darkest timeline } { of setting expectations and team derek

[impetere]

Cora: [maybe two days after the big bomb was dropped, Cora texts Stiles while she's out on her morning run] Are you home? We need to talk. [Peter and Derek likely told her to give it time and leave it be, but Cora does not have a slow speed, and she only has two weeks to convince Derek to stay. If anything, knowing the truth about what happened has only further spurned her to take her brother back from her mother]

Stiles: [and he's kept a distance, trying to give them time while he's also getting the memories in his head straight. So instead he came back to focus on a personal case-- which is why he has a murder board up with the rough sketch of the pendant Gerard had tortured them about in the center, and his mom and Kate on either side. Freya's revelation has him filling in the blanks. When his phone beeps, he picks it up, then replies] Yeah, I'm here. Come on up.

Cora: [maybe ten minutes later, she knocks on the door. When he opens the door, she's in her workout clothes, with a box of munchkins in her hand, and she holds it up as something of a peace offering] For the mice.

Stiles: [and he'll smile at that and let her in] You'll become their new favorite priestess.

Cora: That's the goal. [the mice have always been her favorite. she's lukewarm on Stiles right now, but she doesn't want the mice to think she doesn't love them] I used to bring Very's cheesecake sometimes too, depending on what end of town I was coming from.

Stiles: No wonder why her group didn't want to leave.

Cora: I leave an impression. [but she'll place the donuts in a place where the mice could get to them, before ripping the band-aid off] Look, whatever this was with you and the other me ... it's not happening here. [she won't say never, but she also doesn't want to get his hopes up] I'm with someone and I barely know you so I don't want you to waste time with me. I need you to fix things with Derek.

Stiles: [deep breath] I know. I didn't lose my memories from here, and I knew that I most likely wouldn't be with you. I just... What happened shouldn't have, and we wanted you to have a chance at a better life. That said [another deep breath] Derek's one of my best friends. I don't plan on losing him, but I also wanted to wait a few days to give him time to get through his broody self-introspective so we could actually talk and not just me talk at him, you know?

Cora: [she nods, because fair enough, that does sound like Derek.] Good. Because before all of this came up, I was going to ask you to help me keep him here. And after everything you told me about the other timeline, I really don't want to let my mother take him home. He needs to stay here and get to have his own life.

Stiles: [smirks] So, I'm not the only one wanting to keep Derek here. Good to know.

Cora: Definitely not. Even Laura will help twist Mom's arm if we have to. We just have to ... nudge him in the right direction that he's willing to ask for it.

Stiles: I've been making strides there. He actually suggested he join me on my last west coast case, instead of me begging.

Cora: So we just need to give him reasons to want to stay.

Stiles: And we need to convince your mom that he'll be safe.

Cora: It's never been about keeping Derek safe. It's been about controlling him. He can't leave because then she can't manipulate his choices. She knows he'll be safe here, Peter and I have been safe for over a decade. She just doesn't trust him.

Stiles: For all it's worth... Now that I remember the him I used to know... Or part of my memory... Whatever. Anyway, he has a better life than before, and I want to make sure it gets better. Especially now.

Cora: [she nods] He deserves to be able to make his own choices. It's like ... Mom's been blaming him for something that didn't actually happen. Paige is fine. She's first chair at the Philharmonic. Peter and I saw her last spring.

Stiles: My mom thinks that she doesn't trust him. But she's also afraid that Ennis will show up to get that favor he claims Derek owes him.

Cora: [sighs] Well, we might be better equipped to handle that too. There's more of us here. [she waves a hand] But that's all moot if Derek doesn't want to ask for this himself. Because as much as we can cajole Mom into giving us what we want, it's useless if Derek doesn't want to take it.

Stiles: He wants it. He just doesn't know he wants it yet.

Cora: Anything we can do to enlighten him to that? I know Laura's been gently probing on occasion but that only seems to be getting her so far.

Stiles: He wants to feel useful. Needed. With your mom, he follows orders. With me, he helps. He's a part of a team, not a drone. He needs that.

Cora: [nods, considering, tapping her finger against her chin] I can work with that.

Stiles: He knows I want him to keep helping me. I'll work to drive the point home.

Cora: There are cryptid groups here in the city that could use extra hands too, in between your normal Price stuff. They might not trust you, given your family's history, but they would trust Derek. That could be something that's his, not just piggybacking on what you guys do.

Stiles: Worse case scenario, I let myself get hurt on a case while he can't be with me and be like "if only Derek had been there" to your mom.

Cora: [she looks at him] Are you sure you want to trigger Derek's guilt complex on top of that?

Stiles: ..... Fake getting hurt and letting him know in advance what I'm doing?

Cora: That's better. But we should probably have him ninety percent on board, otherwise he's just going to deny that we need that kind of leverage. But hopefully it won't come to that.

Stiles: I'll talk to him about it when I go see him.

Cora: And I'll see if I can get him to Freak Show to meet Sasya and get them talking. [and hopefully he won't mind staying in the same city as the girl he doesn't know who might or might not be in love with him]

Stiles: So Team Derek is a go.

Cora: Team Derek is a go. [she nods before turning back to him with a small smile] Thanks for having our back on this.

Stiles: No problem.

Cora: [nods and turns towards the door] So, now that that's settled, I should probably go.

Stiles: Sure. It's not like I won't see you around.

Cora: Yeah, definitely. I mean, any friend of my brother's a friend of mine.

Stiles: Precisely. [smiles]

Cora: So I'll see you later. [and unless there's anything else, she'll head out to go back to her jog]

Stiles: [nope, he'll let her go. He waits five minutes, then just sighs and rubs his eyes. Nope, not time to focus on that.]