"We have to talk," Lydia Martin announced to the whole bakery as soon as she walked in one Saturday afternoon. Though, to be honest, the "whole" bakery currently consisted of Jess, Liz and Stiles, with Derek back in the kitchen as usual. She walked over to the table Stiles was sitting at with Liz while she took her break.
"What about?" Stiles asked. He was surprised to see Lydia there considering she had stopped coming with the rest of the pack when Jackson left and Erica and Boyd went missing.
She gave a sideways glance at Liz, which both Stiles and Liz knew to mean it had to do with the supernatural. Since not many people knew that Liz knew about the supernatural outside of Derek, Danny and Stiles, she decided to end her break early. "Hey, I'll talk to you later Stiles. Gotta get back to work," she told him. Stiles gave her an apologetic look. She just shrugged and went walked over to Jess, attempting – and failing – to put her apron back on. Honestly, no matter how many bakeries she worked at, this being her second, she would never be able to successfully put these stupid things on, she thought. It was always so embarrassing when Jess had to help her.
"So what's up?" Stiles asked again after Liz had gone back to work.
"I need your help," Lydia told him in all seriousness, sitting down across from him.
"What could I – the lowly Stiles – help the mighty Lydia Martin with?" Stiles joked, causing Lydia to roll her eyes, but hey, at least she didn't smack him this time.
"I need you to help me figure out what I am."
"What do you mean what you are?" he asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.
"I mean, I'm immune to an alpha's bite, the venom of a Kanima, and I keep finding dead bodies without even realizing what I'm doing! I want to know what the hell I am!" Lydia was almost shrieking at the end of her sentence. If she was being honest with herself, she was scared. She was scared of what would happen if one time she found something more than a dead body. The thought made her shiver.
If Stiles was being honest with himself, he was terrified for Lydia and the way she always seemed to know where the bodies were before anyone else. "How do you want me to help? You are way smarter than me," Stiles tells her truthfully.
"Not when it comes to the supernatural stuff. You have been researching this way longer than I even knew it existed, please, just help me come up with a few ideas, theories, something! I'm going crazy here trying to figure it out on my own," Lydia admits.
"Lyds, calm down. Of course I will help you, but later. Theorizing while freaking out never ends well, trust me, I've tried. Also," he says before she can protest like he knows she is about to, "this is not the best place to theorize about what supernatural creature you are. That is definitely a conversation best held behind closed doors and loud music in case any parents are listening in."
"I know, but do you know how hard it is to not know what you are?" she asked him.
"Nope, pretty sure I'm the only normal human in the bunch, even Allison has kick-ass hunter skills," Stiles joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Not funny, Stiles. Do you know what it's like too randomly wake up places and see a dead body? It's terrifying. What if one day I wake up and not know where I am? Or worse, what if I wake up and find your body? Or Allison's? Or even Scott's? I have to find out what I am. Maybe then I can work to control it," she says, working herself up into a panic.
Stiles got up from his seat and sat back down next to her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. She instinctively leaned into him when she would have usually pushed him away. That was when he knew just how freaked out she was about all of this. "We will figure it out, Lyds, I promise. Even if we have to spend weeks looking, we will figure out what you are. But for now, just relax, calm down. I bet if you beg you could get Derek to make you his famous chocolate chip cookies," Stiles said, slightly raising his voice so Derek would know that he really should start making some of those cookies.
"Please Derek," Lydia asked, rising her voice just as much as Stiles, not enough so Jess would find it weird, but enough so Derek could hear them clearly from the kitchen. Liz hid her mouth behind her hand to cover her laugh, having been eavesdropping on their conversation.
Liz could hear Derek grumbling from the kitchen, but she knew that he would start making the cookies.
"So let's talk about something else while we wait," Stiles suggested after he had moved back to his previous seat.
"Like what?" Lydia asked.
"Like why in the world you are wearing a One Direction shirt?" Stiles said, finally asking the question that he had been wondering about since she walked in.
