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Chapter Text

Jackson sighed and opened his locker, just one more class until lunch- today had been so boring! After lunch, just three more classes… and then the weekend! As he blindly reached in to grab his book, his fingers touched something lacy- what? Jackson looked, finding Lydia's bra hanging in there. Oh? He turned and looked around for his girlfriend, shutting his locker a bit so no one else saw it.

"Jackson."

It was just a whisper, but he could tell it was her voice; he was highly tuned to it already, having known her intimately for a few years. He turned and saw her leaning against the wall at the far end of the hall, checking her hair in her compact mirror.

"Empty classroom, 2 minutes," she whispered, shutting her mirror. As she turned away, she winked at him.

Jackson slammed his locker shut and went after her, only just remembering to rein himself in, walking at a brisk pace. Lydia knew that he loved when they snuck out of class and if he showed up right away she'd only tease him mercilessly about being too eager. Plus she was trying to help him hone his Were abilities because she understood him a better than Scott or Derek. So now he had to try and find her in an empty classroom while there were still tons of students wandering the halls… Jackson narrowed his eyes, concentrating… there were too many heartbeats for him to focus on hers though. That kind of focus was still hard for him, heartbeats were harder to separate. But before he could get too frustrated, he heard a low moan, a whispering of his name. Jackson followed the noise, pushing past kids, drowning out all other sounds. When he found the right door, he knocked and then twisted the knob.

Lydia was leaning against the desk, hands running up and down her body; when he came in she beckoned him closer with a nod of her head, "You made it."

He closed the door and strode over to her, kissing her neck and running his hands up her thighs, "Of course."

She moaned lightly, running a hand through his hair, "And even faster than last time, you're getting better. Let's practice on your shift control then." Lydia pivoted, Jackson now resting against the desk. She unbuttoned his pants while sucking a hickey into his neck. "Let's see how long you can last before the claws come out this time."

Jackson growled lightly, already turned on- he was certain that his eyes were probably glowing too. But that was acceptable, it was his claws and his fangs that were deal-breakers right now. He gripped the desk and willed his heart to slow down as Lydia kissed her way down his body. He only needed to hold back the shift for a few minutes… but Lydia was damn good with her mouth… he wasn't sure he'd make it.

Chapter Text

Lydia was sitting on one of the swings, barely moving as she daydreamed about her future. The teacher had been telling them about all these important people with big important jobs and she was going to be one of them when she grew up! She was pulled out of her daydreams when a boy roughly shook her shoulder.

"Get off the swing if you aren't even going to use it!"

Lydia scowled at him, "I am using it! I'm just not doing really big swings, but I'm swinging all the same."

"No you aren't," he argued. Then he turned to his friend, rolling his eyes dramatically, "Girls are so stupid, they don't even know what swings are for."

She ignored him, continuing to lightly kick her feet to maintain her low momentum. Boys like him weren't worth her time, her mommy said so.

The boy frowned and narrowed his eyes, "Don't ignore me, I'm a boy so you have to listen to me and I say that you aren't using the swing right so you gotta get off!" He grabbed her arm and started to pull her out of the plastic seat.

"Let go!" Lydia yelled, wondering if any of the grown-ups were watching. She didn't want to get in trouble for hurting him but she would if he didn't let go!

"Let go of her!" Another voice called out. A third boy walked up to them and pulled his hand off of her arm and stood between them. When the first boy tried to argue, the boy just spoke over him. "You can't pick on girls just because you're a boy! My Mommy says that picking on people is what bullies do- you're a bully and I don't like bullies!"

The boy and his friend just laughed, calling out that if he wanted to defend a girl then he'd end up with cooties!

"I don't care! No one deserves to get picked on, 'specially not girls by boys that are bigger than them! I'd rather get cooties than be a bully like you!"

"Yea whatever, I don't wanna swing anymore anyways!"

Lydia watched as the two boys walked away, smiling at the boy that helped her, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Before he could say anything else, one of his friends called out to him to come play and he ran off.

Lydia watched him play though, he wasn't in her class so she didn't know him at all, but his friend had called out for a 'Jackson' so that had to be him. She hoped that maybe they could be friends, boys like him were smart and respectable. Sadly she moved to the other side of town shortly after that and never really got to know Jackson. It wasn't until she got to high school that she heard someone calling out the name Jackson again. She whirled around, scanning the crowd for his face… she wasn't even sure if she'd recognize him after all those years, and Jackson wasn't a super rare name… but the instant she saw him smile she knew it was him. Lydia patted her hair and checked her lip gloss before heading his way, hoping that he was still the sweet boy that saved her back then.

Chapter Text

"Jackson, have you even heard a word I've said?" Lydia asked, exasperated.

Jackson rolled his eyes, "I can play a game and listen at the same time."

"I seriously doubt that," she mumbled to herself. She could understand that sometimes she talked about stuff that he really didn't care about, and that's what her girlfriends were for… But she'd been dropping hints about her birthday and the party she was going to be throwing! That was definitely something that fell into the 'important' category. If he thought that he could get by with some mediocre gift and still get sex then he'd be in for a rude awakening! She huffed and excused herself to the restroom.

Jackson waited until he heard the bathroom door close before he hurried over to the magazine that she'd left on the bed. He panicked when he didn't recall the actual name of the shoe- how was he supposed to keep those things straight? But then he saw the green ones and remembered that she mentioned that they'd go great with one of the dresses she was going to wear at her party. He snapped a photo of it and checked the previous page, letting out a sigh of relief when he didn't see any other green ones… then he'd have to guess at which pair was the one she wanted. Jackson hurried back to the desk chair and pulled Angry Birds back up before Lydia came back to the room.

