"Happy Halloween!" Cora heard before feeling a heavy weight fall on top of her.
Cora opened her bleary eyes to see Erica. She blinked a little more and when her vision cleared she saw that her best friend was wearing a red and black Jester costume.
"What the hell are you wearing?" Cora asked, her voice heavy with sleep.
"I'm Harley Quinn!" Erica said, standing up so Cora could see the whole outfit. She was wearing a tight, full body costume of alternating red and black colors.
"You're going to Scott's party tonight?" Cora asked.
"Of course I am. Boyd's coming too."
Boyd walked in at that moment, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"I heard my name."
"We were just talking about the party." Erica answered.
"What are you gonna go as Boyd?" Cora asked, getting up from the couch and stretching.
"Cyborg. From the Teen Titans."
Cora looked at her bulky friend and nodded. Boyd went back to the bathroom but Erica followed Cora to their tiny, psuedo-kitchen, watching her make her breakfast.
"So, where were you last night? I tried to ask Boyd but apparently he kept his mouth shut."
"Cause Boyd's a good friend." Cora answered, taking out the milk and sniffing it.
"Come on, I know where you were. I'm a werewolf too, remember. And I can smell her on you."
Cora snorted. "Smell who?"
"Don't play dumb. You're not good at it. You smell like the inside of Santa's asshole."
"Lovely image." Cora replied, eating a mouthful of cereal. Erica took a few steps closer and leaned into Cora's left side, inhaling deeply.
"You reek of peppermint. And Lydia loves peppermint. Which would lead one to the conclusion that you two-"
"It's none of your business." Cora intteruped. "And you seemed to love the idea of the two of us when you thought it was fake."
"Yeah, you right. Because it was fake." Erica argued. "I just think you're getting too deep too quickly. And I know you, you fall hard, Cora."
"It's none of your business." Cora snapped, the bowl of cereal forgotten in her cold hands.
"It was my business when I found you in the woods two years ago. It was my business when I had to drag you to Deaton because you wouldn't let your wounds heal. It was my business after Caitlin left, wasn't it?"
Cora didn't say anything and Erica took a deep breath, trying to find something appropriate to say.
"I'm sorry-" she began but Cora interrupted.
"That was different. I was with Caitlin for nearly a year."
Erica nodded. "I don't think it was the length of time. I've never seen you look at anybody the way you look at Lydia."
"What's so bad about that?" Cora asked quietly.
"The fact that she's leaving after the wedding! The fact that to her this is just a fling. We both know her and we know she uses people and tosses them away like fucking wet-naps. This is gonna be the same. After the wedding, when she's done convincing her mom, she'll toss you too."
"You don't know that, you can't."
Erica looked at her and sighed. "You're right, I don't. But you need to find out. Soon. Because if you don't Cora, it's gonna kill you. And I don't want to find you running around like a lunatic after she's gone. You think it was hard on you? Well, trust me when I say, no one likes wiping up the blood of their best friend."
"Is that your costume?" Danielle asked when Cora walked into the bar. It was closed and would be for a few more hours.
Cora looked down at her her plain black hoodie and her ripped jeans and shook her head. She nodded towards Danielle.
"Is that your costume?"
Danielle nodded and twirled around, her black and white coat swishing around her like a dress.
"Guess who I am."
"Will I get a raise if I'm right?" Cora asked, setting her backpack done on a table.
"No, but you won't get fired if you're wrong."
"You're Cruella Deville?"
Danielle nodded excitedly. "How did you know?"
"The dotted coat. And your wig, even though it's kinda slipping."
Danielle clicked her tongue against her teeth, frustrated. She adjusted the wig again, fixing the pins in their proper places.
"I got the damn thing on sale. Listen, I need you to finish inventory and then you can go home."
Cora grinned. "I don't have to work tonight?"
"No, Pete wanted the shift. I mean if you want, you can tend and he'll be the bar-back but I figured you'd have better things to do on Halloween."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Cora told her.
"The rest of the boxes are outside. Just bring them in, finish stocking, and the night's yours."
