puppy love } { of surprises and runaway twins

[impetere]

Cora: [it takes her a couple months and starting to feel a bit weird for her to realize something is off and she's missed her period two months in a row now. Initially she'd chalked it up to stress, but when she starts feeling nauseous in the morning and she starts reacting differently to certain scents, she decides she might as well rule it out. She spends 2 hours and over a hundred dollars in the local drug store, taking pregnancy test after pregnancy test, quietly willing one of them to come up negative, but none of them do. She then takes herself to the local urgent care facility and asks them to run the test there, just to put the final nail in that coffin, and when that comes back positive, it finally sinks in that this is real. She's pregnant with Stiles' baby, and she can't even tell him.

She makes her way home eventually, having been gone for most of the day and completely forgetting that Laura and Derek had made plans with her to go to the movies and spend the evening out. She blows them off, not really wanting to be around her family until she figures out how to deal with this, and holes up in her room instead, curling up on her side and hugging a pillow to her chest as she turns all of this over in her head and tries not to cry while her family can still hear it]

Thomas: [while he didn't live with Cora much in her days growing up, he was learning her moods and habits quickly. She was more distracted and disconnected today than she normally was, and he had a feeling there was a problem. He waited until the rest of the Hales were gone - Peter taking Malia out for dinner since Laura and Derek were having time together - and then he knocked on her door] Cora, angel, you okay in there?

Cora: [there's a long pause as she tries to manage the requisite "I'm fine" to be left alone. but the longer she tries, the more she realizes she's not even close enough to fake it, and one hand swipes at her eye as a tear slips through] Not really.

Thomas: [and he licks his lips and opens the door] Do you want to talk about it? Everyone else is gone, so it'll just be you and me.

Cora: [shifts into a sitting position as the door opens, still hugging her pillow to her chest] Promise you won't be mad?

Thomas: [he moves to sit next to her] I won't be mad, angel. I promise.

Cora: [she nods and takes a deep breath, playing with the pillow for a moment as she tries to get her mouth around the words. This would be the first time she's saying it out loud, and she's not sure she's ready for it to be real] I'm pregnant.

Thomas: [and nope, that is the last thing he was expecting.] Come again?

Cora: Please don't be mad. [she knows that isn't what he asked, but she needs him to remember his promise as tears slip down her cheeks] Because Laura and Peter are probably going to be mad and Derek is going to feel guilty and I just can't handle either of those right now, and we were safe, Dad, I swear.

Thomas: [and he is going to pull her into his arms, kissing the top of her head] Sssh, Cora. I'm not mad. And even if you were safe, condoms do break sometimes. It's going to be okay.

Cora: [and she'll just melt into him because it honestly doesn't feel like it's going to be okay right now] I don't know what to do.

Thomas: Well, first thing we're going to do is get you a doctor's appointment to check on the little one and make sure they are healthy, and see what you're going to need. I'm not that kind of doctor.

Cora: [she's quiet at that, because to be honest there are moments that she's thought about not keeping it. They aren't long ones, but they're there, lingering in the back of her mind that maybe that would be the better choice. They're still constantly moving and constantly looking over their shoulder and she doesn't want to bring a baby into that. Never mind that it would have a father it likely will never get the chance to meet. But she can't exactly tell her dad that so in the end she stays quiet]

Thomas: [and he is going to just pet her head] I know you're probably scared with everything going on, but we'll figure it all out, Cora. We've got time.

Cora: What am I going to do about Stiles?

Thomas: Well, if you want I can get an encrypted message to his father to get to him.

Cora: I don't know. [she sighs heavily] I have to tell Laura first.

Thomas: And your brother. If you want, I'll handle Peter.

Cora: I don't know yet. [she takes a deep breath] Part of me just wants to run home and be anywhere but here.

Thomas: You're not the only one. But that's a discussion between you, Derek and Laura. If you wanted to go back, I'll go with you so you're not alone. Your sister can find us when they feel they are safe and established.

Cora: Okay. [maybe she should. maybe that would be better so she at least doesn't have to feel like she's slowing them down or her child being in danger. but that's not really her call to make. It's Laura's.]

Thomas: Whatever you decide to do, I'll stand by you. Alright?

Cora: Okay. [she looks up with a small smile, as one hand comes up to brush against her cheeks] Thanks, Dad.

