A/N: This chapter is kinda short, but I just felt like it was a good place to stop, so I decided to stop. I don't know when the next time I'll be able to update this, mostly because I've been neglecting my other fics and I need to do some work on them. Enjoy the chapter!
The next morning, Lydia was surprised when she woke up in a bed that wasn't hers, until she remembered the previous night. Oh yeah, she'd slept with Derek, and oh yeah, she even kissed him.
Quietly, she wriggled out from underneath Derek's arm and pulled her clothes back on. She'd shower once she got back to her mom's house. Then maybe she'd leave for Berkeley early.
She knew last night had been different. The sex had been more along the lines of making love, and she had asked Derek to cuddle her. For a while, she had wanted to feel his arms around her, but she gave in last night and it had actually felt really good to be cuddled by someone that wasn't her best friend. It had been pretty satisfying.
She held her shoes in one hand as she snuck down the stairs. She was trying really hard not to wake anyone up, considering it was only seven, and she knew the others hadn't gotten in before two. She almost made it to the front door when she heard, "So, are we sneaking out, Lydia?"
Recognizing Talia's voice, Lydia sighed and sent out a silent prayer to whatever deity may be listening before turning around. Talia was sitting in the living room adjacent to the hallway, and of course she had seen her. Sitting next to Talia was Laura. Talia patted the couch on the other side of her, "Come on, Lydia. I think it's time you and I had a chat."
Lydia was worried. Talia was using her "mom voice", as Stiles called it, and she used that whenever shit was important. Well, Lydia figured, this was pretty important. The reason the adults (other than Peter, because, let's be real here) didn't know about Lydia's no relationships rule was because she couldn't take the I'm-disappointed-in-you voice that the parents were pretty good at using. Lydia nodded silently and went over to sit next to Talia.
"Laura," Talia said after a moment, "I'd like to have a chat alone with Lydia, if you don't mind." Laura nodded and went into another room, but Lydia wasn't stupid; she knew that Laura was going to be listening.
"If I may ask," Talia said, watching Lydia closely, "what exactly is going on between you and my son?"
Talia was so kind, so loving, and such a damn good alpha that Lydia always wanted to spill her guts to her. Not only was Talia kind, but she was also extremely compassionate and also kind of scary when she had to be. Lydia licked her lips, trying to figure out the best way to start.
"Nothing," Lydia said. "I mean, I know you don't want to know this, since Derek is your son and everything, but he and I have…had," she corrected herself, "a purely physical relationship. It's over, though – last night was it. I have to end it."
"Friends with benefits," Talia answered. She didn't look mad; no, Talia looked worried, which was probably two hundred percent worse. Lydia nodded silently.
"I know of your reputation, Lydia," Talia said after a moment. Lydia knew she had a stunned expression, and Talia nodded, "That's exactly why I haven't told your mother. It might just give her a heart attack. So, if you don't mind, pretend that Derek is not my son, and go over it with me from the beginning."
So Lydia did. She started to tell Talia about the bet and how close they had gotten. She talked about how they had become friends, about how Derek was a much better person than she had thought he was, and how she had misjudged him all these years. She talked about her feelings for him and how that's why she had to break if off.
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe Derek feels the same way you do?" Talia asked when Lydia was all talked out. Lydia shook her head.
"Everybody keeps saying that. Cora, Stiles, Laura, Malia…they've all asked me that question. But if Derek felt the same way about me, he'd tell me. He's never been afraid to tell me anything before, so why not that?"
"Maybe because he is also aware of your reputation. Tell me, Lydia," Talia said, grabbing one of Lydia's hands in hers, "are you in love with him?"
Silent, Lydia nodded. She felt her chest start to tighten like she was going to cry, so she took a deep breath. "I'm so in love with him it's unbelievable," she said. "And that's why this hurts."
Talia nodded silently.
"Which is why I was trying to sneak out. Last night was different than the previous times he and I had been together, and he's going to realize it. Which is fine, you know. Our relationship hasn't been about the bet in a long time. He's a good guy. He deserves all the happiness in the world, and if he doesn't want it from me, he deserves it from someone else. I can be friends with him."
Of course, Talia had recognized that Lydia was Derek's mate. She had been around a long time and, as alpha, noticed a lot of things. She saw the way he looked at her. But, recently, Talia had noticed the fact that Lydia gave him the same look back.
"Did you ever think of maybe sitting down with Derek and talking to him about this?"
"I'm going to be completely honest with you," Lydia answered, and Talia nodded. "After all the heartbreak in high school, with Jackson and the others, I can't put myself out there again. I'm afraid to tell him. I know Derek wouldn't be cruel about it – he's not that kind of a person, after all – but I don't want to get my heart crushed again. I'm trying to prevent getting my heart broken."
"You're only going to suffer if you don't say anything, Lydia," Talia said. Lydia sighed.
"Look, when Derek wakes up, just let him know that I wanted to get an early start back to Berkeley. I've got some stuff to finish up and a shift at six. But please don't tell him about this."
"Lydia," Talia said, catching Lydia's gaze once more, "I meant what I said. You and Derek need to sit down and have a heart to heart. I think his response might just surprise you."
-x-
It was almost eleven when Derek tumbled down the stairs. Talia was in the kitchen, at the table, drinking a cup of coffee when Derek popped his head in. Talia looked at her son before saying, "Derek, grab yourself a cup of coffee and come here. You and I need to have a talk."
