Chapter 7

Stiles smiles softly as he looks down at his hands, still in hers. His heart is racing and his mind is unstoppable. He focuses on his breathing hoping to keep it steady, knowing she's looking at him, studying him. He lets out a sigh. "So, a date, uh?" She nods, smiling. He chuckles. "I might need to loosen up a bit for this if we're gonna talk about things… Wanna open one of Coach's bottles?" Coach gave him two bottles of some very fine (according to him) wine for Stiles' birthday. Stiles raises an eyebrow amused, smiling back at the strawberry blonde.

"Sure." She grabs one of his hands. "Come on."

They glance at Claudia - who's asleep in her stroller - as Lydia leads him to the kitchen. While Stiles opens one of the bottles, Lydia finds two wine glasses.

"Chocolate?" She asks, waving a big dark chocolate bar that was on the kitchen table, a treat from Carter to Stiles.

"Chocolate with wine?" He looks at her in disbelief.

"You've never tried it?" He shakes his head and they both laugh. "You'll see. It's so good and…"

She stops talking abruptly as soon as she hears Allison's voice coming from the kitchen door. "What are you two laughing about?"

Even though they stopped laughing, they are both still smiling. "Just gathering some snacks," Lydia replies nonchalantly, waving the chocolate bar again.

Allison suppresses a laugh. "It's past one in the morning."

Stiles glances at Lydia and smiles, unable to hide his happiness. "We're not tired yet."

"Okay…" Allison drags the word but doesn't press the matter. "Stiles, would you mind if we stayed? I know it's late, sorry…"

"Of course. Claudia fell asleep like twenty minutes ago."

Allison walks towards them and hugs him. "Ugh, I love you. I'll take her upstairs."

Lydia smiles. Her heart warms a little more every time she sees this devotion, affection. She just can't get enough of how much all the family members love and trust each other. "Did you check on the kids on your way down?"

"Yes. Totally out." Allison moves from Stiles to Lydia, hugging her too and then backing away. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

After she leaves and they head back to the living room, Lydia goes sit on the same spot on the floor as before and Stiles dims down the lights, then making his way in her direction.

Lydia laughs, a smirk spreading across her features. "Setting the mood?"

Stiles stops walking and starts babbling. "W-What? No! I mean, it's late so I figured… I wasn't implying anything, I swear. Do you want me to…"

"Stiles," she pats the floor beside her and he sits in the same position as before, facing her, definitely closer now, one's leg touching the other's arm. "I was joking." She bites her lower lip before continuing speaking, her tone a little lower now. "You're nervous and I'm nervous, okay? So," she hands him one of the glasses, "let's just leave it aside alright?"

He smiles and they taste the wine, taking their time to let the flavor sink in. It's warm and fruity, not too strong.

"Shit, this is delicious," Lydia lets out while breaking the chocolate bar into little pieces, giving a few to Stiles. She doesn't even give him time to say anything before she eats a piece of chocolate and sips her wine again. He's watching her amused as she savors intently, her eyes closed. She actually moans. "Oh god, this is so good…"

He almost spits his wine. "Fuck, Lyds!" She starts laughing and he shushes her, not able to stop the smile forming on his lips. "I can leave you alone with the wine, if you want," he mutters, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Lydia slaps his arm and gives him a glare, not holding the face she's pulling for long. She can't seem to stop smiling. "Shut up."

He looks at her for a moment, his fingers fidgeting on the glass. "You look beautiful when you smile, did you know?" Lydia stops and stares at him meticulously, reading him, even blushing a little at his words. "I mean, you're always beautiful but there's just something when you smile… I don't know, I think it's your eyes. It's like they lit up. It makes you look younger, even, more carefree. It's gorgeous. You're gorgeous." He lets it out like a confession, his cheeks burning when he stops talking, not that he cares. Her lips draw a small smile.

They stay in silence for a little while, just eating and drinking, occasionally looking at the other. They only pour a little more wine on their glasses, choosing to leave half the bottle for later. When they finish, they put their glasses on his coffee table and they adjust on their spot, sitting more comfortably, now further relaxed.