Cora nodded and watched as Danielle walked away, her long coat swishing behind her. She looked out the window and with a certain note of delight noticed the grayness of the sky. It was perfect Halloween weather.
Cora walked down the long hall to the back where the boxes were delivered and began bringing them up to the front. She worked quickly and half an hour later she was nearly finished. As she was taking inventory, she heard the door open and turned around.
Lydia walked in, wearing Cora's familiar leather jacket, and a light blue sweater underneath it. She didn't say anything until she was leaning over the bar and nearly piercing Cora with her hazel eyes.
"Hi." Cora finally choked out.
"You sort of left in a rush last night. I didn't get a chance to ask if you're coming to the party."
Cora shrugged. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" Lydia drawled out, coming around the bar to where Cora was standing stock still. Her neatly manicured hands trailed a pattern onto the bar and then she reached up and pulled the drawstrings of her hoodie.
"I think you should come."
"Oh yeah, why's that?" Cora asked, uncomfortably aware of the distance between their bodies, or to be more precise, the lack of distance between their bodies.
"Because I think you'll love my costume." Lydia said. "And I especially think you'll love me out of it."
Lydia leaned up and tried to plant a kiss on Cora but Cora leaned back, avoiding her. The redhead narrowed her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Cora replied, thankful she didn't stutter.
Lydia took a step back and looked Cora up and down. Cora felt entirely too vulnerable under the smaller girl's gaze.
"Yes, there's something clearly wrong. We were fine last night. What changed?"
"Nothing, alright?" Cora snapped. "I'm just busy."
"Busy? Sweetheart, I'm not even a werewolf and I can still tell when you're lying."
"No you can't."
"Yes I can. You shift your weight onto your right foot whenever you lie."
Cora looked down at her right leg and quickly straightened her back.
"So, why are you acting all weird?"
"Nothing, it's stupid."
Lydia raised her eyebrow, still waiting for an explanation. Cora sighed, setting the clipboard down.
"It's just...I don't want to take this-" She motioned to the space between them. "Somewhere you don't want it to go."
Lydia tried to answer but couldn't grasp the question.
"Okay, I know I go to MIT but that was difficult to understand, even for me."
"Exactly, you go to MIT and after the wedding you'll be leaving again. This thing happening between us is just a fling and I don't want that. I'm not good with handling the temporary."
"The point?" Lydia repeated. harshly "The point is us. Inside the lion's mouth. You think I would've kissed you if it didn't mean anything?"
"This was all about convenience, Lydia. Pretty soon, you'll go back and there will be far better people than me, smarter, richer ones. And that's fine, as long as we stop here, as long as we don't keep pretending there's an us. I don't want to be thrown away."
Cora's head turned towards the ground, looking at her scuffed sneakers. Lydia's gaze was soft and she cupped Cora's face, forcing their eyes to meet.
"You're not trash, Cora Hale. Yeah, you're right, this started off as something fake but I thought about the kiss last night for hours. Even when I was with Jackson or Aiden, I didn't feel half of what I felt with that small kiss. Yeah, sure there are people smarter and richer than you out there. But I don't want any of them. Besides, you have one thing they don't have."
"What's that?" Cora asked. Lydia leaned up, placing a gentle kiss on Cora's lips. She smelled like peppermint.
"You have me."
Cora grinned. "You're such a narcissist."
"You didn't let me finish." Lydia said, looping her hands around Cora's neck.
"You have me. And I have you. And what we have right now feels pretty fucking real."
Cora took a deep breath and the smile she had could've blinded the entire room. It was the first time Lydia had ever seen something as close to pure joy as the smile Cora had.
"So are you coming to the party?"
"Probably. I need a costume though."
"Well, text me once you're done with work."
This time when Lydia leaned up for a kiss, Cora did not lean back. She kissed her full on the mouth and could taste her lip gloss and feel her smile.
Erica was putting on thick white makeup all over her face when Cora appeared behind her, a triumphant smile on her face.
"I talked to her." she said and Erica kept on applying the make-up.
"And what did she say?"
"She said the opposite of what you said she would say. She said it's real."
Erica turned her half-make-upped head to look at Cora and was surprised to see the look on her face. She began to laugh and the grin dropped.
