A/N: I made this post a few weeks ago on tumblr lamenting the lack of Scott/Lydia future fics ( post/80936636284/weeping-because-there-are-so-few-scott-x-lydia) and then I decided to just write that last one on my own (I may at some point write the others as well, idk). Beware this is extra smutty. Many thanks to Kaitlyn and Tory for being my betas, even though they don't watch the show. Title from "Just Say Yes" by Snow Patrol. Lastly, I do not own anything that may seem familiar to you. Bummer.

For the Touch of Your Warm Skin

1

Lydia blamed the first time on drunken stupidity.

The entire pack had invited themselves to the McCall house for a graduation party. Melissa and the Sheriff were there in the afternoon to monitor all beverage intake. However, they left after dinner, unwilling to put up with the pack's raucous partying overnight. The pointed look the Sheriff shot Derek clearly made him the designated alcohol monitor for the evening. He would have been cowed enough by that look to comply, but he went inside for another soda and by the time he'd returned to the backyard the entire pack was sipping liquor.

"C'mon Derek, it's not a big deal," Stiles rolled his eyes. "We're just celebrating surviving psychotic Hunters," Allison and Isaac each downed a shot for that one, "kanimas," Lydia took a sip from her cup, "Alpha packs," Erica let out a whoop and Boyd chuckled before they raised their cups to the toast as well. "Nogitsune and Oni," Stiles lifted his own cup to that one, Kira joining in, "Oh, and also high school," he finished with a sardonic grin. He sent a significant glance towards Scott, who rolled his eyes, but downed a shot of his own. "See, we're celebrating getting out with our lives dude, and you need to let us."

Derek shifted uncomfortably for a few seconds, eyeing everyone in the group nervously. When his gaze landed back on Stiles, his amber eyes made Derek's decision for him. With a huff he growled, "Fine. But no one leaves this house until morning, and the Sheriff never finds out about this. Got it?" Stiles sent him a wicked grin and nodded his acquiescence, laughing when Derek turned his glare towards the others to demand their promises as well.

With that Derek retreated inside, mumbling about "idiot teenagers" and "why do I always give in?" Stiles took off after him with a delighted laugh, prompting the others to move back into the house as well.

They drank and laughed and talked well into the early morning hours. Erica and Boyd fell asleep in an armchair; Kira was passed out on the couch; Scott, Stiles, Derek, Isaac, and Allison were playing poker around the kitchen table; Lydia was watching from the side, having been banned from the game for her tendency to count cards, even while drunk. When Scott lost the rest of his pile of change around 4 a.m. he pushed away from the table, stretched, and laughed tiredly. "I'm going to bed. You guys know where the blankets are. There's another couch for you to crash on, Isaac's bed, my mom's bed, or you could come sleep with me; I don't care." He got choked up then. "I love you guys so much." Derek snorted a laugh, while Allison and Isaac burst into giggles.

"Alright, Scott, I think it's time to go upstairs," Lydia gently turned him toward the stairs, sending a death glare back at the others.

"You're so great, Lyds," he informed her as they trudged up the stairs together.

She sighed but didn't tell him not to call her that. "Thank you, Scott. You're pretty great too," she said as they pushed into his room.

"No, I mean like you're awesome, Lydia. You're so smart and fierce and beautiful. I'm so lucky to have you in my pack." He fell face first onto his bed and groaned.

Lydia smiled and climbed on the bed to roll him over. "Thank you, Scott," she said with sincerity. "Now take your pants off."

With a whine unbecoming of a True Alpha, he unbuttoned his pants and attempted to kick them off. When Lydia took pity on him and tugged them the rest of the way, he grunted his thanks and crawled up the bed to bury his head in the pillows. "Are you crashing in here or with Allison in my mom's room?"

Lydia let out a sardonic chuckle and pulled off her shirt, slipping into one of Scott's tees. "I don't think Allison's going to be sleeping in your mom's room tonight, Scott." She slipped out of her jeans and slapped Scott's ass to make him move over.

"Is she back with Isaac? When did that happen?" He lifted his head from the pillows once she turned off the light.

"Since tonight," she informed him, turning on her side to talk to him. "Why, does that bother you?"

He appeared to seriously contemplate it for a moment before breaking into a bright grin. "No! I love them both and want them to be happy!"

She gave an inelegant snort and said, "You're drunk. You love everyone right now."

He nodded and said, "Yeah, but I always love everyone. Stiles because he's my best bro, and Derek because he helped me be a good alpha, Allison because she was my first love, and Kira, and Erica, and Boyd, and Isaac, and you, of course I love you Lydia." He leaned forward to peck her on the mouth and they both froze.

"What—" Lydia started to question, but Scott leaned forward to kiss her again.

His lips were soft, and he was so warm, and she was so comfortable, and despite the fact that she wasn't affirming her love of everyone like Scott, she wasn't exactly sober. So she opened her mouth when Scott's tongue grazed her bottom lip, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

A while later, before two pairs of wandering hands could start to pull clothes off, Lydia pushed Scott away from her and said, "Enough. We're drunk. Go to sleep."

Scott rested his forehead on hers and nodded, breathing deeply to help calm himself. He was asleep within moments and she followed not long after.

The next afternoon when she stumbled downstairs for coffee, the first person she saw in the kitchen was Scott. His eyes quickly flickered from her to Stiles and back and Lydia understood, nodding her agreement. They would never talk about it; it never happened.

2

After four years of summer jobs, mismatched school breaks, and summer internships, the pack were finally able to get everyone together again at the same time. And since half of them were graduating college, it was just as good an excuse as any to throw another party.

Derek's house, built farther into the preserve than the old Hale house had been, was the chosen venue that time. Pack meetings tended to be held there most weeks anyway.

Stiles and Scott showed up in the early afternoon "to prepare the food" according to Stiles, which Scott scoffed at as he chopped veggies in the kitchen. Stiles was following Derek around, pestering him with questions about what he'd been up to since winter break.

Isaac picked up Erica and Boyd at the bus station right after work that afternoon. Allison picked up Kira and Lydia from the airport.

By the time those three showed up, the wolves and Stiles were all halfway to hammered. They wasted no time catching up, each downing a shot or two as they walked around greeting the others.

Lydia had thought for sure her smile was bright enough to fool even the wolves, but when she got to Derek, he was frowning. "What's wrong?"

Her forced smile turned to a scowl. "Damn it, Derek." She sent a nervous look around the backyard.

He took her arm and gently steered her into the woods, making sure everyone else was too preoccupied to notice their absence. When they were far enough away, they stopped, though Derek left his hand on her lower arm. "What happened?"

She let out a huff and stomped her foot. "Do we have to do this now?"

He raised a brow in response.

"Fine," she burst, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. "Eli and I broke up," she admitted softly, eyes focused on the ground.

Derek shook his head. "What? You've been together almost all through undergrad."

"I know," she said forcefully. "But I guess the secrets," she emphasized by pointing between Derek and herself, rounding it out by pointing in the direction of the house. "I suppose the secrets were getting to be a bit too much for him."

He placed his hand on her arm again. "You know you can tell him. The pack would be okay with it, and we don't want you to lose such a great guy just because-"

Lydia interrupted by shaking her head. "It doesn't matter anymore because he was cheating on me."

His face fell but he nodded his understanding. "I'm sorry, Lyds," he said, pulling her into a hug.

She snorted into his shoulder. "Don't call me that."

He pulled away, a hand on his heart. "But you let Scott call you that," he pouted.

Another eye roll. "Yeah, because Scott's that puppy no one wants to scold. You, on the other hand," she pushed a finger into his chest, "Are the fierce puppy, the one you'd train to be a guard dog. I can reprimand you just fine."

"I don't know whether to be insulted or proud." That earned him a laugh. They stood quietly for a few more moments, then Derek said, "You ready to head back?"

She thought on it and shook her head. "No, you go. I'll follow in a minute." At his skeptical look, she rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine on my own for a minute; there haven't been any creatures in these woods for years. Besides, I can always scream if I need you." He put his hands up in surrender and left.

Lydia was checking her phone a minute later, eyes still on the screen, when she said, "You can come out now."

Scott dropped from a tree and said, "How'd you know I was there?"

She shrugged as she slipped her phone into her purse. "Banshee thing, maybe. I get a little tingle when the alpha's around." Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised an eyebrow. "So. How much did you hear?"

Scott tried a nonchalant shrug, but it came off a little stiff. "Not much. Derek's a guard dog, I'm a puppy, and something about Eli cheating?"

