the front step to watch them. This is the first time the entire pack has been at his house, and even though he normally likes the quiet, sometimes he does need this kind of cheerful chaos. They're family, after all, and it's comforting to spend time with them. After all this time they're still a pack, and no matter how far they roam they'll always find their way back to each other.

/

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Most of the chapters will be longer, and all of the characters here will have their own storylines/scenes/problems. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and don't forget to review if you did!