"What's so funny? You don't believe me?"
"No I believe you, that stupid look on your face pretty much confirmed it."
"What stupid look?"
Erica mimicked the look, still shaking with laughter.
"That was not my face!"
"It so was. You looked like you just found god or something. You looked like a human version of Dopey. Anyway, I'm really happy for you, now leave me alone."
"Oh, no, I'm not leaving you alone till you say you were wrong."
"The only way I'll ever say I'm wrong is if after the wedding, Lydia still agrees to date your dopey ass."
Cora was silent, trying to push the wedding date farther back into her memory. Boyd appeared, wearing a thick white tube around his torso, painted to look robotic.
"What's going on?" he asked, looking at himself over Erica's head.
"Lydia and Cora are dating." Erica answered.
Boyd looked at Erica with a strange expression.
"Yeah, that's not news. I mean, she couldn't stop talking about you since the party."
"The surprise party?" Cora asked.
"Yeah, Lydia and I were talking after I gave her the book and she sounded like an annoyed wife. She kept complimenting you and then calling you insulting you. It was adorable."
Cora grinned at Erica who only rolled her eyes.
"See, told you so."
"Save it tell after the wedding Hale." Erica replied before finishing up her make-up.
Lydia opened the door to be greeted with Natalie wearing sweatpants and holding a bowl of candy.
"Oh Cora. I thought you were a trick-or-treater."
Cora looked around.
"I don't think so, Ms. Martin. The streets look kinda dead right now."
Natalie shrugged and waved Cora inside.
"Well, you want a piece candy anyway?"
Cora nodded and fished out a tiny chocolate from the bowl.
"Lydia should be down any second." Natalie responded, returning to her place on the couch.
"What are you supposed to be?" Natalie asked, glancing at Cora.
"Oh, um... I'm a baseball player I guess."
She was wearing one of Derek's old Giants t-shirts, a pair of slim sweatpants that clung to her legs, black Nikes, and a backwards baseball cap.
"Ah, the Giants. I know nothing about them."
Cora laughed. "Same here. It was all I could think of last minute."
Cora heard the door open upstairs and the sound of heels clicking on the hard-wood floors. She looked up and all the breath in her lungs flew away.
Lydia was wearing a slinky red dress with a slit up to her thigh. There was little makeup on her face and her freckles were visible and prominent. Her golden earrings and purple gloves completed the outfit. Her hair, which was usually tied up or in a braid, ran loose and free down her back.
Even Natalie looked taken aback but she could speak.
"You look beautiful sweetheart."
Lydia smiled at her mother and turned her head towards Cora whose mouth had gone very dry.
"Well?"
"Stunning." Cora finally choked out. Lydia smiled and then Cora grinned.
"I mean, its stunning you haven't tripped and twisted your ankle. Jesus Christ, Lydia, how high are your heels?"
Lydia rolled her eyes and held her arm out for Cora. She looped it around her own arm and the two walked out the door.
"So Erica let you borrow her car?"
"Well, yeah. Derek was gonna pick her and Boyd up so she thought this would be easier."
"It's freezing." Lydia said, on the way to tiny blue car parked in the driveway.
Cora opened the passenger door and handed Lydia the black hoodie she was wearing earlier.
"I've known you long enough to know that an extra jacket is always necessary."
Lydia smiled to herself but when Cora looked back all she did was put the jacket on over her dress.
When Cora was seated in the driver's seat, she looked over at Lydia, bathed in the starlight. Her hair was silky and the curve of her neck seemed to invite her in.
Cora took a deep breath and leaned over; giving her a fierce and searing kiss. Her hands trailed down and around Lydia's neck and she fisted them through her hair. Lydia moaned into the kiss, leaning her head back, and Cora began to work her way down Lydia's neck.
"We need to go to the party." she finally uttered out. Cora gave Lydia one final peck along her collar bone before sitting up.
"I'm sorry, it's just that, I can't believe this..."
She gestured at the space between them.
"I just never thought it would happen. That I could kiss you for real. It's like a dream."
