canon au } { post-617, of new jobs and big moves

[kiss_evilgoodbye]

Stiles: [Which is, and he's going to see what crap is in the vending machine he can eat when he walks in, stops, and blinks] Are you supposed to be here?

Walter: [glances back over is shoulder and responds, without hesitation] Yes. You're out of Red Vines. You should remedy that situation.

Stiles: I'm not the one who stocks the machines… [okay then. he's just going to go look for something that obviously isn't red vines]

Walter: [makes a face] Our machine in Boston always had Red Vines. Astrid is quite capable that way. [which basically means that Astrid is the best and you need to step up your game, Stiles.]

Stiles: Well, Boston probably values junk food a lot more than the health conscious LA people here do. You probably want to transfer back then.

Walter: [blinks, confused before shaking his head] Oh, I am just visiting for a case. Once it is resolved, I will be returning back to my lab.

Stiles: Oh. My mistake. [hmmm, gummy bears or funions]

Walter: [he nods, eventually settling in one of the chairs with a sigh] It's also much more difficult to manufacture LSD in this setting. I'm constantly being filmed.

Stiles: [blinks as the gummy bears drop] ..... you do know that's illegal, right?

Walter: [looks completely unphased by that fact] Most of my work would probably be considered illegal but out modern uneducated laws, but I work with the FBI. [which clearly makes it better?]

Stiles: Yeah, that doesn't mean the FBI will let you do that.

Walter: The LSD is essential to my work. And Special Agent Dunham has not arrested me yet. [so there]

Stiles: Let me guess, you woo her with red vines.

Walter: Oh no. The red vines are for me. They are the best candy. [he settles with a cup of tea eventually at the break room table] I work in Fringe Division. Our methods are ... unique.

Stiles: Never heard of it. [leans against the counter and eats a bear before thinking and offering one to the old man]

Walter: [peers into the bag for a moment, before taking one with a smile. he also does love gummy bears] Most of the FBI prefers to pretend we do not exist, so that does not surprise me.

Stiles: And yet when they need you, they don't hesitate to call, right?

Walter: More or less. [there's a beat] Oh. Doctor Walter Bishop. [which! while Stiles may not have heard of Fringe division, in his supernatural research he may have heard of Walter Bishop as basically the pioneer of fringe science and all it entails along with his partner William Bell, until he was charged with manslaughter after a lab accident in 1991 and was admitted to a mental institution]

Stiles: [tilts his head, thinking] I've heard that name before. Where have I heard it...

Walter: Do you have much of an interest in what some would call "pseudoscience"?

Stiles: If you mean studying things that people don't believe are real but I may - yeah, I have an interest.

Walter: When I was the biochemistry chair at Harvard, my partner William Bell and I made many advances in what we liked to call fringe science, pushing the boundaries of the world as we knew it.

Stiles: That's right. Until there was a lab accident back in 91.

Walter: [and then his face flickers for a moment, because he has a lot of regrets regarding that accident, but he's working on trying to do better] Yes, unfortunately. She was quite brilliant and would have done a great deal for the world would she have lived.

Stiles: [nods, but he sees that regret and that's a good thing. Means he's not a psycho] And now you make LSD.

Walter: Among other things. [Fringe division is surprisingly busy] What do you do, Agent ... ?

Stiles: Stilinski. I'm pretty much the very bottom of the totem pole. So I do that paperwork, the boring stuff, and just rinse and repeat for all the other big bad agents.

Walter: That sounds incredibly boring. [he does not envy your life, Stiles]

Astrid: [and from down the hall] Walter?

Walter: [glances over his shoulder] By the vending machine, Agent Farnsworth.

Stiles: Yeah, it is. Don't know why I'm even still here. [rubs at his face before looking up to see who is going to be joining them]

Astrid: [and in comes Astrid, who offers him a small smile] There you are. Sorry, if he's bothering you.

Walter: Not at all! Agent Stilinski and I were just talking about ... [there's a beat] Stilinski. I knew a Stilinski.

Stiles: Really? There's not a lot of us. [to Astrid] He's not a bother. Though how he's not in jail for his own mouth I don't know.

Astrid: Most people don't think he's serious.

Walter: Yes! It was a long time ago. [and then, as though he's just telling the story to Astrid and not also Stiles] I was arrested in this fascinating little town a long time ago, when William and I were studying this tree ...

