Author's Note: I do not own Teen Wolf or its characters. This is set in an alternate universe.

Orange Clove Cupcakes

Derek wasn't sure what to make of Lydia Martin. He didn't really know the teenager. He knew who she was of course, no one at their school didn't. She was probably the most popular girl in the school and ruled with an iron first. According to Stiles, she was also incredibly smart. Actually, Stiles seemed to have a lot to say about Lydia Martin. He talked about her the way some people talked about religious figures, and Derek wasn't sure what to make of that either.

Nor did he know what to do with her hovering in his kitchen. Though to be completely fair, he didn't think that many people had seen this particular face of Lydia. Not that he blamed her for being shaken and not quite like herself. The past two weeks had been hellish for her, and Derek knew that even if most of it was over with, her future was pretty uncertain. The fact that no one was really sure what sort of supernatural heritage that she had, only that she was clear some sort of supernatural creature didn't help.

"Can I help you with something?" he finally asked, after watching her wander around the kitchen in silence for several minutes.

Lydia shook her head. "Stiles says you make good cupcakes. I wanted to try them for myself."

Derek shrugged. "As long as you're willing to wait. These have to bake and cool before they'll be ready."

It was Lydia's turn to shrug. "I'm not leaving until I know what's happening with Jackson."

He could understand that. Jackson was part of the reason the past two weeks had been so crazy. He's just thankful that the situation hadn't lasted longer. Jackson's reaction to the bite had been to become a kanima. The boy hadn't actually been aware of most of his transformations and actions save for some dreams. Which was probably for the best as far as Derek could tell. According to Stiles, who had started doing research the moment he knew there was something going on, it was because of Jackson's emotional state had affected his change, turning him into a snake like tool for vengeance. Because the thing about kanimas was that they could be controlled by a master.

Jackson had been used to kill two people before Derek's mom and Lydia had stopped him. They still didn't know who his master had been, but at least he didn't have to worry about being controlled any longer and was pretty much a normal werewolf at this point. However, his parents were all freaked out by the strange occurrences that had happened around their son (even if no one outside of the Hale pack knew just who had killed those people) and wanted to get him out of town. Jackson himself was more than a little shaken, though he seemed most comfortable when surrounded by the pack or when Lydia was near.

Derek knew that his mom was working on Jackson's parents to make sure that he would stay in Beacon Hills. The idea of a new werewolf being sent to strange place alone was a recipe for disaster even if Talia's connections could probably find a nearby pack. It would be better if the other teen just stayed in town. It was his parents that they would have to convince though, and Talia seemed to be doing a good job of that. But not knowing what was going to happen next had to be hard on Lydia. In the end, it had been her feelings for Jackson that had really made the difference in rescuing him. That sort of love was both powerful and a little bit scary. And he didn't think it was exactly easy to live with.

He carefully put the cupcakes in the oven and set the timer before turning his attention back to Lydia. She looked smaller than normal, bundled up in what had to be Jackson's sweatshirt and trackpants, hair pulled back in a messy bun that left red tendrils framing her pale face.

"Is there something I can do for you? Make tea?"

She looked like she could use something, and a cup of tea had been Nana's solution more often than not when a pack member was dealing with something emotional.

Lydia shook her head. "What kind of cupcakes are you making?"

"Orange and clove. I figured I'd experiment before Thanksgiving. Depending on how they turn out I might make them to supplement the pies for Thanksgiving. We never have enough desserts to satisfy people and it's shaping up to be an even bigger crowd than last year."

He started work on the frosting, wishing he had Stiles' ease of conversation. He really wasn't sure what to say to Lydia. He barely knew her, he couldn't reassure her that everything was going to be all right, and Derek was awkward at the best of times which this most certainly wasn't. Hopefully, the finished cupcakes themselves would be some sort of comfort even if Derek himself wasn't.

As if summoned by Derek's thoughts, Stiles bustled into the kitchen. He grinned gently at Lydia.

"Hey Lyds, I see you too have discovered the only place to be when Derek is baking. What'cha making this time, Der?"

"Orange clove cupcakes. They're an experiment mostly."

Stiles' cheerful chatter filled the kitchen while Derek finished up the frosting and took the cupcakes out of the oven. Derek had to slap his hands away from the still cooling cupcakes at least once, and he could felt Lydia's eyes, heavy on his back. Still, he does his best to act normally while he frosts the cupcakes, presenting the first to Stiles and the second to Lydia.

He helped himself to one as well and wrinkled his nose a little as he took a bite. It wasn't exactly what he had expected. It wasn't bad per se, but it also wasn't something that he thought his family was going to just gobble up. Still, he liked the citrus flavor to it. He might have been a little too heavy on the clove, but that was fixable. What wasn't was how other people found the taste. He watched to see Stiles and Lydia's reactions to the cupcakes.

"I like it. I'm not sure I'd eat a dozen of them, but I like it. It's different flavors than you normally get."

Stiles' cupcake had disappeared within the space of seconds. Lydia was still nibbling at hers, watching the two of them.

"I like its spice," Lydia finally said. "It gives the flavor an edge."

Derek just shrugged. "You don't think I need to tone it down some? I'll probably try them out on the pack before adding them to the Thanksgiving menu."

Lydia shook her head. "I like the bite of it."

Stiles' phone chirped and he made a face. "I got to go pick up Scott. Can I-"

His hand was already creeping towards the other cupcakes. Derek rolled his eyes and handed him two.

"Yes."

"Thanks, man."

Lydia shook her head as he left. Derek knew that the two of them hadn't exactly been friends before Lydia had been pulled into the world of the supernatural even if they had known one another. Stiles' infatuation with Lydia was well known, though Derek had to admit that he hadn't really seen signs of it at all in the past few months. There had been no more grand gestures or over the top declarations at school of late, and while it was clear that Stiles still respected Lydia a great deal, Derek didn't hear quite the same adoration in his voice when he talked about her anymore.

Then again, Stiles had been the one to really shepherd Lydia into the world of the supernatural. It was true that it had mostly been Lydia and Derek's mom who had done the work of rescuing Jackson, but it had been Stiles who had done much of the research. He'd also been the one to try and keep Lydia spirits up and try and support her at school.

"Stiles is a good friend," Lydia said aloud, making Derek blink.

"I know."

"I didn't. I never really thought about it before."

The look on her face wasn't one that Derek recognized. It was introspective and a little wistful, but beyond that, Derek couldn't tell what she was thinking. Then she looked at him and smiled.

"Can I have another cupcake?"