"Thank you," she says, biting on her lip again and reaching for his hand. "For the compliment. I don't think anyone has ever said such nice things and actually meant it. Not like you, anyway."

He is a little surprised. He assumed that Lydia being Lydia, she'd be complimented all the time. She's a freaking goddess walking on Earth. That's actually one of the things that make him nervous about her. She's way out of his league and yet here she is, a girl who came into his life leaving him breathless and taking a place inside his heart so easily that it terrified him. "If no other guy ever told you that, then they're dicks." He laces their fingers together and looks down at their hands, mesmerized. He glances up at her to find Lydia doing the same thing. "You, Lydia Martin, are amazing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And if I'm the one who gets to tell you that, then I'm glad."

He smiles shyly and she smiles back, her eyes speaking for her, shining. He cracks a smile. "Can I ask you something?" He nods. "Why haven't you asked me out before? I mean, there's something here, right?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, I guess so. I- Hm, I don't know. I meant it before. It's not so much like you haven't been here long. I'm okay with that as long as you don't go anywhere." He smiles and she squeezes his hand softly, enticing him to keep going. "What about Ariel? I know she hasn't met her dad, I wouldn't want to confuse her or make things harder for her, you know…"

"We'll take it slow. We don't have to go on a date right away. We can spend some more time together first, just the two of us. Ariel idolizes you. And it is a little scary how much she depends on you sometimes or on anyone else really, but I think that's a good thing. She's so much better since we moved here…"

"Not just her. Eric too, he was always so shy. Now they are so open and honest and happy… We should be kids, it'd be so much easier." They laugh and Stiles takes a moment before continuing. "I love her. Ariel. It just works between us; I don't know how to explain it. I just don't want to break her little heart. I'd be devastated."

He said it so honorably that Lydia's heart falters and she wants nothing but to kiss him senseless. Instead, she brings their laced fingers up and kisses the palm of his hand. "I think we can make it work, Stiles. I really do. I might be a little broken and you might be a little broken, but we can do it." She smiles reassuringly.

He kisses her palm too. "Good. Which brings us to reason number three, our infamous past…"

"We can talk about it. We'll have to, eventually, so we might as well do it now, I guess…"

He considers it for a brief moment. She's right, of course. "It's as good a moment as any, so yeah, okay." He sits straighter on his spot and clears his throat. "So you probably heard about the accident, right?"

Lydia nods. "Just bits and pieces. They told me it was a couple years ago and that you got injured and it was bad. No one told me much else aside from that."

"It wasn't just bad." He pauses. "Someone died, a friend of mine. Her name was Heather." Stiles gulps and his voice cracks a little. "We'd known each other since we were three; she was one of my best friends. She'd just had this nasty breakup the week before, so I made her get out of the house to get some lunch and she was finally starting to smile again…" Another pause. "When I was driving her home afterwards, we were hit by a truck. Drunk driver. It hit on her side of my Jeep. She never stood a chance, died instantly. I managed to get out with only a few broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a small gash on my forehead. She was 24."

He stops talking and a tear rolls down his face. Lydia doesn't know what to say so she moves a little closer and wipes away the tear. "I'm so sorry, Stiles," she whispers.

"It's okay." His smile doesn't reach his eyes. "It was hard, though, in the beginning. I blamed myself, you know? I was the one who had convinced her to get out of the house. If I hadn't, maybe she'd still be here… And I'm aware that it wasn't my fault, I couldn't have known. But it felt like it; I didn't get out of my house for weeks. Everyone was worried about me. Me and Heather were like me and Scott, sort of a package deal." He chuckles softly. "We actually dated for a while when we were 23. We were both single, so we gave it a try. We were great together, but it just wasn't love. I mean, I loved her and she loved me, but it wasn't romance, that burning passion we all seek. I haven't been with anyone since. Not for lack of opportunities, I just don't feel like investing in it somehow, not since the accident." He exhales slowly, closing his eyes briefly, another tear escaping. "I lost my mom too. I'm scared of letting someone in only to lose them," he confesses.