Stiles: [and he is going to just groan and run a hand along his face] Oh my god my dad arrested you didn't he.

Walter: That is entirely possible. Unless you are much older than you look or have some kind of reverse aging disease. [and back to the story] We were arrested for trespassing - we didn't realize that the preserve it was housed on was private property, but a lovely woman named Satomi Ito was very interested in our research and escorted us back to the property after we had paid our fine.

Stiles: You were on Hale lands. You were studying the nematon, weren't you?

Walter: Yes! That was what she called it. Very strange name. [and he's getting excited now because he's getting to talk SCIENCE] The tree - beautiful specimen - was sitting directly on a confluence of metaphysical leylines and was somehow amplifying that energy like a beacon. Fascinating.

Stiles: Yeah. And then it got cut down, back when I was a kid. Which probably wasn't the smartest thing Deaton did, but eh, can't really take it back now

Walter: Well, that was the only way to disconnect the beacon. [he holds up his hands] Satomi was never clear on what exactly the beacon was calling to, but it was clear that it was causing the town more harm than good. William and I determined that the power was channeled in the veins of the tree itself - as the roots pulled water and nutrients from the earth, it would also pull up this power from below and push it out through the leaves. The only way to cease that process, unfortunately, was to kill the tree.

Stiles: Yeah, and have you been to Beacon Hills in the last, oh, decade since then? Because it's gone to hell. Literally.

Walter: Of course not, I was in a mental institution.

Stiles: [snorts, finishing his gummy bears] Well, when you're arrested for the LSD, ask them to let you have a tablet and you can go look up our local paper.

Walter: [LOOK it's not Walter's fault you woke the tree up again, Stiles. That was your choice.] I will do that.

Astrid: [sighs as she takes his arm gently] Alright. We should let Agent Stilinski get back to work.

Stiles: Yup. Back to the wonderful world of papercuts. Have a good night, Walter.

Walter: You as well, Agent Stilinski. [there's a pause as he's being lead out] Remember to tell them about the Red Vines.

Stiles: [laughs] sure.

Walter: [and he will let Astrid escort him back to the makeshift lab for the evening]

Stiles: [and he is probably going to end up being one of those days where he stays overnight, and around 3 in the morning goes looking for coffee]

Walter: [and most of the building is quiet, save for what sounds like an old time record player from down the hall]

Stiles: [and yeah that isn't weird and so he needs something to keep him stimulated sohe's going to wander to find the music]

Walter: [and Walter is up because regular sleep patterns are for wusses, working on the case they've been assigned - in this case, the autopsy of a body that does not look like it's been killed by any kind of normal means, humming along with the record player]

Stiles: [and he will wander in] Tell me you aren't making LSD from that.

Walter: No. Mr. Mahoney here is the unfortunate victim of our current case.

Stiles: Case? [wandering closer] What kind of case?

Walter: That is what we are trying to find out. [the body is an eerie shade of blue, with the irises whited out and hair turned white] He is not the first body they've found this way, so they are asking for my expertise.

Stiles: Looks like the guy has a smurf fetish

Walter: That was caused by the murder weapon.

Stiles: What, they shot him with blue dye?

Walter: [he shakes his head before gesturing for Stiles to come along to the other side of the body] Each corpse has an injection port. Whatever it was that was pumped into their body antemortem likely poisoned the blood but also affected the extremities as well.

Stiles: [and he will go over to look] So they've got a serial killer who kills their victims in a way that would make them not even appear human. [looks at Walter] Were they human before they did this, or something else?

Walter: I haven't run a DNA analysis yet.

Stiles: Even if you did, it may have changed it to the point it may not recognize him. The eyes would have mutation in the DNA to do that.

Walter: We'll see. This process is best taken one step at a time. The samples are running and once I've finished the physical exam we can see what we can infer.

Stiles: Well... I'll leave you to that. Not a big fan of blood...

Walter: [he nods, eyes intent on his work but he will ask] You asked if he wasn't human. Why?

Stiles: Because if the poison was aimed to attack something in him linked to his species and not something normal and human in his DNA, that would link down what affected him.

Walter: Interesting theory. [and it is] The previous victims have all been human thus far. If this one isn't, it's an unrelated anomaly rather than a motive.

Stiles: You know how long from injection to death and all this?

Walter: About four days between the victim disappearing and their body being discovered.

