canon au } { post-3b, of good news and dealing with loss

[arbalete]

Allison: [it's a little later than she thought she'd be when she makes it back to the Argent apartment. There's a slight bit of apprehension that comes with having Derek in her house, even if she knows she has no reason for it, but she pushes forward all the same. At least, for once, she has good news for him. How often does she have to say that?

Still she closes the door quietly when she gets home, wandering in and calling out as she does] Dad? Derek?

Derek: [from the kitchen] He went out to the store for food. He said he'd be back in an hour. [stares at the book the whole time]

Allison: [exhales slowly as she follows the sound of his voice to the kitchen, giving him a small, awkward smile as she does.] Good. At least we're used to feeding a werewolf metabolism. [what with Isaac and all. Then there's another long silence as she isn't entirely sure how to start. Her hands find the chair in front of her, shifting her grip slightly as she does. Her mouth works for a moment, before ...] We found the spell.

Derek: [he gives her a small smile at the mention of Isaac. He knows she's hurting too. But when she mentions the spell, he actually looks up at her, his eyes widening a bit] You did?

Allison: [she nods] Dean did, actually. Giles thinks we might be able to recreate it on the full moon, but we have to wait on some friends of Buffy's to get here? Angel and Spike? Something about the way that we're using Dawn's blood, since it's not coming right from her.

Derek: Of course Giles would have a sample of Dawn's blood. [sigh] Spike cares about Dawn, so he'd do it right, but with sarcasm. [but he's not looking all ecstatic at the spell just yet.]

Allison: [shrugs] He says they kept it, just in case something like this happens. It was her idea. [she can't really weigh in one way or another - she's just glad they have the means to make it work. And she's noticed that he's not getting his hopes up] But since it's not "living" blood it won't be able to transport "living" people. That's why Spike and Angel have to go.

Derek: [nods] How do you feel about it?

Allison: [... he's actually asking her opinion. That's not something she actually expected, but she takes a moment to think about it all the same.] It's worth a shot? Better than ... burying ourselves in books that aren't getting us anywhere. If we have something to try, we should try it.

Derek: [licks his lips, then closes Dawn's book] Something to plan is better than no plan at all, right?

Allison: [nods] Makes you feel a little less useless. [which is how Allison has been feeling lately. Useless. It's one of those emotions that she hates, wants to try and suppress as much as she can, and if there's something to DO then it's at least something to work towards] Forward momentum feels good, at least.

Derek: I just worry that if it doesn't work, it'll be harder to pick the momentum back up.

Allison: [there's a pause as she nods. It's true. Disappointment is a bit harder to dig yourself out of, but at the same time ...] But what if it does?

Derek: It'll be good. As long as wherever they are doesn't make it so they can't come back.

Allison: Dean's been there before. If we can get to them then we can get them out.

Derek: [nods] If Dean could survive wherever they were thrown, the four of them will be able to.

Allison: [nods in agreement, before giving him a small smile] So if anything ... not entirely as bad as it was before.

Derek: The odds of us getting them back have greatly improved. [he nods, giving her a small smile in return.] It's a good thing.

Allison: It is. [she takes a breath] I thought you could ... use a good thing. After today.

Derek: [sighs and nods] Yeah, I'm sorry you had to witness that. Not one of my smartest reactions.

Allison: [shakes her head] It's okay. It's not like I don't get it. [you know, that time she tried to slaughter your pack.]

Derek: Don't get me wrong, I love Buffy. She just... doesn't always know the right thing to say at the right time.

Allison: [she nods a bit in agreement] I don't think it was just about you. I ... I think she was looking for a fight - she just picked it with the wrong person.

Derek: If she wanted to spar, she could have asked. Stating that someone needed to tear down my family home when I just lost my entire family... that's not looking for a fight.

