When her father had asked her what she was doing she only half lied and told him "trying on swimsuits."

Only half a lie because she actually was trying on swimsuits; cute one-pieces that looked good on her were in short supply though, so it didn't take long. But it got her dad out of the house.

Only half a truth because she was also plotting a foray into werewolf politics.

So now she was lounging in a floating chair and enjoying the late May sun with a smoothie, contemplating the 'how's of werewolves; if she played her cards right she could get the Fields and the Nobel, physiology/medicine, before she turned twenty-five, take that Lawrence Bragg.

She frowned when she heard the creak of the back gate, great the puppy squad again. But found she felt too languorous to paddle herself around to see which of them it actually was. Which considering how much of a horror movie her life was currently probably wasn't the best idea. For all she knew whoever entered her backyard was regular human evil like Gerard had been. She managed not to shudder. "I have pepper-aconitum spray and I'm not afraid to use it." Of course she didn't actually have it on her person, but whoever was behind her didn't know that.

A familiar masculine chuckle answered. She took an extra loud slurp of her smoothie just to annoy him. Peter apparently was feeling magnanimous because she could hear his footsteps as he walked around the pool. When they were finally face to face, relatively speaking, he smiled. "You look as lovely as ever Lydia."

She took another slurp, and glared at him over her sunglasses. "No thanks to you."

"Whatever do you mean?"

That got a raised eyebrow. "I had a cute bikini all pick out and then you had to go and attack me. Scars don't exactly bring the sort of attention I want."

"You could always tell them it was the one who got away."

She gave a snort of amusement. "And yet here you are."

That brought the chuckle again. "The one who bit back then?"

"You know some scientists think sexual cannibalism happens because the female finds the male lacking in the mate department." She kind of liked not having to pretend she was unintelligent.

He sat on the pool edge. "Really now?"

She nodded and pointed a recently pedicured foot at him. "And I know how to deal with a body so it won't be found. Not even by a werewolf." Though she's pretty sure Derek would thank her if Peter died again.

"And why, dear Lydia, are you telling me all of this?"

Finishing off her smoothie she shrugged. A flash of pettiness had her throwing her cup at Peter. The bastard didn't even flinch when he caught it. "Maybe because I'm sick and tired of your puppy squad following me around everywhere gushing about how 'great it is to be part of your pack'," she gave an exaggerated flutter of her eyelashes. "Maybe the next time they do it they won't come back."

A small part of her couldn't believe she was talking to him like this. He was a monster and she was just a measly human. The rest of her reminded Lydia-the-meek that this was just like the social ladder of school and that she is beautiful, intelligent, and more than willing to climb over bodies to get what she wanted. Though in school they don't kill you if you screw up. "Maybe I'll send you a heart," she arched an eyebrow. "I think you're crazy enough to appreciate it."

Silence fell between them, but only for a moment, and then Peter threw his head back and laughed.

And before she could register anything else he was in the pool and scooping her out of her chair. She shrieked, more in displeasure than actual fear, only to be cut off by a kiss.

And, ohh, it felt very nice.

When he finally pulled away, it was only to nestle his face against her neck. She could faintly feel his breaths and she found herself unintentionally breathing with him. Compared to him the pool was a bit on the chilly side and she nestled closer. "I quite like your viciousness. It does wonderfully disturbing things to me."

Now she was the one laughing, because only Peter would consider that a compliment. When her laughter subsided the only sound that remained was the sloshing of the pool. As they floated Lydia was surprised at how peaceful she felt.

A few minutes later she felt his teeth nip at her ear. Her breath hitched and for a moment she was certain that all her hard-won research was false and that she'd read the whole situation between them wrong. But her resolve quickly returned and before it could disappear again she retaliated: she leaned in and bit his neck hard enough to feel his skin give a little.

The sound that Peter made was more wolf than man and probably shouldn't have sparked a curl of warmth in her. He twisted a little and she twisted with him refusing to let go; even when the coppery tang of blood filled her mouth. Eventually his struggle subsided and she smiled against his skin before finally letting go.

Her smile remained when she realized his red eyes were watching her tongue clean the blood off her teeth. "No bites."

