Halloween '13 Fic Exhange!

For the ever-amazing Bridget, also known as splendeur.

prompts: mid-winter, cranberry-colored Sharpies, snow-encrusted
windows, "Stop living in the future, (enter name here). Isn't now, right-here
with me, enough?"

pairings: Derrick/Cam/Claire

Italicized stuff are thoughts or just emphasis.

Hey there Bridget. I seriously hope that you're reading this, and I hope that you don't think it's too terrible. I thought it majorly sucked. And I hope it's not weird that I'm writing about Christmas for a Halloween fic exchange. Well, I'm a weirdo. :) Hope you like it!

Gah! I'm so sorry that this is late! *bows head in shame* I didn't get home until like eleven last night, and then this morning I had skating practice, and I just got back. So now I'm posting it. Please don't hate me for being lazy and not updating Wildfire or Take Me With You. I SWEAR ON EVERYTHING PRECIOUS TO ME THAT I WILL UPDATE SOON.

Love,

Anastasia

.:starlit snow:.

derrick/cam/claire

It's that time of year again, where snow dances down silently from puffy gray clouds and pile into big soft plumes of sparkling white. It's the time of year that Westchester is most majestic; holly wreaths hanging on mansion doors, mistletoe tacked above doorways, warm roaring fireplaces, and lavish holiday parties. Mid-winter in New York still takes her breath away, even after four years. She still gasps when she sees the silent parks blanketed with pristine untouched white powder and the splendor of the decorations at the Westchester Mall. Claire Lyons smiles to herself gently, her pillowy pink lips curving up ever-so-slightly. She grips a pretty red-purple Sharpie, the color of plums, cherries- no; the color of cranberries. Claire pulls of the colored cap and wrinkles her button-nose at the sharp toxic fume of the pen. She swipes her long grown-out bangs to the side with sparkling Christmas-themed manicured nails- courtesy if Massie and the manicurist at Golden Nails; and scrawls her name in loopy cursive letters with the cranberry-colored Sharpie. She smiles proudly when she holds up her Christmas card- for Cam. Claire is just finishing gluing on the finishing touch- a golden lace border; when Massie texts.

Massie: Claire! U ready to go?

Claire: Go where Mass?

Massie: BOCD tree lighting ceremony.

Claire: Oh yeah I'll be there in 10.

Massie: Kay.

Claire wipes away a little frost on her picture window and peers out at Massie's room through snow-encrusted windows. The corners of her mouth curl up into an amused grin when she sees Massie's silhouette frantically digging through her closet- probably for the right shoes. Claire immediately turns to her closet and throws on dark True Religion skinnys, a white sleeveless Calvin Klein cashmere cowlneck cinched with a wide tan Louis Vuitton belt (a Dylan hand-me-down) with soft furry ankle-height grey limited-edition Uggs (a birthday gift from her parents) dangling gold hoops, a tiered silver necklace (both from Forever 21), and a cropped black Ralph Lauren coat (from Alicia). Claire smiled proudly at her reflection in the full length mirror. Massie would be proud, Claire thought as she struggled to apply black liquid liner to her innocent blue dropped her phone in her back pocket and swished some clear vanilla-scented gloss on before excitedly bounding down the stairs clutching Cam's card.

"Mom! I'm going to Massie's!" Claire called just before closing the door behind her. She sprinted across the frosty lawn that separated the main house from the guesthouse, faint moonbeams and glowing stars illuminating her lithe figure as she crunched over the starlit snow. Claire jogged into the stone mansion and runs to Massie's royalty-themed bedroom. Taffeta, satin, lace, silk, and velvet. Gold, white, and purple. Perfect, polished, sophisticated. These were all words that Claire Lyons could describe Massie Block's room with. The grandeur of the teenager's room still astonished her; just as it did four years ago when she first came to Westchester. Oh the memories. Claire pokes her head in the doorway, to see Massie's normally pin-perfect room littered with shoes of all kinds. Heels, wedges, flats, flip flops, stilettos, slingbacks, kitten heels. Massie darted out from the closet, a pair of metallic blue Gucci heels dangling from her fingers.

