Miss me? In my mission to update all my stories, I have included my completed stories as well and decided to write a one-shot. And that is exactly what this is. A one-shot. As in, there will be no continuation on.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Darkest Powers

This takes place about a month or so after the epilogue.

Chloe's POV:

I pulled my hat farther down and peeked over the top of the fort. It was calm…too calm. The enemy had ceased fire. I didn't buy into their strategy, though. They had been attacking full blast just a minute ago and with Jake's scary ability to form a perfect snowball in five seconds, there was no reason for them to stop. It wasn't like they had run out of snow, especially with the huge snow storm that had gone through last night and that had carried on into this morning and caused the district to cancel school.

Next to me, Maggie continued to restock our own ammunition as we waited and tried to determine what they were going to do next. Beth was helping her as best she could, but the ability to form solid, round snowballs was still in development for her. Austin was currently across enemy lines as the perfect spy. Behind me, Derek slid over to me and pulled me against him so that he could get a closer look over our fort, which was actually just a long rock that was covered in snow. The other side didn't know that.

"Any sign of Austin?" Derek asked, his warm breath cascading over my chilled skin and causing a shudder to go through me.

"Not yet," I said. "I'll give him a few more minutes and then I'll send Beth over."

He nodded and rested his face in the crook of my neck, pushing down the top of my jacket and accessing my bare skin. I smiled when I felt his lips briefly brush against the spot and leaned back into him. My scarf had slid off long ago and been buried in the snow and the heat pouring off him felt too good to resist. He had just changed last night to avoid the huge storm, but he was still experiencing the aftermath of a recent change. He was still radiating a great deal of heat, which I very much enjoyed. It was especially useful last night when the storm knocked out the power in the middle of the night and the heat shut off. While everybody else was huddled in their blankets trying to keep warm, I was blissfully soaking up the extra heat coming off of Derek. Simon and Tori made a point to mention the fact that I slept in Derek's bed with him in front of Kit, whose only response was a comeback that at least we were warm. He knew that we weren't sleeping together and completely trusted Derek to keep his hands to himself. He did not, however, have that much trust in Simon and had in fact checked to make sure that Simon was not sharing his own body heat with a member of the opposite sex. Tori, too.

"You guys are so cute," Beth gushed.

I made a face at her. She stuck her tongue out at me and I returned the gesture. I saw someone silently approaching from the corner of my eye and I looked up to see Austin walking over with his hands in his pockets. The cold had no effect on neither Beth nor Austin, but they were still dressed for the part. In the month and a half after Austin had become a ghost, he had become a constant in my life. He had taken up permanent residence in my apartment. And because only I could see him, his presence wasn't disturbing in the least, especially with how happy it made Beth. And in that month and a half, our friendship has really grown. It will never be as strong as my friendship with Beth, but he's like a brother-in-law that you really kick if off with.

"What's the situation?" I asked.

He leaned down next to Beth. "They have restocked their ammunition to great proportions and are planning a bombard us with a unitary attack method."

I passed on the message to Maggie and Derek. Maggie nodded and continued forming snowballs, but Derek didn't say anything. When I turned around to see if he heard me, I discovered he was staring straight ahead, very focused. I tried to follow his eyes, but I didn't see anything that could be so attention-worthy.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

Without looking at me, he gestured forward with his head. "See the tree above their fort?"

"Yeah. What about it?" I asked.

"The lower branch is covered in snow," he explained. "If you look closely, you can see that it's bending under all the weight. If we can disturb the fragile equilibrium, we can send the entirety of the snow tumbling down on them."

I stared at him for a second before smiling. "I am so glad you're on this team."

He sat up and carefully crawled over to where Maggie was carefully constructing snowballs. He had to be careful, considering he was over six feet tall and the wall of our fort wasn't that tall.

"We all need to aim at the branch," Derek instructed. "Don't even bother trying to get them."

