[The Parkers drop them off and Cora looks over the mess that was created in Stiles’ apartment by the witch fight earlier. She doesn’t really know what to do, given that they were still finding their rhythm before the witches intervened. Now Stiles’ apartment is a mess, and while they’re finally alone, she feels like she’s back on the back foot.]
Do you want to stay here?
[She knows this is his home, but if he doesn’t want to be here, they have options.]
( he kicks a piece of plaster that was freed from the wall when Sierra went flying with a sigh. )
I don't - no. ( something occurs to him. he was about to trail off, maybe even ramble, but for the first time in a long time something has clicked. maybe, before everything, before dying, he was a decorated FBI agent. but, he doesn't feel like one any longer. and what really had he done after his brief 'sabattical.' ) I don't. Cora, I'm sorry. I - I was a mess. ( he says among the mess. ) You know I can get my shit together, but, you also know I'm scattered, and a lot, and all that amplified, including my restless insecurity and I put all that energy in all wrong. And I got scared. And then all of my friends' lives and information was exposed and through all of that. I let you down. Hard.
[He wasn't the only one who had to do some thinking about their situation. Her feelings may have been hurt, but they never actually got anywhere for her to be upset about in the first place.
And he was dealing with a lot. He didn't need one more thing.]
And none of those feelings mean you did anything wrong.
[It would have been nice if he communicated rather than just disappearing in the night, leaving her with mixed signals. But taking the space for himself wasn't wrong, which is what she was trying to get at.]
So what do you want now?
[She knows she's asked him what he wants from her in the past, and he didn't have a clear answer, but she's trying not to make herself part of the picture. She wants to know if he's ready to decide where he goes from here, rather than trying to balance a bunch of plates he isn't sure he wants.]
I know I want whatever it is with you. Whether it's with Scott, or, or Allison, or whever we're needed. I done with the FBI. It's -- it's not where I belong anymore.
( it was good for them that he was there, that everyone got doxxed and he was at the ready and the helm - but now? they don't need him there. )
I have to. It's my dad. Can you -- ( he steps into her personal space finally, taking one hand in both of his. because he has to be mature enough to ask for this first. but he needs to ask. he doesn't think he has the permission in the first place. ) can I ask you to come with me? To actually come with me?
[She tips her head up to look at him before nodding.]
Yeah, of course.
[It's not that much of a hardship. She likes the sheriff. And Beacon Hills ... well it's not as daunting to return to as it used to be. She should probably pay her parents a visit too.
I still feel bad about that. Usually I'm better at giving the talk.
[Even though she probably shouldn't because it's not like she intentionally poisoned herself with mistletoe.]
But it'll be nice to see your dad again.
[He was always nice to her. Even if he probably wasn't as fond of her brother or her uncle, depending on what was going on in Beacon Hills at the time.
Part of her wants to see if he's willing to take the pin out of that trip to New Orleans they talked about, but she knows that talking to his dad is probably a big enough step to worry about right now. Telling the Sheriff about vampirism can be the big worry for now.
But he's also standing close and the other part of her is wondering if he's going to do something with that. Malia would probably tell her just to kiss him and get it out of the way, but given their starts and stops she doesn't think forcing it is her best move. And part of her needs him to make it, to confirm that it's not just in her head anymore.
So she'll wait. One way or another they'll figure it out.]
Do you need to pack up anything from here to take with you? Or are you going to keep the apartment for now?
Please don't carry that with you, it happened. Jennifer Blake was a psycho dark Druid who seduced Derek and tried to kill our parents. Wasn't on you.
( but he squeezes her hand again, all the same.
he's fucked this up more times than he can count. he spoke to her in the ambulance. had a moment years ago. and then they came together and something clicked. the Hale in her saw something in him. and he's always seen something in her, even if he's been AWOL to do anything about it.
he continues to stand, hands in hers. it's -- comical to a point, but he considers that gesturing with his face around them. )
Think it's too soon to decide all that, but, it's not mine. Government issue. But, for now. Light packing, maybe, enough for -- a week? We could detour to New Orleans. That's a promise I'd really like to keep, if you'll let me.
