Hi again! It's me with another story! And, yes, it is OOC, but you will see why at the end!

Disclaimer: (Based off an actual dream I had, more or less!)

We waited in the cave, waiting to see what Mr. St. Cloud would do to us. Lilly's face was as white as chalk, and her entire body shook.

"If you're scared now," said St. Cloud, "just wait until the backup gets here."

Chapter 29

Derek's POV

"Where the hell are they?" I snapped. "Those two should have been here fifteen minutes ago!"

"Calm down, Wolf-Boy," Tori said with an eye roll. "Lilly and Chloe know how to take care of themselves. They're big girls."

I glared at her and pulled out my cell. "I'm calling her."

Me: (Looks up from book) This is so cool! It almost feels real!

Dad: (Playing on his computer) Hmmph.

Phone: (Rings, then goes to voicemail)

Derek: (On phone) Hey, Chloe, it's me. It's been fifteen minutes, and I'm wondering where the hell you're at.

Dad and Me: (Exchange a look)

Me: (Squealing) He does have a deep voice!

Derek: … Oh, sorry, wrong number. Jess, you don't own Darkest Powers! (Hangs up)

Me: Of all the things he could have said...

Up to the end of me squealing, "He does have a deep voice!" was an actual dream. Cool, huh?

I just recently co-wrote a parody with Tealilly98! She's my best friend! (So be nice to her, please!)

To make things clear: The first part is a letter to her mom. I know you guys probably figure it out, but I'd rather be on the safe side.

Dear Mom,

Things aren't so great since that new girl- Darcey- arrived. She's a shifter, and she doesn't like me. She's always snapping at me and taunting me when no one else is around. To make matters worse, she likes Derek- knew him, actually, when they were kids. So they're hanging out all of the time. So where does that leave me? That's right. Nowhere. BFE. The only time we do spend together is at night, when we're... together. But I don't even know if that means anything to him anymore. She's such a bitch, but of course he doesn't see it.

I hope things get better soon. Because I don't think my heart would be able to take it if he loved her more than me.

Love, Chloe

I put down the pencil, then stored the letter safely in the floorboards with the other ones. There was a knock on my door, and Tori walked in without even bothering for me to answer.

"Hey," she said, sitting down on my bed. "How's it going? Oh, and Fuzz is out for a run with Skirts."

Those were our code names for Derek and Darcey. Can you guess which is which?

I sighed. "Being ignored and getting sick of it. You?"

"Pissed at the little slut. She's got old Fuzzy wrapped around her little finger. I tried to tell him that when I was out for a walk, I found some unfamiliar footprints, but then that bitch walks up to him, bats her eyelashes, and says, 'Oh, Derek, I'd just love to go for a run. Why don't you come with me? It'll help you burn some energy.' And he doesn't even let me finish my sentence!"

I growled. "If I had a dime for every time I wanted to smack her-"

"Or kill her," Tori interjected. "I can see the looks you two give each other. I swear to god that if you had a knife on you, you'd-"

"She'd what?" Darcey asked, walking into the room, putting on her falsetto innocent voice.

Tori glared at her. "Stab you with a knife repeatedly."

Darcey winced. "Chloe, why are you being so harsh?"

Derek, who was walking down the hall, paused to glare at me. "Be nice to Darce, Chloe." Then he went into his room.

I leered at her. "You are such a bitch."

She frowned. "You are so desperate."

"Well, you are a slut."

"You're a bitch in heat."

"You're a skank."

"At least I'm not curve-less."

"At least I'm not a whore."

"But you're flat-chested, Saunders."

"At least I'm not plastic, Mallavolante."

Tori's eyes widened, and she made an oooh sound. Darcey glowered at me before stalking out of the room, fake sniffling so that Derek would come running. Soon enough, his bedroom door opened, and I heard Derek ask her what was wrong. She told him that I called her a plastic slut.

I thought quick and whipped up some fake tears, too. Tori grinned, then put her, "I'm pissed" face on and hugged me.