We split the balls up according to was a better shot. Derek and Beth were responsible for most of the snowballs while Maggie and I were to try our best not to miss. I sent Austin over as an extra pair of eyes. We waited, ready to attack. Austin gave the signal and we launched our attack. A battle cry came from the opposite fort and snowballs came flying at us. They never noticed where we were aiming. Derek and Beth quickly ran out of ammo. I saw the branch quiver and handed Derek my last snowball. He drew his arm back and threw it with as much force as he could muster, which was a lot. The ball hit right on target and suddenly the weight on the branch was too much and contents came tumbling down on our opponents. Shouts of surprise sounded throughout the small clearing. Heads poked up through the snow and looked around in confusion. Beth was rolling around on the ground clutching her side as her hysterical laughter was uncontrollably released.

Everybody in the team across from us finally seemed to realize what had happened and started to argue that we had cheated. They continued to complain the entire way to the house. They stopped, though, when we finally entered the house and discovered it was as cold as it was when we left it. Everybody was reluctant to take off their jackets, but the water dripping onto the floor was a bit of a problem. As soon as everyone's jacket touched a hook, they rushed upstairs to change into dry clothes. I walked up the stairs with Derek and winced every time my wet socks squished against my feet. We went into his room and he immediately went over to his closet to find himself a pair of clothes, leaving me to rifle through the dresser drawer he had emptied out for me because I spent so much time here. I grabbed out a pair of loose sweats and a t-shirt. As I shut the drawer, Derek tossed a sweatshirt back at me and it landed over my head. With our backs turned to each other, we changed. He waited for my okay to turn around and we headed downstairs together.

As soon as we walked into the kitchen, heat surrounded us. Kit sat at the table with a steaming cup of coffee. I looked around for the source of the heat and saw the oven door was slightly propped open.

"Isn't that dangerous?" I observed.

"It's not on," he assured me. "It was on. I'm just allowing the leftover heat to be of some use."

"How does the oven work if the power's out?" I asked, sitting down at the table.

"The oven is gas," Kit answered. He gestured to stove, where two bread pans sat atop covered with a towel. "We had two frozen loaves of banana bread in the freezer and I thought it was the best time to bake them. I'd hurry, though. They are cooling off quickly. And the kettle on the stove has hot chocolate."

We helped ourselves before the rush and settled back at the table. The heat pouring off my mug soaked through to the bone and I shuddered at the pleasure of it. Kit was right about the bread. It was barely warm and getting colder by the minute. Derek wolfed his down in seconds. Just as I took a bite out of mine, everybody else found their way to the kitchen and gasped when they discovered the heat. They then saw that we had food and rushed to get their own portions. I slowly sipped at my hot chocolate and savored the hot, rich chocolate as it warmed me from the inside out.

"Why is it still cold in here?" Simon asked. "I thought you were going to call someone."

"If you haven't noticed," Kit said, "There was a snow storm last night and the roads are blocked. I did call someone. They will be here when it is safe for them to do so. However, there is a limited amount of plows in the city and they have to take care of the major roads first."

"So when are we going to have power?" Tori asked.

"I'm not sure," Kit answered. "We may not have power until tomorrow."

"What?!" Tori exploded. "Tomorrow?! How am I supposed to survive in a house that's as cold inside as it is outside?"

"You're not suffering at the moment," Kit pointed out.

"The heat's not going to last that long," Tori argued.

"Is the fireplace in the living room safe?" Derek cut in.

"It is," Kit said. "But I don't know where you are planning on getting the wood."

"The shed is stocked out back," Simon said. "We filled it a while ago for bonfires."

Derek scooted his chair back and stood up. "I'll go get an armful."

"I'll help," Jake offered.

When Simon didn't immediately offer his services, we girls stared at him until he sighed and followed them out. I went behind him to work the door. The rest of the girls stayed in the kitchen. I waited by the door for a few minutes before someone banged against the door. I quickly opened it and the boys walked inside, each with an armful of wood. Kit carried a plastic bin into the hall and the boys dropped the wood inside.

"It's starting to snow again," Derek said as he took of his jacket.

"That could be a problem," Kit said. "I'm guessing school will be cancelled again tomorrow."

"Yes!" Simon said.

