It's completely dark now. Lydia becomes painfully aware of this as she treks through the forest, dodging trees, trying to watch where she steps. The only light comes from the moon above, and even that isn't a comfort to her. Not now, not after everything she's learned. If nothing else, the sight of the moon brings more terror into her mind. She knows what lurks in the moonlight, and she wishes more than anything that she didn't.
Her fear propels her forward. She stomps through the forest, breathless, her head turning every which way, wondering if she really heard a twig snap nearby or if it was just her imagination. Maybe it was an animal. She can't be sure anymore. She doesn't want to think about it. Keep going, she tells herself. Keep moving, Lydia. Do what Derek said.
But she doesn't know where she's going. Even in the light of day, Lydia doesn't like to wander around the woods. She doesn't know her way around it as well as some of the other residents of Beacon Hills seem to. Trying to travel the area at night is almost impossible for her. She remembers when she was pulled from her hospital room, how she'd spent hours in the forest, wandering, lost. It'd been getting so cold then too. At least it isn't so cold now. At least she isn't naked.
Lydia stops running, allowing herself to catch her breath. She feels as though she's been running for hours without making any progress. How long has she really been out here? And where is Derek? What was so important that he had to leave her alone, after telling her that she would not be leaving his sight?
"Jerk," she mutters under her breath. She should probably give him the benefit of the doubt. If it wasn't something incredibly pressing, he probably wouldn't have taken off the way he did. At least, she hopes he wouldn't. That would make him unreliable, and the last thing Lydia needs in her life right now is unreliability. She gets enough of that from her so-called friends.
Leaning up against a nearby tree, Lydia pushes some copper hair from her face. She realizes in that moment just how tired she really is. The day – her birthday – has been long, hard, and stressful. She's learned more than she could possibly wish to know in the matter of a short few hours. What she wants is to go home and sink onto her mattress and sleep for days. But it's Wednesday, and she knows that regardless of what's happened, she'll be expected to go to school tomorrow.
She's trying to think of other things while her breath regulates when she hears it: the rustling of leaves nearby. It can't be more than a few feet away, and it's much too loud and forceful to be the wind. Immediately, all of her senses are heightened. She's on high alert now. Lydia can feel every movement her body makes, can feel the urge to start running and never look back. But she wonders if that would be a bad decision. Whatever made that sound… There's no guaranteeing that it knows she's there. Or that it's even a threat.
Lydia peers into the darkness, her breathing uneven, her heart pounding in her chest. Although she hates to feel dependent on anyone, she wishes in that moment that Derek hadn't left her. At least with him nearby, she doesn't feel so defenseless. She may be immune, but she isn't immortal, and she certainly isn't in any position to fight back if the situation calls for it.
She's ready to pass it off as a deer – she needs to pass it off as something innocent and harmless – when she sees them. There, in the distance, is a pair of bright red eyes. Her breathing becomes heavier as the terror rises in her throat, threatening to spill out. No. Not here. Not now.
She turns to run in the opposite, but there he is. He leers at her, a smirk on his face. "Don't tell me you're afraid," Peter murmurs. "I thought we were old friends, Lydia." Lydia turns her head in the direction of the eyes, but they're gone. When she turns back to look at Peter, she's met with nothing. He isn't there anymore. Is this some sort of hallucination? Lydia takes a few steps back, stumbling in the darkness. If he's here, she should run. She knows she should run. Derek told her to keep running.
Something touches her ankle and the scream she's been holding in for the past few moments finally erupts from her throat, shrill and bloodcurdling. Without another moment's hesitation, she's running again. She doesn't know where she's going, or if anything's following her, but she can't think about it now. She can't think about anything but home. She needs to be there. She needs to be there right now, tucked safely into her warm bed.
Her foot catches on something and she falls forward, hard and fast. She lets out a shriek as she falls, groaning in pain as her head makes contact with something hard. It feels as though the world is spinning. Lydia struggles to push herself onto her back. The world gives an unexpected tilt and she closes her eyes tightly to keep from getting dizzy. But when she opens them, she's met with something she isn't expecting to see. A pair of red eyes linger over her. Lydia lets out one last scream before the world closes in on her, darkness descending upon her.