Stiles: Can you tell though how long from the injection to the death to this final result?

Walter: That is what I'm still trying to determine. Though it would likely take at least several hours to be pumped this thoroughly throughout the whole body.

Stiles: So they lived at least a few hours after the injection. [thinks] But hair doesn't just change color on it's own. Skin, sure, but hair isn't porous to alter on the parts that are already grown out. Not unless there is some other effect, like electricity.

Walter: That's entirely possible. While there was no discoloration from an electrical current, that doesn't discount additional stimuli.

Stiles: But it could be something that sparks off the change.

Walter: It could. That's why we are waiting for the results. With the other victims by the time we were involved in the case there wasn't much left of the substance, whatever it was, so this is the first we've had to work with it.

Stiles: You have the other files?

Walter: I believe Agent Farnsworth left them on the table.

Stiles: [and he is going to go over there and just look at them, laying them out and looking first at the main points, and then looking for minor coincidences. He'll shift the files around, putting them unconsciously in a different order as he gets an idea on where it's going]

Olivia: [wanders in and is about to ask Walter how it's going, before she notices Stiles standing there] Making friends, Walter?

Walter: [Looks up with a smile] This is Special Agent Stilinski. He works in paperwork.

Stiles: [and he will lift his hand in greeting, absorbed in the files as he's trying to figure the puzzle out]

Olivia: [she nods, before moving slowly around him] Results come back yet?

Walter: Not yet. Should be ready by morning, though. [and then Olivia’s phone rings]

Stiles: [and he is going to be so engrossed in the file, one pencil in his mouth the other wiggling in his fingers that the phone ringing is going to make him jump out of his skin. Figuratively]

Olivia: [had left her phone on the desk while she and Walter went over some lab results, but he would very clearly be able to see "Buffy Summers" on the caller ID screen]

Stiles: [and he will look up at Olivia] You want me to get this?

Olivia: Who is it?

Stiles: Buffy Summers, the older and less geeky half of the Summers Sister Squad.

Olivia: [smirks a bit, because of course he knows the Summers sisters] By all means.

Stiles: [and he will pick it up] You've reached the phone of Olivia Dunham. [yup, hi Buffy you can hear the smirk]

Buffy: Stiles? [well ... that makes her life easier] You're working with Fringe Division?

Stiles: No, I just happened to follow a crazy old man into an autopsy and he threw a file at me. What's going on?

Buffy: Nothing. I just had some stuff I wanted to talk about with Liv. She owed me a favor, and I remember Cora mentioning something about how you were bored with paperwork.

Stiles: [and hearing Cora's name makes him sigh a bit because yeah. there's that] Yeah, well it's the job. But here, she's right here if you want to talk to her.

Buffy: Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks.

Stiles: [and he will hand over the phone] I'm going to grab something to drink. Anyone need something?

Olivia: I'm good thank you. [and she lifts the phone to her ear] Hey, Buffy ...

Stiles: [and he is going to just wander out, because nope, focus is broken. But he's going to keep thinking about the case as he heads back to the break room to find something]

Olivia: [and she will wander out once she's finished on the phone with Buffy, going for a cup of coffee herself] So how do you know Buffy?

Stiles: I have a feeling that the answer of "I'm from Beacon Hills" may be the best explanation I have. [staring at the candy machine but not actually wanting anything in there]

Olivia: [she nods] Well, she speaks very highly of you.

Stiles: She'd better. One day she's going to be my aunt in law.

Olivia: [she smirks] She wants me to give you a job.

Stiles: What kind of job?

Olivia: With Fringe Division, working on cases with us.

Stiles: The kind of cases that Walter consults on?

Olivia: Exactly. And to a point I agree with her - it's always easier to have someone on the team who's already used to thinking outside the box.

Stiles: I've been told it's a good thing, even if no one listens to what I figured out outside the box

Olivia: It is. Especially when you're dealing with cases that tend to exist outside the box anyway. All of our cases are the kinds of things that most people wouldn't believe are real, and breaking in new investigators can often take time that we may not have.

Stiles: So finding a Quantico trained agent who already knows way too much about the supernatural is an asset to you?

Olivia: Absolutely. Now, granted most of our cases tend to stray more towards fringe science then straight up supernatural, but a few related cases do come across our desk.

Stiles: Well, guess it's a good thing I'm good at both science and math.