"You're going to have to turn the biology paper in eventually," I said.

"But not tomorrow," he said, marching off in victory.

Derek lugged the heavy bin into the living room and started to load up the fireplace. Everybody flocked into the room now that the kitchen was cold again. When he had it just the way he wanted it, Derek stepped back and motioned for Rae to light the fire. She knelt down and concentrated. A spark ignited a piece of newspaper Derek had shoved in for kindling and spread to the closest log. The fire quickly spread to the other logs and in minutes, the fire was roaring. The room would still take a while to heat up, however, so we all grabbed blankets and huddled on the couches. The sharing of body heat was popular. Simon and Maggie shared a blanket, as well as Tori and Jake and Liz and Rae. Liz had an advantage because Rae could heat up the surrounding air, but it was a very limited power because it took a lot of effort not to start the blanket on fire. Out of everyone, however, I had the greatest advantage. Huddled against Derek with a blanket around us, it wasn't long before I could easily sag against him and bask in the heat. I snuggled my face into his side to protect it from the cold air and I felt myself drifting off.

…,,,…

I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I fell asleep. I slowly became aware that I had switched positions. Instead of sitting up, I felt myself lying down. Opening my eyes, I was met with Derek's chest, which was slowly rising and falling with each breath. My eyes lifted to his face and I saw that he was sleeping. Careful not to wake him, I twisted around to get a look at the room. Everybody was still where they were when I fell asleep, except Jake was lying on the floor while Tori had the couch to herself. Simon and Maggie had somehow managed to turn and their feet were in each other's faces. Rae and Liz were the only ones who hadn't moved at all. They were still leaning against each other. My eyes shifted to the fireplace and I discovered the fire was almost out. Only a few dying embers remained in the ashes.

Derek shifted next to me and his breathing became shallower as he woke up. I turned around to look at him. His hair was mussed where he dragged his hand through it and his eyes were only opened to slits as he fought sleep. He offered me a tired smile and leaned back to stretch.

"Hi," I said softly.

"Hi," he yawned.

He looked around the room at everybody and then he saw the fire was out. Groaning softly, he pushed himself up into sitting position. He ran his hands through his hair again and ruffled it more. He stood and walked over to the fireplace to feed the fire. Once the wood was in, he stayed where he was, kneeling before the only source of heat in the room. I watched the light flicker across his face and thought about the last two months. In a few days, we would officially be dating for two months. We weren't celebrating it, though. Much to Simon's dismay. According to Derek, Simon gave him some huge lecture about celebrating milestones. When he passed on the information onto me, I just laughed. Neither of us cared to celebrate something like dating for two months. While we were both appreciative that we have made it almost two months, it wasn't like we were exactly worried that it wouldn't happen. Besides the occasional outbreak of temper, there was nothing getting in the way of our relationship.

A clock chimed somewhere deep in the house and Derek looked up. Our eyes met and he looked down at his watch.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Three," he answered.

"It's too early to be awake," I complained.

"I agree," he said. "But I won't be able to fall asleep now."

He stood and started walking toward the kitchen. Having nothing better to do, I got up to follow. I froze when Jake stirred. He turned away from me to face the couch and then was silent. Sighing out in relief, I crept past everyone to meet Derek. I found him looking inside the dark refrigerator. He scowled at the amount of food that was going to spoil. I couldn't help but smile at his reaction. Of course the one thing he was worried about the most was the food.

"What's the verdict?" I asked, walking up behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist.

"It can probably last another day, but not much longer," he said. "And the stuff in the freezer is going to spoil much quicker, if it hasn't already."

"What's in there?" I asked.

He opened the door and looked inside. "Mostly meat. There are some pizzas and a tub of ice cream which is starting to drip down the sides."

"I'll grab a spoon," I offered, heading over to the silverware drawer.

"A spoon?" he questioned.

"Well, we can't let it go to waste," I explained.

"You want to eat ice cream when it's already freezing in here?" he asked incredulously.

"If you don't want to, then more for me," I said.