Everything is hazy. Lydia doesn't know when she woke up; she doesn't even remember waking up. All she knows is that she's awake, that she's aware, and that her surroundings are… lacking. She turns every which way, but she sees nothing. No furniture, no roof, no ground. "Am I dead?" she murmurs, surprised that her voice works. If this is death, then it isn't so bad. At least her head isn't pounding anymore. At least the world has stopped spinning like a top.
"You're not dead."
Lydia jumps. Where did that voice come from? She turns, peering through the haze. Finally, she finds him. He's walking leisurely towards her, a little smirk on his face. It's something she hasn't seen from him before, but it's a nice change to the constant brooding.
"No thanks to you," she snaps, and it's as though nothing's happened, as though nothing's changed. She's still her usual, sassy self.
"Come on, Lydia." Derek lets out a low chuckle as he stops before her. "You don't need my protection. You're plenty capable of taking care of yourself. You just have to believe it."
Lydia looks up at him, trying to decide if his words are genuine or if he's just mocking her. But nothing in his expression gives away his intentions. Figures. She decides to take his words at face value, even if she doesn't necessarily think it's true. "Where the hell did you go?"
Derek shrugs. "I had some business to take care of." Lydia knows better than to expect any further explanation than that.
"Well, you could have said so, instead of just leaving me high and dry." Lydia crosses her arms, pouting a little bit. Because pouting generally gets her exactly what she wants, and right now, she wants an apology from Derek Hale. "I hit my head because of you."
"You're the one who tripped," Derek counters, raising an eyebrow. This only serves to infuriate Lydia, and he laughs. "Fine, you're right. I frightened you. Shouldn't have done that. What do you want me to do, kiss it and make it feel better?"
This sparks a little idea in Lydia's head and a mischievous smirk tugs at the corner of her lips. "Actually…" Lydia's feeling unusually bold at the moment, and she decides to monopolize on that while she has the chance. She closes off the space between them and presses her lips to his. It's a gentle kiss, allowing him a chance to back away if he feels the need. But he doesn't, and she's grateful.
Derek takes the lead much sooner than Lydia would have expected. He's kissing her more insistently, hungrily. One hand tangles in her hair, the other pressing upon the small of her back to bring her closer to him. She nips his lower lip, vaguely aware of the electric waves pulsating through her skin at his very touch.
He tears his lips from hers, planting heated kisses across her jaw, down her neck, across her collarbone. Lydia's head falls back slightly as she closes her eyes. "Derek…" His name comes out as a sigh. Slowly, she opens her eyes again, but when she does, she's bewildered to find that Derek isn't there anymore. Nobody is there. She's all alone, and yet she can still feel the patches of warmth on her skin where his lips once were.
Lydia is still trying to figure out what the hell is going on when everything starts to blur and the darkness descends once more.
Sunlight streams through the blinds. Lydia can see it through her eyelids. Already, it makes her head hurt. "So bright," she murmurs, her voice hoarse. She doesn't know where she is, or who is with her. Someone is with her, though. Whoever it is quickly closes the shades on the window, leaving them in relative darkness. If her head wasn't aching so much, Lydia knows she would be more fearful. At the moment, though, she is only resigned. She's so exhausted.
With some effort, she opens her eyes. She's surprised by what she sees. She's in her bedroom – in her bed – the covers tucked around her. Lydia surveys her surroundings slowly. Her bedroom, in her house… So is her mother with her? It doesn't take long for her to see him standing a few feet away. "Derek?" her voice is incredulous, confused even. She moves to sit up, but there's a sharp stab of pain in her temple and she winces.
"Don't." Derek takes a few steps forward, his hand raised, signaling her to stay put. "You took a bit of a fall last night." He focuses on the wound on her head. It looks better than it did a few hours ago. She didn't move much in her sleep, so he'd been able to clean it fairly easily.
"Derek." Her voice is quiet as she beckons him forward. He obliges, and as soon as he's within range, Lydia raises her hand and aims a nice slap at his face. Unfortunately, he's much faster. His fingers catch her wrist, curling around them automatically. "You abandoned me, you asshole!" She's not feeling the greatest, and the sudden movement has done a number on her equilibrium, but her voice is surprisingly fierce. She hopes he knows how angry she is with him for leaving her alone.
"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't have a reason," he mutters in response, letting go of her wrist. Just to be safe, though, he takes a step back. "How's your head? I wouldn't be surprised if you have a concussion."
Lydia's eyes widen in indignation and she tilts her head slightly – a terrible idea, as the sudden dizziness reminds her. "Are you an imbecile? You never let someone with a concussion fall asleep! They could fall into a coma. They could die."
