Hi! This is my newly edited first fan fiction. Rating may change, depending as the story plays out. Please R&R. Suggestions and constructive criticism welcome. I apologize if the characters are well out of character. So hopefully I will improve, as they say practise make perfect. Enjoy!

Me: I OWN NOTHING! IT ALL BELONGS TO KELLEY ARMSTRONG!...sob...

I sat on the edge of the bed, letting my eye's roam the motel room. It was seventh in the last month. I couldn't help but feel a pang worry when I thought of dad, his face and mine on every tabloid and newspaper. I ran my fingers through my hair before pulling them out quickly in disgust. I didn't like my hair before but the black only made it look worse, it hung coarse and dry, my roots already betraying my blond.

I could hear the tv on in the next room the paper thin walls not masking Simon's voice rising above the noise. Kit had taken Tori into the guy's room to tell them of Tori's untradional parentage.

No," I heard Simon yell. "No, she is not my sister." The viciousness of his tone surprising me. I couldn't hear anything from Derek only Simon, Kit and... I bit down on my lip.

Now I could hear it, a soft sob. Oh, Tori. I stood up I couldn't take it any more I had to get out of here. Aunt Lauren was out and I was pretty sure Tori wouldn't want me here when she came back. We had grown close but she still had her moments. No one would miss me for a little while and Derek would find me when he wanted to. Derek. I bit down harder on my lip just thinking about him. I had my suspicions that he had already known about Simon and Tori, nothing really escaped him. I sighed; we hadn't had a moment alone since that first night on the run after the Edison Group, and now the Cable. I was beginning to wonder if my life would ever be the same again.

I grabbed my jacket before swinging open the bedroom's door. A cold breeze hit me as I stumbled my way down the metal stairways that stretched across the second floor of the motel. Cars and lorries sped past now only multicoloured streaks in the growing darkness. I probably shouldn't be out here but right now I needed some air. I headed across the tarmac parking lot to a patch of grass with a tree that over shadowed an old picnic bench, its paint peeling off and green algae and linch covering it. It moaned its complaint as I sat down. I was close enough here to still see the bedroom's door, Derek would have no problem in finding me. I inhaled the cold night air; it burned my throat and lungs and cleared my head. I closed my eyes so much had happened in a very short time. All of it made for some killer movie material, but not so good to actually be living through. I could see the trailer playing through my head. The camera twirling around to face me, as I ran screaming through the school's halls. A sudden change over to the Lyle house the cheery pale yellow walls that hid a secret. Flashes of our plans. Us on the run. The Edison group the experiments based on the dreams of a mad man. Us running. Andrew with his own group of delusionists. Me and Derek. I sighed at the memory. His lips hesitant as they came closer, unsure. And finally their screams.

I shuddered at the memories. Okay, the trailer form made it bearably but not necessarily better. "Chloe" The voice soft and gentle in my ear. My head snapped up in response. I knew that voice. "Mom?" I looked around me franticly hoping to catch a glimpse of her. "Chloe...baby...careful..."

"Be careful of what?" There was no answer. Panic weld up inside me. "Mom?" I felt the pinpricks of tears in my eyes. "Chloe?" I turned around to see Derek not ten feet away, the familiar scowl in place, his arms crossed. The best thing I could have seen at that moment.

"Chloe you shouldn't have gone off like that. Do you know how worried I was..." I couldn't help it I needed him. I got up from where I was sitting and crossed the short distance that separated us and wrapped my arms around him.

I was home. I stood on my tippee toes my lips pouted asking for a kiss. I felt a rumble through his chest, a war between the anger and longing battling in his eyes. Longing won. The anger and concern faded from his face before he sighed and kissed me. His lips meeting mine with no hesitation. I gripped him to me, pressing my lips against his in a fierce hungry passion. I needed this, and I needed him. He broke away and rested his forehead against mine stooping to do so. I was happy to see that I wasn't the only one breathless. "What am I going to do with you?" he breathed, his breathe warm on my still tingling lips. I snuggled against him.

"She was here." I whispered against his chest. His hand rubbed my forearms in the attempt to comfort me and warm me up with the friction. "I know, I heard" Each word rumbling through his chest. I could feel some rebel tears streaming down my face. But I wiped them away impatiently. "Come on" I murmured taking him by the hand. "It's cold out here."

