I do not own Teen Wolf
"What does this have to do with me being a Banshee?" Lydia fumed.
"Everything..." Peter began.
"And just what does that have to do with your past teenage love life?"
Lydia drew her lips into a tight line. She wasn't interested in Peter Hale filling her head with any more teenage romantic fantasies. A flicker of her previous encounter with Peter's younger version flashed before her eyes and she cringed.
"Lydia you said you wanted to know, and I'm trying to tell you."
"Tell me why I need to hear about your relationship with an ex-girlfriend or...or I'll scream my head off until blood runs from your ears!" Lydia said exasperated. The desire to wipe out the image of the kiss she had shared with him hovered in the back of her mind.
"Never heard of a banshee being able to do that...but if one could...it would be you," Peter said dryly.
Lydia's mouth fell open. Why did he always have this way of getting under her skin.
"I...I..." Lydia started.
"God...Lydia...do you have to make everything so difficult?"
Despite herself, Lydia found herself stomping her feet like a little girl. She hated him. If he was not the one with the answers she needed, she would have stayed as far away from him as she could.
Amused, Peter looked up at her from the couch and chuckled.
"Having a temper tantrum are we?"
Lydia wanted to slap his triumphant expression right off his face but hesitated. She really did want answers...perhaps if she let him do it his way, it would go faster and she could be rid of him. Lydia breathed deeply and steeled herself.
"Fine...I can be adult about this. If I have to listen to you relive your glory days in order to get my answers by all means go ahead."
Lydia smiled wickedly as she plopped down in the chair opposite Peter. She was particularly pleased with her dig at Peter's age, but her victory was promptly deflated when Peter completely ignored her insult opting instead to immediately delve into his own personal history.
"Did anyone see you leave?" Peter asked.
"No...they're out...won't be back until late tonight."
Peter softly pressed his lips against the petite girls head, kissing her hair, as he drew her close. The light scent of lavender wafted from her long loose tresses.
"You ready to go then?" he asked. Although he pulled back, he continued to stroke her hair.
Looking up at him she smiled and nodded.
"You can't tell me what this special thing is that you want to do?" she asked.
"Only that it's something that used to be practiced long ago by my ancestors...a ritual of sorts. I'll explain more when we get there."
Laughing, she said in a slightly sexy tone, "You're being so mysterious."
Peter broke out in a deliciously wicked grin.
Olivia SynClaire was the girl of his dreams...the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but one thing stood in his way...she wasn't a werewolf. There was no way Talia would turn her, and to top it all off she didn't know what he was yet. He hoped that tonight that would end...that tonight she would know the truth...but would she accept it...would she accept him?
"Hold it just a minute," Lydia interrupted.
"What?" he asked, incredulously.
"Are you telling me that she agreed to do this ritual without even knowing what it was or that you were a werewolf?"
Lydia consciously crossed her arms as a sign of disbelief.
"I should have known what I was getting myself into when I agreed to this," Peter mumbled to himself.
"I heard that!" Lydia exclaimed.
Peter looked up at her innocently and lifted his eyebrows and shrugged.
Lydia subconsciously started tapping her toes on her right foot.
"Just answer my question...she agreed to this without knowing?"
"That's what I said wasn't it?" Peter said, sounding annoyed.
"What did she think the ritual was about...she must have had some idea?" Lydia asked.
"I don't know...she didn't question me too much about it after I suggested it...now can I get back to the story?"
"Why wouldn't she ask you about it?" Lydia continued.
"She trusted me Lydia...that's why she didn't barrage me with endless questions...she trusted me!" Peter exclaimed.
The words dried up within Lydia's mouth. He actually sounded hurt? Had this girl meant that much to him? The dig at her continual questioning was also not lost on her.
"But I'm not Olivia...I have no reason to trust him," she thought, "and every reason not to."
Never the less her interruption was slowing him down and causing her to spend more time with him than she wanted. Mentally she zipped her lips.
"Now...can I continue?" asked Peter calmly.
Lydia nodded.
"Livvy, take my hand."
The walk up the rocky hillside was long and silent, briefly interrupted only as Peter assisted Olivia over some of the more perilous terrain. Occasional looks and touches between the two made the outing not only bearable, but also enjoyable. By the time they had scaled the embankment the time seemed to have flown by.