"Claire! Thank God you're here! Do these shoes match my outfit? I want to look good because Derrick is gonna be there and I have to be a total 10 and Alicia CANNOT look better than me; especially since she's such a bitch now. How's my outfit? Do I look okay?" Massie ranted, her words tumbling over each other in a rush. Claire scanned Massie's outfit; black Calvin Klein skinnys with a mocha Versace lace cami under a fitted gold Ralph Lauren blazer paired with the metallic blue Guccis. Massie looked stunning. Her hair was in curls, cascading down her back in voluminous wavy curls. A gold necklace with a heart locket hung from her long neck, matching her collection of gold bangles and her signature charm bracelet. Her eyes were lined in a sexy bold cat-eye, and her eyeshadow was tinted a light pearly pink with golden flecks. Her lips were plump and pink, glossed to perfection.

"Damn Mass..."

"WHAT?! Do I have panty lines? Is my makeup smudged? I bet it is. Oh my God. My hair is probably a mess right now. I bet I look terrible," Massie rambled.

"MASS! You look amazing! Alicia and her drones are no competetion. Derrick's is going to die on the spot. You are so...gorgeous."

Massie looked a bit more calm and shoved her phone in her back pocket. Claire rolled her eyes playfully at her best friend's paranoia, which earned her a swift elbow to the ribs. The two girls linked their designer-clad arms and skipped (tripped in Claire's case) down the stairs and into the Range Rover, where Isaac was waiting with cups of Starbucks in to-go cups and toasty seat heaters.

"Hey Mass, how come we're not driving there in your Mercedes?" Claire asked, just realizing that Isaac was chauffeuring them again for the first time in months; since Massie and Claire got their driver's licenses. Massie merely shrugged before checking her hair and makeup in her Chanel compact. Old habits die hard.

"Miss Lyons, I might be old, but I can still drive. I've missed you girls," Isaac chuckled, laughing heartily. Claire immediately flushed a shade of delicate pink.

"I didn't mean it like that Isaac, I just meant-"

"I'm just kidding, Miss Lyons. Miss Block's Mercedes is in for repairs."

"Oh, okay."

"I've miss you too, Isaac."

Massie jumps out of the car in search of Derrick before the Range Rover screeched to a complete stop, earning her a glare from Isaac. Claire giggled quietly into her palm. Some things don't change do they? Claire, on the other hand; waits until the car has stopped to unbuckle her seat belt and slide out of the leather interior. She finds Cam drinking hot chocolate with Josh, Plovert, Kemp, Derrick, and Massie. Claire snatched an angel-winged Styrofoam cup of the hot sweet frothy liquid piled with marshmallows off of a silver tray that Kori was holding. She joins Cam by his side, and his muscular arm slips around Claire's thin waist and pulls her close.

"Hey Cam," Claire greeted him happily, handing him the card.

"How's my angel, Clairebear?" Cam grinned, tickling Claire's sides. Claire squirmed and giggled.

"Cam! Okay- sto-stop- now-serio-ous-ly- I- can-'t-breathe!" Claire panted in between fits of laughter. Cam grins and pokes her one last time, chuckling at her sharp squeal. His mismatched eyes sparkled when he saw the $100 iTunes gift card Claire had taped to the card.

"Thanks, Claire! Just wait and see what I'm getting you for your next birthday, and I can just picture senior prom," Cam said slyly. Claire frowned.

"Stop living in the future, Cam. Isn't now, right here with me, enough?" She asked him sadly. Cam's sea-colored eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course it is, Claire! I didn't mean it like that, I'm just saying that I see a future for us. Together," Cam cried, not wanting to upset Claire. Claire sighed.

"It's okay, I get it. I just wished...never mind. I love you too, Cam."

