spamalot } { of upcoming weddings and being too late

[arbalete]

[Two days after the breakup, Scott's going to show up for Sunday dinner with a box of Cora's stuff Stiles asked for him to drop off, and a request for him to get his stuff - in particular his wardrobe - back. She gives it to him, with the exception of the sweatshirt which I don't think she'll find until she's packing for Boston.

Stiles already left for his internship that morning so Scott is in awkward middle man position. Cora tells him she's sorry he has to do this. Scott tells her that he doesn't get it, but he's not going to say anything. But he's going to let her know that Stiles is his brother too, and not that he doesn't love Cora like a sister, but he's on Stiles' side for this right now.

Allison is one of the few people that are Team Cora, but she wouldn't actually say that to anyone but Cora. When Scott asks, Allison points out that if Cora stayed in the relationship just for Stiles and didn't at least try to sort out what she was feeling on her own, she would be constantly second guessing herself and that's not fair to her or Stiles. And she's sorry that Stiles is hurting, but having Cora not know what she wants and sticking around because she thinks it is would only be worse for him in the long run. But she doesn't want Scott to not support Stiles. Because he's his best friend and his brother and he should be that to him.]

Scott: No, I get it, Allison. And I understand it. I just wish.... he thinks it's all his fault. That those doubts creeped in because he wasn't good enough. That he isn't enough for her that she would even think that. But the space will be good for both of them.

Allison: [nods a bit, moving closer to him and sliding her arms around his waist] I wish he didn't feel that either. I think she tried to explain it to him, but ... [coming from Cora it probably didn't make much of a difference] But I think it will be too. And if they get back together again after, then great. But if she's right and they find other people to make them happy, possibly even happier, then that's good too.

Scott: I just hope they both figure it out. I hate seeing them hurt like this. [he looked up at her] You ever have doubts like that about me?

Allison: A little. When I was still figuring out the stuff with my family and you being a werewolf. [it hadn't been an easy thing to process and she wondered if her being with Scott was the right thing. But when she started to figure out who she really was, with all the pieces put together, a big piece of that was Scott] But I figured it out. Cora will figure it out too.

Scott: Good. Because I'm pretty sure I'd be a horrible, blubbering mess if you left me now.

Allison: [she shakes her head with a small smile as she leans in closer to him] My world would be pretty empty without you in it. You're stuck with me.

Scott: Good. I like being stuck with you. [grins and leans in to kiss her, being all adorable Scott/Allison]

Allison: [kisses him back and yep, because that's how they roll.]

[Stiles and Cora go their separate ways – Stiles to Google to meet Suzanna and Cora goes to MIT. She buries herself in her work and barely comes home. Eventually she meets Tyler and for a while they’re just good friends, but one night they’re drunk and Cora, on a whim, kisses him just to see what it would feel like. Tyler kisses her back and somewhere along the way they fall into bed together. This pattern continues for a while until one night, Cora stares up at the ceiling and admits she might have screwed up.]

Tyler: [laying in bed, holding her as he looks down at her] Screwed up how?

Cora: I had him and I let him go. [she takes a deep breath. under any other circumstances she would feel awkward about this, talking about one guy while in bed with another one, but she knows enough about Tyler and Caroline at this point to know this wasn't long term anyway] And I know that I had my reasons and they were good ones, but I don't know if I'll be able to fix it.

Tyler: Well, sounds like you know what you want now.

Cora: Yeah. [she exhales slowly] He was right. He usually is.

Tyler: Then maybe you should call him and tell him that.

Cora: [exhales a bit and nods, before glancing over his shoulder at the clock] In the morning. [they probably should have slept hours ago, it's reaching the point where it's getting late, even on California time. Besides, given the position she's currently in, she thinks she should at least not be smelling like Tyler when she calls to confess her love to another man.] I have to RSPV to Scott's wedding anyway.

Tyler: Sounds like a plan. [he sighs] For what it's worth, Cor? I'm glad I was able to help you figure this all out. But pretty sure now that you know what you want, this little arrangement needs to stop.