"It's beautiful up here," Livvy said as she broke the silence.
Peter had been here before but had paid little attention to his surroundings. Suddenly the little grassy knoll completely surrounded by the outgrowth of trees looked glorious. Olivia had a way of making him see things in a way he never had before.
"It is isn't it," he said softly as he took it all in, "...private too."
Livvy drew closer to him, pushing herself upward by standing on the tips of her toes. Peter met her halfway and placed his lips on hers. The thoughts of the ritual faded into the background as Peter lost himself in Livvy's embrace.
"Whoa...I don't want to know all the details of your little liason with your girlfriend!"
"I wasn't going to go into all the details," Peter protested.
"You already went into more than what I wanted to know...All I need are the high points," Lydia explained.
"Okay...fine...we made love...had sex...we..."
"Stop!...that's more than I wanted to know!" Lydia exclaimed.
"You said you wanted the high points."
Lydia swallowed the fury that rose from within at the look of amusement on Peter's face. He was toying with her...his way of getting even with her for interrupting his story.
Calming herself she said, decisively, "Just answers then...no high points."
Peter sighed.
"Very well then," he muttered.
"What is it?" Olivia asked.
"It's called a bonding ritual," Peter answered.
Shaking her head, she said, "I don't understand."
Peter struggled to find the words. What would she think? How would she react? He glanced down and realized his hands were shaking. Swallowing hard he forged ahead. There was no turning back now...he had come too far.
"It's a ritual that binds two people together. Sort of like...like marriage I guess, but there are some differences."
Peter felt a heat rise from within as he noticed the blush that had appeared across Livvy's face. She reached out and took hold of his hand.
"And you want to do this ritual with me?" she asked.
Peter found himself drowning in her hopeful gaze as he nodded.
"I love you, Livvy," he whispered.
"I love you too, Peter," she replied.
Peter had hoped his confession of love for Livvy would fuel his resolution to perform the ritual. Instead her mutual response sparked his reluctance to go through with it. What if it didn't work the way it was supposed to? What if Livvy got hurt?
"How do we begin?" she asked eagerly.
His doubts seemed to fade in the face of Livvy's exuberance like the darkness fading in the light.
This was something that would make them closer...forever, never the less she needed to know the whole truth, before they went through with it. If only he could find his courage.
"I...I need to tell you something," he started.
She needed to know what he was...what the ritual did...what affect the bond had, but again, he was having a hard time finding the right words.
"You can tell me anything," she said.
"I...I.." Peter found himself choking back his explanation. He was losing his resolve.
Livvy squeezed his hand tightly.
"It's okay...whatever it is, you can tell me anytime...but right now we're losing the daylight...if we're going to do this...we need to do it now."
Peter looked up at the sky...the sun was setting. Livvy was right. If they waited any longer it would be too dark to find their way back down the hillside. Even with his enhanced werewolf vision it would be too risky trying to take Livvy back down over the rocky terrain. Perhaps he was being a coward...using it as an excuse to delay doing what he knew needed to be done but whether he was or not, the explanation would have to wait...he was out of time.
"So you took her through the ritual without telling her the truth...I guess your true colors came through in the end," Lydia said accusingly.
"I wasn't proud of keeping silent...I was just...afraid," Peter explained.
"Of what? She just told you that she loved you...what did you have to be afraid of?"
"Of losing her. You don't know what it's like being born a werewolf...always hiding what you are...afraid of someone finding out...never knowing how someone will react if they do find out."
"But she said she loved you!" Lydia protested.
"Maybe I didn't think it was enough...or maybe I just didn't think her love for me was strong enough to withstand the truth."
Lydia shook her head. Her own prejudice against Peter wanted her to judge him without mercy...to condemn him for his selfishness, but another side of her understood what it was like to fear losing someone you loved. She knew the pain of rejection. She had been through it with Jackson.
Calmly, Lydia said, "I guess that's understandable."
Surprised, Peter looked up at her hopefully.
"Yes...yes I guess it is," he replied, quickly.
"That's not an excuse for what you did...but I do understand why you were afraid."
"Understanding...I guess that's all I can ask for at this point," he agreed.
The room fell silent for a moment and Lydia felt intensely uncomfortable. Coming into agreement with Peter about something so personal made her feel extremely vulnerable. She pushed down the urge to flee from the room and never look back. The answers she wanted were here...with Peter, and she intended to get them.