"Well, you're not so bad yourself. However, your terrible at dressing up for Halloween."
"It was last minute. My other idea was to go as a werewolf but Derek did that last year."
"You Hales have a weird sense of humor. Now let's go. Kira's waiting for us."
"I'm supposed to be Batgirl!" Kira argued even while Lydia was busy laughing.
"That's what I said!" Lydia replied, trying to fight back her laughter.
"No, you said that my costume looked like-"
"Like someone had squeezed you into a black condom?" Cora answered.
"Exactly. Thank you Cora."
Lydia rolled her eyes before paying attention to road. They were driving on the road by the woods and Lydia felt a tingling sensation in her throat, it was the urge to scream. Her fists tightened inside her gloves.
"Why are you taking this route?" Lydia asked.
"What are you talking about?" Cora asked. "You said they live on Chester."
"Yeah they do. You're taking the long way."
Cora shrugged. "I don't know, it made more sense I guess. I usually take this route when I run. There's almost no traffic."
It was about five minutes later when a loud screech pierced the silence but it wasn't coming from Lydia. Cora hit the breaks hard and turned to look at Lydia.
"What the hell was that?" Kira asked, slowly.
Cora glanced back at Kira who had gone white as a sheet.
"Allison said something about there being leftovers from the Nemeton."
"I thought Deaton and Stiles closed it up."
"Yeah, it's probably nothing." Lydia said slowly. The knot in her throat kept bothering her and another scream could be heard.
Cora tapped her hands on the steering wheel a few times before unbuckling her belt.
"I'll be right back."
She made a move to get out of the car but Lydia's familiar hand on her wrist stopped her.
"You're not going out there." Lydia said.
"Not alone, at least." Kira replied, fishing out the Katana she had taken to carrying around.
"Yes, I am. It's probably nothing."
Lydia tugged Cora back.
"If it's nothing why do you look so scared?" she whispered. She then cleared her throat and said, "If you're going in the lion's mouth, I'm gonna be right there with you."
Cora tried to say something but Lydia squeezed her wrist and all she could do was nod.
The woods were eerily quiet and Cora could hear the leaves crunching under their shoes. Lydia was barefoot, abandoning her high heels in Erica's car.
"I called Scott. He's on his way. Allison went to the hospital to make sure there wasn't any patients that looked out-of-the-ordinary."
"This is Beacon Hills. Everything is out-of-the-ordinary."
Kira looked up from her phone. "Stiles is talking to Deaton. They're looking back at the records to see what sort of things popped up but so far, nothing that could produce the screeching we heard.."
Cora was walking ahead of the two slowly. Her eyes had turned beta gold but her claws and fangs were still contained. She turned back to check on them only to find Lydia checking her out.
Cora smirked and Lydia wiggled her eyebrows.
"Um...guys, we may be in a possibly life-threatening situation here." Kira pointed out, snapping them out of it.
Cora shook her head as if to clear it and continued walking towards the Nemeton. As they got closer, she could feel her wolf form becoming more powerful. Her claws were coming out.
She turned around to see Kira's eyes glowing as well. It was only Lydia who looked unprepared.
Cora was just about to ask Lydia if she was alright when something heavy collided into her left side and sent her sprawling. She hit the base of a tree and grimaced as the pain erupted in her back.
Kira took a few steps back, shielding Lydia. The creature in front of them was tall, with dark red skin, black, empty eyes, sharp rows of teeth, and long, sharp fingers.
"What is that?" Kira asked but Lydia was looking towards Cora who had already gotten up. A jolt that felt entirely inappropriate for the situation ran through her body when Lydia saw Cora.
Her eyes were glowing gold, her hair (free from the cap) was trailing behind her, and her fangs were bared. She leaped towards the monster and sent the both of them tumbling.
"Stay here." Kira said, running to help Cora.
The monster had wrapped its long, crooked fingers around Cora's throat, lifting her high off the ground and choking her. Cora tried to free herself from the monster's grip but the hold was too strong. The monster threw her again and this time she hit the tree from her side and crumbled to the ground.