His smile was slightly condescending. "Oh really?"

He leaned in, teeth Alpha sharp, and she paddled back a little. Baring her own blunt human teeth as she did so.

Peter didn't swim toward her and she decided to reward his good behavior. "No bites unless I say so," she amended.

Apparently that appeased his wolf because he inclined his head slightly, she could almost see his mind working as he reassessed her, again. "Anything else?"

She paddled closer again, close enough that he could grab her if he wanted to. "I want some alone time from you and the puppy squad every once in a while." She held up a finger to forestall his protests. "I'm not helpless anymore Peter, I think I can handle being alone for a few hours every few days."

"Ah yes, your pepper-aconitum spray. And where is it exactly?"

Lydia flushed. "Up in my room."

He clucked his tongue and snagged her wrist. "Hardly much use to you up there. Though I am curious to know where you got it."

She gave him a look. "Why? So you can terrorize them into stopping? I'll have you know I made it myself."

He looked suitably impressed and she basked in it. "And how, dear Lydia, did you manage that?"

"I bribed Mr. Harris. He let me use the senior chem lab, no questions asked, and I took over his freshmen tutoring sessions for two weeks." She made a face of disgust. "Freshmen are horrible. But at least they're in such fear/ awe of me that they conveniently forget to mention to their friends who's tutoring them. And yet I can still put it on my college applications."

Peter laughed again as he pulled her against him. "You are a devious and incorrigible woman."

Lydia could feel her ego preening. Though it took a low blow when she glanced at his neck and saw that her bite had almost disappeared.

Peter somehow seemed to catch her train of thought. "Sadly my dear I am not you. Though I don't mind the fact that you'll just have to keep biting me."

Nestled that close to him she could tell how much he didn't mind. And that reminded her of another rule. "And no actual sex."

Peter snarled.

She rolled her eyes. "I'd rather not have the police knocking down your door Peter. So nothing that requires a condom."

Peter's anger abruptly vanished. With a leer he swam them towards the pool edge and she had no choice but to hold on.

When they reached the edge he set her one it. "So then, my dear, I could do this?"

With that as her only warning his fingers started stroking and teasing her through the fabric of her swimsuit. She let out an abortive whimper. "Yeeeesss."

Her fingers dug into the sopping fabric of his shirt as one of his slipped into her suit.

And she was so very, very close when he stopped. She opened her mouth to either wail in protest or rip him a new one but his hand quickly covered it. "Your dear father's home."

She very quickly shut her mouth and bit back her disappointment as she watched him pull himself out of the pool. Though he surprised her by leaning down to give her a swift kiss before disappearing out the back gate.

Lydia was still in a bit of a daze when her father came out.

Lydia didn't know if she'd call what was going on between her and Peter 'dating'. It had been only a week and a half after the pool confrontation and she'd only seen him once since and that was completely by accident, though it had quickly turned into some weird kiss-fight. But they were together in their own fashion now, and it meant she was required to come to pack meetings.

As she drove into the clearing she stared at the changes a few months had brought to the Hale house. The outside looked like it had been completely rebuilt, though the roof appeared only half done, and had been painted a buttery-yellow with dark green trim.

The smell of sawdust, drywall, and paint greeted her as she entered the foyer.

She relished their surprise when she came into the living room. Her heels clicking against the newly polished floors as she entered the room and took a seat. Not by Peter on the couch, who had Isaac, Erica, and Jackson curled against him, but in an overstuffed armchair opposite him. Peter raised an eyebrow but said nothing. If she was going to be with werewolves it would be on her own terms as herself, and not as Peter's whatever.

Jackson looked at her with disdain. "What, you too good to sit with us?"

She did not grin when Peter cuffed him, but she did give him a sharp smile. "Maybe I just don't want to cuddle up with the thing that tried to kill me."

Peter gave her an approving smile, while Erica and Isaac sniggered.

Jackson's insulted expression was priceless. "She's not even part of our pack and you're going to let her insult us like that?"

Lydia resisted the urge to tell him that technically he wasn't part of the wolf pack either. Peter looked her straight in the eye when he answered. "Lydia has always been a part of our pack, but even if she were not; yes Jackson, I would let her insult you like that."

