spamalot } { crossed wires

[vampireboulevard]

Moving clear across the country so that her fiance could join another pack to get away from his crazy dad is not exactly what Caroline Forbes had planned on doing with her life at this particular age, but when it comes to things like fiance (mostly that fiance being Tyler) and getting Tyler away from his crazy dad she's willing to make little changes in order to benefit the good of all. It also helped that Elena and Matt were already on this coast to make the transition a little easier.

(It was five hours to Palo Alto. Five hours driving was still better than all the coordination it takes for a five hour plane ride.)

Still, once she actually arrived in Beacon Hills, she's willing to admit that she may have prejudged this town a little harshly. It's actually more than a little adorable. It's got a Mystic Falls vibe all it's own, but lighter, which I guess is what happens when your mayor isn't a psychopathic alpha werewolf trying to make your life miserable. Talia Hale? A plus alpha from what Caroline could tell - which, she could tell a lot, if just knowing Cora even as little as she does is anything to go off of - and she has a feeling they're going to be very happy here. The TV station even approved her transfer to the local syndicate, so as soon as they find an apartment, she's pretty much set.

Which is what she, Elena and Matt (poor, poor Matt) are doing while Tyler is doing his alpha bonding with Talia and getting to know the pack as a whole. It's been a few days of meetings up at the Hale house, and him coming back to the hotel seeming so much happier than she's seen him in a long time, and that? That is worth every inconvenience, every hiccup, every ounce of homesickness because they fought for this for so long, and now they finally have it.

(This is probably the only universe in existence where Caroline Forbes would actually be grateful for Klaus Mikaelson. Whadaya know?)

She's coming out of one of the buildings, finishing up the details with the realtor, when she spots Tyler coming up the sidewalk and grins. Once they part ways, she's skipping over to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and pulling him in close. "I love this town."

Comments

[grumpypuppy]

"Stiles punched someone? Stiles, who's currently afraid of shadows and hiding in mom's house went up to another werewolf and punched him?"

Derek didn't know if he was supposed to be proud of the young man, or beat him over the head for his stupidity.

"Why would he think you two were still together?"

[impetere]

"I don't think he knew that Tyler was a werewolf."

It's not like he can tell like they can. She isn't sure if that makes it better or worse, but at least it's something. She can't justify his behavior any more than that though - even if Stiles hadn't been through what he'd been through, she can't see him punching anyone - on her behalf or not.

"I have no idea. Tyler said that Elena might have told Stiles that Tyler was moving to town and he knows that I was looking for an apartment - he might have put two and two together and gotten five." There's a beat as she shifts, stretching out more so that Bob can hop up onto the couch and settle into the spot between her and Derek. Her fingers curl around his collar, keeping him closer and closing her eyes as she admits the next part. "And the thing is, Tyler and I were never actually together."

[grumpypuppy]

"After you two broke up, did you see Stiles or talk to him beyond Scott or Malia's wedding?" The Stilinski-Grayson wedding had been very different with only Malia and Scott having gone to represent the pack. The grooms side of the chapel had been very small and it should have been the first clue of how controlling Suzanna would become.

[impetere]

She shakes her head. She didn't even really talk to him at either occasion. He didn't really want to see her, so she respected that as best she could. "I'd ask about him sometime, mostly to Scott, but no. It just seemed easier that way. He was starting another life."

There's another sinking feeling of guilt that comes with that statement. Maybe if she had fought harder to still be in his life, to still talk to him, she could have seen what was going on sooner. She could have helped him. She could have done a lot of things differently, maybe saved Stiles a little pain, but there's nothing she can do about that now.

[grumpypuppy]

Derek sighed. He wasn't going to say anything, but she would be able to tell from that sigh that Derek was sad to hear that.

"Well, seeing that if you show up to two separate weddings, a year and a half apart, and you have the same date - anyone is going to think you're in a committed relationship. Especially if no one's telling you different. Which, is also a failing on the rest of you guys for not keeping him in the loop." She can share the blame on that with Scott, Isaac and Malia since they were the only lines of communication that Stiles had when he was still in contact with them.

He leaned forward, regarding her a moment. "Cora, we've always respected your decision without question, but I think I need to know why you actually did break up with Stiles to help you figure out how to resolve this issue."

[impetere]

She's taking that "we" to mean the royal "we" because Malia definitely didn't fall under that category. Most of the pack was okay with it, but Malia had always called her out on being stupid for it and maybe she was. But in some ways, she knows she needed it too, which is what makes it harder.

"I wasn't ready." She shakes her head a bit, fingers playing with Bob's collar. "I was looking at grad schools and he was talking about moving in together and I got scared. I kept seeing him give up things for me and put things aside for me, and maybe I needed him to do that in the beginning, to pull out of me what I wasn't sure I could give, and that was fine, but I didn't want him to be doing that forever. I wanted him to do things that he wanted. He never ... " She sighs. "I knew how I felt about him but I was scared about what it meant, and the fact that I could tell he felt it too just made it worse and so I panicked."