She huffed and sat at the base of a tree, patting the ground next to her in invitation. "Cheating, lying, the usual. I don't want to talk about it."

He sat next to her and took her hand. It was warm, large and strong. Lydia studied their intertwined fingers, hers slender and pale, his thick and much darker. Her eyes followed the digits up to his wrist, up his arm, lightly covered in dark hair. She licked her lips as her gaze continued on to his bicep, his shoulder. A light squeeze brought her attention back to their hands.

"Do you ever think about that night?" she asked idly, lifting her free hand to start stroking up his arm. Her eyes met his.

"Yes," he said immediately, a question in his eyes.

"Are you drunk right now?"

He shook his head and licked his lips. "You?"

She shrugged. "Not drunk. I had a shot when I got here, but that was a while ago."

"Okay," he said slowly, still wondering where she was going with this.

His breath hitched as she moved to straddle him. "Kiss me again, Scott."

He surged up to meet her, hands flying up to grip her waist. They devoured each other, tongues clashing, hands groping. Hers traveled across his shoulders to his throat, sliding down to gently brush his nipples, eliciting a deep groan. She didn't stop until her hands were sliding under his shirt to run her fingers through the light dusting of hair below his navel.

His hands dropped from her waist down to her hips, pulling her closer as they kissed. As he trailed a string of kisses down her jaw to her throat, his fingers started inching her shirt higher.

"Scott," she gasped, lightly scratching his stomach.

His response was another groan into her neck as his hands slid up her bare back under her shirt.

"Scott, if you don't make a move towards my breasts in the next five seconds I will scream until your brain dribbles out of your ears."

He snorted a laugh and pulled back, eyes bright. "Pulling out the big guns, huh?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Four."

He raised a brow, fingers tapping a rhythm on the small of her back.

"Three."

His grin grew wider.

"Two."

His hands started sliding around to her front, dragging slow enough to tickle.

She glared. "One."

Before she could finish the word, he was bending down, mouth open, biting at her nipple through her shirt. She let out a yell that was more of a gasp and glared down at him when he dared to chuckle about it.

Not one to be outdone, she smirked, thrust her hand into his pants, and gripped him tightly. She smiled smugly at his hoarse shout and started stroking him, loosening her grip to allow for a more comfortable slide.

He leaned back, breathing ragged, and pulled her shirt up as high as he could get it. His mouth descended on her again, this time without the barrier. She tightened her grip on him for a moment and they both let out rough moans.

"Lydia," he whined when she nudged his head up to kiss her again. Before he could work his way back down, she leaned back, lifted her hand, and started licking her palm, brow raised, obscene noises escaping between licks.

"Lydia." It was more of a growl that time. His eyes flashed red at her and her pulse skyrocketed as he moved to unbutton her jeans. Less than a second after she'd nodded her acquiescence his hand was slipping into her panties.

She gasped as his hot hand cupped her, but she had enough presence of mind to slip her hand back into his pants. They stroked each other, their pace getting more frantic. A few minutes later Scott gasped out, "I'm close." She nodded, unable to respond coherently, and twisted her hand. When he leaned down to bite her throat, simultaneously thrusting a finger into her, she came with a shout. He came a second later when her hand tightened on him in reflex.

Her hands rested on his shoulders, his on her hips, as their breathing evened out. When her limbs weren't shaking from aftershocks anymore, Lydia reached over to grab her purse, pulling out a small package of wet wipes.

He grinned and shook his head fondly. "Trust you to be prepared for cleanup after sex in the woods." He took a wipe and started cleaning up the mess on his stomach.

She ran a wipe between each finger. "When one lives with a kitsune and is friends with an entire pack of werewolves, one learns to be prepared," she answered primly. She collected all the wipes and sealed them in a plastic baggie to throw away later. "Do we still smell like sex?"

The anxiety in her tone made him pause. He sniffed carefully and shook his head. "No," he told her, brows furrowed. "You smell a lot like me, but not necessarily like we just had sex."

She smiled. "Great. Nothing to worry about then!" She turned to head back to the house. When she noticed he wasn't following, she looked back to see him staring intently at the ground. "Scott? You coming?"

His gaze jerked up to hers and he sent her a wide smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming." He jogged to catch up to her and they walked slowly back up to the house.

3

The next summer Lydia took the I-5 four hours north from Stanford to Beacon Hills for Boyd and Erica's wedding.

She didn't mind having to make the trip alone this time. It gave her a chance to consider her plans for the fall semester. Her second year of law school started in August.

As she got closer to her hometown, her thoughts drifted towards the reason for the long drive up. A wedding. Erica and Boyd were getting married. In theory it was adorable: high school sweethearts marrying after college. Lydia dreaded to think what her life would be like if she married her high school boyfriend. And they were so young, only twenty-three. She shuddered. Still, those two had been through a lot together, and they complemented each other quite well. They probably wouldn't end up another statistic.

She felt a tingle as she passed Stiles' border alarms, which would let the rest of them know a supernatural creature had passed into their town. Less than a minute later her phone was ringing. She pressed on her earpiece to accept the call. "Hello?"

"Hey Lyds."

She rolled her eyes. "Derek, I have told you repeatedly not to call me 'Lyds'. My full name is Lydia, and I would appreciate if you could struggle all the way to the end."

There was a moment of silence before, "Stiles got to you, didn't he?"

She cracked a grin as she cruised through the middle of town. "I needed a break during finals, what was I supposed to do?"

"You were the last holdout. Now he's going to be unbearable about it and make me watch other British cult television."

"Yes, because I'm sure you held out quite admirably before he broke you down and marathoned those nine episodes with you."

He grumbled something then said, "The reason I'm calling was to see if you were in town."

"Pulling up to Allison's building as we speak." She put her car into park and turned off the engine.

"I figured. Scott said he could feel it was you through the pack bond, but the rest of us weren't so sure. Anyway, I'll let you go. See you at the rehearsal dinner later?"

"Yeah, I'll see you soon."

Allison was bounding out of her building as Lydia pulled her small suitcase from her trunk. "You're here, you're home!"

Lydia let a small sigh of relief escape her as she embraced her best friend. "I'm here."

"Let's take your stuff upstairs. We can talk outfits for dinner tonight." Allison grabbed her suitcase and led the way. "It's going to be so great, having the whole pack together again. We've missed you, you know." She threw an exasperated look over her shoulder as they climbed up the stairs.

Lydia sighed. "I know. I've missed you guys too. It's just, school's been so hectic, and it's so competitive, so I kind of have to keep on top of my game."

"Please," Allison snorted as she threw open the door to her small one-bedroom apartment. "If you could handle the shit storm that was Junior year, you can handle anything."

Lydia offered her a small grin. "You may have a point there." She scanned the apartment and narrowed her eyes as they slid over the couch. "Al?"

"Yeah?" she answered distractedly, pulling two glasses from a cupboard in her kitchen.

Lydia bent down to pick up a pair of boxers that had been shoved under the couch. "Is there something you want to tell me?" She smirked as she lifted the underwear high enough for Allison to see from the kitchen.

"Crap," she said, setting the glasses down on the counter.

"Crap what?" Lydia questioned with a laugh. "Crap you're seeing a new guy? How is that bad?"

"Um, not exactly." Allison squirmed under Lydia's penetrating stare. Finally, she broke. "Look, I didn't mean to keep it from you. We were just trying to keep it low-key until we figured out if we'd work this time around."

Lydia's chest squeezed painfully; she could hardly breathe. "Scott?" she managed to choke out.

Allison studied her curiously. "No, Isaac."

"Oh," she exhaled, breathing slowly to calm her erratic heartbeat. "Well, how's it going then?"

Allison's eyes lit up. "Really, really well. We're probably going to let the pack know after the wedding. And I think I might ask him if he wants to move in together."

Lydia, momentary unexplainable panic forgotten, lifted a brow and said, "Really? That seems a little fast, considering you guys are only just now realizing you want to tell the pack you're back together."

"Maybe," Allison shrugged. "But it feels different this time. I really think we can make it last now."

Lydia couldn't help but be happy for her oldest friend as she pulled her into a hug. "That's great, Allison. I'm sure you guys will make it this time."

Allison and Lydia were last to arrive, having spent more time catching up than they'd realized before they rushed to get ready. They walked into the back room of the restaurant and Allison claimed the empty seat between Isaac and Kira. After Lydia made a round of the table to give quick hugs and pecks on the cheek, she settled into the last empty seat, between Scott and Derek.

