Author's Note: I have been reading up on the mythology surrounding the Morrigan and incorporated some of it into this chapter. I'm sorry that I have been M.I.A. for a while, but I have been swamped with work and I also wanted to get this right. Anyway, as always I hope you enjoy. I also made this chapter extra long to make up for it.
A Really Bad Idea: Parts 1 and 2
It's been one month since Allison moved to Beacon Hills and one month since the dreams have stopped. She thinks that this must be a good sign seeing as her dark half hasn't been in her dreams lately, but a strawberry blonde has been the star of many of her dreams.
Allison is completely infatuated with Lydia. She finds a new thing about the shorter girl that she likes every day.
Lydia has also started teaching Allison how to engage in combat. Allison always second guesses her defensive attacks, but Lydia reassures her that she is doing just fine. She gives the taller girl a kiss and they continue to train for a few hours. Allison's parents have started to question the bruises on her arms and legs, so she cooked up a lie about she and Lydia taking a kick boxing class twice a week. Her parents just give her an encouraging smile and go about their business.
Lydia has also introduced Allison to her good friend Derek Hale. He seemed mean at first, but after Lydia explained that Allison wasn't in Beacon Hills to harm him he gave a "nice to meet you" in reply before going back into his dilapidated house to hang with the guys.
Everyone has been on high alert ever since the Alpha has been continuing his rampage around town. Lydia has been trying to help Scott and Jackson fight the call of the Alpha. It was difficult at first, but it looks like they can fair on their own if the Alpha ever calls them again.
Allison's aunt Kate has even dropped into town to visit, just in time for her 17th birthday. This brings us to now.
"What do you mean Derek's been shot?" Lydia whispers into her cellphone angrily. She takes the time to untangle herself from Allison's arms and walks toward the open window listening to Scott ramble some more.
"Th-th-this woman she was shooting at the Alpha and Derek got caught in the crossfire. I'm going to assume she's an Argent because Allison's father was there and she called him brother. Derek's not looking too good, he isn't healing and I don't know what to do." Scott finishes sounding helpless.
"Okay, okay. Scott listen to me." She says trying to keep her voice steady. "I want you to drive Derek to the clinic. Call Stiles and Jackson for back up and make sure that Derek does not fall asleep, okay? I'll be there in twenty minutes." She hangs up the phone after Scott agrees to do what she asks of him.
Lydia puts her phone back in her jeans pocket and stares out of Allison's window. She tries to calculate everything in her head and hopes that she can find a solution to help Derek. A pair of arms wrapping around her from behind jars Lydia from her thoughts.
"What's going on?" Allison asks concerned.
Lydia turns around in her arms to look Allison in the eyes. She doesn't want to break her girlfriend's heart so she settles for a little white lie. "Scott and Derek were out tracking the Alpha. Derek was on the wrong end of a set of claws and he isn't healing. I'm going to go figure out what I can do." She says feeling guilty.
There's something that shines behind Allison's brown eyes, but it fades when she looks into Lydia's emerald orbs. "Do you need me to go with you? The buddy system and all that." She says with a sad smile already knowing the answer.
Lydia feels awful for making Allison upset, but she tells herself that it'd protect her from anything else that her family has yet to tell her. She takes her hand and cups one of the darker haired girl's cheeks. "Alli, it'll be okay. I'll be okay. Besides, you need your beauty sleep. You're going to be 17 in a few days and I gotta keep you as young and fresh faced for as long as I can." Lydia finishes jokingly.
She understands that the joke was to get her to smile, so she does. "Fine. Just be careful." She says leaning down to give Lydia a peck on the lips.
"You know I will be." She replies stepping out of Allison's window to stand on the roof of the house.
Allison stares wondering what the shorter girl was doing. Until, she witnesses her girlfriend turning into a crow before flying away from her. As she watches Lydia's new form move further away, she wonders how long she has been able to do that.
She crawls back into bed hoping that Lydia would join her before sunrise. Allison was just about to drift off to sleep when she hears the front door slam shut, she assumes by accident. She gets out of her bed and stands at the ready by her bedroom door. She relaxes when she hears her father's voice.
"You'll be staying in this room over here." His voice echoes down the hallway to the guest room next to Allison's.
"Swanky. Thanks for letting me stay here big brother." A woman's voice replies.
