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003 | [ video / action ]

[ The feed cuts on and Peter is seated in a rather comfy looking chair. He's in his room for the time being. He never really was sure what to do about Derek's presence in this place, but he thought he had time to at least speak to the boy. Though the fact that he's no longer here may work in his favor. There's still a part of him that will miss him. Maybe not completely, but a small part hidden underneath all his failed power attempts. Derek is his family. One of the last remaining pieces. Cora and him are the last ones standing. He doesn't particularly care for the others. He doesn't care so much anymore. He's made his allies and there's absolutely nothing they can do to change that. ]

It would seem my nephew departed sometime ago.

[ He's only just speaking about it now. Things have been hectic and he hasn't exactly been sure what he was feeling. ]

I believe some of you knew him. His name was Derek Hale.

[ Peter takes a moment rub the center of his forehead. ]

Cora, if you're out there then I believe we should talk. I know I haven't been the best uncle in the past, but we're the last Hale's standing. [ Malia told him she didn't want to be called a Hale, but he doesn't really respect guidelines. Or rules. Or wishes of other people. ] Other than my daughter. [ Okay so he won't say her name. ] We're gonna need each other now more than ever.

[ He takes a breath to steady himself. Whether it's all part of the act is unknown. Peter lies like no one else. It's easy to put on a show when you've been doing it your whole life. ]

Most of you know me as JR and while that was my name as a boy I do tend to go by Peter in some circles back home.

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[ the nerve of uncle peter. ]

[ for once, cora responds video with video. she's a little too livid to stick to texting. she's afraid she'll break her phone if she resorts to hiding behind letters when she's never hidden from peter as he has from her. he's the only family she has left, and she hadn't quite picked up on him being here. there'd been scents, but she'd also sensed laura a few times around wonderland, as if she'd appeared more than that one time when she'd met her when the mirrors had crossed over to the land of the living. it's mostly from wishful thinking, and obsessing over it, that has brought laura to life when cora had been at her most lost within wonderland. ]

[ now he needs her. where was he when she needed him? ]

[ it's clear she's not happy. her face is pinched into anger, her tone terse. ] How long?

[ just how long as he been here without giving a shit about her? he's the last of her family and she hates that she can't completely hate him. ]

[ He never really wanted to hide from her. Derek, Stiles, Scott, Isaac, Lydia and Allison were the ones he was keeping himself hidden from. Cora was his niece. He took care of her when she needed him. He couldn't be there this time though. He had to maintain his shroud of darkness to keep the boat from rocking out of his favor. The last thing he needed was for them to create some sort of lynch mob for evil Uncle Peter. ]

About five months.

[ Just because he didn't actively reveal himself didn't mean he didn't look after her in his own way. He looked in on her when he could. She wasn't always alone. He just couldn't be there in person. ]

Are you angry?

[ unfortunately, cora will never see it that way. all she can see is the distance wedging its way between herself and those from home. how many more times must they go back to beacon hills before they're done with her completely? she's merely a ghost, as she's always been. ]

No. [ it's clear by the biting of her tone that that is very much a lie. ] I'm just really happy the only family I have left took five months to seek me out.

[ It takes a lot to shame Peter Hale. Cora seems to do it with a flawless ease. Perhaps he's been spending too much time around the good people of this place. Mary Margaret was certainly one of the ones that made Peter uneasy when she tapped into his emotions without even really trying. ]

You had Derek, Cora. [ He clears his throat. ] Who isn't my biggest fan. Nor is his little pack. I was trying to cut the collateral damage in half. When I heard he was gone though--I'm trying.

And look where that's gotten me. [ alone. it's not fair of her to blame derek for his disappearance, but it's easier to target him than it is wonderland. what can she do to wonderland but piss off a mansion that's sentient? it's easier to be angrier at him, as she had been when he'd found her. he hadn't tried hard enough. that's the easiest excuse to pull and latch onto. ]

[ even though he may say he's trying, cora requires more physical evidence. while he may be willing to give it to her now, cora prefers to be an immovable rock not even an alpha of peter's calibre could ever hope to move. it's confusion riddled with anger that has her not wishing to budge at all. ] You want something. [ isn't that how uncle peter operates? now derek's gone, he's free to move. but would her brother have really stuned their uncle so badly? it's another thing to add to her list beneath the column of unknown. ] What is it?