The evening started out relatively calm as everyone caught up with each other. The night quickly turned loud and wild as they reminisced about their "adventures in werewolving" as Stiles called them, snickering.

Derek nudged him playfully in retaliation but Stiles continued on with his exaggerated recollections, placing a hand on the back of Derek's neck to soothe him. Lydia caught Derek's eye and looked between the two of them, eyebrow raised in question. Derek flushed all the way to the tips of his ears and gave a subtle shake of his head. Lydia rolled her eyes and went back to her pasta.

She froze when the back of Scott's hand brushed her knee under the table. "How've you been, Lyds?"

She lifted a finger to tell him to wait as she swallowed her food, hand flying down to keep his hand in place when she felt it moving away. She was feeling a little reckless tonight. "I've been alright," she said. "What about you?" Her left hand drifted down to nudge against the outside of his upper thigh. "How's school?"

He swallowed and coughed to clear his throat, eyes never leaving her face. His grip on her leg tightened and he moved to settle his hand on her upper thigh. "It's been going good." His eyes widened as her hand drifted up and over, settling gently in his lap. "Really good."

She almost burst out laughing but quickly swallowed it down, nodding. "That's great, Scott. I'm glad vet school is working out for you." Her fingers tapped a light rhythm at the juncture of his thighs. "You've always had a way with animals."

He shifted, lifting the edge of the tablecloth to drape over their laps. His hand moved, sliding just under the hem of her dress. She opened her legs a little more and turned to face him. She raised a brow in challenge when he looked pointedly down the table to where their friends were arguing amongst themselves. He let out a shuddery breath and rose to the challenge. "Tell me about law school. Still the right choice, do you think?" His hand slid up her thigh, the tips of his fingers sliding up to find…nothing but skin.

He choked on air. Lydia grinned wickedly when she felt his cock jump under her hand. When she gave him a quick squeeze, his leg shifted out reflexively and he kicked the leg of the table, causing their dishes to rattle.

Scott's face burned as all attention turned to him. "You okay there, buddy?" Stiles asked, shooting him a look of concern.

Scott cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, my phone went off in my pocket, startled me." He pulled his phone out, glanced down at the black screen. "Yeah, I'd better go take care of this. I'll be right back." He bolted for the main dining room and Lydia narrowed her eyes.

He was heading for the bathroom.

She counted to thirty in her head, primly wiped her lips on her napkin, and turned to Derek. "I'm going to run to the ladies'. If they come by to ask about dessert, order me the cheesecake?" He nodded and turned back to Stiles.

Lydia walked through the restaurant, gave a quick look around when she arrived at the restrooms, and pushed into the men's room. She leaned back against the door and listened for a moment. She could hear muffled moans coming from the last stall.

In three long strides she was at the door. "Scott, let me in."

He yanked the door open, pulled her in, and pushed her back against the stall door as he locked it again. He growled out, "You are a menace, Lydia Martin." And then he was kissing her, one hand on her neck, the other gripping her breast over her dress.

"Like you can talk, McCall," she shot back several moments later as he bent down to bite at her neck. She moved to unbuckle his belt as his hands slid down to grip the hem of her dress. He lifted it over her head, taking the time to hang it on the back of the door. She stood before him in only her heels.

"Jesus," he breathed, hands drifting over her curves. "You're beautiful, Lyds."

The raw honesty and admiration in his voice made her heart skip a beat. "Shut up and kiss me, Scott." She leaned forward, hands gripping the sides of his face, pulling his perfect pink lips down to hers.

His hands skimmed down her sides, over her back, up her arms, and back down to her waist. She groaned into his mouth when one hand finally found it's way between her legs. "You're so hot," he murmured, sucking on her bottom lip. "And wet." Her hands moved to unbutton his trousers, but that was as far as she got before Scott thrust two fingers into her heat.

"Scott!" She struggled to keep her voice down. Even with the crowded restaurant between them there was still a chance one of the werewolves would hear her.

"Come on," he murmured into her ear minutes later, thumb gently circling her clit, fingers setting a relentless pace. "Come for me, Lyds." His thumb pressed down firmly and she was done, scream captured by his mouth as he worked her through her orgasm.

Several moments passed while she got her bearings again. Scott kissed the corner of her mouth and whispered, "You should get cleaned up, head back to the table. I'm sure they're missing us by now."

She raised a brow and looked down at his tented trousers. "I'll take care of it," he said, giving her another kiss on the other corner of her mouth.

"Go lock the main door while I clean myself up," she ordered, pulling her dress off the back of the stall door.

Confused, he did as she asked, giving her a minute before reentering the stall. She was sitting on the closed toilet seat, hands held in her lap, stretching her mouth as wide as she could.

His breath hitched and his cock strained against his fly. He whispered her name and she gave him a wicked grin. "We have to do this quickly. We need to get back to the table." He nodded and she pulled him forward by his belt buckle. "We're also not going to leave a mess," she ordered, unzipping him and pulling his cock free. "These clothes, and my hair, stay pristine, you got it?"

He nodded. "Got it," he breathed, groaning as she wasted no time slipping her lips over his head. She hummed lightly, tilting her head to take more of him in. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, struggling not to run his fingers through her curls.

One of her hands rested on his hip for balance. She lifted the other to stroke the base of his cock while she licked and sucked at the head. "Are you almost ready, Scott?" she asked. He nodded and gave a semi-coherent grunt. "I can only hold my breath for about a minute," she informed him a split second before she swallowed him all the way down. She swallowed again, her throat squeezing his head tight, tongue massaging his length. She lifted her hand to his fist, shaking it so he'd open his palm. She guided his hand to her throat so he could feel himself as she swallowed again. That was all it took. He spilled down her throat with a deep groan, mindful to start pulling back around the minute-mark.

He leaned back against the stall door, gasping for breath, while she steadied her breathing and rested her forehead on his hip. "You go back first. Make up something about Deaton calling. I'll go to the ladies' to clean up then head back. I'll say my mom called or something."

Scott nodded as he reached down to straighten himself up. "Deaton called. Minor emergency with one of the dogs. I was looking stuff up on my phone."

"Perfect," she breathed as she stood up, smoothing down her dress. She reared back when Scott moved to kiss her. "My mouth tastes like come," she pointed out.

He grinned and kissed her anyway. "My come. You taste like me."

She snorted and pushed him to the door. "Is it clear?" He listened and nodded. "Then get out of here, you big perv," she said, pushing him out the door.

"I'm the big perv?" he whispered. "Who was the one who tried to initiate sex in front of all our friends?"

She grinned unrepentantly. "And look how well that turned out for you."

"You're ridiculous," he said fondly.

She giggled and pointed in the direction of their table. "Go."

He leaned down for one more quick kiss then took off, and she disappeared into the ladies' room. She gulped a mouthful of tap water and used another mouthful to swish and spit, all the while studying herself in the mirror. Her eyes had a certain happy glow about them, but she didn't think she looked like she'd been recently debauched. Judging her appearance acceptable, she exited the restroom and ran right into Derek.

He studied her for a moment before he asked, "What are you doing?"

She smiled and threw a thumb over her shoulder. "I was just in the bathroom. I had to run outside for a bit when my mom called, begging me to come visit her in Atlanta soon, but—"

"Lydia," he interrupted, gripping her shoulder. "What are you doing with Scott?"

She let out a slow breath to calm her racing heart and considered lying for a second. She dismissed the option almost as quickly as she'd thought of it; she and Derek never lied to each other. "We're just…" she trailed off, shrugging. "Messing around, I guess."

He scowled at the floor and looked back up at her. "You don't do 'just messing around' and neither does Scott. The only relationships either of you have ever had have been long-term, committed relationships."

"I know that," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and walking away from him.

"Is that was this is going to be then?" he wondered as he followed her back to their table.

"No," she said immediately. "It's just a fling between friends. We live too far away from each other for anything else."

They rounded the corner into the dining room to see Stiles shoving as many French fries as he could into his mouth. Erica, Isaac, and Kira were keeping a loud count, yelling and encouraging him to fit more in. Boyd was shaking his head but smiling. Allison had her phone out to record the momentous occasion, laughing so hard that the phone was shaking. She could tell Scott had turned back to look at Stiles just as she and Derek were coming around the corner. He'd been waiting for her. Had he heard what she'd said?

She and Derek returned to their seats, attention focused on Stiles, but she looked over when Scott nudged her foot with his. He gave her a reassuring smile and nod to tell her he understood. They weren't a couple; it was just a hook-up.

