Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.

Chapter 3: Weekend Getaway

Malia checked the back of the textbook to see if she answered the math problem correctly. "Yes! I got it right," she said in excitement. "You're not even listening!"

"What?" Stiles asked, distracted. "Oh, good job. See, I knew you could do it. You're getting better."

They were in the library along with Kira and Lydia. Kira was working on an English assignment while waiting for Scott so that they could work on college essays together. Although it would only be a rough draft for their personal essay, they were determined to start early and perfect it by the time they were ready to apply.

Lydia was bent over the bestiary Allison had left for her, determined to find something that could help explain what Parrish was. Stiles had his laptop open in front of him, researching supernatural beings with healing abilities.

"I think this math stuff is actually starting to get easier," Malia said happily, popping some chips in her mouth. "At this rate, I may be able to pass this class."

"See, I knew you could do it," Stiles repeated proudly, closing his laptop shut. "Wanna throw me that bag of chips?"

Malia crunched loudly and turned her back to him. "No way, get your own."

"I asked for some chips earlier and she said no, too," Kira said, looking up from her homework. "You really love those chips, don't you?"

Lydia put the bestiary down on the table. "What do you guys think of a party?"

The other three looked at her in surprise.

"Another party?" Kira asked. "After what happened at the lake house?" The first part of the Benefactor dead pool list was revealed at the lake house during the last party Lydia threw.

"That was different," Lydia reasoned. "This one can just be a small get together to celebrate surviving the dead pool and bringing Derek back from the dead."

"I like parties," Malia said, munching on her chips some more. "I'm in."

"Cool, because I saw this cool beach house about a 2 hour's drive from here," Lydia said excitedly. "And I've already kinda booked it."

Stiles looked at her in disbelief. "Really? And you just knew we'd all say yes?"

"What?" Lydia asked innocently. "The way I see it, we've been through hell and back and we deserve a little break. Don't you agree?"

"I'm with Lydia," Malia said.

"The beach does sound fun," Kira said, her excitement growing. "We can go swimming and tanning."

"It'll be a great time," Lydia smiled. "And no supernatural business. Just a nice weekend getaway."

"Okay, fine, we can go to the beach," Stiles said, caving in.

Scott walked up behind them and pulled up a chair to the table between Malia and Kira. "What about the beach?"

Lydia filled him in on her plan for the group's trip. "You in, Scott?"

"Sure, the beach sounds cool. As far as I know, Kate hasn't shown up anywhere near Beacon Hills. I think we're safe for now."

Lydia got up from her chair and started packing her things. "Well then, I'm off to do some swimsuit shopping. Any of you girls care to join?"

"Can't," Kira said, gesturing to her homework.

"And you?" Lydia asked, turning to Malia. "I imagine you'll need a swimsuit."

"Why would I need a swimsuit for the beach?" Malia asked confused.

Lydia gave her a look. "Okay, pack your things. We're going."

Malia looked to Stiles for help, hesitant to go.

"You'll be fine," Stiles said to his girlfriend. "Help her find something sexy," he said to Lydia with a wink.

Scott took the chair Malia vacated and opened up his laptop. His browser was open to the webpage of the University of California – Berkley. It was one of his top three choices. His other top choices were University of California – Davis and University of Southern California. He couldn't decide which was his number one choice yet but he still had time to figure it out. All he knew was that he wanted to pursue veterinary medicine.

"You ready to work on this essay?" he asked Kira.

"Almost," Kira answered. "I gotta answer a few of these questions and then I'm all yours."

Malia held four bikini sets that Lydia picked out for her as the other girl perused a rack of swimsuits. They were at the mall at a store called Water and Suits. Malia was already bored and wanted to just head to the food court. She could smell the delicious scents wafting in from Cinnabon.

"Are we almost done here?" she asked impatiently.

Lydia walked to another rack and shuffled through some one pieces. A lavender and black one with a scoop back and front cutout around the chest caught her eye. She added it to the growing number of swimsuits she was already carrying. "We haven't even tried them on yet."

After meticulously reviewing every rack in the store, the two friends walked with their choices to the dressing rooms. Malia put the first bikini on with some difficulty tying a knot on the top. She pushed the thick curtain of her dressing room aside with no hint of embarrassment and walked to the wall of mirrors.

Lydia had picked all her choices and this one in particular was a navy blue bikini with a ring connecting the two triangles. Malia stood in front of the mirrors and surveyed her body. She wasn't sure if this was how it should look. She looked close enough to the girls featured on the various signs around the store in her opinion.

"How do you stay so fit while eating all that junk food?" Lydia asked, poking her head out of her dressing room before stepping out. With the amount of chips and fries and pizzas she's seen Malia scarf down, she couldn't help but feel jealous that none of that showed on Malia's flat, toned stomach.

Must be nice to be a werecoyote, Lydia thought.

