darkest timeline } { of hard truths and looking to the future

[impetere]

Cora: [she's not sure how it came up. it was the three of them taking some time together, while Peter and Malia were off having dinner with Corrine before she left back for New York, and Laura makes an off hand comment with what was intended to be a bit of dark humor. But Cora can't help herself - this isn't how she intended to have this conversation, but it's how it's happening:] You know you don't have to, right?

Laura: [pauses, before turning and blink at her sister] What?

Cora: Kill this guy. You know you don't have to.

Derek: [leans back in his chair] She's right. You don't.

Laura: [blinks at them both, like that's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard] Of course I do.

Cora: Why?

Laura: Because ... I'm not going to ask that of you guys. It's supposed to be me.

Derek: Well, it's not now. Things change.

Cora: Look, personally, I don't care if we have an alpha in the family or not. Do I want the person who killed mom to be brought to justice? Yes, absolutely. But we know a lot of good alphas who would take us in. [holds up her hands] I recognize that my opinion may not be the majority, but I'm not going to force you to kill someone because you feel like you have to for us.

Derek: And come on, Laura. Mom's never wanted us to get our hands dirty with this kind of stuff. We're better than that. [pauses] most of us are better than that.

Laura: [shifts, pulling her legs into her chest as she listens to this] How do I say no? It's all I've heard my entire life. You're supposed to be the alpha when Mom dies.

Cora: You just say no.

Laura: It's not that easy and you know it.

Cora: Yes it is! You tell Peter that if he wants an alpha in the family, he can do it himself.

Laura: He's already told me he wants it to be one of us.

Cora: Well, I'm not doing it.

Derek: Don't look at me. I've already nearly got someone killed. Look at where that got me. [he leans forward, looking up at Laura] Are you wanting to do this because you think you have to, or because you want to?

Laura: [she doesn't know how to answer that, because it feels like a betrayal - of her family, of her birthright. she's supposed to want this, isn't she?]

Cora: [goes to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders] It's okay if you don't want it.

Laura: [glances away] It doesn't feel like it is.

Derek: [and he'll join the sibling snuggle pile on Laura's other side] Mom wanted us to take care of each other. You're our oldest sister--you get to boss us around, alpha or not. You don't need a power boost to have your pack with you.

Laura: It's not that ... it's what she wanted me to be. And now she's not here, and I'm not, and I don't know how to let it go, even if I don't want it.

Cora: You start by saying no. And then you get to live your own life and take your time instead of rushing into everything.

Derek: Hey, I know about how hard it is. I can still feel her, like this phantom presence in my mind. But Mom always wanted us to follow our own dreams... take the path we wanted, even if it took you far from home. You inheriting the power wasn't a choice. You didn't choose to be born first. But now you have one, and Mom would want you to follow your heart and make your own path.

Laura: I don't know how to tell Peter that.

Derek: Peter's hurting and he's angry. He just lost his sister in a place that he's always felt safe. I'd probably be like him too if I lost either of you. But he'll see reason if we just talk to him.

Laura: This feels selfish.

Cora: I think this is something you're allowed to be selfish about.

Derek: And if not for yourself, be selfish for us. I don't want you to kill anyone.

Cora: I don't want that either.

Laura: [collapses a bit into them but still can't bring herself to say no quite yet] I'll think about it.

Derek: [thinks a moment, then nudges her ribs] And you know, there's a big benefit for you here. You get to stay in New York and disappear every other night and get to know Peter's partner better. [smirks]

Cora: I'm sure Espo will appreciate a much slower time table with all of this.

Laura: [narrows her eyes at both of them] You know, this I have not missed about being around you two all the time.

Cora: It's not our fault your last boyfriend was garbage and Espo is way better.

Laura: [makes a face] Brett sent a condolence card. He didn't even personalize it, all he did was sign his name.

Cora: See? Garbage. Thank you for proving my point.