Derrick and Massie were giggling together, staring into each other's eyes. Well, Massie was gazing lovingly at Derrick while Derrick...was sneaking furtive glances at...Claire. Claire crinkles her light blonde brows, confused as to why Derrick was distracted by her. Cam followed Claire's gaze and his fist clenched in anger. She stroked his arm, calming him down.

"Cam, calm down," She murmured quietly into his ear.

"Harrington's stealing looks at you again," Cam whispered angrily.

"What do you mean, AGAIN?"

"He's been staring at you for a week now. He's always watching you, or trying to make eye contact. I think he's trying to hit on you," Cam confided in a hushed voice. Claire's angelic blue eyes widened. No. Derrick Harrington was going to screw EVERYTHING up; her relationship with Cam, her friendship with Massie, and his friendship with Claire. She wouldn't let this happen, not now. Not when everything was so perfect.

"Cam, I don't want him to ruin anything," Claire mumbled, her soft voice barely audible.

"What do you mean, Clairebear?"

"I mean, if he tries to hit on me, he'll ruin everything. He'll ruin my relationship with you, my friendship with Massie, and my friendship with him. I can't let that happen, I love you too much, Cam," Claire confessed, her eyes trained on Massie, who was cuddling with Derrick. Derrick's brown puppy dog eyes flitted back to Claire's face every now and then.

"Well, I show him that you're not available," Cam whispered.

"Cam- don't do anything stupid, like starting a fight with him, or-"

Claire was cut off from her worried-girlfriend speech with Cam's warm lips, He kissed her gently, and she stood on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. When they broke apart, Cam's beautiful blue-green eyes twinkled with amusement and Claire's pale complexion was beginning to turn pink. When Claire glanced back at Massie, Massie was grinning her Cheshire-cat smile with amusement dancing in her fiery amber irises. She seemed a lot more carefree, just happy in general; now that she didn't care about being alpha. But Derrick was no longer smiling,his eyes were narrowed dangerously, still smoldering underneath his stony expression. Cam pecked Claire lightly on the lips once more.

"I'm gonna go get us some more hot chocolate, okay Clairebear? Stay right here. And if Harrington tries anything, scream and kick his ass," Cam said, saying that last bit in a hushed whisper. Claire rolled her eyes playfully and saluted him. "Yes sir." Cam grinned before walking off in pursuit of the next kiss-butt with hot cocoa. Claire walked up to Massie and stood next to her while admiring the creative penguin suits the actors wore for the performance on stage.

"Claire, you look a bit like those penguins. Black and white all over," Massie teased, her amber orbs glimmering with genuine happiness. Claire acted mock insulted and slapped her hand to her heart.

"Mass, I'm so hurt!" Claire joked in between giggles. The two girls began laughing hysterically, poking each other and tickling each other in the ribs. Then Derrick ruined the moment but sidling up to Claire and asking, "Claire, where's Cammy boy?" Claire looked around for a moment, realizing that Cam still wasn't back.

"I'm gonna go find Cam," she told Massie. Massie nodded and waved before leaning her brunette head onto Derrick's shoulder while Claire dashed off in search of Cam.

Claire wove in and out of throngs of children, BOCD students, parents, and faculty. Her forehead creased in concentration as she squinted to see through the bright lights. Massie would've killed me for squinting AND wrinkling my forehead. Claire skirted around the refreshment table, nearly spilling a pitcher of punch and toppling a tower of homemade cupcakes in the process. She had searched just about the entire area, calling Cam's name and earning dirty looks from parents whose kids were trying to watch the singing penguins. Claire rolled her eyes and walked back by the enormous tree, lit by a thousand twinkling lights and the stars; where she had first saw Cam when they got here. Claire stepped back, tripping on a clump of slush and smacking right into the tree. A strand of lights dropped onto the other side of the tree, and Claire cursed as she ducked through the tree branches to retrieve it. Instead of glowing rainbow lights, she saw something else. Something that broke her heart into a million pieces on the floor. She saw HER Cam, kissing Alicia fucking Rivera. NO. No, why did he have to do this to me?! I told him I loved him. He told me he loved me too. Was...was that all a lie? Tears began to pool in Claire's sky-blue eyes, and salty wet droplets began to slide down her pale cheeks.

