spamalot } { of werecoyotes and letting go

[wildkingdom]

Isaac: [ and so working on arm locks today]

Malia: [lets him hold her in an arm lock] This is good. Just add a little more tension.

Isaac: You mean like this? [and he pulls up, probably a bit too much]

Malia: [winces slightly, but she doesn't want him to not pull hard if it was an actual werewolf threat. It doesn't hurt that badly, so she doesn't tap out] Yeah, like that.

Isaac: Okay, now what?

Malia: Use this leg - [pats the one that's close to her throat] - to try and get them to pass out.

Isaac: Okay. [and he goes to do that, not wanting to actually making her pass out]

Peter: [and he arrives home just at that moment and sees Malia being pinned and choked and he just snaps. He snarls, shifting, and rushes over to toss Isaac away, hovering over his daughter in a protective stance]

Isaac: [backs away, pressing against a tree] Mr. Hale... I wasn't... we were...

Malia: [Peter's snarl is answered with one of Malia's own, shoving herself between Peter and Isaac] Dad! We were just sparring!

Talia: [heard Peter's snarl from the kitchen has brought both her and Fiona to the door, and Talia doesn't stop. She's heading down the stairs, not willing to wait and see if her brother calms down - not at the risk of Isaac or Malia getting hurt. Alpha voice: activate] Peter, STOP.

Peter: [he was about to lay into both children about sparring like that unsupervised when Talia's voice cut through the haze in his head and he involuntarily shifted back to his human face, wincing and turning to look at her] He was hurting her.

Malia: I was fine! It was just an arm lock and if I really wanted him off of me, I could have. [because it's Isaac and he would listen when she tapped out. Seeing him not wolfed out, however, she turns to face Isaac, looking him over to make sure he's okay]

Fiona: [raises a hand holding a water bottle] I was supervising, I just went to get some water. I was on my way out when you got here.

Talia: [doesn't really care. Her eyes flash red because she's had enough with this, and she points towards the house.] You. Inside. Now. [she then turns back to her niece, who has her arms around Isaac at this point] Malia, go with Fiona to take Isaac home. Can she hang out at your place for the evening?

Fiona: [nods] Yeah, sure.

Talia: Thank you. [back to Peter] Inside.

Isaac: [is a bit scared out of his wits, but he gets it in a way and just sticks with Malia]

Peter: No, Malia goes home. [yes, he's challenging you, Talia] My daughter, my rules.

Talia: [she shakes her head] Not today. Not when you're tossing around kids like rag dolls for no reason]

Fiona: I can take her - [Talia turns a look on her and she stops] - or not. She'll be fine, Peter. I promise. [she tips her head towards the car] Come on, Isaac. To home with you.

Malia: I don't really want to go home anyway. [she'll just take Isaac's arm and pull him towards the car. She's still pissed because Isaac could have seriously gotten hurt, and she doesn't want to be just sitting at home, stewing and waiting for her dad to come home.]

Peter: [ oh, he's angry now] You don't tell me how to raise my family, Talia. And I don't care what you want, young lady. I'm your father and you're going home.

Malia: [Nope. Ignoring you and focusing on getting Isaac in the car, curling up in the back seat with him.]

Talia: [and she's going to answer that with an alpha snarl because no. She was angry first.] She's your daughter but I'm still both of your alphas. Now we are going to talk, and you can pick her up when we're done.

Isaac: [lets her curl up into him] I think he was just scared, Malia. It was too soon.

Peter: I don't want to talk.

Malia: That's no excuse. He could have killed you like that. [she looks him over as they sit] Are you sure you're okay?

Talia: Too bad. [she points to the house] Inside. Now.

Isaac: But he didn't. I mean, he didn't even follow through and just pushed me away. He could have done a lot worse. But I'm okay. Just landed weird.

Peter: [snarls, but finally submits and storms back to the house, throwing the door open as he entered the family home]

Malia: [she knows that] That doesn't make it okay. [but Fiona is in the driver's seat at this point and off they go to take Isaac back to the McCalls]

Talia: [follows her brother back into the house, closing the door behind them and staring him hard in the face] I have been letting this slide since it happened, figuring that you would talk when you were ready. But you start attacking innocent humans? And I can't let it slide anymore. So you are going to talk. And we are going to deal with this. You can do it willingly or I can make you, but either way this ends today.