She let out a shaky breath and nodded back, giving him a small apologetic smile. After a lingering look she turned to watch Stiles again. What was that saying he always used? Once was an accident, twice a coincidence, and three times was a pattern. This was probably one pattern they would be better off breaking.

4

Lydia knew it was a bad idea. Obviously. She'd established that quite well the last time she'd seen him a year and a half ago. That didn't stop her from imagining dragging him to the floor and having her wicked way with him. God, he looked great in a button-down, sleeves rolled up past his elbows. She bit her lip and sighed.

"Are you alright, Lydia? You're looking kind of flushed," Kira inquired kindly from next to her on the hospital bed.

Ironic, coming from the woman who'd given birth not an hour earlier.

Lydia tore her eyes away from Scott, who was cooing down at the baby cradled in Allison's arms. "I'm fine. It's just a little warm in here."

"Uh huh. Sure," Kira said monotone, glancing between Lydia and Scott.

Lydia shook her head, about to protest, but Allison leaned over to deposit the baby into Kira's arms. The woman's attention immediately shifted to her daughter.

"Isaac said he'll be over after work. I haven't been able to get a hold of Stiles, and Boyd said he and Erica are on the next flight back. I'll send Derek in as I head out." She leaned over to press a kiss to Kira's temple. "Call if you need anything."

Kira didn't even lift her head, watching her finger trace her daughter's cheek. "Thanks Allison. I'll call you later." Allison gave her a dimpled grin and waved goodbye to Scott and Lydia as she left the room.

Scott sat next to Kira on the other side of the bed and continued cooing over his niece. Lydia's attention shifted between him and the baby. It was a toss-up over which one was more adorable.

"Before Derek comes in, I wanted to talk to you guys about something," Kira said, scooting higher in the bed.

Scott moved so he could see her face better, a little concerned at her serious tone. "Shoot."

"It's kind of silly, actually, considering she'll have the whole pack to take care of her, so I know I won't ever truly be raising her on my own, but I was hoping you two would be Mina's godparents?"

Scott's face split into an even wider grin, if that was possible. "Really?"

Lydia's heart fluttered. "Are you serious?"

Kira scoffed. "Of course I'm serious. Lydia, you're my best friend. And Scott, you were the first boy I ever loved. You're both so important to me and I just," her eyes welled, alarming Lydia and causing Scott to jump up for a box of tissues. "Thanks," she told him as she wiped at her eyes. "I just know she'd be the best kind of person if she learned how from you two. Please say you'll think about it?"

"Of course I'll be her godfather, Kira. I already love her more than almost anyone else in the world. I'd protect her with my life," he swore, hand on his heart.

Kira nodded her thanks and shifted her wet eyes over to Lydia. "At least think about it, please?"

Lydia shook her head. "I don't have to think about it. My answer is the same. I would love nothing more than to be Kaminari's godmother," she asserted, stroking a finger down the newborn's arm.

Kira scowled and said, "Don't call her by her full name, she's not in trouble."

Lydia laughed. "It's a beautiful name with a dangerous meaning. She deserves to hear every syllable to remember how fierce she'll be." She jiggled the baby's foot and sighed at her happy gurgle.

Kira rolled her eyes but conceded. "You're the only one though, besides my mother. Everyone else has to call her Mina."

Lydia sat back and preened, looking over at a knock on the door. Kira called out to Derek to come in. "Hey, Der. Come meet Mina," she tilted the baby up so he could get a better look at her as he crossed the room.

"She's gorgeous, Kira. May I hold her?"

As Kira shifted the baby into Derek's arms, Lydia caught Scott's eye, nodded to the door, eyebrow raised. She just really wanted to talk to him. They hadn't been alone together since…

He nodded and looked back to Derek, who seemed to be freaking out a little. "Hold her ear closer to your heart. It will calm her, keep her from squirming too much," Scott advised, earning surprised looks from Kira and Lydia.

"I'm going to run down the street for a coffee and a sandwich. You want me to bring you back anything?" She picked up her purse and slipped off the bed.

"Coffee!" Kira nearly sobbed, exaggerating only a little. "But only like a small one. And something with bacon. But no avocado," she shuddered. "No avocado."

"You got it," Lydia leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I'll be back in a while."

Lydia took the elevator down to the first floor. She figured Scott would catch up when he could. A few feet short of the hospital exit, she was yanked backward into a dark room, hot hand covering her mouth. She opened wide to bite down but refrained when she felt the shaking laughs coming from behind her.

"Jesus, Scott!" she whispered, punching him in the arm once she'd turned to face him. "You scared the shit out of me! How did you get down here so fast?"

"Stairs," he shrugged, eyes crinkling at the sides. His thumb was caressing the back of her hand.

She stared up into his eyes for a long moment, thoughts rioting in her head. Finally she sighed. "Scott," she said flatly. "What are we doing in a maintenance closet?"

He smirked down at her and shrugged. "Well, I figured it was my turn to surprise you."

She shook her head in denial. "I thought we said—"

"No, you said." He stared into her eyes, searching. "You said it was just a hookup between friends, nothing more. I never said anything about it, any of the times something has happened between us."

Lydia rolled her eyes and crossed her hands over her chest. "But that first time, when I came downstairs the next afternoon, you looked at Stiles and at me, and we made a silent agreement to forget it ever happened."

Scott shook his head. "No, we made a silent agreement to talk about it later, when Stiles wasn't present, and that never happened. Is that why you keep on insisting this stays a secret? Because you thought I wanted to keep it a secret?"

"No," she answered, heart pounding. She scowled when he lifted a brow at her erratic heartbeat. "Alright yes. But it doesn't matter now, because we're not going to be doing…that again."

"Why not?" he wondered, sounding genuinely baffled.

"Because it's just not a good idea, Scott," she gritted out.

"Why not?" he pushed. Scott McCall: actual five-year-old.

"Because I don't think you could keep it casual, Scott! You're not a hookup type of guy, and that's the only kind of relationship I am capable of having right now!"

He stared her down for a long moment before he burst into laughter. "You're worried about my feelings, Lyds? Really?" She scowled and looked away, sending him into another fit of giggles. "I think I've done pretty well at keeping it casual thus far," he offered when he could breathe again.

"Seriously?" she asked, raising a haughty brow.

He rolled his eyes. "Really. We only talk once a week, max. Until today, I hadn't seen you in a year and a half. I've never once talked about your hair to Stiles. Neither have I waxed poetic about your abilities with a sword. I think we're okay on the Scott's-keeping-it-casual front." With each word, her shoulders fell a little and she looked even more unsure. "Unless it's not my ability to keep it casual that's worrying you," he offered, brown eyes too wide to be innocent.

She narrowed her eyes and stepped closer. "I'm not worried about my ability to keep it casual," she snapped, pulling him down to lick into his mouth to prove it.

He huffed a laugh and she bit his lip in retaliation. He brought his hands up to either side of her throat, thumbs skimming her jaw. She shoved hers under his shirt, desperate to touch his skin. "You're always so warm," she marveled, tilting her head to nip at his ear.

"Werewolf," he murmured, hands drifting down her back to her waist.

She licked down his throat, heart skipping a beat when he lifted his chin higher to accommodate her, hands squeezing her tighter. "Do you have a condom?" she asked as she unbuttoned his shirt to lick his nipple.

He shuddered and nodded, right hand reaching into his front pocket. "I decided to always have one on me when I know I'm about to see you," he smiled, dropping it into her waiting hand.

"Pragmatic of you," she complimented. "Now take off your pants."

She took care of her jeans as he slipped out of his slacks, pulse jumping when he growled, "Your blouse too."

Soon she stood before him in her black lace panties and bra. He was still wearing his briefs and dress shirt. He moved to shrug it off. "No. Leave it on," she said, hands gliding along his strong forearms.

He complied, lifting her to press back against the door…of the hospital utility closet. She'd forgotten where they were. "Is someone going to catch us in here?" she whispered, legs tightening around his middle, hands gripping his arms still.

He shook his head. "I stole the janitor's keys. We've got at least twenty minutes before he notices."

She lifted an amused brow. "Twenty minutes, huh?"

He grinned and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. "Maybe even thirty."

"We could do a lot in thirty minutes," she mused.

"Or," he moved in to kiss her again, more slowly. "We could do one thing pretty well in thirty minutes." He rolled his hips to emphasize.

Her head fell back against the door. "Shit. One of these days we're going to have to go somewhere we can actually make a lot of noise during sex. I hate keeping quiet."