( He looks down his arm at their hands, back up at her eyes. His breath catches. Save him from himself. Save them both from themselves? He doesn't know how to pull the trigger. And this is coming from the guy who gave Malia sex lessons. And crashed and burned with Lydia. Maybe that's a big part of this. Lydia. Maybe it's not. Pulling away. Burying himself in the FBI. )
[Cora watches him, and is paying just enough attention to see that catch in his gaze (15). That uncertainty in not knowing how to proceed. And she can't really say she's much better. She leans more towards Derek's side of the spectrum than Malia's. While Malia will throw herself into situations, follow her id with abandon and be able to walk away without a second thought - at least until things get too complicated. Derek on the other hand just seems to fall into things, for better or worse (usually worse).
Cora, on the other hand, seems stuck in the middle. She wants things, but she doesn't know how to let herself fall.
It probably has something to do with how she grew up, spending her formative years waiting for an axe to fall or hunters to find her. And it's not as though she hadn't found her ways into relationships, but it hadn't been this hard - it also hadn't been something she's wanted this much either.
One of them is going to have to make a move, and in stereotypical fashion, it probably should be the Hale. That's what Hales do, they push until something breaks, and she very much doesn't want this to break. She's not Malia, nor is she Lydia, where she knows exactly the right words to move things from one moment to next.
She moves her free hand to his side and takes another step closer, putting things into motion but still asking him to meet her halfway.]
( His first motion is wrong and it doesn't mean what it looks like it means. He shakes his head, because she's not wrong. She feels it, too. She stood by his side. Maybe she's seen him since high school. He'd argue they were all preoccupied and she was in hiding, but they are older now. And as much shit as he might get for kissing Derek's sister, he'd bet money he'd get more shit for breaking her heart. For taking her this far, getting them kidnapped, and then choking when it came to the most important part.
Which is why he ends both of their miseries.
He draws her close, meets her halfway and his mouth collides with hers. Because she's going to go back with him so he can tell his dad. And because she forgave him. Stuck by him. Believes in him.
[Tension melts from her shoulders as he meets her lips with his, almost like a sigh. As much as werewolves can pick up on things, they can't read minds, and this feels better, like a confirmation of the things she thought she was seeing, rather than her hoping. It makes her relax, for the first time this weekend, putting them both on the same page.
She releases his hand, but it quickly moves to rest against the side of his face, thumb brushing his cheek as she continues to kiss him until it breaks, tipping her head up as she catches her breath.]
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no subject
Do you want to stay here?
[She knows this is his home, but if he doesn’t want to be here, they have options.]
We could go get a hotel or something.
no subject
( he kicks a piece of plaster that was freed from the wall when Sierra went flying with a sigh. )
I don't - no. ( something occurs to him. he was about to trail off, maybe even ramble, but for the first time in a long time something has clicked. maybe, before everything, before dying, he was a decorated FBI agent. but, he doesn't feel like one any longer. and what really had he done after his brief 'sabattical.' ) I don't. Cora, I'm sorry. I - I was a mess. ( he says among the mess. ) You know I can get my shit together, but, you also know I'm scattered, and a lot, and all that amplified, including my restless insecurity and I put all that energy in all wrong. And I got scared. And then all of my friends' lives and information was exposed and through all of that. I let you down. Hard.
no subject
[He wasn't the only one who had to do some thinking about their situation. Her feelings may have been hurt, but they never actually got anywhere for her to be upset about in the first place.
And he was dealing with a lot. He didn't need one more thing.]
And none of those feelings mean you did anything wrong.
no subject
( if she can split hairs, then that's wrong. )
You deserved more than that, you deserved honesty.
( but he hadn't talked to anyone, not scott, not lydia, not malia. )
no subject
[It would have been nice if he communicated rather than just disappearing in the night, leaving her with mixed signals. But taking the space for himself wasn't wrong, which is what she was trying to get at.]
So what do you want now?