Kira sliced the monster's back and a thick black liquid oozed out of the whole. The monster let out a roar of pain and Kira took a few steps back as it lunged towards her.
The monster this time began sprinting towards her and Kira dove out of the way. Lydia's eyes widened in fear as she saw the creature running towards her and she began to run away. The creature was too fast, its long legs quickly catching up to her. By this time, Cora had regained consciousness and she let out a roar of rage as the creature overtook Lydia.
She sprinted towards the both of them and a roar ripped through her louder than she had ever uttered. She attacked the creature and tore into him with her fangs, cutting and punching and screaming, seeing nothing but red skin and black blood.
It was after a few minutes when she felt a warm hand on her wrist that she finally stopped moving but her breath was heavy and panting.
"Cora, it's dead." Lydia called softly. Cora's shoulders relaxed and she stood up looking over at Lydia who nodded.
"Thanks for the help." she told Kira who was trying to clean off her sword.
"Just like old times, huh?"
"Is it weird I miss it sometimes?" Cora said and Kira laughed. In the process, she missed the scathing look from Lydia.
They heard the sounds of rushing footsteps and into the clearing Scott and Derek appeared, in wolf form. They ran towards them but Scott stopped short when he saw the body.
"You're a bit late guys." Cora said. Derek and Scott approached the body cautiously.
"What the hell is that?" Derek asked.
"No idea. But whatever it is, it's dead." she answered her brother.
"Let everyone else know not to come." Scott told Derek. He quickly pulled out his phone and got to work with calling the others.
"Happy fucking Halloween." Lydia said, not taking her eyes off the creature.
Cora turned on the lights to her apartment and took a deep breath.
"I'll just be a couple of minutes. Don't want to go to the party smelling like wolf and dirt." she told Lydia, grinning at her.
Lydia only nodded, pursing her lips. Cora took off the baseball jersey and she heard Lydia gasp.
"What?" she asked, turning around. Lydia jutted her head towards Cora's right side and Cora saw a series of four nasty cuts forming a zigzag pattern on her skin.
"Oh yeah, wounds from creatures of the Nemeton usually take a bit longer to heal. No worries, once I'm out of the shower they'll be all gone."
But when Cora looked up from her wounds, she found Lydia pale and with her eyes closed. Cora took a few steps toward her girlfriend.
"What's wrong?" Cora asked and her eyes flitted down to Lydia's hands. She noticed they were shaking.
"Hey..." Cora whispered softly, taking a step forward and holding both her hands in her own.
"I just thought it was all over." Lydia said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
"I don't-I don't want it to happen. I don't want to see my friends hurt. I don't want to see this, I just thought we wouldn't have to-you wouldn't have to-"
She began crying and Cora hugged her, cradling her head and feeling the tears hit her bare shoulder. She could feel the smaller girl shaking, her chest heaving between sobs.
"Listen, it's not ideal, I know." Cora finally said, cupping Lydia's cheeks and wiping the tears away with the pads of her thumb.
"But I'm fine. A little scratched up but fine. Look, Lydia, werewolves get hurt and so do banshees. And guess what, so do regular people. Hell, sometimes there's worse demons in our own minds then there are out in the Nemeton. The point is we all get hurt. We all have scars. But scars heal and in the end, we'll both be okay again. Tonight, we were just..."
"In the wrong place at the wrong time?"
Lydia looked up at Cora and smiled softly. She could see the teardrops still clinging on to Lydia's eyelashes.
"That seems to be a recurring theme between us." Lydia said again. Cora didn't respond, choosing instead to give Lydia a firm kiss that Lydia could feel all the way in her abdomen. She leaned up on her tiptoes and tilted her head, deepening the kiss. It was only when Cora grimaced that they separated.
"Take a shower."
Cora pouted and it was the first time Lydia had ever seen her do something so juvenile.
"But you're hot."
"And I'll still be hot after the party. No come on, we're already late as it is."
Cora sighed and headed back into the bathroom. A few feet away she stopped and grinned even though Lydia couldn't see.
"Are you staring at my ass again?" Cora shouted, not looking behind her.
"No." Lydia replied quickly, not taking her eyes off of Cora.