Thomas: You're welcome, Angel. [and he will kiss her forehead] Why don't we go get something to eat. You hungry?

Cora: [she shakes her head] Not really. I kind of just want to go to sleep.

Thomas: Alright. You do that then. I'll have something for you to heat back up in the fridge when you wake back up.

Cora: Okay. [And with that she will curl up into bed and almost immediately pass out because she is all emotioned out]

Derek: [and when he gets back he will pop his head in to check on his twin because he just wants to make sure she is ok]

Cora: [she's not okay, but she's still sleeping, curled up on her side in the dark]

Derek: [he can smell the tears and the anxiety lingering though, and he's going to just slip out for a bit to say goodnight to everyone, and then will return and change for bed, but slide into her bed and Curl up against her back, being that twin supporting brother presence]

Cora: [in her sleep she doesn't mind, shifting and curling into him as her nose nuzzles against his shoulder]

Derek: [yeah, he's good with that, and it honestly is nice to be together because it makes him hurt less missing people]

Cora: [same, she sleeps better with someone next to her after so long sleeping next to Stiles every night]

Derek: [and it's not like they have school in the morning]

Cora: [nope. they can sleep as long as they want]

Derek: [though eventually the smell of food is going to make him start to rouse]

Cora: [yep, her too, but it turns her stomach a bit instead, and she's stumbling out of bed to try and get to the bathroom]

Derek: [and he will not stop her, sitting up in bed though worried and waiting for her to come back]

Cora: [it takes about ten minutes, and she brushes her teeth afterwards because she knows Derek will still be there and he does not need to smell her vomit breath, but she'll make her way back in and close the door behind her]

Derek: You okay?

Cora: [she shakes her head, but avoids going back to the bed because she doesn't really want to talk about this. she still doesn't feel like she's ready to deal with Derek's reaction to it]

Derek: [nods, looking down at his hands a bit] Okay. I just... it's not something I did, right?

Cora: [she shakes her head again] No, it's something I did. [she definitely did it. a lot]

Derek: Okay. Well, when you're ready and want to talk about it, I'm here.

Cora: Okay.

Derek: I'm going to get breakfast. You probably aren't hungry if your stomach sucks.

Cora: [she shakes her head] I'll get something later.

Derek: Okay. Well, if you need me, just come out and grab me. I'll probably be staring at something stupid on the television.

Cora: Okay. [and once he gets up, she's just going to go back to bed, not really wanting to deal with people]

Derek: [and since they are still on lockdown, he can't go out and exercise the way he likes to so he just spends his day watching useless things on television since he can't even get a library card at the moment to get books]

Cora: [and Cora mostly stays in her room and that's basically been their normal for weeks now, and Laura doesn't like seeing them upset, but there's not a lot she can do about it right now.]

Laura: [wanders over to find him and frowns] She tell you what's going on with her?

Derek: Nope.

Laura: Do you think she's going to? Because she hasn't said a word to me since we left Beacon Hills.

Derek: [doesn't blame her] Dunno. It's up to her.

Laura: [sighs, running her hand through her hair] Well, if she does, could you fill me in?

Derek: [looks up at her] If you're asking me to break my sister's confidence because you're my alpha, I will, but that's a pretty shitty thing to make me do.

Laura: No, that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking you to tell me if there's something going on with her that's going to impact what I do next. [she doesn't need the gritty details, and she doesn't think she'd get them anyway, but if there's something wrong that she needs to step in for as an alpha, then she wants to know]

Derek: How about I suggest she tell you if it's something like that? Because otherwise she'll end up talking to neither of us.

Laura: Fine.

Derek: Fine. [and he will go back to rotting his brain]

Cora: [well, it's going to be a few more days before either of them get any answers. it'll take Thomas getting her to a doctor's appointment and her finally making a decision on what she's going to do at least about the baby itself. and when she gets home she'll go to find Derek in his room and shut the door behind her because she still doesn't want the rest of the apartment to know yet]

Derek: [and he's reading some crappy magazine that he found in the lobby abandoned, bored out of his mind and debating on if he can cut letters out of the magazine and make some kind of letter to mail back to Allison without being traced. But he will look up at Cora when he hears the door closed] You want me to leave so you can nap?