He rolled his hips again. "I did not know that. I'll be sure to keep that in mind for the next time."

It was a declaration of intent. She lifted her head to kiss him, tightening her legs around him. "You'd better," she assented.

They kissed leisurely for a few minutes, hands drifting and stroking. Lydia took considerable pleasure from mouthing at his neck again; her first marks had already faded and she was determined to create one that would last a little longer. Scott stroked his hands through her hair, twisting the long locks around his fingers to tether her to him.

As she licked at the juncture of his neck and shoulder, she pushed down his briefs. "Condom," she whispered, pulling back to look around. She'd dropped it sometime earlier.

Scott set her down to search for it and she leaned back against the door. When he came back he hesitated before placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure about this, Lyds?"

The rhythmic stroking of his thumbs along her collarbones sent shivers down her spine. She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Are you?"

He rolled his eyes and moved in to kiss her again. "I'm sure," he said, maintaining eye contact. His solemn tone had her raising an eyebrow in doubt, but he just smiled and handed her the condom.

She knelt down, holding his hips steady as she took him into her mouth. A minute later he was clutching at her hair. "Lydia, you need to stop, or this is going to be over too quickly."

"Wasn't that the point?" she whispered, tearing the foil package and rolling the condom down his length.

"Doesn't have to be that fast," he murmured, pulling her up into a kiss. He pushed her panties down and lifted her against the door. Her legs came around his waist again as he pushed into her slowly.

"Fuck," she breathed out, head falling back.

He pinned her to the door, sucking little marks all across her chest. "Language, Miss Martin," he chastised, rolling his hips to hear her gasp. He grinned into her throat.

"Shut up and keep moving," she snarled, breath hitching when he rolled his hips again.

"Alright," he murmured, pulling back to look her in the eyes as he started moving his hips more quickly.

Once she caught her breath, she moved her hands to his shoulders, allowing her to lift her hips a bit more, pushing down to meet his upward thrusts. They held eye contact for several long moments before she closed hers, tongue darting out to lick her lips. "Faster, Scott," she moaned, putting more force into her downward thrusts.

"I thought I was going faster," he stated, unintentionally sending Lydia into a fit of giggles.

Her eyes popped open and she leaned forward to give him a sloppy kiss. "I—" She was saved from saying something monumentally stupid when his thumb brushed over her clit. "Shit," she bit out. "Do that again."

He grinned and complied, catching her lips when she made to swear again. He sped up his thrusts, left hand massaging the thigh she'd hitched up over his hip while the other kept brushing over her clit every few thrusts. "Come on, Lyds," he gritted out, burying his face in her neck.

She was gasping for air, long sparks of pleasure shooting down her spine. Her hand cupped the back of his neck, curling through the short hair there. "Do it," she gasped, knowing it would send them both over the edge. She felt him nod into her shoulder, hot breath sending shivers down her spine. Finally, he bit down, blunt human teeth marking her throat. She started to scream, but his mouth caught hers, muffling the sounds as they both came.

He lowered them both to the floor, holding her in his lap as they both caught their breath. "So," he started, his serious tone causing her to tense. "You're kind of a potty mouth in the sack, huh?"

Lydia groaned and buried her face in his chest. "You need to stop talking sex with Stiles; he's corrupting you."

Scott's arms came around her as he laughed. "You're probably right. That did sound really weird to say." He shrugged and for the first time in a long time he looked vulnerable. "I just didn't know…what to say, how to act."

She studied his face and sighed. "Just be you."

He nodded and grinned again. "Are you okay?" he inquired.

She suppressed a laugh. "I'm great," she said. "And that was much more you."

"Whew," he deadpanned, wiping his brow. "I'm pretty great too," he supplied, though she thought he looked like he might want to say more. "This isn't going to be weird, is it?" he settled on. "I mean, we've never done this before. It seems…bigger than the other stuff we've done, you know?"

"Scott," she said, taking his face between her hands, looking him in the eyes. "This isn't going to be weird. This is slightly different than the other times, but no more significant. We haven't been weird around each other after the other times, have we?" she pointed out.

"No," he agreed.

They were both silent for a minute, adjusting to the new situation. Finally Scott's lips twitched and he whispered, "We're going to keep doing this, right?"

Lydia rolled her eyes and stood, searching the floor for her underwear. "Of course," she stated. "We're amazing together. It would be a waste not to do this again."

"Very practical," Scott said solemnly, eyes twinkling as he lifted her panties into the air.

She snatched them from his hand with a huff and pulled them on. "I'm a sensible woman, Scott. Are you telling me you weren't satisfied and you don't want to do this again?" She raised a brow, somehow looking intimidating in just her bra and underwear.

He snorted as he began to don his own clothes again. "Of course not. I'm not being as practical about it though."

"What do you mean?" she asked as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"I mean," he pulled her forward, giving her a quick kiss. "I just like to be around you. I like how we make each other feel good, and I want to make you feel good again."

She stared at him as he buttoned up his shirt. "That's exactly what I said." Her eyebrows were furrowed, arms crossed, fingers tapping away on her arm.

Scott's answering grin was blinding. "Oh. Well, okay then."

Feeling like she'd missed something, Lydia rolled her eyes and stepped towards the door. "I'm in town for another week," she told him, giving his hand a quick squeeze as she slipped out the closet door.

He waited until he couldn't hear her anymore before he slipped out the door as well. Unfortunately, he hadn't been listening for other familiar heartbeats, and he ran straight into his mother as he stepped back into the corridor.

"Scott," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "What were you doing in the utility closet?"

He cleared his throat and smiled at her. "I got lost?"

Melissa crossed her arms over her chest and said, "You practically grew up in this hospital. Try again." As he was attempting to come up with a better excuse, she took the time to look him over. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God."

"What?" he asked, startled.

She hit him over the back of his head. "You're an idiot, is what. Now get out of here before I decide to put you to work cleaning bedpans to make up for having sex at my place of work."

He blushed but didn't deny it. "See you later, Mom!" he yelled, waving as he walked out the sliding doors with a spring in his step.

5

"Allison was the first girl I ever loved," Scott began, shifting to look at the woman in question, seated two down from him. "She's smart, cunning, and beautiful. She played a big part in shaping who I am today. I am a better person for knowing her, and I'm sure everyone here could say the same thing. Especially," he continued, his eyes moving to the man sitting between them. "Especially this one here." He clapped Isaac hard on the shoulder. "I'm not going to lie." He paused, sighing dramatically. "It was really weird when my brother—" at the indignant noise coming from down the table he corrected himself, "Other brother started crushing on my ex. Super weird. Actually I'm pretty sure we broke a table or two getting into it over her at the beginning."

"And a few chairs," Melissa called up from another table, earning a laugh from the group.

Scott rolled his eyes but shrugged good-naturedly. "A couple tables and a few chairs. Obviously I didn't handle it very well. But then I saw how they were together and…" he shrugged. "I don't know, they just fit."

He smiled as Allison blushed and leaned her head on Isaac's shoulder, smiling up at him in adoration.

"It's been a long, hard road for them. They broke up a few times, got back together a few times, and now here they are. Married." He gave Isaac an incredulous look and whispered, "Dude, you're married now." Isaac chuckled and Scott turned back to the audience. "Anyway, I know it's been a difficult journey for them to get here, but I also know they're going to make it. They've lived through too much not to."

Scott reached over to squeeze Allison's shoulder, patting Isaac on the back as he turned back to his audience. "To Allison and Isaac," he lifted his glass, tipping it in the couple's direction before taking a sip.

Lydia nudged Allison and they clinked glasses, giggling from the champagne they'd already ingested during the other speeches. "To you and Isaac," Lydia whispered.

"To me and my husband," Allison dimpled. "My husband. Because we're married now."

Lydia snorted. "You sound like Scott. Yes, we were all there, we all saw you get married."

Allison sighed and grinned over at Isaac. "Yeah. That really happened."

Isaac returned the grin and said, "Yeah, it really did."

Lydia rolled her eyes and groaned. "God, you two are disgusting. I may actually vomit."

"I would gladly hold back your hair rather than watch this a second longer," Stiles said from behind her. "Dance?" he held out his hand.

"Yes, please," she said, placing her hand in his and laughing at the oblivious couple making doe-eyes at each other.

They walked to the dance floor hand-in-hand, muttering under their breaths about how sickeningly sweet the bride and groom were being. The grin on Stiles' face belied his words though. Lydia groaned. "You're not actually grossed out by their behavior! Who are you and what have you done with Stiles?"