Allison knows that voice.
"Kate." She whispers to herself. She's excited, but apprehensive at her Aunt's arrival. She knows that Kate could just be visiting, but there is an Alpha werewolf on a vengeance kick, "Re-enforcements." She concludes, her stomach churning. She wants to worry and stay up all night trying to keep her family off her friends' trail, but remembers that Lydia would want her to be carefree and sleep through the night like a normal teenager. So, she does.
Storming into the clinic Lydia makes her way to the operating room. "How is he?" She asks going to Derek's side not looking up at the rest of the inhabitants in the room.
"He's not doing very well." Stiles answers from the other side of the table. "There's this black blood coming out of his arm. It's pretty gross." He makes an icky face.
"Lydia." Derek groans out.
"Derek, I'm right here. What do you need?" She asks taking his hand in her own.
"You have to bring me the bullet." He groans out again, but this time his eyes start rolling to the back of his head.
Thinking fast Lydia slaps him a few times.
His eyes are focused on her again. He fixes a half grin on his face.
"Thank you." He says.
"Anytime." She says keeping composure. She wants to cry, she wants to scream, but she knows that none of that will help. So, she stays strong. "You need the bullet in order to heal." She says.
"You are so smart. Laura and my mother would have liked you." Derek says sounding out of it.
Lydia squeezes his hand before getting up.
"I will bring the bullet as soon as I can. I promise." She is about to run out the door when a hand catches her arm.
"You have to get some sleep." Jackson says. "At least for a few hours. I know Derek looks like he is on the brink of death, but he smells like he won't be in critical condition until about sundown today. That should give you plenty of time to sleep, eat and get the bullet." He finishes.
"I can't sleep knowing that he's like this. I have to do something. I'll sleep after I get the bullet to him." She says looking determined on the outside, but wanting to sleep for an eternity on the inside.
"I know that Derek is like an older brother to you, but I don't think he'd want you to have little to no energy just to save him. Besides, you not sleeping equals you useless if anything else happens and we don't need that right now." Jackson says losing patience.
"Fine. I'll get some sleep, but as soon as anything changes you let me know. Until then, I'll sleep eat and get the bullet." She says surrendering. This time she flies out of the clinic with no one stopping her.
Lydia lands right in Allison's room, the sun now peaking up from behind the morning clouds. She takes off her shoes and her jeans; she smirks at the way Allison mumbles and turns in her sleep. Getting into the empty side of the bed, Lydia wraps her arms around Allison before closing her eyes for much needed sleep.
The last thing she hears before entering R.E.M is a mumbled "Lydia." That falls from Allison's lips.
The light from the sun wakes Allison from her sleep. She smiles at the thought of a wonderful dream that she was just having about- She looks to the place next to her and relaxes seeing her counterpart's sleeping form.
Watching Lydia sleep, Allison thinks about how peaceful she looks. She starts to marvel at how special her girlfriend is. Sure, the strawberry blonde is a battle goddess. But to Allison she is her own slice of Nirvana. Her escape from her parents lingering stares, her own little world. There is always something new to learn about the girl and she only hopes that she can provide the same type of mystery for Lydia.
"As much as I love you watching me sleep, I still find it creepy." Lydia grumbles her eyes still closed and her lips pouting.
Allison lets out a hearty laugh and kisses her girlfriend's lips. She would never get tired of kissing Lydia's soft full lips. The taste of the other girl's mouth never seemed to have harsh morning breath only, cool tasteless breath.
"Morning." Allison says after pulling away from the kiss.
"Mm, morning. I hope I didn't wake you coming in earlier." Lydia says turning to face Allison her eyes now open.
"You did and you didn't. I was just happy that you came back." She replies smiling.
"That's good to hear. I'll always come back to you." She whispers the last part tucking a stray strand of Allison's hair behind her ear.
"So, how's Derek?" Allison asks.
"He's-he's not doing too well, Alli. He only has until sundown if I don't find the bullet." She says her eyes tearing up.
"Bullet? I thought the Alpha just scratched him, right? What does he need a bullet for?" Allison asks sitting up.
Lydia knew that this was going to catch up with her soon enough. She decided to just tell it to her straight.
"The Alpha didn't actually scratch Derek. A wolfs bane bullet did." She sits up as well looking crestfallen.