Peter: I thought he was strangling my daughter, Talia! None of you were around to help her, and I just pushed him away. I did not attack him. If I wanted to hurt him, you know I would have. [he is pacing, high on adrenaline and anger] And I don't want to talk about it, and do you really think forcing me to talk is going to make any of it better? Because it won't.

Talia: You shifted completely! What were we supposed to think? And I think that reaction was a little extreme for Isaac, who has never raised a hand to anyone, let alone Malia.

Peter: I was angry. I always shift when I'm angry. [his eyes flash yellow to show just how close he was. He wanted to say more. To say that it's always the humans they let close that hurt them. But he was still refusing to talk about it]

Talia: [yep, there's another red flash in return because she knows there's more he's not saying, almost as though she's daring him to try and challenge her] Oh, really?

Peter: [there's a part of him that does want to challenge her. It was a fine line sometimes to walk as the second, inches away from the power to control the pack, and yet not. But it was his sister, and the power wasn't worth losing her. Even on days where he wanted to do nothing but be rid of her insistent prying] I'm not having this talk with you today.

Talia: Then when, Peter? Tomorrow? Next week? [there's a beat] Never? Because I'm willing to bet it's never, and I can't risk that right now.

Peter: What are you going to do if I don't want to talk? Lock me up in a cage like a monster? Take my daughter away from me?

Talia: I would never take her away from you, Peter. But I don't want to have to protect her from you either. And when you're on a hair trigger like this, I can't say what you'll do. So you tell me, Peter. If I hadn't intervened, what would you have done?

Peter: Told the boy to go home and taken Malia home. [just with a lot of growling and glaring]

Talia: And you needed to do that full wolf.

Peter: I thought he was hurting her. [through clenched teeth]

Talia: [an eyebrow raise, crossing her arms in front of her chest] It was Isaac. Isaac, who wouldn't hurt a fly most days. Isaac, who treats your daughter like she's a princess. Isaac, who was here that night taking care of her until you got back. Did you honestly think that what you saw warranted that kind of reaction?

Peter: Sometimes the ones we think are innocent and there to take care of us are the ones we should be concerned about the most.

Talia: Ahhh. [now we're getting somewhere] So you're worried about Isaac turning on Malia. The way Jennifer did on you.

Peter: [scowls and turns away, which is more of a confirmation than anything]

Talia: [her face softens a bit as she takes a step closer, but she doesn't reach out or try and comfort in] Not every human is out to get us, Peter.

Peter: I didn't say that.

Talia: No, you're just heavily implying it.

Peter: Even if I was, it's still true. We can't let these kids feel that their little human crushes are going to lead to anything that they hope for. Not even looking at myself, look at your own record. Where's your mate, Talia? Or better yet, look at Derek and the choices he's made that put us all in this mess to begin with. Loving humans does nothing for us but bring pain.

Talia: [she's quiet for a moment because that jab at her was uncalled for. Still, she can see his point] Loving humans brought us our children. And you're right. They may not last. Isaac and Malia could end a month from now, but they're teenagers. That's what relationships do when they're that age. And it will hurt at first, but they'll pick themselves up and do it again. Derek's made his mistakes but he didn't put himself in this position on purpose. And in case you haven't noticed the woman he's with now? Very human. [there's a beat] But my point is that loving humans, for better or for worse, hasn't been a complete waste. If it were, you wouldn't have a daughter to protect.

Peter: Yeah, and that human has already almost gotten him killed once. [he respected Fiona, but in his anger he was saying the things he always held his tongue on from the events from those days] And the only reason I have my daughter is because the human I loved couldn't stand the thought of keeping our child knowing she could possibly be a wolf. Do you think I don't know how much it hurts me knowing that and I can never tell her why her mother left? Why I never dated because I didn't want to bring that kind of pain back into her life again?

Talia: What makes you think she doesn't already know? [because Malia isn't stupid. She could probably figure it out] Or that she can't handle it? It's one thing when she was a kid, but now she's old enough to understand, Peter. You can't just keep things bottled up forever.

