thepicketfencecliche | spamalot } of art openings and cheesecake

Nadia: [The gallery has cleared out for the evening, but one of the benefits of running an event is you get to take in the calm after the storm. She is currently sitting on a bench in front of her favorite piece, slowly finishing off her last glass of champagne]

Peter: [has been standing in front of one of the paintings, taking it in while sipping his drink. He nods to himself, turning to head back to her] Well, this was an amazing success.

Nadia: [she nods with a smile] Most of the pieces sold. I'm sure Rachel will be very pleased.

Peter: [sits down next to her] I'm surprised you need someone to come with you to these. I don't think I've seen you most of the night.

Nadia: [she shrugs] I have the free plus one, and Fiona is usually a good distraction when I'm stuck talking to someone I'd much rather not be. Still, it's nice to fill the slot with someone who actually appreciates the art every once in a while.

Peter: Well, art and history are both things I appreciate, so I wouldn't mind coming to another one of these again if you needed it.

Nadia: Well, if I have any on the west coast, I'll be sure to let you know.

Peter: Wonderful. [looks up at the piece of art in front of them] So what's this piece?

Nadia: She called it Rebirth. I'm not really sure what it is about it, but it's my favorite in the collection. She said she painted it after she lost her sister in a car accident.

Peter: [puts his glass down and rests his chin on his folded hands, just looking at it for a while]

Nadia: [she glances to him for a moment as he watches the art, before turning her attention back to it again. Really, it's the art that's important.]

Peter: [another moment, and then sits back and talks about how you can see the emotion in brush strokes and fancy sophisticated art talk]

Nadia: [she'll sit and listen and nod her agreement, as well as adding her own fancy art talk here and there]

Peter: [and she'll get for a moment a real, honest smile from him as he listens and they talk art]

Nadia: [it's nice seeing him open up but she doesn't call him out on it or press her luck. Just nice, honest conversation for a few moments]

Peter: [and that is probably going to be the single reason he keeps talking. No pressure, no comments, just a very intelligent, relaxing talk about something that has nothing to do with their lives]

Nadia: [yep. It's a good talk between the two of them, but eventually it tapers off and her eyes wander back to him again.] Well. It's getting late. We should probably get back to the house. I've been told you're getting a cake.

Peter: I'm getting cake? [his eyebrows go up] It's not my birthday.

Nadia: No. It's your gift for volunteering to be here in place of Fiona.

Peter: Ah. Well, I guess we can go back and have coffee and dessert back home then. [he stood up, then offered her his hand]

Nadia: [she takes it with a nod, placing her glass on one of the tables as they make their way out the door to her car]

Peter: [and he's doing the perfect gentleman thing opening doors and the like for her, and when they are in the car he relaxes back into the seat with a sigh] Thank you, again, for allowing me to come.

Nadia: It was my pleasure, really. I'm just glad you enjoyed it.

Peter: I did. [he had, since he was left to wander for the most part and enjoy the paintings unless Nadia had wanted him to talk to someone. A few women had tried to make conversation, but he always brought the topic back to the art. It was nice practice to get out in the world again on his own and know he could be a part of the human race again. His confidence had started to come back]

Nadia: Good. [she leans back in her seat a bit as they head through the streets] Did you see anything you might want to buy yourself?

Peter: There were a few pieces, but I actually don't buy often unless I really like the piece. I just enjoy being able to go elsewhere to see the collections. Art should be appreciated by the public. It's hard for me to think selfishly and want to have exclusive viewing of a piece.

Nadia: The art fan in me wishes more private collectors shared your view of things. It's one of the reasons why art isn't out there as much as it should be.

Peter: Sometimes it takes a person who can see beyond their own mortality and self-pleasure to understand these kinds of things.

Nadia: [she nods] And until then I suppose we'll just have to wait for them to release it back into the wild.

Peter: Or convince them to give it up for an exhibit at one of the museums or universities.

Nadia: That's another part of my job. Charming very rich business men into loaning out a piece for a few weeks.

Peter: I bet that is the harder of two responsibilities.

Nadia: It depends on how the sleazy the business men is. Certainly not my favorite, but a necessary part of the job all the same.

Peter: [he does his little lip curl at the thought of her dealing with sleazy men for her job.] Too bad you can't teach it to Nik to handle those men.

Nadia: I'm a werewolf too. I can handle myself. [she smirks a bit] Appearances can be deceiving, people forget that I don't need my little brother to fight my battles for me.

Peter: Oh, I figured that you could handle yourself. My apologies if you felt I meant different. My sister and I - she is the one with the power in the family. Being the alpha, you would expect it. But anyone who's run up against us will know I'm the one they need to watch out for. Bigger and power doesn't always mean better, and I was thinking more that Nik could throw off their game, giving you more opportunity to sink your claws in. Metaphorically, that is.