Olivia: Indeed. There is a catch though.

Stiles: What's the catch?

Olivia: We are opening a unit for the West Coast, run by Special Agent Lincoln Lee. But I want to vet all new agents personally, which means working closely with our unit based in Boston. [she holds up a hand] You don't have to stay in Boston permanently, but you will have to start there.

Stiles: [nods] I would... have to talk to my girlfriend about it.

Olivia: Of course. Think it over - it's late anyway. But the offer is there if you want it. [and she'll head back towards the lab] And it'd definitely be more fun than doing paperwork for Myers.

Stiles: I think poking a dead body would be more interesting than doing his paperwork, honestly.

Olivia: [she laughs] Probably true. But at least with us you have live animals, a mad scientist and a whole lot of puzzles to solve.

Stiles: Yeah, definitely better. I'll let you know. I should probably get a few hours of sleep before the sun rises. Unless you need me to keep looking at that file.

Olivia: No, go home. Get some sleep.

Stiles: [nods, and he will go back to his cubicle, grab his stuff and head back to the apartment to crash]

Olivia: [and she will go back to work and make sure Walter does the same, eventually]

Stiles: [and he will get a text in the morning that his supervisor had to go out on a case and he can have the day off]

Cora: [yay day off! Cora is still at the Hyperion but she also still has a phone]

Stiles: [which he is going to end up calling]

Cora: [glances at the caller ID and picks it up with a small smile] Hey.

Stiles: Hey. So, I need to talk to you about something. You free today?

Cora: Yeah, I'm off today. What's up?

Stiles: I got a job transfer offer that I'm considering, but I wanted to see what you thought.

Cora: Okay. Do you want to do this in person or ... ?

Stiles: We can do it in person. I haven't seen you in awhile and I miss you. Maybe we could catch lunch?

Cora: Sure. Just let me know where.

Stiles: Santa Monica Diner at like noon?

Cora: I'll see you there.

Stiles: See you. [and he will hang up and go for a run]

Cora: [and she will clean up and shower and be at the diner as expected]

Stiles: [and he will come in, looking like he could use a week of sleep and been heavily abusing caffeine, but otherwise typical Stiles and he smiles brightly seeing her] Hey.

Cora: [and that smile makes her smile, even if she feels a bit like she's on unsure footing] Hey.

Stiles: [and he will slide down across from her] How've you been?

Cora: Okay. Mostly hanging out with Angel when I'm not working.

Stiles: He take you on cases or just play chess with him?

Cora: Little of both.

Stiles: Well, at least you're keeping busy.

Cora: [she nods] Not much else I can do.

Stiles: Still better than paperwork.

Cora: [sympathetic] You still stuck on desk duty?

Stiles: Yeah. And Scott's dad is out on an assignment and I can't get in touch so yeah, all paperwork, all the time. Until last night, that is.

Cora: When you got the job offer?

Stiles: Well, it didn't start out that way. [and he will tell her about meeting Walter and the others and the autopsy and then the call from Buffy]

Cora: Buffy has friends in the FBI?

Stiles: Apparently. So Buffy told her about me and she offered me a job with their division of the FBI which they are working on opening a West Coast branch, but I'd have to go train in the main division base.

Cora: Which is not on the West Coast?

Stiles: [shakes his head] Boston.

Cora: Boston's a good city. I've been there a few times.

Stiles: Liv's boyfriend Hal is from there too. I passed through for a bit. I don't know how long I'd be there but... it's a division that deals with pseudoscience and the supernatural. [there's a small smile] I'm not the only one who wants to use the FBI to handle these kinds of cases. There's a whole division. Others I can actually learn from.

Cora: Sounds like you really want to do it.

Stiles: I do. I just... I don't want you to think I'm running away and abandoning you.

Cora: [her brow furrows] You're the one who asked me for space.

Stiles: I know. But there's space, and there's going to the other side of the country for it. [he looks at her] I know how I felt when you left. How much that distance hurt that I couldn’t just call you up and meet like this because you were in another world. I needed space, but you're still my girlfriend and I'm not abandoning you like that where you can't be with me when you need me with you.