"What was the ritual really all about?" she asked, breaking the silence.
"I wasn't lying about the bonding part. It was the way werewolves took mates centuries ago. The interesting thing about the ritual was that if a werewolf took a human mate that within 3 moon cycles the human would turn."
"You mean into a werewolf?"
Peter nodded.
"I figured I would muster the courage to tell her the truth of what I was before the 3 months were up and hoped she would love me enough to accept it."
Lydia noted his expression...it was one of loss.
"Olivia rejected you didn't she," she stated quietly.
"In a way...she might have come around eventually...I think she would have but she never got the chance."
Peter could feel the heavy burden of his omission weighing heavily on his shoulders. Now they could be together forever...he should be elated, but all he felt was a sense of foreboding. A dark cloud settled over his mind, and the nagging doubts began to eat away at his wavering peace.
"What if she hates me when she finds out what I am and what I did to her?" he wondered.
"You okay?" Livvy asked as she reached the bottom of the hill. Her smile had been replaced by a little down turned frown.
"She probably thinks I regret what we did...that I'm having second thoughts," he thought.
"Yeah, I'm sorry...it's just that it's late and I was a little worried that your parents might already be home. They're not all that fond of me to begin with. If I bring you in after curfew...well you know...I don't think it would be pretty."
How long would he be able to get away with such deceit? Once Livvy fully turned such little lies wouldn't work. The connection they would have as mates would allow them to know one another in ways that other werewolves did not. It wasn't exactly telepathy, but it was close. Any deception, no matter how small, would be easily detected. For the moment, Peter was glad she had not yet turned. But for now the lie was necessary. He didn't want Livvy upset.
"They don't dislike you, Peter. They just don't know you that well...that's all. I wouldn't worry though...they said they would be late...really late. We probably still have a couple of hours."
Obviously, relieved Livvy's smile revived.
Peter forced one in return.
"Wait!...wait," Lydia interrupted.
Peter rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Seriously? What is it now?" he asked.
"Did you say that the two of you had telepathy?"
"Not exactly...it was a connection of sorts...a connection of the minds if you will...but that would only happen once she turned."
"Was this connection anything like the one you had with me when you were dead?"
"Not quite...but similar," Peter admitted.
"Was Livvy really a banshee?" Lydia asked bluntly.
Peter stared at Lydia for a moment. To Lydia he seemed to be carefully calculating how he needed to word the answer. His hesitation made her nervous.
"No Olivia Synclaire was not a banshee," he said candidly, "can I return to my story now?"
Lydia had the feeling that there was more to it...something that Peter was unwillingly to tell her about...at least for now. Despite her desire to continue grilling him, Lydia nodded for him to resume his story. The only way to get to the truth was to let him continue.
They weren't too far from the car when they heard the brushes rumble. Peter knew immediately what it was. He had been so distracted by Livvy he had become careless. The hunters had been following them, and Peter had been unaware.
He easily dodged the first arrow as it passed him by and pierced a nearby tree.
"Run!" Peter yelled.
Livvy looked questionably at Peter and then let out a loud scream as the second arrow caught him in the upper right shoulder. Shoving her forward, Peter ignored the fire that began to infiltrate his flesh. He had to get Livvy moving.
"Go!" he yelled again.
Livvy's feet began to move and quickly, both she and Peter began to close in on the car.
His arm already feeling stiff, Peter threw Livvy the keys and said, "You drive."
For a moment he thought she was going to throw them back. The look in her eyes was sheer terror.
"Peter?" she whimpered.
"The door Livvy...the door...unlock it."
Peter kept his voice as calm as he could considering the circumstances. He didn't want to upset her any further.
Her hands were shaking so badly it took her three tries to get the key in the lock.
Turning his ear towards the preserve, Peter listened. The hunters were not following...they didn't even seem near.
"Why aren't they following," he wondered.
His thought was interrupted by an increase in the blazing fire that was raging through his shoulder.
"Because they don't need too," he whispered, when he realized what had happened. Unless he got help he was going to die.
"Get in!" Livvy screeched. Her ashen face stared up at him as she leaned across to the passenger's side of the car. The door had been flung wide open.
Peter hesitated. His shoulder was on fire and now numb. He was no longer able to lift it.
