new york wolves } { of r and r and tlc

[hereditare]

Laura: [so after Espo is released from the hospital she brings him back to her place as he recovers so that she can keep an eye on him and try to figure out ... stuff. Stuff that she doesn't really know how to talk about because their relationship is still really new in a lot of ways. So she's just going to take care of him until he's better and avoid ... talking]

Esposito: [since he is pretty sure Flack isn't going to go up against Laura in where Espo recovers while on medical leave, he's just going to enjoy his heavy drugs and being spoiled by his alpha, also not bringing up the subject just yet beyond an initial "girl, you should have known better" when she first got him after the NYPD and the Kirsanovs swooped in to keep the lackeys from more bloodshed. He spent the first week mostly sleeping, one of the other doctors not named Marcus visiting to check on his condition daily]

Laura: [yes, because Laura is not happy with Marcus right now, so he's staying away. And she probably did a lot of sleeping with him, alternating with her finding reasons to stay in bed either with a book or watching TV, and only really leaving when Peter needs her for something]

Esposito: [and luckily Peter is pretty self-sufficient as a second to take care of a household, along with Derek being back. But after a week, Espo's really starting to get antsy about being on his back, and will look over at her after a long few hours of television] Alright, girl if I don't get out of this bed soon, I'm going to go insane.

Laura: [glances down at him and frowns] Think you're okay enough to move around?

Esposito: Won't know until I try, now will I?

Laura: [she is very unsure about this, but she'll nod] Okay.

Esposito: Bring me my crutches, woman. [said lovingly]

Laura: [rolls her eyes and does as she's told, placing the crutches in front of him and handing them over for him to use]

Esposito: [he pulls himself to his feet and yeah, that hurts like hell but no, getting out of bed is worth it] There we go. You should be worried now, I'm mobile.

Laura: [she laughs] So where do you want to go, now that you have the world at your feet?

Esposito: [thinks] Shower? Though I’ll probably need someone to help keep me up. Scrub my back? [smirks]

Laura: [smirks as well and she nods] Alright. I can do that. C'mon. [and she'll gently guide him towards her bathroom]

Esposito: [and he will happily crutch his way after her, feeling a bit feisty today now that he isn't drugged up to his eyeballs]

Laura: [she'll get to the bathroom first and turn on the hot water, before starting to strip out of her clothes] Need a hand with yours or have you got that?

Esposito: [sorry he was watching, her strip what was that?] Oh, yeah no, I probably will need your help.

Laura: [she smirks before kicking off her jeans and making her way closer] Shirt or pants first?

Esposito: [thinks hard on that.] Pants. So I don't have to put aside the crutches just yet.

Laura: [nods and makes quick work of his pants, being careful of his knee before moving to the shirt] Use me for balance.

Esposito: [and he will, putting the crutches against the sink and holding onto her shoulder.]

Laura: [slips her hands under his shirt to pull it up and over his head, adding his shirt to the pile of clothing on the floor] Do you think your cast will be okay in the water?

Esposito: Crap, that's right. I'm supposed to wrap it in plastic.

Laura: I got it. You sit. [and she'll reach for her robe before heading out of the bathroom and too the kitchen]

Esposito: [and he will lower himself onto the comode and wait]

Peter: [is in the kitchen, sipping his coffee, not judging at all]

Laura: [is not even going to say anything, just rustling through some cabinets for a plastic bag]

Peter: Make sure you also take a few rubber bands to keep the water from getting in. [sip]

Laura: [a beat] Good idea. [and will take the bag and diver for the rubber bands too]

Peter: [and he will just turn the page of the newspaper and not say anything about anything]

Laura: [good boy. she'll just find her rubber bands and head right back to the bathroom again without a word. Once the door is closed behind her, she'll hold up the bag] Got it.

Esposito: Alright. [he holds up his broken wrist]

Laura: [goes to gently wrap it up, before glancing up at him] How're you doing, pain-wise?

Esposito: It's manageable. Easier to forget thinking about getting naked and wet with you.

Laura: [laughs] Well, don't get your hopes up too much. This is just about getting you cleaned up. [but once she finishes, pulls back] Head in. I'll be there in a second.

Esposito: Mmm, we'll see. [but he'll pull himself up with a groan and hobble his way to the shower]

Laura: [and she will hang up her robe and strip off the rest of her clothes before slipping in after him]

Esposito: [and he's leaning up against the shower wall, cleaning out his wound when he looks up to see her] Still as beautiful as I remember.

Laura: It has not been that long since you've seen me.

Esposito: No, but a lot's happened in that week.

Laura: [nods a bit as she moves forward, leaning forward to press a kiss against his shoulder] Yeah, a lot has.

Esposito: [leaning back against her] Anyone been asking you how you're doing?