He snorted and dragged her onto the dance floor. "Shut up. It's a little cute. And it's their wedding day. I think they're allowed to be gross."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "There's something going on with you. You're being weird. You're not possessed again are you?"

He grimaced at that. "No, I'm not possessed. Can't I just be happy for two members of my pack?"

"Sorry," she said, having wished the words back in her mouth the moment they escaped. "You're just acting really…" Her eyes lit up. "You've met someone!" She looked around. "Who is it?"

Stiles rolled his eyes and scowled. "I haven't met anyone, I don't know what you're talking about."

Lydia's brow rose. "You're a terrible liar, Stiles Stilinski, and I am going to figure out who it is."

Erica cut in just then to whisk Stiles away. "Convenient," Lydia scowled to Boyd, who had taken Stiles' place.

He chuckled and shrugged, twirling and then dipping her. "She's just looking out for Batman."

Lydia rolled her eyes in response. "Do you know anything?" she asked, eyes narrowed on him. He grinned and dipped her again.

Derek rescued them both a few minutes later. "You looked like you were about to scream," he laughed as they shifted into a swing dance.

"Boyd's too good at keeping secrets," she grumbled, never missing a step.

"Well, duh," he said in response.

He twirled her out and back. "You sound like Stiles," she scowled, her mind back to the problem at hand. "I'm going to find out what he's hiding, I swear it."

Scott cut in before Derek could respond. "What's going on?" he asked, hands gripping her waist tightly.

Lydia's arms came up around his shoulders, one hand gripping the back of his neck. "Stiles," she answered, as if that explained everything.

"Ah," Scott nodded sagely, because it did.

They swayed quietly for a few minutes, Lydia seething, Scott silently laughing at her. It was nice. Comforting. Lydia sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I've missed you," he murmured into her ear. "It's been four months since we saw each other when you came back for Mina's birthday party. Way too long for you to be away from home now that you've graduated." His tone was light, but somehow the words felt heavy in her chest.

How was she supposed to respond to that? The answer was, obviously, to distract. "What's your room number?" she whispered into his collar.

He sighed and slipped a card into her hand, whispering the number into her ear as he did. She tried not to feel disappointed that he hadn't pushed. "Meet me up there in fifteen?"

She nodded, gripping his room key tightly. She shared a dance with Isaac and another drink with Allison before she slipped out of the reception and upstairs to Scott's room.

It was nearly two in the morning when she burst into her own room, breath hitching as she fought her panic. "Jesus, Lydia, get it together," she said aloud, a touch of hysteria in her voice.

She went for her closet and began throwing clothes onto her bed. She needed to get out of there.

A light knock came to her door and she shrieked in panic. "Lydia? Are you okay?"

Breathing through her nose to slow her heart rate to a more natural level, she walked over to pull open her door. "What are you doing here?"

Derek walked past her, eyebrows drawn, claws unsheathed. "Your slamming door woke me up, and when I realized your heart was beating about a thousand beats a minute I came over to see what was wrong." He checked her bathroom for intruders and moved on to the bedroom. "Are you…packing?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "No, of course not."

He stepped closer. "Yes you were. Why are you…" he sniffed and groaned. "Oh my God, Lydia. Did you and Scott have a spat? Are you breaking up? Is that what this is about?"

Lydia was already shaking her head. "We did not have a spat. We are not breaking up, because in order to break up with someone, you actually have to have been dating them." Her voice was rising with each word, heart rate back to skyrocketing with anxiety. She breathed in slowly, attempting to get back under control. "But this may be a little bit about Scott," she finished slowly.

Derek sat down on the bed. "What happened?"

Lydia wiped her cheeks. When had she started crying? She wasn't a crier. This situation was untenable. "We've been having sex whenever we see each other, which has been quite a lot the past several months, and we agreed we were just friends messing around, and I'm okay with that, and he's always said he's okay with that, but I just don't think I can do it anymore."

"Why not?" Derek asked calmly. "Has something changed for you?"

She shook her head, pacing back and forth in front of him. "I don't think so? But I don't know. Scott's always been a great guy, you know? So sweet and caring and protective and…well, everything! And I've always loved that about him. So that hasn't changed. But at the same time it's like…" she placed her fist over her stomach. "Butterflies in my stomach, whenever I know I'm going to see him, or talk to him. And that's not a friend thing, or even an I-appreciate-his-fantastic-physique thing. And I realized that about twenty minutes ago when I woke up in his bed, smiling like a lunatic and wanting to brush his hair off of his face. I wanted to brush. His hair. Off of his face, Derek." She widened her eyes at him, throwing her hands out in emphasis.

"Well," he started to reply, but she wasn't finished.

"And the sex!" she started pacing again.

"I don't want to hear this," he mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Usually it's fast and hard, and sometimes fantastically rough. But not tonight! No! Tonight was slow, and deep, and warm, and we were looking into each others' eyes when we came! That's not normal, Derek! That's not a hookup!"

"No, that sounds like you're in love with him," he stated, in an effort to stop her from talking about sex with his Alpha.

She sucked in a breath. "No, that's definitely not what it sounds like," she stated, shaking her head.

He raised an amused brow and nodded. "I'm pretty sure it that's what it sounds like."

"No, no. No. No, it does not," she refused, unable to come up with a coherent argument to prove him wrong. What was wrong with her?

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, don't try to bullshit a bullshitter, Lydia. I know what it's like to be in love with someone and deny those feelings. Just because you say you're not in love with him doesn't mean you're not really in love with him. You can't just will those feelings away."

She narrowed her eyes, studying him, wondering where this newfound wisdom came from. Then she noticed the shirt he was wearing was just a little too tight. "Isn't your room on the other side of the hotel? How did you hear me slamming into my room if you were on the other side of the hotel?" she asked.

Red traveled across his cheeks up to his ears. "We're not talking about me, Lydia, we're talking about you and Scott."

She shook her head. "No. Your room is definitely only a few down from Scott's. The only other person over here is…" her eyes widened. "Stiles?" she screeched, collapsing onto the bed next to him. "Are you serious? You and Stiles have finally got your shit together?"

A muffled voice came from behind the wall her bed was situated against. "Oh my God, Lydia, stop screeching and let my boyfriend counsel you so we can get back to banging."

"Oh my God!" she screeched again, hugging Derek tightly. "I'm so happy for you!"

His face was bright red. "Thanks," he said. "Now, about Scott."

Her face fell, momentary distraction forgotten. "I need to leave. I think if I just stay away from him for a while, it will go away on its own."

Derek shook his head. "I don't think that will work, but you can try. Just…" he sighed. "I want you to be happy. Are you sure running away from a great guy is the best way to go about that?"

"Derek, I live in San Francisco. He's kind of stuck in Beacon Hills. Besides, I don't think he's ready for a relationship either."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, her head resting on his shoulder, before Stiles pounded on the wall and yelled, "I swear to God, Lydia, if you're trying to steal my boyfriend no amount of first-love nostalgia will save you from my wrath!"

She snorted and said, "He's really emphasizing the boyfriend thing, huh?"

Derek rolled his eyes but grinned. "Can you blame him? Hot piece of ass like me?"

She snorted and burst into giggles. "Jesus, you sound exactly like him. Stop talking, immediately."

"Yeah," he grinned. "But it got you laughing."

She shoved him up and said, "Get out of here, you big sap. I'm going to pack up and get a few hours of sleep before I slip out of here." He sighed and stopped by the door, clearly reluctant to leave when he hadn't convinced her to stay. "Go!" she ordered, and he left, shutting the door gently behind him.

She flopped back down on her bed, waited a few seconds, and yelled through the wall, "You two better not try any hanky-panky over there! I don't want to hear that nastiness!"

"Shut up, Lydia, you're just jealous you don't get to tap this hot piece of ass!" came Stiles' response, sending her into a fit of giggles. Derek's sedate, "Goodnight, Lydia. Don't worry, there'll be no hanky-panky over here for the rest of the night," had her cackling into her pillow. She turned on her television, just in case, and packed up her clothes.

She was gone before the others were up the next morning.

+1

Scott was sitting in his office at Deaton's, skimming through a Labrador's file, when he got the call.

"Scotty!" Stiles exclaimed, and Scott jerked the phone further from his ear. An excited Stiles was a loud Stiles.

"Yeah, buddy?" he said, flipping to the next page of the file.

"I need a favor."

He put the file down and narrowed his eyes. "What do you need?" he hedged. He spent half of his childhood grounded because he used to promise to do things for Stiles before he knew what he was promising.