"It's okay, Chloe," she whispered. "I know you're mad at yourself for saying that, but she was asking for it. I'm sure that-"

"Chloe," Derek growled from the doorway. Still sniffling, I looked up. His eyes softened fractionally when he saw me, but then grew hard again. "Why did you call Darce a plastic slut?"

I opened my mouth to tell him, but Tori beat me to it. "Darcey called Chloe a desperate, flat-chested, curve-less bitch in heat. Your precious Darcey deserved it."

Derek glared at the both of us this time. "Do you really expect me to believe that Darcey would say something like that?" He scoffed, shook his head, then scowled at me. "Chloe, those tears are definitely fake."

They had been fake, but now that he'd said that, they were real. If he couldn't see how I felt about all of this, if he couldn't see that Darcey needed a good kick in the ass, then was any of this even worth it?

~that evening~

After dinner, I went outside for a walk to burn some energy. And to avoid Derek. But it didn't work out too well, of course.

"Chloe, wait up!" I turned around, heart soaring- hoping that maybe we'd get some alone time- only to crash back down when I saw Darcey trailing behind him. I closed my eyes, counted to ten, then walked away. I didn't feel like dealing with them right now.

"Chloe! Hey!" Darcey called, all sweet and nice. I kept walking. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"She's fine," Derek grunted. A few more tears made their way down my face. "She's just being rude."

~that night... skipping around, sorry~

I denied Derek his sex that night. He'd initiated it by asking if I had plans for the evening.

"Not really," I replied.

"Really?" he asked.

"Nope. I think I'll just catch up on my sleep."

"I can think of better things to do than sleep, Sweetheart."

"Well I can't." With that, I went to bed in my room. Not his. I could hear him tossing and turning all night- even in my sleep. He was so restless when I didn't satisfy him. It was actually kinda cute.

There was a knock on my door around four-thirty, and I opened it to see Derek standing there, drenched in sweat and radiating heat. He was Changing.

I mentally gave myself a point on the Darcey vs Chloe chart. He was still coming to me. That was good.

I took his hand and led him out into the woods, where he stripped, then got down on all fours, stretching his muscles out before the Change took place. As soon as it started, he let out a small whine and looked at me. I scooted closer and pulled him close, running my fingers through his hair, whispering encouragements. Finally, he was a wolf.

Derek grinned at me, then pressed his face into my shoulder. I rested my head on his wolfish one and closed my eyes for a minute. I liked it when we were like this. It wasn't about the sex- it was about the intimacy. Making the other person feel like they belong. The feeling of belonging with him reminded me of why I kept trying to fight Darcey. It was because when Derek and I were like this- close together, leaning against the other, just relaxing- it felt so... right.

"I love you," I whispered softly. He licked my jaw in response.

It was his way of saying, I love you too.

And that was all that really mattered at the moment.

~awww~

The next day, Derek kissed me- on the lips- right in front of Darcey. She glared at me and flipped me the finger when he wasn't looking. I smiled sweetly at her. As soon as Derek was out of hearing range, Darcey walked up to me.

"What's your problem?" she snapped. Tori walked into the room, hands ready for spellcasting if needed.

"What're you talking about?" I asked innocently. She curled her lip at me.

"Derek. He's mine, Saunders. So back off."

"No, he isn't," I said, narrowing my eyes slightly.

"How is he not?"

"Has he kissed you? Has he made love to you? No, he hasn't. He's mine. I love him more than you ever could."

"Who said you had to love him to have sex with him?" she asked with a wicked gleam in her eye. "We haven't done anything yet, but we will. As soon as you're gone, Saunders, he'll officially be my new favorite toy."

"Excuse me?" I snarled.

"Well, it's not like I was going to keep you around. And as soon as I've taken care of you, I'll just-"

I didn't give her a chance to finish. I didn't even give myself a chance to think. Darcey landed on her butt with a startled cry and a hand mark on her cheek. Tori gasped, then fake cheered. Darcey glowered at me before whimpering. Fake tears ran down her face.

"Why did you...?" she whimpered.

Derek ran into the room, helped Darcey up, and checked her face. He let out a growl and wheeled on me.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" he roared. "What has Darcey ever done to you!"