-Later that week-

"Hey, Lydia, you're coming back to my house right?" Jackson called out as he toweled his face off.

"You're showering first right?" she shot back.

"Of course, I'm not going to get my car all sweaty and smelly, you know that."

"I'll wait by the car then," was all she said, gathering up her things. A bunch of the other boys snickered or sighed with jealousy. Lydia knew that at least half of them were aware that they were having sex, but they were dating so it didn't matter much, just as long as none of them got to see the pictures on Jackson's phone there wouldn't be trouble. She was carefully leaning against the passenger door, debating if she should finally give him a treat. Ever since he'd blown her off she'd been stingy with any kind of naughty touches… it hadn't seemed to do any good though, he didn't apologize for his lack of attention… Lydia knew he probably wasn't going to change so it wasn't really worth the effort of punishing him if he didn't realize that he was being punished.

"Alright, I'm all clean now Princess," Jackson said, surprising her. He was preoccupied about how he was going to present her gift and didn't see her jump as she looked up at him. Instead he lightly kissed her cheek and opened her door for her. The ride to his house was quiet, Lydia was on her phone and Jackson began to wonder if he'd done something wrong… She'd been acting pretty standoffish the past few times he had brought up sex but he hadn't said or done anything different than usual… had he? By the time they were walking through the front door, he was hoping that he could at least give her the present before they got into another fight over who knows what.

"Just so you know, I do need to be home by 6:30, we're supposed to have a 'family' dinner tonight," Lydia called out as she automatically went to Jackson's room.

By the time Jackson grabbed the present out of his parents' closet and went to his room, Lydia was sitting on his bed, facing away from him with the back of her dress unzipped. He almost forgot about the bag in his hand, that wasn't what she did when she was preparing for a fight- that's what she did when she was offering sex. Something she'd pushed off the past couple of days. Jackson closed his door and cleared his throat. "As much as I want to accept the invitation, there's something I want to give you first."

Lydia's head snapped around to look at him, he would never hesitate to come over and finish undressing her. She saw the bag in his hand and her eyes widened. She managed to not rush over, slowly standing up and asking, "What's this?"

"An early birthday present," he said as he handed her the bag. Jackson watched as she carefully set it down and reached inside; there was a moment of disbelief as she registered what she was holding. Jackson couldn't help but smile as he saw the look on her face go from curious to surprise to joy.

"The heels I wanted. You… you were listening?"

"Yea. I might not know a lot about shoes but it wasn't hard to understand that you were dropping hints about what you wanted me to get you and-"

"Why didn't you just say you were paying attention?!" Lydia cried out, frowning a bit. She'd been so mad at him, thinking that he didn't care about her interests.

"I dunno… I figured it would be more of a surprise this way, so you wouldn't just be expecting me to get you those." He stepped closer to her, grinning, "I know we've only been dating a year and I'm just some jock, but I do care about you- and not just in a physical way. I might not understand all of the girly things you talk about but I know what 'I want these please' sounds like. That I listen to."

"I'll remember that the next time I ask you to watch a movie with me."

"Speaking of, there's a card in the bag that you missed."

Lydia turned back to the bag and pulled the wrapping paper out, finding the envelope. Inside was a cheesy romantic card with hearts all over it. But more importantly, there was a message written inside. "For your birthday weekend, I, Jackson, promise to watch one movie of your choice with zero complaining. Choose wisely," she read aloud.

"Just… please, not The Notebook, we've seriously watched it so many times and I know it's your favorite but I need a break."

"What happened to no complaining?" Lydia teased.

Jackson pointed to the card, "I said on your birthday weekend, when we're actually watching the movie, I won't complain. You technically haven't picked one yet, I was just voicing my opinion that maybe we should watch some other movie."

"How about A Walk to Remember then? It's been awhile since we've watched that one."

"Yea, okay, we can watch that one," Jackson promised, pulling his girlfriend into a hug. He even waited for Lydia to whisper a thank you before asking if sex was still on the table.

Chapter Text

Lydia whispered his name and did the only thing she could think of… she held out the key to his house, finally willing to give it up if it meant he'd be saved. She didn't understand the situation at all, but all she needed to know was that the lizard creature was really Jackson but that he didn't remember he was Jackson. So she'd make him remember!

The Kanima froze, blinked… stared at the key. Slowly, as if emerging from a fog, Jackson started to regain himself. He recognized the key, slowly realized that he recognized the person holding the key… it was Lydia. And that it was his house key. Slowly his vision shifted and faded to normal as his reptilian eyes changed back. He moved slowly, taking a step towards Lydia, confused and lost… where was he, why was she crying? Cautiously he reached out and grabbed the key, not understanding why his hand looked so strange, was that even his hand?

As soon as he grabbed the key, memories flashed through his brain. He remembered the night when he gave her the key, it was a few months after they had started dating… Their relationship had moved pretty fast, neither of them bothering to wait when it came to sex. Jackson grew to appreciate Lydia fairly quickly, but not just because of the physical stuff, she was good at listening, even when she was pretending to be nonchalant. When he'd given her the key he'd made a joke that he wanted her to be available to him, and of course she laughed, but both of them knew it meant so much more. Neither of them wanted to really admit their feelings, they were just the clichéd couple in high school, it wasn't supposed to be anything serious. But Jackson felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest when he finally gave her a key to the house, because he knew that she understood his silent declaration of love. The best part was that nothing else really changed for them, Lydia didn't suddenly become some demanding, clingy girlfriend… she was the same Lydia as before. And he was able to remain the same Jackson, nothing new was expected of him. They just worked well together.