"I need you to take the weekend off and come to San Fran with me, no questions asked."

"Why?" he asked, tapping his fingers on the edge of his desk.

"No questions asked, Scotty!" Stiles whined.

"Stiles, I can't just take off at the last minute for no good reason. I've got appointments. Give me a good reason, and I'll reschedule all of them," he explained patiently.

Scott could hear his scowl. "Can't you just take my word for it, that it's a really good reason?"

"Stiles." He rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Last month you text me the word 'Emergency' and I ran out of here because I thought you were being attacked by something." Silence met his words. He sighed and continued. "Do you remember why you text me 'Emergency', Stiles?"

Stiles grumbled from the other end of the line. "I needed your help finding somewhere fancy for mine and Derek's six month anniversary."

Scott grinned at his friend's surly tone. "Exactly. So you'll understand why I can't just take your word for it."

"Fine," Stiles huffed. "But you can't tell anyone. No one else is supposed to know."

Scott frowned. "Done. Now what is it?"

Stiles paused. Scott was sure he was changing his mind about telling him, and then he blurted, "Derek and I are eloping and you need to be there, as my best man."

Scott's jaw dropped. "What? You two are eloping? But you only just got together!"

"Keep up, Scotty. We've been together six months. Besides, we've talked about it a lot and we know we're it for each other. We're ready for this. So now can you clear your schedule and come down with us?"

He only took a second to answer. "Of course. When are we leaving?"

He hadn't seen Lydia since Isaac and Allison's wedding. He thought everything had been great between them, but she'd been gone when he woke up the next morning. She'd told him she had a work thing when he'd called her the next day, which had been believable at the time, but every time he'd wanted to get together after that, she'd made an excuse.

"Has she said anything to you?" Scott asked, fidgeting in the back seat of Derek's Camaro.

He watched Stiles and Derek exchange a look before Derek cleared his throat. "About what?"

Scott rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not an idiot. You're probably her best friend, aside from Allison. Did she say anything about me? Did she sound weird when you told her I was coming?"

They exchanged another look. Not subtle at all. Stiles answered that time. "We didn't talk about you specifically. We just said everyone was coming down for the weekend."

"And she didn't ask about me?" Scott bit his lip.

Stiles rolled his eyes. "No, she didn't. Why? Did you want her to ask about you?"

Scott slumped down into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "No," he bit out. "Maybe," he conceded, seeing Derek's incredulous eyebrows in the rearview mirror. "She's just been acting weird, and it's freaking me out. Do you think she's not into me anymore?" His question was soft as he picked at the edge of his sweater.

Derek sighed. Stiles pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I think that's a conversation you need to have with Lydia, buddy."

"Oh my God!" He slumped farther down in his seat. "I knew it! She's over me, isn't she? I was trying to play it cool, just like she wanted, and now I've blown it!"

"Wait, what do you mean, she wanted you to play it cool?" Stiles turned around as far as he could in his seat.

"Well, she kept insisting we not tell anyone, and at first I thought it was because she knew I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but—"

"Wait, wait, wait. What? You didn't want to hurt my feelings? I haven't liked Lydia since…" He shook his head in confusion. "You guys haven't been messing around since high school, have you?"

Scott's eyes turned dreamy. "Well, the first time was that party after we graduated." He grinned at the memory. "We were both a little drunk, so it didn't go farther than kissing."

Stiles slammed his hand against the center console to get his attention. "You're telling me this has been going on for over eight years and I only just found out about it a few months ago? Did you know about this?" he asked, glaring at his fiancé.

Derek shifted in his seat. "Well, I didn't know the whole time."

Stiles' eyes narrowed. "How long?"

He cleared his throat. "Since they hooked up at Erica and Boyd's rehearsal dinner."

"That was over three years ago, Derek."

"Like Scott said," Derek defended himself, "Lydia didn't want anyone to know."

"Yes, but I'm your fiancé," he argued, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're supposed to tell me all the secrets." Derek rolled his eyes while Stiles' attention shifted back to his best friend. "Scott, you at the very least should have told me anything that happened after we started college. You definitely knew I was over Lydia then."

Scott nodded, dopey grin fading. "But it doesn't matter now. She's been weird with me on the phone, and she's been avoiding me for months, since Isaac and Allison's wedding. She's definitely moved on."

"Are you sure? I mean, shouldn't something like this be discussed face to face? You could ask her this weekend."

Scott sighed and looked morosely out the window. "No, I know how to take a hint. I won't bother her about it." He shifted his gaze back to the couple in the front. "Besides, this weekend is about you guys, not me. Don't even worry about it." He went back to staring out the window for the rest of the drive.

She was definitely avoiding him. She was trying to make it seem like she was too busy with preparations for a last-minute wedding for any lengthy conversation with him, but she didn't seem to have a problem catching up with Allison or Kira and Mina. Even Erica was getting more of Lydia's attention than he was, and they'd never been the best of friends.

Which was fine. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable around him, so maybe if he acted like things weren't weird, she would know he was okay with going back to being just friends. At least he wouldn't lose her completely that way.

"Scott, I will give you ten thousand dollars to repeat back to me what I just told you."

Scott startled and turned back to Stiles. He hadn't even realized he'd zoned him out to stare at Lydia at the other end of the table.

"Where would you even get ten thousand dollars?" he asked, avoiding Stiles' eyes by taking a sip of his water.

Stiles smirked and wiggled his left hand in Scott's face. "I just married into money. I get half of whatever this guy makes," he pointed out, throwing his thumb over his shoulder to indicate Derek, who merely rolled his eyes. "Have you seen the ridiculous prices his work gets? I got me a sugar daddy," he said with a smug grin.

The pack members sitting close enough to Stiles to overhear his statement groaned. It wasn't the first time he'd pointed that out. When their attention shifted back to their other conversations, Stiles' smile dimmed. "Why don't you just go talk to her? It's better than angsting away over here."

Scott scowled. "This coming from the guy who angsted after her all through high school."

"Says the guy who's angsted after her for about as long as I did," Stiles pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning like he'd won the argument. "Seriously, you guys need to work this out. You're driving me crazy, and this is supposed to be my happy day." Derek harrumphed from his other side and Stiles placed a soothing pat on his thigh. "Our happy day, sorry Der-bear."

Derek growled at the nickname but nodded in agreement. "You should leave so I can kill him without leaving any witnesses."

Stiles grinned up at him and took Derek's chin in hand, shaking his head a little. "Aww, I love you too, sweet cheeks."

Derek blushed and that was too much for Scott. He stood. "Alright, I'm leaving. Your disgusting newlywed antics are grossing me out."

Instead of finding another seat at the table, he made for the elevator. He'd go up to his room, take a breather on his balcony, talk himself out of his funk, and come back down to the hotel's restaurant to finish up the celebration. Yeah, he nodded to himself. That sounded like a great plan. He rolled his eyes and hit the button for his floor. Just as the doors were sliding shut, Lydia slipped in, glaring down at a wet spot on her blue dress.

It wasn't until she'd looked up to hit her floor number that she realized he was in the elevator also. "Oh. Hi," she said. Her heartbeat picked up.

He managed a wan smile and waved. From two feet away. God, he was an idiot. "Hi."

He fidgeted in the back corner, not knowing what to say. They were almost to the seventh floor, where the pack had a string of connected rooms, when she spoke up. "How are you?" she asked, meeting his eyes for the first time since they'd first seen each other yesterday.

He cleared his throat, determined to make the situation as normal as possible for her, but his answer was cut off when the elevator lurched to a stop between floors.

Lydia frowned and leaned in front of him to press the button for their floor again. "What the hell?" she murmured, huffing and pressing the button to call for maintenance. There was no answer. "Shit," she said. She looked over at him and asked, "Do you have your phone on you? I left mine at the table."

He was already shoving his hands into his pockets when he remembered. "No. I left it upstairs for dinner."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, but nodded her understanding. "Well," she began, slipping out of her shoes and taking a seat on the opposite wall from him. "I'm sure someone will notice soon enough." She closed her eyes, breathing deep.

He cocked his head as he listened to her heart, still thundering away in her chest. "Are you okay?"

She jolted and opened her eyes. "Yes," she said, her heartbeat betraying her.

Scott shook his head and sat down on the wall next to hers. "You're not. Your heart is racing. Are you afraid of being trapped in small spaces or something? I can't believe I never noticed before." He glared down at his hands, twisting them in his lap.

"I'm not claustrophobic," she blurted, chest nearly heaving with her anxiety.