"She's been a total bitch, Derek!" I yelled back. "She hates me, and wants to use you for sex!"

He shook his head violently, then walked up to me. "She would never do anything like that, Chloe! Don't you get that?"

"She-"

"No, she doesn't, Chloe!"

Darcey winced and gasped. Derek turned to her and inspected her wound. I'd drawn blood.

"That slut was asking for it," I said.

"Don't you dare call her that again," he growled. "I can't believe you-"

"But she-"

His snarl shut me up for two seconds. He leaned against the wall, eyes still on me, as if I'd go ballistic and kill everyone in the room.

"Darcey has been nothing but nice to you. I don't understand why you're being such a bitch."

I could've sworn a piece of my heart fell out of place when he called me that. But I still managed to shout, "You never listen!"

I turned to leave when he muttered out, "It's because you're not worth listening to."

crack

That was the sound of my heart breaking. "Wh-what?"

"You're not worth listening to," he said again, louder this time. "I'm just tired of a whiny little girl bugging me for attention all of the time."

If I thought him saying that I wasn't worth listening to hurt a lot, that was a razor nick compared to what he'd just said. Using up the rest of my strength, I turned around and screamed out, "YOU NEVER EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE MY PRESENCE EXCEPT FOR WHEN YOU WANT SEX, NEED TO CHANGE, OR ARE YELLING AT ME FOR BEING RUDE TO DARCEY!"

Derek winced from the amount of noise, then yelled back, "Chloe, you need to stop being such a baby! You need to start caring about other people for once, and not just yourself!"

That froze me in my place. "You think I don't care?" I shot him my Death Squint. "You think I don't care about you? That I don't care enough to fight for you? To try and keep you safe?"

"I know you don't care anymore, Chloe. If you'd quit being such a self-centered, desperate little brat, then maybe you'd realize that."

Tori gasped, and I couldn't hold back the sobs anymore. I ran from the room, tears pouring down my face, heart feeling like it was being shot repeatedly in slow-motion. I ran into my room. As soon as the door was shut, I sank to the floor, crying harder than I'd ever cried before.

After two hours of weeping and wallowing in self-pity, I decided that I was through being humiliated. I was leaving tonight.

Derek's POV

I ran through the house, sniffing, trying to find where all of the blood was coming from. A voice told me to go to the bathroom. I listened to it.

The upstairs bathroom's door was closed, and the smell of blood and death was so strong. I opened the door, and nearly broke down at the sight of the scene in front of me.

Blood was covering the floor, staining the beige tiles crimson. And there, by the bathtub, in a heap on the floor, lay Chloe. My beautiful Chloe. Both of her wrists were sliced open, as well as her neck. Blood was trickling out of her mouth. A sharpened razor blade was in her hand. I stared at her for a long time, not believing that she had done this. But when it finally did hit me, it hit hard.

I let out a howl of pain and misery, dropping to my knees, burying my head in my hands. I was shaking, but no tears were coming out. My heart felt as though it was being hit by a train over and over again, but five-thousand times worse.

"Why did you do it, Chloe?" I asked her dead, pale, bloody body. As if on cue, something to the left of me caught my eye. I turned to look at it, and made an odd choking noise in the back of my throat.

On the mirror, written in her blood, in her handwriting, it said, "Will you listen to me now, Derek?"

~holy crap~

I shot up in bed, gasping for breath. My cheeks felt wet, which made me realize I'd been crying. My body was covered in cold sweat, and I jumped out of bed to check on her.

When I opened the door to her room, I saw nothing. I looked around, checked under her bed, in her closet. She was gone. I let out a low whine- probably from my Wolf- and sat down on her bed. There was a crinkling sound, and I stood up to see that there was a slip of paper with my name on it. It said:

Dear Derek,

I'm tired of being ignored and used by you. I've come to realize that you simply don't care enough to listen to what I have to say, so I don't have any more reasons to hang around here anymore. And even if you don't care about me, I still want you to know that I love you. But if you don't want me around, then it's not worth the pain.