Peter: It's my job to protect her! I don't care if she can handle it, she shouldn't have to.

Talia: Sometimes protecting her involves telling her the truth. Even if it hurts. Sometimes protecting her is preparing her.

Peter: And sometimes protecting her means I should put her first over my own needs.

Talia: You have put her first. You've put her first for sixteen years.

Peter: And I should have done it a little bit longer.

Talia: If you didn't start now then when? When do you get to matter again?

Peter: [stays silent on that, turning away from his sister a bit to just look out a window]

Talia: [keeps pushing] In a couple of years she'll be going to college. Then what will you do?

Peter: I'll figure it out then.

Talia: Because putting things off is clearly working so well.

Peter: It worked better than seizing a moment only to get taken advantage of, used, and stabbed in the back.

Talia: [she closes her eyes] I'm sorry that happened to you. I am. But shutting yourself down, burying these feelings and exploding on your daughter's boyfriend isn't going to make it better. Or make you happy for that matter.

Peter: [he puts his hands on the counter, licking his lips a moment before he just sighs] It's one thing to be turned away because of what I am, but she used me from the beginning. The moment she walked into town, she was aiming to do this to me. And what really gets me is that she only chose me because she couldn't have Derek. So not only was I used, but I was the runner up target. And now my daughter thinks that it's all her fault for not complaining more about it.

Talia: [she takes a breath before crossing the room, letting her hands rest against his shoulders. It's tentative, and it's likely that he's still angry with her so if he pulls away she won't force him, but she's making that shift from angry alpha to comforting sister] She hates that she couldn't protect you. Just like you hate that you couldn't protect her.

Peter: I'm supposed to protect her. I heard her howl, Talia, and I couldn't even go to her. I could tell she was in pain, and I had to fight all my instincts to not run to her or else it would have been worse. And the reason she was in there in the first place was because I let some... bitch play me like a fiddle because I wanted affection. I almost got my daughter and nephew... all of you were almost killed because I wanted to feel loved again by a woman. That is not a fair trade.

Talia: That won't always be the trade you'll have to make.

Peter: Maybe, maybe not. [He pushed off the counter and turned to look at her, his shoulders dropped finally and his anger drained] But I'm not going to take the chance if it puts my family in danger again.

Talia: How do you know if it will unless you try?

Peter: I prefer to go with the safe bet. It's not worth the pain.

Talia: [she sighs. She knows that it's still too soon to argue this with him now. She does take a step forward and places her hands on his arms] Fine. But you need to bottle these things less, or someone will really get hurt.

Peter: [looks down] I can't, Talia. I feel like a giant open wound right now, and if I don't compartmentalize it and store it away, I won't be able to function.

Talia: And if you don't let it out and let it go, you're going to carry it with you forever.

Peter: It's not as easy as you think. I can’t just let it go.

Talia: Why are you holding on to it?

Peter: [thinks, then looks up at his sister] Because if I let it go, I don't know if there will be anything left of me worth keeping.

Talia: [there's a small smile, placing a hand against the side of his face] You'll still be my brother. You'll still be the person I trust the most with my life, my children's lives. You'll still be my second, Malia's father, and you will always be part of this family.

Peter: I know. But I have always defined myself as how other people see me, Talia. I know who I am to everyone in this pack as your brother, an uncle, a father, and your second. I have done everything you've ever asked me to, and I have been successful in all these roles - or as much as I can be. But do you know what I see when I look inside to try and define who I am to myself?

Talia: [she pauses, before shaking her head]

Peter: All I see is a cunning wolf juggling everyone else's expectations while trying to find time to lick his own wounds to stop the pain.

Talia: Then why don't you let me give you the time. [her hand moves to his shoulder, looking him in the eye] Malia's with Fiona for the evening. The house is empty. Take some time for yourself.

Peter: [shakes his head] I'm not ready yet. If I break...

Talia: If you break, I'll help you pull it back together. But if you're not ready now, you'll never be. Take the moment while you have it.

Peter: If I break... you can't let Malia see me like that. It will destroy her.

Talia: I won't. I'll ask Fiona if she can spend the night if we have to.

Peter: [nods] Tell her I'm sorry. Same to the boy.