Cora: [she nods a bit in agreement. It was fun, for what it was, and it helped her a lot, but it's not really fair to either of them. Still, she'll lean forward and kiss him one last time, just for the road] Thank you.

Tyler: [kisses her back, running his hand along her cheek and then smiling] You're an amazing woman, Cora Hale. That Stiles kid is a pretty lucky guy.

Cora: [smirks a bit at that before shaking her head] I'm pretty sure he hasn't felt that way about me for the past couple years.

Tyler: Then make him remember.

Cora: [she nods] I'll try.

Tyler: [and he just lets her snuggle up against him one more time to get some sleep. They both have a long day the next morning]

[♫ I’m the One to Blame ~ Arden Cho]

Cora: [yep, because after she showers and eats something she'll make the mistake of calling Scott first because it's probably the easier phone call]

Scott: Oh hey Cora. I was wondering when you'd call. How's MIT?

Cora: It's great. I really like it a lot. [she holds up the card in front of her for the wedding] I got the invitation for the wedding.

Scott: Awesome. I mean, we already figured that you would be joining us, but we weren't sure about if you were bringing a plus one.

Cora: It should be just me. [because hopefully, maybe Stiles might be that plus one, and she knows without even having to ask that he's the best man. She shifts a bit in her seat, pulling one knee to her chest as she does] Have you heard from Stiles lately? [it's not an odd question, really, she asks about him sometimes when they talk]

Scott: Yeah, he actually was down here this past weekend helping me with tuxes and stuff. He's taking the best man role very seriously. [he bit his lip a moment, because he knew things that he wasn't supposed to tell anyone... things that he really didn't want to tell Cora because this was the first time she actually asked about Stiles in years without any prompting. But no, Cora was pack and deserved the warning at least.] We, uh.... we finally got to meet his girlfriend too. Suzanna.

Cora: [Girlfriend. Oh. She shouldn't really be surprised but it's still a gut punch that hits her a little harder than it should. She leans back into the couch, taking a deep breath and trying not to sound like it gets to her, even though it does] So it's pretty serious?

Scott: I dunno, to be honest. They've been friends for a while from what I gather, but just started dating seriously a few months ago? [rubs his neck, because he wasn't really sure what to think about what Stiles was doing.]

Cora: [nods a bit. a few months isn't enough time to get really serious, but at the same time, she doesn't know what to make of any of this. It's hard when she's so far away] Is she nice?

Scott: She's..... different. City girl, you know. Her family's from Vegas, but she was studying fashion in LA. Not really what I'd thought he'd go for, you know.

Cora: Yeah. [there's another long pause] Is he happy?

Scott: [bites his lip] Yeah, he is. I think he's finally letting himself be happy.

Cora: [she closes her eyes for a moment, knowing that the second phone call she isn't going to be able to make. She trusts Scott's judgement when it comes to Stiles's happiness, and if he says he's happy then she can't just come back in and ruin it. She exhales slowly, trying not to feel like this is as heartbreaking as it actually is. This is what she wanted for him] Scott, I think I'm actually going to need that plus one. [if not for Tyler then maybe for Kira or Elena - just someone to go with her that doesn't have to worry about being on Stiles's side too]

Scott: [he nods to himself, going to the list on the fridge and going to mark that] You know, I'm sure he'd like to hear from you. Maybe you guys can at least figure out how to be friends again?

Cora: Yeah. [she exhales slowly as she does, nodding a bit] Yeah, I'd like that.

Scott: [there's a breath of relief, because that would make this whole wedding a whole lot easier if he didn't have to worry about them both being awkward] Cool. It's usually easier to get him on weekdays, I've found. Google has him working hard, but his coworkers usually drag him away from the computer by seven.

Cora: Yeah, sure. I'll try him sometime this week. [she won't. she'll lose her nerve and not know where to start and figures she'll just try and see him when she gets to Beacon Hills. The wedding isn't that far away]

Scott: Good. Well, see you next month? You're going to laugh at all the work we've been putting into this, but it's going to be amazing.

Cora: [she smiles a bit at that, because just seeing the pack again sounds really good] I'm sure it will be. I'll see you next month.