"Did you hear me? Get in!" she shouted again.
Peter stumbled into the car. He knew the extent of what was happening now.
Livvy floored the gas pedal and the scenery became a blur.
"Please...no...not like this," his thoughts pleaded.
But it was no use...Peter could feel a shift coming on, and he couldn't control it.
"You shifted in front of her," Lydia said bluntly.
Peter nodded.
"The arrow was tipped with wolfsbane...a high concentration of wolfsbane...it worked quickly. Lucky for me it was a common form and Talia had the means to remove the poison later, so I could heal, but at the time I didn't feel so lucky...I couldn't control the shift. I'll never forget the look on her face...the terror I had seen in her eyes a few minutes before couldn't compare to the terror I saw in them when she finally saw what I was.
"She saw what you were and rejected you?" Lydia asked curiously.
"She never got the chance," he answered flatly.
A sick feeling washed over Lydia.
"Did you kill her?" she asked sheepishly.
Peter's looked shocked.
"Really, Lydia is that all you think I'm capable of doing...killing people?" he asked.
Lydia stared at him with wide eyes.
No, I didn't kill her."
Peter spoke the words slowly so they would sink in.
Lydia noted the controlled yet evident hostility in each syllable. She had struck a nerve when she wasn't meaning to. For once she felt sorry for her insinuation.
"It's just you said you lost control...I just thought...well never mind what I thought...I'm sorry I suggested it."
Peter narrowed his eyes for a moment and seemed to let it pass.
"I guess your reaction is...understandable. It seems that we are coming to understand one another today," he replied.
"On a few things," Lydia agreed reluctantly, "What happened after she saw you shift?"
Peter seemed to lose himself for a moment in thought. Suddenly, Lydia was afraid he wasn't going to finish his story and that she wasn't going to get her answers.
"She freaked out...floored the gas pedal...crashed the car. She died...I lived...end of story."
Lydia's mouth dropped open.
"There has to be more to it than that," she protested.
Peter looked down at the floor
"She died instantly. Her side of the car was completely crushed...her along with it. I was thrown clear...a few scratches but nothing my accelerated healing wouldn't take care of by morning. Talia told the police that she had stayed the day at our house and that by the end of the day I wasn't feeling well, so I let her borrow my car to drive herself home."
"Your sister lied for you?"
"It was what we did to protect the family secret. Explaining why Livvy freaked out would have been...problematic...to say the least...and I was really in no condition to be questioned."
"But you said you healed," Lydia reminded him.
"I was in no emotional condition to be questioned," he corrected.
Peter continued to look at the floor, avoiding Lydia's gaze.
Lydia didn't want to dwell on his obvious pain. Pitying him would open the door to making her vulnerable to his manipulations...better to focus on what she came here for.
"I still don't see what this has to do with why someone becomes a banshee...you said she wasn't one...was there one present when she died or something?" Lydia asked shaking her head.
"In a way," Peter said as he stood up from the couch and walked over to the bookcase.
Lydia rolled her eyes. Why did he have to be so cryptic all the time?
Taking a large book from the shelf he thumbed through it and stopped on a certain page. He gazed at it for a moment and handed it Lydia.
Hesitantly, she took it.
"There was a loophole in the ritual. If someone who has completed the ritual dies before they turn, they come back."
"What do you mean come back...you mean reincarnated?" asked Lydia, puzzled.
"Exactly...they are reincarnated," Peter agreed.
"So...Olivia came back?" she asked.
"She did indeed...as a banshee. That's the loophole in the ritual...when they come back their connection with their own previous death is still intact...it allows them to identify others that are about to die."
"So you found out everything you know about banshees from Olivia after she came back...that's how you knew about me," Lydia stated.
Peter sighed.
"Everything you need to know is right here."
Peter tapped the open page in the book he had handed Lydia. Lydia could feel fear began to grip her heart...now that she was finally going to get her answers she was apprehensive. Striding towards the door Peter turned and looked at her silently before leaving her alone to her thoughts. Lydia looked down at the book.
"What the hell?" she whispered.
It was Peter's high school yearbook. Slowly her eyes scanned his fellow classmates falling at last on the one marked Olivia SynClaire.
Lydia felt her world fall out from under her as she recognized her own face staring back at her.