Cora: [she shakes her head, before going to sit on the edge of the bed crossing her legs under her for a minute, before deciding spitting it out is the best way to get it out without talking herself out of it] I'm pregnant.

Derek: What?

Cora: That's why I've been weird lately. I'm pregnant.

Derek: ... Oh, Stiles is lucky I can't kill him right now...

Cora: [and there is a glare because no] For the record, I was there too, and I chose to have sex with him and it's not like you weren't banging Allison.

Derek: I know. But I'm a werewolf and I'm protective of my sister. And I still owe him a punch to the face.

Cora: Yeah, well, you don't get to use this as a fucking excuse, and no, you don't, because he deserved to punch you last time. So don't act like you were being so magnanimous by holding back.

Derek: [and that stings and he is going to just shut up and stare at the wall because fine. If he can't be a protective brother, what the fuck is he even good for then]

Cora: [she takes a deep breath] I'm not telling you this so you can be mad at Stiles, because it isn't his fault. We were as safe as we could be and it just ... wasn't enough. I'm telling you this because I can't do this on my own, and I don't think Laura will let me go home.

Derek: If you want to go home, Cora, just go home. You'll be happier there. Laura already knows you hate her.

Cora: [she looks down at her hands] Because I don't want to be an omega, Derek. Especially not with a kid. I can't protect them all by myself. If I leave without Laura's permission and you guys go ... [then she has no pack, and as great as Stiles and the sheriff are, they're only human, and she can't protect them either]

Derek: So what, you'd rather be miserable and resent all of us just so you're not an omega?

Cora: I don't resent all of you. I'm just angry, which I think I have the right to be, and scared, and overwhelmed and I need my family. I need my brother. But if you don't want the job and think I should just go, then fine. Maybe I will. [and she'll get up to leave, because she didn't bring this up to fight with him, and she had hoped that he would have been a little more supportive about what had constantly felt like an impossible decision]

Derek: You know I will be there for you - you're the one jumping down my throat for being overprotective. You jump down my throat all the time - you're the one who makes me think you don't want ME.

Cora: I jumped down your throat for being overprotective because I didn't come here looking for your protection! I didn't come here to make this about Stiles, or to hear about you falling into that stupid, archaic male instinct to threaten violence against someone who you think has wronged me in some way. I'm eighteen years old, Derek, it's not like he helped me down and forced me to do this with him, I wanted to, and I am dealing with the consequences, so his involvement is not the point right now. This was about me. I came to you for me. [she takes a breath and buries her face in her hands for a moment] I mean, do you even hear yourself? You said you're being overprotective, and you're blaming me for getting angry about it.

Derek: [he goes to open his mouth, and then shuts it] So what can I say? I try to defend myself, you're going to get pissed. I try to explain, I'm being selfish. You automatically assume that I'm not applying blame to you when I already know you've probably beaten yourself up about it a thousand times in your head. Am I making comments about you being irresponsible? No, I know you both are. If I'm not allowed to be biased about my own sister, then obviously I got handed the wrong "how to be a brother" manual at birth. And I'm pretty damn sure you don't want me to pity you. But the fact my support isn't a given to you hurts and that shouldn't even be an argument. But lately all we know how to do is fight and I hate it and I hate fighting with you and I hate being put in the middle between you and Laura and I just want to be your brother but you don't let me so how can I be supportive of you when you won't let me without making anything I say automatically put you on the defensive and snap at me because I didn't say what you want me to at the exact moment you want it?!

Cora: [and her jaw sets before she shakes her head and walks out because honestly Derek, how hard is it to say "What do you need?" instead of automatically jumping to killing her boyfriend who she had to leave.] Just forget it. [and she'll grab her jacket and make her way to the door and she just needs to be anywhere but the apartment right now, so the door slams with a bang! behind her]

Derek: [and is not going to follow her because he's just done at this point.]

Peter: [however, he is not going to let her just walk out of the house alone. He can see she's mad, and while it hurts him to move at top speed, he can at least cover himself up enough and track her from the shadows at a more human pace]

Cora: [she also leaves him a long trail of anxiety and upset to follow so at least there's that. And she backtracks a lot because there are moments she thinks about going back but decides against it and turns back around again. and when the trail finally ends, there's Cora, sitting on a bench at the bus station and staring at a map of bus routes as she tries to mentally sort out the fastest way back to Beacon Hills]

Peter: [and he will eventually go to sit on the bench next to her] You know, you'd get there faster by air.