I reached past him and pulled it out. He was right. The stuff that had been clinging to the side of the container was now dripping quite profusely down the side onto my hands. Derek shut the freezer door and grabbed a dish towel. He grabbed the ice cream and wrapped the towel around it, protecting our hands from the stickiness. After he handed it back to me, we went back into the living room where the heat was. Settling on the couch, I peeled off the cover and sank the spoon into the partially melted dessert inside. I had the spoon almost to my mouth when Derek grabbed my hand and diverted the spoon into his mouth. I gaped at him momentarily and then pulled my hand out of his. Scooping out more, I tried again. This time, I was expecting his intervention, but he was too fast for me to stop him and the ice cream, once again, made it into his mouth instead of mine. Too get back at him, I scooped some out with me finger and plopped it on his nose. He looked cross-eyed down at it. I half-expected him to try and get it with his tongue, but he knew better than to try. However, his maturity only went so far as he returned the gesture and plastered my nose. It was cold and I tried to get it with my tongue. Derek snorted his amusement and grabbed at the tub in my hands. I twirled so that my back faced him and leaned over the tub so that he couldn't get at it. His response was to lift up my shirt slightly and lay his ice cold hands against my lower back. I gasped and my back shot up straight. In our fight over the ice cream, neither of us noticed anybody else waking up.

"What are you guys doing?" Simon asked, peeking over Maggie's feet.

"Nothing," we said simultaneously.

"What is that?" he asked, sitting up.

"Nothing," we said again.

"Is that…ice cream?" he asked. "Hey! Give me some."

He started to scramble over Maggie, who woke up and shoved him off the couch. When he hit the floor with an oomph, she looked over her shoulder and winced. He brushed it off and scrambled over. Derek tried to pull the tub away from him, but Simon snatched it and the spoon and took off. Jake came out of nowhere and ran interference. Eventually, everybody woke up and started in on the action. Apparently even in cold weather ice cream was a worthy cause. Simon almost had the tub away from Tori when we heard a cough coming from behind us. We slowly turned to see Kit standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. He shook his head and turned to leave, muttering 'children' under his breath. As soon as he was out of sight, everybody went back at it. From behind me, somebody snatched me around the waist and swung me out of the action. Laughing, I grabbed onto their arms. Without looking back, I knew it was Derek and it was confirmed when he swung me up bridal-style in his arms and started heading towards the stairs.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "I wasn't done with the ice cream."

"Do you really think you're getting any now?" he asked.

"That's when my elbows are for," I said.

"Bony elbows aside," he said. "It's three-thirty in the morning. And with the way the snow is coming down, there isn't going to be any school tomorrow, either. So, with that in mind, we should prepare for the inevitability of tomorrow's war. And the only way to do that is to be more rested than the other side, which at the moment is wide awake and fighting over a tub of melted ice cream."

"You are quite the schemer, Mr. Souza," I said. "Bravo."

"I am surprised that at this point there is any doubt in my schemes," he answered. "You really should have expected this of me."

"Apparently I still have some learning to do when it comes to you," I admitted.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," he said.

"I'm glad," I said, leaning into his chest.

He opened the door to his room and carried me over to the bed. Without the fire of downstairs, it was chilly in his room. I wrapped my arms around me and watched Derek and he moved around the dark room. He pulled a few things out of his closet and then tossed an electric blanket at me.

"Don't we need electricity to make this work?" I asked.

"Again, at this point I am surprised that you still doubt me," he said. "Toss me the cord."

I did what I was told and waited while he fiddled with whatever he had. After a few minutes, the light on the heat dial of the blanket lit up. I gasped.

"How did you do that?" I asked.

"Science experiment," he said. "I'd explain, but you'd fall asleep."

He sat down next to me on the bed and unfolded the blanket. Laying it over us, he piled on the rest of his blankets and settled down. After a few minutes, the heat started kicking in and I snuggled against Derek. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he leaned his cheek against the top of my cheek.

"How are we going to win tomorrow?" I asked.

"I have an idea."

Like I said earlier, this is a one-shot. I have no intention of expanding further.