Cora: Stiles ... [she takes a deep breath] ... this kind of job is what our twenties are supposed to be about. Dropping everything to take a great job because we're young and we don't have any responsibilities and we can do that. [she reaches over and places her hands on top of his] One of the reasons why I wanted to have that time apart before was so that you could do things like this without having to worry about taking care of me. So if you want to go, go. I'll be okay. [if he doesn't want her there, then that's fine. She wouldn't have wanted to distract him anyway]

Stiles: It's not permanent, so I'll be back. And it's not like you can't come to visit me. I'd actually like you to. When you miss me and want to come out for a long weekend.

Cora: Okay. [small smirk] And I'll call first.

Stiles: Probably best, because I have no idea what I'm walking into if I tell them yes.

Cora: You seem really excited about it, though.

Stiles: I am. I actually feel like I'm heading where I'm supposed to be heading.

Cora: Good. Then do it.

Stiles: [grins] You sure?

Cora: Yeah. Are you sure?

Stiles: I think I am. The only thing that made me not say no right away was because I didn't want to make the choice without you having a say. [smiles]

Cora: [smiles back] Well, my say has been said. Feel free to take it.

Stiles: [and he is going to lean across the table and kiss her because he's excited and happy]

Cora: [and she's surprised, but she kisses him back all the same, one hand moving to rest against his shoulder]

Stiles: I know we still have some stuff to work out, but I still love you.

Cora: I love you too.

Stiles: And I've missed you a lot.

Cora: I've missed you too.

Stiles: Do you want to maybe just spend the rest of the day together? We can just walk the broadwalk and talk.

Cora: [she pauses for a moment before nodding] Sure. That sounds good.

Stiles: Only if you want to, though.

Cora: No, I want to. I miss you.

Stiles: Good. [grins and sits back as their lunch arrives]

Cora: [and they will eat lunch and head down to the boardwalk and have an actual date which they haven't done in a while]

Stiles: [and having a date and no pressure to have things happen is probably the best thing for them]

Cora: [it probably is. they just have some fun, and eventually Stiles can walk Cora back to her car when it starts to get late]

Stiles: [and he will hang over the edge of the door after he's opened it for her to get in] I had a good time today.

Cora: Me too. I missed just hanging out with you.

Stiles: You know, maybe we should do this for awhile. Just have some date nights and be with each other but at times where we just focus on each other? Would you like to do that?

Cora: I would. But you're moving to Boston.

Stiles: At least until then. After that, well that's what frequent flyer miles are for. [licks his lips] Unless...

Cora: [tips her head to the side] Unless what?

Stiles: Unless you want to come with me? I mean, we could maybe get two apartments and keep doing the dating thing? I just don't want you giving up your life for me. Kinda like what you wanted me to do in not following you to Scotland.

Cora: I work at a juice bar. It's not like I have a whole lot of life to give up. [at the same time, though, she doesn't know what she'd do in Boston, so that does leave a lot of question marks] Let me think about it?

Stiles: Sure. I'm sure there's stuff I'd have to do to transfer that it'll take a few weeks for it to go through as it is.

Cora: [she nods] Okay. I'll let you know.

Stiles: Good. Well, goodnight, Cora.

Cora: [she nods with a smile as she goes to slide into the driver's seat] Night, Stiles.

Stiles: [and he will lean down into the car to kiss her one last time]

Cora: [she kisses him back with a small smile, before pulling back to close the door and drive back to the Hyperion]

Stiles: [and he will go off to the apartment, and will call Olivia]

Olivia: [which she will decline the call with a text saying that she will call him back in twenty minutes]

Stiles: [okay then. Well, gives him time to walk home, and he is going to debate about options. He knows his Dad will be more than accepting of the choice she he doesn't feel he needs to get his approval.]

Olivia: [yep, and probably as he's getting to the apartment, his phone will ring again]

Stiles: [and he will answer it] Agent Dunham.

Olivia: Hi, Stiles. Sorry about that, I was on Skype with my daughter.

Stiles: That's fine. Didn't even know you had a daughter. That totally comes first.

Olivia: [she nods] Her name's Etta and she's three. And likes to buck bedtime when Mom isn't home.

Stiles: Yeah, I probably was like that too when I was that age. [rubs at his nose, wondering if Joy will be like that.]

Olivia: [probably. unless she takes after her mother in which case she will like hanging out in bed reading rather than causing actual trouble] I prefer to think she gets it from her father. And her grandfather.

Stiles: Passing the buck. Gotcha.

Olivia: So. What can I do for you?

