spamalot } { of returning home and snow globes

[hereditare]

[Upon returning home from their trip to find Thomas there, Cora and Malia very quickly say their hellos before escaping up to Cora’s room, mostly for the purpose of avoiding Thomas.]

Thomas: [watches them both retreat, then looks at Talia with a sigh] That's... actually better than I thought it would go.

Laura: [her eyebrows climb a bit as she goes to sit next to him] You thought it would go worse?

Thomas: I was waiting for her to say something in anger and storm out of the house to Peter's honestly. [smiles over at Laura] How are you doing, Laura?

Talia: Cora's temper is a bit more of a slow burn. I think that outburst will probably be later, rather than sooner. [unfortunately] And it helps that Peter isn't here to storm off to.

Laura: I'm good, Dad. [she takes his hand gently with a smile] How are you?

Thomas: At least I'll have time to prepare. [squeezes her hand gently] Just getting old, sweetie, and all the things that come with it. You're looking more and more like your mother every day.

Laura: [she smiles a bit as she squeezes his hand back] I've missed you. I've been meaning to come see you.

Thomas: Well, you've been busy lately with all your work and your boyfriend and moving around. I figured you'd get around to it eventually.

Laura: [a small smile] Still. I should have at least called.

Thomas: Well, seeing that I'm going to be back here, you won't have to go so far to call on me anymore.

Laura: [that smile turns into a grin] That's true. In fact, I could even walk.

Thomas: See, already easier on your schedule.

Laura: I like it already.

Thomas: So you gonna come over here and give your old man a hug or what?

Laura: [she doesn't even hesitate, sliding her arms around his shoulders and pulling him in close, letting her nose burrow into the crook of his shoulder. She can catch the change in his scent, and it makes something sink in the pit of her stomach, but she doesn't mention it, just staying close for now]

Thomas: [he holds her tightly, rubbing her back. He knows she will smell it. He knew Talia had. He may have been gone 10 years, but he knew his girls. He whispered softly in her ear] It's going to be all right, Laura.

Laura: [she nods a bit, curling into him a little more and soaking in the hold] I know.

Thomas: [He kissed her shoulder, looking over at Talia and giving her a small nod. He had this, if only because he knew how to help Laura. Cora... even Derek in a way... he wasn't going to be able to do on his own. But his little girl, his Laura... he could handle] Your mom's determined to take care of me, and I'll be damned if I don't let her get her way this time.

Talia: [nods a bit before wandering into the kitchen, giving them a moment to themselves]

Laura: [she laughs] Well you should know better by now. When Hale women get an idea in their heads, there's no stopping them.

Thomas: Stubborn to the core. And you and your siblings get it in spades from both of us.

Laura: Well, it's not always a bad thing.

Thomas: No, it's not. Probably why I love them all so much.

Laura: [she nods before leaning back against the couch] But it's that stubbornness that you're going to have to work through with Cora.

Thomas: I think the best thing I can do is just give her the space she wants. I can't force myself on her - I know that won't work. You mom and I talked about it a bit on the ride back.

Laura: [she nods] She'll come around, I think. She just needs to get used to the idea.

Thomas: I hope so. [looks towards the stairs] I've done a lot wrong by her. She's got every reason never to forgive me.

Laura: She's not that sullen a teenager. She's a little above moody fits and telling her parents she hates them, but .... [she pauses as she figures out how best to phrase it] She's never been the most emotional kid. Which is kind of funny because she's always been more sensitive to chemosignals than the rest of us.

Thomas: Not sure I get that, Laura. Can you put that in old man speak for me without the psych degree? [teasing smile]

Laura: [she laughs a bit before nodding] When you're under a lot of stress, or feeling an emotion particularly strongly, your body gives off hormones to reflect that called chemosignals. They're usually negative - fear, anxiety, sadness - but they can last somewhere hours, even days after you leave it. Cora ... she doesn't sleep well when the rest of the pack is stressed, even if she was fine. She feels too much from other people, so she tries to keep her own emotions to herself. Which essentially just ends in her bottling them away until she feels like she's in a safe place to let them out or ... they explode.

Thomas: [nods] I remember her always being a bit more snuggly than you or your brother when I wasn't feeling good. That probably explains it.

Laura: [she nods] Which is part of why Stiles has been good for her. He's becoming her safe place. But it's still ... a work in progress - the relationship is still pretty new.

Thomas: From what I've heard of him so far, sounds like he's a good kid.

Laura: He is. A little hyperactive, but sweet. His heart's in the right place.

Thomas: As long as he treats her will, and loves her, that's really all a father can ask for.