She doesn't notice the tear that escapes her own eye until Stiles wipes it away. He's a good guy, probably the best she has ever met. He shouldn't have to deal with such fucked up things. She just wants his pain to go away. Lydia changes positions and sits beside him, now with her back to the couch as well, leaning on his chest. He lifts his arm and places it around her shoulders and her head falls to rest on his shoulder, her hand searching for his. She speaks quietly. "I don't know the future and I can't make you promises that I don't know if I can keep, but I can tell you that I don't want to go anywhere. I want to stay." She looks up at him smiling and he kisses her forehead.

He smiles back. "I just turned 27. It's about time to move on. And I don't think me and you can do much about it anyways. I might already be in too deep…"

She laughs. "That's a good thing, it makes two of us."

"Good. Unrequited love is a bitch," he remarks. He's about to start laughing but stops when he realizes what he said. Before he can start babbling again, though, Lydia stops him.

"I got it." She's blushing a little. She knows it was just an expression, but still… She chooses to return to the subject. "Claudia was your mother's name, right?" He nods. "Why did Scott and Allison named their daughter after her? I mean, I'm assuming that's what they did. Claudia is not a common name…"

"You really don't know what you got yourself into here." He chuckles. "Our family, I mean. We are all a little dysfunctional."

"I've been handling it fine so far, Stiles. I don't think that's a problem."

"Hm yeah, Claudia was named after my mom. She passed away when I was eleven, a robbery gone wrong. Scott blamed himself for that one."

"How come?"

"I was sick when it happened. Some weird flu was going around town and a few other kids were sick too. I stayed home for a few days with my mom; she got a few days off from work to stay with me. And then Scott got it too. Melissa was already raising Scott by herself by then and she couldn't leave her job to stay with him, so my mom took care of us both while Melissa was working. Then one day I was just really tired and couldn't even get out of the bed but Scott kept vomiting, so my mom had to run to the ER with him while I stayed home asleep. After they left the hospital, she went to a drugstore to get his prescriptions and that's when it happened. Gunshot to the chest. Scott was in the car. By the time the EMT's arrived, there was nothing they could do. They were the ones to find him; he was in shock curled up on his seat, couldn't say a word. I woke up that afternoon to my dad coming home looking frantically for me. It was terrifying." Stiles takes a moment to slow his breathing. "Scott didn't talk to me for a long time. He felt like he had taken something from me, like it was his fault that she went there. We only reconnected a few years later. I had to make him promise that he wouldn't leave me again."

"And he didn't."

"And he didn't. When he found out that Allison was pregnant for the first time, we promised each other our firstborns, like as godsons, you know. He really wanted the baby to be a girl, but that only happened the second time around so I'm her godfather too. When he learned that it was a girl, he asked for my permission to name her Claudia. I always thought I'd name one of my daughters after my mom, but I knew that Scott needed that. It was his own way to redeem himself, I think. I talked to my dad and we agreed to let him. Scott's my brother, there's nothing I wouldn't do for him."

Could you just get any more perfect? Lydia purses her lips. "Wait. One of your daughters?" She laughs. "How many kids do you want to have?"

"A whole team," he beams, laughing when he sees her surprised face. "What? I might be 27 and single, but I'm not celibate. I mean, lately yes, I guess, but I still have time. It's not such a longshot. Just imagine, lots of little Stiles running around…." he trails off.

The way his chest rises and falls as he laughs beneath her feels so good to Lydia that she doesn't want to move, ever. She laughs too. "God, I can barely handle you."

"What about you? Did you just want Ariel or do you want more kids?"

"I haven't given it much thought. Ariel wasn't planned and with the whole Jackson thing, at least with him I certainly did not expect a child. And I haven't been with anyone since so I haven't really thought about it. But I'd like to have more kids, yes, with the right person." They both blush hard when they look at each other smiling. Lydia has to force herself to break the gaze. "All these babies you guys have around here are calling my name and Ariel keeps telling me that babies are cute… I might be a little freaked out, if I'm being honest." She laughs nervously. "But I wouldn't trade any of this. The way you all made us feel like we belonged here all along it's ineffable."