Jackson wrapped his fingers around the key as strong, conflicting emotions ran through him. He loved Lydia, Lydia was his girlfriend… but something didn't feel right. He felt disconnected from it all… almost as if they weren't really his memories… As he looked at Lydia again, he started to recall other memories of her… He remembered that she was the one that approached him their freshman year. Jackson couldn't help but be turned on by her confidence- he'd known that she was trying to position herself as a top player in the school hierarchy, but it was also more than that. He'd seen her red hair and green eyes and just knew… She was the little girl on the swings from third grade. The one that had moved just a few weeks later. Jackson also remembered all the fights, how he thought that she was holding him back, that he was better off without her. He could believe that he'd said those things to her, they weren't true. Not even close. Lydia made him a better person, actually helped him learn how to cope with his feelings. No matter how badly he treated her in the past few months… she still didn't want to give up on him. She stubbornly held onto his house key and now she was saving him… again. Pulling him out of the sea of uncertainty, just like before. Jackson couldn't believe that he used to dislike her stubbornness and tenacity.

Slowly the scales faded away as his sense of self came back, a different shift coming over him as his embraced his life, himself, and he fully transformed into the Werewolf he was meant to be. He let out a roar as he adjusted to the feel of power and then slowly unshifted. Jackson looked at her and at the key in his hand… she was giving it back after all… "Do you… still…?" He couldn't bring himself to say the rest, still afraid to admit it aloud even now. Wasn't she giving it back because she didn't like the monster he'd become, both as a Kanima and a Human?

"Yes, yes I still love you," she replied with tears in her eyes.

He ran to Lydia and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair and breathing deep. He didn't deserve someone like Lydia, he really didn't… and yet there she was, risking her life for him. Jackson couldn't stop the tears that were rolling down his cheeks, but he didn't care. Lydia was hugging him back, that was all that mattered.

Chapter Text

"Lydia, can you just get off my back? Like seriously, go away, I'm sick of you right now!" Jackson snapped.

She stood there and gaped at him, shocked. She'd only asked him if he wanted to come over to her house after school today. He had shrugged and she started to say that her parents wanted to give him his present and then he exploded. "What the hell is your problem?! First you blow me off this morning, didn't even wave to me when you got to school, then you ignore me in Second… now I'm 'on your back'? What's that even supposed to mean? We're dating in case you forgot Jackson, I'm allowed to talk to you!"

"I don't want to go over to your house and I don't feel like talking to you right now! I thought that would've been obvious when I was ignoring you!" Jackson slammed his locker shut and walked away, pushing his way past people.

"Jackson, why are you acting like an idiot?" Lydia screamed after him. She focused on her anger so none of the other students would guess that his words really hurt her. She knew that both of them had appearances to worry about at school and that he tried to act all aloof and standoffish… but he was never like that with her. Jackson had never snapped at her like that, and she'd acted way clingier before today. Something was wrong, and Lydia wanted to get to the bottom of it! She stormed outside, calling his name, if he didn't want to have this conversation out on the lacrosse field in front of everyone, he'd answer. "Jackson, what's the matter?!"

"Leave me alone dammit!"

"No, not until you tell me why you're taking your anger out on me, I don't deserve to be treated like this! I've done nothing wrong! My parents and I just wanted to give you a gift, is that so bad?"

Jackson turned around and glared at her, anger building up even more. But when he saw the look of surprise on her face, saw how she took a step back, he realized that she was right. He had no reason to act so nasty towards her, he was just in a rotten mood. "I'm… I'm sorry… you're right. I'm too mad to talk about it now though, maybe after practice."

She watched as he sprinted off towards the locker rooms, not even waiting for her to agree. She'd never seen Jackson so angry before, it was disconcerting. But it hadn't been directed at her, he'd apologized for it. Slowly she walked over to the field, wondering if she could trust him. If a guy ever got that mad… wouldn't he eventually take it out on her? She chewed on her lip, not even watching practice, just sitting on the bleachers, waiting. She would listen to his story and then decide if she could accept his reason. If it sounded absurd or dangerous, she might have to break up with him…

-After Practice-

Jackson took his time in the shower, debating if he could really tell Lydia the truth. They hadn't been dating that long but he liked her. She wasn't too demanding and only had him sit through boring chick flick movies every once in awhile. But he had a secret that he wasn't really sure how to tell anyone… how could Lydia look at him the same way if he couldn't even look at himself the same way? He sighed and shut off the water, slowly getting dressed. She deserved the truth and if she didn't like it, he'd at least ask that she keep it a secret. He was relieved when he saw her still out on the bleachers, waiting for him.

As soon as she saw him finally come out of the locker room, she stood up and started to walk over to him. There were still a few others hanging around the bleachers and she guessed that he didn't want anyone to hear the conversation. "We could go for a walk around the track, there shouldn't be anyone there," she offered when she got closer.

"Um yea… that's fine. Thanks for waiting…" Jackson mumbled, feeling awkward. They were both silent as they walked to the track. They remained silent for the first half a lap, before Jackson finally decided to start talking. "I don't really know how to… tell you… I've never told… so please, you can't tell anyone!"