Stiles: I was calling to let you know that I've thought it over and I'm in. I just need probably however long the field office needs for me to wrap up the stuff I'm assigned to and to find a place to live out there.

Olivia: I can have Director Broyles take care of it tomorrow and assign you to the case we're currently working. And if you'd rather save time, I do have a guest room you can use until you find a place. But as I said, I do have a three year-old so that option may not be as appealing as it sounds.

Stiles: Well, it's going to come down to if my girlfriend decides to come with me or not. If she does, it may not be the best option. Unless you need a full time nanny.

Olivia: I don't think Peter would complain about having a little extra help, but we can play that by ear. We have time until we manage to wrap this case.

Stiles: Okay. I do need some time to let my dad know that I'm transferring again. Oh, and I do have to let you know there's a wedding coming up I will need time off for.

Olivia: Not a problem. There are enough of us that even if a case comes up we can manage.

Stiles: Cool. I'm actually really excited about this, so thank you.

Olivia: Well, we're excited to have you. Just report to Walter's lab tomorrow and I'll take care of the rest.

Stiles: ... The morgue one or the staff lounge one?

Olivia: The morgue one.

Stiles: Will do. Boss.

Olivia: Any other questions for tonight?

Stiles: Do I still have to wear the spook suits?

Olivia: Ideally we should still look professional, but you don't have to wear a tie.

Stiles: Hey, I'll take that.

Olivia: Good. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow.

Stiles: See you then. [and he will hang up and after leaving Agent McCall another voicemail, he will call his dad's house to let him know what's going on. Because he knows calling the cell if he's at work isn't always the best plan]

Jody: [picks up the landline with a sigh, and she sounds tired, but she'll try to hide it as she answers] Stilinski residence.

Stiles: Hey almost stepmom. How you doing?

Jody: Hey, Stiles. I'm good, what's up with you?

Stiles: Some interesting news on the job front. Is Dad home? I figured I could hopefully get you both at the same time.

Jody: Yeah, he is actually. Want me to put you on speaker?

Sheriff: [looks up from his spot on the couch because he's worried Stiles might have heard about McCall]

Stiles: Sure, that works.

Jody: [nods and pulls the phone away from her ear to find the speaker button] Stiles has job news.

Sheriff: Don't tell me he already got fired. [teasing]

Stiles: I love the family support I get. You sure you want to marry him, Jody?

Jody: [smirks] Eh, he's sweet enough when it matters. I think I'll keep him.

Stiles: You have to live with him. But no, I didn't get fired. I actually got offered a position in a different division of the bureau and I'm taking it.

Sheriff: What kind of division?

Stiles: [and he will explain about what Olivia told him about the fringe division so far, but not the location]

Jody: [listens with a small shrug] Sounds like it's right up your alley.

Sheriff: It's what you were hoping to eventually do as a liaison to the Sheriff's office. I think it's definitely the right place for you.

Stiles: Yeah, but it also means I have to move to Boston for an undetermined amount of training time.

Jody: [her eyebrows go up a bit but while she does sound surprised, it's not bad surprised, it's definitely good surprised] That's ... far.

Stiles: Yeah, I know. But they're hoping to open a branch on this coast so it's primarily for training until they think I can be out here without the main office.

Jody: [she nods before glancing to Noah, and raising an eyebrow] Makes sense to me.

Sheriff: [rubbing the back of his neck, shrugging. It's a good thing right now especially] So it's not a forever change, just a period of time.

Stiles: An unknown period of time, but yeah. And it's not like I can't come back and forth, or end up on a case out here. More than likely I will since they are currently working a case in LA. Oh, and get this, Buffy knows the agent who is going to be my boss.

Jody: Why am I not surprised. [though she doesn't know about the talk the Sheriff and Buffy had earlier] She recommend you for the job?

Stiles: Yeah. She was calling to chat while I was in their temporary lab and it was a weird coincidence.

Jody: Guess some things work out for the best.

Stiles: Guess so.

Sheriff: And is Cora on board with this?

Stiles: Oh yeah, she's totally excited for me to go and do this.

Jody: Good. Then have fun in Boston. Oh, and see if Liv can get you the number for the Masons. Rebecca seems like the type who loves taking in strays, so if you need a place to stay, she might be able to help.

Stiles: Yeah, I was actually thinking if she needed a lift out that way to visit her boy toy, I'd take her so I wasn't doing the drive alone. Though I'm not sure what I'm going to drive yet.

