canon au } { post-6a, of valentine's and false starts

[impetere]

Cora: [and on Valentine's Day he'll get a text, telling him to meet her at a specific address on the outskirts of Beacon Hills. When he gets there, he'll find an old run down movie theater that he probably hasn't been to since he was a kid. The owner is hanging out in the ticket booth, reading a newspaper]

Stiles: [and he will arrive, a basket of Cora's favorite candy in the passenger seat. He gets out and looks around, no sign of her. He will text her to find out where she is]

Stan: [looks up when the phone buzzes, and he peers out into the parking lot to see the Jeep. He gives a wave, and then indicates for him to come closer]

Stiles: [ok, that's not scary at all. He'll come over, wishing he has the bat from his trunk] You have my girlfriend's phone.

Stan: Yes. She gave it to me. [he gestures to the door] Go on in. The surprise is in there.

Stiles: If I find her tied up and this is a horrible horror movie come to life, just know my dad's the sheriff. [but he heads towards the door]

Cora: [Stan just laughs, and there is no such thing inside. What is inside is an empty movie theater, but the area where the seats are is cleared out, with a large comfy couch and picnic basket having replaced it. Standing nearby is his girlfriend a dress, and she gives him a small smile when she sees him] Hey.

Stiles: [blinks, and then smiles] Yeah, much better than I was expecting. Hi.

Cora: [she smiles back] I know I haven't really been ... me, lately. And I know that things have been weird. So I wanted to do something ... bigger, for Valentine's Day, so I talked to Stan and he said he would help me.

Stiles: Well, this is a nice surprise. We haven’t gone to an actual movie in the theatres in a long time.

Cora: Nope. And I think you're really going to like what we're seeing. [and she'll hold out he hand to pull him over to the couch]

Stiles: Oh? Should I go lock the door so Stan can't peek? [grins as he lets himself go to the couch and sit down]

Cora: [gives him a bit of a look before settling next to him, and giving a thumbs up to the projection room. a few minutes later, the opening of Rogue One starts]

Stiles: [blinks] Oh shit, I forgot this was coming out... I missed a Star Wars movie?!

Cora: You did. But we're fixing it now. And watching the rest of them in machete order.

Stiles: [smiles, leaning back] This is why I love you. [and he will hand her the candy basket] Happy Valentine's Day.

Cora: [grins as she takes it, and happy that he's happy] Thanks. [And with that they will drop off into Star Wars land for a while, with Stan bringing them popcorn and food when they ask for it]

Stiles: [and they are there for literally the entire day]

Cora: [yep. And there's just a lot of snuggling and a lot of Star Wars, and Cora even stays awake for all of it!]

Stiles: [there was a moment in the prequels that Stiles almost fell asleep, but it's the prequels. But he was happy to have his old Cora back, and snuggles with her happily]

Cora: [she can feel how happy he is and she knows it should make her happier than it does, but it does buoy her a little, and she tries to see if she can make it better by leaning in to kiss him]

Stiles: [and he will kiss her back, smiling against her lips as he cups her cheek, keeping her close to him]

Cora: [and she will just sink into the kiss, chasing that feeling she used to love so much, but it's harder to grasp now - not because of anything Stiles is doing wrong, but because there's something wrong with her, and it's becoming more and more obvious as days pass]

Stiles: [and they can just make out for a bit because really, you've seen one Death Star blow up, you've seen them all]

Cora: [yep, that's fine, and when the movies end, she'll lean back against the couch with a sigh] So good Valentine's?

Stiles: Well, we could make it better, but we'd have to do that back home.

Cora: [oh. right. they could do that. she considers for a moment, before nodding] Sure. We could do that. [and hopefully by the time they get there, she'll actually want to]

Stiles: [the fact she hesitated doesn't go unnoticed] If it helps, we can stop by the store and get extra condoms just in case I don't have any at home.

Cora: Sure. [there's a deep breath and she nods, a little more confident] Yeah. Let's do that.

Stiles: Okay. [and he will take her hand and squeeze it, smiling. Because he does love her so much. And he's going to be uber cautious for like, the rest of his life now]

Cora: [and she'll squeeze his hand back, letting him lead her back to the jeep and once there, back to his house]

Stiles: [with a quick stop at the Walgreens. And upstairs they can go and after stashing the picnic basket and her candy basket, he will just sit on the edge of the bed and pull her over to him gently]

Cora: [and she will go with him because she knows she should want this, and maybe reconnecting with him like this will help make everything else snap back into place. She tucks her legs under her and leans in to kiss him gently, just wanting to take her time]

Stiles: [and he is totally fine about taking his time. He's missed her. He's missed being intimate with her which, let's face it, has been awhile now before we count in the missing months]

Cora: [it has, and for a while she's fine. she leans into his hands, kisses him back eagerly, as though that will force things back to the way they should be, but eventually, when she winds up on her back under him, and feels his lips against her neck, she knows that this isn't the way it should feel, and while part of her wants to just push through it, for him, because she doesn't want him to think that it's his fault, she knows that trying to force it could only make things worse, and she doesn't want him to feel that either. So her hands move to his arms, pushing back gently] Stiles, stop.