[ Not just Derek. All of them. They were all enemies of Peter. They weren't just going to play nice when so many people here didn't know the truth about Peter. That Peter killed Laura. That Peter slaughtered "innocent people" for his own selfish gain. Peter killed those people because they burned him. Those men deserved it. Kate Argent deserved it ten times over. He doesn't feel bad about what he did to them. He will never feel bad about that. ]

Think, Cora. What could I possibly want?

[ There's nothing here that he's actively seeking out. Just alliances with those not from Beacon Hills. Perhaps power as well, but that will come later. Scott's the only Alpha left. He'll find a way no doubt. ]

I don't want anything. I just wanted to talk.

We're talking.

[ it can't be as simple as that. nothing is ever simple when it comes to uncle peter. she may never, ever understand his motivations for killing laura. she may never, ever understand why he is the man he is. the fire comes to mind for the latter, but cora had lost so many within the flames, too, and she hadn't turned to murdering her remaining family members as a way to deal with it. she knows she has to watch her own back around him. he's capable of doing what he had done to her sister right back to her if he sees it fit. ]

[ and that's the part that terrifies her. ]

[ when did uncle peter change? when did he stop being the uncle she liked to hang around as a kid when derek and laura were off ignoring her? when did he become someone she couldn't recognise? derek was easy to reconcile; the young and energetic boy he'd been had transformed into a brooding and grieving man. but peter? ]

[ it's something she wants to talk about, but the answers frighten her more than a pack of alphas. the memories from when she'd been twenty-seven are blurred, but regardless of how many times she tries to dig for the true memory, she knows she'll return home to a hospital bed and uncle peter by her side. ]

[ but her expression remains pinched with anger. it's easy to manipulate her face into it with her own confusion and inner turmoil battling it out inside of her. ] Does your daughter know you're here?

[ Talking. Glaring. Strained--whatever this is. He's not entirely certainly what to make of her attitude right now. He doesn't know what she expects of him. If he had shown his face on the first day then there is no doubt in Peter's mind that Derek would have shoved killed him just to prove a point. Especially with the fact that people don't stay dead here. Stiles and Scott would have made a network post about the villainous Peter Hale's arrival and it would have been game over for him. He couldn't trust that she wouldn't side with Derek when it seemed to be all she wanted to do back home. Even after he sat with her in the hospital.

He can visibly see his niece, but he can't really see her. Not like how he remembers her. She was just a child though. Everyone was once just a child. Bad people do bad things for good reasons and sometimes they do them for bad reasons. Most would say Peter did bad things for bad reasons. Kate Argent burned his entire family alive. Men, women and children. They just expected him to let her get away with it without experiencing pain? They were the crazy ones. What he did to her was well deserved. ]

Good. You've met Malia. [ He pauses. ] And yes. I spoke to her when she arrived. Apparently she knew who I was already. My anonymity became a problem with her. She's struggling. I don't think she understands that I can actually help her.

[ cora thinks to ask where he'd been when she'd been struggling, but showing any sign of vulnerability in front of someone who will, no doubt, tear into it and use it for his own purposes would be the worst decision she's ever made — aside from apparently letting derek abandon her in south america once again. it probably would've been easier if she had remained oblivious to uncle peter being in wonderland. his scent may have been faint around the mansion, but it'd been easy to write it off as wishful thinking. ]

[ had she wanted her uncle here with her? it's a loaded question she's afraid will blow up in her face if she were to truthfully answer it. being alone for six years has left her hardened and older than her eighteen years. it's made it difficult to let those she's meant to easily let in in. following derek around like the sheep the pack are had been difficult; loosening those reins she had kept a tight grip on has been a struggle, but perhaps it's not all for naught. if derek were here, he'd be telling her she can't trust uncle peter — the truth is, she can't. she can't trust what comes out of his mouth, but she can trust his actions. it hadn't been derek she remembers calling out for nurses or sitting by her beside in her memories of her none-too-distant future. ]

[ it makes wedging distance between them all the more harder. ]