Talia: I will. But you'll have to tell her too.

Peter: I will, but just in case... she needs to know tonight.

Talia: [she nods] I'll tell her.

Peter: [licks his lips again, his face showing he wasn't looking forward to doing this. He was afraid more than anything]

Talia: [squeezes his shoulders gently, pulling him into her] I'll stay if you want, or I'll let you do it by yourself. Whatever you need.

Peter: [nuzzles his face against her neck] I don't know what I need.

Talia: [closes her eyes, one hand stroking the back of his neck lightly] Then we'll figure it out.

Peter: [he takes a deep breath, then pulls back to look at her, pressing his forehead to hers] I'm a big boy now. I think I need to do this on my own. But I'll call for you if I need you.

Talia: [she nods, closing her eyes as well, before pulling back to let him leave] I'll call Fiona and fill her in.

Peter: Make sure there is no one camping in the preserve tonight. Just in case.

Talia: [she nods] I'll take care of it.

Peter: Check on me in the morning?

Talia: [nods] I'll bring you breakfast.

Peter: [kisses his sister's cheek, then sighs and makes his way to the door to go home to do this]

Talia: [waits for him to go before picking up the phone to call Fiona]

Peter: [when he gets home, he goes to sit on the couch. His leg bounces in nerves as he lets himself think of the events from that night, remembering the words, the feelings. Hearing the howls and the look in Jennifer's eyes. The pain he suffered trying to do the right thing. And finally the cold hearted bastard he had to make himself become to get the job done. How much he hated what he had to become to do that, to feel her blood on his hands. To look at the woman he had started to love with such hate.

Somewhere in the night he broke, flipping the table and finding things to throw in his blind rage at himself. He could feel his claws out as he felt fabric shred, and he could feel the beast inside trying to come out. the beast he kept hidden deep down under all his control and bottling rose to the surface and in the middle of the night he ran out of the house into the cold air, landing on his hands and knees and a howl came out of his throat that wasn't his own, but higher pitched one that wasn't even of a wolf. At the same time he felt his bones constrict and shift and then he blacked out. When he woke up, he found himself having shifted, and instincts told him to run and hide - and that was what he did, leaving his home behind so no one would find him like this]

Cora: [completely unaware of the events of the night before, Cora puts her earbuds in and goes for a run, as she does most mornings. She gets about halfway into the preserve when she catches a familiar scent. She stops, pulling one earbud out and glancing around] Peter? [if he doesn't respond right away, she's going to follow the scent but something seems ... off]

Peter: [he is at a stream, getting a drink of water when he hears the sound of someone walking and his head lifts, ears perking]

Cora: [she follows the scent down to the stream and for a moment she's confused, as this clearly isn't Peter, and she doesn't want to make it agitated, so she stops short, eyes flashing out of instinct. Coyotes don't like wolves. Her instincts say to defend herself first.]

Peter: [he smells the air, and his eyes flash yellow when hers do, and then he takes off into the woods]

Cora: [the eyes flash, there's that scent again, and he's taking off.] Peter, wait! [and she's just going to follow him, feet pounding against the ground. This is not the run she had in mind, Peter]

Peter: [He's not really caring about your exercise regimen, Cora. He's running for survival with just his base instincts to rely on, and he was running from a wolf]

Cora: [gdi. She eventually kicks up speed and she knows the woods as well as he does. she takes a short cut, trying to cut him off at the pass, but she doesn't shift. Instead she just crouches down in front of him, holding up one hand and extending the other to him. She just hopes he doesn't try to bite it off] Peter, it's me. It's Cora.

Peter: [skids to a stop, backing up a few inches and snarls a bit at her, but stops a moment later, sniffing the air. Smelling her and recognizing family in it. He stayed because of that, taking a cautious step closer]

Cora: [she smiles a bit at that, before shifting so that she's sitting cross-legged on the ground, still holding that hand out to him] It's okay. I won't hurt you. We're pack.

Peter: [takes another step closer, bumping his nose against her hand affectionately]

Cora: That's it. [she turns her hand gently, brushing against his muzzle as she waits for him to come closer] I'd ask what happened but I don't think you can tell me right now.