She shakes her head again before looking back down at the collar. "We were the only people we'd ever been with. You're not supposed to get it that right the first time. The world isn't supposed to work that way."

[grumpypuppy]

"Doesn't work that way - you have spent time with Scott and Malia, right?" Because they were both with their one and only loves, and were way too sickenly sweet sometimes. But he sighed again. "Cora, you always followed in my footsteps in everything, and I really wish I had a better example to give you in this. But I felt the same way with Paige that Scott did with Allison. I'm pretty sure that if she hadn't died... I'd still be with her."

Not that now he couldn't imagine his life without Fiona. She was his mate and she was stuck with him.

"Sometimes good things happen. But it's normal to get scared, so I get that. But I don't think Stiles ever gave up anything for you. He gave everything to you."

[impetere]

"I know it sounds stupid now. It even sounds stupid to me. And it wasn't you."

She hates that he would think that, that it was anything but her own head getting the better of her and her thinking more than feeling, but it's too late for that now.

"And I didn't get that then, that there was a difference. I just saw him passing up opportunities and focusing on me, and I couldn't handle that. I wasn't ready, Derek."

She's ready now. She'll take him as he is with no questions and no stipulations in whatever capacity he can give her because being around him is worth it at this point, and she doesn't deserve more than that.

"Which is why I feel like I was right. I just ... wish I'd done it differently. Or that there was another way for me to have ... " She sighs softly. "I just needed more time."

[grumpypuppy]

"I think you need to have this conversation with him. Hard as it is going to be - I think he really needs to know this. And expect him to be very pissed off, but if he still feels the same for you and isn't too damaged enough that he can't find that part of him again... he'll find his way back to you. Look at mom and dad."

[impetere]

"I know." She does. She knows she needs to talk to him. "I was going to even before he punched Tyler in the face, but ... I figured he had enough going on. He was already thinking about bolting, I didn't want to make it worse."

[grumpypuppy]

Derek's eyebrows went up. "Bolting?"

[impetere]

"He's scared, Derek. He wants to make sure Dina's safe and he doesn't want us to get hurt because of him, and - " She shakes her head. " - I think I managed to talk him out of it, but I haven't really been pushing. I can't do that to Scott or the sheriff."

[grumpypuppy]

"I don't know how much safer he expects to get past an alpha of an old family line protecting him," Derek snorted.

[impetere]

Cora gives Derek a bit of a look at that, sitting up a bit from behind the dog. "He's human, Derek. He's human dealing with a human problem. He doesn't see us as being stronger as a pack, he just sees a group of people he cares about who are going to be in front of mobsters, because of him."

[grumpypuppy]

Derek thought a moment, then gave her a questioning look. "The Graysons are mobsters?"

[impetere]

She takes a deep breath, leaning back against the couch and scrubbing a hand over her face. She wasn't supposed to say that. She forgot that that wasn't all common knowledge.

"They had ties at least. Part of the reason why they wanted Stiles was because they wanted him to do some shady stuff online for them and he said no."

[grumpypuppy]

"Huh." Derek bit his lip a moment as he thought. "I'm actually tempted to call Nik now. His mate's son, Gabe, used to joke that their pack was secretly the Russian mob. Which they aren't, but does make me wonder if he knows anything about them in his travels."

[impetere]

She nods a bit. "Might be worth a shot? Just ... don't let it get back to Stiles. Scott knows, but I don't think he was supposed to tell the rest of us."

[grumpypuppy]

Derek laughed. "You forget, I'm the Hale that's good with keeping secrets." Like Paige... his marriage... things like that. "It's what happens when Peter's your mentor."

[impetere]

"Yeah, I remember." She's still a little sore about the whole wedding incident, even if she understands the reasons why. But that's water under the bridge from a long time ago.

She picks at Bob's collar again, before looking down at her hand. "I should probably go home."

[grumpypuppy]

Tilting his head, Derek listened a moment to the sounds upstairs. "Well, you actually had a reason to come here first and it's currently hiding in his room playing a video game."

[impetere]

She glances up at the ceiling, before giving a bit of a shrug. "If he doesn't want to meet me now, it's okay. My feelings will not be hurt."

[grumpypuppy]

At that, a wolf tinier than Cora came to the balcony overhang, his spiky blonde hair sticking out all over the place from the shower. "No, I want to meet you! I just totally forgot I was supposed to come back downstairs and started playing a game with my friend online."

Derek snorted. "Cora, meet Liam." He looked at his foster son and motioned for him to come down, and the fourteen year old ran down the steps and jumped to land on the floor next to the table. "Liam, this is my younger sister, Cora."

[impetere]

Cora flashes him a grin and a wave, given that she's being held in place by Bob at the moment. "Hey, Liam. Sounds like you've been giving my brother a run for his money."

[grumpypuppy]

Liam grinned in a way that had way too much mischief behind it. "He's just getting used to me, that's all. He's not that old and lazy."

"Hey, sitting right here," Derek stated, amused. "And you're going to regret that later."

"He doesn't even know how to play lacrosse, Cora. How does he not know this? it's the best sport ever."