Good luck with Darcey. I hope you two are happy together.

Sincerely, Chloe

"No," I whispered, shaking the paper. "It's not true, Chloe. I do care."

Darcey was my childhood friend. The two of us had almost always hung out together when Simon wasn't around to spend time with me. Granted, she'd gotten taller and more developed, but I still saw the sweet little pig-tailed, wide-eyed girl in the pink sun-dress. The one who'd never hurt anything, who used to take in all the neighborhood cats and dogs. I didn't understand why Chloe didn't like her. It's not like Darce had been plotting against her, or anything.

I shook my head. Find Chloe first, yell at her for doing something like that, then reminiscence on the old days.

I walked back to my room, got dressed. Just as I was about to head to the door, I realized that someone could come looking for me if I didn't tell anyone where I was. Darcey was the one closest to me- her room was right next to mine. I'd tell her.

When I got to her room, I noticed it was empty, like Chloe's. Minus the depressing note, of course. Her scent was recent; more recent than Chloe's was. Maybe Darce had woken up, seen Chloe gone, then went out to find her. I'd have to give them both a stern talking to when I find them.

As I walked out the back door, it didn't even cross my mind that Darcey would've gotten me if she saw someone was gone.

It took about two seconds to catch Chloe's scent; even though we were fighting, I still had the smell of her imprinted into my brain. I ran into the forest, following the trail for nearly two miles. Damn, Chloe can sure cover ground fast, when she wants to.

The trail led me to a small den that was made of twigs, rocks, and leaves. It looked cool, but I didn't pay any attention to it because I smelled blood.

My brain automatically flashed back to my dream, and something inside of me let out a cry of anguish, but I shoved it back. No time freaking out over it. I had to make sure she was okay. I crept into the den, and went all the way to the back of it, where she lay. Her eyes were closed, there was a bad-looking bullet wound in her hip. Her foot was twisted at an unnatural angle. Her once-lively face was now pale and ashen. Her clothes were ragged and torn, and there were several scratches on her neck and collarbone.

"Come to finish me off?" she asked; even her voice sounded dead, hollow. Like somebody had taken it, sent it through the dryer a few times, then gave it back. Her eyelids fluttered. "It's not like I'll put up a fight. I have nothing left to live for, remember? Now why don't you sh-" She turned her head a bit so she could see me- I probably looked very attractive, in my state of shock. When she realized it was me, Derek Souza, her eyes widened fractionally.

"Derek?" she whispered. I snapped out of it and rushed forward, to her injured body.

"Who did this?" I asked, running a hand through her hair and checking for hidden wounds.

"You won't believe me."

"Try me," I growled, pushing her shirt up so I could check her ribs.

"It was Darcey."

I stopped what I was doing and stared at her. "You're right. I don't believe you."

She smiled grimly. I could see anger and pain in that smile. "I told you. And I knew you wouldn't. If it has to do with her, then it's automatically unbelievable in your eyes."

I went back to checking her for injuries. "I just find it strange that you're always talking about how Darcey's been doing this and that, but I never see anything."

Her tired, blue eyes met mine. She looked so... old. "Is it because you can't see, or because you simply refuse to see?"

I opened my mouth to answer her, when a voice called out, "Saunders! You dead yet? Because I have more ammo!" A dark laugh. "Be ready to die."

It stopped my heart. Because I knew that voice. I knew it anywhere.

Darcey walked into the den, grinning wickedly. Until she saw me, that is. It quickly faded after that.

"D-Derek?" she whispered. "What're you doing here?"

I stared at her, then looked at Chloe. She whispered, "Now do you believe me?"

I growled and pulled her closer, glaring at Darcey. "Why'd you do it?"

She sighed, then sat down, leaning against the wall. "Because I don't like Chloe. And I figured that if I could work fast enough, you'd begin to hate her, too. It's not rocket science."

I gaped at her. "So everything that Chloe said about you-"

"Was absolutely, 100% true," she finished for me. "Aren't you ashamed?"