He shifted closer to her, on the same wall, but almost the entire length of the elevator away from her. "Well then what is it? How can I help?"

He had been leaning toward her, needing to offer her comfort, but he fell back when she leveled a lethal glare on him. "It's you, Scott McCall. It's your fault I'm freaking out, so you can't really help me, no."

He pushed himself back into the corner of the elevator and studied her for several long moments before he sighed. "Look," he started, avoiding her eyes. "I know being around me makes you uncomfortable, after what I said the last time, so if you want we can pretend it never happened and go back to being just friends." He squeezed his hands into fists and swallowed hard. "I need you in my life, even if you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you. Please say we can still be friends," he pleaded, eyes finally lifting to look at her.

She looked…confused, and her heart was still racing. "What do you mean, about not feeling the same way as you do about me? How do you feel about me?"

Scott huffed, and crossed his arms. Why was she making him say it again? "I told you I loved you, and when I woke up the next morning, you were gone. I bought your excuse that you had a work emergency, but when you avoided me for six months after that, it became pretty clear my feelings were not reciprocated."

She was silent for ten whole seconds before she screeched out, "What?! You never said that! I would remember if you had said that! If you had said that, I wouldn't have fled your room at 2am and left the city before the sun was up!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What."

She smiled in a way that sent shivers down his spine. And not the good kind of shivers. "Scott. Sweetie. Did you maybe tell me you loved me after I fell asleep?"

He thought back and shrugged. "I don't know." He flinched at her glare. "Maybe? I didn't exactly wait up to hear your response. I was too tired from…you know." He blushed but couldn't quite suppress his grin.

"Oh my God!" she yelled, startling him out of his reverie. "You complete idiot." He raised a brow and she nodded, scowling. "Okay, fine, we're both idiots. But you should have said something sooner!"

He inched closer to her. "Does this mean things can go back to the way they were?"

She shook her head and he stopped shifting closer. "No. This means we are actually going to go out together. On dates."

She slid closer to flip into his lap, straddling him. "This means you and I are going to be in a relationship." His hands rested on her hips, and she took his face between her hands. "This means you are going to come over tomorrow to help me pack the rest of my things to take back to Beacon Hills."

He'd been leaning in to kiss her, but he shifted back to look her in the eyes. "What?"

"I quit my job last week. I kind of hate it here, so I'm moving back home."

He thought back for a minute and laughed. "With Kira? She's been totally shifty about why she needed to clear out her spare room."

Lydia nodded and leaned into press a short kiss to his lips. He groaned and tried to follow when she pulled away. "I've been looking at the openings in town, but I was also looking at office space to open my own practice."

He nodded. "Whatever you think is best for you."

She smiled and leaned down to kiss him again, this time slipping her tongue out to tease his bottom lip down. As they kissed, his hands roamed up her back from her waist to her shoulders, pulling her body closer to his. She was writhing on top of him, and the moans that escaped her when they separated for air were filthy. They needed a bed, now.

"Who says we can't just do it here?" she whispered into his ear, rocking back and forth in his lap. He whimpered as she pressed down on him; feeling her heat through their layers of clothing and was driving him mad. She chuckled and pressed down again. "Come on, Scott. Take me right here in this elevator. But you better do it fast." She licked into his mouth again, her movements speeding up. "It could start moving again any second."

She gasped when he growled and lifted them both, quickly setting them on their feet. His hand went immediately to the zipper in the back of her dress, while hers went to his shirt, swiftly taking care of his buttons.

The dress slid down her body to pool at her feet and she pushed his shirt away as they leaned in for another rough kiss. "Please tell me you've got a condom," she moaned as he bent down to lave at her nipple.

He pulled away far enough to grunt out, "Wallet," and then returned his attentions to her breasts.

"Jesus," she gasped, shoving her hand into his back pocket to retrieve the condom.

"No, Scott," he grinned as he pulled back.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but grin back. "You're an idiot," she said, raising her free hand to run her fingers through his hair.

He leaned into her touch, smiling down at her as he unbuckled his pants. "Yeah, but you love me for it," he said as he shoved down his slacks and underwear in one movement. He heard her heart stutter and her breath hitch as she nodded, leaning back in for another kiss. He took the condom from her and covered himself. "How do you want to do this?"

Her eyes swept the elevator and she scowled. "I don't know why I thought this was a good idea."

His eyes twinkled as he rid her of her remaining underwear. "You wanted to be spontaneous and daring." He lowered himself to the floor and pulled her down on top of him. "Ride me," he suggested, linking their hands on his stomach as he looked up at her.

She nodded in agreement, leaning down to kiss him as she rubbed her body up and down his. "That sounds like a good plan," she murmured, licking his neck.

His hips thrust up into hers and he moaned as she sucked hard on his throat. She pulled back with a grin and leaned down to give him a smacking kiss on his lips as she gripped his cock in her free hand and lowered herself onto him.

She slid all the way down and stilled, breathing hard. Before he could ask if she was alright, she flexed her inner muscles, gripping him tighter. He let out a harsh breath and squeezed her hand. "Oh my God," he mumbled, staring down at where they were connected.

"No, Lydia," she said, grinning down at him.

His laugh was cut off when she moved her hips, starting a slow rhythm. She moved their entwined hands up by Scott's head, her free hand on his chest for balance. When she leaned down for another kiss he buried his fingers in her hair.

He started thrusting his hips up when she'd established a good pace. She pulled away to catch her breath and his hand traveled down her neck, fingers pausing at the thrum of her pulse, then continuing down the center of her chest. He paused again for a second, palming her breast and tweaking her nipple, before continuing down her stomach. He slid over to her hip, around and back to squeeze her ass before sliding down her thigh and around again to right above where they were connected.

Her nails dug into his chest as his fingers drifted closer. "Scott," she gasped. "I can't keep this up much longer."

He nodded and started thrusting his hips harder and brushing his thumb over her clit at the same time. "Come on, Lyds," he murmured, rotating his thumb and pressing down harder to send her over the edge.

Her thighs gripped his waist as she came, her inner walls spasming around him. A few more thrusts into her tight heat and he was coming with a hoarse shout.

She collapsed on top of him, her hair falling into his face, but he just breathed her in. As they lay together, skin cooling and hearts returning to a normal pace, Scott became aware of what was happening outside the elevator doors.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered.

Lydia turned her head to listen and furrowed her brow. "Is that..?" Her expression cleared and she leapt up, hands clenched at her sides. "Is that Aerosmith?"

Scott groaned and sat up. "Yes, it is. That's 'Love in an Elevator', and Stiles is right outside the door." He started pulling on his briefs as Lydia began pounding on the elevator door.

"STILES YOU FIX THIS ELEVATOR RIGHT NOW AND LET US OUT BEFORE I SCREAM LOUD ENOUGH TO MELT YOUR BRAIN!"

"Did you guys make up?" he yelled, though judging by the song he'd been playing, he knew they had.

"STILES!" She screamed, shaking with rage. "THIS IS NOT FUNNY. OPEN THIS DOOR IMMEDIATELY."

"Alright, alright," he conceded, and before Scott could warn him to wait a second, he heard Stiles mumbling something under his breath and the doors slid open to reveal…the entire pack waiting outside the elevator doors. And Lydia was still naked.

She stalked forward, fist raised, glaring at Stiles, but Scott pulled her back behind him and handed her the shirt he'd been in the process of donning when she'd demanded Stiles open the door.

She shoved her arms in the sleeves, buttoning up as quickly as she could, muttering under her breath about interfering friends. Scott was glaring at the others to look away. Isaac, Boyd, and Derek had averted their eyes the second they saw Lydia was naked. Kira and Allison were communicating with each other over the guys' heads via complicated eyebrow movements, while Erica stared unabashedly at Scott's half-clothed body. Stiles was grinning from ear to ear, nodding at Scott as though to say, "I've got your back, bro."

"Shut up, Stiles," Scott scowled, though his lips did twitch when Stiles let out a crow of victory.

"I knew it! I knew you guys could work it out if you just had some alone time together," he said, pumping a fist in the air. His smile faded when his eyes shifted to Lydia, who was glaring at him from behind Scott's back.

Scott turned to her, about to offer an apology, but she merely handed him his pants and shoes with a shake of her head. Her dress was draped over her arm, heels in hand. She took Scott's hand in hers and, not sparing a glance for anyone standing outside the elevator doors, she led him down the hall to her hotel room. Once they were inside, she made a point of putting the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on her doorknob, shutting and locking the door with a final click.