"I guess Allison was right. You are family," he says, playing with her hair.

"Don't let her hear you say that."

"I'm actually a little surprised that she didn't say anything just now when she found us in the kitchen. She's been trying to set me up with you since day one."

"I know, right? I hate that she's always right about these things." Lydia is starting to think that his laugh is one of the most appealing sounds she has ever heard.

"I'm glad she was right, though, whatever this is."

Lydia smiles and squeezes his hand. "I guess there's only Jackson left to talk about…" Stiles nods encouragingly, listening attentive. "I met Allison on my first year of college and Jackson on the beginning of my second year. We went out one night and suddenly I was his girlfriend. Things were rushed with us ever since the beginning. I guess at first I thought I liked him and that he liked me back, but it didn't take long for me to see him for what he really was. Allison would warn me about him but I wouldn't listen. Things got out of control soon enough. He yelled all the time and things started to get violent. He'd just pick something up and throw it or smash it against a wall or to the ground and then he'd say that he was sorry. It was impossible to keep up to his moods, let alone say anything back; it'd just make it worse." Lydia's tone falls to a mere whisper. "The day that I answered one of his attacks was when…"

Stiles strokes her cheek softly. "…was when he hit you." His voice comes out unsteady, his breathing hurried. She gulps embarrassed and lowers her head, but he brings her chin up and meets her gaze. "Nothing to be ashamed of. No one knows what you went through but you."

The more he talks, the more she wants to kiss him. The way Stiles speaks to her it's disconcerting. Lydia nods. "First it was a slap, but then he'd push me or hit me with something. Eventually he found out that my parents were struggling financially and started threatening me and them too. I didn't know what to do and I wouldn't listen to Allison. I was scared out of my mind. After Allison left to come home, Jackson forced me to marry him and then he left me. Sent me the divorce papers to sign over the mail. I never found out why he wanted to marry me in the first place, but he probably left me for someone else. I knew that he cheated on me, but I never had the strength to say anything. I couldn't bring myself to act. Then I found out about Ariel and tried to do what I thought was the right thing at the time. A father should know about her daughter. He trashed the place when I told him and I left right after, went to live with my mom. I never saw him again. I don't even know what I was thinking. It scares the shit out of me knowing that he could have said he would stay for Ariel. What would I have done then?"

Stiles notices that Lydia looks a little panicked, comprehensibly, so he hugs her tight. They don't move for a while until Stiles speaks again, his voice coming out weak. "How bad was it?"

Lydia worries her lower lip, holding her breath. She lets go of Stiles and starts standing up.

"Shit. Lydia, I'm sorry," he murmurs, afraid of having said something wrong. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's okay…"

Lydia holds out her hand for him. She could tell him or she could show him. "Get up. I have to show you something."

Confused, Stiles reluctantly takes her hand and follows her to the bathroom. Once inside, she locks the door behind them and goes stand in front of the mirror facing it, her back to him. She moves her hair to the side as Stiles walks towards her.

"I'm serious, Lydia, you don't have to…"

"Stiles, it's okay." She looks at him through the mirror, her tone serious. She only ever showed them to her mom. "Can you unzip it, please?"

He returns the gaze and doesn't move until she nods, making sure this is what she wants. Stiles unzips her dress all the way from her neck to her lower back and Lydia slips out of it. She studies his expression through the mirror while he does so, as he watches her body, and that's when she knows he's actually perfect. Lydia Martin is standing in front of him only in her underwear and he chooses to come closer and outline her scars with his fingers, brushing them kindly; the ones in sight, at least. They are just a shade lighter than her skin tone and most of them are thin, yet they seem like they're glowing, drawing his attention to them.

"This one was from when he shoved me against a shelf." She points to the one he's currently paying attention to, on the back of her right shoulder. "I hit the edge. I'm just glad it wasn't my neck." Stiles can't form words. "And this one," she points to a little mark behind her right ear, one that Stiles had missed until then, "was from when he had a piece of broken glass on his hand. That happened often. That's how I got most of them."

