Summary: Jordan first meets Lydia when he's watching the Walcott house, and they make a shocking discovery.

Based on episode 4x03

Music Inspiration: Unsteady by X Ambassadors


Chapter 1: Unsteady

It was late in the afternoon and Jordan Parrish was sitting on surveillance duty outside the Walcott residence. Sheriff Stilinski wanted him to watch the house since it was a fresh crime scene for a triple homicide. To busy himself he decided to flip through the crime scene photos looking for any clues missed by the other deputies or the M.E., whose only conclusion was that the murder weapon was some sort of axe. Every few minutes he looked up from the morbid photographs to check for any activity around the house.

A couple hours in and there had been no movement or signs of suspicious activity. Looking at the pictures he wasn't making much progress either. However, this time when he looked up he saw someone inside the house walking by the front door. He was quick to hop out of the squad car and draw his gun.

He opened the front door slowly with his gun at the ready. "Beacon County Sheriff's Department!" he shouted into the house. His eyes glanced around the empty foyer, searching for any signs of movement. "This is a crime scene. Show yourself."

His eyes moved to the room at his right as he inched closer for a better look around. Movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention and he drew his gun on the trespasser, prepared to shoot if necessary.

Jordan put down his gun when he processed the sight of a young woman before him. She had strawberry blonde hair, fair skin, green eyes like his own, and bright red lips. This wasn't just any young woman. This was the renowned Lydia Martin. The same Lydia Martin who wandered around in the woods naked for two days in a fugue state. The same Lydia Martin who has a habit of showing up at crime scenes before the police even know about them. So what is she doing here?

Her face was contorted into an expression of bewilderment, as if she didn't know why she was there either. Still, he had to ask.

"What are you doing here?"

"I would try to explain it, but…" she started. "I've never gotten a satisfactory explanation myself."

Jordan looked at her in astonishment. "Just an unusual habit of showing up at places where people have been brutally murdered?"

She folded her arms across her chest, tilted her head slightly, and looked him in the eyes. "So you know who I am," she said more as a statement than a question. "But I don't know who you are."

He nodded slowly. "Yes, I am familiar with your – experiences. I'm Deputy Jordan Parrish." He hesitated. "I hear things at the station about your, shall we say, 'uncanny abilities'?"

She eyed him with an inquisitive expression. "Are you saying I have a reputation?"

"An unusual one," Jordan replied. "Maybe you're psychic."

She scoffed, looking him up and down. "Don't tell me you believe all that?"

He smiled slightly, catching the flirtatious undertones in her body language. "I'd like to say I don't believe in anything. But I keep an open mind."

Lydia had walked away from his side to the nearby wall. She was blankly staring at the wood paneling. Since she didn't respond, Jordan continued. "But if you're looking for dead bodies, I think you're a little late."

Still not responding, Lydia reached out and touched the wall. Her hand caressed the wooden boards before she suddenly pressed her palm against it. When she did this, the wall opened up, revealing a hidden passageway. She whipped her head around to look at Jordan, who now had his gun out. Lydia opened the secret door so they could see inside, but Jordan put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her back so he could go in first.

He entered the tunnel-like passage with his gun and a flashlight in hand, swiftly followed by Lydia. The passageway was empty, its walls made of stacked brick and wooden support beams. At the end of the hall was a doorway with a rubbery plastic curtain, cut into three inch slices all the way down, covering the opening. Jordan entered the room and, looking around, saw no one inside, dead or alive. He did, however, see a light switch on the wall to his left. He reached out and flipped the lights on, taking in for the first time just how cold it really was in the room.

Glancing around he put his gun back in its holster and looked over at Lydia. "I think it's a game locker. Like venison."

The cinderblock room was full of large plastic bags, which were suspended from the ceiling. They looked like they could be holding deer or some other large game. Jordan stepped closer to the bags. "Hunting's legal in some parts of the state, but…" he drifted off as he looked closer at one of the bags.

Lydia noticed his concerned expression. "What is it?" she asked.

Jordan reached out and began to unzip the bag hanging in front of him. Once he saw inside, the color drained from his face and his voice caught in his throat. "It's not venison." Inside the bag was a dead body, a human one to be exact. He quickly zipped the bag back up, hoping Lydia hadn't been able to see inside. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently tugged her towards the door they came in. "Let's get you out of here. I need to radio this in."

Lydia nodded, unable to speak because she was still in shock from what she did in fact see in that bag. She walked back out of the game locker with Jordan, and he looked over at her as they stepped into the foyer. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home, but first I've got to contact Dispatch and let the Sheriff know what we found. In the meantime, you can wait in my squad car if you'd like."

She simply nodded again and followed him to the car. He opened the door and let her in before walking back over to the house and talking into his radio on his shoulder. Lydia opened her purse and fumbled around for her phone. It took her a minute to pick it up because she was shaking from this unsettling development. She took a deep breath and called Scott. It was getting late and she knew she needed to reach him as soon as possible.

After a couple rings she heard Scott's voice on the other end of the line. "Hey, Lydia."

"Where are you?" she burst out. "I couldn't call…I couldn't get away from the deputy."

He interrupted her. "Okay, slow down…"

Lydia took a shaky breath. "You need to get to the hospital. You need to get there right now. The son, the only one who survived…he's there."

"So am I. I'm at the hospital too," Scott replied quickly.

"Then find him. Find Sean Walcott." Lydia cleared her throat. "The deputy and I just discovered a game locker in his house. But, Scott, it's full of dead bodies. I think his family – I think they're cannibals."

"Don't worry, Lydia. I'll find him."

She hung up the phone just in time to see two other squad cars pull up to the house and one she recognized as belonging to Sheriff Stilinski. She saw Jordan talking with the other deputies and the Sheriff for a few minutes before walking in the house. After just a moment, Jordan and the Sheriff emerged from the building. The Sheriff hopped in his car and drove off quickly while Jordan was walking back over to his squad car. He climbed into the vehicle and looked up at Lydia. "Alright, they've got this situation under control. Just let me know how to get to your house and I'll take you home."

"Okay," she said quietly. The car ride to her house was mostly silent, with the exception of her occasional directions. Jordan pulled into her driveway and stopped the car before helping her get out. Despite her objections, he walked her to her front door.

Lydia peered up at him, noticing how tired and tense he looked. "Thank you," she said. "I really appreciate the ride home."

He smiled. "No problem, anytime." He held out his hand to shake hers. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Martin."

Taking his hand in hers, she laughed. "Please, just call me Lydia. Otherwise I'll feel like my mom."

He let out a soft chuckle. "Alright then, Lydia."

His expression dropped when a call came in on his radio. Lydia couldn't understand what was being said. He answered it back quickly and started to go. Then he turned around and noticed Lydia's confusion. "I have to go. Goodnight, Lydia."

Lydia started to panic. What was the call about? What's wrong? Are Scott and the rest of the pack okay? What about his mom?

She called out after him as he started walking back down the sidewalk to his car once again. "What's wrong? What was that call about?"

Jordan stepped a few feet closer so she could hear him better and looked back at her with an uneasy expression on his face. "Sean Walcott is dead."