Laura: He definitely does the first. I don't know if they're to love yet, but they could be.

Thomas: I'm sure I'll get to meet him one day. Same with the fella you've been with. How many years now? [acting like he ain’t met Jason at all]

Laura: Six. And I'm sure you will. We're both here a lot.

Thomas: Your mom was telling me. He's working at the medical center, right? Big fancy doctor now

Laura: [she smiles a bit, clearly proud] He is. He's settling in really well there. I think he likes the staff.

Thomas: That's good. Was worried you were going to end up somewhere far from here and I'd never get to see any grandbabies.

Laura: [she laughs] Yes, well. Grandchildren is still up in the air, but we're hoping that that will be a possibility. Then again, before that we'd actually have to get married.

Thomas: Things come when the time is right, Laura. Give the boy some time.

Laura: [makes a face] He says there are rituals he needs to do. But he won't even give me a checklist.

Thomas: Oh baby. [he chuckles] Don't think about any of that and just let the boy do whatever these rituals are.

Laura: [sighs as she flops back against the couch] I know.

Thomas: [reaches over and rubs her arm] Can't always be in control of everything.

Peter: [and at that point, the car pulls in and Peter is making his way into the house. He is shaking his head at the old truck being in the driveway again and stands in the doorway a moment, taking in the scents.] Honey, I'm home.

Laura: [glances over with a grin] Hey, Uncle Peter. How was your trip? [and there's the sound of footsteps above them. Malia is coming.]

Peter: [comes into the living room, leaning against the archway. He looks a few thousand times better, relaxed both physically and mentally. He's even smiling as he crossed his arms] It was refreshing. Your brother sends his love, by the way, and says he will text you sometime next weekend but he has a few papers to grade and work to catch up on since I took up all his time. [he looks up at Thomas] And it's good to see you again, Thomas.

Thomas: [has no idea about anything Peter's been through, or anything from the last few months] Good to see you too, Peter. You're looking well.

Laura: [smiles a bit when she sees how he's looking] Good. I'll be looking for it.

Malia: [and down the stairs she comes, throwing her arms around him as soon as she's close enough. Even if she's a frustrating teenager, she's still a daddy's girl and she missed him] You're back.

Peter: [would respond to you, Laura, but his daughter is there and he's hugging her tightly, kissing her cheek and nuzzling her cheek] I am. Did you have fun at Stanford?

Malia: Yeah, it was awesome. [she doesn't mind the affection really. This was probably their first time on separate vacations.] How was DC?

Peter: It was refreshing. Reminded me how much of a history nerd your cousin is, but it was nice. I have something for you and Cora in my bag.

Malia: [grins brightly] Oooh, presents. [and now she's going to be looking for that.]

Peter: [bends down to grab the bag he had brought in with him] Let's go upstairs and I'll give them to you both.

Malia: [she nods before taking his hand and pulling him upstairs towards Cora's room]

Peter: [he'll be back later to talk to the adults and find his sister. Right now, going up to check on the “twins”]

Cora: [is sitting on her bed going through the stuff they got back from Stanford and she looks up with a smile when Malia drags Peter into the room] Hey Uncle Peter. How was your trip?

Peter: It was good. Your brother is doing very good and has embraced his nerd side completely. He may never recover. [grins and goes over to Cora, sitting next to her] How are you doing?

Cora: [she shrugs a bit as she leans into his shoulder. She's glad he's here, even if she won't outright say it. Seeing her dad, even for five minutes and hearing him talk in the living room has brought up a lot of things she doesn't really want to deal with] Not sure.

Peter: [wraps an arm around her, leaving room for Malia on his other side, and kisses the top of her head] That's to be expected. You'll figure it out in time. None of us are going to rush you.

Cora: [she curls into him when it's offered, closing her eyes and just taking a deep breath. She's glad Peter's home. It felt weird not having him there.] He's sick, isn't he?

Peter: [he sighs, leaning his cheek against her head] Yes, he is. But I think he wants to tell you himself, Cora. I know because he called Derek to tell him, and I'm going to respect his decision and let your parents tell you the details. But this decision would not have been made easy. The last time I spoke with him at Derek's graduation, he wasn't sick like this. He hasn't been this since probably before you really remember.

Cora: [she nods, and she doesn't want to ask any of the details, just burrows into him and stays close. There were moments where she wishes that Peter was her actual dad, so she wouldn't have to deal with things like this, but he's not. But for the moment, she's just going to close her eyes and pretend.]

Peter: [sighs] Malia, will you shut the door please, sweetheart?