Jody: When was the last time Dean looked at the Jeep?

Stiles: Scott's got the jeep. He needed it to be able to get back and forth to class.

Jody: Right. Then you need a car?

Stiles: I might. Depends on if Cora comes with me to not.

Sheriff: Why wouldn't Cora come with you?

Stiles: [and he's going to just chuckle nervously]

Jody: [and, because she knows things] Cora's been staying at the Hyperion.

Sheriff: When did that happen?

Stiles: Week or two. I just needed some space.

Jody: I only know because I was talking with Charles Gunn about something and he mentioned her being there.

Sheriff: Everything okay between you two though?

Stiles: Yeah I just... I'm still trying to figure things out with me and it was hard doing that and the new job and trying to figure out where Cora and I stood and I just felt overwhelmed and smothered and I couldn't handle it.

Jody: But you want her to come to Boston?

Stiles: I left it up to her. We actually went on a date earlier so I could talk to her about this. And you know, we never really kinda did that part of a relationship thing with everything post nogitsune so it was nice. So we're going to do that. If she wants to come to Boston and get her own place and we can do dating out there, or if she just wants to fly in for a weekend when our schedules line up to let it, that's fine too. I'm probably going to be working a lot and she just... it's like right now all she exists for is to be with me and I want her to find something beyond me that she wants to be interested and active with.

Jody: I think a lot of that got derailed in the last year or so. It may take her a while to figure it out.

Stiles: Yeah. And I think me being there all the time may give her an excuse not to look for it? You know?

Sheriff: Well, to be far while she was pregnant, that was pretty much how you were with her. It was classes or Cora, and not much else.

Stiles: Right, and she left me because of it. And I know I'm kinda doing the same thing, but I'm really trying to make sure she knows that I'm still her boyfriend, I don't want anyone else, and I'm not breaking up with her. I just need that space to figure me out a bit more like she did. And maybe being on the other end will help her finish what she started the same way her leaving did for me?

Jody: Maybe. But Stiles ... if you don't really want her to go to Boston you should tell her. Because when you've been through a lot the way she has, you want to stick with the thing that makes the most sense.

Stiles: I don't know what I want, that's the thing. I don't think I can live with her if she's going to just be all about me, but I don't like being across the country from her either.

Jody: [her mouth gathers to the side for a moment] Well, it's up to you guys.

Stiles: Well, right now it's up to her so. [shrugs] But enough about me, what's going on up there?

Jody: [and she'll just look at Noah, because lying to his son is his job]

Sheriff: [thanks Jody] You know how the town is. Lots of nothing and moments of insanity. Nothing we can't handle.

Stiles: You sure, cause I could come up...

Sheriff: Nah, you have a job a pursue. You'll be back for the wedding though, right?

Jody: You better be.

Stiles: Oh yeah, no I made it a part of my acceptance that I have a wedding to crash.

Jody: Good.

Stiles: But that's all?

Sheriff: Yup, that's pretty much it.

Stiles: Alright. I don't believe you in the least, but I'll just go with it.

Jody: Have fun in Boston, Stiles.

Stiles: Make sure you guys plan on coming to visit me there.

Jody: Sure thing.

Sheriff: Don't do anything stupid while you're out there.

Stiles: Of course I will. Love you guys.

Jody: Love you too. [and she will hang up with a sigh] At least he's out of that office.

Sheriff: That's a good thing.

Jody: I think you owe Buffy a thank you.

Sheriff: I think I owe Buffy a lot more than a thank you.

Jody: [she smirk as she shifts to lean against him] How're you doing?

Sheriff: Still angry. Very, very angry.

Jody: Well, we will fix this. One way or another.

Sheriff: I'm firing every single one of those deputies.

Jody: Well, first we have to be able to get you in the building.

Sheriff: Oh, I was going to pretty much go there tonight when the skeleton crew is there and close the place down. They seem to forget we're the only ones with access to the computer system.

Jody: Do you think that's really the best idea?

Sheriff: If they aren't following the orders of the Sheriff and trying to overthrow the legitimate police force to instill a mob leader as their boss, they technically are breaking the law and should be arrested for abuse of authority.

Jody: Yes, but who is going to arrest them? Who do we know that isn't compromised right now?

Sheriff: You, me, Parrish, Lindsay.