That depends on how you define lying.

(Set one week after Derek and Stiles's bbq.)

At the pack barbecue, Al and Melissa settled on the following weekend to grab that dinner. He wasn't working, she had an afternoon shift at the hospital, it all seemed to work out. Melissa had picked out a place she knew and liked (and assured him they did brownie a la mode), he was going to pick her up at seven...

They had both, very carefully, and by some strange, silent agreement, avoided the use of the word 'date.'

Al really couldn't kid himself, however, as he got ready to head out. Not much, anyway...he knew Melissa well, they'd been friends for years. The four of them, the McCalls and the Stilinskis, and later Melissa and the Stilinskis. They had been closer than just friends, or even family...after Melissa kicked Rafe out, the three of them had pretty much worked to raise their kids together. Scott and Stiles were brothers to each other, and Melissa had been in so deep with Claudia it sometimes felt like they were extensions of each other.

It was the only other thing, besides Stiles, that had pulled him through after Claudia had died.

Which was how he ended up getting out of the shower, nearly ready to shave, and found himself standing there at the bathroom sink, staring at the gold band sitting on the edge beside his watch and his cell phone (a habit he'd picked up after Stiles had opened his eyes to everything, not even leaving it long enough to shower in case his son needed him), thinking about Melissa and Claudia and the eight years he'd been wearing it.

( No there never used to be this girl... )