A/N: I am SO sorry it's taken me so long to update! I had a bit of a block, and then I had to go out of town to take care of my dad, and I was gone for a while, and then my cat, who I had for the last thirteen years, died, and I was a mess for a while. I'm finally getting around to updating now. I hope you all like the chapter!

Lydia was confused. Eric Mahealani was a deputy at the sheriff's station. John trusted him to be his backup in almost any situation. So why was Derek warning her about him?

When Lydia couldn't figure it out by herself, she called Stiles. It was Tuesday morning, and she knew that Stiles was working afternoons right now. She wanted to catch him before he went into work.

"Hey, Lyds," Stiles answered, and he sounded pretty cheerful. "What's up?"

"I need you to tell me about Eric Mahealani," she said, very seriously.

"What do you want to know?"

"What's he like? I mean, really."

Stiles sounded a little confused, "I don't understand the question."

"You work with the guy. You've got to know what his personality is, right?"

"What's going on, Lyds? Why do you want to know about Eric?"

"He asked me out. On Saturday. But Mr. Hale said something about him, and I need to know if there's any truth to it."

"Be careful with him, Lydia," Stiles said very seriously. "I don't know Eric, not a lot, but I have noticed that there seems to be more complaints about him than anybody else."

"If that's so, then why is he still employed there?"

"Because they're just complaints," Stiles said. "Dad looked into them, and they didn't seem to really pan out. Dad thinks everything's okay, but I can't have you take that chance and something happen to you. I remember when you got stabbed."

"I remember getting stabbed, too, Stiles," Lydia snapped. Then she sighed, "Look, I didn't mean to snap. I just...Mr. Hale told me that those rumors that follow Eric around aren't really rumors. I have a hard time with life as it is, trusting people, and I'm not one hundred percent sure that I should go out with him at all if there's something rotten about the guy."

"Look, I'm not saying go out with the guy, Lyds," Stiles said softly. "But some people deserve the benefit of the doubt, you know? They deserve the chance to fuck up."

"What if he fucks up with me, though, Stiles?"

"How long have you doubted people like this?" Stiles asked very seriously. "How long have you not been able to trust anyone?"

"I trust you. I trust John, and Mom, and I even trust Mr. Hale. If I didn't, I wouldn't be living here. I just...ever since I got stabbed, I have little faith in humanity. I don't want to be another one of those girls who gets hurts or killed because I've made the wrong decision."

"And I can appreciate that," Stiles said. He sighed, and then said, "Do you still carry that knife around?"

Lydia knew what knife Stiles was talking about. It was just a small utility knife, something that she had bought just in case something like the stabbing ever happened to her again. She hadn't carried that knife in a long time, however.

"Why not?" Stiles asked when Lydia told him no. "I thought you bought that knife for protection."

"I did. But I can protect myself just fine without it."

"It's not like you have claws," Stiles said, and Lydia knew that he was referencing the werewolves. "Derek, and Scott, and even Malia, they can protect themselves because they've got claws. What do you have?"

"My voice," Lydia said. "I was working with another banshee back in the Williams pack, and she taught me quite a few things. I can protect myself just fine with my screams."

"I'd still feel better if you carried that knife with you, Lydia. Just in case."

"I'll think about it," Lydia said. "But tell me, Stiles, do you think Eric deserves a chance?"

"I think almost everyone deserves a chance until they prove otherwise, Lyds," Stiles said. "It's just something to think about."

-x-

"So, we still on for Halloween?" Laura asked Derek while they were at lunch that day. Derek had actually called her up and asked if she wanted to meet for lunch, because he wanted to talk to her about Lydia.

"Of course we are," Derek said. "We've been taking the girls trick-or-treating together as a family ever since the girls were born. And I talked to Malia, and she's bringing Caleb along. Stiles has to work, though, so it'll just be her."

Laura nodded.

There were several long moments of silence, and finally, it got to Laura before she said, "So, out with it, baby brother."

"What do you mean?" Derek asked, even though it didn't surprise him that Laura knew him that well. He had asked her out to lunch, but hadn't told her why. She must've pieced it together by herself. It didn't surprise him; Laura was very in tune with people and could always tell when something was weighing on someone's mind.

"You asked me to lunch, Der. You hardly ever ask me to lunch. Whenever we get lunch, it's always me asking you. So something had to happen. You obviously wanted to talk to me about something. So talk."

Derek nodded and sighed. Then he said, "Lydia's got a date on Saturday night. You know, Danny Mahealani's throwing that Halloween party and she asked for the night off."

"Okay…?" Laura said, letting her voice trail off. "What's the big deal? Lydia can have a life."

"Of course she can," Derek said. Then he watched his sister before saying, "Lo, she's going out with Eric Mahealani."

Laura crinkled her brow, "Eric Mahealani? The Eric Mahealani that you graduated with?"

Derek nodded, "Do you know any other Eric Mahealani, Lo?"

"Okay, okay," Laura muttered. "We're talking about the same guy that hurt all those girls in high school, aren't we?"

Derek nodded, "Yeah. And I can't tell Lydia what to do - I'm not her father. I just don't know if I can stand back and watch him tear her apart like he did to all those other girls. Lydia's a good person, she's beautiful and smart and she's wonderful to my girls. She treats Lex and Tal like they're her own and I just can't bear to watch him hurt her."

"Right now, Der, all you can do is sit back and watch. Lydia's a strong soul - if something goes south in that relationship, she'll take care of herself - I have absolutely no doubt about that. I know Lydia - and I'm not worried about her."

Derek sighed, "I just wish I felt the same way, Laura."