Derek is unfazed by this show of theatrics. "I knew you weren't dead," he responds, shaking his head slightly. "You were muttering in your sleep."
Lydia's expression is suddenly full of surprise and concern. "What was I muttering?" She tries to keep her tone light and curious, but she knows that it fails.
"I don't know," Derek answers, shrugging. "I couldn't make out a word of it. I only know you were talking."
"Oh." Lydia tries not to look relieved, but she fails at that too. "Well. You're very lucky, then. If I'd died, you would have been screwed."
"Lydia?" The two of them freeze as her mother's voice drifts through the air. "Lydia? You're going to be late for school."
Lydia's eyes widen as her mother's footsteps draw closer. Hastily, she gestures towards the closet door, directing Derek to disappear in hurried whispers. He's just barely closed the door when her mother pops her head in the doorway. "Lydia, what…?"
"Hi, Mom. I'm actually… not feeling the greatest today. I have a splitting headache. Um… Would you mind if I stayed home?" It isn't often that Lydia asks to stay home from school. Usually her mother doesn't ask too many questions, but there must be something in Lydia's expression that makes her pause.
"Is everything alright, sweetheart?" Her mother watches her carefully, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine," Lydia reassures her quickly. "I just fell out of bed last night and hit my head on the nightstand. I think I might have a bit of a lump."
"Oh, honey. Let me see." Before Lydia can protest, her mother swoops over to her bed, taking a look at her head. "Lydia! You said this is from your nightstand? How hard did you fall?"
Lydia shakes her head, immediately regretting it. "I'm fine, Mom. I was just having a nightmare and I guess I kicked myself right out of bed. I'll be fine. I just need to rest."
Her mother doesn't look as though she's fully appeased by this explanation, but she nods. "Alright, Lydia. I'll call and let the office know you won't be in today. If you need anything at all today, you know my number." She looks as though she might offer to stay home. Lydia can practically see the idea moving through her mind. Thankfully, she doesn't.
"Thanks, Mom." Lydia forces a smile and watches as her mother leaves the room. It isn't until her footsteps completely fade that Derek reemerges from her closet. "So is this how it's going to be? Me lying to my parents while you hide in my closet?"
"If that's what it takes to keep people safe, then yeah." There's an edge to his voice. He isn't overly fond of her attitude. He saved her life, after all.
"What were you doing last night that was so important?" she demands, slowly raising herself into a sitting position. Lydia struggles with it a bit, and finally Derek gives in and helps her sit up the rest of the way.
"Something was going on in town." Lydia gives him a look that could quite possibly kill, and he grits his teeth. "One of the kids you go to school with was causing some trouble at the police station. Matt something or other."
"Matt?" Her eyebrows knit together as she tries to place the name. "Matt… That creepy photographer who's obsessed with Allison?"
"I guess." Derek doesn't know who's obsessed with whom. He doesn't care. "He was…" He looks up at her, deciding it's best to keep things honest. Everyone else in her friend group knows what's happening; she might as well too. "He was the master of the Kanima. He got away. Not sure where he went."
"That seems like a bigger deal than you're making it out to be," Lydia observes, raising an eyebrow at him.
"It's none of your concern either way," Derek responds quickly. Lydia just rolls her eyes.
"Look, I've been through hell and back lately. I've been possessed or manipulated or whatever by some crazed werewolf, I've got my own watchdog, and there's a crazy lizard creature going around killing people. I think I have every right to make this my concern now." She notices Derek starting to protest and holds a hand up. "Don't bother. I'm involved now, whether you like it or not. And don't even think about trying to shield me from all of this crap. If I don't find out from you, I'll find out from someone else. But mark my words, Derek Hale, I will find out."
Her eyes are fierce as she watches him, gauging his reaction. He isn't pleased, but he doesn't make any further attempts to argue. "Fine," he mutters, and she can tell that it takes him a lot of effort to bring himself to do it. "If you're going to insist on being included, then I need you to do something."
"What do I need to do?" Lydia is eager, perhaps a little too eager, but it's been so long since she's felt useful.
"Figure out what the hell Allison Argent is up to."
A/N: As usual, thank you for the awesome reviews. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this so far!
I really wanted to incorporate the events from the latest episode for future plot devices, so everything that happened in "Fury" has happened as far as the timeline of this fanfiction is concerned.