Stiles: [which he will, pulling back from where he had been kissing] What's wrong?

Cora: [she doesn't really know how to put it into words, beyond the fact that it's incredibly awkward to tell your boyfriend that your sex drive just isn't there, on Valentine's Day, after having been away from him for so long. And she doesn't know how to phrase it to help convince him that it's not him.] I ... I just can't. I don't feel right. I'm sorry.

Stiles: [And his face drops a bit, but he nods. In his mind right now, maybe it's just too close to the baby being born that she doesn't feel comfortable. It has to be the reason, right?] No, it's okay. We don't have to.

Cora: [yep. that's totally probably it. there's a bit of relief on her face, but mostly she's just frustrated] I am trying. [she just can't manage to move past the fact that she still feels broken]

Stiles: I know. [and he will roll off her, sliding up to be next to her, his hand going to just wrap around her hip gently] We're still good. Just a bit more time, that's all.

Cora: [watches him for a moment, before nodding and shifting to curl up into him. it's not an adequate substitute, she knows that, but she doesn't want him to blame himself] Yeah. Just more time.

Stiles: [he will lean in to kiss her] And for the record - not mad. I may need to go use the bathroom for a moment in a bit, but I'm not mad.

Cora: [she laughs] I just don't want you to think it's your fault, either. Because it's not you, it's very definitely me.

Stiles: [nods] But we're still a team. So what's your problems are still our problems. I want to help.

Cora: [she nods a bit, before shrugging] Problem is, I don't know how you can. It's not like you can flip a switch and make me feel like me again.

Stiles: [his smile fades a bit] No, I know... but I feel useless not trying at least.

Cora: I know, and I don't want you to feel that way. I don't even know how to help me right now.

Stiles: You feel anything at all?

Cora: Sort of? [there's a beat] Just when I try to get to the good stuff it's like I'm trapped in a box and can't quite get there.

Stiles: Maybe you should talk to Sweets?

Cora: Yeah, I've been thinking about that too.

Stiles: We could drive up to Berkeley if you want.

Cora: [nods slowly, before glancing up to him] Can we stay in a hotel instead of the apartment?

Stiles: Yeah. We can. I can go scrub the place down while you talk with Sweets if you want?

Cora: It's not really something you can clean up. [it's not the scents or the stuff there, it's the things that happened there that she's trying to avoid]

Stiles: Okay. Well, it's not that we're going to need a long term place at the moment with no classes and such.

Cora: [she nods] I just ... can't be in there right now.

Stiles: Then you don't have to. You be here. With me.

Cora: [glances up at him with a small smile] That's where I want to be.

Stiles: Good. That's what I want you too. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Cora: I do, and it doesn't end well.

Stiles: Then let's try never to go there, ok?

Cora: [she nods] I'll try.

Stiles: [and he will lean in to kiss her]

Cora: [kisses him back, before shifting in her dress a bit] Can I grab something to sleep in?

Stiles: Yeah. You do that, I'm going to just grab a quick five minute shower.

Cora: [she nods and shifts up so that he can get up and go]

Stiles: [and he's going to go shower and just... get rid of his stiffness before heading back to bed in his pajamas]

Cora: [and she's curled up on the inside of the bed against the wall, wearing one of his flannel shirts and a pair of shorts and dozing off a bit]

Stiles: [and he'll be quiet, going to slide in next to her, shifting to the center of the bed and curling up against her back]

Cora: [and she'll shift to curl into him again, still responding to that closeness, at least subconsciously]

Stiles: [which is good, because the longer that they are distant like this, the harder it's going to be for him to not think that it's something about him as well as her own issues]

Cora: [nope. definitely not him. just her needing more time to get back to herself]

Sheriff: [Meanwhile, while the kids had been out, Noah's been busy on his day off making dinner for him and Jody]

Jody: [and she is not so lucky as she used up all her vacation time hiding with the Winchesters, so she comes home at the end of the day, tired and so ready for dinner] That smells good.

Sheriff: [and there are roses on the table, and candles] Good, because it's just about ready. In case you want to change.

Jody: [she nods] Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready to go.

Sheriff: Alright. [and while she's changing, he will make up two plates and put on some soft music in the background]

Jody: [and she will clean up a bit and put on something nice before returning downstairs to Alex's gagging noises as she makes her way out the door] My children are so charming.

Sheriff: We're spared from mine - Cora told me not to expect them back until late tonight.

Jody: Well, Claire is hanging out with Sam and Dean while they're in town, and Alex will be gone for a while, so for now, we have the house all to ourselves.

Sheriff: Good. Then I can turn up the music and not worry about the kids making fun of us.

Jody: [grins] Perfect.

Sheriff: [and he is going to pour them both a glass of wine to go with the meal] So how was work?

Jody: It was work. The usual shenanigans when there isn't a big bad in town.

Sheriff: Think maybe one day we can keep it that way.

Jody: One can only hope.

Sheriff: Now, if I'm not mistaken, I think we both have the morning off tomorrow.

Jody: That we do. Poor, poor Parrish.

Sheriff: Kid's gotta start learning how to run the place if he plans on being Sheriff himself one day.