-x-

The girls were starting to get really excited for Halloween. When Lydia was sitting in on Lex's basketball practice that afternoon, she overheard her tell pretty much everyone that she couldn't wait to go out with her dad. It made Lydia smile.

She had had her own traditions with her own father, when he had been alive, and then traditions she shared with John and Stiles. She had been twelve when her married John and she was ecstatic to have Stiles be her brother. That's when they started throwing Halloween parties, and Lydia Martin threw the best parties, thank you very much. She was the party queen of Beacon Hills.

Lydia briefly wondered how many years would pass before the girls would start wanting to throw Halloween parties of their own. It was true that they were only 10, but it seemed to Lydia that kids were growing up so much faster these days.

Since Tal's rehearsal wasn't over until six, and Lex's was over at five, they sat in on the hour left during Tal's dance rehearsal. Lydia took the time to watch Tal as she danced - she always watched her - because Tal was just so mesmerizing to watch. She loved ballet, and it showed, and she studied hard. She was good at it, and it wouldn't surprise Lydia at all if Tal ended up dancing professionally.

When she was taking the girls home, Tal - who won the rock, paper, scissors to see who sat up front - looked over at her and said, "What are you doing for Halloween, Lydia? Dad says you're not going trick-or-treating with us."

"That's right," Lydia said. "I've been invited to a party."

"Did a boy invite you?" Tal teasingly asked her. "Is it a date?"

Lydia laughed, "Yeah, a boy did ask me."

Lex rolled her eyes at her sister's enthusiasm, and then she said softly, "I wish you were celebrating Halloween with us."

Lydia licked her lips as she glanced back at Lex in the rear view mirror, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It was a last minute thing, I know. How about we all get together after Halloween - maybe the weekend after or something - and have a movie marathon? We can watch anything you want."

"Anything?" Lex asked, her eyes widening.

"Anything within reason," Lydia amended. "Anything you're allowed to watch. If your dad's okay with it, then I'm okay with it."

Tal rolled her eyes. "We're going to be stuck watching some stupid action movie," she muttered. "Great."

"We'll alternate," Lydia suggested, pulling into the Hales' driveway. She cut the engine and then said, "Lex can pick one and you can pick one. Does that sound acceptable?"

"Yeah," Tal said. "I can live with that."

-x-

The Friday before Halloween, Lydia took the girls to get their costumes. Lex had decided to go as a ninja, and Tal wanted to be a princess. They were general enough to find things that would fit them well. While Lydia was at the store, she browsed to see what she could find. Finally, feeling frustrated because she wasn't sure what the hell she even wanted to be, she decided to call Allison.

While Lydia lived in Beacon Hills before, when they were going to high school, Allison had always been Lydia's best friend. At times, it seemed like Allison knew Lydia better than she knew herself. And when she couldn't figure out what she wanted to be, she figured Allison might have an idea.

The girls were keep themselves busy looking around. Tal was looking at the jewelry. Lex was looking at the music and movies, and Lydia was just thankful the two sections were near one another.

"A zombie?" Lydia asked, and Allison laughed on the other line. "Are you serious right now?"

"One hundred percent," Allison said confidently. "I'll pick up everything you need later. I'll come over tomorrow afternoon and help you get ready. When is Eric picking you up?"

"Eight o'clock," Lydia said. "I've gotta be ready before then."

"Don't worry, Lyds," Allison said cheerfully. "You've got this."

After hanging up, Lydia and the girls checked out before heading home. They decided to pick up a pizza on the way, since it was almost seven o'clock, and Lydia knew that Derek would be okay with the girls having junk food every once and again - they'd already had that discussion.

Once they were home, and after they ate their dinner, Derek came through the front door. After his girls hugged him in turn, Lydia offered him some pizza that was left over.

"How was your day, Lydia?" Derek asked her as he grabbed a slice. "Did everything go okay with getting the girls' costumes?"

Lydia nodded, "Yep. They got what they wanted."

"And you're not going to tell me what they are?"

Lydia laughed, "Sorry. I've been sworn to secrecy. The girls were pretty adamant that they wanted to surprise you. Don't worry, though - it's definitely age appropriate."

"That's a relief," Derek said. "Still...I wouldn't say no to knowing what they are."

Lydia laughed, "A promise is a promise, Mr. Hale. I can't do that."

Derek just made a face.

After tucking the girls in for bed, Lydia sat up on the couch, thoughts just invading her head. When Derek sat down next to her, she was a little surprised.

"So...big date tomorrow," Derek said softly. "You nervous?"

"I don't know," Lydia said, sighing. "It's my first date since my breakup with Jackson. I guess I should be nervous. I just don't know if I am."

"It's okay to be nervous, you know," he said. "I remember my first date after Jen left. It's actually an experience I want to forget."

"I'm sorry," Lydia said, placing a hand soothingly on his arm. "Some dates are just terrible - there's no fixing that."

Derek watched Lydia closely, and she was close enough that she could see his eyes - they were so beautiful, a green color with specks of gold and blue in them - and she licked her lips nervously.

Derek took a deep breath before saying, "I want you to know that I'm always gonna be here for you, Lydia. And if things go badly between you and Eric, I'm not going to make you feel like crap. I'm always here to listen, if that's what you want."

Lydia nodded. "I talked to Stiles today," she said, looking away. "He talked me into carrying a utility knife that I used to carry right after my attack. I doubt I'll need it here in Beacon Hills, but hey, never say never, right?"

Derek nodded, "Yeah. That's right."

After glancing at the clock, seeing that it was almost ten, Lydia decided she needed to turn in. She looked at Derek, "I think I'm going to turn in now. Have a good night, Mr. Hale."

"Good night, Lydia."