Cora: I don't have enough cash for that.

Peter: No on hand, but in your bank account, I know you do. I put it there myself.

Cora: Well, I've used a lot of it lately, and I might need it for other stuff so I was trying to do this as cheaply as possible.

Peter: You have plans to spend a hundred million plus dollars already?

Cora: [she hesitates for a moment, because this isn't how she wanted to bring it up but ...] Not all of it. Just ... a lot. Over the next eight months or so. And then a lot more after that, plus rent for an apartment, food, clothes, no guaranteed job. [never let it said that Cora isn't a planner who doesn't consider all the angles before she makes a terrible decision] Besides, I like the bus. It's cramped and it smells but so does a plane and there less of a risk of plummeting to my death in a fiery explosion.

Peter: [he takes a sniff of the air, and it gives him an idea of where the anxiety may be coming from, and he sighs] Cora, honey - you're eighteen now. And while I would be the last one to suggest someone leave their pack... you're still human too. And you have a heart, and a smart head on your shoulders. If you want to go back to Beacon Hills - then go. But if you're leaving because you are scared about the future and what your role is going to be... none of us know what tomorrow will bring. That's why we're stronger as a pack. We take care of each other no matter how we feel about the other person, or what problems come up when the sun rises. [and he will rub her back] And even if you do leave, you're always family. No one can ever take that from you.

Cora: I don't want to leave. [she never wanted to do any of this alone and the idea of trying to without her family, even if her dad said he would go with her, doesn't feel right] I just don't feel like I fit anymore either.

Peter: Speaking as the one who never fit in - you are more like your sister than you believe. Right now - we're just all hurting and we express it in our own ways. We all just need time. Stability. Until then we're not going to be able to heal.

Cora: I don't have time. [well, she had some time, but that time is small and finite before her world is thrown into complete upheaval again, and she needs to know that she'll have a home to bring this kid into before she can commit to staying] I miss Stiles. I wish Mom was here. I want to rely on Derek, but he keeps trying to act like things can be the same when they can't. [and that's the one that hurts the most, the fact that she and her twin are so out of sync, when she used to believe that he was the one thing she was sure she could count on] He gets upset because I won't just roll over and take it anymore, but he doesn't get that maybe he should stop and that my being upset isn't me being wrong.

Peter: [he takes a deep breath] Your brother is an arrogant, self centered teenage boy, Cora. You can't expect him to think of anyone but himself first. That said - what comes out of his mouth may not be the words you want to hear but it doesn't mean that he cares about you any less. And you two growing up in a way that takes you away from each other isn't a bad thing. It was bound to happen that you would both grow up and start to find your mates. A bond as close as yours was bound to get torn up a bit in the process.

Cora: He's all I have now. The only friend I have. I don't want that to go away.

Peter: He's not all you have. You have me. And your father. You have Laura, though she's certain you want nothing to do with her anymore which has hurt her more than she shows.

Cora: I need her. But I'm worried that ... [that she's going to ask to talk to Stiles and the answer is going to be no, not yet and never yes]

Peter: Your sister is making this up as she goes along. She is going to make a lot of mistakes.

Cora: I know. [which to be honest is why she bolted sooner] And I haven't fought her, on any of it. [she may not have been happy about it, but her response to most of it has been sullen silence before doing as she's told] But I need things too. And I can't just put everything aside for the pack anymore.

Peter: Because of the reason you want to go back to Stiles, where you know you'll be safe, loved, and taken care of better than we are capable of right now?

Cora: [there's a deep heaving breath as she looks down at her hands] I know you all love me. And I think we could be like we were before the fire. But is bringing a baby into that going to fix it or make it worse? [because he probably has a feeling at this point]

Peter: [he did, and he is going to wrap his arm around her shoulder] Oh Cora. You can't predict what will happen. We don't even know where we will be in eight months. But it may give your sister a reason to find us a permanent location quickly to give you that stability. Given time, it' may bring your brother's head out of his own ass. But at the same time, you are never going to be happy because you can't have everything you want for that child and it's going to always make you doubt your choice in this moment no matter what you choose.

Cora: So either way I lose something.