"Maybe," Lydia offered, eyeing Jackson.

"Please!" he begged. But he knew that Lydia wouldn't promise him anything other than the maybe… not until she heard more. "Today is a bad day for me… it's an anniversary of sorts…"

"It's your birthday…"

Jackson nodded and went quiet for another moment. "There's a reason that my… parents celebrate my birthday the weekend before. Because I hate my birthday."

"Can I ask why?" Lydia prodded after a few more minutes of silence. Slowly she pulled him over to the small set of bleachers, sitting down and turning to face him.

"Five years ago… no… it started nine years ago. Nine years ago my parents explained to me that I was adopted. I was young at the time so I didn't ask too many questions. They did the usual, assured me that they loved me very much even if they weren't my birth parents, blah blah. I understood what it meant, but it took me a long time to really process it. Then, five years ago, I finally got up the courage to ask my parents for more information about my birth parents. How come they didn't want me, what were the circumstances, did they leave me anything? Would they want to see me? That was when Dad showed me. He had a news article in his office, said that he had wanted to wait and wasn't sure when the right time would be to tell me. But now that I was asking questions, he'd give me the truth instead of lie. My birth parent died in a car accident on April 15th, 1995." He waited for Lydia to figure it out, scared of how she might react. It didn't take her long.

"That's your actual birthday though, not like… a year later or something. You were born on the same day they died. Jackson… you were born because she died… weren't you?" Lydia guessed, her voice a whisper.

Jackson nodded. "I guess my due date was just a few weeks later, I wasn't super premature and somehow the doctors were able to save me… even if they couldn't save my mom…"

"That… that had to be awfully hard to hear."

"It was. I had all these questions, I had finally built up the courage to ask them and suddenly I wasn't going to get any answers."

Lydia slowly reached out and took his hand, "I can't imagine how that felt, how it still feels. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I'm… I'm sorry for taking it out on you," he mumbled, still too afraid to look up at her face, to see pity… But Lydia put her hand on his cheek and forced his head up.

"It's okay to be hurt and upset, and now I know for next year. We'll give you your presents early and, whatever you need from me, just let me know. Space, for everything to just be normal, we can skip if you want, just tell me."

Jackson couldn't believe what he was hearing, what he was seeing. He'd gotten pitiful glances for years, he knew the subtle looks someone's eyes got when they were feeling pity for him. Lydia's eyes were different, her words were different. He saw understanding and compassion but not pity. "Thank you."

Chapter Text

Jackson smiled down at the flyer in his hands, it was perfect, almost like the universe was finally pointing him in the right direction. He quickly folded it up and put it in his pocket, making a note to clear his calendar. Lydia was going to be so surprised! But first she was going to be disappointed, he'd be missing their weekend Skype calls for the next 4 weeks. The very next day he called and booked his spot in the race, promising to show up for the practice rounds. An amateur league racing tournament, that actually provided cars for the racers! Grand prize for first place was $3,000. If he won… he'd finally be able to buy Lydia an engagement ring without having to use his settlement money… she'd been adamant that he spend that on himself, furthering his education or personal hobbies- it was his money, not hers. He'd have to use some of it to pay for the entrance fees of course but he counted that as a personal hobby, he suddenly wanted to learn how to race cars!

*Day of the race*

Jackson was ready; he'd done well on the practice days, worked hard to learn what the instructors were telling them. He was absolutely confident that he could do it. He started the car and took his place in the starting lineup, body tense as he waited for the flag. Jackson already knew which guys to watch out for, there were two that seemed like they wanted to play dirty and then a couple that just seemed to be bad drivers. But they did well enough to pass the test so they were in the race too.

The flag waved and everyone gunned their engines, warming up the cars and getting ready for the pace lap. Jackson was ready to go, he wanted to get out in front and stay there, that was the best chance of winning. It was only twenty laps so he didn't have any time to waste. As they made their slow circuit around the track, Jackson was plotting his moves, remembering how the other drivers navigated the track over the past couple of weeks. It wouldn't take him long to get up to 3rd place but after that he'd have to work for it. But he had 20 laps, he could do it. He pressed down on the accelerator as the green flag was waved, the race had officially started.

Jackson waited, keeping up with the other cars and not losing any ground to them either, he needed to wait for his chance. Everyone was still settling their nerves- the race had officially begun and none of them had ever raced before. Jackson knew that he'd find an opening eventually, he just had to be patient. By the fifth lap he was in 4th place and was making sure no one could sneak in beside him on the turns. By the tenth lap he'd managed to scrape his way into 3rd but dropped down to 5th in the sixth lap. That was when Jackson really buckled down and got serious, he couldn't lose. "No more mistakes," he warned himself as he pushed for 4th place once more.