[ but the anger in her voice dissipates into confusion, her brows pinching. ] Help her with what? [ it's easier to go in for the kill with peter, but malia's someone cora's slowly coming to know over the course of the weeks that pass by. she has a sense of humour, if a little blunt and strange. but she's family — they have to stick together, even though cora's being the biggest hypocrite when it comes to uncle peter. ] Coming to terms with her paternity is going to require more than your help. [ derek would be proud of her for that dig, wouldn't he? she's not. ]

[ He should expect comments like that. Though he mostly expects them from Derek and his group. It's very easy to throw judgment onto Peter and everything he's ever done. It's easy to scratch and claw at him for the pain and anguish he's put people through. He'll admit that he's caused his fair share of devastation, but he's seen people do far worse to each other. The human race isn't without it's flaws. They are all flawed. Wolves and humans both are capable of so much more. Scott's moral outlook and inability to accept bad situations is not normal. People need to accept that good doesn't always win out. ]

With control. Your mother taught Laura control and I taught Derek. No one taught Malia. She was busy living in the woods after the incident with her sister and mother.

[ The incident where Malia ripped them to shreds on a full moon. Peter knows what it's like to kill a family member. He knows what it's like to rip and tear until they don't make a sound. Granted his murder of Laura was more about power than lack of control. He still understood to a certain extent. ]

She claims Scott and Stiles have been teaching her control, but all I see is a lack of it. Scott wouldn't know the first thing about trying to teach someone control.

[ Well. Look who it is. Natasha flicks open a video feed to reply, a bemused smirk curving across her lips as she does so. ]

Well. Aren't you always just full of surprises?

So am I supposed to keep calling you JR or do you prefer Peter?

[ He actually smiles. He hasn't seen her since the set up that they dove right into with both feet. ]

I try to keep people guessing.

[ Peter shrugs. ]

Peter works just fine. Peter Hale. I assume you've heard a few things about me.

[ It's a smile she returns, propping her chin in her hand as she eyes him. ]

Not much. Should I have?

[ Scott's actually been pretty close-lipped about who the other wolves are, although she's figured out some of them along the way. Or at least the people connected to the pack. Not that they're all that good about being incredibly secretive. ]

People from Beacon Hills tend to talk.

[ He tilts his head. ]

A lot. I'm not their favorite person either. Which I've come to terms with, but they often don't let things die.

People from Beacon Hills also attempt to be careful about naming names and how much they reveal about themselves, I've noticed.

[ 'Attempt' is probably the key word there.

That doesn't mean she hasn't discovered quite a bit in her discussions with a few of them. ]

I find that a little surprising. They seem like a friendly bunch. I take it you have a history?

We live in dangerous times back home. There are those that would hunt us down simply because of what we are. I was a victim of that. My entire family was.

[ Peter glances off to the side briefly before turning to look at his device again. ]

Hunters burnt my home to the ground with my family and myself still inside. I was the only survivor. I spent years in a coma after that. I imagine you can see our hesitance to tell anyone anything.

[ He's surprised that word hasn't gotten around. ]

They get less friendly when you murder murderers. They have a very black and white way of looking at things.

[ She turns more serious at that, understanding that sort of motivation all too well. It was a viewpoint often unique to people who had lived through it, not easily understood by those who hadn't. ]

Yes, well. Most normal people do. Even when they're not entirely normal themselves.

[ And Scott, bless his heart, still wished to believe the good in everyone. He wouldn't easily accept people taking matters into their own hands, especially when it came with outcomes like that.

Not to mention she hadn't missed the fact that Allison was a Hunter, of sorts, and came from a long line of them, apparently. She didn't have the whole picture of what made Beacon Hills so complicated, but she'd been picking up plenty of interesting little tidbits along the way. ]

I take it you see more in shades of grey then?

Very grey.

[ Scott and the group all chose to see the bad in Peter. Which Peter himself acknowledged. He knew what he was and who he was. He never had any illusions about the kind of man he was. They chose to ignore how he became the man he was. How any of them could ever just expect him to sit on his hands while Kate roamed free back then was just beyond him. She didn't deserve a normal life. She didn't deserve peace or to have the hunters deal with her. ]

Allison Argent's aunt killed my family--almost killed me and I'm the monster.

[ At that point in his life Peter hadn't stepped out of line ever with the hunters. He knew what they were capable of. ]

I simply evened the score. Only to have my nephew rip my throat out.

Your nephew?

