Nature and Nurture: Finding the Perfect Blend

Chapter 25: The Boy

Stiles waited until the next morning to start on his plan for healing the Tree. He felt empowered and bold, finally having a clear idea on what to do. He tried not to seem too eager as he sat down at the kitchen table and waited for his dad to wake up.

When his dad made his way into the kitchen as the sun was coming up, he stopped short at seeing Stiles already sitting there. Stiles just smiled disarmingly at him.

"Morning," his dad said, eyeing him as he moved over to the coffee machine and turned it on.

"Hey, Dad. Sleep well?"

His dad grunted, never too awake this early without a hit of caffeine.

Stiles was betting on that to help him. He tapped out a rhythm on the table while he waited for the coffee to brew. He needed to get his dad at the perfect moment; the one just as the coffee woke him up but not too much. He needed his dad coherent but not on top of his game.

"So, daddio, what happened to the boy at the camp site?" Stiles asked, as his dad poured the coffee.

His dad frowned as he took the careful first few sips. "Why do you want to know?"

Stiles leaned back in his chair and tried not to fidget too much under his dad's suspicious look. "Well, he never actually did anything that bad, did he? The other men were arrested, right?"

His dad nodded and folded his arms, still holding his coffee.

"Was the boy arrested, too? Doesn't seem all that fair if he was. What was his name again?"

"Cue Robertson." His dad took another sip of coffee and relaxed. "Actually, it's Cotter Robertson. Cue's his nickname from his father."

Stiles nodded. "Uh huh, so, arrested?"

"No. I got him community service work. And I'm helping him to find his family."

"I thought his dad was killed?"

"Yeah. And his mother was lost to them when Cotter was young. But he apparently has some estranged family on her side. I've got one of the deputes looking into it for me."

"That's really nice of you, Dad. Real nice. You're a good man. It needs saying. People don't tell each other nice things as much as they should, you know?"

Stiles' dad gulped down the rest of his coffee and rinsed the mug. He fixed Stiles with a tired look. "I know you're trying to pump me for information. What do you want?"

Stiles shrugged. "Dad, come on, I was just curious. He was an okay kid. He helped when we needed it."

His dad nodded. "He did. He's a boy who misses his dad, and got sucked up into things he doesn't know how to handle."

"But he'll be okay now." Stiles held out a hand, gesturing. "He has you looking out for him. Take it from someone who's had that privilege for eighteen years, he'll be fine."

His dad snorted and shook his head. "I'm going to work. Don't do anything I have to be called out for, alright?"

"I remember when you used to tell me not to get into trouble."

"I've realized the futility of telling you that."

"Not only a good man, you're wise, too. Cue's in good hands."

"See you later, Stiles," his dad said, flatly.

"Bye, Pops! Have fun arresting the bad guys." Stiles waited for the front door to close behind his dad before he called Lydia. She'd gone back to college with Malia for the beginning of term. "Hey, Lyds, what's up? Listen, I need you to talk to Jordan for me."