Malia: [nods and gets up to shut the door, giving them a little bit of space. Her cousin was someone she didn't actually mind sharing her dad with. At least not in times like this]

Peter: [slides back onto the bed a bit more, pulling Cora fully into his arms and held her firmly] I've got you, little wolf. And whatever you're feeling deep inside that you don't understand right now, I'm not going to judge you on it. You have every right to be hurt and angry and confused by all this, and when you're ready to talk and figure it out, your mother and I will help. I promise you that.

Cora: [she nods a bit against his shoulder, sinking into the hold easily and exhaling a bit. Some of the post-phone call tension floats away and she relaxes against him] Okay.

Peter: In the meantime, I do have presents for the both of you. Maybe that will help?

Cora: [her head picks up with a small smile] I do like presents.

Peter: Good, because I may have gotten both of you two where Laura and your mother only get one. [he thankfully has the bag on the bed next to him, and he motioned for Malia to join them on the bed as he let one arm go from Cora to open the bag up.] Now, these you get to each pick one, and the last one goes to your mother. The cherry tree is for Laura. [and he carefully pulls out the winter, summer and fall snow globes]

Cora: [shifts on the bed so that Malia can sit next to her, and they both peer at the snow globes for a moment before Cora reaches forward and picks up the "fall" version, tipping it to see the way it swirls, before smiling and turning to figure out where to put it in her room] Thank you.

Malia: [studies them more closely, weighing her options between the last two, before picking up "summer" for herself] They're really pretty.

Peter: I thought they would be perfect for the four Hale women. Each of you are so unique, and yet we're all tied back to or home in the preserve no matter what stage of your lives we are in. And together, you have the entire collection to cherish.

Malia: [nods with a bit of a smile before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek] They're really nice, Dad.

Peter: And now, just for you two. [he goes back in and pulls out to jewelry bags, handing one to each of them. They are identical, and inside is a bracelet and watch set. If they look at the silver beads, they will both be able to figure out why they caught his attention]

Malia: [is overwhelmed by pretty but Cora is the one looking closely and when she sees the triskelions she grins]

Peter: In some cultures, beaded bracelets are used to help focus your mind. Some use them for prayer, some to help them take a moment to think before they answer, and some use them to distract themselves from anger or fear by rubbing the beads. With senior year coming and all the craziness you'll be dealing with, I thought these would be a beautiful way to give you a set of beads to help keep you focused when you're feeling overwhelmed.

Cora: [nods before leaning in to hug him again] Thank you, Uncle Peter.

Peter: [hugs both of them together] You're both very welcome. I've got to take care of my little girls, after all.

Malia: [both of them lean into him and hug him tightly]

Cora: [after a moment she pulls back. She doesn't want to let him go, but she can't hog him] You should go find Mom.

Peter: I should. I'll come get you when I'm ready to leave, Malia. Cora, you can tell me at that point if you want to stay here or stay with me, alright?

Cora: [she nods with a small smile] Okay.

Malia: [nods as she goes to settle back on the bed next to her cousin]

Peter: [packs up the other two globes and goes off to find his sister]

Talia: [is downstairs in the kitchen, fixing dinner when she hears Peter come back down the stairs] How are the girls doing?

Peter: A little hug therapy works wonders. As well as presents. [kisses her cheek]

Talia: [she smiles a bit at that] Presents. You did have a good vacation.

Peter: I did. Getting away from everything for a little bit helped a lot.

Talia: Good, I'm glad. [she glances towards him as she gives the spoon another push around the pan] How's Derek?

Peter: Doing remarkably well. Victor has Nik working him hard, and he's finally fitting into his paws, so to speak. And he's very happy. It was the right choice, and you can see it just looking at him.

Talia: [a small smile at that as she nods] Good.

Peter: Fiona's pack has taken to him too. And she is doing well being back with her family. He's still suffering a bit with the separation, but the fact her pack is around a lot of the time, he's not alone to think on it a lot.

Talia: [nods as she listens, still stirring the food as he goes] Sounds like everything worked out well.

Peter: It did. [sets his bag out, and then pulls out the winter snow globe and puts it on the counter next to her] So I was going to give this one to you even though I let the girls pick theirs first. It reminds me a lot of all the times we used to play in the snow in the woods back when we were younger and it still snowed up here in the winters.

Talia: [she turns to look at it, placing the spoon down before moving to pick it up. She turns it and smiles slightly as the snow falls] It's beautiful, Peter. Thank you.

Peter: You're welcome. [his head turns to look out the kitchen a moment, then back to her] How are you doing, Talia? Really?

Talia: [she takes a deep breath, before her eyes go up to the ceiling] I'm worried about my daughter. I'm worried about him. But I'm glad he's home.