[ The family relations are something she hasn't heard enough of yet to have pieced together on her own, but she didn't think he meant Scott. ]

Not everyone is capable of taking that lightly. And as I understand it, Allison's involvement probably complicates matters.

Although should I offer my congratulations at your remarkable recovery?

Yeah. Derek's got some residual anger built up against me. I keep telling him to see someone for it.

[ And they say Peter is the complete psychopath. ]

It doesn't make them easy. She blames me for her dear sweet Auntie Kate's death. She knows the facts and I'm still the monster under her bed at night.

[ He hates teenagers sometimes. ]

I know a thing or two about surviving.

[ at first, she's just surprised. shocked into silence for a good few moments before she can even pull herself together enough to talk. jr is derek's uncle? she had no idea, and she feels a bit idiotic for that. did derek even know? and her conversation with jr, about family, about family being here.

her head is spinning a little, but she pulls it all together for the sake of the response. for the fact that jr is so obviously distraught over this. she didn't even know he had a daughter, and yet here she is, still jumping in to help. she can't blame him for not wanting to open up, after all. ]

J- [ no. ] Do you prefer JR or Peter? [ because that's an important question. one that needs to start this off because it's only fair to him. ]

I had no idea Derek was your nephew. I'm so sorry. [ because she had her time to fall apart. had her time to crumble, crying, a complete mess over the hole that now sits in her chest. she had her time, and now she can hold her head up a little higher because of it. ] How are you doing?

[ He dreaded her finding out. She managed to do what no human had ever done to him. She made Peter Hale feel something about someone other than himself. She managed to make him see other people's pain for just a split second. He absolutely hated it. He had a plan. Well, he had half a plan, but it was still a plan. She was doing a very good job of getting inside of his head with minimal effort. ]

Peter's fine. JR was simply my attempt to keep from agitating anyone from home with my presence.

[ Lies. JR was his way of hiding from them. ]

He was. Though if you asked him I'm sure he'd say not by choice. Cora's my niece as well. I'm not sure if you've met her. Her names Malia. Doesn't like me much.

[ Understatement of the century. ]

Not sure. I guess it doesn't feel real. [ He clears his throat. ] Has my nephew told you much about me?

Peter, then. [ she tries to give him a smile - reassuring and soft - but it wavers again under the weight of the pieces she's putting together. peter's reluctance to see his family, to reach out to them. the loneliness he carries in every step. she hurts for him but there's nothing she can do to help.

because families are complicated. complicated in ways that no one can really fix. she smiles at him because she wants to help but really it's a bit hypocritical of her, knowing her own family situation is a complete mess. ]

I'm sorry everything is so complicated. I'm sure you had your reasons and Derek had his, but I wish I would have known before. I could have tried to help. [ she doesn't know cora, or malia. but now that their names are mentioned, she feels the need to reach out to them.

her smile shifts into something more apologetic, shaking her head. ] Derek didn't talk much about his family, or his home. But please, I know it doesn't feel real now, but it will. And when it does, I don't want you to think you're alone in this.

[ Her goodness isn't like Scott's. Scott is good, but he doesn't trust like this. This is new. It's almost unsettling for Peter. Deceiving those around him has always been incredibly easy for Peter, but it was mostly people from back home. They were smart enough not to believe in anything Peter Hale to could ever say. The fact that she so blindly wants to believe in him strikes at odd long buried emotions inside of Peter. ]

It's alright. I don't believe there's much that could have been done regarding me and Derek. Things happened that I'm certainly he'll never forgive me for.

[ Peter considered them sorta even in a few departments. Peter killed Laura and Derek killed Peter. He's pretty sure that made them even in the murder department. He killed Kate, but he somehow doesn't think Derek truly minds that one. ]

Thank you. [ He swallows. ] You're very kind. [ It sounds more like confusion than a statement. That he can't quite figure out how someone can be this good to someone like him. Not that she knows the whole story and if she did then she'd most likely feel the same way as the others. ]

[ but that's just what she does. peter has done nothing for her, or near her, or in any way for her to know, that should lead her to believe otherwise. so until that point, she will believe in him wholeheartedly. will feel for him, on hundred percent.

which is where the pain in her eyes comes from, a shake of her head. ]

You can't say that. Family...family is special. Magical. You can't give up on him, or on yourself, just because of something you did.