That was all I needed to hear. I lay Chloe down on the den floor, then rushed at Darcey. She jumped back, and my fist made contact with her jaw. I heard a crack and stopped as all of our childhood memories came running back to me.

"Darcey," I snarled. "Get out of here. Never return. Or I will kill you. Got it?"

She nodded before running off, holding her broken jaw. I turned to Chloe, who lay still, watching me with fading eyes. I sped over to her, and checked her forehead. No fever. I tore my shirt into strips and placed each one on her bullet wound. Tears made their way down my face, but I blinked them back. The first thing I had to do was make sure she was safe. Then I could curl up next to her, hold her in my arms, and apologize over and over again.

"D-Derek," she whispered, running a hand through my hair weakly. I grasped it as tightly as I dared. We both knew what was going to happen. She smiled tiredly at me. "I love you."

The tears flowed freely as I whispered, "I love you too. And... I'm so sorry, Chloe. I'm so sorry."

Her eyes met mine. "You promise?"

I nodded. "Please don't leave me, Chloe. I need you."

"You don't need me in order for you to survive."

"Yes, I do. You're my world. Please, Chloe, don't go."

"Derek, you're the most amazing man I've ever met, and I know you'll do great things one day."

"I'll only do great things if you're with me, Chloe."

She blinked slowly. Time was running out. I could feel it.

"As the moon sets with my last breath, a new one begins. You will change the world, Derek. This is inevitable, as is my parting."

Were people always this poetic when they die?

I closed my eyes. I could feel the tears rolling off my cheeks and onto her chest. "You are the sweetest, most kind-hearted, caring, beautiful woman I've ever seen. There will never be anyone like you ever again. And I love you more than you will ever know."

When they opened again, Chloe was smiling. "You've made my final moments happy just by being here. And for that I thank you."

I had to taste her one final time. To feel her lips just once more. I leaned in, and our lips met. We kissed for several long seconds, and when I pulled back, she smiled as the light died from her eyes.

She died smiling.

Chloe's POV

I shot up in bed, gasping for breath. Derek bolted upright not even two seconds later.

"What's wrong, Chloe?" he asked frantically, checking the room for the cabal or dead animals. I placed a hand on his chest, calming him down.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare," I whispered, kissing his cheek. He relaxed, then pulled me close.

"What was it about?"

I told him everything, rubbing his chest when he growled at some of the parts. When I was done, he met my eyes, then kissed me.

"You do realize that if she really did treat you like that, and you told me, I'd believe you, right?"

I nodded, then leaned back against him with a smile. "You wanna help me take my mind off the dream?"

"Only if you want me to," he replied with his lopsided grin that I loved more than anything (other than him, of course). I nodded, then pulled him in for a kiss, and things escalated from there.

~The Next Morning~

Derek and I were eating breakfast at the table when Darcey walked in. She smiled flirtatiously at Derek, who pressed his lips to my forehead.

"Hey, Derek, wanna go for a run later tonight?" Darcey asked, scooting her chair closer to his.

My boyfriend shook his head. "Sorry, can't. Chloe and I are going out to catch a movie."

"Oh." She glared at me. Derek looked over at her, and she tried to cover it up, but wasn't quick enough. He frowned at her. Darcey smiled apologetically at him. His frown deepened, and she tried to cover her tracks once more. "How about tomorrow night?"

"Sorry," he said, not really meaning it. "Chlo and I are celebrating our two-year anniversary tomorrow. And, actually, we've planned for the entire week."

Darcey scoffed, then got up to leave, and I smiled.

Derek kissed me, long and sensual. It was his way of saying, "I love you".

And that was all I'd ever need.

Did you really think I'd kill Chloe off?

And, yes, the ending was cheesy... Now, how do I make it not cheesy? Eh, whatever. It means that I'll write drama novels one day!

Or not.

Love you guys! (Me no homo, but if you're over six feet and have black hair, dark green eyes, are a man, and you are very muscular, PM me! We might have something to talk about.)

Peace, Love, Recycling, Non-nuclear weapons, and DEREK SOUZA,

-WiccaChick98