Derek: I mean, you haven't ever looked as happy as you do with Espo. Plus Brett is total trash. I hated when you brought him home for a weekend.

Cora: I met him one Christmas and that was all I needed to know he was trash.

Laura: [sighs and leans into her brother's shoulder] I will neither confirm or deny the comment about Espo. [a beat] But I do really like him.

Derek: I mean, Espo deals with Peter every day. Dude's magic. Oh, maybe he's your magical unicorn. Only one exists and you found him!

Laura: Okay, enough, no more commentary about my love life.

Derek: We could always talk about what passes for Cora's...

Laura: [eyebrow raise before turning on her sister] Yes, let's.

Cora: [eyes narrow about both of them] Shouldn't it be Derek we're talking about. He actually has a girlfriend.

Laura: Nope, I think we should talk about you.

Derek: I mean, we both know that Hal is totally a friends with benefits thing. You seriously lack the whole young and in love glow. [leans more into Laura, smiling at Cora]

Cora: Yeah, and I've never claimed otherwise except to asshole alphas who wanted to marry me off to their sons.

Derek: Don't forgot the one who offered their daughter.

Cora: He was just desperate.

Derek: You would have made an adorable couple.

Cora: She had a boyfriend.

Derek: Maybe her boyfriend was her version of Hal.

Cora: No, they were very much in love. Her dad just doesn't like him because he's not a wolf and might pollute his precious bloodline. Not that I would have done much for her in that department, but as I said. Desperate.

Derek: Hm. Shame.

Cora: But my love life, or lack thereof, is fine. [she totally doesn't have a crush on Derek's best friend, what are you talking about]

Derek: Yeah, well now that I'll be around more, I need at least one opportunity to act like an older brother and growl at a guy.

Cora: Must we be a sitcom stereotype?

Derek: Better than a horror novel.

Cora: What if it's not a guy?

Derek: [looks over at Laura] What's the protocol for growling at girlfriends?

Laura: Generally there isn't one because I don't feel the need to growl at the women you date.

Derek: No, but you growled at the women Peter dated...

Laura: Only because Peter had terrible taste in women.

Derek: [laughs] That's true. Ok, I'll only growl if you turn out to have terrible taste. Okay?

Cora: That is acceptable. [she nods] But I'm not really looking for that right now. I'm good with being single.

Derek: Alright.

Cora: But things with you and Elena seem to be going well.

Derek: [yeah, smiling a bit] Yeah. I mean, it was awkward at first with the whole knowledge about that other life, but there's just something there... like we just fit. That's weird, right?

Laura: [shakes her head] No it's not. That's how it should feel.

Derek: That how it feels with Esposito?

Laura: Kind of. It's just been ... really easy. Like two pieces of a magnet.

Derek: [nods] We really need to lock Peter and Freya in a room then. Maybe that'll help him move on.

Cora: [snorts] Maybe. But I don't think he'll be able to even think about that until this situation with Mom is resolved.

Derek: Yeah, true. But maybe she can help keep him from getting murder happy

Cora: [a pause, then wrinkles her nose] Can't really promise that with Freya either.

Derek: [and he'll look over at her] What do you mean?

Cora: She didn't just go back in time to save Paige. She went back in time to give Kate Argent a terrible neurological disease that gave her a slow painful death.

Derek: [sits up, because he didn't remember hearing that] She killed Kate Argent?

Cora: [she nods] Or at least that's what I've heard.

Derek: Oh man. That's not good.

Cora: The only thing I can guarantee is that she won't let Peter get himself killed.

Derek: No, that's not it. [he takes a deep breath because he didn't tell his sisters about this] The other day, Peter asked Freya to do a spell with me as the conduit... well more like the connection I have to Mom's power still. I saw the face of the person who killed Mom... and he was with Allison Argent.

Laura: ... Well that's not good.

Derek: That's why Tyler and Bonnie left early. They were going to do some investigating around where I saw them to see if they can learn anything.