"CAM! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" A few parents covered their children's ears, then scowled back at Claire. She was so confused, sad, angry, and annoyed that she just flipped them off right then and there. Cam jumped back from Alicia; alarm, anger, remorse, sadness, and guilt flashing in his eyes and radiating off of him. Alicia, however, confidently turned on the heel of her boots to face Claire, A cocky smirk was plastered on the Fannish beauty's bitchy little face, and Claire felt like slapping it off.

"Kuh-laire, I know you're blonde and all, but puh-lease. How stupid can you get? What do you think he's doing?" She said cockily. That's it bitch. Claire closed the gap between her and a smirking Alicia Rivera and slapped Alicia right across the face. Alicia gasped in pain and stumbled back, falling into a deep puddle of mucky snowy slush.

"Ewwwww!"

Claire turned to face Cam, tears still falling down her face, like miniature waterfalls.

"Cam Fisher, I HATE YOU. STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Claire screamed angrily, and struck Cam hard across the face. Twice. She turned and ran, leaving that traitorous cheater clutching his face in agony.

"Claire!" she heard him call, "Claire!" She ran, and never looked back. She ran as fast as she could when she heard his footsteps nearing, wiping away the moisture that was quickly streaming down her face. Until she crashed into something solid. Something warm. Something that smelled of spicy cologne. Claire looked up, and jerked back quickly. It was Derrick Harrington. Massie was close behind Derrick, running in her sky-high heels. Claire tried to run for Massie, but someone held her arm back. She assumed it was Cam, pleading for forgiveness.

"Cam, let go of me. NOW."

"It's not Cam, Claire." Claire's head jerked up. It was Derrick. She pulled as hard as she could, but Derrick forcefully turned her towards him and mashed his lips into hers just as Massie jogged up. Claire squirmed and struggled, but his grip was too strong. Finally, she kicked him; where the sun don't shine.

"OWWWWW!" He shouted, rolling on the snowy ground in pain. Claire sprinted towards Massie. Massie reached out, and enveloped Claire in a big hug, the sweet scent of her Chanel No. 19 soothing Claire. Massie stomped up to both Cam and Derrick, and gave both of them a nice kick in the stomach with her three-inch heels. Both boys crashed to the ground, and Massie took the opportunity to run to Claire, grasp her best friend's hand, and shout, "STAY AWAY FROM US YOU FUCKING GOOD FOR NOTHING CHEATERS! STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM US OR I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! CAM FISHER, I HOPE YOU ROT IN ETERNAL HELL. AND DERRICK, I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS UP AND KICK YOU TO PLUTO. I HATE YOU! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE EITHER OF YOU FUCKED UP ASSHOLES AGAIN IN MY LIFE!" before running back to the curb, where Isaac was waiting.

In the solitude of the car, Claire raised her red puffy eyes and tear-streaked face to meet Massie's angry amber ones.

"Mass?"

"Yeah, Claire?"

"Do you think we'll ever be able to fall in love without getting hurt?"

Massie didn't respond for a long, long time. Finally, she answered.

"No. I wish."

So the best friends cried themselves to sleep that night, comforted in their homes while surrounded by beautiful, twinkling, starlit snow.

SO...how was it? Did it suck so badly that it'll give you nightmares and scar you for life for the next eighty years of your life? Well, at least I hope now. Bridget, if you are reading this, and you are actually reading one of my super long A/Ns, thanks so much. Hope you liked it. :) Don't forget to review!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON MY POLL!

I'll try and update Wildfire soon! Yes, I am an extremely crappy updater. You will never find an updater as crappy as me.

Love you all,

Anastasia

P.S. REVIEW! :)