Peter: Sometimes in the world, you can't always have everything. You have to make compromises, and hope for the best. You're facing that right now - do you stay with your family and risk your child never knowing his father, or do you go to start your family with Stiles and risk never seeing your family again.

Cora: It sucks.

Peter: I know. And I can't imagine the pain you're in trying to make this choice. That only thing I can offer you is to always remember to hope that one day, you can have everything. Because if you stay there is a chance you will be able to find Stiles again. And if you go - I'm almost certain that we will get a day where we can go find you to let you know where we are so you can have us again too.

Cora: So I guess it just hinges on which one I need now?

Peter: Which one you think will give you the kind of life you want to have for you. And your baby. And to hope that the next day will be better, and one step closer to having them both.

Cora: [she takes a deep breath as she looks down at the map again, fingers playing with the edges for a moment, before she swallows hard] I still have to talk to Laura.

Peter: Then why don't you come home and talk to her. And if you still want to go after that, let me at least put you on a train. A bus is not comfortable and you'll end up with motion sickness.

Cora: [she nods slowly, before folding the map up properly but keeping it in her hand. just in case]

Peter: [and he is going to keep her close as they walk home] You know, your mom was scared when she was pregnant with Laura. She was always afraid she wasn't going to know how to be a good mother. And Thomas - well your dad tried but your mom could be very stubborn, and being pregnant only brought that out more in her.

Cora: [she takes a deep breath] She was pretty good at it from my point of view.

Peter: Of course. She had a few years under her belt by then. But pretty sure if she could have put Laura in a plastic bubble, she would have.

Cora: That's not a good idea?

Peter: Your child will not be able to breathe in a plastic bubble.

Cora: We'll put little breathing holes. Or maybe find a witch who can cast a protective bubble spell, which is both breathable and keeps out bad things.

Peter: [laughs] You're going to become a helicopter mom before the child is even born.

Cora: I don't know why anyone would be surprised. [Cora's been overthinking things since the day she was born]

Peter: Just remember you need to let them learn and discover things in their own way - and it may hurt, or they could fail. But it's how you learn.

Cora: Remind me of that later, when they're an actual person out there in the world.

Peter: I will. [and he will just keep her close as they walk the rest of the way home]

Cora: [and when they do, Cora will go talk to Laura in her room where the rest of the family can't hear]

Peter: [and he will go talk to Thomas because he knows that the other man had to know]

Derek: [and he didn't tell Laura, fyi. But he left the house not long after Cora did... and he hasn't come back yet.]

Laura: [well, when he does come back, Laura wants to talk to him]

Derek: [....... he may not be coming back right away]

Laura: [is she going to have to go hunt him down?]

Derek: [seeing that there is a note left on Cora's pillow apologizing for hurting her and how he's can't be the brother she wants him to be and she is better off leaving herself and going to Stiles since he at least can make her happy in all of this and one day he'll find her again..... probably]

Laura: [gdi little brother, so she'll head out there to find him and try and predict where he's going]

Derek: [and he is going to be hitchhiking just off the interstate on the road leading north towards Canada. All he has on him is his wallet and his jacket, not caring about anything else.]


Laura: [well good thing she has a car, and eventually she pulls over and she rolls down the window] Hey, handsome. Where you headin'? [clearly teasing]

Derek: [and he's not going to answer, just keep stubbornly walking]

Laura: [slowly will roll the car after him] Derek, stop.

Derek: [and he will sigh and stop, his eyes looking straight ahead]

Laura: Cora told me what's going on.

Derek: [nope, not talking, not even looking at her]

Laura: She's staying, for now. But we need to find somewhere stable to stay, so I wanted to talk to you.

Derek: [he sighs, digging his hands into his pockets and tightening his jaw because he doesn't want to talk]

Laura: Do you still want to go to school?

Derek: [she can take his deep sigh as a yes]

Laura: So why don't you pick where you want to go to school, and we'll settle there?

Derek: [snorts and just starts walking again]

Laura: I'm serious, Derek! [and she'll start rolling again] Within reason, if you find a school you really want to go to, we'll stop and we'll settle there. You will get four years of uninterrupted college time, and Cora has a stable home and a stable doctor for her kid. Win win.

Derek: [nope, not stopping.]

Laura: [grumbles and pulls over, before getting out to follow him] Derek!