Cora: Have they reported back yet?

Derek: They were going to call Peter. I haven't heard anything. But I can check with Elena.

Laura: [she nods] Tell them to be careful. Because if he's going after Allison and something happens to her, I don't think Chris is going to discriminate.

Derek: He knows that. Peter gave him a quick rundown on the Argents and why to avoid them.

Laura: Good. Hopefully they'll stay safe.

Derek: [and he's going to text Elena to check up on Tyler and Bonnie just in case]

Elena: [which she will! and eventually will come back with a text saying that there's no news yet, but they're fine]

Derek: [in the meantime, he'll finish talking with his siblings, then head off to check in with Stiles, who had gone home for the day, and then hunt down Elena.]

Elena: [and he'll find her ... at the nematon. she had intended to go for a walk and only made it that far, still oddly drawn to it, just as she was when she was fifteen]

Derek: [and he'll follow her scent to find her, then sees where she is and pauses a few feet from her] Elena?

Elena: [blinks and turns to face him, and smiles, shaking herself out of her trance] Hey.

Derek: Hey. Whatcha doing out here?

Elena: I was taking a walk. [she looks down at the stump] But then I got distracted by the tree.

Derek: Yeah, it does that. [he'll hold out his hand for her to come to him] Stiles always warns me to stay away from this place. It's a supernatural beacon.

Elena: [she takes it, letting him pull her closer] Yeah, I can feel it. I felt it when I was here as teenager too. But it doesn't feel bad. It's like ... a warm hug.

Derek: Maybe it likes banshees better than werewolves. It feels like I want to let it take over me. It's inviting, but not the warm kind. More like the dudes offering candy out of the back of an unmarked van.

Elena: [she wrinkles her nose] Oh. We can keep walking if you want.

Derek: Yeah, that'd be good.

Elena: [links her fingers in his before pulling him away from the nematon and further into the preserve] How was your sister time?

Derek: It was good. We need to do that more often. If we all stay in New York, we probably could.

Elena: I'm sure they'd like that, just the three of you.

Derek: It would. It'll be different, though. I'm used to it just being me and Mom. It was warm, but quiet.

Elena: Different can be good. Sometimes change, especially after a loss like this, can help you move on.

Derek: So I've heard.

Elena: Just don't do what I did and make your change of scene a graveyard. [joking]

Derek: Yeah, not happening.

Elena: Good. [a beat] Do you think you'll be coming back to New York?

Derek: It'll depend on what Laura wants, but I think so.

Elena: Good. I mean, at least in my totally biased opinion.

Derek: [smiles and squeezes her hand] So Laura and Cora wanted to know how we're doing.

Elena: I think we're doing okay? For the weirdness of how all this started? [she glances back at him] How do you think we're doing?

Derek: I think we're doing real good. It just feels, to me, that we fit together.

Elena: [and that makes her smile widen] I think so too.

Derek: So when are you heading back?

Elena: I have the grave shift on Monday, so I'll probably take a red eye on Sunday.

Derek: I'll see if Laura has a plan before then.

Elena: Okay. And for the record, I can handle a little long distance. I'd just like to finish my residency in one place, so if you guys want to stay here, it's not a dealbreaker.

Derek: Yeah, but would Damon handle you moving across country?

Elena: Damon is not the boss of me. He would deal.

Derek: We need to find a way to break his connection to you.

Elena: I know. Elijah is working on it, and he figured it out before.

Derek: Let him know I'm willing to help however possible

Elena: I will. But it'll be okay.

Derek: I know. So, do you want to walk into town after? Get some dinner or dessert?

Elena: I think that sounds great. You can show me one of your favorite spots.

Derek: There's not many places. Small town, y'know

Elena: Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean there can't be fun local hangs or hidden gems.

Derek: True.

Elena: So ... show me around. I want to see the places that make it feel like home.

Derek: Alright. [and he will, showing her the places he enjoyed going to]