Allison: [......... There's a long pause as she tries to find the logic between that particular statement and she's not really coming up with anything because that makes no sense at all.] Yeah, I've got nothing. [there's another pause as she considers something for a moment, then pulls the chair out in front of her to sit across from him] Can ... can I ask you something? And I'm not doing it to be rude or disrespectful I just ... I just know when it was my mom I wanted to be anywhere but there.

Derek: [nods] There's a lot of pain there. I know why Peter or Cora don't like being there, and I don't blame them. But I grew up there. There are still spots in the place where I can go and smell them. My sister... my mom. It's all I have left and if someone tore it down... I won't have that. Each of us has a sense we rely on more than others, and it's always been scent for me. Times like this... I need it.

Allison: [she nods slowly. That makes sense. He needs those things to ground him because everything else went up in the fire. At least with Allison she could pack up her things and hold on to those mementos, even if they didn't have the same place] I never really had ... a place. Home was my parents and everything else was just ... stuff. Walls and doors and windows and in the end they didn't really ... matter. [because eventually they would just move again anyway.] I guess ... I would wonder about where the line is. When are you holding on a little too tightly, you know?

Derek: [he thinks on that a moment] Sometimes I think I am. I know it too. But when it burned down, I've spent a good portion of my life after that on the run. Sometimes... sometimes I still like I am. It's only been the last few months I felt I had a chance to stop. [and then that reason was ripped away from him]

Allison: [there's another pause, one hand coming up to tuck her hair behind her ear.] She's not dead yet, Derek. None of them are. [away, missing, gone, maybe. but not dead.] This time you have a chance to fight for it. It doesn't have to be history repeating itself.

Derek: Yeah, this time. But as Buffy jokes... Dawn gets kidnapped on a regular basis. This isn't going to be the last time, and there is going to be a time I won't be able to stop it. Just like I couldn't stop it this time.

Allison: So that's a reason not to fight for her now? [her eyebrows climb a bit at that] We can figure out ways around it happening again. We can ... figure out how to separate her from the Key or get better security or ... I don't know. But if she's here, we have options. You don't help get her back now, then she's gone for good, and you don't even get to try.

Derek: I'm not going to stop fighting to get her back. [there was a bit of a reaction there, faint, but more emotion in his voice than before] I just... I'm tired of always failing to keep her from getting into these situations.

Allison: Maybe that's not your job. [there's a beat] Sometimes it's her choice. Just like it's your choice to come back when Scott needs you. [he didn't see how she was in the hospital. how she worries about him just as much as he worried about her]

Derek: She can't choose not to be the Key. I can choose not to be a part of a pack.

Allison: Maybe not. But she can choose to be a Watcher. To train Slayers, to be with you. This all puts her in the line of fire. If she wanted to hide, I doubt she would be here. [there's a beat] Just because she didn't choose to be the Key doesn't mean she didn't make a choice.

Derek: [humphs, but nods. He gets it] You know, I see why Scott and Isaac like you so much. You're good at putting things in perspective.

Allison: [there's a smile at that, considerably less awkward than it had been earlier] Being a human in a family full of werewolves has a way of doing that, I guess. [even if they're not by blood, the pack is still her family. one way or another]

Derek: [he nods. If only her family had been in this kind of mindset a long time ago. Then her mom would not have felt she had to die.] Don't lose that gift, alright? Scott's going to need that person in his life somewhere.

Allison: I'll ... do my best. [that's not the kind of thing you can really promise, but at least she learns from her mistakes. Which is more than she can say for most of her actual family]

Derek: [licks his lips, then looks at the books] I should probably put these away and swing by the loft. See if there's anything I can do to help with the process.

Allison: [nods a bit as she gets up] I think Buffy left with the Winchesters when I did, so it might just be Giles, Lindsay and Stiles left. Or they might be gone already.

Derek: That's fine. I should check up on Stiles anyway. [he stood up and looked at her] Thank you.

Allison: [she gives a bit of a shrug] Just happy I could help.

Derek: [nods, and goes off to do the things, making his way back to the loft]