Laura: [nods a bit, not pulling away from him] Yeah, they have. [how she's been answering is pretty much summed up as lies, but she doesn't see it that way. She's fine. Totally fine. Absolutely not fine at all]

Esposito: You want to talk about it?

Laura: [she's quiet for a moment, closing her eyes and letting her forehead rest against his shoulder for a moment, before shaking her head] I couldn't leave you.

Esposito: I appreciate that, I do. But you're more important than me and we both know it.

Laura: No, Javi. I couldn't. [there's an emphasis and weight on the word that indicates that it wasn't really a choice she made. There was no other option, not with the things she was feeling. It wasn't a risk that she could take]

Esposito: [he's going to pause a moment, hearing the meaning of the words and slowly turning to look at her] So you did feel what he was doing to me, didn't you?

Laura: [she looks up at him for a moment, before nodding] I don't know how it happened.

Esposito: But it did. [he reached up to touch her face] Tell me what it means.

Laura: [leans into his hand as she tries to explain it] Mates are ... wolves mate for life. With werewolves it's ... similar, but a little more complicated. When a wolf choose their mate they'll usually mark them with a bite and a bond is formed. They can feel when the other is in trouble, if they're hurt, if they're upset ... [she pauses before looking up at him again] And they say that if their mate is killed, the wolf doesn't really live much longer after that.

Esposito: I know much of that. But you haven't bit me, Lar. [his thumb caressed her cheek] You shouldn't have that bond with me by all that. But Gerard was banking on something else. Something about an alpha being able to feel her mate without a mate bond.

Laura: [she shakes her head because she doesn't know. This is the kind of thing she would ask her mom about and her mom isn't here] Well ... whatever it was, it worked.

Esposito: So I guess that means you and me?

Laura: I guess. [she lets her hand rest against his shoulders for a moment] I'm sorry.

Esposito: Why are you sorry?

Laura: [a beat] Because it goes both ways, and if this really is a mate bond ... [if anything happens to her it could happen to him too]

Esposito: If it's really a mate bond... then I guess I need to start saving up for an engagement ring.

Laura: [glances up and shakes her head] You don't have to ... feel like that means ... [they so aren't ready for that kind of commitment. She hasn't even actually verbalized the fact that she loves him yet]

Esposito: Girl, I've already been thinking about it. [small smile] Yeah, I know it's maybe been a year at this point, and we've been a slow burn... but other day Ryan and I were talking and he was telling me about how he's noticed that I've been more focused, happier... and I have. And I think it's because of you.

Laura: [part of her jumps at that, wants that, but she still feels fast and like her wolf is forcing the issue when she didn't choose this or decide if she was ready for it] This still feels really fast.

Esposito: Then we'll take it slow. But baby, you're going to need to figure out if it's feeling fast because it's too fast for you, or if you're scared.

Laura: Are the two mutually exclusive?

Esposito: No, but one can be confused for the other.

Laura: [sighs as she leans back into the shower] I don't know. A lot of it is me being scared because I don't know how this happens and it puts you at risk and until I figure out that, I won't be able to figure out any of the rest.

Esposito: Well, we can work on trying to figure it out together. You aren't alone.

Laura: [she takes a deep breath before nodding] I know. [still feels like it sometimes, even if she knows it isn't true] The only other person who knows about this is Peter.

Esposito: ... You don't think Stiles knows, do you?

Laura: [shakes her head] He couldn't have. I didn't know until Gerard already had you.

Esposito: Yeah, but he was in the room. I don't know when he got there though.

Laura: He doesn't know I felt it. He just knows I came.

Esposito: [nods] Does Peter know anything?

Laura: He was just as surprised as I was.

Esposito: Maybe he could find out more for you? I mean, Gerard compared it to your parents bond.

Laura: [she shook her head] She was still a beta when I was born, they were mated before she became the alpha.

Esposito: Gerard seemed to think different.

Laura: Gerard doesn't know as much as he thinks he does about my family.

Esposito: But he does know things. And that's what makes him dangerous.

Laura: It's more than that that makes him dangerous.

Esposito: Then it's a good thing he's safely behind bars in a high security medical facility with no option for bail.

Laura: Agreed.

Esposito: And it's also a good thing I still have at least five weeks of medical leave to spend with you so we can figure this out together.

Laura: [smiles softly at that] Also a lot of resting and healing and making sure you get better.

Esposito: And maybe working our way up to some sexual healing? [reaches out with his good hand to wrap around her hip and pull her closer]

Laura: [she laughs a bit] Not until you regain the use of at least one of your injured limbs.

Esposito: Why wait? Not like I'm not already on the bottom all the time, which we do need to negotiate about that one day.

Laura: Because I prefer it when you can use both your hands.

Esposito: I'm pretty good at using what I've got working for me.

