They were running again. It seemed as if they were always running these days and Simon was tired of it. Whether it was the Cabals or the Edison Group, there was always something to run from. Not that he minded; growing up moving from town to town had prepared him for this. At least he and Derek had their Dad back. At least Derek had finally found someone who could see him for who he really was. At least they were happier now than they ever were before.

But just a while ago, Derek had come into Simon's room to tell him that their Dad thought it would be best if they moved again. Simon had nodded thoughtfully, because he knew they would be leaving soon. They'd already spent a year here in Chicago, which was the longest time they'd ever spent in one place since they'd been reunited. Chloe and Tori had barged into Simon's room then, to inform them that the next person on the list lived in Pennsylvania, so they were making a quick stop there before moving on to the next town.

Now, they were all there, sitting in Simon's room in a slightly uncomfortable silence. It seemed as if they didn't know what to say to each other now that they didn't have to worry about their safety all the time. Simon didn't know how to break the awkwardness and it bothered him for some reason. They had all changed so much.

Before the silence could become too suffocating, the doorbell rang. Simon shot his brother a confused look and followed Derek down the stairs, Tori and Chloe right behind him. At the bottom, they were met by their Dad and Chloe's aunt Lauren, who also looked confused and a little worried. A strange feeling crept up Simon's spine; a feeling of discomfort and dread. Something bad was going to happen, he just knew it.

"Were any of you expecting anyone?" his father asked. Simon shook his head worriedly, if no one invited anyone to come over today, then who was at the door?

His Dad ran a hand through his hair as the doorbell rang again, echoing throughout the house. Simon bit his lip as his Dad gestured for them to move to the left, so that they would be out of sight when he opened the door. Derek stood behind their Dad, ready to attack whoever was on the other side if they proved to be a threat.

As the door swung open, Simon felt his heart speed up, time seeming to slow down. Beside him, Tori had a spell ready to go in case something went wrong and Simon leaned forward, ready to cast. That's when the chaos began.

Derek pushed their father behind him, away from the door and then he fell down, bleeding. Simon didn't understand what had happened until Tori pulled the door completely open and he saw a middle aged man on the other side, holding a gun, a silencer already in place. Immediately, all the breath left him, and he barely registered Tori's spell hitting the man right in the chest. All he could think about was the gun in the stranger's hand and his brother lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Lauren was working on him, trying to save his life, but Simon wasn't sure if his brother had a chance.

His Dad moved into his line of sight with a rope, tying up the stranger with a gun, and dragging him in, closing the door. Simon noticed how shaky his Dad looked, how scared, and that only served to terrify him more. He couldn't lose his brother, he just couldn't.

Suddenly, Simon seemed to remember Chloe, who was standing beside him. He had enough presence of mind left to wonder why she hadn't screamed or cried or even made a sound this whole time. Logically, Simon knew he should look at her and ask her if she was alright, but he just couldn't bring himself to turn away from the tragic scene that was his brother. He was rooted to the spot in terror as Lauren performed CPR, trying to restart Derek's heart.

In his peripheral vision, Simon could see the stranger lying on the floor; Tori's spell having knocked him out. Then, his Dad and Tori joined Lauren on the floor by Derek, watching anxiously as she worked to save Derek's life. Simon's stomach seemed to have dropped between his legs as he saw Lauren sit back, shaking her head dejectedly, with tears quietly streaming down her cheeks. Beside him, Chloe let out a whimper, Derek's name slipping past her lips in a quiet whisper.

"What do you see Chloe?" his Dad asked, shakily picking up one of Derek's limp hands and holding on tight. His father's voice was devoid of all emotions but despair, and it scared Simon to see his father so dejected.

"I see…Derek. I-I see him." Chloe responded, horrified. It felt as if she had punched him in the gut. Simon took a shaky step forward and collapsed beside his brother, shaking his head and breathing erratically. He heard Tori gasp and his Dad let out a sob as Chloe seemed to be having a conversation with his brother.

All of a sudden, it was too much for Simon to handle. His brother couldn't be dead, it just wasn't right. Chloe was wrong, she must've been seeing someone else; it was the only logical answer he could come up with. But Chloe kept talking, as if Derek was awake, as if he was right there with them, and Simon didn't want to hear it anymore.

"No! No no no. No. Derek, Derek. You can't leave me here Derek. You can't just go and die on us! No no! Wake up, wake up! Derek!" Simon could hear his voice, and he knew it was shaky and a little hysterical but he didn't care. He needed his brother to wake up.

His hands shot out, fisting Derek's shirt and shaking harshly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Simon knew he was acting irrationally, but none of that mattered now. Not when his brother was laying on the floor in a pool of blood. A pair of arms wrapped around him, holding him in a familiar embrace as his father's voice told him to let go, that his brother was dead. Simon wrenched himself free and scooted closer to Derek

"No no no! I refuse to believe that! No!" Simon heard himself scream as he threw himself onto his brother's body. For what felt like hours, Simon lay there in his brother's blood asking and pleading for Derek to wake up, to come back, but nothing happened. After a while, he got tired and just lay there, chanting one word. Please. Over and over and over again.

Simon couldn't accept the fact that Derek could be dead because accepting it would mean that he'd lost yet another person in his life. Derek was his best friend, and his brother. He was the glue that held their little group together, and without him, Simon didn't know how they would survive. This scene was so reminiscent of his mother's death, that Simon found himself reliving it all over again. Coupled with the fact that Derek seemed to be getting colder under him, and it was just too much.

Waves of despair wracked Simon's body as he cried for his brother to come back to him, yet silently acknowledging that this would never happen. He felt his father wrap an arm around him, placing another on Derek's forehead, their tears mixing with the blood on Derek's chest. The blood on their hands. Derek's blood.

Simon felt as if he was drowning, and there was no left to pull him out of the water. Everyone was too caught up in their own grief to notice Simon's. Then, Lauren was saying they needed to leave before the stranger woke up, and his Dad was agreeing, while stroking Derek's hair gently. With a sob, his father removed his hand from Derek's hair and stood up, leaving Simon lying there, on the floor with his cold brother.

People were rushing around, bringing bags and suitcases from upstairs and disappearing outside, only to come back in for more. Simon couldn't bring himself to let go of his brother, and so he lay there and cried silently. All too soon, his father was back telling him he had to let go, that they had to leave now. But the words didn't make any sense. Leave? How could they just leave Derek here? Then he felt himself being pulled from Derek, his father was pulling him away.

"No. No! Derek! Derek!" Simon screamed hysterically. He needed to get back to his brother. They couldn't leave him here, they just couldn't. Kicking and screaming, he tried to free himself from his father's grip but he was too tired and he had no more energy left to fight. Sagging against his father, he felt a blanket being wrapped around him, before he was placed on the ground.

Simon watched despondently as his father smoothed Derek's hair from his eyes, placing a kiss on his forehead. "Goodbye son. I'm sorry." His father whispered, brokenly. Stretching his arm, Simon was able to hold Derek's hand in his. He squeezed gently before his was ripped away, his father supporting his weight as he was led to the van in the driveway.

After depositing him in the backseat, his father climbed in and pulled him into a fierce hug, both of them still crying silently for all that they had lost in less than a second. Simon fisted his father's shirt in his hands and stared out the window watching the house get smaller and smaller as the van pulled away. In that house laid his brother, cold and unmoving, in a puddle of blood just inches away from the man who killed him. Simon watched as the distance between him and his brother increased as the van spread down the street before rounding a corner, the house disappearing completely, leaving Derek behind.

Originally, I intended this to be a one shot. Now… Now I don't know. Review?