Peter: [he was close enough and sat down next to her, but his ears kept turning to listen all around them, making sure nothing was coming at them]

Cora: [she smiles a bit, moving to scritch him behind the ears. Automatic reaction to puppies.] Can you shift back? Are you stuck?

Peter: [he brought a paw up to push her hand away from his ears. But he still can't answer you, Cora.]

Cora: [Fine. She won't pet you, then. She lets her hand drop, before glancing back towards the house] Maybe we should go back to the house. See if Mom can help?

Peter: [nope, at that he's back to all fours and backing up. Nope, not going to the house like this. It smelt like family, but it also smelt like humans.]

Cora: [holds up her hands a little] Okay, okay, we don't have to go. [she really doesn't want Peter running off again, so he can set the rules] I can get Mom to come here?

Peter: [that's still a nope. Also doesn't want his sister to see him like this. And then his ears turn at the sound of someone all but crashing into the forest]

Stiles: [And look, a wild Stiles appears, having come to spend the day and just missing her leaving on her jog and decided to try and catch up] There you are, I've been looking all over for you...

Peter: [and yeah, he's bailing and running out of there because human]

Cora: No, no, Peter ... damnit! [she tries to get up to follow him but he's already long gone and she kind of killed any chance for speed she had when she sat down. Not that she's mad at Stiles, just ... the situation.]

Stiles: [blinks as he watches the wolf... or was that a coyote? he couldn't tell, actually. Anyway, he watched it go and then looked confused at Cora] Did you just name that coyote wolf thing after your uncle?

Cora: No. The coyote-wolf thing is my uncle. I don't know how but ... it's him.

Stiles: [blinks] You guys can do that? I thought it was just the whole extra hair and claws thing?

Cora: Werecoyotes can. My mom can turn into a wolf, but that's because she's a really powerful alpha. Not all of them can do it.

Stiles: Soooooooo this isn't good, is it?

Cora: Nope. [she sighs heavily before pushing herself up to her feet] Come on, we should get back to the house and tell my mom.

Stiles: Okay. [and he will follow her home]

Cora: [and when they get there, Cora pretty much all but bursts through the door] Mom, Uncle Peter managed to turn himself into a coyote.

Laura: [was sipping coffee at the kitchen table and chokes on it.]

Talia: [had been making breakfast and she turns to face her daughter and Stiles] ... Repeat that for me again.

Jason: [stabs the knife through the toast]

Stiles: No really, and it was more like a coyote wolf looking hybrid than a real coyote. And I thought she just named it after Peter but she says it is Peter.

Cora: The scent's right. Sort of. And he recognized me as family, but he's skittish. He wouldn't come back to the house and he took off when Stiles showed up. I'm not sure how much of him is really in there right now.

Talia: [nods, taking the information in before looking at Laura, who's managed to compose herself. There's a beat, and then they both start laughing. Sorry, Peter, but this is hilarious]

Stiles: [looks at Cora, trying not to laugh himself. It's infectious, okay?] Maybe he's embarrassed that he can't turn into a full wolf?

Cora: [no, she's grinning a bit herself because it's hard to find it funny when he's staring you in the face, but now that she's outside the situation, it's really funny. Especially when she has no idea why it's happening]

Talia: [shakes her head as she calms a bit] Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person you are. My father always used to joke that Peter was more coyote than wolf. I guess whatever happened, it decided to take it literally.

Jason: Should we be worried about him running around the preserve? I mean, there's not supposed to be actual wolves in California. Someone sees him...? [being the sensible, one who isn't very visual with his amusement]

Talia: No, I don't allow game hunters on the preserve, and there weren't any campers last night. It's still early enough that I should be able to get to him before someone else does. [she moves to the linen closet to grab a blanket, before pointing to Cora] You take over breakfast. I'll go track down Wile E. Coyote.

Cora: [nods and goes to move behind the stove]

Stiles: [nope, he snorts at that. Good one, Talia] I'll help. I can make more toast.

Peter: [has found a little formation of rocks to hide himself in. There's a front and back entrance so he can escape as needed]

Talia: [follows the scent to that little formation of rocks, but keeps her scent downwind so that she doesn't spook him too soon.] Peter? I'm not going to hurt you. But you can't stay like this either. Malia can't live with Fiona forever.