Lydia blushed a little and looked down, tugging on the shirt she had on under her jacket. "What, they are a good band, and I just grabbed the first shirt I found this morning before coming to find you." Stiles just raised an eyebrow at her causing her to shift a little in her seat. The movement caused her jacked to move and reveal black writing on the side.
"Is it autographed?" Stiles asked stifling a laugh. If possible Lydia blushed even redder. "Did you go to their concert?"
"Only one! My friend won free tickets and asked me to go. Who turns down a free concert?"
"Where you just happened to buy a shirt and probably wait in line for over an hour to get it signed?" He asked, unable to hold in his laughter anymore.
Lydia just glared at him until he finally stopped laughing. "Are you finished? What is so wrong with liking One Direction anyway?"
"Oh nothing, they have some pretty good songs, I will admit. I just never pictured you at one of their concerts. Did you see the movie to?" He asked her, still chuckling lightly. His chuckles turned once again into full on laughter at Lydia's bright red cheeks. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Oh so what. Yes I like them, yes I went to their concert, and yes I saw their movie. Are you happy?" Lydia said glaring, though there was no real heat behind it. She knew what Stiles was doing.
Stiles was just glad that he was able to get Lydia's mind off her problem for the moment. "Ecstatic. Was the movie good?" He asked her, though he really didn't care, at least that's what he would tell anyone who asked.
"Yeah, it was really good. You should see it sometime," she told him.
"How about after we get the cookies we rent it and go watch it? And then after that we can start researching your little problem," he told her, perfectly serious.
Lydia contemplated it for a second. Honestly, it would be fun to just hang out with a friend for a while and not deal with all the supernatural crap that was always going on. "Deal, but it is going to be at your house because you have all of your research there already and ever since my Peter induced freak-outs last year, my mom has been really nosy."
"Sounds like a plan," he said smiling. This caused her to smile, excited to be doing something normal, even if it was with Stiles, and even if it was just for a little while. Then they would be diving right back into the supernatural world.
At that moment, Derek came out of the kitchen with a box full of warm chocolate chip cookies. "Here you guys go, on the house. While you are researching, you should do more research on whoever or whatever is sacrificing all of these people. Try and find out who will be next."
"Yes sir, Mr. Sourwolf!" Stiles said with a salute.
Rolling his eyes, Derek walked away from the teens wondering why he even puts up with them.
"Well come on then, let's go watch One Direction. Wow, never thought I would say those words… Please never tell anyone I'm doing this. My reputation would be ruined," Stiles pleaded to Lydia.
"Stiles, your reputation is already in shreds, watching a movie with me can only improve it, even if it is One Direction," Lydia said with her normal sass, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Rolling his eyes, Stiles didn't even grace her with a response. She was right anyway. Stiles grabbed her arm, however, just before she opened the door. "Lydia, even if we can't find out, I won't give up trying to help you. And if – when – we do find out, no matter how it happens, I will still help you until we find out all we can on what you are and how to control it. I promise," Stiles told her seriously.
"Thanks Stiles," Lydia responded with a small smile. They then left, and though he would never admit it, Stiles actually had a good time, watching and jamming out to One Direction with Lydia, making complete fools of themselves. Before spending hours on fruitless research.
Lydia never forgot Stiles' promise, and that was why, the day after sacrificing themselves, finding the missing parents, and finally defeating the Darach, she found herself on Stiles porch with tears streaming down her face. Her guilt at interrupting him when he was obviously exhausted disappeared as soon as he wordlessly led her to his room. Together the two of them spent the rest of the night researching everything on Banshees with One Direction playing softly in the background.
I'm back… So this story is set sometime during 3A, but obviously before Lydia finds out that she is a Banshee… Until the end of course… But that's beside the point… So this is dedicated to the lovely Kendadra because she helped me come up with the idea… And I have no clue where the One Direction part came from, just that I have been on a One Direction kick for the past few days so I decided to throw it in there… I hope you like it! Oh, and once again, I own nothing! I hope you have a lovely week! The weather here finally decided to act like spring! Success! Well I must be off! Au Revoir!