Derek: [and he is going to stop, just looking at the ground, his body tense and he's ready to bolt]

Laura: [goes and moves in front of him, before taking a deep breath and holding her arms out] You have something you need to say to me, let it out. Let me have it. I'm ready for it.

Derek: [he's going to be quiet though, not looking up at her until finally] I'm not going to be the one to choose where my sister lives if she can't have her child's father.

Laura: Well, she said it should be you.

Derek: [shakes his head] No.

Laura: Why not?

Derek: Because I'm not going back.

Laura: You really think that you leaving is going to solve this?

Derek: Yes.

Laura: How, exactly?

Derek: Because we're not a pack! [and his head will snap up and she will see he's been crying] We're always fighting. We're at each other's throats and we walk on eggshells around each other. Everyone is angry at me and I'm tired of being the cause of everyone's problems! Cora deserves to have Stiles here with her, not me. She'll never be happy otherwise. She'll just keep blaming you for everything, and you'll let her because you think you're doing the right thing and I'm going to end up being the peacekeeper and none of us will ever be happy. If I'm gone, maybe you two can figure your shit out without having me as the middle man and have a chance. I won't be around to fuck everything up and say the wrong things or care about the wrong person or make choices that put us in places no one else wants to be.

Laura: We won't be a pack if everyone up and bails! [she sighs, running a hand through her hair] You think any pack with a new alpha has it easy? But I'm doing the best I can, and if you think the best you can do is leave because things are hard, then you're never going to be anywhere long. And by the way, Cora doesn't want you gone. She wants you there. But if you want her to stop acting on the defensive all the time with you, you have to be there to learn from your mistakes and be willing to try again. She doesn't want you to quit, Derek, she just wants you to try. To stop using the behavior that got you into this hole in the first place and be the better guy.

Derek: I don't want to leave. I want to go home.

Laura: And you think going home will be better? To be there alone, with no pack? And to have your sister think that you're abandoning her to go back to be with Allison? Because that's what she's going to assume, Derek, whether it's the truth or not. And then things will never get better with her, because she won't be so willing to forgive you if you ever find each other again. [she holds out her hands in front of her] So those are your choices. Beacon Hills, or Cora. Which means more to you.

Derek: Fuck you, Laura. [and he's going to bolt into the woods, full strength. He knows he can't outrun her flat out, but he can try]

Laura: [rolls her eyes as she follows after him, and yeah, he won't be able to out-run her, but she can out endurance him]

Derek: [and he knows it, and he's trying to figure out how to get away from her, and he sees the edge of the cliff and he turns, heading right for it]

Laura: [yep she's still going to follow him, frustrated already by whatever he's trying]

Derek: [and if she doesn't try to stop him, he's going to just take a flying leap off of it, not caring if he can make it to the other end.]

Laura: Oh, Jesus, Derek. [she's totally going to reach off and grab him by the scruff to pull him back onto the solid ground, practically throwing him to the ground, her eyes red because nope.] Are you out of your mind?

Derek: Just leave me alone! [and he's crying, struggling to breathe]

Laura: No! I'm not going to let you throw yourself off a goddamn cliff.

Derek: You're the one who won't let me go. I just want to go away where I can't hurt anyone anymore.

Laura: No, I'm not going to let you go. Because you're my brother, and I love you, and I don't think running away is really what you want.

Derek: I want Mom.

Laura: I know. I want her too. And I know I've been a piss-poor replacement. But I'm trying. [and she crouches down so that she's more eye level with him, and it's less bossy alpha face and more of his sister there - the one who lost her mother and never really got a chance to mourn, who has to make all the hard decisions now to hold on to whatever family who has left] And I know I'm gonna screw some of this up. But I have to keep trying, because eventually I'll get it right, and things will be better. We just have to be willing to work for it.

Derek: [and he's going to just curl up in a ball and cry because he doesn't want to keep trying anymore. He's tired of trying and failing and hurting so much and making his sisters hurt and he just has nothing else]

Laura: [sighs as she drops down to sit next to him, pulling him close and sliding her arms around his shoulders]

Derek: [and he's in full out sobbing mode, and he only half heartedly tries to struggle free]

Laura: [nope, she won't let him go, just pulls him in and lets him lean on her]

Derek: [and he's going to just cry himself to exhaustion, cold and shaking in her arms]

Laura: [rubs his back gently] I don't want you to go. The damage you think you're doing isn't that big in the grand scheme of things, and it's not unfixable. We all screw up sometimes. But we should all be given a chance to fix our mistakes. If you run away, Derek, you can't do that.