Nadia: [she smiles a bit at that, before nodding] If Nik were to come with me, the negotiations wouldn't go nearly as smoothly. He has much less patience than I do.

Peter: Ah, I see. That could be a problem.

Nadia: All the same, most of them aren't that bad. Especially when I schedule the meetings with their wives as well.

Peter: [chuckles] Good strategy.

Nadia: [she nods as the car pulls up to the front of the house, and she thanks the driver, before making her way out and inside] Now let's see where she put that cake.

Peter: [listens to the house] Do you think they're still awake?

Nadia: [tips her head to the side as well] The bedrooms are sound proofed, so if their doors are closed than ... either they are or we don't want to know.

Peter: Soundproofing. I should look into that for a remodel. [not that he will soundproof Malia's room until she's 21, but still.]

Nadia: It makes all of our lives much easier.

Peter: [he will also suggest it to Laura and Jason, since that will save them a lot of hassle since they are just starting their build] I can imagine. Though our kids tend to behave in the house because we lack it... [stern parent mindset]

Nadia: [she laughs as she makes her way into the kitchen] Well, most of us aren't children anymore. It's better just to give us our privacy. [and sitting on the counter is a strawberry cheesecake with a note reading "FOR PETER" in big block letters]

Peter: We tend to just move out and get our own places on the property when we hit that age. It's a good thing most of Beacon Hills is really our property... [sees the cheesecake and smiles] I found the cake.

Nadia: [glances over and smiles] I'll make the coffee. [as she heads over to the coffee maker] We all have our own places in New York, but when it comes to the family properties, it makes more sense just to share.

Peter: We actually don't have properties outside of Beacon Hills. I mean, when the human members grow of age and leave, they get their inheritance of the family money to start their own lives, but most go on to have their own families and it's rare that another wolf is born to their line. The wolves stay at the preserve. Laura and Derek are the first two who actually went to college, and even then - until now - it was always within a half day's drive.

Nadia: My mother liked to travel. Dad bought her houses in the places she liked best. London, DC, Chicago, the list goes on. Now we use them more for business, but we couldn't bring ourselves to sell them.

Peter: [is getting plates, forks and a knife to cut the cake] That is actually very endearing.

Nadia: [she smiles a bit as she pulls two mugs out of the cabinet] She put so much love into all of them. There are little pieces of her everywhere - it's like coming home.

Peter: [looks over at her and smiles a bit, hearing the affection in her voice] Yeah, I can imagine. I have my own place, but I spend most of my days while Malia is at school with my sister. Her home will always be my home. I look around and I see all the memories.

Nadia: [she nods a bit as she pours the coffee, taking a small break from the topic at hand] How do you like your coffee?

Peter: A touch of sugar and cream, thank you. How big of a slice do you want?

Nadia: Oooh. [she glances back towards it for a moment before going back to fixing the coffee] The regular size is fine.

Peter: [he gives two nice slices and puts them on the plates, then carries them to the table and sits, waiting for her to join him. He shrugged out of the jacket and tie as well, unbuttoning the top two buttons on his shirt so he could be more comfortable]

Nadia: [joins him a few minutes later and places his coffee in front of him before sinking into the seat across from him, toeing off her heels as she does with a soft sigh]

Peter: [takes a sip of his coffee - perfect.] Thank you again. This weekend here has been very relaxing.

Nadia: I'm glad. I would hate for a vacation to be stressful.

Peter: [takes a bite of his cheesecake, thinking for a moment about their last conversation in the kitchen] I feel the need to apologize for my coldness last night.

Nadia: [glances up as she takes a bite of her own, pausing for a moment to swallow, before shaking his head] No, Peter, it's fine. I think we both were ... miscommunicating.

Peter: It's a bit more than that. [he had been thinking for most of the night, and how far he was willing to trust Nadia. And then he realized that both Derek and Fiona being in her home and friendly with her, he should have let himself use that example to set his own.] Have you heard much of the real reason Derek is here? I know Victor knows, but I don't know how much he has let filter down, or what Derek or Fiona may have told you.

Nadia: [she pauses before shaking her head] I tend not to dig into secrets too much. If someone wants me to know something, I figure they'll tell me when they're ready. I'm nosy, but I try not to be intrusive.

Peter: [nods, respecting that] To leave out Derek's side, I can tell you mine. I think... I think it's time I tell someone, actually, that isn't family.

