new york wolves } { of vacations and tattoo removal

[hereditare]

Peter: [comes back after refilling drinks] So, Nadia, remember when we were discussing options to hide the tattoo a few months back?

Nadia: [she nods slowly] Yes. Found one that suits you yet?

Peter: I think with the impending Argents visit... it actually may be best for full removal.

Nadia: [her eyes widen] Are you sure?

Derek: [looks up as well] That sounds like it's going to be painful.

Nadia: Extremely.

Peter: I've lived through worse. It's something I was going to need to consider eventually, may as well just get it over with.

Nadia: Well ... you'd have to skin it off completely. Given where it's located, I'd get someone you trust to do it.

Peter: I saw that there was a method using liquid nitrogen to freeze the skin to make it less painful to remove...

Derek: Yeah, I think I'm done eating...

Nadia: [makes a face] I haven't heard one way or another on the subject, but because it's burned enough to be permanent, the only way to get rid of it would be to remove the destroyed cells. The most effective way I've seen is skinning.

Peter: Well, I don't really have any dermatologists that I know or trust. Would you know of one?

Nadia: Off the top of my head? No. But I can ask around. [a beat] And there's always Marcus.

Peter: I do trust Marcus. If he feels he can do it.

Nadia: I'll ask him.

Derek: You hide it really well, Peter. Why would you want to remove it at all?

Peter: If the Argents come to hunt Ivanovs, they will see it and won't stop to check my ID, Derek.

Nadia: No, he's right. Removing it completely is much safer. It's just ... dangerous in it's own right.

Derek: Yeah, but he's too stubborn to die. So he has that going for him.

Peter: Thank you, my dear nephew, for you vote of confidence.

Nadia: [laughs] Sometimes that's all it takes.

Peter: I think the sooner we get this done, the better we will all be.

Nadia: [nods and reaches for her phone to send a text to Marcus: "how do you feel about werewolf tattoo removal?"] I'll see what he says.

Marcus: [thinks a moment, and texts back:] I think it's barbaric and more pain than any of you would ever imagine, but you’d heal from it? Do you have a tattoo I don’t know about ;)

Nadia: [eyeroll before responding:] Peter wants to have his removed.

Marcus: Ah. Well in that case, yes. He will need to be mentally prepared - it will be as bad as the fire, if not worse. He will need a day to recover from the size of it, and he will need to remain completely still for it.

Nadia: Do you think there's any kind of anesthetic procedure we could do to keep him still?

Marcus: There is a heavy paralytic that we can try. I've yet to have a reason to test it out on any of you. I don't know what the side effects of the amount I would have to use to keep up with your metabolism would cause.

Nadia: [pauses for a moment, before ...] What about kanima venom?

Marcus: I'm fresh out. I can check my sources though. It would take a few days.

Nadia: Let me know what you find.

Marcus: I will. But if it is an emergency and he's willing to take the risk, I can do it anytime.

Nadia: I'll keep you posted. [then she looks up and speaks] He says it's incredibly painful, it will take a day to heal, and you'll need to be able to stay immobile the entire time. I asked him about possibly using kanima venom to help with that.

Derek: Yeah, this all sounds worth it. Peter, just leave town until the Argents leave.

Peter: I'm not leaving the rest of you unprotected. And they are Argents. I'm not safe until it's gone.

Nadia: Your uncle's right. It's not something that's going to be able to stay hidden forever. Especially if they manage to get a hold of him accidentally. This isn't just some groupie they killed - with the way their hierarchy works, Kate was second in line to the throne and Gerard's daughter. This isn't something that's going to blow over, even if they do leave.

Peter: If your sister can't negotiate with Chris Argent, Derek... this is going to become a bloodbath that even Flack won't be able to protect us from. [because Flack is convinced that even if they went after the Ivanovs, Gerard may still come after them personally...] This tattoo, your and Malia's eyes... and your connection to having put her in jail to begin with... those are all things we're going to need to find a way around. The eyes are easy. Your case files should hopefully absolve you of using your job out of revenge... but this needs to be taken care of too.

Nadia: It won't be easy, but it is doable. And if you have somewhere safe to recover outside of the city, that would be the most ... ideal scenario.

Peter: Laura was going to ask the Castles if we can spend time at the place in the Hamptons.

Derek: I can't leave. I've got work.

Nadia: They won't give you a leave of some kind? Or vacation time?

Peter: You know Flack will, Derek.

Derek: No. No, I made a promise I was going to help Kate on her case. I'm not going to bail on her. I'm her partner.