[ that rings a little close to home. but she continues anyway, her brow a bit furrowed, as if just to show how serious she is taking this. but the confusion in his voice has her smiling again. understanding, but also not. she wants him to know what it feels like to have someone be nice to him, because it is becoming increasing obvious to her that he isn't used to that. ]

As long as you know. If you ever want to talk, I am here for you.

But what if it's something he can't forgive?

[ Playing the victim is very easy for Peter. He's always been good at it. It comes natural. It's kind of like breathing at this point. Playing the victim around her though just makes him feel dirty. He feels like he should tell her the truth always. He doesn't like it. ]

How's your family?

[ She told him hers was here before. Perhaps if she talks about her family he won't feel compelled to tell her about his own. Then he won't feel awful when he has to lie straight to her face. ]

There is nothing you cannot forgive, especially when it's family.

[ she stops for a second, blinking. almost like she's just realizing the words that came out of her mouth and how she kind of needs to listen to them herself. but it's easy to shake her head and turn back to the task at hand - peter.

which is why, for half a second or two, mary margaret freezes at the question. how had he known? did he know? no, there's no way, and that's why she eventually just pushes it away. smiles, because that's an easy thing to do. ]

Complicated, but most families are. They're safe, though, so I try to focus on that for now.

What about murder?

[ Her kind words and desire to reach out makes Peter feel weird. It's almost like he wants her to hate him now. No longer is the victim card applicable when you're as kind as her. You want her to wise up almost. ]

How much of your family is actually here though?

[ Peter just has Cora and Malia now. Though both would probably say they hated Peter. Warranted hate, but still hate nonetheless. ]

[ the worst is that he says murder and she just sort of...stands. would you forgive family for murder? what is murder in a world where death can be around every corner? she thinks about what she would do if she found out charming had murdered someone, if emma had, and while there is a dark saddness that comes over her... ]

Family can withstand anything, I believe. If you seek forgiveness, I think you can find it there, rather than anywhere else.

[ it would be the only real place to find it, she thinks. but when he asks about her family, there's a self-deprecating laugh. ]

I have...four generations here. Just about. As well as those most of us have learned to forgive, no matter how awful their mistakes. [ most of them, though she's not sure she's considered part of that 'most' just yet. working to get there, yes, but there? she's not so sure. ]

And if it were someone in that family?

[ He's getting around to talking about killing Laura. Murdering Laura. He knew what he did. He knew what he was. He couldn't deny it any longer like he tried before. He couldn't hide from that title and his actions. Blood stained Peter's hands. Blood stained Peter's heart and mind. ]

How awful were the mistakes if you don't mind me asking?

[ Part of him isn't sure she'll be able to forgive this. He doesn't know why he cares so much. He's chalking it up to her attitude. It's so damn contagious. ]

[ she blinks, taking in that information and letting it settle a little more firmly in her stomach. someone in that family and murdered and forgiveness are all things that are echoing around her head. she takes a breath, but holds it together. ]

It depends on if the person seeking forgiveness really wants it. [ because that's the real issue, isn't it? whether or not they want it? deserve it?

but then there's that change of subject and her eyes go a little dark. ]

It doesn't matter now. But they were, at a time, what many would think unforgivable. But we are family, and we will learn- [ we, we. she's the only one holding onto this grudge, the only one behind the times. she takes a breath. ] Learn to forgive.

[ And that's the question for Peter. Does he really want it? Does he want to be forgiven for Laura? She needed to die to further his ending. She needed to die for Peter to have what he craved. And yet sitting here now with no power it seems like it was almost all for nothing. The ending didn't go as he planned. Once again a Beta with a bitter taste in his mouth. ]

That's always the question. Do you want it?

[ Peter still doesn't know if he wants that forgiveness. ]

Are you having trouble forgiving?

[ when he asks her the question in return, she's taken a bit aback. it's not so much that she doesn't expect it, that she really has no idea how to answer. so instead she blinks, color draining from her face for a moment and then two more, before she lets out a breath. ]

I do. I don't know where I would be without my family.

[ she presses her lips into a thinner line, then. taking one breath, and then a second. ]

I don't know about trouble, but I seem to be needing a bit more time than others. [ she's not proud of it, but she's working. ]

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i swear to god i though i replied to this omg

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