#ali – @watcher0033 on Tumblr

watcher0033

A What If idea-

Just a slight ep 5 canon-divergence but somewhat canon-compliant in the end.

What if... Riley interacted with someone else before going to Erin's.

What if he bumped into Ali? And he told him to go. To take his Dad and run. But the kid took it the wrong way and said that they're not going anywhere.
And Riley quietly took that in and turned to walk away. His lonesome form mildly silhouetted by the street lights his eyes were visibly... different.
Freaked out by the whole encounter, Ali came home to where the Sheriff treated his injured hand (kid's got a small cut he waved around that really tested Riley's control) and asked if eyes could change if someone glared enough. And we get Hassan's first "wtf" face.
Ali recounted the encounter and how off the man was ("He told us to run"), and once the sheriff knew it was Riley and his probable state of mind he went out to search for him.
Hesitant about approaching the Flynns first he went to approach Erin. But she wasn't there already. And reluctantly went to the Flynn's where they confirmed Riley's MIA for a while
(Most likely did not reveal that Erin filed a missing report).
The next day he decided to try again and was just on time to hear Erin delivering the news. He took her just as Mrs. Flynn shoved her away and brought her to Dr. Gunning's house.
The whole story came out and the blood combustion is demonstrated, resulting to the Sheriff's more profound "WTF" moment.
They decided Project Runaway is a go, and it's more or less canon with the added subplot of Hassan taking his kid out of school under the discerning and malicious eyes of ~~Hellspawn~~ Bev.
Unhappy, and bewildered on why he's being taken away. Ali shoved his Bible in his bag and reluctantly followed his dad to the port? Harbor? Just on time to witness the shadiness of Sturge.
Project Runaway failed and everyone's reluctantly revamped (lol) to Vampire Slayers status- in which the story comes out again and Ali Freaks Out.
Not wanting his friends to be undead, he made a speech of saving this island's godforsaken peeps because they don't deserve such a fate (this op grudgingly agrees and I'm so proud of the Ali in my head)
Hassan is heartbroken, and so, so proud of this boy he and his wife raised. (I pictured the whole interaction, know what emotions to put but now words their so hard rip) And the holy trinity of girl bosses approve.
The Sheriff brings out the fucking gun. "Make every bullet count," he said. (Coz it's the only one he has, and it wasn't even supposed to be used and his Life Story comes out here.) And this wasn't said in-canon but they mostly did, didn't they?
Before midnight mass-- Erin and Hassan bonding because it's clear at this point that they're in desperate need of grief counseling so they bonded over that and I need these two legends to be friends yo.
Oh, right. Ali tried to tell his friends but that curly jerkhead kid was messing him up and Bev entered here. So he was forced to pretend everything's fine. He's still gung-ho about entering their church and admitted that he and his dad will attend mass that evening. Bev approves but her disdain shows and is, as usual, a condescending arse.
More or less canon except for the part where Hassan freaked out coz he more or less saw it coming but he's "wtf" expression is on again. But this time so is everybody elses.
He still shot Angel first before being forcibly restrained like canon, and everyone in the Slayers squad got their turn with an added bonus where Ali got his shot too trying to save his friends and was mauled over as a result but not before tossing it back to the squad as they looked on horrified and the Sheriff made that scream that Leeza Scarborough did not ever want to hear again.
And the rest is as told.

(Mostly just wanted to have more Sheriff and his son's scenes)

(With an added bonus of me reimagining Erin Greene in Van Helsing's 2004 outfit as she shot Bev Keane to death.)