AN: This story is a crossover with Kelley Armstrong's other series, Women of the Otherworld. Only... it's not really a crossover, because they're actually set in the same universe. It won't happen for a while, though. The story deviates after the third and final book of the Darkest Powers series, before Darkness Rising begins; for Women of the Otherworld, as it stands I am only at book seven, and do not own nine or eleven. So after No Humans Involved, it may deviate slightly. I'm not quite sure when the two series meet chronologically, but I'm assuming it's around the tenth book or so, where Logan and Katherine are... what, three? Four? Anyway, it'll be several chapters before any serious crossing over (in the non-death related sense; I won't make any promises there!) begins... and, umm, enjoy? Please. xD
Rating: T currently. Possibly M later, though likely not for sexual interaction.
Pairings: Darkest Powers: Derek/Chloe. Women of the Otherworld: Clay/Elena; Adam/Savannah; Lucas/Paige; Jeremy/Jaime; Kristof/Eve; Karl/Hope; possibly others.
Disclaimer: Darkest Powers, Women of the Otherworld and all related works belong to Kelley Armstrong. I only own this storyline, and any original characters (which will be mentioned at the beginning of the chapter – they won't play major protagonist roles) inserted.
LAST RAYS OF THE SUN
a
Darkest Powers
fanfiction
by
Lapse
An unspoken law in the supernatural world: never make a deal with the devil. Well, I hadn't, but I'm pretty sure I did the next best – er, worst – thing. / Deviates from canon after the end of The Reckoning. Women of the Otherworld crossover.
Chapter One
For Want of a Nail, Part I
It took about two weeks stuck with her to realize Tori's mood swings were a sign of progress. No, Derek didn't think so, and I'm pretty sure Simon would have made a face if I mentioned it to him, but they definitely looked like progress to me.
When Aunt Lauren finally caved about letting me call dad, I was then sent to Mr. Bae, who would give me the final verdict. Luckily, Derek and Simon were both lurking around the motel lobby doing... something (I quickly learned that Simon had a sneaky streak, and that Derek never said no... to Simon), so only Tori 'insisted' on tagging along. I had no idea why – it certainly didn't involve her. But I let her come with me anyway, because she actually asked to (even if she did turn a deaf ear to any hints at refusal), instead of deciding for me. So Tori stayed back while I pulled the extra key from my pocket, casually leaning against the railing, though I could almost hear her eyes roll when I remembered my manners and knocked instead. Barging in when my boyfriend was there was pushing it already – so when it's just his dad? Uh, awkward.
While it only took Mr. Bae a few seconds to opening the door, the wait felt like a long one. Tori rocked on her heels, soles cracking against the cement, hands deep in her pockets, and I knew she wanted to say something... but she didn't. Which was odd for Tori, because Miss Congeniality she was not. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how I looked at it, Mr. Bae ushered us in before I could muster up the courage to ask what was up, apologizing profusely for making us wait.
As quickly as he had directed us in, Mr. Bae took his time shutting the door, caution superseding courtesy. I certainly wasn't offended. Our motel was located on the far end of a little cluster of stores and one restaurant, and Mr. Bae had scouted before renting the rooms, choosing the two that were closest to the parking lot and farthest from the small-town hotspots. As lovely as I'm sure the rolling dumpsters and flickering MOTEL sign were, I knew he wasn't appreciating the sights.
Tori plopped down on the edge of the first mattress, the bed barely dipping under her weight. I took the floor beneath it and beside her. Tempting as it was to make myself comfortable on Derek's bed, there were two very major problems with it at this point in time. One, his dad was in the room. Two? Derek wasn't. If the first didn't suck any ideas out of my head, the second one did. Kind of a killjoy when your only make-out options were a pillow and your boyfriend's dad. Gross much?
Mr. Bae was oblivious to my teenage hormones and thoughts regarding his son, thank God. His hands hesitated at the lock, weighing the pros and cons of the additional security, before deciding against it. I tried to ignore his eyes, shadowed by pale, purple crescents of worry and exhaustion, as he turned to us. "Girls? Is everything okay? Where are Simon and Derek?" As he strode towards the second bed – his and Simon's, most likely – I blinked, processing this inquiry. What…?
"Oh! Um, they're fine. Well, I think they are." I saw the flicker in his eyes and hastily amended my statement, "I mean, they're in the lobby. Or were... last I checked..." Okay, talk about making it worse. I was about to further attempt placating his misplaced, while not unfounded, fears, when Tori intervened. I jumped slightly, knocking against her left leg in the process, having totally forgotten her presence there.
"They're fine. Simon's trying to pick the lock on the snack machine and Derek's acting as his guard dog... like usual." I glared halfheartedly. She ignored me and continued with a vague wave my direction, "Chloe wants to call her dad. Tell him to revoke the 'bounty'." Not exactly the way I would have put it, but it worked. I peered over the edge of the bed and flashed Tori an appreciative smile, also halfhearted, as if I couldn't decide whether I wanted to hit her for the jibe at Derek or hug her for backing me up.