Peter: [his ears perk and he scoots to the opposite entrance, because he can smell the strength of the wolf in his sister and the coyote part of his mind doesn't like that at all. But he doesn't bolt because of the mention of his daughter, that his still human brain picks up]

Talia: [she can hear him scooting, but she sits, cross-legged on the ground just like Cora did. She figured Malia would be the right button to push, she just needs to push it a little harder] I promised you I wouldn't tell her or show her, but eventually she's going to wonder where her dad went. What will I have to tell her then?

Peter: [he goes out the back entrance and jumps up on top of the rocks, looking down at her. Look at the beautiful creature your brother has become in his broken state, Talia.]

Talia: [she looks back up at him and she doesn't flinch, or laugh. Thankfully she got all that out back at the house] Besides, I need you too. You really think I can manage this family on my own?

Peter: [he just sits, looking at her with those human colored blue eyes, his head tilted a bit. His ears are twitching though, listening to the forest to make sure he knew if something was coming to hurt them]

Talia: [small smile] Heart and brains, remember? I'm all heart. I need both.

Peter: [he regards her for a moment, then jumps down to walk over to her. He's skittish, not getting in arm’s length just yet, but closer. And laying out on the ground, his front paws reaching out towards her as he inches closer.]

Talia: [it's working, so she keeps talking.] You are the person I trust most in this world. All of the kids are growing up and moving on. I can't lose you too. [there are tears in her eyes, not that she's letting them fall. Letting her children go is one of the hardest things she has to do, even though she knows it's normal. Laura in Palo Alto, Derek going to Georgetown, Cora going to college - it's all happening a little too fast and while she won't let them see it, she'll show it to him now]

Peter: [he's close enough to pet now, and soon brings his head to rest on her knee. His ears are flat though, still very skittish]

Talia: [she smiles softly, bringing one hand down slowly to rest on the back of his neck. she doesn't scritch the way her daughter did, just lets him feel her presence. Family.] Are you stuck, Peter?

Peter: [there's a soft wolfy whine at that]

Talia: [she laughs softly, not derisive just amused, because it is a little funny, you have to admit] I can try to command you out of it. It won't be fun, but it's probably the most effective.

Peter: [he lifted his head to look at her, and then leaned in to lick at her cheek]

Talia: [she smiles a bit at that before nodding] You might want to take a step back then.

Peter: [his human side winning out over the animal instincts, he moved to jump back, stopping for a moment though to take a look around them in all the directions and focus his senses to make sure they were alone because that was always Peter's role with his family, and even as an animal that instinct bled through to both the human and animal side. When he was secure and felt safe, then he turned to look at his sister]

Talia: [she nods and she shifts quickly, the alpha roar echoing through the preserve with the command]

Laura: [back at the house, two werewolves' heads whip around at the sound, more out of habit than anything else] Guess she found him. [then she's grabbing her phone] I better tell the rest that nothing's actually wrong. [Talia doesn't roar all that often, and she knows that at least Derek is close enough to have heard that if he was at his apartment.]

Derek: [is woken out of his sleep with the roar, and his phone buzzes a moment later and he reaches for it]

Peter: [the roar is powerful, and Peter instinctively leans back to the ground, whining in submission. But it works, and his body shifts back out on command until there is a very naked Hale on the ground shivering at the cold of the preserve in the morning] Ow.

Talia: [and this is why she brought the blanket. She's up quickly, wrapping it around his shoulders so that he's covered up] I warned you it wouldn't be fun.

Laura: [sent to Derek, Malia and Scott] False alarm. Just a bit of coyote trouble.

Derek: [is not going to ask and just goes back to sleep]

Peter: [groans, pulling the blanket around him more] How do you do that all the time and not be in pain?

Talia: Well, I'm supposed to do it for one. That usually makes it a little easier. [she sits next to him, one hand rubbing his back gently] But the first few times, a hot shower helped.

Peter: [just closes his eyes] I don't remember even doing it.

Talia: The animal instinct must have taken over. It's not uncommon with a shift like this - you weren't expecting it, so you panicked and just let the animal lead.

Peter: [nods, then groans. His whole body aches, even if his healing has already fixed the bones that reformed] Think I need that hot shower.