Jody: Yeah, but I'm pretty sure those deputies are going to try to walk all over him. Plus he does have a girl of his own to romance.

Sheriff: He'll have to toughen up. And he was off today so he has no excuses.

Jody: That is true. And I said that the other deputies would try, I didn't say they would succeed.

Sheriff: I know.

Jody: Anyway. I do not want to talk about work.

Sheriff: [chuckles] Yeah, seems that's all we talk about. Work, or the kids.

Jody: Well, they are never ending constants.

Sheriff: That they are. [he takes a deep breath] I've been meaning to ask how you're doing. We haven't really talked about everything that happened during the Ghost Rider invasion.

Jody: [exhales slowly, before she gives a small shrug] It was definitely a head trip, that's for sure.

Sheriff: Yeah, just a bit. You'd think we'd forget everything that happened when they left.

Jody: [shakes her head] Supernatural doesn't always work that way.

Sheriff: No, it doesn't. [and he's going to take a bite of his meal]

Jody: [she will do the same, not saying anything for a moment before she looks up at him again] Did I ever tell you about my son, Owen? [this is really not the tone she wanted to go with this dinner, but she heard about what went down with not!Claudia]

Sheriff: A little.

Jody: After ... [she gestures with her fork, because even after all this time, it's still hard to talk about her son that died] ... I buried myself in work. It was the only thing I could do, because things with Sean were harder, and for good reason. We were still trying to figure out who we were without him. It was going to take time, obviously. But, uh. Then one night about eight years ago, Owen just walked through the door like he was coming home from school and nothing ever happened.

Sheriff: Your first dance with the supernatural I take it?

Jody: [she nods] That was when I met the Winchesters. It was happening all over town - dead people just crawling up from their graves like they never left. For a while everything was fine. It was like he never left. Sean and I were good, Owen was happy - no problem here. But the boys knew better. They tried to tell me it wasn't my son, it was just something with his face, and by the time I actually accepted that, it was too late, and it cost me my husband.

Sheriff: [and he reaches over to put one of his hands on hers] I'm sorry.

Jody: [she smiles softly and gives her hand a small squeeze] Point is, I know what it's like to have something you love come back to be used against you. So if you want to talk about it, I'm here.

Sheriff: I will take you up on that. I'm just not there yet. [everything about Claudia was still raw. It was three months of having his wife back. It was going to take him awhile] But the one thing that I realized once I was able to see the truth was that I wasn't as crushed as I thought I was going to be. Want to know why?

Jody: Sure.

Sheriff: Because I knew on the other side that while I was losing her... I wasn't alone. Because I remembered you, and how close we had become and how much you mean to me. Knowing that I had you was what kept me going. Kept me strong.

Jody: [and she smiles a bit at that, before squeezing his hand again] Good. I'm glad.

Sheriff: and I don't want to lose you, not again.

Jody: Well, I'm not going anywhere.

Sheriff: i know, but i was thinking something a bit more permanent [and his hand will go to pick up a tiny box that happened to be hiding behind the flowers]

Jody: .... Oh holy crap. [there will be a better answer when he asks the actual question but she needed to get that out there]

Sheriff: [chuckles, and yes he is shifting to one knee] Jody, I've thought about this even before everything happened, but now I'm certain that you're the one I've been waiting for, and that all this supernatural stuff may have brought us both a lot of pain, but that it also brought us to each other. I'll gladly deal with werewolves and banshees and whatever else plans to come to town next, because i know you'll be with me too handle it. So will you do me the honor of being my wife?

Jody: [just listens with a giant smile on her face, before nodding as she leans in to kiss him] Yeah.

Sheriff: [and he kisses her back, smiling that big, goofy Stilinski grin. When he pulls away, he puts the ring on her finger. It's a new one, not the one that he had given Claudia. That was stashed away for when Stiles wanted it]

Jody: [it's good because it would have been a little weird to give your new wife your old wife's ring. And she will pull back and look at it with a smile] I like it.

Sheriff: I'm glad, because I'm pretty useless in the jewelry store, so i may have had to ask for help

Jody: [she laughs] Well, that depends on who you asked from.

Sheriff: Claire and Alex.

Jody: Then I'll be sure to tell them that they did good.

Sheriff: Good. I wanted to make sure they were good with this. And that they knew this was their home now for add long add they want to stay.

Jody: I think if they weren't good with this, they would have protested a lot more when I decided to go back for you.

Sheriff: I figured, but still, asking and talking is better than assuming.

Jody: [she nods] That is true.

Sheriff: [and he will lean up to kiss her again]

Jody: [and she will kiss him back, and right now she is highly recommending worrying about dinner later]

Sheriff: [they can totally reheat it later. This is why his bedroom being in the first floor is a good thing]

Jody: [yep. besides, who knows when Stiles and Cora are going to get home, they should be done before that]

Sheriff: [yes, because Stiles doesn't want to think about his dad having sex, let alone walk in on it]

Jody: [yes, this is much better and they will go off to do just that. a lot. leave them alone, they're celebrating]

Sheriff: [and dinner will just happen much, much later]

Jody: [yep. sounds about right]