If I Could Turn Back Time

The Beginning of A Wonderful Friendship

It was early in the afternoon the next day and Allison was laying on her bed staring at the ceiling as her mind struggled to process all that she had learned. She'd thought that Derek, Scott, and Stiles being werewolves would have been the craziest thing that she would ever hear. And then Derek told her that he was from the future and that her family slaughtered his family. He told her that in the previous timeline, she hunted him and his pack down as some sort of revenge strike. He told her of Peter and how he went insane, Gerard and all of his schemes. He told her about the many different types of weres and supernatural creatures he had come across, including the druids, Bersekers, and kitsunes. 

Even after everything Derek had told her leading up to and including his death, it was the thought of the fox demon who took possession of Stiles and was ultimately the one who caused her death which caused her to tremble. This is where her mind kept coming back to, worrying it like a sore tooth.

"What do you mean it was too late?" Allison had asked shakily. "You died. You died in Scott's arms and your dad was the only Argent left in town," Derek answered grimly.

Her head kept echoing that she had died and left her dad alone. Because of her family's obsessive hatred and bigotry. Because they enjoyed killing people while under the mantle of being supernatural police.

Abruptly, Allison sat up and hit the number 6, which she had assigned to the burner phone Derek had given her the number to. She had thought it was safer for it to be further down the list and rather appropriate. After all, much like when you turn the number upside down, like he had to her world view, you got a whole new number and perspective. 

She waited anxiously for someone to pick up on the other end until she heard a familiar tenor voice that she had oddly grown so accustomed to hearing for the last few days. "Allison?" Derek said. "Hey, meet me at the diner in 30 minutes," she replied hastily. She barely allowed the werewolf to respond before she hung up the phone and jumped off the bed to prepare to go back to the diner they met at the day before.

It was risky. All of it was.

Figuring out monsters exist was crazy enough, but for her to befriend one and risk getting caught by her monster-hunting parents was just insane. And yet somehow, she felt it was still the right thing to do. She knew that there were high stakes, and that she was bound to face some sort of peril. And that was only going to increase once she fully let go of the life she previously had. She was also well aware that she and Derek wouldn't be able to meet often in public, but she felt like she needed one last day to mourn the “normal” before diving into the supernatural world.

It was risky. Then again…

Some things are worth the risk.

*                              *                              *

When she got to the diner, Derek was in the same seat as yesterday focusing on the menu in front of him. She sighed a tired greeting, as she sat down in the booth seat across from him. After a while, a waiter, different from the one they had before, came by to take their order and both of them got the homestyle burger and steak fries, and once the waiter left, they fell back into a static silence. 

Suddenly, for seemingly no reason, Derek snorted in amusement. “What?” Allison asked, looking up at the werewolf. “Well, it's just that you wanted to meet up, and while I am ridiculously okay with intense silence, I don't think you are. So, tell me what’s on your mind,” he replied.

In another lifetime, Allison may have been shocked by his honesty. However, this wasn't another lifetime… not anymore. Now, all she expected from the current Alpha was the truth. 

“We should get to know each other,” she stated matter-of-factly. Derek's eyebrows shot up in surprise, as a perplexed look falls upon his face. “You mean… like as friends?”

Allison shrugged. “Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, since we’re going to be allies we might as well get to know more about each other. It’ll be like a team-building exercise,” she smiled softly. Derek's lips quirked upward as he said, “So you want to know what my favorite color is and what movies I like?” 

“Sure, why not? Besides, I need a break from the…” she paused, briefly looking around, “the everything from yesterday. You told me the big stuff. I want to hear about the little stuff. Context.” Huffing a small bemused chuckle, Derek nodded in agreement. “Well, since I already brought it up, my favorite color is green. I don’t really have a favorite movie, it kind of depends on my mood. But my favorite TV shows are Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis,” he told. 

“I’m kind of partial to the color grey or silver. I’m not much of a movie fan either, but ironically, I love the show Supernatural,” she responded. Then she fell silent again, looking down at the table as she stared off into space. Derek frowned in concern. “Hey, Allison, what’s wrong?” he inquired. 

“After we met up yesterday, I couldn’t stop thinking about everything you told me,” she confided, clenching her fist on the table. “I keep coming back to my death and how I ended up leaving my dad alone. I keep coming back to how I hurt you and the Pack, and how I… I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to do that.” Derek reached out and placed his hand over her fist, staring across the table at the teenage girl with determination. “Then you won’t. And you never have to be that way again. Listen, if you feel up to it, there’s something I need to show you after we eat. We can talk about it more if you want. But regardless, don’t forget that you know now. You don’t have to make the same mistakes. Besides, I’m sure we’re gonna make a whole bunch of new ones this time around anyway,” Derek said with a raised eyebrow and a small half-smile. 

Allison snorted, “Well, that’s comforting.” 

“You joke about it now, but it’s true. I mean, we’re probably still gonna have our fair share of bumps and bruises, but at least now we have a chance to actually make a difference. To make things better, which I don’t think was really an option last time.”

”Okay,” she nodded. 

They continued to get to know each other even after their food arrived, only pausing to eat or drink. When they were finished, Derek called the waiter back over to their table, as he fished his wallet out of his pocket. Allison tried to stop him, and they debated back and forth briefly over who was going to pay until they finally agreed to split the bill. As they walked out to their respective cars, Allison said, “So what's this last thing you wanted to show me?” 

“Not what,” Derek replied swiftly. “Who.”

She frowned in confusion, but before she could ask what he meant, he said, “I want to take you to see my uncle Peter. I promise, you'll be completely safe the entire time, but you NEED to see him. You need to see why… why he is the way he is.” “Alright,” Allison agreed, with a soft nod. 

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I-I-I know that it could be potentially dangerous—that he's dangerous. But I know that you’ll do your best to not let it get crazy. If you think that this is necessary, then I trust you," Allison exhaled. Derek nodded his head in appreciation, before saying, “That means… a lot coming from you.” Allison huffed in amusement. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that.” 

Derek stifled a grin, as he rolled his kaleidoscope eyes. “Whatever,” he scoffed. “Anyway, it should go without saying but when we get to the hospital, it would be best to keep the time travel talk to zero.” "Obviously," Allison snarked, rolling her eyes. Derek huffed in amusement, "Yeah, well if you behave, then I'll have a surprise for you." 

"Okay, fine."

"Good. Let's go."