Talia: Come on. Let's get you back to the house. [she moves to help him up to his feet, letting him steady himself on her as he walks] Do you feel better at least?

Peter: [good, because he's very unsteady at the moment] A little. I think I destroyed my living room though in the process.

Talia: We can replace the furniture. [furniture is easy.] You should also know that in her concern for you, Cora may have announced what she found to the entire breakfast table.

Peter: [groans at that] wonderful.

Talia: It's just Laura and Jason, though given that it's Laura, part of it may have gotten back to Derek already. And of course, Stiles, but he actually saw you, so there's nothing I can do about that.

Peter: I'll deal with them later. [because he actually doesn't even want to think about what it means now that he has the ability - uncontrollable, but able to - shift into a full creature] Shower first. Then passing out.

Talia: [she nods] Good plan. I can have Malia hang out at the house for the day.

Peter: [just nods. He's not even hungry, just bone tired and sore]

Talia: [so she walks him all the way back to his house and leaves him at the front door] Call if you need anything.

Peter: [his nose wrinkles at the smells from the house.] I think I need a new living room.

Talia: [she laughs] Do you want me to come in and assess the damage?

Peter: Yeah. You or Laura could take my credit card and go buy new things to replace what's damaged. [he opened the door, and as they walked in it looked like there had been a battle between man and furnishings. The only thing not ruined was the television and entertainment unit, but the couch, table, curtains, and lamp were beyond saving. There were a few holes in the walls from things being thrown, and a broken window] I.... I don't even remember doing half of that. [he just looked at the room, confused]

Talia: [rubs his shoulder gently before nodding] Don't worry about it right now. I'll take care of it.

Peter: [just nods. Now that he's home and seeing everything, his demeanor change is more pronounced. There's almost a scared tone in his voice to match the skittishness of the coyote, the anger gone to someone more quiet and unsure]

Talia: [she can see that, but she doesn't focus on it right now. She just gives his shoulder another squeeze and nudges him towards the stairs] Go clean up. I'll take care of the rest.

Peter: [he will, and he goes to take his shower. He would still be there a half hour later, just sitting on the tile shower floor, staring aimlessly at the wall while the warm water rained down on him]

Talia: [she waits until she finishes sorting out the furniture situation - they have a friend in town who can get them things quickly, before she notices the lack of movement upstairs and goes to knock on the door] Peter? You okay?

Peter: [snaps out of his daze in the shower and looks up at the bathroom door] Somewhat. [he pulled himself up to standing, reaching for the water to stop it.]

Talia: [nods, worried, but she'll leave him privacy still] I just finished talking with the furniture people, I'm going to stay until they make the delivery. If you need anything I'll be downstairs.

Peter: Okay. [he steps out, going to get dressed, then went to sit on the edge of his bed a moment. He waits a bit, then licks his lips.] Talia? Can you come here a sec?

Talia: [comes back up the stairs, just standing in the doorway.] Yes?

Peter: [he looked over at her, so tired and worn] I shouldn't be able to do that.

Talia: [she shakes her head] No. But it's not unheard of. Werecoyotes are ... complicated. I can have Deaton look into it.

Peter: But I'm a wolf. I've always been a wolf.

Talia: But kanimas become wolves after they're saved. There's no saying it can't go in the opposite direction.

Peter: [he shakes his head] Dad always joked I was more coyote than wolf. I've always been cunning. Talia, what if it's something more? It explains so much about who I am, but.... [so scared]

Talia: [she shakes her head, taking a few steps closer and placing her hands on his shoulders] We will figure it out.

Peter: [lowers his head against her.] What if we can't?

Talia: Then we'll adjust.

Peter: What do I tell my daughter?

Talia: You don't have to tell her anything until we know what's going on.

Peter: [nods, but it's obvious that this is distressing him a lot. Because he now knows what the beast inside of him is, and who he is, and it wasn't at all what he was expecting]

Talia: [moves to sit next to him] Peter, we will figure this out. I promise you.

Peter: [just curls into her more like the little sibling he was. Probably more affectionate than he had been with Talia in a while now]

Talia: [she slides her arms around him, letting him rest his head against her shoulder and holding him tightly] Coyote or not, you're still my family. That will never change.