There were 3 laps left and Jackson was battling to hold onto first place. There were two other drivers right behind him just waiting for an opening. Jackson wasn't going to give it to them if he could help it. "That grand prize is mine," he growled out as they came up to another turn. One of the drivers tried to cut in on the turn but Jackson managed to stay ahead, pulling away as he straightened the wheel. But the driver beside him couldn't match his maneuver and ending up clipping his rear bumper as they messed up on the turn. Time slowed down as Jackson struggled to maintain control of his car. It wasn't a bad bump, he convinced himself that he could fix it… or he could have until the third driver freaked out. They over-corrected to avoid the second driver and they didn't see Jackson's car until it was too late. The second bump was a lot rougher and Jackson struggled to control the vehicle. There was a loud tearing noise as he was slammed into the wall, the concrete railing shearing away at the side of the car. Jackson started to panic as he lost control of the car, it swerved away from the rail sharply and slammed into someone else and then he was flipping through the air, shattered glass flying everywhere. He winced as the loud crunch of metal filled his ears, his head was ringing and he was disoriented… When the car finally came to a stop, it took precious seconds to realize that he was upside down and even then he had to concentrate to think of how to get out of the car… His arms felt heavy and he struggled to work the release for the harness. It wasn't until he smelled the gasoline that he realized he was in trouble… He tried harder to unbuckle his harness but he wasn't fast enough… Jackson screamed as his car was suddenly engulfed in flames.

He couldn't think, couldn't breathe… couldn't do anything beside flail in pain. He didn't even realize that there were people around him until he felt hands pulling him away from the car, blankets thrown over him to try and smother the fire. He was in pain and he still couldn't breathe very well, even as they laid him on a stretcher. Jackson groaned, reaching out to anyone that was close enough, mouth opening and closing as he tried to tell them something. But no one heard him, they were all too busy yelling about what to do to try and save him. His arm dropped as his strength left him but he continued to mumble the same sentence over and over, praying that someone would hear him.

-miles away-

Lydia huffed and closed the laptop, frustrated.

"Jackson still busy?" Allison asked.

"Apparently. I tried calling on Skype, tried texting him, calling his phone… it goes straight to voicemail. I know that Jackson isn't cheating on me but… what in the world could he be doing that he has to keep a secret?"

"And that's taken up four weekends in a row…"

Lydia shook her head, "I can't come up with anything."

"I hate to ask but… you're sure it isn't someone else? I mean, I'd hate to see you in denial…"

"No, I know it isn't. Danny always swore that he'd never keep something like that a secret from me. He can't stand cheaters, even if Jackson is his best friend. And Danny swears that it's nothing bad but that he can't tell me. I believe him." Lydia got up and started going through the closet, needing to do something to take her mind off the unknown.

When the feeling hit her 10 minutes later she dropped the dress she was holding and called out for Allison. Something was wrong; she'd finally gotten used to her Banshee abilities and knew when the whispers were coming. She held Allison's hand and tried to breathe normally as it all started; the whispers were faint and unintelligible at first but quickly grew louder. She could hear a deep rumble but she had no idea what it was… It all built up until she couldn't hold it in anymore, she screamed. As the scream chased away all outside noise, all other thoughts… she heard it. Jackson was whispering her name… asking someone to tell her that he loved her. It repeated over and over in her head, even after the other whispers had stopped. She screamed in disbelief and pain as she realized that she'd just heard Jackson die. Lydia collapsed in Allison's arms and couldn't stop screaming.

Chapter Text

Lydia waved to her friends and headed downstairs to find Jackson. As soon as she got to the first floor she spotted Jackson and started to wave but then some other chick wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek on his chest. Lydia glared and waited for him to push her away but the seconds ticked by and he just laughed at whatever joke she'd made. What was he thinking?! Did he really think she was some piece of arm candy that he didn't have to be faithful to? She started to stomp over to him but as she took a step towards them she realized that she didn't want to be the girlfriend that made a scene. Especially since they hadn't been dating that long. Making a scene wasn't what a popular girl would do… Lydia knew what she had to do and when Jackson finally turned his head and noticed her, she jutted her chin out and gave him the best 'drop dead' look she could manage. Then she spun on her heel and stormed off, looking for the perfect guy to grab onto.

Their relationship wasn't supposed to go that way, the popular yet unfaithful couple… the two that didn't care about each other… Lydia grit her teeth as she fought against the tears that wanted to form- she would not cry over Jackson! She'd just have to change her game plan, that was all, make Jackson realize that she wouldn't let him get away with such behavior. They just hadn't discussed boundaries yet, some girlfriends were okay with casual 'cheat' side chicks. And Lydia knew just how to get to him.

Jackson bit back a curse when he say Lydia glaring at him… that was going to be their first fight… He knew exactly what she was thinking and really, he should've known that she could walk up at any time but he hadn't thought about it. He quickly excused himself and followed Lydia, hoping she'd let him explain. He turned the corner and scanned the crowd for her, stopping dead in his tracks when he spotted her. She was leaning against the lockers as Michael was bent down, whispering something in her ear. Michael was rubbing his thumb across her wrist and was way too close. Jackson rushed over, hand on Michael's shoulder, "What the hell do you think you're doing? Get away from my girlfriend!"

Michael smirked at his teammate, "Dude, she started it, maybe you should have a talk with her instead of me."

"Please, you've been hitting on her since the moment you realized we were dating. And every time I try to confront you about it, you shrug it off, claiming that you don't like Lydia that way. It's all innocent is it? Looks like we caught you in a lie," Jackson called out, wildly coming up with a lie. He did not want Michael to think he had a chance with Lydia, he knew that Lydia was only trying to make him jealous. "We decided to see if you were lying or not. If you only thought of Lydia as a friend then you wouldn't have flirted back! Now I have proof that you're after her. So last warning- stay away from her!"

Michael narrowed his eyes and looked between Lydia and Jackson. It sure hadn't seemed like some sort of trick but now Lydia was just smiling up at him innocently… he stepped back and watched as she slipped her hand into Jackson's and walked away.

