A/N: Thank you all!

Disclaimer as usual... TW isn't mine. Beta was done again by lovely Annebee!

Also, fair warning... this chapter is somewhat stydia-ish even without Stiles... and now.. enjoy! :)


*8*

Jirou knew that apologizing to Lydia would be the hardest. He had almost scared her to death in the catacombs of Oak Creek and he had almost killed her best friends, both Allison and Stiles.

Some simple flowers, even if it were her favourite sunflowers, and a couple of Peanut butter cups wouldn't make up for it but he hoped that it would be a start and that by the time he had to leave she at least didn't associate Stiles face with everything bad that had been done to her by him. He owed that to the boy too. After all he knew exactly how Stiles felt about the strawberry blond girl.

He sat for almost half an hour in the Jeep, which was parked on the opposite side of the road in front of Lydia's home, to gather his courage. It was almost too funny he, the evil fox spirit, felt frightful of a mere Human. No, a Banshee he corrected himself but still he shouldn't be afraid of someone who was just predicting death.

When he had finally managed to walk over and ring the bell it was Mrs. Martin who opened the door. She seemed to be surprised to see him there but it quickly vanished as she stepped aside.

"Stiles how are you?" she asked as she let him inside. She gave him a genuine smile as she saw the flowers in his arms.

"I'm better," he answered like he always answered when someone asked him about his well-being and it wasn't even a lie. Stiles was indeed doing better and so was he, both from a physical and mental health point of view.

"I'm glad to hear," she said as she brushed a hand along his face in a motherly gesture.

She looked at him for a moment, her hand resting on his shoulder before she drew him in for a hug. It took him totally off guard, as the information he had gathered about Natalie Martin didn't exactly scream mothering type, and he didn't know how to react.

"I'm really glad," she said as she rubbed her hands slowly across his back as he stood stiffly in her embrace. "I was so worried."

She released him again and he could feel the heat that rushed into his cheeks.

"Lydia is in her room. Do you still know the way?"

He nodded and she smiled again before she stepped aside.

Lydia was never the easiest girl to talk to. Either she was ways too smart for her own good or she was pretending to be a blond ditz that was only concerned about clothing, make-up and a certain kind of guy. Stiles never counted as that kind of guy as he wasn't popular, sporty, handsome and rich enough even though he could easily hold his own against her smartness. But even so Jirou went through all the failed attempts of talking to her he didn't find anything worse than the talk he had to do now.

He took a moment to steel himself before he knocked on her door, scolding himself in his mind that he was a thousand year old fox spirit who shouldn't fear anything, again.

Nevertheless he felt apprehension or maybe it was Stiles'. But it didn't matter where it came from, it still made him feel bad.

It took her a moment to call to come inside, maybe because she wasn't used to someone knocking and not entering.

He pushed the door open slowly with one hand while he held the flowers in front of his chest like a protective shield with the other.

Lydia was sitting on her bed with her back against the wall behind her and supported by a pillow. She was surrounded by books though she looked up when he entered.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and it didn't surprise him that everyone was questioning his presence. He didn't take his eyes of her as he closed the door. Not all the way, as he saw a spark of fear go through her eyes even though she managed to hide it quickly, but close enough to give them some privacy.

"I came to apologize," he said and held out the sunflowers. "I know it's not enough compared to the things I've done to you but maybe it could be a start."

She took the bouquet hesitantly and a tiny smile flittered across her face as she looked at the flowers and saw all the different Peanut butter cups hidden between the stems.

"Those are my favourites," she said quietly and Jirou nodded, "I know, well Stiles knows," he said. "That's why I wanted to apologize. It isn't his fault and I don't want that you associate his face with the things I have done."

"I know that it wasn't him. It's just not this easy," Lydia said and avoided his eyes.

"That's why I'm trying to make amends," he said wringing his hands in a slightly nervous gesture. "He really likes you."

"He is obsessed with me since third grade," Lydia said with a quiet chuckle.

"He was obsessed with you," Jirou corrected her and she looked at him in surprise. "Now, after you finally noticed him and spent time together as friends, he took you off this pedestal he had put you on. He genuinely loves you.

Your hair, your eyes, your body but most of all he loves your mind and who you are when you aren't pretending to be a stupid blond.

And after all the time we've spend together I've grown attached to him too and I don't want to destroy this for him."

She looked at him wide-eyed and some tears gathered in her eyes. It seemed to have shocked her for a moment but then she narrowed her eyes a bit and she said, "You aren't apologizing because you feel sorry, right? You're just doing it because of Stiles."

"Mostly," he said and avoided her eyes. "I think. I don't really know. I do feel guilty but I can't say if I'm feeling Stiles' guilt or if it is my own."

When he looked back at her, her look had softened and she even gave him a small smile.

"You can't deny your nature," she said. "You're still a trickster. Feeling guilty isn't something you do but I appreciate that you're doing this for Stiles."

"You like him too, don't you?" he asked quietly and Lydia looked startled at him but she didn't have a chance to answer as her mother pushed the door open with her elbow and stepped inside.

"I've brought you a vase for your flowers," she announced with a smile as it wasn't obvious enough that she was carrying one. She placed it on the table and turned to them.

"Are you staying for dinner, Stiles?" she asked then.

"I… I can't, Mrs. Martin," he stuttered and out of the corner of his eyes he saw Lydia's disapproving look she sent to her mother. "I really have to go the Sheriff… I mean my dad will be waiting for me."

"Nonsense! I'm going to call him and let him know that you're staying over for dinner.

When was the last time you've eaten a real dinner? You're just skin and bones," she said and then she added more to herself, "I really have to give him a piece of my mind about the proper care for teenagers."

"Mom," Lydia tried to interrupt her as Jirou said, "I can't stay," but she overruled both of them. "He's staying for dinner. I'm going to make Spaghetti and our very special Martin family tomato sauce." She looked to Lydia then. "Please come down to help when you're done talking"

With that she left and both of them stared after her for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Jirou said then as he turned back to Lydia.

"It's not your fault," she said with a huff. "When she gets something in her head you can hardly sway her. She's stubborn like a mule sometimes."

She got up from her bed and walked over to the desk with the bouquet in her hands. She removed the wrapping paper and gentle placed the flowers in the vase.

"Are you going to apologize to everyone?" she asked then without looking at him as she busied herself with picking the chocolate out from between the flowers.

"Yes, I want to try. I already apologized to the Sheriff and Mrs. McCall. I still have Scott, Mr. Argent, though I think he'll shoot me first before…"

"Are you going to see Allison?" she interrupted him.

"I wanted to," he said carefully.

"Good, I'll go with you," Lydia said determined as she turned around and Jirou only nodded. "Now, we better get down before my mother burns the house down. She isn't the best cook around."

Mrs. Martin was already waiting for them and the moment they stepped into the kitchen she assigned duties to them.

Lydia was tasked with grating the cheese while she ushered Jirou towards the kitchen counter and handed him a knife to cut the tomatoes into pieces.

Lydia frowned a bit but when she saw that he started to cut everything into even pieces immediately without any blood lusty murdering glances towards her mother she nodded satisfied.

Her phone rang then and she excused herself to the adjoining dining room but she kept close by the door to keep an eye on him and her mother.

Even though he didn't have the super hearing abilities of a Werewolf, he still heard better than the average human and understood that the Sheriff was calling.

"There wasn't anything I could do," he heard her say. "I can't tell her that this isn't really Stiles but a copy made by an evil Japanese fox spirit who isn't really evil anymore."

He had to smile slightly as he heard that. Maybe apologizing really helped.


Please let me know what you think! :)