If I Could Turn Back Time

Seeking Contact

“Oh, father, tell me

Do we get what we deserve?

Oh, do we get what we deserve?

And way down we go, go, go, go, go!

Way down we go, go, go, go, go!

Say way down we go

Way down we go!”

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Derek needed to find Malia, but he had to make sure he did this the right way. He didn't want her to go through the same things she had to endure in his timeline. So before he could even think about going out there to find her he needed to come up with a plan for after he found her. How would he take care of her after he brought her back to her humanity? He couldn't take her back to her adopted father. There was just too much sadness and painful history there that just didn't need to be dredged up again. And even if all of that could be avoided, there was still no way that Malia’s father would be able to understand what she was going through or be able to truly empathize with her non-humanness.

As heart-wrenching as it was, it was safer for everyone involved if he kept on thinking that Malia was gone like the rest of his family. That poor man deserved to leave his past in his past without Derek coming in and disturbing his peace. So that meant it was up to Derek to rehabilitate Malia and reintegrate her into society. This means he would need a permanent place to stay, and while he was grateful for Deaton allowing him to crash at his house, Derek wasn't necessarily sure that would work out in the long term.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Deaton asked, snapping Derek out of his thoughts. Derek shook his head slightly and looked around briefly, remembering that he was back at Deaton’s house before he directed his attention to the veterinarian and said, “Just thinking about my family. Well, specifically my cousin… from the other timeline.” Deaton inclined his head and gestured for him to continue. “Well, it's just that I never really got to know her before I— well, ended up here. And before that, she had been in a… difficult situation that made it hard to reach out to her,” Derek began. “Her name is Malia, and when she was a girl she, her mother, and her sister got into a car crash. Her mother and sister died but Malia survived.”

“And I'm guessing she survived due to…” Deaton trailed off. “Her supernatural abilities,” Derek finished.

“So she's a Were?” Deaton inquired. 

“A werecoyote, yes,” Derek explained. “She’s Peter’s daughter, and after her adopted family was killed in the crash, she shifted into a full coyote and has been stuck that way for nearly a decade.”

The corner of Deaton’s mouth twitched slightly upward. “You want to find her and bring her into your Pack, don't you?” 

“Not just Pack,” Derek remarked. “I want to become her legal guardian, but I don't know how to do that while her adopted father is still alive.”

“Well, why can't she go back to her father?” Deaton questioned.

“Oh, come on, Deaton. She's a werecoyote who has been living in the woods for almost eight years. Not only would that completely turn both their lives upside down, but the man wouldn't even begin to know how to connect with her again after thinking that she was dead for so long and that's without the supernatural added into the mix,” Derek reasoned passionately. “Besides, sometimes the reunion isn't worth the suffering from unmet expectations. And I don't think either of them deserves that. Plus, it might be good for me to have someone else to talk to about this time travel crap, who won't be too hard to convince.”

At this, Deaton steeled his gaze at the werewolf. “Derek, I know that this is all overwhelming for you, and I get that you don't want to handle this alone, but telling us about the future isn't going to help anybody, especially if you're here to change it. In fact, it's more likely to influence people’s decisions and make them do something that makes everything worse. Hell, I don't even want you to tell me everything because it might upset the Balance, and while your intentions are noble, for the most part, telling a teenager who recently underwent a life-changing transformation caused by a traumatic event may not be the best course of action,” he consoled.

Derek’s mouth turned down slightly into a frown. “Well, I can't just not tell her anything,” he griped. “And I'm not saying don't tell her anything. All I'm saying is that you probably shouldn't tell her everything,” Deaton countered. “Listen, I will help you with whatever you need to get ready to take on Malia as your ward. However, based on what you've told me, from a legal standpoint Malia Tate is dead, and if you are convinced about NOT bringing Mr. Tate into the fold, then technically all you would have to do is change her name to Malia Hale. As for finding someone to confide in, try someone who was still essential in your timeline, but maybe without having the same amount of baggage.” 

Later that night, Derek plopped onto the bed in the guest room unceremoniously, as he pondered his next move. He needed to get his own place before he even thought about bringing Malia back to her humanity, and who knew how long that would take? Granted it wasn't like he thought Deaton was going to try something underhanded (at least not this version of him), but he still needed to get his own place to live to set up a stable place for his Pack.

The remains of his family home would soon be crawling with hunters, and there was no way he was taking them back to that damn train station. Maybe to train them, but that was it. And the loft has been broken into so many times by so many people that Derek doesn't even feel like it's worth putting in the time, money, and effort.

God, there was so much more he had to do, but instead of allowing his emotions to get the better of him, Derek huffed dramatically and turned over on his side to go to sleep.

Of course, right as he drifted off, in a stroke of brilliance, Derek realized who he needed to turn to. 

Damn it!