Erica and Isaac were now howling with laughter. When Boyd entered a few moments later he was smiling, and she wondered how much of their conversation he had overheard. It was intriguing to watch as he went over the couch and unceremoniously shoved Isaac off, taking his spot next to Erica. Isaac gave a playful lunge, but Boyd just ignored him. With an annoyed huff Isaac crawled over to her and rested his head against her knee.

Lydia would never admit that she froze, only that she hesitated; because having a boy you hardly knew cuddling up to you was not normal, even if he was a werewolf. Haltingly her left hand moved to his hair and gave it a ruffle; he snuggled closer.

Logically she'd know there'd be touching. It was a fast and easy way to form emotional bonds, even between humans. She just hadn't expected it to start this soon.

Scott was the next to arrive; he gave a start when he saw her, but he otherwise didn't seem surprised. He surprised her though by walking over to her and curling up next to Isaac. She wondered if it was because he and Isaac had a thing, though Isaac was an interesting choice of rebound, or if she and Isaac were just the lesser of two cuddling evils.

Looking at Peter she saw he was smiling, with a look in his eyes that screamed 'I told you so.'

Derek and Stiles finally entered the room a few minutes later. Stiles stood and gaped at her, Derek just lurked by the door.

"Good. Now that we're all here we can begin." Peter stood. "I hope you brought grubby clothes Lydia. We're doing hide and seek today."

Stiles groaned.

Lydia was starting to hate hide and seek as Peter once more scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. And she would not act like some sort of cave-woman and beat at his back. Instead she just crossed her arms and glowered the whole way back to the house.

She knew what Peter was doing of course. Though she was pretty sure he didn't have to be this obvious when marking his claim for the rest of the pack to see. Logically she knew that without biting this was the next best thing. The least he could do was ask her.

When he finally set her down, after, she was certain, everyone had seen his hand on her ass, she glared up at him. "You are not doing that again."

Peter apparently found her anger amusing if his smile was anything to go by. "Why ever not dear?"

"Because it is infantile and idiotic. You want to stake your claim, fine. But that doesn't mean you get to go around acting all cave-man, 'woman mine'." She wished she had her heels on, she'd always thought she was more threatening in them. "Next time you want to do something, ask me. It's not just you in a relationship with me Peter, I'm in a relationship with you too."

With as much aplomb as she could muster she spun on her heel and marched back into the house. Biting back a giggle when she saw everyone else's stunned expressions. Even Derek looked like he'd been hit with a two-by-four.

Once inside she headed to the kitchen, intent on making lunch.

Peter stopped her as she started to leave. After their 'argument' he'd been thoughtfully quiet all throughout lunch. But apparently he'd come to a decision of some sort. "These are for you."

Gingerly she took the bag from him and glanced in to see it full of men's shirts. "Peter?"

"Just wear them, please?"

She nodded, not only because he'd asked, but because she wanted to wear his clothes and smell like him. With a smile she pulled him down by the shirt and gave him a kiss. She would have kept it up for hours, but Stiles broke them apart with a sound of disgust. "Dear God, you could warn a guy before you two get disturbingly affectionate."

Lydia flipped him off and went back to kissing Peter.

From there the rest of the pack meetings in June quickly turned into study sessions, with her and Boyd presiding. Or at least Boyd presided over most of them; she'd been saddled with the task of putting Scott through the study wringer. And as finals approached she was sure that she'd bite Scott's head off if he wasn't Scott.

Then finals were upon them and everything fell into a vortex of chaos. Much bitching and moaning and headaches were had. And it was funny to see Peter and Derek play moral support; well Derek played moral support, kind of; Peter would just this contented smile on his face as everyone sat around the table, or curled up in a puppy pile, and griped and groaned about what they had to take tomorrow.

Like always as soon as they'd begun, finals were over. Much to the student body's surprise Lydia did not throw her usual end of the year bash. Instead opting to spend Wednesday night at the Hale house with the pack.

And then it was Saturday and everyone cheered Boyd on as he graduated valedictorian.

That night the sky was dark with the grumblings of the first summer storm. Not that anyone seemed to care as they all tumbled and chased each other through the woods.