Mr. Bae lowered himself onto his protesting bed, absently scratching his bare upper arms. It was only then that I noticed the towel around his neck, and his choice in shirts... or lack thereof. Well, if I'd had any doubts about whether or not he was the one who taught Derek to fight like a brawler, they were gone now. With the flashback of Tori eying my boyfriend back at the safe house replaying in my head, I sincerely prayed to whatever deities listing that Tori hadn't, didn't, and wouldn't check out her dad accidentally. Mental shudder.
Mr. Bae exhaled loudly, but otherwise was silent. I fidgeted on the ground and Tori waited for him to speak, collected as ever. The clock ticked away what felt like hours. I was beginning to wonder whether he intended to respond when he arose, faded green sweatpants shuffling slightly, striding further into the room. With a thoughtless toss of the towel, and a second scratch, scratch, scratch of his arm, he slipped on a t-shirt from an ajar drawer. Derek's, judging by the sheer size of it, and it fit him just as it had his son – horribly. He didn't seem to care. Typical guy. Then, he turned. And with the expected change in appearance came an unexpected change of personality.
"I'm sorry, Chloe, but you can't." Even Tori seemed appropriately shocked by the resolution in his voice, as if he were daring me to claim otherwise. First anger struck me, then defiance. Hesitant defiance, to be sure, but I wasn't going down without a fight. He wanted one? He'd get one.
I stood instinctively, hands balled tightly into fists as my five-foot-nothing was dwarfed by his towering figure. My first retort was the ever popular 'That's not fair!' line. When I realized that this wouldn't work, not if I wanted him to take me seriously, I replied a tiny bit angrily, "He deserves to know. Didn't you worry about Simon and Derek when you were separated from them?"
The stoic facade cracked slightly, revealing the father beneath. Then he shook his head, and all traces of it vanished. His words were deceptively calm. "Of course I did, Chloe. But this is different –"
"How is this different? He's as much my dad as you are Simon's. Even more than you are Derek's, since at least we're blood!" I winced, guilt swelling. That was hitting below the belt and we both knew it. Mr. Bae looked caught between furious defense of his sons – one of whom was my boyfriend, my double-crossing mind reminded me – and continuing his adamant refusal, backed by well-thought out logic and facts. None of which would have worked on me at this point, I might add.
I didn't get the chance to find out which he chose... or if he chose either at all. Tori stepped between us, and for a fleeting moment I believed she was going to act as the mediator, as the peacemaker, but then she wheeled on Mr. Bae and unleashed all the pent-up rage from her own parents' betrayal.
"She's his daughter. You may not have one of those, but it's the pretty much the same concept as a son, Kit. The only difference between your family and his, is when she's gone, he doesn't have anyone else." Tori stalked out, all but saying anything Mr. Bae could have said in response wouldn't have been enough.
We both stared after her for a long minute. Then Mr. Bae groaned, sinking into the mattress with a rub of his forehead. He used the same motion to rake his fingers through his hair, gaze averted to buy him some time. When he finally looked up, the resolute sorcerer was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I saw an expression I recognized well – the very same one Tori had worn that day at the factory after her dad ratted her out. And then I knew. I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, with one hundred percent certainty, that the resemblance was too strong to be a coincidence. Victoria Enright was Kit Bae's daughter.
His hand fell and intertwined with the other in a crisscross pattern, thumbs resting side by side. I could tell he was choosing his words carefully.
"Listen, Chloe." I listened. His gaze dropped for a split second. "He's... he's human. You can't –" Wrong choice.
I followed in Tori's footsteps, reveling in the tiny bit of satisfaction my defiance brought before anything could sink in. The door slammed shut behind me, shaking the frame-affixed lamp as paint chips shimmered like fireflies descending in the darkness. Then I collapsed again the railing, ready to sob my heart out, when a shadow dropped onto the rusted bars beside me. Tori. I quickly diverted my gaze to the flashing, flickering MOTEL parking lot sign - red, blue, green, red, blue, green, red, blue, green... and as the hypnotic lights lulled me into the deepest recesses of my mind, questions I'd tried so hard to avoid began cropping up, piece by piece, as if laying a jigsaw puzzle before me. One father abandoned, one father found, one father turned traitor. All mothers presumably dead. The strings of fate never end, do they? All connected to one another.
Tori, being Tori, didn't give me enough time to pursue that thought process, barely enough to gather myself before she pushed off the railing and wandered in the general direction of our room, the slap of her sneakers against cement amplified by the limited small-town noises. I wonder if I would have if she'd waited a little longer. Probably not.
I watched her go, somewhat let down by being left for my thoughts to consume me whole. Then, at the stairs, she stopped and cast me a look I didn't catch over her shoulder. "What the hell are you waiting for?" she asked, tone snappishly impatient. Ah, Tori. "The payphone is this way. Move it!"
To be continued... soon. Hopefully. Please point out any errors, choppiness, OOC-ness, or whatever else you see. And review if you could... umm, again, please. xD
... Lapse