She keeps guiding him through them. The one on her stomach and the one on her left knee and the biggest one on her left flank. That one had required her to stay in the hospital for two days. Stiles looks back at her blankly, speechless. Lydia can barely talk with him looking at her like that, like he's broken, damaged. "There are a few more, smaller ones, but I'm not gonna fully undress for you, not today," she mutters, forcing herself to smile to ease his discomfort and trying to lighten the mood, but she knows she said the wrong thing when Stiles looks at her even more concerned, as if that's possible.

"Lydia, did he-" Stiles barely has the strength to let out the words, his hands shaking as he hands Lydia her dress back. "Did he ever force you to-"

She grabs the dress and lowers her head, trying to distract herself by dressing up again. She shakes her head slowly, still not looking at Stiles. "No, not force me. But I know that there were times he probably wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, even if that's what I wanted to say, so I complied. It hurt less when I didn't fight him back…" Her voice breaks at the end and she makes herself look at Stiles. He's crying silently and she can't bear it. She starts crying too.

He tries his best not to let it get to him, rage building up inside him at her admissions. But Lydia grounds him, throwing her arms around his waist and crying into his chest. He holds her as close as he can. She can barely hear his murmurs. "You're safe now," he whispers. She holds onto him so fiercely that she's afraid she might be hurting him. "I won't let anything happen to you. Both of you. None of us will."

They don't move again until their skin is stained with dry tears and they feel like they can breathe again. She only lets go of him for long enough for him to zip her dress up again and lead her to the living room. They lie down on the couch and curl up to one another, tired, unable to speak anymore.

They kiss briefly before falling asleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Lydia…"

The redhead tries to open her eyes but she's too comfortable, so she doesn't really make much of an effort. Her body starts shaking, someone obviously trying to wake her up.

"Lydia, come on. Ariel's up."

There's reality for you. Lydia's head hurts a bit and she feels a little tired, but she opens her eyes nonetheless and sits up. Allison is behind the couch and was gently nudging her arm, whispering.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Ariel and Eric are up. Maybe you should go upstairs and check on her…" the brunette offers with a smile.

Lydia looks at Stiles, fast asleep beside her. She nods at Allison and tries to get up from the couch as graciously as she can without waking him up. "What time is it?"

"A little past seven. Scott is upstairs with them." Allison notices that her friend looks worn-out, maybe even a bit sad. She wraps her arm around Lydia's frame as soon as the girl is at her side. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Lydia purses her lips and glances over at the couch, then back at Allison. "We're okay."

Allison smiles and leads her upstairs.

xxxxxxxxxx

Almost half an hour later, everyone has changed clothes and beds are made, rooms tidied. Already downstairs, the kids sprint to the couch and start jumping on top of it, giggling and waking up Stiles.

"What's this?" he screams, fully aware of their presence. "I'm being attacked," he shouts. He laughs as he gets up, starting to chase them through the living room. When he catches both Eric and Ariel, Stiles gets down on his knees and tickles them until they are almost out of breath. The grown-ups are just watching the scene unfold in the back.

"Happy birthday, uncle Stiles." He hugs his nephew and they do their handshake, as usual.

Ariel steals a kiss on Stiles' cheek before he has even turned to her. "Happy birthday, Stiles," she enthuses, grinning.

Stiles kisses her forehead. "Good morning to you too," he answers, smiling.

"I want a kiss too," says Allison, holding Claudia in her arms and speaking for the baby.

"I'm the birthday boy, everyone gets a kiss. Give her to me," Stiles mutters happily gesturing towards Claudia, kissing Eric's hair as he gets up from the ground. When he's holding her, Stiles kisses Claudia's cheek and starts babbling to her, walking around the room.

"You guys wanna see some cartoons before breakfast?" Scott asks the kids, picking up the remote and turning on the TV. Eric and Ariel sit on the couch promptly and Scott leaves them to it, patting Stiles on the back as he makes his way to the kitchen.