Peter: [his eyes lift a moment] Cora is going to be a slow burn. But she knows he's sick already. You and Thomas aren't going to want to delay long in telling her. I'll help how I can with her. [he's quiet a moment] Have you thought to talk to him about alternative ways of getting better?

Talia: Not delaying involves her being able to be in the same room with him for more than five minutes. [she sighs softly] He didn't want the bite then, Peter. I can't imagine he'd want it now.

Peter: I could stay for it, or see if Laura can? Someone to make her not feel outnumbered would probably help. [he leaned his back against the counter] If it means he gets more time to fix things... if the diagnosis isn't good... he may.

Talia: [she nods] Let's give her a little time. I don't want to rush her any more than I have to. [then she exhales slowly] We'll wait and see what the diagnosis says.

Peter: [thinks it's bad to wait, but he's not going to overrule his sister. It is her daughter, after all] Alright.

Talia: [she can sense that in his tone. She turns to face him] We asked her if she was okay with this and she said yes. She did this for me. I can do this for her.

Peter: [his hands go up on the defense instantly] I'm not going to tell you how to handle your daughter, Talia. But yes, she did this for you because she loves you and wants you to be happy, even if that means she is going to put herself in an uncomfortable place. Just don't make her feel more uncomfortable not telling her the why until you think she's ready. Because she will play with it in her mind until you do.

Talia: I know. I know. [she sighs as she turns back to the pan] I'm not going to spring it on her, but I won't make her wait too long either. It just doesn't have to be tonight.

Peter: Alright. Well, I'm going to have to take leave and spend some time with Malia. Call if you need to talk.

Talia: [she nods, one hand reaching over to squeeze his arm gently] It's good to have you back.

Peter: [smiles and leans over to give her another cheek kiss, keeping close to nuzzle her cheek with his forehead a moment] It's good to be back. [in more ways than one]

Talia: [she smiles at that, before letting him go and moving to finish dinner]

Peter: [walks back to the living room, pausing at the stairway a moment before shouting up the stairs] Malia, pack up. Heading home in five. [and heads into the living room to deliver the final snow globe to Laura] Sorry I can't stay for dinner, but it's been a long day. This is for you from the Smithsonian.

Thomas: Sorry you can't stay, Peter. I was looking forward to catching up.

Peter: We can do that soon when there's less women around to interrupt us.

Laura: [takes the snow globe from him, and she then glances back up with a smile] It's beautiful, Peter, thank you.

Malia: [when she hears her father, she glances back to her cousin] You staying or coming?

Cora: [she pauses for a moment, playing with the end of her bracelet] I think I'm gonna stay. At least for tonight.

Malia: [nods before leaning in to hug her] My window's open if you change your mind. [though she knows that Cora will probably be more likely to climb through Stiles's window than hers. All the same, the offers there]

Cora: [nods against her shoulder before letting her go]

Malia: [and with that she's coming down the stairs and flashing her dad a grin] Ready.

Peter: You're welcome [kisses the top of Laura's head, then squeezes Thomas' shoulder as he heads out] Have a good night, and have a good vacation, Laura. See you when you get back. [and he's going to put an arm around Malia's shoulder and head out, assuming that Cora is staying since she is still upstairs]

Malia: [leans into her dad and follows him out the door, her bag from the weekend in her hand]

Peter: [looks back at the house a moment, then heads to the car] Come on, baby. Let's head home and you can tell me everything about Stanford.

Malia: [nods and follows him to the car to go home]

Peter: [and after all the fancy meals and cooking, Peter is going to an old standby and heating up a frozen pizza for them for dinner.]

Malia: [it's an oldie but a goodie. She takes her stuff upstairs and comes back down to sit at the kitchen table] So what do you want to know?

Peter: Did you guys like the school? Find anything that really jumped out at you about it?

Malia: I really liked it. Laura took us around to all the classrooms and stuff, and she introduced us to some of the professors. They all seem really nice.

Peter: Well, she did really enjoy going there. You start thinking about what you'd want to study yet?

Malia: I don't know. We were talking to one of the guys in the sociology department and he was talking about this study he was doing with social media and how information travels in a "viral" society that sounded really cool.

Peter: [nods, impressed. That wasn't something he was expecting but he was delighted to see she was looking at something very interesting] That does sound very cool.

Malia: [she shrugs] Sociology is all about people but it's not about getting in their heads it's about looking at their cultures and how they interact with each other, and there's a lot of history and stuff so ... maybe.

Peter: It's a skill set that will always be in demand, and you'll always have something new to learn. The social media aspect is a current tread, but you'll be able to see how it transforms into whatever the next step of social interaction will become.