The couple walked away, Jackson barely managing to not rudely drag Lydia behind him in his haste to get away from prying eyes. He hurried into an empty classroom and closed the door before glaring at his girlfriend, "What the hell was that?!"

"Oh, you're going to get all defensive when you had that other girl hanging off you?" Lydia shrieked as quietly as she could. Even if no one could see them, she didn't want to risk anyone hearing them either.

"That wasn't what it looked like, at all! But I know for a fact that you picked that asshat because he's been flirting with you nonstop!"

Lydia scowled, "How about we start with you explaining your side instead of accusing me!"

"That was just Reena, from English. My book-buddy! She's been telling me about her buttheaded boyfriend and how he never pays attention to her. She asked if maybe I could help her make him jealous. And not like, have him catch us make out or anything, she really likes her boyfriend and she knows I'm dating you. It was a friend thing! Like, she was introducing me to her boyfriend and hugged my arm because I'm 'the best book-buddy ever!' to try to make him jealous. She wasn't trying to impress her girlfriends or make a real move on me, I swear!"

"Why would you even care about Reena's relationship at all?"

Jackson shrugged, "She's actually a good book-buddy, she doesn't let me get away with not doing the work but she doesn't boss me around either. I can have girl friends can't I? I don't get mad that you have boy friends."

"Oh really?"

"Michael is not a boy friend! You picked him on purpose because you knew that he'd flirt back and that I'd catch you two!"

Lydia rolled her eyes, "I wasn't going to let anything happen. It's not like I asked him if he wanted to make out behind the gymnasium! I just walked up and said hi to him… maybe I smiled a certain way but I didn't actually say anything that could be taken as an invitation."

"But if I hadn't come up with that lie, he would've felt encouraged to keep flirting with you in the future…"

"No, I would've shot him down by telling him the truth. That I was mad at you and trying to make you jealous, but I would never actually cheat on you. I'm not that kind of girl Jackson… and I hope you aren't that kind of boy."

Jackson shook his head, "No, I'm not. I really like you, I have no reason to cheat on you with other girls. If I wanted to fool around, I wouldn't have committed to dating you, I would've suggested we be 'friends' instead, with benefits. Relationships are important to me Lydia."

She looked up at him knowing that he was telling the truth. He just had an earnest look on his face, one that she hadn't seen before. "Well, I'm glad that we both understand each other now."

"Good, I'd hate to hear that you're treating this as some sort of fling before you move onto the next team captain. I sure as hell ain't treating this as a fling. I… I uh… really like you…" Jackson trailed off, blinking rapidly. He hadn't seriously been about to say that he loved her… right? It was way too soon to say that… but his mouth and brain had almost picked that word…

Lydia's heart skipped a beat and she stepped closer to him. He didn't need to say it, she knew what he'd almost said. It was too soon to really say it, he'd balk about being too emotional and he'd back off. She wouldn't say it either… not yet, it would happen one day. Instead she just hugged him and pulled him down for a kiss.

Chapter Text

Jackson checked his pocket one last time and then took a calming breath. It would be fine, he had to believe that. Surely Lydia knew it was coming too, she'd only been hinting at this and that about proposals and they'd been dating for eight years. They'd been through hell together too… he smiled as he remembered just how much their lives changed after he ran to Derek like a spoiled child. But he survived- they survived!

"Jackson, I'm ready," Lydia called out gently. She was surprised that he hadn't heard her come downstairs. She was wearing some of her heavier heels that clunked loudly on the tiled floor. But he was still sitting on the couch in silence, "Lost in thought or something?"

"Yea, sorry." He quickly stood up and took her hand, leading her out to the car.

Lydia couldn't help but smile to herself. There was no way that this wasn't what she thought, it was the big night. It took everything she had not to whip out her phone to text Allison. That felt like it would be jinxing it, that something would happen to ruin the night. "It's quite alright Jackson, you've been busy lately. I'm just glad we still get our date nights, they're really important."

"I completely agree. Things get hectic sometimes but I've learned that private moments help keep me sane and keep us together." They rode in comfortable silence, Lydia reaching over to take his hand. When they arrived at the restaurant, Jackson was sure to warn her that he specifically asked for a more private table.

"Everything okay?"

"Yea, I just wanted to talk to you about something a little more private. It's nothing bad though, I promise." Jackson led her into the restaurant and gave the hostess his name. He carefully touched his pocket as they made their way to a private booth in the back.

Lydia carefully slid into the seat, smoothing out her dress, hoping her smile didn't look too excited. She wasn't sure if Jackson knew she knew or if he was really trying hard to keep it a surprise. Of course she already knew what the ring would look like, Jackson has Allison ask for details and Lydia made sure to be very specific, even giving Allison pictures. What she didn't know, was what he was going to say. And she had to wait until they'd ordered their food and the waiter had brought out the main course. Over the years though, she'd learned how to be patient with Jackson, not pressuring him while not getting frustrated either.

"Lydia, we've been dating for a long time now, we've had our ups and downs. I'll be the first to admit that I was an ass in high school… That was definitely our roughest time. I hid my feelings- I didn't want to admit that I actually loved you. I was 'above' that kind of thing. And I wanted to believe that you felt the same way, that neither of us were looking for a deep relationship. And then I stumbled upon the whole," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Werewolf thing."

"Yea, that was a literal nightmare."