Derek: I can't do it here either.

Laura: Here in this place or here with us?

Derek: [and he just shrugs. because it's both. all. everything just hurts and he can't seem to dig himself out of the pain and guilt]

Laura: Okay, how about we make a deal? You pick where you want to go to school, and we'll move there. But we'll live a good distance away from the school and you can live on campus so you'll have some privacy and space, but you're still close if we need you and it won't look like you're running away in the eyes of the rest of the pack. Does that sound fair?

Derek: I don't care where we live.

Laura: Do you care where you go to school?

Derek: No.

Laura: [sighs a bit] Look, I know I haven't given you a lot of say in some stuff, but right now, I'm giving you a say. And you should care about where you go to school. So why don't you take a few days, talk to your sister, do some research, and if you really can't find something that speaks to you then I'll pick somewhere.

Derek: [and the truth that he can't just leave settles in and he's going to just shut back up again]

Laura: [sighs] Look, if you are so intent on bailing and being on your own, I can't stop you. Eventually you'll figure out a way to get lost. But I really think you need to consider what you're trying to do here because I don't think it will give you the results you're looking for.

Derek: [and he's going to push away from her at that point and sit up, trying to wipe the dirt and crap from his clothes]

Laura: [gets up as well, before turning to head back to the car] So are you coming with me or are you going to keep going?

Derek: Like I have a choice.

Laura: I'm giving you one. Right now. In or out?

Derek: No you're not. You think you are, but you aren't. You've never given us one, why start now. [and he's going to brush past her and get into the car]

Laura: [rolls her eyes to the sky, before turning to follow him back] Whatever you say.

Derek: [and that's probably the last word he's going to say to her for awhile now, sulking in the back of the car]

Laura: [fine. she's used to being the bad guy at this point, so she's just going to drive them both back to the apartment and head right to her bedroom because she's frustrated and tired]

Derek: [and he's going to just go take a shower, sitting in the tub after the water turns cold with his arms on his knees, his mind spiraling and trying to find something to grab onto]

Laura: [pretty much will just lie there, staring up at the ceiling unless someone wants to bother her]

Thomas: [knocks on the door] Laura?

Laura: Come in. [sounds very tired, but it's not like she's sleeping]

Thomas: [stands in the doorway] Looks like you've run the twin gambit.

Laura: It's like a never ending roller coaster. Dealing with them was much easier when I was just their sister.

Thomas: [sits on the edge of her bed] Why did you stop treating them like your siblings?

Laura: [sighs] I didn't. But I have to be their alpha too. And it's not like I don't know this entire situation sucks, but anytime I try to talk to them, they ... don't think what they have to say actually matters. Or at least Derek doesn't.

Thomas: You broke a promise to them, Laura. You promised them graduation. When an alpha breaks a promise to her pack, it has ramifications- no matter how small it is.

Laura: I never promised them graduation. I said I would try, but if things got bad we may need to leave sooner. And when Henry Tate got attacked, that was the first sign of things getting bad.

Thomas: It was a promise to them. Time to grieve. Time to say goodbye to two people they loved with their entire hearts. Now they don’t have the people they love. Neither of them took their finals so they can't go to college without a GRE which is why college isn't going to be a treat you can dangle in front of Derek to make him feel better because it reminds him that he can't right now. Cora's now pregnant and fears her baby will never know their father so you can't give Cora what she really wants.

Laura: They aren't the only ones who left someone they cared about behind. [there's a pause as she swallows, before glancing away] But I guess since it was my decision, that doesn't really matter, does it?

Thomas: It matters, but you chose to give Parrish up. They didn't. You made them. And to them, you are the one who has the power to give them back.

Laura: [sighs as she leans back and closes her eyes] I do that, and I put an eleven year-old in the path of a werecoyote assassin who wants her dead.

Thomas: I could have taken Peter and Malia away.

Laura: Which would have gone over great with her after telling her that as alpha I would protect her and she thought she as broken as it was. Then her dad gets hurt and suddenly I'm sending her away like something is wrong with her?

Thomas: You would have had to ask Malia that. No one can figure out how that girl's head works.