Peter: I should have left it bottled up. I don't want this. I don't, Talia. It's too much to handle. Not now not after everything.

Talia: Leaving it bottled up would have hurt you more. This you don't have to handle on your own. We can work through it together.

Peter: [a few deep breaths] I realized why I was so angry.

Talia: Why?

Peter: You're the heart of the pack, and I'm the mind. Jennifer out thought me, and used my heart against my mind to make me feel more than think, not letting me see the dangers coming at us until it was too late. And I'm angry that I let her. If she had come at me any other way, I would have seen it coming. But not out of love and affection.

Talia: Then maybe you need to give your heart a little more practice.

Peter: Maybe. I don't know. It hurts just thinking about trying.

Talia: Eventually it will hurt a little less. You can think about it then.

Peter: I'm sorry for what I said last night.

Talia: It's alright. You needed to say it.

Peter: I didn't mean it, though. Not in the way it came out.

Talia: I know. I know.

Peter: But you were right. Even with all this pain, good things do come out of it. Our children.

Talia: [she nods] They did. And they're worth it.

Peter: I don't think I'm getting another kid out of this heartbreak though [small, sad little laugh]

Talia: [she laughs a bit] No. But you do still have the one, who loves you a lot.

Peter: I should call her before I go to bed and talk to her.

Talia: You should. She's still at Fiona's, she's not coming back until this afternoon. [there's a pause] I think she's rather smitten with Bob.

Peter: That dog just wins everyone's heart. [looks towards his nightstand for his phone but it's not there. It's somewhere in the carnage of the living room and he groans] I need a new phone. I think it's in a wall.

Talia: [she reaches into her pocket and pulls hers out] Use mine. I'll pick one up for you after the furniture gets here.

Peter: [nods, and hears a truck rolling up] Sounds like they are here.

Talia: [kisses his temple and gets to her feet] I'll be downstairs. Call your daughter.

Peter: [slides back into the bed and calls his daughter, finding her scent lingering on a pillow and pulling it closer to him]

Malia: [is currently sitting on the floor, playing tug of war with Bob when her phone rings. She glances at the caller ID and when she sees it's Talia she picks up automatically. She does not ignore calls from her alpha] Hey Aunt Talia.

Peter: Actually, it's me. I dropped my phone and it's busted. [dropped... threw... same thing]

Malia: [oh it's you.] Oh. Hi. [there's a pause] Talia said I didn't have to be back until this afternoon. [she's assuming she's in trouble, considering how they left things]

Peter: No, that's fine. [he's tired in his voice, but there is no anger in it] I was calling to make sure you were doing okay. And to apologize. I was wrong to you, and to Isaac.

Malia: [the apology has her relaxing some, and she nods] It's okay. I was letting him push a little further than I should have. He wasn't hurting me, but I should have told him to ease up.

Peter: It was just... too soon after what happened. Which is not an excuse, but why I reacted as I did. I just was afraid you were being hurt again.

Malia: I know. That's what Isaac said too.

Peter: He's a smart kid, and he's very good to you. I didn't hurt him, did I?

Malia: No, he's fine. I think you scared the crap out of him more than anything else.

Peter: I will apologize in person next time he comes over. Please let him know he is still always welcome in our house.

Malia: I will. It may take him a while but I'll tell him.

Peter: Thank you. Are you okay?

Malia: Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting some quality time with my good friend Bob. [there's a pause as Bob starts tugging again] Are you okay?

Peter: I'm exhausted, but doing much better in some ways.

Malia: You should sleep, then. Sounds like you need it.

Peter: I will. If you want to stay with Fiona longer, I will understand. I'll be here when you are ready to come back, okay baby?

Malia: Okay. [she'll be home that night, but she doesn't want him to worry about that now. She just wants him to get some rest] I'll see you later, okay?

Peter: See you later. Love you.

Malia: Love you too, Dad. [and with that, she'll hang up to let him sleep]

Peter: [which he'll do almost right away as he puts the phone on the side table and curls up with the pillow. His rest is a lot gentler on him than he had been sleeping since that fateful day. Complete exhaustion of body, mind and soul had him out]