"I was a huge jerk, like monumentally huge. I was up my own ass and I was willing to throw you under the bus. And I'm saying it like it is now because… I need you to know that I recognize it. I apologized for it after you saved me but, aside from that we never talked about it. Of course you understand that I felt awful about it, that I was sorry… but I do completely understand how badly I treated you, I can recognize my actions. I never want to make you feel that way again. In fact I've gone out of my way to learn from my past mistakes. I'm still a far way from perfect, we still argue and disagree about trivial stuff. But I love you, completely and truly. We've grown together, made each other better, we complete each other. Lydia Martin, I love you. And you love me too right?"

Lydia smiled, tears in her eyes, "Of course I do, I love you so much." She hadn't been expecting him to talk about high school. Neither of them liked to talk about it much, there were a lot of bad memories tied to those years. To hear him acknowledge the pain he caused… he really was a different man now.

At this point Jackson knew that Lydia had guessed what was coming. Hell, she'd probably guessed it was coming a few weeks ago. But that didn't mean he was going to half-ass it, not by a longshot. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and slide out of his seat, kneeling beside her. "Lydia, you mean the world to me, I want you by my side forever, I want the world to know that we're in love. I want us to truly be official, and I want our friends and family to celebrate our love with us in a big fancy wedding that I know you will have perfectly planned," before Lydia could even think about scowling, he added, "And of course I'll be with you every step of the way, helping you plan it. Because I want everyone to know that I want to celebrate our love just as much as you do. I might not be good at it and I'm sure you're going to be stubborn about a lot of things that you want, but every time you ask for my opinion, I'll honestly look at the situation and give you an answer that matters. Lydia Martin, will you marry me?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically as she wiped at her eyes, "Yes Jackson, of course I'll marry you." She pulled Jackson to his feet and kissed him, not even hearing the quiet applause from the other patrons. Only after they pulled away from each other did she let Jackson slip the beautiful ring onto her finger.

Chapter Text

"Stupid GPS… I really can't afford to be lost right now!" Jackson hissed, staring daggers at his phone screen. How could he have possibly taken a wrong turn- there was nowhere to go?! Technology was great sometimes but it wasn't perfect… his manager was going to bitch if he was late, maybe even suggest that he get a driver. Like he wanted a driver! Jackson loved to be able to hop in his Porsche whenever he wanted and just takeoff. He wasn't about to let anyone else drive his baby. Not that much of that would matter… if he didn't get his ass in gear he'd be in trouble. But just as he was started to get seriously irritated, he noticed that he was driving into a small town. "Please don't let me die here," he mumbled to himself. There weren't many cars and barely any people to be seen but it was a hot day so Jackson wasn't expecting much. But hopefully he'd find some gas station that could point him in the right direction…

Lydia was sitting on the tailgate of her truck, thankful for the shade and her miniature fan. Stiles was supposed to be working the stand today but he had begged off and Lydia got stuck out in the heat instead. It wasn't too bad though, she had her book and it allowed her to get lost in her imagination and block out the heat. There had only been 2 customers so far and she couldn't imagine that there'd be many more before it was time to pack it in. She was taking a sip of her water as she looked around and she saw the silver car coming down the road. "Now who could that be?" she mumbled. No one in town had a car that fancy… She quickly got to her feet and smoothed out her dress, putting on her best smile.

Jackson held in a whistle as he pulled to a stop, he hadn't been expecting a beautiful redhead in a cute sundress to be the one manning the small lemon stand. He rolled down his window and grimaced as the hot air penetrated his air conditioned oasis. "Hey, um…would you happen to know how to get to highway 4 from here? My GPS told me to take a turn and now it doesn't know where it wants to go."

She smiled, she should've known they wouldn't actually be stopping for lemons. There was the possibility of course but it was very low. "Yea, of course I can help. Although, can I ask what you're doing all the way out here, there isn't much along the highway anyways and this car definitely seems like a big town kinda car."

"You'd be right, normally I wouldn't bother heading down roads like this. But I'm on my way to Bear Valley to do a promotional sport-y kinda shoot."

"Shoot? Like photoshoot?"

He nodded, laughing as she scoffed loudly, "What?!"

"Of course you're a model, I should've guessed…"

So she thought he looked good- well of course she did, he was everyone's type after all. But it was still good to hear. "Names Jackson Whittemore, heard of me?"

Lydia raised a brow and pretended to contemplate. Of course she had, she might live in a small town but she had the internet. And he had looked familiar but she hadn't really assumed he was someone really famous… just a look-alike. "You know, I might have something about you but it's been awhile since I've bought a magazine so…"

"You wound me!"

"I work hard, farming and selling lemons for my parents' farm, I don't have time to lounge around and read fancy magazines," she kidded.

"Maybe I'll have to bring you a few copies, I'll even sign them for you." He figured that would make her year, having signed pictures of his face.

Lydia nodded enthusiastically, "I could sell them on the internet and make some real money!"

"Man, you just don't quit, so harsh." Normally he'd be a little peeved that she wasn't taking him seriously but he wasn't as bothered by it at the moment. Probably because she was stunningly beautiful. Before he could reply with another witty remark, his phone beeped loudly… right, he was going to be late… Jackson sighed, "Well as refreshing as it was to talk to you, I'm going to need those directions. My manager is going to be pissed if I'm late and I've only got like an hour to be there. So hopefully the 'less' late I am, the better."

She frowned and nodded sympathetically, "Must suck having to keep all those appointments, do you ever have time for fun?"