"Whose bullet?" Allison asks putting the dots together.
Lydia just looks down suddenly becoming interested in violet swirls that made up Allison's bed spread.
"Lydia. Tell me." The darker haired girl says getting angry.
"Your aunt. She shot Derek when he was tracking the Alpha. I never meant to lie to you. I just wanted to protect you." Lydia replies looking up from behind her lashes.
Allison sighs. She's hurt that Lydia lied to her, but can see that she was just trying to spare her feelings about her aunt. For the moment she wishes Lydia could take all of the pain away because her heart is racing and her stomach is twisting into knots. The room is suddenly spinning and she wants nothing more than to just wish every bad thing that has happened away, but she knows that even in their world that that can't happen and if it did it'd end very badly.
She closes her eyes and replies. "I will help you. Derek might not be as close to me as he is you, but he is important to you. So, I will help anyway that I can." She finishes her eyes opening and a soft smile adorning her newly awakened features.
Lydia's face lights up. "I have a really bad idea."
A Really Bad Idea: Part 2
Allison was just sitting down to have lunch with her family, when the doorbell rang. Getting up from her place at the dining room table, she tries to keep the smile off of her face when she opens the door to Lydia's freshly dressed form. Lydia smiles at the taller girl for a moment, before a new voice interrupts the silent exchange.
"Allison, we are just about to- oh, hi there." Kate greets Lydia with a big smile. "Who is the gorgeous young woman?" She looks the smaller girl over in an almost predatory fashion.
Needless to say, Allison is embarrassed, but she figures that now is the time to tell her Aunt who Lydia really is to her.
"Sorry. Aunt Kate this is Lydia…my girlfriend. Lydia this is my Aunt Kate." She gestures between them.
Kate looks unfazed when Allison introduces Lydia as her girlfriend. Allison is even more surprised when Kate's features change into a big grin. "Well then. How about Lydia joins us for lunch." It wasn't a question.
Lydia's stomach feels consumed with butterflies. "I don't want to impose."
"Honey, don't worry about it. I'm sure Chris and Victoria won't mind, especially since you are Allison's girlfriend." Kate walks back into the house already knowing that the two teenagers are right behind her.
"I have noticed that you have been spending a lot of time with Allison. Is there anything that Chris and I need to know?" Victoria looks at Lydia from across the table accusingly.
The young redhead doesn't answer. She swallows the lump in her throat and tries to think of something to say. "Well you see Allison and I are together." She fiddles with her bracelet when she answers.
The table is quiet.
Allison looks at her parents expectantly.
Kate starts to giggle.
Chris is beaming and Victoria drops her fork.
The silence becomes pregnant and Lydia thinks she didn't say the right thing. Then, Kate starts to laugh, followed by Allison and Chris. Victoria tries to keep her face blank, but crumbles into laughter like her family. Lydia plays along and laughs nervously.
"You should… have seen… your face!" Allison says in between laughs.
"Is there a joke that I'm not getting here?" Lydia says wanting to know.
"Sorry Lydia, but we figured out your relationship with Allison a while ago." Victoria says catching her breath from all of the laughter.
"I see. So, you were just giving me a hard time." Lydia says laughing.
"It was just too good of moment to not pass up." Victoria replies.
The rest of lunch went great. The Argents accepted Lydia with no problem. When they started clearing the table, Lydia excused herself to the bathroom.
She padded upstairs past the bathroom and Allison's room, into the guest bedroom where Kate was staying. Surveying the room, she found a big duffel bag and wondered how someone just leaves something like that out in the open. Lydia grabs the bag and unzips the middle, finding a box written in French she opens it and notices that in the array of bullets one is missing. She grabs a bullet and stuffs it in her skirt pocket before zipping the bag and leaving it exactly how she found it.
She takes the stairs two at a time. When she reaches the foyer she is stopped by Allison.
"Hey speed racer, where are you going?" The taller girl walks to Lydia, only to stop a foot away from her.
"I'm sorry, Jackson just called me and there's an emergency.." She feigns looking upset and mouths "I got it."
Allison smiles at her and gives her chaste kiss on the lips. "That's my girl." She mouths back smiling.
"Okay, drive safely and I'll see you tomorrow." She says guiding Lydia out the door.
"Not so fast!" Kate charges into the foyer looking upset.