"Where do you think you're going?" Stiles inquiries, a mischievous grin on his face.

"To make breakfast," Scott replies. "What do you think?"

"Scott, everyone gets a kiss. Come here, buddy." Allison and Lydia start laughing when Stiles walks towards Scott and his best friend backs away, laughing as well, much to the others entertainment.

"Stiles, you're not kissing me," Scott chuckles.

"Stop whining, Scott. You're such a baby. Claudia didn't seem to mind," he says. Stiles manages to corner Scott, who eventually gives in. Stiles kisses his hair like he did with Eric. "There. Now you can go and make me breakfast."

"Stop enjoying this so much!" Scott elbows Stiles in the ribs, not too hard. Stiles breaks out laughing when Scott almost runs to the kitchen, and turns to Allison. "God, he's such a dork."

"I know, I married him," she says, hugging Stiles by the waist. He kisses her too. "I'm gonna help him in the kitchen. Why don't you go change so we can all eat together?"

"Sure. Just give me five minutes, okay?" She nods and takes Claudia with her as she leaves.

Stiles finally turns to Lydia and gets closer, whispering so that the kids can't hear them. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Did you sleep okay?"

She nods. "I did, yes. You?"

"Yeah. I just wish we could have slept a little longer," he says, a small smile escaping his lips.

Lydia places one of her hands over his heart. "We're okay, right?" Stiles nods, one of his hands easily moving to her waist. "So hm… Are we still on? Do you still want to…"

He cuts her off by placing a kiss on her forehead that lasts longer than was certainly necessary. "Yes, I do."

Her smile breaks through and so does his. "Well, go on then. We'll wait for you in the kitchen," she says, patting his chest.

Stiles nods smiling and starts walking upstairs.

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After breakfast they clean up the kitchen and gather together on the living room to give Stiles his presents before they can all go home. As the kids were already asleep at midnight they couldn't give him their presents, so the parents didn't either. Scott and Allison bought him a Star Wars limited edition box set and he almost choked just from looking at it. Stiles was obsessed with Star Wars. His nephew, always so subtle, gave him a pirate themed sleeping bag matching his own for when they go camping.

Stiles sat on one end of the couch with Ariel by his side. Lydia was standing beside him and gave him the bags he had taken upstairs the day before, placing her hand on his shoulder. When he opens the first one, he finds the drawing Ariel made him. It seems to be their clearing, two figures sitting on the ground. One is obviously Ariel and the other is Stiles, a book drawn beside him.

"This is you and this is me," she points out, looking very proud of herself. "I like when you read me stories."

Ariel looks up at him like she means the world and Stiles gets a little teary. He hugs her and kisses her hair, while Lydia squeezes his shoulder. Then he moves on to the second gift bag but Lydia stops him. "There's another present from Ariel," she says, grabbing it from inside the first bag. "She was a little distressed that you knew you were getting a drawing, so she arranged something else." Stiles rips the gift wrap to find a frame with a picture of Ariel. "We took that picture on her first day of school for my mom. Ariel wanted you to have it too."

He looks at Ariel and the girl nods happily. He can't help but smile. "Thank you."

The girl giggles. "Now mommy's present."

Stiles chuckles and gets to it. After unwrapping it, he finds a wooden box and looks expectantly at Lydia before opening it. "It's a wood carving tool set." He opens the box carefully. "30 pieces, different sizes. I know your tools are a little outworn and you're always saying that you need some new ones. You can even carve the lid. Scott helped me pick it."

He's grinning when he looks up at her, placing his hand over hers. "Thanks, Lyds."

xxxxxxxxxx

They do like they planned. They take it easy. They meet for coffee whenever it's Stiles' turn to take Eric to preschool, usually at Derek's coffee shop. Lydia will stay in there pretty much all day working on her laptop, occasionally taking a break to catch up with Derek, or Cora and Isaac when they have the time. Sometimes she'll meet Stiles at the shop when he's working, just staying there talking to him, watching him. On the weekends they meet at Scott and Allison's and just spend time together with them and the kids.