I climbed the metal stairs to the room. I was exhausted. I wanted my mom. "Chloe" I turned around, and I was suddenly aware just how close Derek was. Each nerve ending prickling in anticipation. It was such a tease to stand this close to him and not touch. He rested a hand on the wall behind me, trapping me, a predatory glint in his eye. The fingers of his free hand lightly brushing back a loose piece of hair off my face, tucking it securely behind my ear. His touch left a strange sensation, as if I had been burned but hadn't realized it yet. My breath caught in my throat as he came closer, our lips brushing lightly. "Chloe?"

We shot up; I felt my face heating up has I blush. Oh jeez, I bet that was attractive. Derek coughed uncomfortably beside me, raking his fingers through his hair. "Chloe" I turned around to see Aunt Lauren at the bottom of the stairs, a shopping bag in hand. "Could you help me with the shopping, please." It wasn't a question.

"Emmmm...okay" I said reluctantly. It was that she didn't like Derek; she had begun to warm up to him. Mildly. Derek sifted awkwardly beside me. I stumbled my way down the stairs taking the shopping bag off her. It was surprisingly light; a peek in revealing only a bag of sweaty apples and a sweat shirt. I sighed. Okay, maybe she didn't like him. I was going to have to change that, and soon or else I'd never get some quality time with my boyfriend. I felt a trill at the word even if I only said it in my head. "Chloe don't dally, sweetheart" She said while franticly digging in her purse as she brushed past me up the stairs, ignoring Derek completely before entering the girl's room. I loved my aunt but she could be so... Derek took the bag off me when I got to the top. One eyebrow cocked quizzically at its lightness. I shook my head; I wasn't in the mood for arguing with my aunt now. I was tired.

"Do you want to tell them what your mom said?" his voice was low so not to be over heard. "We'll do it in the morning. I think there's been enough drama for today." My thoughts strayed back to Tori and Simon. Both probably waiting for us now. This was going to be awkward. I bit lip. Derek put the shopping down beside the door before wrapped his arms around me cradling me. "They'll be grand." he whispered as if he could read my thoughts. I nodded, sighing breathing in the smell that was uniquely Derek's. The air had suddenly become hard to breath. What did mom want to warn me about? It had to matter if she had come to tell me. We stood there for a moment as he rocked me gently back and forth, humming "Daydream Believer" softly out off key. I smiled, thinking of the night he had hummed it to me on the bus, blinking back a few tears that threatened. It was the first time in a while I had thought about my mom in awhile. I felt pang of guilt at not thinking of her more often. I missed her.

I took a step back to look up at Derek. "I better go" I whispered, I didn't put it past aunt Lauren to come out and make some excuse for me to go anyway. He nodded, "Call if you need me" I smiled at that, he could be a bit over protective at times.

I picked up the shopping bag off the walkway and opened the door. I could feel Derek's eyes on me as I closed it again gently behind me.

Aunt Lauren was having a shower; the noisy hum of the shower filled the room. The bathroom door stood slightly ajar, letting in just enough light to show Tori's silhouette in the bed her chest rising and falling in slow breaths. But I doubt she was asleep. I quickly changed into one of the over sized sweatshirts Derek had bought for me that I now used as a make do pyjamas and crawled into the bed. I lay with my back to the bathroom and Tori, if she wanted to talk she would. I lay like that for a few minutes before she spoke.

"Chloe?" she said tentively as if she thought or hoped that maybe I had actually fallen to sleep. "Yes?" I murmured, flipping over to face her. Her usually immaculate appearance was gone, her eye's were puffy and the iridescent tell tale trails of tears ran down her face. "You knew" it wasn't a question, it was a statement. I swallowed figuring honesty was that best policy in this situation. "Yes, I knew" I whispered back, waiting for her to explode and demand an explanation to why I hadn't told her but she simply nodded. It hurt me to see her like this, so...broken. "Simon, won't stay mad forever" I whispered after a moment of silence. I didn't know what to say. "My mom was a bitch" she said with a bitter laugh before closing her eyes.

The silence stretched on to the point I thought that she had fallen asleep. I closed my heavy eyelids, waiting for the relief of sleep to take me away from reality. "but she was still my mom" the whisper was so faint I thought I could have imagined it but before I could ponder it to any extent sleep swept over me, dragging me into its dark world of peace.

Hi! Thanks for the comments. It's nice to know I'm not completely useless. (So...yay!) I know it's all paragraphy (hehe...I made up a new adjective) only learning how to work this thing. Tell me if this is better. I've added in more spaces and doubled two chapters up cause they're both a little to short to put out on their own. I've a rough idea how this is going to work out in my head, but any suggestions would be cool.

Thanking ya...;)