The two girls stop and close the door.
"Is something wrong?" Allison asks ever so sweetly.
"I hope not. Lydia what's in your skirt pocket?" Kate asks accusingly.
"Excuse me. I don't know what you are talking about." Lydia bites back.
"Don't play dumb with me just hand it over and you can go!" Kate's voice raises a few octaves.
"What's wrong?" Chris walks in looking concerned.
"I went back into my room and found my bag slightly open. The only person that's been in that general direction was Lydia when she went to the bathroom." The older woman finishes sounding frustrated.
"I don't think Lydia would steal from you. Would you Lydia?" Chris looks at the younger girl.
"No I wouldn't. I'm not a thief. She can check me if she wants to, but she won't find anything." Lydia crosses her arms her face looking bored.
"I know you have it. Just give it back!" Kate says again.
"Okay, okay. I can't let this go on any longer. I'm sorry, Kate, but I just- we wanted to try something different and I needed this." Allison pipes up holding a condom wrapper in her hand.
Chris's face blanches and he stalks away towards the kitchen.
Kate stares agape before saying, "I'm very sorry for wrongly accusing you, Lydia."
"It happens." She purses her lips, while silently thanking her girlfriend for saving her ass.
Allison kisses her goodbye again and she leaves the Argent's house to drive to the clinic.
Lydia rushes into the clinic- noting the sun setting behind the mountains- just in time to see Derek trying to shut his eyes. She runs to Derek's pale limp body on the operating table and slaps his face a few times.
"No you don't! I got it! I got the bullet Derek so wake up!"
Derek sits up and gives her a lazy smile. He takes the bullet from her and breaks it open to sprinkle the dust in his hand.
"Lighter!" he says with his palm out. Stiles produces a lighter from almost nowhere and Derek sets the wolfs bane aflame before pressing it in to his wound. He flies back at the sudden rush of pain and convulses as the dust acts as a cure healing his wound.
"It's healing." Scott says getting up from his place in the corner of the room.
"Yup, the wolfs bane is acting as a serum to cure the infection it started. Sort of like the vaccine to a rattle snake bite." Lydia says watching Derek's body turn from pale white back to its fair color.
"Thank you." Derek says looking up at Lydia.
"No problem, big guy." She says giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"Thanks for not letting him die." Stiles says waltzing up to her looking grateful.
"Yeah Lydia, you did great!" Scott smiles at her before giving her a one arm hug.
"It was no big deal guys. He would've done the same thing for me." She says blushing at all of the attention.
Lydia gives Derek one last hug before leaving the guys to go home and do some last minute chemistry homework. She looks up at the starry sky and unlocks her car when she sees Jackson approaching her.
"Hey wait." He says lightly jogging over to her. "You did great in there." He says with an impressed smirk on his face.
"Well, this guy gave me some great advice about sleeping. It turns out that R.E.M. does wonders for the brain." She says laughing.
"Smart guy." He says with a smug smile.
"Oh, shut up." She says swatting him playfully. "Seriously, thanks for making me get some sleep. I don't think the plan would have worked if I was running on 30 minutes of sleep." She finishes giving him a hug.
"Hey, I was just thinking in my best friend's interest at heart." He says.
"Goodnight, Jackson." She says pulling away to open her door.
"Goodnight. Text me later." He says before walking back into the clinic.
Turning on the light and flopping back on to her bed, Lydia revels in the events of the day. She was happy everything worked out for the best, but that means that it's coming down to the wire. They are going to fight the Alpha soon enough to end this non-sense.
She knows that Allison and the guys are more than capable to hold their own, but it doesn't stop her from hoping that when the day comes that everyone comes out of the battle alive.
She gets up from her bed to sit at her desk when she notices them.
Red eyes are staring back at her from the tree line.
She should be terrified. Instead she walks over to her window, opens it up and says, "I'm not afraid of you." She closes the window after the eyes disappear and closes her curtains.
With a smile on her face she digs out her chemistry book and finishes the rest of her homework and early reading before retiring to bed for the night.
Lydia is sitting on the grass with Allison in her arms watching the clouds pass by up above, when she sees the one person that grates on her nerves.
Walking up the hill is non- other than herself.
"Oh come on! I thought you were gone forever." She says noticing that Allison has disappeared and looks up into her doppelgangers eyes.