Everyone in the pack knows that something is different but no one says anything. Stiles and Lydia don't seem to mind much anyway. They haven't kissed again since that night aside from the occasional kiss on the cheek or forehead. Touching, however, has been constant. More when they are alone; it's like their hands are linked together. If they are with someone else, their hands will still brush or they'll be always close to the other, sometimes an arm around the other's waist when it's not too suspicious. It's been a little stressful and pleasing at the same time, tension building up every time they meet, their touch always craving more. But they don't want to ruin it, so they take it slow; until Lydia can't take it anymore.

Roughly four weeks after Stiles' birthday, on a Friday night, everyone is together again for Cora's birthday. After some exciting news by the end of the evening from the birthday girl, who just found out that she's pregnant and now has to rush her wedding if she still wants to find a dress, everyone is ecstatic. Until they hear someone crying, that is.

Ariel and Chloe, who Stiles has been playing chase with for almost ten minutes, bumped into each other and fell. You know kids, they'll cry like their lungs out even if it's nothing. Cora gets Chloe and Stiles gets Ariel, sitting the girls on their laps so that they can see their bruises. Their knees are a little scratched but nothing much. Most of the grown-ups leave the room so that the litlle girls won't cry louder with all those eyes on them. While Melissa looks for a first aid kit just to clean their knees and put a band aid on it, Lydia gets closer to Stiles and Ariel.

"I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I was the one running after them…" Stiles keeps apologizing to both Lydia and Derek, looking truthfully upset that the kids got hurt because of him. They keep telling him that it's not his fault, that these things happen, that it's okay.

Eventually her daughter stopped crying and is now sobbing quietly against Stiles' chest while he whispers things in her ear that Lydia can't understand, while he gently brushes the girl's hair out of her face. The girl nods along to Stiles' murmurs and doesn't let go of his hand when Melissa takes care of her knees. When the woman's done, smiling at the little redhead, Stiles kisses her forehead. "All better?" Ariel nods and they stay sitting like that talking by themselves for a little while.

Lydia wasn't aware that she'd started crying behind them, not until Melissa walked up to her and wiped away her fugue tears, leading Lydia to a corner of the room, away from the others before anyone else could see.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she asks the redhead.

"I-" She's not even sure. "I don't know. I was just…" She exhales deeply. "I was just watching them really." She motions to Stiles and Ariel. "I didn't even notice I was crying…"

Melissa smiles and strokes her cheek. "You and Stiles, whatever it is that you got going on, maybe it's time to stop holding back and go for it."

Lydia pauses before asking. "How did you know?" she whispers.

"I'm a mother. And I've been putting up with Scott and Stiles for long enough to know when there's something they're not telling me," she chuckles. "My mom used to tell me something when I was a teenager. 'Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you do know better, do better.' You've been doing your best for your little girl for a while now, Lydia. Do you know better?"

She nods. "I do."

"Then do better." She gives her a reassuring smile like only Melissa can. "Why don't we give you two the room for a minute?"

Lydia nods again and smiles back at the woman. As they walk back to the others, Melissa suggests that the kids go grab their things before leaving, Derek taking Chloe, Melissa taking Ariel on her arms and Cora by the hand, already discussing wedding plans and shutting the door behind them.

Stiles is pacing around the kitchen when he talks again, eyeing Lydia as she walks towards him. He had noticed that she looked a little bothered while talking to Melissa, of course he noticed. "Lydia, are you ok-"

He doesn't have a chance to say anything else, though. Lydia gets on her tiptoes and her lips press against his with no hesitation, her fingers lacing on the back of his neck pulling him down to her. Although surprised, Stiles reacts instantly, their lips moving softly and slowly together, his hands resting on her waist and bringing her closer. She pulls on his bottom lip before breaking the kiss, already smiling.

Their breathing is a bit frantic and Stiles struggles a little to let the words out. "What was that for?"

She catches her breath. "I think it's time, Stiles." Letting their foreheads meet, her lips are brushing his as she talks again, smiling wide. "You can take me on a date now."