"That looks nice on you," Malia said, gesturing to Lydia's white and black polka dot bikini.

"Thanks," Lydia said, joining her at the mirrors and examining her body with scrutiny. "The bottoms are really riding up my ass, though, and I'm worried a boob is going to pop out with one wrong move."

They both laughed and Lydia found herself thinking about the time she went shopping for winter formal dresses with Allison. She wished Allison was here enjoying the moment with them.

After trying on the rest of their findings and deciding on a red bikini with ruffles for Malia and the purple and black one piece for Lydia, they made their way to the food court after Malia's insistence. With strawberry smoothies in hand, the two girls started walking aimlessly around the mall past other shoppers with their bags swinging next to them. Lydia appreciated how normal it all felt to just go to the mall and shop with a girlfriend.

"Have you talked to Derek?" Lydia asked Malia after taking a sip of her smoothie. "How's he doing?"

"He's doing okay," Malia answered. "I've texted him a few times. It's kinda weird, but after seeing him dead and all, I realized that I didn't really know him much."

"And you wanna change that?"

"Well, yeah," Malia said as they stopped to look at a store window with dresses. "I mean, he's the only biological family I have besides Peter and there's this whole story about his sister and mother and the rest of his family who are also my family, too."

"Then you should definitely try to get to know him better," Lydia said, eyeing a blue dress that would go well with a pair of silver pumps she had at home. She remembered the hole in her wallet from the swimsuit she just purchased and decided to restrain herself from going in the store. They continued their walk around the mall.

"You think Derek would wanna come to the beach thing?" Malia asked, finishing the last of her smoothie.

"I don't see why not," Lydia said. "Maybe Parrish, Rose, and Braeden would wanna come too?"

Scott put his backpack on. He stepped outside as Stiles pulled up to his house in his Jeep and locked the front door. Mason and Liam were already in the backseat. The four of them would be meeting up with Lydia, Malia, Kira, and Derek at the lofts where Derek and Rose lived, so that they could all caravan to the beach.

Once there, Derek realized he would be stuck with the girls. "Where are Rose and Parrish? I thought they were coming to this thing." He wouldn't have agreed if he knew he was the only one going. He suddenly felt like a babysitter or worse, an old guy trying to fit in with the young crowd.

"They're meeting us there," Kira said. "They both have work today so they're driving down together later this afternoon. Don't you read the group texts?"

"Hand me the keys," Derek said to Lydia. "I'm driving."

"I can ride with the girls," Scott offered, but Derek waved him off as he opened the door to the driver's seat.

After a quick stop at the gas station to fill up the tank and grab snacks, the two cars started the drive to Mendocino.

"How many bedrooms did Lydia say there were?" Liam asked twenty minutes into the trip.

"I think she said three," Scott answered. "There's one room with bunk beds so four people can stay there, two in the other room, and two in the master. Then two others can crash on the couch."

"You two will clearly be the ones on the couch," Stiles said pointedly.

"Why us?" Liam asked.

"Because we're the youngest?" Mason guessed.

"Exactly, because you're the youngest," Stiles confirmed with the satisfactory smile. "Scott and Kira will take one room, Malia and I in another room, and then Lydia and the oldies can take the bunk beds room."

Scott fiddled with the audio dial, searching for a decent song on the radio. "Lydia organized this whole thing, so shouldn't she take the master?"

"Did you seriously call Derek, Rose, and Parrish 'oldies'?" Mason asked.

"Alright," Stiles said, ignoring the younger boy's question. "You guys can trade places with Lydia and Rose. Problem solved."

"Probably for the best. Would be a bit awkward with the whole Rose, Derek, Parrish thing," Scott agreed. He found a song he liked and sat back in his seat, enjoying the ride.

"What thing?" Liam and Mason asked in unison.

Stiles looked at them through his rearview mirror. "That my young friends, is what we call a love triangle brewing. You see, Derek and Rose are reuniting after years, and while they say they've never dated and are 'just friends' that's bound to change. Especially with Parrish now in the picture. I imagine Derek will be feeling pretty lonely without Braeden around anymore."

Scott looked at Stiles in surprise. "Braeden left? When?"

"About a week ago," Stiles answered. "I called Derek and he was helping her with her things, said she was off to do business or something."

"I just thought Derek would see Rose and Parrish getting closer and realize he has feelings for her or something. They looked like they're mad at each other though when we saw them at the lake. Maybe it was about Parrish? I'm surprised they even agreed to come," Scott said.

"Maybe they made up," Mason said.

"Made up and then made out," Stiles said, giving Scott a knowing look. Scott chuckled.

"I mean, they've been through a lot together from what it sounds like. All that history. How do you go through all that and not develop some kind of romantic feelings?" Stiles said.

"Well aren't you friends with Lydia?" Liam piped up. "You guys have been through a lot together but you're 'just friends.'" He made air quotations with his fingers.