Malia: [nods a bit as she takes a bite of her pizza] So ... maybe. I still have to look at like Berkeley and stuff though.

Peter: That reminds me. Derek says to text him whatever info you want him to send you from Georgetown. He's making a packet for you and Cora to share with the rest of your little pack.

Malia: [raises an eyebrow at the "little pack" comment but she doesn't say anything] Sure. I'll text him later.

Peter: [smirks a bit at the look, but doesn't comment on it. But it was cute to him how they had made their own little circle together - a human and wolf pack to band together when away from the whole pack. It made him feel better about her going off to college next year knowing she won't be alone] Good. He will also be here for the holidays but he was thinking of flying home for Talia's birthday weekend and will take you all up to Berkeley that weekend for a day trip.

Malia: [nods] Sounds like fun. If we can pry Cora off him.

Peter: Well, Stiles will need to do that and learn since it'll be one of his biggest challenges.

Malia: I think he's doing better than you think. He and Scott were the ones to talk her down after she found out about her dad.

Peter: [nods] That's good. Scott will know what she's going through too. If I remember him telling us right, his dad left when he was still very young and rarely talks to him.

Malia: [she nods] Yeah, and Scott's really good to talk to too.

Peter: [looks at her] DO you want me to tell you about what's going on with your Uncle Thomas now? I don't know how long they are going to wait to tell Cora, and I don't want you to think you have to hide something from her, but Talia wants to be the one to tell her, and since she's the alpha, I'm not going to disobey her and neither can you on this.

Malia: [she looks up, watching him for a moment and frowns. She doesn't like keeping things from Cora, but she wants to be prepared too. So she nods.]

Peter: [puts his pizza down, taking a deep breath] When you and Cora were toddlers, your uncle Thomas developed cancer. They caught it early because Derek noticed how his scent was changing. The doctors were able to treat him and sent it into remission... but it's come back. And there wasn't a wolf nose around this time to tell him early on. From what he told Derek, they are still working to figure it out, but they won't know how bad it really is until he has surgery to try and get it out of him. Talia wanted him to come home to take care of him because they still love each other even after all this time apart, and there is a chance... [Peter closed his eyes a moment, because he hated thinking it] There's always a chance that it could be bad, and that he may not have as much time as he'd like to be able to fix everything he's done.

Malia: [looks down at her pizza playing with the cheese on top for a moment] Why did he even leave in the first place?

Peter: I know what he's said, but I know there's more to it. I think it comes down to that he is human, and was scared that he was going to be a burden as he got older and sick and didn't want his kids to have to go through that. You see how sensitive Derek and Cora both are... I think some part of his brain thought that by leaving that way, he would make it hurt less.

Malia: [rolls her eyes] People get old and die all the time. It's a stupid reason.

Peter: And I've told him that many times. But your Uncle Thomas is just as stubborn as the rest of us.

Malia: [sighs] If he gets better he better not leave again.

Peter: I don't think he would have let Talia bring him home if he was planning on leaving after. I think he's very scared right now he isn't going to make it and it's letting him see the damage he did and realizing that he can't leave it that way.

Malia: [she's still linefacing a bit, but she just doesn't want to see Cora upset again] Good.

Peter: [sighs, then thinks a moment] Malia... not that I ever see it happening, but what would you do if your mother came back and wanted to try and get to know you?

Malia: I'd probably slam the door in her face. [because nope. As far as she's concerned, she doesn't have a mom. She's not interested in changing that. She wants her dad to be happy, but she doesn't want a mother]

Peter: [chuckles and shakes his head] I don't blame you for that. I just know you've never once asked me about her.

Malia: [she shrugs as she looks down at her pizza] She gave me away. She didn't want to know about me, why should I want to know about her?

Peter: Because as much as I would love to claim all of you as my little clone, some of your genes do come from her. It's only natural to be curious.

Malia: She left you. She left me. If there are parts of me that are like her, I don't want to know what they are. She shouldn't get to have credit. [even though it's not about credit. She's always going to be Peter's daughter, that's not going to change]

Peter: Every single part of you is you, Malia. That will never change. [puts his hand on hers]

Malia: [there's a small smile at that and she nods] I hope so.

Peter: [grins] So, you want to watch a movie tonight, or you have plans on the computer?

Malia: [she takes a bite of her pizza before shaking her head] I'm good for a movie.

Peter: Good, because I saw this new movie come up on Netflix called Curse of the Dragon Slayer. It looks completely horrible and I think we could have a lot of fun mocking it.

Malia: [she grins a bit in return] Sounds perfect.