"No, not really… Being beautiful is a 24/7 job sadly."

"And it's times like this that I remind myself to be glad I live in a small town. Since you're in a hurry, it'll actually be shorter if you keep going through town instead of heading back the way you came. You'd want to head all the way through town until you get to Marner Way. Now, you can head right and follow Marner all the way down, straight down for quite a ways but it will take you back to the highway…"

"I'm sensing an 'or' in there," Jackson said, smiling at her. She came closer and leaned in the window, returning the smile. Jackson almost forgot to listen to what she was actually saying, he was so busy staring. He knew he needed to hurry… but his Porsche knew how to drive fast, he could spare a few more minutes listening to her.

"It's really hot and you look absolutely shot. If you turn left at Marner Way, just one block down there's a diner, The Chow Hall. My best friend is working right now and they serve the best lemonade in the entire state- I know because it's made from my lemons. It's tangy and not overloaded with sugar so it's actually refreshing and won't make you crash like other sugary drinks. Maybe make a pit stop before you leave town." Lydia smiled at him a final time and then stood back so he could roll up his window before driving off. She sighed, wistfully staring at the silver car as it continued down the road. He was even more beautiful in person- those cheekbones, and his smile! Maybe he seemed a little conceited but he was good-natured about it; he did make a living off of his looks after all. Slowly she climbed back onto the tailgate and grabbed her phone, deciding to text her friend.

Alli! Keep your eyes peeled, I just sent someone your way.
What?! Who?
Okay, I don't know for sure if he'll make a stop but I told him that he should. And you won't believe who it is… Jackson Whittemore! In the flesh!
WHAT?! You're joking!
I didn't believe it at first either but he's driving a nice silver Porsche and he isn't just some look alike, it's him! I think I'm in love!

Lydia groaned and lay back in the bed of the truck, not caring about her dress. She'd met Jackson Whittemore and she couldn't have been more obvious with her flirtations. He was probably annoyed with all the people that ogled at him and flirted… surely he got it all the time. Lydia was cooler than that! Besides, what would he do with some small town lemon farmer? He could get all the fancy guys and gals that Hollywood had to offer. Now, Lydia knew that she was good looking, and she loved to make her own dresses which seemed plenty fashionable. But she wasn't stupid, there wasn't much she could offer him.

She sat there for another 20 minutes, not hearing anything from Allison… Jackson must've decided against the lemonade. No surprise. And it was going on noon, the hottest time of the day… so she started moving the crates back into the bed of the truck. There was no point staying open when no one would be out in the heat. She'd come back in a few hours and try to sell a few more bags before dinner. Just as she was setting the last crate in the bed, she heard the rumble of an engine. When she turned and looked, her heart started to race- it was the Porsche.

Jackson rolled to a stop beside her, window rolled down, "Oh, good, I caught you. Allison warned me that you might be packing it in for lunch."

Lydia paused, too surprised to reply right away. "Uh yea, I learned awhile ago that it's pointless to stay open during the hot hours. Everyone's inside trying not to melt so I might as well join them. Is everything okay?" She didn't dare get her hopes up…

"Yea, yea, everything's fine. I just um… heh," Jackson chuckled and shook his head. Why was he nervous? He'd chatted with women all the time, he was Jackson Whittemore! "I must say, you weren't kidding about the lemonade, it was delicious. I'm glad I stopped. Allison was very friendly as well, although I must say, you'll probably be mad at all the embarrassing stories she told me."

"Ha, Allison would never," Lydia scoffed.

Jackson just shrugged and smiled, "If you say so. But that wasn't what I came back to say. I was wondering if… I could get your number?"

By sheer force of will, Lydia managed to hold in a shriek. She even sauntered over closer to the car and tilted her head. "How about I give you my number if you promise to come back after your shoot? Just so I know that I'm not getting completely strung along." It would be easy for him to get her number and never call but get her all excited and waiting for days on end. And he could still promise to come back and not show up but at least it showed she had some game by giving him a counter offer.

"I'll promise to come back if you give me your number and promise not to post my number on the internet."

"You've driven all over my small town, do you think we have the internet here?" she joked.

Jackson laughed with her but then raised a brow, "I'm going to need a verbal, sincere promise for that one. My agent has already chewed me out a few times for not being careful with my number."

Lydia offered a genuine smile then, daring to hope that he was at least a little bit interested in her. "I promise. You might be famous and have people all up in your business but I'm a firm believer that even famous people deserve their privacy. No matter the circumstances," of course she wasn't going to say if he broke her heart or anything.

"Then I promise I'll come back. It's a two-day shoot so I won't be available until tomorrow afternoon. Just so you don't think I'm blowing you off." Jackson reached into his pocket and handed her his phone, "Send yourself a text and save yourself as a contact… um…?"

"I'm Lydia," she giggled, realizing that she never did give him her name. And since she was sending herself the text, she could confirm that she had his number and not that he was giving her a fake one. "Today has definitely turned out better than I thought it would've!"

"I can say the same thing." His fingers lingered over hers as he took his phone back. Maybe technology wasn't perfect but it wasn't awful either.

"You should probably get going, you don't want to be super late." She stepped back, waving. She'd have to thank Stiles for skipping out on his job today- she got to meet a model! As soon as he was out of sight, she whipped out her phone to text Allison.

I got his number!

Lydia allowed herself to do a quick little dance before climbing into her truck to go get lunch.