Nadia: [she nods once in acknowledgement, placing her fork down and giving him her full attention]

Peter: [he took another bite, then put his down as well] Once the woman I loved left, and then I had Malia to care for, I didn't really let myself look for another mate. My daughter was my life. But last fall a new teacher started at her school, and after some time, I decided to try and let that barrier down. Malia's going to leave for college next fall, and part of me thought I was ready. So I tried, and I fell into it and it was nice to have that. I had forgotten how nice it was to have someone love you that wasn't your child or family.

Nadia: [she nods a bit in agreement] I know what you mean. [with her job it can make it hard to maintain relationships for too long. She misses them]

Peter: I think though that was my downfall in this though. Because I let myself open up too much. I let myself trust her too fast. And because of that, I gave her a pathway to nearly kill my entire pack as part of a plot she had to take out Deucalion and his alpha pack. [he goes to take a sip of coffee] She was only using me and my affection to get close to the others. There was really nothing there for me at all. And when I realized how much my desire for affection had almost cost me... [he shakes his head, then takes a deep breath] I'm working to try and find some even ground to stand on still at times. And that is why I don't feel right now I'm good for anyone on any level. I don't know if I ever will be.

Nadia: [her face softens a bit as she listens, sympathy finding it's way in the edges of her eyes, but she doesn't let it become overly so. She has a feeling that's not what he's looking for] Finding the balance can be difficult. Especially when you haven't done it for so long. It's easy to remember when we were young and falling in love was so easy to do, and now that we're older, it's so much more complicated. We want it to be easy - and sometimes other people know that a little too well.

Peter: Derek had followed my example in his early adult life of not forming connections with others. He was still a young man, though, but I can see the damage my example did to his development. I'm grateful every day he took the chance with Fiona because he have grown so much since into the young man his mother and I had hoped he would be. But part of me was jealous too, in a way. I had never wanted something so much in those weeks. And now I don't know if I can trust my own judgments sometimes, as you've witnessed personally.

Nadia: After a blow like that, it's natural to second guess things. Rebuilding confidence comes with time and practice. I'm sure you'll find it again.

Peter: I hope so. For my family's sake if nothing else. I know they're worried about me, and I'm not used to being the weak one in the family. [because there's the whole thing with the coyote issue he isn't wanting to talk on yet] That's why they all encouraged me to come out here to visit Derek and get away for a bit, thinking maybe being away from Beacon Hills would give me some clarity.

Nadia: Just because you let yourself fall and got hurt because of it doesn't make you weak. It makes you ... a person. You aren't the first to be manipulated like that and unfortunately I doubt you'll be the last. [she reaches across the table for his hand gently, giving it a small squeeze] But I am sorry it happened to you.

Peter: [looks at their hands, then smiles a bit and looks up at her] Thank you.

Nadia: [she nods as she brushes her thumb against his knuckles once, before pulling her hand back and going back to the cake] Were they right? Has it helped?

Peter: Yes, actually. It's been nice to just be away from all my responsibilities and enjoy the city.

Nadia: Good. Hopefully the rest of the weekend stays the same.

Peter: Same here. I think Derek is planning to take me to Annapolis tomorrow?

Nadia: Oh, Annapolis is lovely. I think you'll enjoy it.

Peter: It sounds interesting. Between the naval academy, the dock and the historic district, I'm sure he's going to talk my ear off on everything he's learned about the area.

Nadia: He does have a healthy love of the history. It's good. It means he's in the right place.

Peter: This was his first choice. I don't think he ever expected to get accepted though. I'm glad he is here though, and I'm grateful for how much your family is taking care of him.

Nadia: We are happy to have him. Especially considering how happy he makes Fiona - the fact that he brought her back to us is simply icing on the cake.

Peter: Well, you have her for three years. After that, I can't promise he won't take her back to California for good.

Nadia: Fair enough. Who knows, by that time, maybe Victor will have started buying Leah houses of her own.

Peter: If not, your family is always welcome in my home to visit. It will soon be empty except for school breaks.

Nadia: I will keep that in mind.

Peter: [and he goes back to his cheesecake, feeling a bit better to have gotten that off his chest and to be honest with her]

Nadia: [she is happy to have helped. And as she finishes off the rest of her cheesecake, she glances down to the empty plate with a smile] This was lovely, but I think I am ready to sleep after a long day. [she gathers her plate and coffee cup, and stops next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder gently] Thank you, again, for coming.

Peter: [his hand went to touch hers gently and he looked up at her with a small, thankful smile] Thank you for having me. And for being patient with me.

Nadia: [she smiles, squeezing his shoulder once before nodding] Of course. [and with that, she'll place her dishes in the sink and head to bed]

Peter: [and he will finish up his slice, put the cheesecake in the fridge, do the dishes, and then make his own way upstairs to sleep, though he will probably end up reading for an hour or two before turning in]