Nadia: I think she'll understand that it's not safe for you here.

Derek: No. [he pushed away from the table, angry] No, I'm not leaving and that's final. I'll sleep at the station, I'll stay with my team and not go on my own, but I'm not abandoning her to deal with this on her own. [and he's going to go and storm to the door and grab his jacket to leave unless someone stops him]

Laura: [pokes her head out because of the anger she managed to pick up on - and she and Victor were coming out anyway - and she frowns] What's going on ... ?

Peter: Derek feels that his job is more important than pack survival.

Derek: I'm not running away, Laura. I have a job to do.

Laura: Whoa - hold on. No one said anything about running.

Derek: Peter said...

Peter: What Peter said was hypothetical, for the record.

Laura: [sighs heavily] The word I used was "vacation."

Peter: The context I used was in relation to recovering from getting a very painful tattoo removal.

Derek: And the context I'm saying is I have a job and I'm not abandoning my partner. The rest of you can go on vacation. I have a job to do.

Laura: Going away for a couple weeks is not abandoning your partner. You have lots of vacation time. Now would probably be a good time to use it, even if Flack doesn't force you to.

Derek: No! I'm not going, Laura. You can't make me.

Laura: You may not have a choice. With everything that's going on with this case, they could put you on administrative leave.

Derek: Doesn't matter. I made a promise to Beckett and I'm not leaving her now.

Laura: Maybe she wouldn't see it as you leaving her. Have you asked her about that yet?

Derek: [sets his jaw] No, I haven't. It's been a very stressful last two days for me.

Laura: Yes. Exactly. That's my point. [she sighs heavily] Excluding whatever promise you made her - you are in no shape to be having someone's back in the field right now, even if you can't see that, Flack probably will. It's a week, Derek. Maybe two. The world won't end in the process.

Derek: You don't understand. I made a promise. [and he's going to head towards the door anyway]

Laura: [and with a deep breath, she's just going to let him go. She waits until she hears the elevator doors close before she goes for her phone]

Derek: [and he's going to head to the station because he just can't be in the house right now, and it's the only other place in the city he feels safe]

Peter: Who are you calling?

Laura: Texting Javi and letting him know that Derek is probably incoming so that he can give Beckett a heads up to cut him off at the pass. He should not be in that station right now.

Peter: I agree. However... I haven't seen Derek that attached to a person in a long time, Laura.

Laura: I know. And I'm not trying to discourage it, but I can't ... I can't have him stay here alone, it's not safe. Maybe she can talk some sense into him.

Peter: Well, he doesn't have to be alone if he's here. [turns to look at Victor]

Victor: [looks up and gives a bit of a shrug] I have no problem taking him in. But I wouldn't be able to be with him every minute of every day. I also agree with Laura, I don't think him being on the job is a smart idea right now.

Peter: I don't think any of us are going to be able to talk him out of it. I guess it will come down to Beckett and Flack on that. [he looked at Nadia] Or seeing if Marcus will share the kanima venom.

Laura: [brow furrows and she glances between the two of them] What?

Nadia: Peter and I were discussing tattoo removal.

Victor: [cringes] Good luck.

Peter: Thank you. [he looked at Laura] Marcus should be able to do it, but I'll be down for recovery after.

Laura: So we should do it in the Hamptons, then. That seems like the safest option.

Peter: Probably the safest bet. [smiles at Nadia] Care to join us? You can hold my hand? [smirking just a bit]

Nadia: Oh, I don't know. The sight of blood makes me squeamish.

Victor: Liar.

Peter: [chuckles] Well, your choice. I should probably call Castle them, make the arrangements. Do we want to extend it to have him and Alexis join us? [preferably without Martha]

Laura: [nods] Sure. If Alexis wants to bring her boyfriend, we could give the teenagers the guest house and keep the adults in the main one? Give them some privacy.

Peter: Are we sure we want to give them that much privacy?

Laura: They are over eighteen and if we treat them like responsible adults, it stands to reason they will behave that way. Besides, if we police them in the house, they're just going to find somewhere else to do it. Somewhere with sand. And awkward trips to the emergency room. Which do you think would be worse?

Peter: I wasn't actually talking about sex. [and he's going to go walk off to get a beer]

Laura: I think that pretty much goes for anything they could be doing on their own.

Peter: Figure out the plans, Laura, I will go and set up the arrangements.

Laura: [flashes him a smile before she goes back to texting Espo]

Esposito: [and he is passing it all along to Beckett] How long does it take him to get here from the station?