Derek poured some coffee into a mug and sat down beside Talia, saying, "If this is about Lydia staying here last night, I'm sorry. I'm also sorry that we skipped out on the reception early, but -"
"Derek, please," Talia said, watching her son closely. "Lydia's always welcome here, and you know that. She's practically my daughter. What I was going to talk to you about was why Lydia was sneaking out of here at seven o'clock this morning."
"Mom, please don't make me say it," Derek said, avoiding his mother's gaze.
"Derek, please look at me," Talia said, and Derek met her eyes once again. "She and I had a chat this morning before she left. She left early for school, just so you know, and asked me not to disclose certain things to you, so I'm not going to. I do have one question for you, though."
"What's that?" Derek was almost afraid of her answer, but when it came to his parents, honesty was always the best policy. Talia and William didn't lie to their children and they expected their children not to lie to them.
"Are you in love with Lydia, Derek?"
The question took him by surprise. Of all the things that Talia could have asked him, that was definitely not what he was expecting. Derek sighed before saying, "Yeah, I am. I have been for a really long time."
"I thought as much," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. She looked at her son, "I'm not going to tell you what to do. You're old enough to legally drink, therefore you're old enough to manage your own life. But, Derek, I love you, and I care very much for Lydia. You could say that I love her like she's my own child, too. And I'm the alpha, which means I need to keep an eye on my pack and make sure they're protected and that they're not hurting. And I'm asking you to please go and talk to her. Tell Lydia how you feel. She deserves to know the truth, doesn't she?"
"It's more complicated than that," Derek answered.
"Look, I get that you're afraid of getting hurt. And before you say anything, I am very much aware of Lydia's reputation. I've been aware of it for a long time. I know she doesn't date, but you need to talk to her. Derek, if you put off talking to her about the way you feel, she's just going to get her heart broken. You both are just going to get heartbroken, and I'd really like to prevent that."
"You know, don't you," Derek said. It was a statement, not a question. He had no need to question if his mother knew; something about the way she was speaking to him right now told him all he needed to know.
"I've known for a long time, Derek. Your father was my mate, and I remember how that feels. The feeling doesn't go away. And I know that you are trying to push her away to make sure that neither one of you get hurt, but Derek, it's too late for that. The longer you put it off, the longer it's going to hurt Lydia. Things are never going to go back to the way it was before your bet happened. And I don't think that she deserves to get hurt any more, don't you agree?"
Wordlessly, Derek nodded.
"I thought so. So tell her. She said she's got a shift at six, maybe you can go over there and see her on her break."
"I've been an idiot," Derek said, watching his mother closely. "I should've told her years ago. Hell, I should have told her months ago. I don't want to be the reason that she cries."
"I know that," Talia said. "You're not a bad guy, Derek. And I know what you're thinking. You think that to get her to take you seriously, you're going to have to do some kind of grand gesture. Well, that's wrong. You just need to talk to her. Use your words, Derek. I know you know how."
"It's not that easy for me," Derek said, taking a drink of his coffee.
"I know that, too," Talia answered. "And you just said that you don't want to be the reason that she cries. So don't be. Derek, just tell her."
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Derek nodded, "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Mom."
"You're my son, Derek, and I'm always going to love you, no matter how many boneheaded moves you may make."
-x-
Around eight thirty, when Lydia was supposed to be taking her break, she was just sitting in the break room, watching the clock. She didn't want to be here, and she didn't even understand why she had to work tonight. Nobody was coming in. Lydia sighed and started to get up, deciding to cut her break short when she heard someone call her name from up front.
"Lydia?" It was Julie, her manager. "You have a visitor. I'm letting him back into the break room. He says he needs to talk to you. It sounds pretty important."
Lydia sat at the table for a moment and then saw Derek. She just stopped.
"Hi," he said to her. He watched her for a long minute.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him. Without even responding with words, he came closer to her and covered her lips with his. He put all his feelings into this kiss, since he was allowed to kiss her now, and he licked into her mouth. After a few moments, Lydia broke the kiss.
"I'm an idiot," Derek said. "I've been an idiot for a long time. Lydia, I love you. I've been in love with you for a long fucking time. Since before the bet even happened. I've been in love with you for years."
"Really?" Lydia asked, her voice small. Derek nodded.
"There's something else I need to tell you, Lydia," Derek said. He grabbed her small hands and held them in his. He licked his lips nervously before saying, "Lydia, you're my mate."
Lydia froze, and Derek was starting to question if telling her that right now was a bad idea. Lydia took a deep breath before saying, "Are…I mean, you're sure?"
Derek nodded, "I'm dead sure. I've been dead sure for a long fucking time."
"How long?" she asked. "How long have you known?"
"Since the first time I saw you," he answered honestly. "You were thirteen and had come over to do a history project with Cora. The first time I smelled you, I knew. God, Lyds, even just your scent drives me crazy."
"You've known for that long? And you didn't think to tell me sooner?"
"I'm sorry," Derek said. "Lydia, I'm so fucking sorry for causing you the heartbreak you've endured throughout your life. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I'm sorry I went out of my way to make you hate me when you were a teenager. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time."
"Okay," she said. "I kind of want to be pissed at you for this. I really thought that you just wanted to win this bet so you could know that I would never be able to get off with anyone else."
Derek sighed, "Yeah, well how else would I have gotten you to take me seriously? I wanted you to see me – the real me, the me that I have been hiding from you forever. I'm not a bad guy, Lydia, I just…I was afraid that you wouldn't want me, either."
"Hey, Derek?" Lydia said, and Derek watched her closely, cocking an eyebrow at her. "I'm kind of seriously in love with you, too."
Derek just grinned.
A/N: I know you guys have been waiting for this for a while, so I hope I did it justice.