Malia: [as if on cue, said girl appears, doing the dance of the:] Derek won't get out of the bathroom and I really have to -

Laura: [turns and points to the master] Go ahead.

Malia: [and she darts into the bathroom with a rushed "thank you" behind her]

Thomas: [sighs and rubs Laura's shoulder] I'll go deal with him. But at least you have one who is talking to you at the moment.

Laura: [nods a bit before flopping back against her pillow again with a heavy sigh]

Thomas: [kisses her cheek] And I still love you, baby.

Laura: [smiles at that] I love you too, Dad. I'm glad you're here.

Thomas: Me too. [and he will go off to drag Derek out of the tub, dry himself off and put his son to bed, rubbing his back and telling him things will be better in the morning, and maybe he should start tomorrow fixing what he broke today]

Laura: [and Malia will come hang out with Laura for a bit because Cora's asleep and all the anger and anxiety in the house is making her a little crazy so PLEASE ONE OF YOU FEEL BETTER]

Derek: [and he's going to just stare at the bedroom wall for half the night, and then get up and find a journal, and sit up in bed and just write in it for a while, trying not to wake Cora up]

Cora: [he doesn't, but she'll wake up eventually, rolling over and looking at him with a small frown] You're back.

Derek: Yeah. [focusing on his journal]

Cora: Are you staying?

Derek: [he nods]

Cora: [deep breath and nods] Good.

Derek: [he closes his eyes] I'm sorry.

Cora: [glances up at him and nods] Thank you.

Derek: [he's quiet for a moment] I don't know why I can't say the right things anymore.

Cora: [shifts her pillow a bit so that she's hugging it more] Because you're trying to say the right thing for how we used to be. And that's not us anymore.

Derek: I didn't know who you guys want me to be then.

Cora: I don't either, exactly. But ... we have to grow up, Derek. Whether we want to or not.

Derek: It sucks.

Cora: Everything about right now sucks. Doesn't mean we don't have to deal with it anyway.

Derek: [looks over at her] Why do I have to choose where we live?

Cora: You don't have to. But right now, if Beacon Hills isn't on the table I don't really care. And my choice is keeping this baby and wanting to have a consistent doctor that doesn't change every few months. But since I know you still wanted to go to school, I figured if you picked where we went based on where you wanted to go, you could have something you wanted too.

Derek: I can't go to college. First, we didn't get to graduate. Then it creates a paper trail. That's not going off the grid, and I'm not going to put you in danger again.

Cora: Me having this baby is going to create a paper trail. [just pointing that out. medical records are something people can look for] If you go to a big enough school, maybe you'll get lost in the shuffle. And you can take your GED.

Derek: You should get a say though. I mean, it's where you're going to raise your kid.

Cora: Well, I'm trusting you to pick a good place.

Derek: I'm not allowed to pick Berkeley I bet.

Cora: [she shrugs] You'd have to take that up with Laura.

Derek: I'm not talking to her.

Cora: [she closes her eyes] Why not?

Derek: [he just licked his lips] Don't want to talk about it. I'm just tired of everything.

Cora: [sighs] Then I would assume that nowhere where we would stand the chance of accidentally running into someone we knew.

Derek: Somewhere we could get lost in the people would be a big city. Other coast, big city... that leave Philly, Boston, New York, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami...

Cora: [wrinkles her nose] Florida's too humid. And they have mosquitos.

Derek: What do you feel about snow?

Cora: I can live with it.

Derek: I'll look then and see what colleges are around there. [he closes his journal and lays down in the bed] I think I'm going to go back to sleep though.

Cora: Okay. [and she'll shift over to give him more room]

Derek: [and he sighs] Cora?

Cora: Yeah?

Derek: I know I don't say the right things. But whatever happens tomorrow, or the next day... I'm here for you. You're all I have left that I care about... so whatever you need me to do, or to be... you just tell me and I'll figure out how to do it, ok?

Cora: [she looks at him for a minute, and she wants to believe him, so she'll nod in agreement and hope that he means it] Okay.

Derek: [and he is going to turn over and give a sad sigh, trying to figure out how to sleep]

Cora: [and she'll just stare at his back for a bit before closing her eyes and attempting to drift off herself]

Derek: [and he's going to be sleeping in the next day]

Cora: [and she'll get up eventually and move into the living room to let him do that]