Beckett: Not long. I'll meet him outside. [goes to grab her jacket] See if I can talk him into a cup of coffee that's not here.

Esposito: Good deal. Let me know if you need backup.

Beckett: [nods and goes to wait by the door for Derek]

Derek: [and there is the stormy wolf getting out of the subway tunnel. He sees her and sighs] My sister called, didn't she?

Beckett: She texted Espo. [tips her head to the side as she reaches for his arm] C'mon. Let's go get a cup of coffee.

Derek: I knew the two of them dating was going to be bad for me. [he shoves his hands in his pockets] I just want to work, Kate.

Beckett: Unfortunately, the place where you work is the crime scene for the murder of the woman you admitted manipulated and used you. You can't be anywhere near that building right now.

Derek: Then what am I supposed to do, Kate? I can't just sit around doing nothing. I need to work.

Beckett: Are you sure that's what you need? You've been through a lot in the last few days.

Derek: [just shakes his head] Why does everyone think they know what I need?

Beckett: I don't think anyone does. But I think that after the stress you've been under, it's good to take some time. Decompress.

Derek: And how am I supposed to do that? I mean, I don't have the same kind of lives the rest of you do. I work, I go home. Sometimes I go play basketball at the Y if I have a day off and Flack needs a challenge better than a group of twelve year olds.

Beckett: You have your family. You have friends.

Derek: My family's grown up. Moving on their own paths. And the number of actual friends I have I can count on one hand.

Beckett: Just because they have their own paths doesn't make them any less your family. [she takes a breath] And maybe this is your chance to expand things. Try something new.

Derek: My sister thinks I need to try a relationship. [scoffs a bit]

Beckett: Do you think you're ready for that?

Derek: I don't want to go into a relationship just because people think I should. Every time I tried, it went bad. [motions at the station house] Case in point.

Beckett: Okay, fair enough. But is there someone you want to be with?

Derek: [he looked at her] I stopped looking at people like that a while ago. It made it easier to work.

Beckett: So you've taken a vow of abstinence.

Derek: [looks down at his boots] I wouldn't say that. Just... it doesn't mean anything to me. It's just sex.

Beckett: That sounds ... lonely.

Derek; Yeah, well... never claimed that I was a beacon of mental health.

Beckett: All the more reason why you should take some time. Take it from someone who's been through a trauma on the job - sometimes you just need to step back and breathe. You overload yourself, and that leaves too much room for things to go badly.

Derek: Things are already going badly, Kate. The Argents are coming to town, and my sister is making us all take a vacation away so that we're out of the crossfire. And all I'm going to do is spend two weeks all alone on a beach while everyone else moves on. How does that help me, huh?

Beckett: How do you know that's all you're going to do? You haven't even gotten there yet.

Derek: Forget it. [and he just pulls back] Just, just go back to what you're doing inside. I'll find something else to do. [and he abruptly turns to go]

Beckett: Derek. Hey, no. [goes and reaches for him trying to get him to stop] Talk to me.

Derek: [stops, licking his lips and looking straight ahead] Let me go, Kate.

Beckett: [shakes her head] I'm your partner. That's not how this works.

Derek: Yeah, I know you're my partner. That's why I'm here. Because I'm trying to help you too, remember?

Beckett: [her face softens slightly and she turns him to face her] Look at me.

Derek: [turns to look at her, the sad grumpy cat face]

Beckett: [and this is her serious "you will listen to me now" face] My mom's case isn't going to be solved today. Or tomorrow or ... even next week. There haven't been any new leads in a while. And this partnership? Isn't all about me. I have lost too many people to this thing already and I'm not going to let you work yourself into the ground because you made me a promise. [she takes a step closer and lets her hands rest on his shoulders] So take the time. Relax. Read a book or ... twelve. Watch a movie. If you're really that worried about my case you can take what I have with you and look it over, but sometimes taking care of you is just as important as taking care of everyone else. Okay?

Derek: [he sighed, and the stiffness, the fight went out of his shoulders. He nodded] Yeah, got it.

Beckett: [gives him a small smile] It'll all work out. Two weeks on a beach, by the time you get back we'll have this cleared up and everything will be back to normal.

Derek: Just... keep me in the loop at least?

Beckett: I know anything, you'll know.

Derek: Thank you. [he rubbed at the back of his neck, then looked at the Starbucks sign down the street] Still want that coffee?

Beckett: [nods] I would love some coffee.

Derek: Come on, I'll buy the first round.

Beckett: [and off they go to have coffee and chat for a bit?]