Laura: I know. But like I said. Two hands are better than one.

Esposito: Then I guess we'll just have to hope for a miracle healing and that my lips don't break.

Laura: I'll keep my fingers crossed. [one hand comes up to brush against the back of his neck for a moment, and she gives it a beat before she gets the words out] I do love you, though.

Esposito: [and that's a sly smile on his lips as he hears it] What was that? I couldn't hear you over the shower....

Laura: [she gives him a small look at that, before leaning in closer, brushing her lips against his] I love you.

Esposito: [yeah, he's not feeling the pain in his leg as he leans in to kiss her] I love you too, Laura. [and back to kissing her]

Laura: [and then there will probably be a lot more kissing as he attempts to convince her that he's totally okay for more than just that but she will be sticking to her guns, sorry Espo.]

Esposito: [that's fine. He's going to soon start feeling that leg and hiss as he puts his weight on it more] Yeah, I think I'm about ready to head back to bed.

Laura: [nods as she reaches over to turn off the water] Let's get you dried off. [and with that she will herd him out of the shower, into some clean clothes and back into bed]

Esposito: [ and time to drug up and he will probably fade back out to sleep soon after]

Laura: [once Espo is asleep she wanders out for a little bit of time to herself, wet hair pulled back and dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. She makes herself coffee first before sitting across from him and trying to figure out the best way to ask him a really awkward question. Eventually she spits out] Was Mom still a beta when she had me?

Peter: [looks up, confused a bit] Yes. It wasn't until shortly after Derek's birth that your grandparents died.

Laura: [she nods once] So she and Dad were mated before that.

Peter: [there isn't an immediate answer as Peter thinks.] Actually... I don't think so. I'm not sure.

Laura: [nods, keeping the cup of coffee in her hands for a moment] Think you could find out?

Peter: I could. Is there a particular reason why this is important?

Laura: Something Gerard said to Javi - which I know, Gerard, so take it with a grain of salt - but ... I guess I need to know if this is a fluke or something that actually happens.

Peter: [just lifts an eyebrow and sips his coffee, waiting for more because that is very vague]

Laura: [a sigh] He may have ... implied that Mom mated with Dad the same way I did with Javi. He wasn't just holding him to piss me off, he was testing a theory.

Peter: ... Which is how you felt his injuries in your sleep. [statement, not a question] I will need to check with Deaton on that - he and your mother had a very deep friendship and if something like that was possible, he would know.

Laura: [nods again, quietly running her thumb over the rim of her coffee cup] I still don't know how this happened. I ... I wasn't even feeling the urge to, it just ... happened. [and it scares the ever loving shit out of her.]

Peter: [there is a small smile as he reaches across the table to hold her hand] Sometimes it happens when you aren't expecting it. Your heart and your mind work on different levels. And not everyone bites their mate - some fear the ties that it brings, and some can't because of the risk of turning. That's one of the things that make us appear just a bit more magical than we give our genetics credit for.

Laura: Yeah, well, a little warning might have been nice. [she feels unprepared and off kilter and now Espo is caught up in it too and there should have been some kind of consent involved]

Peter: [he sees how torn she is and smiles] I will also let you know that a mate bond is something that needs to happen on both ends for it to form. Which means that if young Esposito is bonded to you, it is also something his heart is accepting and giving freely. [squeezes her hand]

Laura: I hope you're right. [she makes a face]

Peter: [and these are the moments where the old Peter still shines through as he smiles] Of course I'm right. The boy would be crazy if he wasn't madly in love with you by now. He's the lucky one.

Laura: [there's a small look at that, because that's not the kind of encouragement she needs right now] And what if something happens to him on the job?

Peter: That's a discussion for you and him. Let me talk to Deaton though, and see if there are also differences in this kind of bond. Remember, your parents died at the same time - if they had this bond, it doesn't show proof as the other bonds do for following each other in this realm and beyond.

Laura: [she closes her eye and nods, even if she's wondered before about the possibility of her mother surviving if her father hadn't been in the house at the time. And a sudden pang hits her because she misses him too]

Peter: [gets up, pulling out his phone. he walks around the table and leans down to kiss the top of her head] Don't dwell on the adverse sides of this too much, Laura. I happen to like the changes I’ve seen in you with his influence. You deserve to have good things too in your life.

Laura: [she closes her eyes as she leans into him for a moment, then nods] I'll try.

Peter: [just holds her that moment, giving her the support she is looking for]

Laura: [she'll take it, taking a few deep breaths, before nodding and pulling away] You know where I'll be if you need me.

Peter: Yes, and I will try not to disturb you so that he can sleep. [and he will head out onto the balcony with a refill of coffee to call out to California]

Laura: [and she will head back to bed and probably curl up to take a nap herself]