"Actually, I fell in love with Lydia when I was a kid," Stiles explained. "Not exactly a sound example of platonic friendships."

Scott laughed at the memory. He remembered Stiles harboring an intense infatuation with Lydia for years.

"So Lydia's a banshee, Kira's a kitsune, and Liam, Scott, Derek, and Malia are werewolves," Mason listed off excitedly.

"Technically Malia is a werecoyote," Stiles corrected.

"And what are you?" Mason asked.

"Me? I'm the brain of this whole operation," Stiles said. "You think these guys could've gotten this far without me?"

Scott nodded in agreement. Stiles had been a pivotal part of the pack, figuring things out when they had been faced with whatever creature wanting them dead.

"I wonder what they're talking about in the other car," Mason mused.

"Bet Derek is bored out of his mind being with the girls," Liam said.

In Lydia's car, Derek concentrated on the road and tried to drown out the sounds of the girls' conversation.

"I just don't understand what's so hard about cuddling," Malia said. "You lie next to each other and then fall asleep. It's not that hard, but Stiles is just too fidgety. Does Scott ever do that?" She turned to Kira, wondering if she would confirm that all guys do this.

"No, we usually fall asleep while cuddling," Kira said, bursting Malia's bubble.

"So is it just me?" Malia asked. "Did I miss a class in cuddling while I was out being a coyote?"

Lydia laughed. "What?"

"Guys just want space when they sleep," Derek interjected.

The three girls looked at him in surprise. He hadn't spoken since they left the gas station.

"It's that simple?" Malia asked. "He just can't sleep in that position?"

"You know I can actually see that," Lydia said. "I can't sleep too close to a guy in the summertime. It gets too hot and then I can't sleep."

"Exactly," Derek said. "Or you're crushing his arm with your head and he'll wait until you fall asleep so he can gently push you to the other side of the bed." He did that practically every night during Braeden's stay with him.

"Sounds like you know from experience," Kira said, bemused. She exchanged glances with Lydia and Malia. "So Derek..."

"So what," Derek replied shortly. He could tell they were about to start asking him some personal questions. What was it with girls? He wished Rose and Parrish were riding with him instead. At least he could bounce off ideas on what memories Laura could've taken and how to get them back.

"We've been kinda wondering," Kira continued, "if you and Rose used to have a thing. Is it awkward now that you're dating Braeden? Is she okay with you going on an overnight trip with Rose around?" They had been surprised to see that Braeden wasn't with Derek when they picked him up. Knowing Derek's personality, Kira figured he wouldn't answer her but decided to ask anyway.

"Braeden and I aren't dating anymore," Derek answered, to Kira's surprise. "She went to go back to work so that's that. And Rose and I never dated. We were friends in high school and that's it."

"Oh, sorry about your breakup," Lydia said sympathetically. "She was pretty upset when you know... died."

"It wasn't a breakup," Derek said nonchalantly.

"What do you mean it wasn't a breakup?" Kira asked.

Derek sighed. They had an hour left and he didn't want to spend the rest of the trip talking about his love life. "We weren't that serious and we both knew it wasn't going to lead to anything."

"So it was just about sex?" Malia asked.

"No," Derek answered honestly. "She was fine and I liked having her around but knowing her lifestyle, I knew she wasn't going to be around too long. That's all."

"Is it always such an easy, uncomplicated thing for you, Derek?" Lydia asked. "You guys just end things like that and move on?"

"Yup," Derek said, exiting the freeway. "It can really be that simple."

"So no texts or phonecalls?" Lydia pressed on.

"Nope."

"Just a clean break?"

"Yup."

"Okay," Kira continued. "So now that Braeden's gone, where does that leave you and Rose? You guys have a lot of history together. And it must bring back a lot of feelings to see her back after all these years."

"Like I said, we're just friends," Derek said. "Nothing more and nothing less. Why does everyone assume we're more than that?" He didn't understand why it was such a hard concept to accept that a guy and a girl can have a platonic relationship. He spent most of high school watching Rose bounce from guy to guy with no hint of jealousy. These kids had no idea what they were talking about. He was vaguely reminded of his mother who used to suggest that Rose would be a good match for him.

Then a thought struck Derek. He remembered the conversation he had with Deaton and Morrell – about the bond. They had used the word "obsession" and Derek didn't like it one bit. It was bad enough that Rose refused to pursue the blood situation without adding a weird bond to the mix. If a bond truly was developing between them, how would it affect his life? How would it affect hers?

"Derek, the GPS just said to make a left," Lydia said, breaking his thoughts. "You missed the turn."

Derek made a U-turn and made the appropriate turn, getting back on course.

If Rose decided to leave Beacon Hills again, would he have to follow her? Would he mistake this bond for love? That last possibility scared him the most.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews are much appreciated. Would like to know what people think so far.