[She knows she's asked him what he wants from her in the past, and he didn't have a clear answer, but she's trying not to make herself part of the picture. She wants to know if he's ready to decide where he goes from here, rather than trying to balance a bunch of plates he isn't sure he wants.]
no subject
( it was good for them that he was there, that everyone got doxxed and he was at the ready and the helm - but now? they don't need him there. )
And I need to talk to my dad.
no subject
[Cora can get down with this plan, it's not like she's married to DC anyway. She pauses as she considers the options with that:]
Do you want to go see him in person?
[Aka are they going back to Beacon Hills first?]
no subject
no subject
Yeah, of course.
[It's not that much of a hardship. She likes the sheriff. And Beacon Hills ... well it's not as daunting to return to as it used to be. She should probably pay her parents a visit too.
Metaphorically speaking, anyway.]
I can do that.
no subject
( Obviously, because his dad already ... knows about the supernatural. )
Great times.
no subject
I still feel bad about that. Usually I'm better at giving the talk.
[Even though she probably shouldn't because it's not like she intentionally poisoned herself with mistletoe.]
But it'll be nice to see your dad again.
[He was always nice to her. Even if he probably wasn't as fond of her brother or her uncle, depending on what was going on in Beacon Hills at the time.
Part of her wants to see if he's willing to take the pin out of that trip to New Orleans they talked about, but she knows that talking to his dad is probably a big enough step to worry about right now. Telling the Sheriff about vampirism can be the big worry for now.
But he's also standing close and the other part of her is wondering if he's going to do something with that. Malia would probably tell her just to kiss him and get it out of the way, but given their starts and stops she doesn't think forcing it is her best move. And part of her needs him to make it, to confirm that it's not just in her head anymore.
So she'll wait. One way or another they'll figure it out.]
Do you need to pack up anything from here to take with you? Or are you going to keep the apartment for now?
no subject
( but he squeezes her hand again, all the same.
he's fucked this up more times than he can count. he spoke to her in the ambulance. had a moment years ago. and then they came together and something clicked. the Hale in her saw something in him. and he's always seen something in her, even if he's been AWOL to do anything about it.
he continues to stand, hands in hers. it's -- comical to a point, but he considers that gesturing with his face around them. )
Think it's too soon to decide all that, but, it's not mine. Government issue. But, for now. Light packing, maybe, enough for -- a week? We could detour to New Orleans. That's a promise I'd really like to keep, if you'll let me.
no subject
Yeah. I'd really like that.
[And it'll be good to go and make sure Derek is still in one piece and hasn't gotten kidnapped again.]
no subject
Good.
( He looks down his arm at their hands, back up at her eyes. His breath catches. Save him from himself. Save them both from themselves? He doesn't know how to pull the trigger. And this is coming from the guy who gave Malia sex lessons. And crashed and burned with Lydia. Maybe that's a big part of this. Lydia. Maybe it's not. Pulling away. Burying himself in the FBI. )
no subject
Cora, on the other hand, seems stuck in the middle. She wants things, but she doesn't know how to let herself fall.
It probably has something to do with how she grew up, spending her formative years waiting for an axe to fall or hunters to find her. And it's not as though she hadn't found her ways into relationships, but it hadn't been this hard - it also hadn't been something she's wanted this much either.
One of them is going to have to make a move, and in stereotypical fashion, it probably should be the Hale. That's what Hales do, they push until something breaks, and she very much doesn't want this to break. She's not Malia, nor is she Lydia, where she knows exactly the right words to move things from one moment to next.
She moves her free hand to his side and takes another step closer, putting things into motion but still asking him to meet her halfway.]
If I'm wrong, stop me.
no subject
Which is why he ends both of their miseries.
He draws her close, meets her halfway and his mouth collides with hers. Because she's going to go back with him so he can tell his dad. And because she forgave him. Stuck by him. Believes in him.
D. All of the above. )
no subject
She releases his hand, but it quickly moves to rest against the side of his face, thumb brushing his cheek as she continues to kiss him until it breaks, tipping her head up as she catches her breath.]
Good?
no subject
( This is good. Packing can wait just a little longer. He's just going to kiss her in his entranceway for a little while. )